Down in Flames (Silver Tongued Devils Series Book 1)

by Samantha Conley

  I have a hard time sitting here, letting her talk, but I'm afraid if I say anything, she won't tell us the rest. I just want to wrap her up and hold her tight. How could one of my best friends be going through this and not tell us?

  "Anyway, Jason and I have gotten close, in a way. When they came back this weekend, he came over. I still don't believe it happened, but he kissed me. It's the first time I have kissed a man since Todd, and it was nice. Better than nice. It was getting a little intense, and I freaked out when he put his hand in my hair." She sniffles. "Jason stopped as soon as he realized it and apologized. Then he left. I haven't heard from him since. I don't know if I can ever have a normal relationship again."

  Camryn and I move around the table to her and hug her from each side. We all cry together. She needs to let this out. I pull back and wipe the tears from her cheeks with my thumbs.

  "Sweetie, of course you can have a normal relationship. It's just gonna take time, and patience on his part. But you need to be honest with him. Jason is a very complex man. He's the quiet one. He thinks things through before he acts, and that's probably what he's doing. And, if it's not, there are other guys out there."

  "Now that we have this all out in the open, let’s lighten up this sad girl's night," Mallory says as she wipes her face. "Who brought the chick flicks?"

  "Wait. We haven't heard from Kristen yet. What's going on with you, girlfriend?"

  Oh shit. What do I say? We decided to keep this quiet. If the girls are having some kind of relationship with the other guys…wait! These are my girls. They always have my back.

  "Um, well…I am seeing someone. It's recent, but I've known him for years. I guess I finally decided that I needed to get back out there."

  "I knew it. It's Josh, right? He never would let up with asking you out." Camryn chuckles.

  "Well, I did have a date with Josh on Friday night, but it was a freaking disaster. He harped on what I was eating, and what diet he was on. He even slipped the waitress his phone number. I mean, really? Who does that shit? He even wanted a second date. Of course I said no, but he’s a persistent bastard. He keeps texting me about going out again. He even cornered me at CrossFit the other morning. He just can’t take no for an answer, says he can change my mind. What a douche."

  "If it’s not Josh, then who?"

  "When I got home from my date, Derek came over."

  "I thought the guys didn't come home until Saturday."

  "Wait, Derek came over?"

  They're asking the questions at the same time. I hold my hand up to get them to be quiet. If they get started, I'll never get to tell the story.

  "Derek flew home on Friday instead of riding the bus. He came over Friday afternoon. We just talked, and he even helped me pick out what I was going to wear on my date with Josh. After I got home, he knocked on the door, then he kissed me." I can feel my face heating up. "It just felt like it was meant to be."

  I look at the girls and they're looking at me with their mouths hanging open. Camryn recovers first.

  "Holy shit! Derek? Brett's best friend since diapers, Derek?" I nod my head.

  "Well, when you decide to jump back on the relationship wagon, you do it big. Does Brett know?”

  I shake my head. "Until now, no one knew. Well, except Jason. He saw us leaving Derek's place on Saturday afternoon. And now you two know. Please, keep this quiet. Our biggest concern is how Brett is going to take it. I thought he’d moved on. I mean, you see him all the time with different girls, but he showed up Saturday night. Derek was on his way over to take me out. I answered the door, expecting Derek, but it was Brett. He looked like hell. I was so uncomfortable. He told me he missed my voice, and the look in his eyes…it was so sad. Neither of us want to hurt him, so we decided to keep it on the down low for a while. At least until Brett is a little more...stable, for lack of a better word. The guys were having a meeting about how to handle the situation. They had to confront Brett yesterday when he didn't show up at the studio."

  "I'm still shocked that Derek is moving in on Brett's girl." I open my mouth to defend him, but Camryn continues. "I know you're not anymore, but doesn't it go against the ‘bros before hoes’ mentality? I mean, is he going to choose you over Brett if it comes down to it?"

  She's voicing the same concerns I have. "I hope he doesn't have to choose. Brett and I have been over for a long time now. It's not like we just broke up."

  "I know, but Brett broke your heart, and it took a long time to put those pieces back together. I just don't want to see it smashed to pieces again."

  Chapter 23

  Derek

  For the last two weeks, things have been going great. We have three more days before we leave for another four-month tour. All of us guys are here at the gym, getting our lift on. We’ve been here for about an hour longer than normal, and I’m almost ready to fall over. Brett and I are having a contest to see who can do the most pull-ups. I’m going to win, of course, because Brett is still recovering from his, shall we say, overindulgence in pussy, alcohol, and drugs. He’s been doing well, staying with Brian, who has been keeping track of everything he does. I think Brian may even be monitoring how many times he shits or spends time with his right hand. Brett has put some of the weight back on that he’s lost, with Brian’s housekeeper keeping him well-fed.

  We keep going—up, down, up, down—and I can tell that he’s tiring out. We go up one more time, and he’s done. I drop right after he does.

  “Damn, what a work out. I’m ready for a shower and some food. How ya feeling, Brett?” I look over and see him bent at the waist, huffing in air, but he gives me a thumbs up. I grab a couple bottles of water and toss him one. “Drink up, man. You still gotta drink one of those protein shakes too.” He grimaces as he guzzles the water, then we head off to the showers. Jason and Isaac holler at us that they’re almost finished and will catch up with us. We get cleaned up and get dressed.

  We all load up into Isaacs’s SUV and head to the studio. We’ve made a lot of progress on the new album, and this may be our best album yet. We’ve laid down most of the tracks and we have to get Brett working on vocals. Since he’s gotten more focused, his heart is back in the band.

  I’ve gotten to spend a lot of time with Kristen too. We haven’t spent many nights apart, except for a couple of girls’ nights. I can’t help but feel like I walk around with a stupid grin on my face every time I think of her. I feel more comfortable with her than any other girl I’ve been with in a relationship. Not that there are that many—three total. I think it’s because I’ve known her so long as a friend. I think it’s one of the things that will make us last.

  “What’s got you grinning like that?” I look over at Brett and wipe the smile off my face. “Nothing, really. Just thinking how well we’ve all been doing these last couple weeks. This album is going to rock. I think this may just be our best album yet. I’m excited to get this tour done so we can take a long break because I’m afraid we’re going to burn out if we keep going at this pace. I love you guys, but sometimes I’d like to wake up and y’all not be the first thing I see.” I give a small chuckle and hope I have diverted his curiosity.

  Now he has a questioning look on his face. “Well, I agree with you on the album. It’s gonna be epic. But for some reason, I don’t think that’s the reason for the grin.” He looks away.

  Well, fuck. I really don’t want to go down this road right now. Luckily, we pull up to Brian’s house and head to the studio. Inside, Brian and the producer are looking at something on the computer. Brian looks up when we enter.

  “Morning, guys. Y’all ready for a long day?” We all groan, and he laughs. “Too bad. We’re on a roll and I want to get as much done as we can before we leave. We don’t want to lose any momentum. Brett, I need you to work on the vocals for Somewhere. Derek, it’s time for you to work on the bass line for From Now On. We also have three more songs that we need to try and get done before we leave on Wednesday. The feedback that I’m getting f
rom the recording company is great so far.”

  We all head to our respective rooms, and Jason comes with me. Sometimes, I can work better with the two of us in the room. We can play off each other and the results are amazing. I’m still shocked with how well some of the tracks have turned out. We have really poured our hearts and souls into this album.

  We leave in a few days for another jam-packed tour that will give us little time off. I hate that we’re going to be on the bus that long, and I hate that I’m going to be away from Kristen for even a night. I’m also concerned with how being gone on tour will affect her. Last time her boyfriend went on tour, he cheated on her. I know that will never happen with me, but I’m sure that she thought the same thing about Brett.

  We worked late tonight. I’d told Kristen that we would probably work late since we only have a few days to go. I texted her to make sure she was still up for me coming over, and if she wanted me to bring something to eat. She responded back that she had made dinner, and there was plenty left over for me.

  Kristen is a great cook, and she has really spoiled me the last couple weeks. At first, I worried that I was putting her out by her cooking, but she insists that she loves it. She doesn’t cook a whole lot since she lives alone, so when she does, she eats leftovers for a week. Since I eat so much, she’s able to cook more without it going to waste.

  I stop by my house on the way to grab some clean clothes for the next few days. I want to spend all the time I can with her.

  I pull up into her parking lot and see a truck that looks familiar. It belongs to that douchebag she went on a date with. I pass the truck on the way to her door and notice that it’s empty. I knock on Kris’ door. When there’s no answer, I start to get a bad feeling. I twist the knob and the door opens. I can hear the shower running from her open bedroom door. I head that way to let her know that I’m here so it won’t scare her if she hears me moving around. I clear the doorway and see that fucker laid out on her bed, naked. What. The. Fuck! He sees me standing there and tries to cover up with the blanket that Kris leaves on the end of the bed.

  “What the fuck are you doing in here?” I ask him as he scrambles around. I start to move toward him and hear Kris yell out, “Babe, you here? I left you a plate in the fridge if you want to heat it up. I’ll be out in a minute.”

  I know that Kris isn’t a cheater, but my heart feels a little bit lighter when she calls out to me.

  “Kris, you stay in there for a minute. I think you have an unwanted visitor in here.”

  “What?” I can hear her scrambling around in the bathroom.

  “Make sure you put some clothes on if you’re coming out here. That douche you went out with a couple weeks ago is naked on your bed.”

  I see the door swing open and she steps out in a T-shirt and shorts. She just stares at the guy on her bed.

  “Josh, what the fuck are you doing in my apartment?”

  I look back to Josh, who’s standing beside the bed with the blanket wrapped around his waist, and he’s blushing.

  “I just wanted to surprise you, and convince you we would be good together. I didn’t realize you were, um…seeing someone else.”

  “How the fuck did you get in here, you motherfucker? I ought to call the cops right now. What kind of sick fuck comes in to a woman’s home and gets naked so she can find him? It’s not like you have a relationship with her! She went out with you once, and from what she said, it did not go well. You even gave the waitress your phone number. I mean, what kind of man does that?”

  I’m getting louder with every question I ask him. I’ve even started moving toward him, but Kristen stops me from moving by stepping in-between us and putting her hand on my chest to stop my advance.

  Josh is trying to pick up his clothes off the floor while keeping his eyes on me. “The door was open. I knocked, but she didn’t answer. I opened the door and hollered for her, but didn’t hear anything. Then I heard the shower running and decided to surprise her. I guess it was stupid, now that I think about it.”

  I whisper to Kris to go in the living room and call the cops. If I hadn’t shown up, who knows what would have happened. She nods her head and heads that way. I stay in the bedroom.

  “Look, motherfucker, if I find out you’ve come anywhere near her again, you will not like what happens. Stay right where the fuck you are. She’s calling the cops right now.” He looks at me with a panicked expression.

  “We don’t need to involve the cops, do we? Come on, I just made a mistake. My bad. I can just get out of here. No harm, no foul.”

  “No harm, huh? What the fuck was your plan when she came out of that shower, huh? No rational person would do something like this without some evil fucking thoughts in his head.”

  I hear someone knock on the door and Kris goes to answer it. I can hear her talking to someone and she walks in with a cop. I recognize him from seeing him around the complex.

  “Man, you got here quick,” I say, shaking his hand.

  “Denny was coming back home to grab some food when he heard the call go out. He was already in the parking lot.”

  “Glad to be of service. So, what’s going on?”

  I explain what I found when I got here. When I finish, he starts asking Josh questions. He allows Josh to put his pants back on before he cuffs him and heads out the door. Kris had snuck out of the room at some point and has made some supper for Denny, since his was interrupted. We watch him put Josh in the back of his cruiser, then he walks back over to us.

  “Denny, I’m really glad that you were close. Thank you. I packed you some supper since you didn’t get yours.” Kris hands him over a Tupperware container.”

  “Thanks, Kris. Look, make sure you press charges on this guy. It won’t be a big charge, since he didn’t actually do any burglary of a habitation. And it’ll be a he said/she said situation. Just don’t get your hopes up that he’ll actually go to jail. He’ll probably just get a fine.”

  Kris nods her head. “I just want him out of here. It’s freaking creepy. I only had the door unlocked because Derek was coming over, and I needed to shower. I’ll never do that again, I promise.”

  “Kris, head back in the house, babe.” She nods her head and goes back in.

  I turn to Denny. “I don’t like this man. No normal person does this kind of shit. What would have happened if I hadn’t shown up? The thought scares the shit out of me. Can you keep an eye on her? I leave for my next tour on Wednesday, and I’ll be gone for four months. If he’s not going to jail, I’d feel better with another pair of eyes on her.”

  “Of course. It’s not a problem. This is part of my regular patrol, and I only live a couple apartments down. Has she ever done any type of self-defense?” I shake my head no. “I have a friend who teaches Krav Maga, specifically for women. It probably wouldn’t hurt for her to do that. Maybe better locks on the doors? An alarm system could help. It’ll help you keep your peace of mind too.” He gets a card out of his wallet and gives it to me for his friend. I thank him again and head inside.

  I see Kris sitting on the couch with her head buried in her hands. I crouch down in front of her and put my hands on the sides of her face, forcing her to look up at me. I see the tears sliding down her cheeks, and I wipe them away with my thumbs. “You’re okay, baby. He’s gone.”

  “I just feel so stupid for leaving my door unlocked. What if you hadn’t shown up? It’s scary. I never would have expected this from him.”

  I gather her up in my arms and hug her to me. We just sit there as I comfort her. Finally, she pulls away and stands up.

  “Guess I can go heat up your supper.” She tries to give me a smile before she heads into the kitchen.

  I have to give myself a minute to gather myself. I can’t show her how much this freaked me out, especially after talking with Denny. I head into the kitchen and walk up behind her. I wrap my arms around her stomach and pull her back against me. I just need to hold her.

  Chapter 24

  K
risten

  Walking back into the apartment, leaving Derek outside with Denny. I feel so freaking stupid. I know better than to leave my freaking door unlocked. What if Derek hadn’t come when he did? I sit on the couch and bury my face in my hands.

  I hear Derek come back in, but I can’t look at him. He crouches down in front of me and wipes the tears from my cheeks, trying to comfort me. I head to the kitchen to heat up his supper when I feel him move in behind me and draw me to him. He kisses the right side of my neck.

  God, how is it that he can turn me on with just a touch? I’m already wet. He takes his left hand and roughly grabs the hair on the top of my head, giving him better access to my neck. With his free hand, he rips my shirt from chest to waist and grabs my breast, squeezing it hard. I don’t think I’ve ever been so turned on in my life. I can feel my juices running down my thighs. He lets go of my hair and runs his hand down my torso, down my stomach and into my shorts. I didn’t put on panties earlier so he has easy access to my pussy. He runs his fingers between my lips, and when he feels how wet I am, he groans against my skin.

  “Fuck, baby. I need you so bad. Lean down and put your hands on the counter.” I lean back and he pulls what’s left of my shirt and shorts past my hips and they pool at my feet. I step out of them, and he spreads my legs apart with his leg. He starts to place kisses and bites down my back as he makes his way down to my ass. Moving my cheeks slightly apart, I feel his tongue lick me from my opening to my clit in slow sweeps.

  “You taste so fucking good. I could eat you all day long.” He sticks his tongue into my opening and swirls it around, then moves back down to my clit and flicks it with his tongue, while pushing his fingers into me. He goes rough and hard.

  Before I realize it, my orgasm sweeps through me. I feel like I’m going to black out. Before my legs start to give way, he stands and thrusts his big dick into me with one hard thrust. I can feel myself clenching around him as he pounds away at me. Grabbing me by my hair, he pulls my head back, making my body arch.