“Yeah well . . .” He stops to slick his hair back and get in a more comfortable position. “Royal had me text your girl to let him in the house last night. What can I say; your fine as hell friend wanted a ride on my Harley. So . . .” He fixes his shirt as if he’s all slick. “I took her for a ride on my dick instead.”

I laugh and nudge him in the side. “That you did. And I’m sure she won’t be asking to ride anything else but for a while now.”

We sit here in silence for a few minutes, before Blaine wraps his arm around my shoulder. “You know . . . you remind me a lot of my sister for some reason. You’re strong willed and say what’s on your mind, without giving a crap about what others think. I like you and I can see why Royal does too.”

I smile and lean into him. “So your sister is pretty fucking cool then, huh?”

He nods his head and his amber eyes go dark. “Yeah . . . she was pretty fucking awesome.”

My heart stops as soon as the word was leaves his mouth. That’s not at all what I was expecting to hear. “Was?” I force out the word, unsure if I should ask the next part. “What happened to her?”

He looks away and exhales, before answering. “Some assholes took her from me. They took the best person in my life and left me with no other family.” His left hand grips the top step and I can see his jaw clenching as he takes a moment, before continuing. “She was fucking raped and killed by three low lives. You better fucking believe that if her fiancé had not killed those pieces of shit first, I would have. There’s nothing I wouldn’t have done for her. She was older than me by a year and took care of me growing up. Through the endless bouncing between foster homes, she was the only solid, certain thing in my life. Now she’s fucking gone and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.”

His words cause my heart to hurt for him and I find myself reaching out to comfort him as he drops his arm from my shoulder and rubs his hands over his face.

I can’t stand it right now. I don’t want to see these boys hurt. It’s not fair. Not at all. “That’s fucking horrible, Blaine.” I lace my arm through his and lean my head against his arm. “I’m so sorry that happened to your sister.” I swallow hard, trying to keep my emotions somewhat under control. “What happened to her fiancé?”

He pulls out a cigarette and lights it, quickly taking a long drag and blowing out away from me. “He’s around.”

“He’s not in prison for what he did?” I ask in surprise. “How long ago did this happen?”

“Almost two years ago.” He shakes his head. “And nah. Self-defense. Those assholes broke into his home and murdered his future wife. He had every right to fight back and he did. Some people look down on him for it, but not me. He’s the most badass, loyal, dependable motherfucker that I know.”

“So a lot like Royal,” I ask. My chest tightens with need at just the thought of him, and I can’t help but to wonder where he is.

Blaine’s eyes meet mine and for a split second he looks surprised. “Yeah.” He desperately takes another drag of his cigarette and slowly blows out. “A lot like Royal.”

Sitting in silence, I hold onto Blaine’s arm, wanting to somehow comfort him and show him that I’m there. I may not know Blaine very well, but I know that Royal cares about him. That makes me care about him as well. He makes me smile. I like that about him.

The thought of the loss these boys have suffered through the years breaks my damn heart and makes me realize just how rough they’ve been living.

Royal lost a friend recently, his fiancé at some point, and Blaine has lost his sister. I’ve known these men for less than a month, yet I ache so hard for the pain they must be feeling and holding inside.

“I’m really sorry again.” I squeeze his arm and he wraps his arm back around me. “I’m here if you need me, okay.”

He smiles. “Really?”

I nod my head and look him in the eyes. His eyes really are quite beautiful, and I find myself getting lost in them for a second. “Of course. And I’m a pretty good listener too.”

“No shit.” He pulls me closer and rests his head against mine. “I’ll remember that, Babe.”

We both look up as Royal pulls up in his truck.

“Don’t make me break your fingers off, Asshole,” Royal says to Blaine as soon as he walks around his truck toward us. He holds up a plastic bag from some restaurant I’ve never been to. “Went to pick up some breakfast. Thought you’d still be sleeping when I got back.”

Blaine stands up and Royal eyes him over while grabbing my hand to help me up. “You two sure did seem nice and fucking cozy out here.”

I clear my throat and rub Blaine’s arm. “Blaine was just telling me about his sister, so you’re damn straight we were nice and cozy. I was comforting him.”

Royal looks at Blaine. Blaine quickly shakes his head, silently answering whatever the hell that look he’s giving him is asking. “Good.” Royal grabs my chin with his free hand and presses his soft lips against mine, gently breathing against them when he pulls away. “I don’t expect any less from you. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I whisper. “Now what’s in that bag? I’m starving.”

Royal lifts a brow and smiles. “Everything.”

Once we get inside, Royal opens the bag and starts emptying its contents onto the counter.

Bagels. Pancakes. Waffles. Eggs. Bacon. Sausage. Burritos. Fruit.

“Holy shit,” I say with wide eyes, about to tackle the food. I’m that excited. “A damn breakfast buffet. I think I might just love you.”

“You better,” he says, making my damn heart skip a beat from the tone of his voice.

Pulling my eyes away from his, I reach for one of the paper plates and dig in, before I can think too much on his response and take it for something more than what it is.

Madison finally joins us in the kitchen about ten minutes later, looking like she got hit by a damn bus.

Holy shit, Blaine tore it up . . .

She looks around the kitchen at the three of us eating. “How damn rude. You dicks couldn’t shove a bagel in my face and wake me up?”

“I thought about shoving something else in your face,” Blaine says. “But then you wouldn’t have wanted to get the hell out of bed.” He winks.