Johnny and Mac stepped onstage and Sebastian’s hand tightened around hers as the crowd began to cheer.

She tried to think of something to say but doubted he would’ve been able to hear her over the crowd or the music.

After two songs, Mac set down his guitar and leaned back in his chair, a huge smile on his face to match Johnny’s.

“Now we’ve got something special for you that you’re gonna love,” Johnny said. “We’ve known these guys since they first started touring—”

The outcry from the audience drowned out whatever else Johnny was going to say and continued to get louder as a crew member brought out two chairs and set them on either side of Johnny and Mac.

Tru swore she felt the floor move beneath her feet and she looked up at Sebastian to find him watching her, a slight smile curving his lips. He raised an eyebrow and she knew exactly what he didn’t need to say. She felt the rush for herself, all that energy focused directly at the stage.

He looked so damn happy, his eyes shone with it.

Then he bent to kiss her, and it was no sweet little brush of lips. No, he took her breath away as he prized open her lips and slid his tongue against hers, stealing her breath and making her weak in the knees.

When he pulled away, his grin widened, just before he turned to Nik. His smile tempered a little but there was a hint of a challenge in his eyes when he looked at Nik.

Nik stared back and waved his hand out for Sebastian to precede him. Instead, Sebastian wrapped his arm around Nik’s shoulders and got Nik moving beside him.

Dana stepped up to Tru’s side and she exchanged a smile with the girl before Dana’s gaze snapped back to the foursome onstage.

Nik and Sebastian acknowledged the crowd with smiles and waves but didn’t say anything as they took their seats. Sebastian played a few chords, adjusted the tuning on the guitar for few seconds, then looked at Mac and nodded.

Mac started to play, Johnny started to sing, Sebastian began to play and Nik joined in with Johnny on the second verse.

With a sinking heart, Tru realized something she’d never considered.

She’d never be able to compete.

Chapter Ten

Johnny and Mac had announced the last song and the outcry from the audience was so loud, Baz figured they could hear it all the way to Society Hill.

They’d already played fifteen minutes past the scheduled time and if they went over any more, they’d be paying a hell of a lot in penalties and overtime.

But they had to stop sometime. Even if Baz didn’t want the night to end.

Holy shit. He hadn’t felt a rush like this since . . . Well, since two nights ago when he’d come inside Tru.

Yeah, it was that kind of high.

For the past hour and forty-five minutes, all he’d known was music. The music he loved to play. The music that spoke to him.

Not to say he didn’t love what he was doing for Greg, but this was different. It spoke to a different part of his soul, to a primal part of who he was.

The fact that Tru had been there to see it had made everything that much better. And with Nik by his side . . .

As Johnny and Mac thanked the audience for coming and the four of them stood to bow, the applause rose to thunderous levels that would probably mean noise violations for the TLA.

Nik and Baz headed offstage before Johnny and Mac, who wrapped their arms around each other and took another bow before leaving. The two older guys had huge grins and were slapping each other on the back when they left the stage. Dana immediately ran up to her dad and gave him a big hug, which he returned before tucking her into his side as they all made their way back to the green room.

Baz and Nik had said a few words to each other onstage and for a minute it’d felt like old times. Like before everything had gone to shit.

But when he’d walked offstage, he’d wanted to see Tru. And there she’d been, sweet smile on her face and her eyes bright. He’d bent for another kiss and lingered a little longer than he had before he’d walked onstage. This time, she responded with a little more heat of her own, which made him want to get her somewhere dark and private. But they couldn’t do that. At least not yet.

No, he still had to talk to Nik. Had to tell him how much he’d missed him and how he didn’t want to make Baseline Sins music without him. Tell him how much he needed him.

And then he realized Greg and Sabrina were there, standing off to the side, out of the way of the crew who were breaking down the equipment.

Greg had a huge grin on his face as he glanced at Johnny and Mac, and Baz remembered how he and Greg had spent an afternoon discussing Silence Divided music and how much Greg loved it.

He wanted to introduce Greg to them, wanted Sabrina to meet them and Dana. And he wanted Nik by his side, where he’d been since they were ten.

Looking around, he spotted Nik heading for the bathroom. After a quick look at Tru, he headed there, too.

He found Nik standing with his hands braced on the sink, head down, just breathing.

Shit. “Hey, you okay?”

Nik didn’t say anything at first, just kept his head down.

A few seconds later, before panic could start to rear up again in Baz’s chest, Nik lifted his head and looked into the mirror and into Baz’s eyes.

“It’s been a long time.”

“I know.”

“I’d almost forgotten what it felt like, you know? That rush.”

Baz shook his head. “I’m sor—”

“No.” Nik shook his head. “Just . . . don’t. Just stop apologizing, okay? I’m not asking for any more apologies. I realized tonight I should probably be making some of my own.” Turning to face Baz, Nik leaned back against the sink, arms crossed over his chest, intense blue eyes latched onto Baz’s. “I wasn’t fucking there when you needed me, was I? I left you hanging in the wind, even after I found out you nearly died. And that just made me even more pissed off.”

“Yeah, I kinda got that feeling the last time we talked.”

Nik dropped his head for several seconds. “I fucking suck as a friend.”

“No, Nik, we—”

“I came tonight because I knew you’d be here, and I couldn’t figure out what to say to you. I just needed to see you. And say I’m sorry.”

The self-loathing Baz saw in Nik’s eyes took him by surprise. Baz hadn’t seen that look in years. He’d thought Nik had gotten over that shit, left it behind like he’d left his childhood home and the abusive dick his mom had married who’d made Nik’s teen years a living hell.

“Nik. We’ll get through this.”

Pushing away from the sink, Nik walked straight up to Baz, put his hand on the side of Baz’s head and wove his fingers through the short hair.

The affection with which he did it wasn’t shocking. They’d never had hang-ups about touching. Hell, they’d slept in the same damn bed more times than not those first few years on tour when money was tight and they couldn’t afford more than one room for the five of them.

But when Nik leaned in and kissed him . . . That shocked the ever-living hell out of Baz.

Because this wasn’t a friendly kiss.

Nik kissed him like he wanted to make Baz kiss him back. Pressed their lips together hard, Nik’s scruffy chin rubbing against Baz’s, a sensation that made every nerve ending in his body snap to attention.

Holy fuck.

Stunned, Baz grabbed Nik’s shoulders but he didn’t push him away and he didn’t pull him closer. Jesus, he could barely breathe. Nik’s lips felt soft against his, softer than Baz ever would’ve expected a man’s lips to feel.