Morning.
Which meant she’d spend the night in bed with Rex and Beau. So much for her plan to sneak out after the deed was done.
The hand on her belly slid up to rest right under her breast as its owner wriggled closer to her, pressing against her side. Rex. His morning wood nudged heavily against her hip and she bit back a groan. She turned her head to face him.
He was sound asleep and she stared for a while, captivated. His lashes lay thick and black against his cheeks. They would almost make him look feminine if not for the lean, angular face and the straight slash of a nose. His mouth was soft, curved in a half smile, as if he was having a lovely dream or reliving a spectacular night.
Heat stole over her limbs as the details came back to her in flashes. The sharp nip of teeth on her shoulder, the slow drag of a tongue on her pussy. It had certainly been spectacular in her book. In fact, she wondered how she could ever forget it.
She closed her eyes but the images wouldn’t cease. Rex, looming over her, his jaw tight, gaze burning into hers. Rex, jaw clenched, nostrils flaring as he entered her for the first time. Rex—
A long, deep sigh sounded on her other side. Beau. She turned to see if he was awake and noted with relief that his eyes were closed as well. He let out a soft snore and she bit back a smile. His honey curls formed a halo around his head and she ached to straighten them.
It was what she didn’t ache for that hit her in the solar plexus like a punch.
She loved him, didn’t she? She loved them both. But the desire tinged with sorrow she’d felt when she looked at Rex was singular. When she looked at him, she saw the life she could have had. Suffered the regret of a missed opportunity. Faced the fact that life was short and she might never love like this again, but she still had to walk away.
When she looked at Beau, it was different. She felt sorrow. Regret that she’d hurt him, and was about to hurt him some more. Sadness that she couldn’t comfort him and make it better. Surely that was love? But with stunning clarity, she realized that it was the love of a friend.
When that had happened, she couldn’t say. All she knew for sure was that with every touch, every kiss, Rex had become more and more a part of her, until there was no room for anything—or anyone—else.
And now she had to walk away. Fast, before she couldn’t do it at all.
Rex felt eyes on him, but left his closed. He made a conscious effort to keep his breathing deep and easy, which was easier said than done.
Clearly Quinn was at a crossroads. Somehow he got the feeling that whatever she did in the next few minutes meant everything. The tension rolled off her in waves and he fought the urge to pull her close, to comfort her. He realized his hand was splayed over her rib cage. He must have reached for her in his sleep. He could feel her heart pounding beneath the taut, smooth skin.
He swallowed a groan and her muscles stiffened. Had he made a sound? Fear kept him frozen in place. If she just took the time to think about it, she would realize she was right where she should be—waking up next to him.
A snore shattered his illusion on a dime. Beau. His best friend and band-mate. They’d both had one night to be with the woman they loved. Now everything was just supposed to go back to normal. Like it never happened.
Another thought loomed. What if she’d changed her mind? What if last night had made her realize that she didn’t have to choose? Could she handle a relationship like that? Hell, could he? The question had barely formed in his mind before the answer presented itself like a flashing neon sign.
No.
He couldn’t share her. He wouldn’t share her. If that meant he would never be with her again, so be it. Better one quick death than having to watch her with another man over and over, each kiss, each caress a tiny razor cut to his heart.
Quinn shifted against him and he forced himself to stay loose and unresponsive as she shimmied down the bed. His stomach dropped. Worrying about her wanting the three of them to be long-term thing was a moot point.
She was already making her escape.
The bed squeaked and Beau shot out a hand, closing it around Quinn’s wrist. She jerked in surprise.
“Sorry I woke you up. I was trying to be quiet,” she whispered. “No need to whisper, I’m up too,” Rex said.
Beau rolled to his side and peered at Quinn. At some point in the night, she had donned his Charlie Daniel’s Band t-shirt and his breath hitched as he took in the view. Her cheeks were rosy, her lips puffy. She looked as if she’d just been tumbled, and damn if that didn’t make him want to do it all over.
It’d never happen, though. Not ever again. He knew it in his bones. When he’d walked in to see her and Rex curled up together, still breathing hard, it had been a revelation. He thought he’d seen the connection between them earlier in the night, an almost magnetic pull, but in his sex-hazed brain he’d put it off to imagination.
Then, when he’d left to clean up and walked back into the room, they were snuggled tight. They looked like two pieces of a puzzle, perfectly matched. He wondered if they even knew it. Quinn had given him a groggy smile and patted the space on the bed next to her so he’d climbed in. She and Rex had fallen asleep almost immediately but the sight of the two of them was branded on his brain. He couldn’t sleep as his mind raced.
He thought about their night together. Did he still want Quinn? Yeah, she was amazing. Did he love her? Absolutely. But was he in love with her, for real? If love was what he saw between her and Rex, then the answer was no. When Rex had the chance to sleep with Jasmine, he’d passed. He’d rather sleep alone and dream of Quinn than hold a real—and smoking-hot—woman in his arms. And that was before, when he didn’t think he had a chance in hell.
Beau didn’t feel that way about Quinn. Shit, the truth was, he’d never felt like that about anyone in his life. Twenty-seven and never been in love. He fought the twinge in his gut at that thought. This wasn’t about him right now. This was about his two best friends.
Quinn and Rex had found something special somehow during their encounter and they deserved to see where it led them. It was a sticky situation and if they had any shot of making it work, it was on him to handle it right. He’d tossed and turned for over an hour, trying to figure out what to do next. It wasn’t until he’d made a decision that he was finally able to rest.
Now, in the light of day, he wondered once again if he was doing the right thing. If he’d read this wrong, he could end up devastating Rex, who was like a brother to him. At the very least, he was going to put Quinn in a terrible position.
Quinn sat up in the center of the bed to face them and eyed him warily. “Good morning.” Her voice was husky from sleep, her tone tentative.
“Good morning, darlin’.”
“I was just getting up to make breakfast—”
“And get out of Dodge before anyone woke up and wanted to talk,” he finished with a wry smile. Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink.
Beau pulled himself into a sitting position and Rex followed suit, leaning his back against the headboard, but he didn’t speak. He looked like shit. His face was stark, his eyes haunted. It bolstered Beau’s resolve.
“We might as well get this out of the way so we can move forward without a whole bunch of awkwardness,” he said.
She nodded and swallowed hard. He looked closer and realized her eyes were glassy with tears. Shit, he never ever wanted to make her cry.
Rip it off, like a bandage.
“I’m just going to lay it out there. We agreed to the one night. But if Rex is willing, I want to know if you’d consider being with both of us. For real. Long-term.”
The silence was so loud it was smothering. Still, he didn’t press, he just waited. Rex could have been a statue for all he gave away. His tight expression looked frozen in place.
Quinn gazed at them both, her eyes flitting back and forth between them. After a long moment, she sucked in a shuddering breath and opened her mouth to speak. No words came. Her face c
rumpled and the sob that followed about cracked his heart in two.
“I-I can’t,” she choked as she shot off the bed. She tripped on a pair of jeans and stumbled blindly, reaching for the door.
A second later, she was gone.
He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer.
Halfway there.
That afternoon, he and Rex sat on the living room couch staring at a TV neither was watching. Quinn had showered, dressed and left a long time ago. At about noon she’d texted them that she was going to stay in a hotel that night. Since then, the two of them had just been sitting around in silence, preoccupied with their own thoughts.
After letting it all marinate for half the day, Beau finally broke the silence.
“I think you should try again.”
Rex let loose a weary sigh. “What do you mean?”
“Just what I said, man. I think the reason she didn’t want to choose one of us before was because she didn’t want to cause problems in our friendship or make either of us feel bad.” He shrugged. “I won’t feel bad.”
Rex arched a black brow at him.
“Seriously. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely think she’s hot, and I care about her a lot. I admit, I was caught up for a while. I don’t know if you realize this, but I’ve never had a girl friend. You know, a girl who I spent a lot of time and liked to be around but never slept with. She was like the forbidden fruit, made all the sweeter because I couldn’t have her.” He shrugged. “She’s the best woman I know, but I see the way you look at her and…I don’t feel that.”
“I don’t—I just don’t get it,” Rex said, a frown creasing his brow. “How could last night make you love her less? She wrecked me, man. I feel like nothing could ever compare.”
Yep, it had seemed that way from the outside looking in, too. Quinn had made her choice even then, she just didn’t know it yet. Her interaction with Beau was nothing more than a side-note. The sprinkles on a cupcake. The gravy on their chicken-fried steak. He was definitely doing the right thing here.
Rex’s gaze drilled into him, through him, really. “So why did you ask her if she wanted to be with us both then?”
“I asked because I already knew the answer, but you needed to know it too. She wants you, man. She loves you. Go get her. If I’m wrong, at least you gave it your all. You need to blow off some steam or want a drinking buddy later, text me. We’ll go out tonight and drown your sorrows,” he said with a smile.
“Are you sure?”
Beau gave himself one more long moment to think about the answer to that question. It was going to be weird, his two closest friends being a couple. He hoped it didn’t change the dynamic of the band. On the other hand, they loved each other whether they were together or not, so no matter what, things were changing.
Was he sure?
“Yep, I am. Plus, if this works out between you two, it’ll just mean more groupies for me.”
Rex nodded. “You have no idea what this means to me. No matter what happens, I owe you, man.”
He leaned in and gave him an awkward man-hug with one arm, then pulled back and looked him dead in the eye for a long moment.
“Thank you.”
“Just don’t blow it.”
Chapter 7
Quinn sat cross-legged on the hotel floor with newspapers and magazines spread out before her, her eyes burning from a combination of crying and lack of sleep. Staying up all night had served its purpose though. She’d finally made a decision.
She ignored the persistent ache in her throat and began scouring an industry mag for want ads. There were a few bands looking for female singers, but none that wanted both a singer and guitar player. She’d make do with strumming rhythm in the background if it came down to it. At this point, she couldn’t afford to be picky. Once she went through the ads, she’d place a call to her agent and give her the news.
After this tour was over, she was leaving Hank Lemon and the Law.
She bit her lip to stop it from trembling. Considering this was all her fault, she had a lot of nerve being so upset. She’d known the risks when she walked into that room. Hell, even as she looked back, she was only half sorry. She got to spend one amazing night with the man she loved and couldn’t regret a second of that. The fallout that tore the band apart and could have cost Rex and Beau their friendship? Yeah, that part she could have done without.
“What the hell are you doing?”
She started in surprise and looked up to see Rex standing in the doorway. Her heart thudded and she sucked in a breath. “I didn’t hear you come in. I was just… How did you know where I was?”
“I called around to area hotels. The clerk here is a fan and gave me a duplicate key.”
He ran an impatient hand through his hair as his sharp eyes took in the papers on the floor before returning to her face.
“You’re leaving the band, just like that? Were you even going to talk to us?”
She couldn’t meet his gaze. “I was, I just wanted to give you guys a few days without me under foot. I caused enough drama today and thought you could use some time to talk without me in the way.”
He dragged an ottoman closer and sat.
“You’re never in the way. We’re a unit. We belong together. There’s a chemistry between us that can’t be replaced.”
So even after their night together, he still believed the three of them should try to have a relationship. Hot tears rushed to her eyes and she blinked them back.
“It was a mistake last night, Rex. I thought I felt something I didn’t. I won’t lie, it rocked my socks off. But it’s not what I want for my life. I want one man to love me more than anything, and I want to love one man. I want a family. A house and a dog and a husband to come home to when I get back from a tour. Someone to grow old with.”
She looked at him now and her heart gave a squeeze. His eyes were rimmed in red, his jaw unshaven. He looked leaner, harder than he had even the day before.
Fine job, Quinn. Way to go.
She pressed the heels of her hands to her burning eyes. “It was wrong of me to spend the night with you both when it wasn’t something I could do long-term. Especially since I knew how you both felt. I did it anyway, and this,” she gestured to the newspapers, “this is the price.”
“It doesn’t have to be, Quinn. We’re so good together. It’s like magic between the three of us.”
“I said I don’t wan—”
“I don’t mean as lovers, damn it. I mean us, the band. About us as people?” He shook his head grimly. “I would never share you again. I couldn’t. I want to settle down with one woman. More than anything, I want that woman to be you.”
It took a long moment for his words to sink in. He still loved her. He still wanted her. Her pulse skittered at his words, heedless of the fact that his admission didn’t change a god-damned thing.
“Which is exactly why I can’t stay in the band.”
He flinched as if she’d slapped him. “Because you don’t love me back.” His tone was resigned as he sat back, his face bleak.
“No! Because I do love you back. Because I can’t be in that band and watch you with other women and stand next to you every day and not touch you.” She lowered her voice and continued, “But I also can’t be the wedge that drives you and Beau apart. I can’t be the person who breaks his heart day in, day out. And neither can you.” She reached out and took his hand in hers and tried to hold back the sobs that were strangling her. “I can’t talk about this anymore.”
“I’ll do the talking then.”
He stood and pulled her up with him.
“Beau is the reason I’m here. He told me to come. He said you and I belong together, and he gives us his blessing. Quinn, I’m not going to lie. I know he loved you at one time. Or at least he thought he did.” He touched a finger to her chin and tipped her head back so she had no choice but to look in his eyes. “But not like I do. I know it and he knows it. That’s why he told me to come here.”
She knew he was right. Just like if one of the two of them quit, the band would cease to exist if she left. Sure, they could get a new singer, but he’d been right about their chemistry. It wouldn’t be the same.
Hope began to creep in but she fought it hard. She didn’t think her heart could take the disappointment again if she allowed herself to think this could work then realized it couldn’t again. “And what? He’s supposed to watch us kiss and…” She noted the hint of challenge and edge of desperation in her voice.
“It might be a little weird at first, but I swear, he was fine. A little envious of our connection maybe, but he knows you and I are meant to be together.” Rex sounded so certain. “Let’s finish the last few dates of the tour. You and I will keep it low key. By the time we hit the studio again, things will be okay. I know it.”
“What if they aren’t?”
“They will be.” He locked his gaze with hers and leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. “I know Beau. He’s like a brother to me, and he wouldn’t have given us his blessing if he was still in love with you. Hell, I think he’s more bothered by the realization that he doesn’t know what love is.”
“I want to believe that so badly.” Her hands shook as she lifted them to his face. “Okay. We’ll try.” His face lit up with a smile that had her heart pounding. “But if things start to fall apart between the two of you…”
His voice was firm. “They won’t.”
She let her doubts fade under the intensity of his stare. It was going to be all right. It had to be. He pulled her close and kissed both corners of her mouth before settling on her lips. Was this really going to be her new normal? Being able to kiss and touch Rex every day? Her stomach did a flip. Her emotions were so raw, right on the surface.
“You smell so good,” he murmured into her mouth.
Hard Sell: A Bad-Boy, Rock Star Romance Page 37
