Christmas with a Rockstar (Rock Revenge Trilogy 3.50)

“Have you been talking to Ian? He was saying the same thing earlier. Or is that the typical male response?” Lila kicked him lightly with her bare foot. Then pale pink toenails skimmed up the inside of his leg and he nearly forgot to argue.

She was an evil woman, his Li.

“Do I talk to Ian?”

“No, but you should, because he’s not going anywhere. Simon invited him here, remember?” Lila’s voice was gentle, and even that rankled. He did not need handling when it came to Simon’s newly discovered little brother.

He didn’t need handling period, unless it was of a naked nature. Then he didn’t mind.

“More like Margo invited him here. Let’s be real. Simon may be tolerating him more now, but do you really think he’d invite the guy on a vacation?”

“Yeah. They’re finding their way.” Lila rubbed his arm. “I know that’s hard for you. You don’t have to pretend with me.”

“Who’s pretending?”

“You. Always. Tough guy.”

He took a breath. “Yeah, okay, it kinda sucks for me. I mean, it shouldn’t. I’m happy for Simon, now that it looks like Ian isn’t a dick. Jury’s still out, since I don’t fully trust the guy.”

“But you’re used to having Simon all to yourself.”

“That sounds kinky in ways I don’t want to think about.” Yet it was kinda true.

Mostly true.

“First, you had to share him with his wife. Now a brother and a baby. Growing up’s rough.”

The amusement in her voice made him poke her in the side. “You’re funny. Pretty sure I have a wife and some kids too.”

Kids he already missed desperately, and they’d been on the island for under a day. He’d already called them twice at their grandmother’s. It was fairly pathetic. Especially since Avery—their clingiest child—had acted as if she was too busy to talk to him, even if it was mostly baby-style babble.

But that was neither here nor there.

“You do, and it still shocks me. And I’m the wife who gave birth to the kids.”

He rolled over onto his back and flung his arms out wide, draping his hand over her belly. “When did I forget how to just loaf? I don’t know what to do with myself without the sounds of screaming over glue and sudden tears. What have I become?”

“A dad.” Lila rolled over and lifted up the hem of his nearly threadbare Megadeth T-shirt to kiss his stomach. “That’s probably the sweetest thing you’ve ever said, by the way.”

“Is it increasing your interest in having quiet sex with me?”

She chuckled, but she didn’t look at his face. He lifted his head from the pillow, frowning at her focus on his belly.

“Your workouts are doing their job, hmm?”

“The job of nearly killing me daily?”

Or every other day, since he couldn’t keep up with freaking Deacon, Oblivion’s bassist. That beast could spend three hours in the gym and not break a sweat.

Nick? Not so much. But he’d built up a lot of his endurance over the past six months or so, and he’d kept it up even after Simon had started skipping more often than he showed for obvious reasons. His and Margo’s world had been rocked in more ways than one.

“The results are paying off.” Lila drew her pale pink nail around his navel and pulled down his shorts a fraction. His cock sprung up like it was on a damn spring. “You’re so ripped.”

Nick’s eyebrows rose. “Are you getting aroused by my eight-pack? Hot damn.” Maybe he’d start hitting the gym daily.

If Saint Deacon could handle it, so could he.

Plus, he had a whole case of Icy Hot at home.