Page 41 of Love Notes and Late Nights
“Well, don’t.” The tension lines in Ethan’s forehead and around his mouth grew tighter. “Harris is your friend and your bandmate, and you don’t want to fuck that up for a quick lay. Let it go and move on. Find a groupie or someone else.”
“You’re right. I guess.” But Wolf was only saying that for Ethan’s sake. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling for Harris, but he was curious and wanted to find out.
“Good. Because we don’t need anything fucking up the tour. Let me know if anything else happens.” Ethan marched toward the door and opened it, and Tyler fell into the bedroom.
“Oh. Sorry.” Tyler’s hand went to his chest while his cheeks turned bright pink. “I was just . . . um . . . walking by and fell into the door.”
“You fell into the door?” Ethan asked, skeptically.
“OK. I lied. I was listening like a nosey bitch.” Tyler put his hands on his hips and furrowed his brow. “What were you two doing in the bedroom with the door closed? I couldn’t hear a damn thing.”
Ethan smiled and placed his arm around Tyler’s shoulder, leading him out of the bedroom. “Wolf just wanted to tell me something that happened last night. Not a big deal. Retract the claws, pussycat.”
The guys left early the next morning to record a performance on a late-night TV show before heading to the venue. It was a hectic day, especially after the party where Harris drank too much of that funky punch that tasted great but snuck up on him.
Right before soundcheck at the venue, Ethan tugged on Harris’ arm and pulled him out of the green room and into the corridor. “I need to talk to you.”
The tight grip on his arm made Harris give his friend the side eye. “What’s the problem?”
Ethan let go and looked around to make sure no one was paying attention. There were dozens of people in the corridor, but they were all busy and oblivious. “What’s going on with you and Wolf?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t give me that. Wolf told me you kissed him.”
“He told you?” Harris pursed his lips to the side. He was pissed because Wolf was the one who said not to tell anyone, and because he didn’t like the look on Ethan’s face right now.
“Wolf comes to me when he has something on his mind. You know that. If he has a problem, I’m the one he talks to.”
Harris wasn’t aware that the kiss was a problem. They’d discussed it, and Wolf wasn’t upset. If Harris remembered correctly, Wolf said he liked it. They’d spent the entire day and night together yesterday and everything was fine. But why would Wolf say anything about the kiss to Ethan? “What did he tell you?”
“He told me what happened, and I want to know what your intentions are.”
Harris grunted, annoyed at the line of questioning. “You sound like his father. He’s not a kid, Ethan.”
“Wolf is sensitive. He doesn’t need his heart broken again. Don’t take advantage of him just because he likes to sleep around.”
Annoyance turned to anger at the accusation and made Harris’ cheeks hot. “I wouldn’t do that to Wolf. Or to anyone. I’m not a predator. I like the guy.”
Ethan’s hard eyes softened a little, and he blew air out through his nostrils. “That’s not good enough. I don’t want you playing around with his heart. I don’t want him to get hurt.”
“Like you hurt him?” Harris shot back. He had a lot more to say on the subject but held back.
Ethan’s shoulders fell, and he looked deflated. “Look. I still feel awful and guilty for everting that went on between me and him.” A tear glistened in the corner of Ethan’s eye. “I love that guy. He’s the most important person in my life, besides Tyler. I’d do anything for him. I don’t want him to get hurt—by anyone—but especially not by someone who he considers a good friend. Wolf doesn’t have many friends. Me. You. Marsh. Tyler. That’s it. He trusts us.”
“I would never hurt Wolf. He’s one of my best friends too.” Harris stood tall, with his shoulders back and his chin high.
Ethan nodded once. “I said what I needed to say. But if this goes sideways and you hurt him, you’re gonna have to deal with me.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
After a week of back-to-back shows, which didn’t give Harris and Wolf much alone time, they all headed back home for a two-week-long break before they were scheduled to perform at Rocktoberfest and continue with the second half of the tour.
They’d been home for three days, and Harris hadn’t seen or heard from Wolf since they arrived. He looked at his phone, and the unanswered text messages he’d sent, and couldn’t help wondering if something was wrong. He started to leave a third message, then decided to call. He expected it to go to voicemail, but Wolf answered right away.
“I was gonna text you back,” Wolf said. “I just got wrapped up in some things.”
“OK. I was starting to worry. Are you busy?”
