that way.”
My brows pulled together. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
“I know I am. I was with her a while.”
A while that screwed with her.
“Water under the bridge,” I said.
“So you think we can get past that and work together?” he asked, his tone incredulous.
“We can. I’m willing.”
Saber was my brother. If there was a way for this to work out where I didn’t lose everything and Lotus didn’t get hurt, I couldn’t see it. But blood was blood. That didn’t change, though I’d been gone a long time. Plus, my gut told me finding common ground with him was critical to everything.
“Okay. Let’s give it a try. But my band, my rules. We don’t talk about her.”
“Agreed.”
“Great. Fucking awesome,” he said with liberal sarcasm. “So, get your ass into the studio.”
“I had plans for today,” I said, then frowned.
Or I thought I did. I’d spouted some executive decrees, but Lotus had taken off without agreeing to them. Maybe I’d been an ass, trying to run things with her the way Saber had.
Fucking hell. I’d been doing exactly that, and I had to fix it.
“Ditch your plans,” Saber said. “Ash liked what he heard last night at the Deck Bar. We have a gig, a big one. Could be our break. Get the band the kind of exposure we need. We need to practice.”
“Oh yeah?” I asked. “What kind of break?”
“A concert in Huntington Beach after the surfing competition. Dogs are headlining. Ash put us in the lineup right before them.”
Lotus
SMILING, I WALKED into my apartment, dazed and thinking about Journey naked. He was so fucking hot, and so was that last kiss.
“Have a nice night out?” Cork asked, and I jumped back a step.
My eyes wide, I found my brother sitting on the couch, a knowing look on his face, a pillow beside him and a blanket around his trim waist.
“Yes, I did, actually.” My hand was at my throat where my heartbeats were only just now starting to slow. “How did you . . . why . . . I thought you were asleep when I left last night.”
“I was sound asleep. I didn’t even hear you sneak out.” He frowned. “Without your cell phone. I woke me up when your bestie drunk-dialed you.”
“What?” My brows rose.
“We’ll get to Sophia in a minute. First things first. I know you’re my guardian and the older sibling, but you shouldn’t go anywhere without your cell.”
Chastened, I nodded. “You’re right.”
“I didn’t know where you were, but I guessed, and decided not to interrupt you. Given that you’re in your nightgown and wearing a smile, I’m thinking that was the right call on my part. Was going downstairs and spending the night with Journey the right thing for you?”
“Yes.” I nodded again.
“Are you going to tell me about it?”
“Scoot over,” I said in lieu of an answer.
I skirted the coffee table and Cork sat up, moving his blanket out of the way so I could have a seat. The worn-out springs on the couch protested when I sat down. It was old, salvaged from an alley back when our father had been alive, but I wouldn’t exchange it for new, even if I could afford new since it reminded me of him.
“I can’t believe you went downstairs in your nightgown.” His expression incredulous, Cork shook his head. He sounded and looked like a serious old man, except he was only seventeen, and his blond hair was smushed on one side of his head.
“I wasn’t thinking about cell phones or proper attire.” My gaze met his. “I wasn’t thinking much at all. But I needed someone, and Journey was there for me. We talked about us, and he wants to be there for me and you, for a while at least.”
Cork tilted his head. “Why only a while?”
I scooted closer. Suddenly cold, I wanted to be closer to the one person who had never abandoned me.
“He has a secret. Something not good. He’s tried to tell me a couple of times.” My gaze turning unfocused, I remembered the look on his face and shivered, wrapping my arms around myself. “He seems pretty certain that if I know, it will end anything between us. So I asked him not to tell me, and he agreed.”
“That doesn’t sound like a good idea.” Cork frowned. “Let me talk to him. Get him to tell me, then—”
“No,” I said quickly. “I don’t want you interfering. Journey and I have an agreement. His part is keeping his secret. My part