I held up my hands, trying to tell him there was more to the story. “Except it couldn’t be your mum. She’s been arrested for her alleged involvement in your assault. She’s in a prison cell in England. Whoever that was last night, Tan… it was not your mum.”
Leaping out of bed, and rushing toward me, he pushed his hand through his hair with a look that was somewhere between fear and rage etched into his face. “Are you telling me someone is trying to look like my mum? Are you telling me there is someone else doing all this?”
“Looks like it.”
Tanner paced the floor, obviously struggling with the news as much as Thomas and I had this morning when we found out. On the bed, Frankie stirred, stretching out. I fought not to stare at her as I knew Tanner would notice, but I couldn’t help but focus on the curve of her exposed hip or the way her breasts pressed against the pale pink material of her pajamas. She blinked, looking up at me, confused.
“Matt?”
“Morning, Frankie. Sorry if I woke you. I just needed to talk to Tanner.”
“No bother. I need to get up, anyway.” She rose from the bed, walking around until she was at Tanner’s side. Leaning in, she kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks for last night, big brother. I’ll see you in a bit.”
As she walked past me, she pressed her hand to my lower back. “You look terrible. When was the last time you slept?” she whispered as she moved. I shook my head, not really remembering.
She left Tanner’s room, the warmth of her touch branding itself into my skin. I looked up at Tanner, who was frowning at me.
“Something I should know, Matt?”
“No, nothing.” I turned to leave, unable to look him in the eye and lie. “I’m going to go tell Addi what’s going on and then we probably need to talk about next steps. I know Thomas wants to talk to you all about the rest of the gigs.”
“Okay. And Matt…” I paused, looking back at him over my shoulder. “Just remember, she’s my baby sister and I won’t let anyone, no matter how much I like them, hurt her. Do you understand?”
“Completely.”
As I was leaving his suite, my phone pinged with a message.
Rogue: Got a sec?
Me: Always.
Knocking on her door, I walked straight in, and she was there instantly, wrapping her arms around my neck. My hands moved automatically under her top to the small of her back, where my fingers stroked her skin.
The tension slipped from my body as if she’d opened a tap and let it spill from me. She made me feel like I’d found my way home. I should have been terrified, but I was too fucking exhausted to let myself overthink it.
“Better?” she whispered against my ear.
“You have no idea. Thank you.”
She pulled back, and I groaned, not wanting this moment to end. “I like this look on you.” She ran her fingers over my head and along my jaw. “The hair and the beard. It makes you look dangerous. Well, more dangerous than you usually look when you’re pulling your scary-ass security face.”
I pressed my forehead to hers. “Yeah? Good to know. I need to look scary with all this shit going on, although it’s mostly because I’ve not had a second to shave. I need you to promise me no more sneaking about. We caught someone trying to break in here last night. I need to know you’re safe, Rogue.”
“Shit. Really? No wonder you look so stressed. Thank you for keeping us safe. I promise I won’t make your job any harder.”
I let my hands move, needing more of her. Still buried under her top, my palms against her soft silky skin, I skimmed the outline of her hips and in an unspoken reply, she raked her fingers over the back of my head, making my body vibrate with need as my cock swelled between us.
I didn’t try to adjust the obvious bulge in my jeans or explain it away. She knew how she made me feel. I just wished I could be the sort of man who deserved her. Her lips were so close, it took every ounce of effort to not lean in and claim her mouth, but she’d made it clear that she didn’t want me unless I was all in and I could never give her that.
“Tell me a story, Rogue. Tell me something that will make me smile today every time I think about it because I could do with a reason to smile right now.”
She paused, thinking for a moment and then a smile spread across her face.
“I’ve got one,” she lifted her head to wink at me before leaning into my ear, her warm breath brushing against me. “Do you remember that night I knocked myself out? That first night you were with the band? I’d been in the bath.”
I nodded.
“I’d been… you know… giving myself some self-love. The reason I slipped was because I’d sloshed water all over the place thinking about you. It was you I was thinking about while I made myself come. Your hands on my body, your mouth on my breasts, and your cock filling me. I didn’t realize quite how excited I’d gotten until I slipped on the puddle I’d created. So really,youwere the reason I was knocked out, naked, on the floor.”