“That singer you’ve been seeing has a boyfriend?”
“No.” Dominic wasn’t into music so didn’t know anything about Wolf Pack or Ethan and his open relationship with Wolf, and Tyler didn’t really want to explain. “It’s complicated.”
“There’s someone else, though. Right?”
Agitation made Tyler clench his jaw. “The bass player in his band. And the guy’s an asshole.”
“You met him? That must have been awkward.”
“Of course, it was awkward. But I’d be OK if the guy would stop fucking baiting me. And he’s so fucking jealous.”
“You sure you’re not the one who’s jealous?”
A long breath inflated Tyler’s lungs as he prepared to deny it, but he finally admitted to himself that he wanted Ethan—allof Ethan—without a no-strings-attached bass player or anyone else on the side.
“Tyler?”
“I’m still here,” he said, quietly.
“It sounds like you want more. Did you tell him how you feel?”
“No. I told him the exact opposite. That I was OK with casual. And I was. But I don’t think I am anymore.”
“Then tell him you want him all to yourself and to give up that bass player. You deserve that, Tyler. You deserve someone who wants you. Only you.”
Nerves and trepidation crawled up Tyler’s back like a spider, and he chewed his lip. “But what if he doesn’t want only me?”
“Then he’s not the guy for you.”
A heaving sigh left Tyler’s lungs. “You’re right. Thanks for making me see things clearly.”
“Anytime. Call me whenever you need to talk. And Tyler, things are gonna be OK. They always are.”
After they ended the call, Tyler sunk into a chair feeling worse than before he spoke to his brother. He hated ultimatums because they always backfired, and he didn’t know if he was ready to put everything on the line just yet. Sighing, he felt wetness fill his eyes as he stared up at the ceiling wondering why the hell his love life had to be so volatile all the time.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
A week later, Ethan was back in LA and in Tyler’s bed on a two-day break from the tour, and Tyler was finally ready to have a serious do-or-die conversation that would include the ultimate ultimatum. He had no idea what the outcome would be, but he couldn’t put it off any longer. He just wondered if he should wait until Ethan was ready to leave rather than springing it on him an hour after the guy arrived. That way, they could have at least one last amazing fling together if things went south. Fuck that. They’d have those amazing two days together either way. He was ready to either move forward with his dreams or walk away crushed. He might get his heart broken again, but he’d rather get it over with now than fall deeper and then get hurt even more later on. Either way, he wasn’t spoiling the little time they had together before Ethan had to rejoin the tour.
After amazing I-missed-you sex, Tyler pulled on his Hello Kitty lounge pants and sat up against the headboard, because he wasn’t about to have this conversation naked. “Can we talk, Ethan?”
Ethan moved to a sitting position and looked at Tyler with wide questioning eyes that bore apprehension. “You first named me after we just slept together. What did I do wrong?”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. At all.” Tyler forced a small smile that probably looked more sad than happy. “I need to tell you something. Something important.”
Ethan’s mouth bowed downward, and sadness covered his eyes. “You’re breaking up with me?”
“No. But I need to tell you how I feel. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this week, and I realized how much you mean to me.How much I care about you.” He took a deep breath and braced himself for the fallout, whatever it was. “I love you. I didn’t plan on it. I didn’t expect to fall in love. I didn’t want to fall in love. But I did.”
Ethan’s face went blank, and Tyler’s heart just about stopped as he waited for Ethan to say something. Anything. But Ethan just sat there staring back at him, expressionless.
All of a sudden, Ethan grabbed Tyler’s face in his hands and kissed him. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
Ethan kissed him again, but still didn’t return the sentiment. He had no idea what it meant, so he just kissed Ethan back and savored the man while that damn “I love you” hung in the air unreciprocated.
Ethan gently pulled his lips away and rubbed the back of Tyler’s neck with one hand. “I’m not one for serious relationships. I said I wanted this to be casual from the beginning. It’s been so hard. I’ve been so torn. I can’t stop thinking about you. You’ve opened something in my heart that I never felt before.” He scooted closer. “I love you too.”
Tyler had been bracing himself for the exact opposite, so hearing the words he longed for turned everything inside him to butter. It was a wonder he didn’t slide right off the bed. His eyes filled with unexpected tears, and a quivering smile stretched across his lips. “You do? You love me? Wait. You mean you’reinlove with me, right? Not that you love me like you love your mother, right?”
