by Anna Paige
Jared stood across from the table, his back against the wall and a beer in his hand as he watched his bandmates with an amused expression. The rest of them were at the table with me. Lennox sat across from me, while Kane and Ethan squeezed into the long side of the U- shaped table.
I met Ethan’s gaze and softened my expression a bit. “The band was named after your brother, right?” I knew his big brother Ryan had been killed in a rafting accident shortly before the band hit it big, along with Jared’s older sister, who had been engaged to Ryan at the time.
He nodded, taking a shot and hissing through clenched teeth as it burned its way down his throat. “Kind of; I mean, Chase being our last name was part of it, but it wasn’t so much that we named the band after him. It was something he used to say in high school, a smartass remark he would toss out whenever someone asked why he was so popular with chicks.”
I grinned, understanding the play on words instantly. “Let me guess, he said ‘it’s the thrill of the Chase.’”
“Someone buy this lady a drink.” Ethan chuckled. “He was always such a smartass. But the chicks really did seem to fall at his feet.” He cut his eyes to the ever-silent Jared. “Until the day we all stood there and watched him fall at Cara’s.”
Jared pursed his mouth and nodded. “They both met their match that day.” There was an unmistakable sadness in his eyes, and I was on my feet before I realized what I was doing. He didn’t say anything when I walked over and pulled him into a hug, just rested his chin on my shoulder and breathed out a heavy sigh.
I let go and looked up at him, giving him my best smile, trying not to sway on my feet from having to look so far up. Seriously, did they all have to be so tall? “Sorry, I didn’t mean to go all girly on you, but you looked like you needed that.”
“Don’t apologize.” He said quietly. “I did.”
Not wanting to dwell on it or make him uncomfortable, I retook my seat at the table. It was quiet for a moment as Kane set up another round of shots.
Eventually, Lennox broke the silence, giving me a beseeching look. “Now that we’re all friends and the liquor has kicked in, would it be a good time to ask for my social media privileges back? I miss my mafia, and I just know someone is going to move in on my territory if I don’t make an appearance soon.” He added a tiny chin tremble for effect, causing me to totally crack up.
Leave it to Lennox to break the tension with something absurd.
The other guys were either laughing or shaking their heads at him, but I wondered briefly if they were having social media withdrawals, as well.
It clearly wasn’t the time to be making serious decisions, my blood-to-alcohol ratio was scarily close to equal at this point, but I hated feeling like I was being unreasonable. I knew how big a part social media played in most people’s lives—not mine, per se, but I was weirdly okay with not knowing what was going on with people I rarely saw and barely considered friends.
These guys clearly had a larger network than me; maybe I needed to modify my ban a bit.
“Okay, here’s the deal…” I looked around the room, disturbed to find that the floor was tilting. “You can play your games and check your pages and feeds. You can even post and stuff, within reason. Share funny memes or whatever. Just don’t do anything stupid. No posting anything personal right now, no hot-button topics that would draw out trolls, and for God’s sake, no fucking dick pics or I’ll turn you all into eunuchs.”
Lennox looked as though he might jump up and kiss me, the rest of them looked a bit green at the eunuch remark but they all agreed to my terms.
Eventually, conversation flowed again—without any further threats of bodily harm. We laughed and drank, someone made popcorn, and the guys ended up competing to see who could catch the most pieces from across the room. Ethan and Jared faced off against Kane and Lennox while Kade kept score and watched me from across the room. His eyes roamed over my body in fleeting passes every time the others weren’t looking. I caught myself blushing more than once.
I caught Kane giving me odd looks now and again but he—like his brother—would look away quickly. I was dying to ask Kade what, if anything, he'd told his brother about us. Had he already been approached about joining us?
My face heated at the thought.
I liked Kane and thought he was fun. I could see being buddies with him, laughing and sharing secrets. He was identical to Kade physically but my attraction to the gruffer brother didn't transfer on that merit alone.
Kade had an air of danger that made my knees weak.
It was that danger that had me even considering the threesome idea. I wanted Kade, desperately wanted him, but I was also afraid of what being with a man like him would be like. My fear outweighed my desire, if only by a narrow margin. Having Kane there was like having a buffer. Like Kade said, I knew just from Kane’s demeanor that he would be the kind of lover I was used to, and that was reassuring.
And I would have been lying to myself if I didn't admit that it had always been a fantasy of mine. A fantasy I never thought I'd get to indulge, considering my usual taste in men. My last serious boyfriend had been so dull even my dad had made fun of him, pointedly yawning whenever he was around. Dad had made the mistake of inviting him offshore fishing once. He said hanging with the guy was about as exciting as watching grass grow. I’d just laughed it off, deciding at least the guy was safe, reliable, dependable.
Of course, so was my car, and it was probably a hundred times sexier than my ex.
Now, here I was on the cusp of a possible threesome with two of the most lusted after men on the planet.
I wasn’t sure if I was insane or the luckiest girl on earth.
Not that the two possibilities were mutually exclusive. I could be both.
I caught Kane's assessing eyes on me again and flushed, sliding my shot glass toward him for a refill, inwardly thankful that I had at least one more day to prepare myself. One more day for common sense to win out.
One more day until everything changed forever.
Chapter Six
Kade
I had two armfuls of clothes and various personal items as I awkwardly tapped on the bedroom door in the wee hours of the morning. Aubrey had headed back to get ready for bed a few minutes before, as had the rest of the guys, when Lennox reminded me that I was using the bunk he intended to sleep in for my clothes and stuff.
Each bunk had a couple small drawers assigned to it, but since the guys had moved to the second bus, those had been filled with either Kane's clothes or random shit that we didn't have room to store anywhere else. Bottom line; I was out of options and needed to stow my crap in the bedroom for the night.
"Who is it?" Aubrey's sweet, albeit tired voice sounded from behind the door.
"Kade." I answered a little impatiently, fighting not to drop anything.
The door opened a moment later and I was greeted by a yawning, moderately buzzed beauty who made my dick twitch with need. She looked from me to the mountain of fabric in my arms. "Need somewhere to put that so the bunk is free?"
I nodded, perusing her open robe, slowly taking in her snug yoga pants and thin tank top that did nothing to hide her pert, hardened nipples—an unexpected bonus I owed to the overworked air conditioner. I knew I kept it cold for a reason. If I'd had a free hand, there was no doubt in my mind that I would have reached out to thumb one of those deliciously protruding nubs. Biting one sounded even better.
She cleared her throat pointedly, tying the thin robe closed and looking around me at Lennox who was waiting for me to get out of the way so he could crash. He muttered goodnight to her and practically pushed me into the room, forcing her to back up or get plowed over as I staggered in. "Lenn, you're a dick." I groused, looking at her for my cue as to where to set my things.
He made no reply, and neither did she.
When she just shrugged and went to sit on the edge of the bed, I decided the compact chair that I'd crammed in the corner would work.
Once everything was piled precariously into the chair, I turned toward her, mindful that everything we said could be heard from the bunks. "I'll come get all of this out of your way in the morning after the guys leave." I nodded toward the door and held her eyes, reminding her of the close proximity of my bandmates.
"That's fine. I'll probably sleep in a little after all those shots. The door will be unlocked in case you need something before I wake up." She met my eyes with a pointed look of her own.
I gave her a dark look and a slow nod, getting harder by the second. She was letting me know I could slip into the room after everyone else fell asleep. I couldn't voice my response aloud, so I walked to the side of the bed where she sat, leaned in close, and whispered against her slim neck. "Much as I want to slip into this room and then slip into that hot pussy of yours, there's no way we could do it quietly." I reached up to flick her nipple with my index finger, thrilling at the hitch in her breath. "When I fuck you, you're gonna scream, baby. And as much as I want to oblige you tonight, I also want to hear every last second of your pleasure ripping from your throat and echoing off these walls while I pound you into oblivion."
She shuddered once as I leaned back, tweaking her nipple and taking her lower lip between my teeth, biting sharply before backing away and moving to let myself out. I stood in the doorway for a beat, taking in her heated flesh and the way her breasts heaved with each inhalation. Satisfied that she would be seeing my face as she touched herself tonight, I nodded with hooded eyes and muttered, "Good night, warden. Sweet dreams."
•••
I didn't sleep worth a fuck. In tormenting her, I'd ended up frustrating myself. I went to bed hard and hyped, dying to get my hands—among other things—on every inch of her gorgeous body. I'd tossed and turned all night, with no source of relief to be had—I refused to jack off in that ridiculously small bathroom while Aubrey and the guys were just a few feet away. Nope, I'd rather have terminal blue balls.
Plus, I much preferred the idea of saving it all for her.
When there was the barest hint of light in the sky, I gave up. I got up from the couch and went to speak to the driver, Marcus, who looked entirely too damn chipper for such an early hour. After getting an ETA from him, I went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, deciding caffeine and a hot shower were exactly what I needed to get myself together.
The pot was gurgling when I turned to grab my clothes and toiletry bag.
Shit.
All my stuff was in the bedroom with Aubrey.
I looked back at my brother, who had pulled the covers over his head sometime during the night. Still fast asleep, as far as I could tell. All three bunks still had their curtains pulled, and one set of feet—Lenn's—was sticking out the side. He was nearly as tall as Kane and I, so I figured he was probably dreaming of being in a sardine can. The bunks on their bus were a lot more spacious than these.
Satisfied that everyone was still knocked out, I went to the bedroom door and quietly let myself in.
Aubrey was curled on her side, her back facing the door. Her long, dark hair haphazardly covered the pillow beneath her and partially obscured her face from view. I went to the chair slowly, watching her for signs of movement as I gathered what I needed. She didn't budge. Just the barest sliver of her face was visible through the curtain of hair, and I was utterly mesmerized by it.
I tucked my things under one arm, football style, and crept closer, reaching out with my free hand to whisk away the errant strands. Gingerly, I tucked them back behind her ear, and brushed a few over her shoulder, clearing my view.
Her dark lashes lay against her cheek, full mouth pursed as if deep in thought, brow smooth and unworried; peaceful. She was flawless.
With the exception of the very real, very purple bruises on her exposed upper arm. Her shirt last night and the robe she’d had on before bed had both hidden her upper arm from view.
Now though, her tank top allowed me to see everything. I could count the fucker’s fingerprints as if they were inked into her skin. Anger flared white-hot in my chest as I carefully brushed away the last few strands of hair so I could better see the damage he'd done. He'd marked her, practically branded her with his cruel grip.
I wanted to break him, every bone in his pathetic, cowardly body, starting with his hands. There were twenty-seven bones in the human hand, and I wanted to snap them all one by one.
A shuffling sound off to my right caught my attention, and I looked up to see Kane in the doorway, a curious expression on his face. My first instinct was to act unaffected, brush it all off and lie about what he'd walked in on. Instead, I tipped my head, beckoning him to come in. Without a word, he came to stand beside me, mouth opening to ask what I was doing.
Until I pointed to her arm.
It wasn't just some small thing, this bruise. It was enormous and angry, covering half of her arm above the elbow. My whole body shook with the force of the rage building inside me. Kane's knuckles popped loudly as his fists clenched at his sides. All of our bickering and bullshit aside, I knew he hated seeing her hurt just as much as I did. I should have felt a twinge of jealousy, but I didn't. I knew him better than to think he saw her as anything more than a friend. He never saw any woman as more than a friend. Sure, he'd bed them, but he'd never fallen for anyone, never even showed interest in anything beyond the bedroom. There was nothing wrong with it, really. It was just how he was built.
It was how we both were built, until her. Looking down at her then, I was the one filled with fear. She was infuriating and captivating all at once; she held me spellbound in a way no one ever had before. Lust was one thing, and while it wasn't in short supply here, it wasn't all there was between us. If it was, I wouldn’t be reacting this way to her bruises. I was in much deeper than I’d realized.
Aubrey started to shift in her sleep and goosebumps covered her arms as she folded them across herself, one hand gripping her injured arm without managing to cover even half the bruise. Kane and I froze, waiting with breath held as she settled.
"Let's go," he whispered, nodding toward the door.
I hesitated, leaning in to carefully tug the covers up to her pretty neck. The temptation to kiss her forehead or stroke her hair was almost overwhelming, but I knew my brother was watching from the doorway so I walked away without making contact.
He pulled the door quietly closed behind us and followed me down the hall, past the bunks and into the kitchen, where I immediately set off to pour myself some coffee, my shower momentarily forgotten. "You want?" I held up an empty mug, not expecting him to say yes. He usually avoided my strong brew.
"Yeah, thanks." He took a seat at the table, watching me. "You want to tell me what the hell you're thinking?" he asked quietly, voice barely more than a whisper.
"Probably same as you." I poured both cups and headed to the table, sitting across from him and matching his tone. "I'm thinking I'm gonna track down that guard and kick the living shit out of him."
"Yeah, I’m with you there, but that's not what I mean. I mean what are you thinking, getting involved with Aubrey?"
I paused with my mug halfway to my lips. "Excuse me? The fuck are you talking about?"
He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring. "Don't play dumb with me, asshole. I know you better than you know yourself." He pointed down the hall, voice dropping further. "I heard you two in there last night before the guys got here. At least, I heard enough."
I gave him a hard look, deflecting. "So what? You're not down for the double team? That'd be a first."
He closed his eyes, breathing out slowly fighting for patience. "You told me to keep my dick in my pants, remember? Now you're trying to fuck the PR girl, and you want me to join the party. Does any of that sound a little messed up to you?"
"You still haven't denied that you'd do it."
"If she asked me, if she was really into it, I probably wouldn't say no." He admitted grudgingly, as I knew he would.
"She's into it,
so what's the problem?" I shrugged.
"No, she's into you." He countered, regarding me as if I were dense. "And that is a dangerous thing."
"Why is that a dangerous thing?" Arguing that she wasn't interested in me fell by the wayside in favor of getting an answer to that question.
"She's a good girl, Kade, and she doesn't deserve to get hurt."
I leaned back to match his guarded position, arms crossed over my chest. "She knows the score. It's just a little fun; no harm, no foul."
"She says she knows the score, but do you?" He leaned forward, eyes boring into mine.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" I was getting pissed. Actually, I'd already been pissed after seeing those bruises, but now Kane was kicking it up a notch, and the last thing he wanted to do was step in and be a convenient outlet for my rage.
"It means I think you're into her, too, and that's what makes the whole thing dangerous." He unfolded his arms and jabbed the table with one finger as he spoke. "A one-time deal, just you and her—or even both of us and her—would be fine if I hadn't seen how you were with her last night. You don't just want to fuck her, you actually like this girl."
"You saying you don't like her?"
"That's not what I mean and you know it."
"So, you do like her but you don't want to fuck her." I goaded, knowing damn well he would show up with bells on if she asked for us both.
He rubbed his hands over his face. "I didn't say that either. She's gorgeous and smart, classy and driven. I'd be crazy to turn down a chance to get inside her." His hands fell to the table, still tangled in a worried knot. "But it's not as dangerous for me. I'd just be the accompaniment, not the main attraction. She's not into me the way she's into you. For me, it would just be fucking. But that's not what the two of you would be doing."
