When we finally let each other go and I looked up at him, the pain in his eyes was still there—I knew it wouldn’t ever go completely. But he looked more at peace with himself, like he’d excised something poisonous and now the wound could start to heal.

We cuddled up together with me on top, both of us still naked. “How are we going to tell JD?” I asked at last.

“Gently,” said Danny. “Look: we’ll get out of this, get back home, then I’ll sit him down and—”

The door creaked open. I sat up, startled, and turned towards it.

JD was standing in the doorway, his mouth open in shock.

62. Danny

62

DANNY

The bottom dropped out of my world. I saw JD’s face change from shock and embarrassment to raw, burning anger and then to something I’d never imagined seeing: betrayal.

He turned and stalked away down the hall.

“Aw, Christ,” I muttered, jumping out of the bed and grabbing for my jockey shorts. Where the fuck are my pants? “JD!” I yelled. “JD, wait!” But he didn’t stop. I gave up on my pants and ran after him in just my jockey shorts. I had to fix this now, before it got any worse.

I could see how pissed he was. His shoulders were set, his feet slamming down like he was crushing me underfoot. But I wanted to believe I could fix it, if I just got to him quickly enough. “JD, mate—” I grabbed his shoulder, wrenched him around to face me…

He shoved me up against the wall. “How could you?!” he bellowed. “How could you, she’s my SISTER!”

I’d never seen him so mad. I’d miscalculated: I should have let him cool off. But it was too late now. “It’s not like that,” I told him. “I swear, mate, Erin means—”

JD slammed his fist against the wall, as if it was either that or hit me. “I trusted you! I told you! You promised!”

My mouth worked but nothing came out. Because all those things were true. And in his eyes, that meant I was just a horndog who cared more about getting his dick wet than his best friend.

People started to arrive, drawn by the shouting. First Vasiliy’s security, guns drawn. Then the rest of the team, pulling up short when they saw what was going on. Then Luka and Arianna, hand in hand. Great. The whole world was there to see our friendship disintegrate. Erin arrived, breathless, her feet bare and her sweater inside out. I saw Colton, Cal, and Bradan do a simultaneous oh shit as they realized what had happened. Gabriel and Gina just winced.

“JD,” I began, “look, it’s not…” I stared at him helplessly. If I said I loved her, he wouldn’t believe me. For years, he’d known me as the guy who never fell in love.