Nothing.

Da fuck? I think.

I lay her down, go take a piss, wash my hands, brush my teeth—just in case she wants a little something-something—and then lie down and pull her closer.

She mumbles something more, then falls into what must be a comfortable place, and I hear soft, little purrs.

I push my nose against her hair, trying my damnedest to figure out what it is that makes her smell so damn good while she sleeps peacefully in my arms.

I wake when her body jolts as if lightning struck her.

“What? What is going on?”

She’s like a deer in the headlights, and she scared the shit out of me. Hell if I know what’s going on, I just want her back in bed. “It’s five in the morning, girl. Climb back in here and—”

“Oh, wow.” She looks around.

“Wow, what?” I pat the bed, beckoning her back.

She shakes her head and sighs.

“Care to tell me what you’re thinking?”

“Sometimes I take walks at night.” She crosses her arms. “Sorry.”

“You mean sleep walk?” I smirk because of the way she says it.

“No walks.” She yawns.

“Right, well, ‘toh-may-toh,’ ‘toh-mah-toh.’ Come on. I was comfortable.”

“I can’t.”

“Tell me you weren’t too fucked up to remember our talk last night.”

She looks down and slowly shakes her head.

“Good. Now that you’re sober, climb back in here.” She hesitates. “Tales ...”

She looks up at me. “It’s a bad idea.”

“It’s a damn good idea.”

“I don’t know.” She sighs.

“Then come back when you straighten it all out in your head.” When she hesitates again, I pull the covers back and pat the bed one more time. “Just let me spoon you.”

She sighs again, then takes the first step back. She sits on the edge of the bed, and I am quick to pull her down and into my arms.

“I’ll spork you later.”

She gives a silent chuckle. “This is a bad idea.”

“Does it feel bad right now, Tales?” I ask, rubbing her back over her shirt and not her fine, fine ass like I want to.

“No.”

“Why do you sound so sad, then?” I question, as I inhale the scent that calms and ignites me at the same time.

“I don’t want to hurt Madison.”

“Me, either.”

“She will be up at, like, nine.”

“Just stay another hour, maybe two?”

“Will you make sure I’m awake?”

“Sure will.”

She yawns, and even her breath smells sweet.

What the fuck am I doing?

Minister Priest, I repeat over and over in my head until I fall asleep.

***

“What the hell?” I hear Madison’s voice, and both Tally and I are instantly all sorts of tangled and trying to jump up. It’s a mess, a complete fucking mess, and there is nothing I can do except laugh.

“Morning, Mads.”

“I … I …”

“Did you?” Madison shrieks, charging at me.

“No,” Tally gasps in a disgusted tone that quite frankly pisses me off, but it stops my crazy-ass sister.

“Madison, get out!” I snap at her and immediately regret it. However, I’m a little pissed.

“Don’t talk to her like that,” Tally scolds, and here I am, the innocent in this.

“She walked in here and decided to take a fucking nap,” I defend. “I didn’t drag her by her hair, so you can—”

“Oh, my God, are you sleep walking again?” Madison gasps.

Tally shrugs. “I guess so.”

“Why?”

I think it’s an odd question, but I know damn well I want the equally as odd answer.

“I don’t know.”

“You’re having bad dreams again?”

Tally shakes her head, glances at me, and then quickly looks away.

“You only do this when you do.”

“Everything’s fine.”

“Not really.” I stand up and look at both of them. “What the hell would have happened if you had walked out in the street or, worse yet, into River’s room?”

“River’s room is worse than the street?” Madison laughs sarcastically.

“Depends on how fucked up he was, yeah.”

“Well, she’s managed to stay alive all these years and—”

“What if it happens at school? What if she ends up in some guy’s room, and he—” I stop when I see the look exchanged between the two of them.  Fuck it has already happened! “Spill it.”

“It’s really none of your concern, brother dear.”

“Da fuck it’s not.” I am livid. “Did you get—?”

“No, Memphis, no. Okay, geesh, sorry I wandered in,” Tally says like it’s no big deal.

“Why didn’t you wake her up?” Madison asks, her brows shooting up and her hands on her hips.

“’Cause I like the way—”

“Madison,” Tally interrupts, “I’m not easy to wake up. Think about it.”

“Fine.” Madison seems to give up. “But next time, you come get me.”

“Why? Do you think you—?”

Madison narrows her eyes. “I’ll cut you.”

“You’ll fucking what?” I gasp.

“She’s joking.”

“Maybe I’m not.”

“I’m your fucking brother. Shit, Mads, what would be the big deal if I was into Tally?”

She covers her ears and starts “la-la-la-ing” like she did when she was a kid.

Tally gives me a look as if to say, please don’t, and I want to kick my sister right in the ass, just once. The little queen deserves it.

“Conference call. X-man is on,” Finn yells into my room.

“What?” I ask

“Billy sent him the songs.”

“What? When? I’m not even done.”

“Come on, man. He looks happy as hell.”

I walk past Madison and Tally, scooping up my shorts. They stop whispering, and Mads rolls her eyes and walks out. Her being pissed at me is nothing new.

“Probably got dome this morning,” River says, rubbing his hands over his messy ass hair as he walks out of his suite.

I want to laugh, but Tally is looking at me all nervously and shit.

I stop and step into my shorts, waiting for everyone to get out of earshot. I look up to see she is staring at my chest, so I pop my pecs, but she doesn’t look impressed when her eyes meet mine.

“I can’t do this,” she whispers.

“She won’t find out,” I whisper back.

“It’s not her; it’s—” She stops, and her eyes are on my chest again. I recognize the look immediately.

“They’ll be gone in a couple days.”

“Just like the many you’ve shared a bed with.”

“Tales, stop coming up with excuses. You want me or you don’t.” I’m getting really sick of this conversation. “You want me.” I walk past her, unwilling to hear whatever comes out next. Her excuses are bullshit, and my patience is wearing thin, but there is fuck-not that I can do about it now.

I stop and turn back. Apparently, walking away is a problem for me, too.

“Sleep walking. What’s got you worried?”

She huffs and rolls her eyes. “Everything.”

“Okay, let me help you figure out whatever it is that’s not about me. Talk to me, Tales.”

She looks confused, maybe even sad, and then the emotions are gone. “You have a call. I’m fine. Go.”

“Tales—”

“Really, Memphis, go.”

I reluctantly walk out into the living room where X-man is on the smart TV. Technology, I have a love/hate relationship with it.

“Good, you’re all here.” X-man starts. “Finn, Memphis, I am proud as hell of you two. The lyrics are edgy but commercial enough—”

“Commercial?” I scowl as I sit on the arm of the couch.

“But edgy,” he responds. “It’s good. That being said, we need to lay down the tracks and get production rolling because …” He looks behind him.

Taelyn looks over his shoulder. “We have dates, lots of dates. Twenty cities in—”

“Twenty cities?” River grins at her.

“Starting right here, where you left off.” X beams.

“The coolest part, man. Get to it,” Nickie D urges in the background.

“Irish,” X says, looking at his wife. “Your idea, so you tell the band.”

She sits down on his lap and looks into the screen. “The opening acts.”

“No, you’ve got it wrong, Mrs. X. STD is the coolest part.” River winks.

“River, you keep that shit up and you’ll be Def Leppard-ing that drum set. I’ll rip your motherfucking arm off and beat—”