Page 15 of Affinity

Dillon turned away.

The girls returned with platters of fruit and pastries from the kitchen. Jesse stood in the back of the room with Kyan and watched Chloe set up the food. Staff had started to trickle in. His cousins’ eyes never left the little blonde—neither one of them.

He leaned over to Kyan. “You and Linn, huh?”

“Yeah.” Kyan grinned, but his eyes remained on his prize. On the girl.

The girls took a seat at the table in front of him and Kyan. They stood like guards behind them, Jesse’s hands rested on Chloe’s shoulders. The room was buzzing with chatter. Dillon looked like he was ready to begin this kickoff into mayhem. That’s what the festival was. Sheer madness. A party in the street outside on First Avenue. They would all be crazy busy and working nonstop until it was over. Jesse wasn’t looking forward to it very much. He wouldn’t have any time to see Chloe. Or anyone. He promised himself that after the festival, before things went any further between them, he would tell her everything. Before he fucked it all up.

Sometimes you have to risk everything to gain everything.

Brendan was right about that.

The next thing he knew, his eldest cousin strolled into the bar with his staff from the club filing in behind him. Kyan turned toward him with a raised eyebrow, as if he could tell him why Brendan was here. Jesse didn’t have a clue.

They kept the club separate from Charley’s. Except for those who were members of the exclusive private establishment, not many people knew what went on behind the red door, and that’s why Charley’s and the club did not mix. Ever. Brendan being there with the club staff was more than odd. Rubbing Chloe’s shoulders, Jesse glanced over to Kyan with a shrug.

Dillon and Brendan got the room’s attention, the chatter ceased, and Dillon started talking. Jesse wasn’t paying that much attention. This was their third festival since they opened Charley’s—he already knew what was being said because Dillon said the same shit every year. Then he said something he didn’t expect.

“Brendan Murray has some exciting news we want to share with you that isn’t being announced to the public.”

A hush came over the room as Brendan took his place to stand beside Dillon. All four of the cousins were tall, well over six feet. Jesse was six-foot-six and Brendan had even a couple of inches on him. The ladies salivated over his cousin. Always had. He had that bad-boy look going for him that chicks seemed to drop their panties for. Dark auburn hair, the trademark light blue eyes they’d all inherited from the Byrne side of the family, lots of muscle and a lot of ink. Jesse didn’t have a single tattoo. He couldn’t think of anything he wanted indelibly marked on his skin.

“Good morning.” Brendan had the bad-boy voice to match, too. Jesse would swear the scent of female arousal was in the air. “Together with Charley’s, we are sponsoring a surprise guest to headline this year’s festival. Our very own local, and now internationally known rock band, Venery, is coming home to play the main stage on Saturday night!”

What?

Why didn’t he know about this big announcement? Why hadn’t Taylor mentioned it? Why the secrecy? This was news to him and it shouldn’t have been.

Of course, everyone in the room was shouting and carrying on—Venery was coming! It’s not like many of them would get to see the concert anyway. They’d be here. Working. Chloe reached for Jesse to grab his hands in her excitement when a shriek pierced the air.

You’ve got to be fucking kidding.

Chloe held onto him, bouncing in her seat. He clutched her hands a little tighter and schooled the expression on his face. He was pissed. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.

Taylor Kerrigan, lead guitarist of Venery, stood there with Brendan and Dillon—and he had his sights set right on Chloe.

“Bloody shite,” he muttered to himself.

Taylor Kerrigan listened to the babble coming from the bar as he sat hidden in Dillon’s office waiting for his cue. Why the fuck was he doing this? Even though he was used to it he hated putting himself on display, unless he was on a stage with a guitar in his hand. Without it, he was just a piece of meat to be gawked at, pulled apart, and fawned over. It came with the territory. He knew that, but he volunteered for it this time—insisted on it.

So why was he doing this again?

He scoffed. You know why.

The tour bus he’d called home for the past five months rolled back into the city late this past Friday night—actually the wee hours of Saturday morning. By the time they unloaded the bus and the town car dropped him off at his downtown condo it was near dawn. Taylor watched the first rays of sunlight appear as he gazed upon the panoramic lakefront view through the wall of glass. Then he went to his room, closed the door and the blinds to shut out the light before he fell to his bed.

It felt so good to be back in it. The tour had been grueling. He was so tired he thought he could sleep for a week. There was a time, and it wasn’t that long ago, he wouldn’t be as knackered as he was coming off the road. Taylor and the boys known as Venery had been together for fifteen years—since high school. They’d been touring almost every year for the last decade. But he wasn’t twenty anymore—or even twenty-five. Hell, he was past thirty. Were you already old at thirty? He was too young to feel this old. Maybe it was time for them to slow down for a bit. He could use a breather. Something. They all could.

That wouldn’t be happening any time soon. They had music to write and a new album to record. Another bloody tour was already in the works for next year. Taylor groaned and pulled the blanket over his head.

No rest for the wicked.

The room was dark when he woke. He tumbled out of his bed and opened the blinds as the last rays of light extinguished on the western horizon. Switching on a lamp, he fumbled through the luggage he had yet to unpack. He’d sort it later. Right then all he wanted was a hot shower, a cold drink, and…a good fuck. In his own bed.

Taylor tapped out a text and without waiting for a reply ambled into his posh, yet unmistakably masculine, en suite to shower the post-road grubbiness from his still-weary limbs. He flipped a switch and soft LED lights illuminated the water that rained down on him from the ceiling. He adjusted the temperature of the water as hot as he could stand it and rested both palms against the black marble walls. God, he’d missed this.

Heat seeped through his skin to loosen his stiff muscles. Taylor tipped his head back for a moment to savor the feeling before he pumped body wash from the built-in dispenser and lathered himself. Callused fingers snaked over the hard ridges of his abdomen to cup his balls and wash them. He always wanked off in the shower. His self-love ritual. He looked forward to the release, but tonight he was so exhausted his dick didn’t even twitch.

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