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He shrugged. “Purple leather pants are out of fashion.”

A laugh rolled past her curved lips, and she collapsed on the bed. Long tresses spread out around her angelic face and blazed rivulets of fire over the white bedding. Her flawless complexion glowed under the angled lighting as she stretched. The arch of her torso, the ripple in the hollow of her belly, and the languid blink of her eyes seeped sensuality. She was so beautiful, and so unaware of it. His muscles strained with the effort to keep himself from falling over her and ravishing her like an animal.

“Oh God, this is heaven. I mean, seriously, if I were to imagine the light at the end of the tunnel, it would be as bright as this room.” She twisted a finger around a lock of hair. “Pick a color. Tell me your favorite.”

“Red.”

She released the fiery coil around her finger like it singed her.

“Second to blue.” He stared into the depths of his favorite shade and she blinked, coughed.

“Then what’s up with the all-white decor?”

He turned toward the black sky beyond the windows and his reflection glowered back. The reason was simple. And haunting. “I don’t like the dark.”

“The shed was dark.”

Hearing his toxic shit whispered in her sweet voice built a pressure behind his breastbone.

“Jay. A word?” Nathan’s shout tumbled from the bathroom.

“Here we go.” He flashed her a guilty look before he could stop himself. Shit. He strode across the room and through the archway to the master bath, loosening his limbs to absorb the confrontation.

Fists on his hips, Nathan scowled at the waste basket between his boots. He’d emptied the cabinets of every pill, pipe, and baggie, filling the can mid-way. “Am I missing anything?”

Yeah, he was missing the bulk of it, hidden throughout his bedroom. Jay would deal with that later when he wasn’t under the watch of stabbing eyes. He shook his head.

“How problematic is this going to be?”

Jay snapped his head up. “It’s not.” He straightened to his full height. “Do your job. Protect Charlee. You don’t need to protect her from this. I’m done with it.”

Nathan glanced over Jay’s shoulder, and the stiffness fell from his expression. With a sigh, Jay turned to face her.

She stared at the waste bin, chewing a nail. “Drugs are one thing I’ve never been exposed to. Don’t have a clue what the side effects are or how hard it is to quit.” Her gaze floated up and captured his. “It’s not my place to tell you what to do, Jay. I’m just going to have to trust you.” She inhaled deeply, and her eyes spilled over with conviction. “I do trust you.” She looked at Nathan. “So drop it.”

Her confidence in him scared the piss out of him, but it also got him moving. He picked up the basket and walked through the bedroom, collecting the remainder of the stash. The sock drawer, the closet shelf, under the couch cushion, the mattress, behind the painting of the Canadian Boundary Waters. “That’s it.” He pushed the overflowing trash can into Nathan’s arms. “Boy scout’s honor.”

That earned him a distrusting glare. So be it. As soon as Nathan discarded his bounty, the estate would be drug-free, barring the random joint his bandmates kept.

Charlee reached around the trash can and hugged Nathan’s rigid body.

Jay’s pulse jumped, his jealousy rising to the surface. What did he have to offer her that Nathan wasn’t already providing? He tried to scrape up some understanding, fully aware it was the first night in three years they would be sleeping apart. Yet, she clung to him like he wasn’t going to be under the same fucking roof. Jay jerked toward her before he could stop himself.

Nathan set her away with a pat on her shoulder. “I’m getting you a cell phone first thing tomorrow.” He bent his knees to look her in the eye. “If you need me tonight…” He glanced at Jay.

“Press star seven on the intercom.” Jay stepped behind her and gently nudged her chin toward the control panel by the door. “That’ll ring Nathan’s room. And star one will send a broadcast to every room in the estate.”

Straightening, Nathan nodded. “Okay?”

“Yep.” She rubbed her hands on her thighs as if she didn’t know what to do with them.

At that moment, Jay knew he could offer her something Nathan didn’t. He slid his hands over her hips, laced them with hers, and wrapped their arms around her waist. An electric current coursed through them and they exhaled in unison. She leaned her back against his chest.

He slid his nose through her hair, soaking in the shampoo she’d borrowed in his shower that morning combined with her sweet natural scent. The click of the door sounded Nathan’s exit, and they stood there, sharing warmth and affection, content to do nothing more but lean close together.

Together. A foreign concept, yet so recognizable when he could feel her heart beating in harmonic balance with his.

Her head turned toward the bed. “What now?”