Beer in hand, I dropped onto a couch at the back of the bar. It was the middle of the night, and some slow, bass-heavy dance song was playing, thudding through the building. The lights were low, candles burning, and the drinks were flowing.

Dirty had finished playing hours ago, the film crew had finished shooting, but the private after party was still going strong.

I’d been thinking about hooking up with some blonde girl, a friend of Maggie’s, but then I’d lost track of her. On purpose. She was cute, but I just wasn’t feeling it.

Everywhere I looked, people were making out. Surprisingly, Zane wasn’t one of them. He was sitting on the edge of the stage with Brody and Jude, talking. Jessa had gone home at some point, tired and complaining of her swollen feet. Maggie was nearby, chatting with Summer. And Jesse and Katie were holed up in a corner, sucking face.

Elle and Seth were in another corner. I watched them for a bit. Kissing slowly, talking, and smiling at each other. His hand was on her belly.

What a mind-fuck.

But I had to admit, if Elle was happy, if this was what she wanted… the fact that Seth was now the father of her baby was definitely gonna cement him into the Dirty family for eternity. Good or bad, it was a fact.

And I, for one, was happy about it.

As long as Elle was happy.

“Hey. I wanted to thank you,” Liv said, as she sat down next to me on the couch.

“For what?”

“For getting me the directing gig on the Underlayer campaign.”

I shrugged. I’d been working with Underlayer for a while now as one of their “celebrity” underwear models. We were shooting a commercial in a couple of weeks, and Underlayer had been good enough to work around my schedule with the band, which meant we were shooting it here, in Vancouver. I’d gotten Liv in the door, sure; they needed a Canadian director on board anyway. But she’d gotten the gig herself.

“You’re the only one I’d want filming me in my underwear,” I told her, flirting, but not seriously flirting.

Liv knew it wasn’t serious and ignored it. “I’m still not sure I love the creative direction of the whole thing. Doesn’t seem like I have much of a say, though.”

I shrugged again, swigging my beer. “They just want me onstage doing my thing.”

“In your underwear?” She raised a skinny eyebrow behind her glasses. “When do you ever play drums in your underwear?”

“I play in a kilt,” I said, which she knew as well as anyone. “That’s what they’re playing off of. It’s the whole ‘What’s under the kilt?’ thing.”

“Ah, yes,” she said. “The age-old question. Look, I get that’s the hook of the ad, but then they want you stripped down to your underwear—their underwear—in the commercial. No kilt.”

“You don’t like it?”

“It could be better,” she said.

“That’s why Dirty hires you, Liv,” I told her, “and we always will. ’Cause you tell it to us straight. I doubt they’re gonna change the direction of the commercial, though.”

“I know they’re not,” she said.

Someone dropped onto the couch, on Liv’s other side, and I glanced over to find my best friend. Ash had been a big shake-up in my life lately, second only to all the bullshit going on with Dirty. I knew without him spelling it out for me how unhappy he was about what went down between him and Elle. He was kinda hung up on her, more than he’d admit.

We used to party together, pick up girls together. The last seven months, I’d been pretty much flying solo.

But now, Ash gave me a look right back. A look I knew well. He looked Liv over, casually. Then he raised a dark eyebrow at me.

My arm was on the couch, behind Liv, and I flipped him the finger behind her back. Ash just grinned and drank his beer.

No way was I tag-teaming Liv, even for Ash’s benefit, to get him back in the game. For one thing, she’d never go for it. Besides that, she wasn’t really my type. She had a tight little bod, but even though we were close in age, Liv was kinda like an auntie to me or something.

I perused her blouse, buttoned up to her throat.

She eyed me sharply. “What?”

“Nothing.”

Ash cackled and Liv rolled her eyes. “I’ll leave you kids to it,” she said, as she got up and walked away.

I watched Ash; from the way his eyes were scoping the room—with hunger—I could see that it was finally back on.

Ash was on the prowl.

“You know she’s a lesbian, right?” I offered.

“Who?” Ash looked at me, all innocence.

“Liv.”

“So?” He cupped his junk, adjusting himself, as he eased back, reclining on the couch. “Maybe all she really needs is a big, fat—”

“Don’t say it.” I cut him off, but I had to chuckle. Ash was bi, and for some reason that gave him the hope that everyone else on Earth just might be, too.

“I dig her little librarian glasses,” he said.

“I’m sure she’d be happy to hear that.”

“You think?” He smirked, and I relaxed, the two of us just chilling on the couch with a woman-sized gap between us. It felt familiar, and a long fucking time coming.

A grin spread across my face.

Thank. Fuck.

Seth was finally back. And now Ash was back, too.

Which meant my life could finally go back to normal. No more bullshit. No more drama.

Just partying, playing drums, and fucking.

Unlike some of my bandmates, I was in no particular rush to settle down. Not when there was so much fun to be had first. Just me and whatever smoking-hot woman happened to wander my way, and catch my interest.

And if she was lucky… who knew?

Maybe she’d catch Ash’s interest, too.