Page 105 of Filthy Rock Stars

Fox appears with a bottle of beer in his hand and Owen at his side. “Millions?” he asks his best friend, teasing his oversized emotions.

“Tens of millions!” Reggie declares. “Hundreds!”

Two arms slide around my midsection from behind, and I lean back into the familiar weight of my boyfriend’s body. After our killer performance at the release, we both got swept up in the party. But now that we’re back home with our favorite people, we can actually celebrate the evening together.

“Thousands of millions,” Shadow tells Reggie, his voice in my ear. “And don’t you forget it.”

Reggie nods smugly at Fox. “See?”

Fox holds his hands up, surrendering. “Sure. Thousands of millions of little gay tennis players. I’m not arguing.”

Shadow sways us from side to side as he holds me from behind. “Nico is better at this celebrity crap than I’ve ever been,” he says. “Hasn’t changed him one bit. Swear to god.”

I smile. “Well, it’s just people who want to compliment me on our music and talk about the space opera. Of course I enjoy that! It’s humbling.”

He growls in my ear. “I’m so fucking proud of you,” he says quietly.

I lean back into his weight. “And I’m so fucking proud of you,” I tell him, and Shadow meets me in a kiss.

“Oh god!” Damian declares from across the loft, where he’s chatting with Star. “They’re making out again. This has to be some kind of record.”

“Uh-uh,” Reggie declares loudly. “No way they’re beating our record.” He looks at Everett. “Kiss me! They’re keeping track.”

Everett laughs. “Reggie, no one’s counting—”

Before he can finish, Reggie pulls him into a kiss, and everyone laughs as they tumble back against the couch.

I glance around our home, our chosen family all together and happy in one place.

Being with them all is a dream come true, like standing on a stage and playing music with the man I love, the world pouring their appreciation and support back our way a million times over. It’s not just that we’re lucky enough to have good friends. This feels bigger than that.

Shadow and I are a unique combination. Magical and surprising. He changes me just like I change him, and together with our family and friends, cheesy as it is, I feel like we can change the world.

“Oh shit,” Fox grunts, looking at his phone. “The first reviews.”

I stand on my toes. “Good?” I ask hopefully.

He looks up with a grin. “Fucking stellar. Looks like we might need to expand that tour.” His phone rings, and he quickly takes it, excusing himself.

I turn to face Shadow. “People love it.”

Shadow grins. “Of course they do. Let’s read each other the highlights from the reviews later,” he says. “That’s my favorite part.”

I press my lips to his ear. “But have you ever done it naked?”

Mare starts playing music at the other end of the loft, and before I know it, everyone has shifted into singing and laughing together. The celebration stretches late into the night, and even though Shadow and I are both exhausted, we’re reluctant to ask everyone to leave. It’s not until nearly sunrise that the last few friends take off and our home is quiet again.

Shadow gives me a lazy smile. His eyes are half-lidded, and he’s stripped down to a white T-shirt and jeans.

I push his hair out of his face. “Pretty successful album release, don’t you think?”

He smiles. “Yeah. And you even stayed up all night like a true rock star.”

I scoff. “Is that all it takes? Because I was pulling all-nighters in grad school.”

“That reminds me. We should probably make another visit to the library soon. Those atlases must be getting lonely.”

“Always considering the feelings of the reference volumes. No wonder I love you so much.”

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