I stumbled out of bed with the ringing phone in my hand. Evening light poured through the window, the rays barely touching the tip of Tori’s exposed foot.

We’d spent all day in bed. Fucking. Eating. Talking.

Tori stirred, rolling onto her back with her eyes closed. And with the sheet tangled low on her hips, exposing her tits for me to feast on, I seriously considered letting my sister’s call go to voicemail. Fighting off the urge, I snatched my boxer briefs off the floor and headed for the bathroom. With one last look at the heaven I was leaving in the bed, I closed the door behind me.

“Hey, Laurel.”

“Lo. Where have you been?” Irritation threaded her tone equally. “I’ve called you three times.”

I took a seat on the edge of the tub. “Sorry, I was …” I drew a blank. Well, not really a blank since Tori’s fine ass popped into my head. But nothing I could share with Laurel. “Really tired. I was up all night.”

“You were partying … in Nashville? You hate Nashville.”

Not anymore.

“I’m not really in Nashville. I’m north of there at the Fontanel Inn. Ever heard of it?”

She snorted. “Of course I have. It’s a little rich for my blood.”

Biting my tongue, I stopped short of telling her I’d bring her here after the tour. Keeping Laurel out of Nashville was high on my list of priorities.

I grunted noncommittally, and she moved on. “Listen, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?”

“Yes” danced on the tip of my tongue. Then I thought about Jake.

“Depends.”

“Okay … I have a friend who lives there.” My back stiffened when I thought of all the “friends” who’d kept Laurel hidden during the months I was looking for her. “I used to sleep on her couch when Timmy … when he’d get mad at me.”

Timmy. The owner of the strip club where Laurel used to dance. He’d paid for every bruise he’d put on my sister with one of his teeth. Good times.

“Anyway,” Laurel went on, “she really wants to go to your show. Do you think, I mean, is there any way …?”

“I can get her tickets,” I said, digging my fingers into my eyes. “Text me her name, and I’ll pass it on. They’ll be waiting for her at Will Call.”

“Thanks, Lo.”

Silence swirled between us, the way it had every time we’d spoken since our fight. I was about to say my goodbyes and peace out the conversation when Laurel sighed. “Aren’t you even going to ask?”

I gnawed on my thumbnail, a habit I’d given up years ago after Jake slapped me in the head one too many times.

“Stop chewing your nails, boy. You nervous about something?”

Dragging my shoulders back, I glared at my reflection in the mirror. “Ask about what?”

I knew.

We both knew.

But the sooner my sister got it into her head that I’d never willingly inquire about Jake, the better.

“Dad.”

That single word set my teeth on edge. “Don’t have one, darlin’.”

“Why do you still hate him so much?” she hissed, her tone laced with venom. For me. Not the monster.

The truth lodged in my throat like a ball of cement. But after all these years, I couldn’t call it forth. And even if I could, Laurel wasn’t prepared to hear it.

“He’s a shitty person, Laurel. He doesn’t deserve your love.”

“Everybody deserves love, Logan. Even Daddy. Even me.” Her tone softened. “And especially you.”

She sounded so vulnerable, all the fight left me. “I love you, baby girl. Isn’t that enough?”

Her silence said it all. It wasn’t. My sister took love where she could get it. Even the bad kind. Because she had no self-esteem. And that was Jake’s fault too.

“I gotta go,” I said. “Text me your friend’s name. I’ll hook her up.”

I pressed end before she could reply.

At the sink, I ran a hand through my hair and splashed some water on my face.

Everyone deserves love.

“Yeah, right,” I mumbled to my reflection.

Shaking my head, I wandered back to the bedroom where I found Tori with her back propped against the headboard, staring out the window.

She whipped her gaze in my direction. “You’re here.”

For a moment, I didn’t move. “Yeah,” I said slowly as I walked to the bed. “Where else would I be?”

She looked down at her hands. “I don’t know. I thought you left.”

I stopped in my tracks. “Do you want me to go?”

After last night and today, I’d never thought about it. But obviously she had.

“Not at all.”

Relieved, I climbed onto the bed. Onto her. Nudging her legs apart, my lips found that spot on her neck that I loved. But she didn’t respond.

Tipping back, I looked down my nose at her. “What is it?”

Her lashes fluttered, a sure sign I wasn’t imagining things. Something was up.

“Was it good?” she asked in a small voice.

And I knew she couldn’t be talking about the sex. There was no way. But when she lifted her gaze, the doubt was there. How could she not know?

Sighing, I laced our fingers together and rolled onto my back. “Come here.”

She pulled a face. “I’m right here.”

I gave her hand a tug, and reluctantly she scooted down. When I shifted onto my side, she followed suit.

“How was it for you?” I asked, and surprisingly, I wasn’t entirely sure what her answer would be.

Maybe the metric ton of orgasms I coaxed from her body wasn’t enough.

A shy smile broke on her lips. “Good.”

Cocking a brow, I slid my hand to her ass. “Just good?”

“Really good.”

Slotting my leg between hers, I pulled her closer. Flush against me. Skin to skin. “What did you like the best?”

She pondered for a moment. “Promise you won’t laugh.” Right on cue, I did just that. She responded with a scowl. “I’m not telling you now, jackass.”

Heat flashed in her gaze, and not because I was rocking my leg against the warmth between her thighs.

“Come on.” I rocked a little harder. “Tell me.”

A sigh and a great big eye roll. “The kissing, all right?” After a long moment of stunned silence on my part, Tori tipped her chin stubbornly. “What did you like best?”

Her knees fell open when I eased her onto her back, and her soft thighs molded my ribs. “This.”

She looked disappointed. And honestly, I felt like a dick for lying. Or misdirecting. Because it wasn’t her pussy that I liked best. It was the feel of her legs around me. Her warmth. Everything. All the things.

Before Tori could pull the rest of the truth from me, I kissed her. Long, slow, and hungry.

She broke the connection and blinked up at me with hooded eyes. “Can I be on top?”

The words barely left her lips and I had her above me, straddling my waist. My hand came to rest on her hip, right over the braided skin, and dread swam up and clouded her pretty gaze.

“Is this hurting you?” Stupid question. Anything that had to do with the accident caused Tori pain. From her memories to her scars to the void that might never be filled. “Physically? This position?”

“No. I just … I didn’t realize you could see everything if I was like this.” Her shoulders sagged. “It’s not sexy.”

For all her confidence, and the girl had a bunch, it didn’t translate to whatever she saw in the mirror. What I saw when I looked at her.

“You’re sexy, Victoria.” Her eyes locked onto mine. Holding. Searching. “You think this—” I ran my thumb along the scar below her breast— “makes me want you less? You’re more than the fucking scars, baby. More than the stories they tell. You’re just …”

Everything.

She didn’t see it because her pieces were scattered. And one day when she was whole, this would probably be over. Until then, I’d take what she offered.

“I’m what?”

Twining a hand in her hair, I brought her lips to mine. “Perfect the way you are.” Snatching a condom from the nightstand, I winked at her. “Now ride me like it’s your fucking job.”