Sasha glanced at Xander and smiled. He winked at her in return. She blushed and all he wanted to do was get her home and into bed. Their time together was limited, and as much as he enjoyed being out with her like a real couple, he also wanted to keep her to himself.

Axel, who had the posture and swagger of a musician who knew his worth, stood with Cassidy beside the table where they all sat.

“Introductions,” Dash said, clearing his throat. “Everyone, meet our potential new drummer, Axel Forrester. Axel, meet my family.”

Linc stood, introducing himself and everyone else at the table by name until he came to Cassidy and nodded at Axel.

“And this is my sister, Cassidy,” he said to Dash, whose gaze was lingering on the pretty blonde.

Something Axel noticed if his scowl was any indication. “My sister,” he repeated to Dash.

Everyone at the table heard the meaning behind those words. Cassidy was off-limits to Dash. Given his reputation both in the media and in reality, Xander didn’t blame Cassidy’s brother. At all.

Cassidy treated her sibling to an elbow in his side.

“Oompf. What was that for?” Axel grumbled.

She glanced up at him and scowled but didn’t answer his question. Instead, blush on her cheeks, she pulled away from her brother and sat back down in her seat.

“Interesting,” Xander heard Sasha whisper to her friend.

“Shut up or you’ll get an elbow next,” Cassidy muttered.

The rest of the night passed much the same way. Joking, fun, relaxing, and drinking. Xander appreciated his family and knew how fortunate he was to have so many siblings who got along in their own way.

Cassidy rose from her seat. “I’m going to get going. I have a headache,” she said.

Before anyone could reply, her brother stood. “I’ll walk you downstairs. Your security is waiting, right?”

She nodded. “He’s new but seems nice.” She turned to Sasha and hugged her good-night, then said goodbye to everyone at the table.

After she’d left, Xander put an arm around Sasha’s shoulder. “You okay?”

She nodded. “Getting a little tired but I’m good.”

He leaned in and nibbled on her earlobe, ignoring the chatter surrounding them.

Laughing, she turned and whispered in his ear. “Stop that. I can’t climb onto your lap here, so cut it out.”

His dick hardened at the visual and he was ready to get the hell out of there. “Time to go,” he muttered, grasping her hand.

Her eyes gleamed with awareness as she rose to her feet. He texted Jared, who was in the car, and let him know they were on their way out.

As they were saying their goodbyes, a yell sounded from the outer room, and everyone jerked their heads to see what was wrong. Xander’s gut churned as he instinctively grabbed Sasha around the waist and held her in place.