“What the fuck is going on with Jacob?” Adam’s idea of a greeting.

“I wish I knew,” Gabe said into his phone.

“I watched his ridiculous news segment. Is he really back with Tina?”

“Looks that way.”

“Of all the stupid—”

“You should go talk to him,” Gabe said, nibbling on Melanie’s chin so her passion wouldn’t cool while he dealt with band bullshit.

“Madison is going to have surgery on her shoulder. I can’t leave just yet.”

Gabe bit his lip. He hadn’t realized Madison’s injuries were that severe. He’d assumed she’d just broken an arm. “I’m heading up to Kansas tomorrow. I could stop by Dallas on my way back to Austin.”

“That would be great. I feel so . . .” Adam’s deep inhale was surprisingly strangled. “Disconnected.”

Which was the feeling—if history were any indication—that sent Adam reaching for a spoon of heroin, a lighter, and a syringe. “Be strong for Madison,” Gabe said. “You’ve got this.”

Adam swallowed hard enough that Gabe could hear it over the phone. “I’ll try to remember that.”

“There is no try. Only do or do not.”

Adam snorted at Gabe’s Yoda wisdom. “You’re such a geek.”

“A geek who is about to get laid. I’ll see you soon. Hang tough.” Gabe wasn’t sure how encouraging such words were to an addict. Personally, Gabe had never suffered such an affliction, so could only imagine the struggle Adam endured each day.

“Madison keeps me clean. I won’t falter. Not while she’s around.”

After they’d hung up, Gabe slid his phone into his pocket only to have it vibrate with a text message. He checked the screen. Kellen. He was currently dealing with his band more now that they’d broken up than he’d ever dealt with them even on tour.

As he read the message, all the air evacuated his lungs. He read it again.

Owen just got some bad news. Chad was injured in the line of duty. I think it’s pretty bad.

Another message from Kellen appeared below the first.

I did something stupid and now Owen won’t talk to me, but he needs a friend right now. Could you call him?

Tell him I’m sorry.

Ask him to talk to me.

Please.

Gabe had never seen such desperation in Kellen before, so he was curious about what their typically calm and cool rhythm guitarist could have possibly done to make his closest friend not talk to him. They’d been chummy enough when he’d last seen them a few hours before. Gabe texted Kellen back while Melanie—no longer burning with desire for him—twiddled her thumbs beside him.

That really sucks about Owen’s brother. Is he going to live? Gabe backspaced to remove the word live. He didn’t want to put that thought out into the universe. He replaced the deleted word with be okay before sending the message.

I’m not sure. He’s alive, but it’s bad. Really bad. And Owen won’t talk to me.

You mentioned that. What did you do to him?

Since Kellen’s answer didn’t come at once, Gabe glanced up at Melanie. “Owen’s brother—he’s a marine—has been injured.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh my God. I didn’t even know Owen had a brother. Is he going to be okay?”

“I don’t know.” Since Kellen still hadn’t responded, he called Owen. When Owen didn’t answer, Gabe left a message. “Shit, Owen. Kellen just told me about your brother. I’ll be praying for him, bro. If you need anything at all, let me know. I’m here. And you should probably talk to Kellen. He wants to be there for you too.”

Gabe set his phone aside and reached for Melanie. Seeking comfort in her warmth, he pulled her onto his lap and pressed his face against her neck. He didn’t know Chad very well, but imagining that someone so young and so strong could be so easily ended had Gabe staring his own mortality in the face. Had him questioning his life and what was important to him. His band, yes, but also his home, his family, his . . . Melanie.

“How do you feel about shacking up?” he asked.

Melanie laughed. “Is it even called that anymore?”

“I don’t know. Would you consider moving in with me?” They had never broached any serious discussions about their potential future beyond deciding that they wanted to be together. He was ready to take this step and the next. He just wasn’t sure if she was.

“Move in together?”

Her voice squeaked, and he struggled not to chuckle. He had sprung that on her out of the blue.

“Don’t you want to wake up beside me every morning?” he asked. “Learn all my disgusting habits?”

“Someday.”

“How about now?”

She pushed against his chest so she could look up at him. “Where is this coming from all of a sudden?”

He shrugged. “You never know how many tomorrows you have left.”

“Gabe . . .”

“Move in with me.”

“Are you crazy? That’s a huge step! I mean, staying with you for a few days is one thing, but moving in? I’m not sure we’re ready for that.”

He was sure. He knew Melanie was the one. Knew it with every part of his mind, his heart, and his soul. There were some truths science would never explain, and this was one of them. His knowing.

“Do you want to spend your life with me?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said without hesitation.

“Then moving in with me is not a decision. It’s inevitable.”

“Gabe . . .”

He silenced her protests with a deep kiss. He couldn’t take her rejection. Not at this rocky spot in his life. He needed something he could be certain of. He’d thought he could count on his band, thought he had a stable career, stable friendships. He’d thought he had unlimited tomorrows, but now he wasn’t sure about anything but her. He was sure about her.

He cupped her breast, squeezing gently. She moaned into his mouth and pressed her softness more firmly against his palm. He pinched her nipple, and her body jerked before relaxing into his. He became increasingly sure of her as her kiss turned desperate. She could fill a lot of holes in him, and at the moment, he needed to fill one in her.

His fingers moved to the button of her shorts. He unfastened freed the button, and pulled down the zipper before delving inside, his fingers seeking the hot wetness between her thighs.

She tore her mouth away. “Not sure why your unexpected proposition makes me want to come instead of go.”

He grinned, his fingers dipping inside her. He used her slippery fluids to stroke her clit, his tempo increasing like the rising crescendo of a Sole Regret drum track. Her cries of pleasure rose as well as he brought her closer, closer, closer to her peak. She shifted her body—and he thought she might be trying to get away after all—but her shorts were suddenly on the porch and she was straddling him on the swing, struggling to free his hard-as-stone cock from his jeans. The buttons of his fly popped free, and before he could collect his thoughts enough to rationalize her sudden need for him, he was inside her.

He groaned as her heat engulfed him, sending pleasure and need spiraling through him. She must have been even closer to her peak than he realized as her body jerked and shuddered as she found release. He cracked one eye open; the sight of her face contorted in ecstasy made him groan. He lifted his hips to pound his cock up into her, but the swing shifted and he found himself at the mercy of her tempo—which had gone slow as she prolonged the aftershocks of her quick orgasm. His fingers dug into the wood beneath him as she squeezed her breasts while she rode him, completely at ease with making her own pleasure.

Once she caught her breath, her hips began to rock, churning his length inside her until his head dropped back against the swing. The slightest movement of his foot on the porch pushed him deeper as the swing swayed beneath them. His toes lost contact with the ground, and the swing tipped dizzily, unsettling him and making his heart lurch with panic. It also buried him so deep within her, not even a fraction of him was exposed. Which got him thinking about centers of gravity and sex swings with anal plugs. A short thick one for him—because it would feel amazing to have something up his ass to ground him in this rocking motion. And a longer, vibrating one for her, because why not? He loved the feel of a vibrator against his dick when he was buried inside a woman.

But she began to move faster, sending the swing swaying precariously and his thoughts shattering.

“Rub my clit,” she said breathlessly in his ear. “I’m so close.”

“Again?”

“Yes.”

She leaned back so his hand could find her swollen nub. She had an exceptionally large clit, and he had just the suction cup to keep it overstimulated for far longer than he could manage on his own. Unfortunately, it was in the house, so he’d have to do this manually.

“Yes. Oh, Gabe. You’re so good at this.”

Sitting still while she did almost all the work? He was rather good at that. He sent her flying, groaning in delight as her pussy gripped him in rhythmic spasms. She collapsed against him, breathing hard, and her body went completely limp. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close while she got her bearings.

“You didn’t come, did you?” she murmured after a long moment of sitting impaled by his aching cock.

“No.” He kissed her shoulder, refusing to look at the two dogs sitting at the foot of the steps watching them. “It’s okay.”

Apparently she disagreed. She winced as she lifted her hips, and he fell free of her delightful warmth. She settled back on his thighs and took his cock in both hands. Pleasure pulsed up and down his length with each slide of her grip. In his already overstimulated state, it didn’t take her long to give him the release he craved. “Yes,” he groaned, watching her catch his cum and struggling to keep his eyes open so he could see it drip over the back of her hand. “Oh, Melanie. You’re so good at this.”

She snorted when he threw her earlier words back at her. “Well, I’m sure I don’t have as much practice as you do.”

He chuckled, still twitching with the remnants of his orgasm. His jerking compounded each time her thumb rubbed over his cockhead.

“Are you suggesting that my hand is well acquainted with my cock?” he asked.

She flushed. “I meant with sex in general.”

“The amount of sex I have in general will never catch up with how much I experience in my head.”

Beau emitted a loud, sharp bark, and Melanie jumped. She winced and peered over her shoulder at the pair of Labradors gazing at them with obvious curiosity. “Were they watching the entire time?”

“I was too busy enjoying myself to notice.” Which was partially true. He had noticed them toward the end there, but refused to let a couple of dogs ruin his good time. “I did have an idea for a new sex swing while you were giving me the ride of my life.”

She lifted an eyebrow at him. “Do you always find the capacity to think when you’re in the middle of the act?”

“I wouldn’t call it thinking,” he said, stroking both hands up her smooth back beneath her shirt. “More like sparks of inspiration. But to answer your question . . .” He bent to kiss her neck because she was every distraction he needed in his currently chaotic life. “Inspiration doesn’t happen often. I just find you particularly stimulating.”

“Are you going to tell me about this new idea of yours?”

“Mmm,” he murmured, kissing a path to her ear and nipping the lobe. She shuddered in response. “I’d rather build the prototype and give you a demonstration.”

“Not sure if I should be intrigued or worried,” she said.

He wondered if she were thinking about the prototype he’d been hoping to unveil the last time she visited. They’d had to postpone its debut when it malfunctioned, but he’d got it working late last night. Tinkering took his mind off his troubles, but not nearly as well as Melanie did. And tinkering for Melanie? With Melanie? Well, that might just get him through this mess he called a life with a big smile on his face. He was tired of being angry. Tired of trying to fix problems he had no control over. Tired of feeling like his opinions didn’t matter.

His arms tightened around her, and while he didn’t share all the thoughts and feelings swarming through his turbulent mind, he did say, “I’m really glad you came.”

“That was quite an orgasm,” she said, her tone teasing.

“I meant—”

She squeezed him. “I know what you meant,” she whispered. “I’m glad I came too. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to find my shorts so your dogs will stop ogling my bare ass.”

“Some dogs have all the luck.”