Lilac

by Reid, B. B.

  “You won,” Braxton said to me the moment we were back on the bus.

  Loren, Rich, and I crowded the door because she hadn’t allowed us a step further. She stood there with her head high and shoulders back, but it was the coldness in her eyes that bothered me. Braxton looked at us as if I’d never been inside her, as if she’d never felt Loren’s touch, and her clothes weren’t torn from fucking Rich mere hours ago.

  She even bore all of our marks.

  Staring at the spot where mine was starting to fade, I forced myself to stay put. No question she wouldn’t welcome my mouth on her right now.

  “What are you talking about?” Loren demanded. He shoved past me to get closer to Brax as if he could stop her from saying or doing whatever came next.

  “From this point forward, I’d like to keep it about the music.”

  Loren stilled while Rich shifted next to me. My reaction was also nonverbal. I let my suspicion show as I regarded Braxton. I never took her for a schemer. It had to be a ploy to get us under heel because the only alternative was that she was completely fucking serious.

  “When has it not been about the music?” Loren pushed through gritted teeth. Brows dipped and nostrils flaring, his breathing turned heavy from the exertion not to grab Brax and shake her until she was pliant. He’d calmed down on the drive home and even looked like he wanted to take it all back. He didn’t count on Braxton deciding for everyone that it was too late.

  I toyed with the possibility that she meant every word. What I didn’t expect was for it to piss me off more.

  “Since I let myself cross too many lines with you,” Braxton said with too much passion to be faked. Her gaze slowly met each of ours. “All of you.”

  Fuck.

  She was serious.

  “You don’t want to accept me,” she continued. “It was wrong to think I could make you. I’m temporary. It should never have mattered.”

  Braxton turned to me, and I read the confusion in her expression when I didn’t immediately agree. Victory had always tasted sweet. At the moment, I had a hard time swallowing my nausea.

  “Houston?”

  I held her stare, but I didn’t respond. I was afraid of what might come out. I’d wanted this, and now that I had it, I—

  Doesn’t matter.

  Her mind was made up. Braxton wasn’t looking for me to change her mind. She wanted an ally, at least in this. Rich and Loren wouldn’t accept a strictly business relationship—not when it was three against one. And if I gave even an ounce of fight, my best friends would immediately pounce. Braxton could hold her own against one of us, maybe even two. She stood no chance if all three of us decided we wanted everything she had to give. Every. Single. Thing.

  “Appreciate ya,” I finally spoke. I heard the words, but I didn’t feel them.

  Braxton, however, did.

  In the split second it took for her true feelings to show, she recovered, saving me from taking it back. Something inside of me shifted though at seeing her so crestfallen. The wheels in my mind were beginning to turn, and there was no stopping them. Braxton nodded, but before she could speak the gratitude I read on her lips, Rich exploded.

  “Wait, so that’s it? The two of you get to decide for us?”

  “I’m in charge,” I reminded him, “and it’s what she wants, so…yeah.”

  Rich and Loren stared at each other, then Brax, and finally me. I’d never been one to wear my thoughts, and right now, it served me well. Betrayal, confusion, disappointment, anger—it was all there in their eyes. There was a time when I’d walk through fire just to bring them an ice cream cone. Back then, I never said no. I never left them behind, and I never left them wanting. It wasn’t until we signed with Savant that I failed them and have ever since.

  I couldn’t dwell on the past anymore, though. It meant wasting the chance I had in the present to right my many wrongs.

  Starting with Braxton.

  Sometimes pissing off the people you love is how you do them the most good in the end.

  All right, I’ll confess.

  That bullshit Braxton was spitting had gone in one ear and out of the other.

  It wasn’t until a week of getting the cold shoulder passed that she made a believer out of me. Tomorrow night was our show in New Orleans, and then we were finally getting some time off.

  It’s been exactly three weeks since the tour started, and I was already beginning to feel the effects. The first leg of our tour wouldn’t even be over for another three months. It would have been less demanding had we used a private plane, but we always insisted on the open road because it kept us close to our roots.

  A lot of good it did. Braxton claimed we had no humility.

  New Orleans had the weirdest fucking food, but damn if wasn’t good as fuck. Doggy bag in tow, I rushed up the steps of our bus, hoping to catch a certain redhead before she could disappear.

  After Dallas, she still went exploring when we touched down in Houston, but we hadn’t been invited. Braxton stayed gone most of the forty-eight hours we were there, and she always took security, leaving us no reason to object.

  Even if I was a patient man, she’d be trying mine.

  The sliding door separating our living quarters from the driver slid open, revealing Braxton dressed for the day and brushing her long hair. She was wearing shorts, a Bound & Bellicose tee cut to expose her navel, a plaid flannel three sizes too big, and combat boots.

  “Good morning,” she said when she caught me staring. It was the most we could get out of her this past week if it weren’t about a show.

  “Morning,” I returned, wanting to ask where the hell she was going. Obviously, I didn’t. Not only would she not tell me, but I’d ruin my plan to get her to talk to me. “I brought you something.”

  Holding up the paper bag from Café Du Monde, I let her see the beignets I’d brought back. I remember her excitement over trying one when she learned a few months ago that New Orleans was one of our stops.

  Looking at the bag and then at me, she smiled brightly. Just as I was about to celebrate, she turned away. “No, thanks.”

  I didn’t even have time to ask her why not before she grabbed her bag and was gone.

  The moment I was alone, Rich and Houston appeared, and I knew they’d been eavesdropping. They didn’t say anything, though, as they settled on the couch since absolutely nothing happened. Braxton was sticking to her guns.

  Rich and Houston ended up eating the beignets while I spent the day becoming more and more pissed off.

  “Whatever you’re thinking of doing, don’t,” Houston said to me as the sun started to set.

  Braxton still wasn’t back yet. New Orleans was three feet long and our show tomorrow night was the only thing happening. What the hell could she be doing? Even though she had security, I didn’t like that she was alone. Someone was bound to recognize her.

  “Don’t tell me how to deal with a decision that didn’t include me,” I snapped at my best friend. “This is your fucking fault.”

  “When she wanted in, we didn’t give her that,” he shot back. “The least we could do now that she wants distance is to respect her wishes, Lo.”

  “Nah.” I was slumped on the couch with my arms folded, head back, and staring at the bus ceiling.

  “So what do you suggest we do?” Houston inquired. I was about to tell him he could go eat a dick when I realized that was curiosity in his tone and not him trying to make a point.

  “We change her mind.”

  “How?”

  I don’t. Fucking. Know.

  “We wear her down,” Rich piped in.

  “Thank you, Captain Obvious. What do you think the beignets were for?” Without lifting my head, I cut my gaze toward Rich, who had his face screwed up in disgust.

  “So you think her pride and self-worth can be bought with a three-dollar pastry?”

  No.

  God, I hated when he was right. It would be convenient as fuck for me if it could, but then, w
ould I want her so desperately?

  Nope.

  Fuck no.

  “If you have a plan, I’m waiting to hear it,” was all I said in return.

  “We wear her down by giving her what she wants. That means leaving her alone, Lo.”

  Feigning excitement, I quickly sat up. “Oh, I think I’m picking up what you’re putting down. Your genius plan is to act fifteen and ignore a girl in the hope that she notices us.”

  “It will piss her off,” Rich said like that explained anything.

  “Exactly why it’s dumb as fuck.”

  “Loren,” Rich said while pinching the bridge of his nose. “When have you known Braxton not to react when she’s pissed the hell off?”

  I paused to consider his words.

  “So reverse psychology…that’s your play?” Houston asked skeptically. He shook his head. “It’s not like you.”

  “Braxton has been forcing us to play by different rules since the day she walked into that conference room. I’ve never wanted anything this bad before, so the gloves never had to come off.”

  “Not even your wife?” I taunted him. “That’s cold.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Lo. You know she’s as much my wife as she is yours.”

  “That would be incorrect. I didn’t give her my last name. You did.”

  “No, you’re just the reason she’s gone.”

  Staring at Jericho, I silently prayed that he wasn’t still pining for that bitch. “I’d do it again,” I told him.

  Just so we’re all clear.

  Shaking his head, Rich refused to look at me when he changed the subject back to Braxton. I didn’t give a fuck about Emily. “Are we doing this or not?” he questioned angrily.

  I hated myself for looking to Houston first. We all knew this wasn’t happening without him on board. He sat on the arm of the sectional, forearms braced on his thighs, and staring at the floor for too goddamn long. “I’m in,” he finally said with a slow nod.

  “Sweet. Me too.” I snatched up my phone when Instagram notified me that someone I followed had posted. There was only one person I cared enough to use the setting. Tapping on the notification, it took me to Braxton’s profile and the new photo she’d posted ten minutes ago.

  It was a goddamn selfie of her eating a beignet.

  Unable to help myself, I left a comment.

  [thebassistLo]: petty

  There were already hundreds flooding her comment section since her follower count had reached over three million. Before coming out as our new guitarist, she’d garnered thirty thousand on her own. Not bad for someone who hadn’t wanted to be found.

  Oni made sure to let us know how hard she worked to sell Braxton so that we didn’t fuck it up.

  I snorted.

  It’s like she didn’t know us.

  After scrolling through some of the comments, I refreshed Braxton’s page to see if she’d replied.

  She didn’t.

  Instagram told me her account was not found, which meant I was blocked again.

  Tapping my handle at the top of the page, I switched to the ghost profile I’d made the last time she blocked me, found her page, and typed another comment.

  Yeah, I was supposed to leave her alone, but I couldn’t help it.

  Braxton was addicting.

  [brax_n_lo_4eva]: You look like your pussy tastes better

  Done trolling since I knew she wouldn’t respond, I pocketed my phone and turned to my friends. “I just have one question.”

  Rich still wasn’t talking to me, so Houston stepped to the plate with a sigh. “What, Lo?”

  “Assuming we win her over, how do we decide who gets her?”

  “We don’t,” Houston informed me. “It has to be her choice.”

  I liked the sound of that since I had more charm and charisma than both of them put together. I also had a leg up. Braxton would never speak to Rich again once she found out he was married, and Houston would have to grovel more since he’d been the biggest dick to her.

  Lacing my fingers behind my head, I grinned at my evil master plan.

  “Sounds good to me,” I said excitedly.

  “I have a better plan,” Rich said slowly. He looked to Houston and then to me, and I knew I wasn’t going to like whatever the fuck came out of his mouth. “We share her.”

  It was late as fuck when Braxton finally returned to the bus. I was lying in my bunk, smoking, and forcing my eyes to stay on the movie playing as she got her shit together for a shower.

  She was going to be mad as fuck when she realized I didn’t leave her any hot water again.

  It was the first time I’d done the shit on purpose, hoping she yelled at me again. I was willing to take any scraps she gave me at this point. If I felt like this after only a week, I couldn’t imagine what I’d do when the year was up. She said she was just temporary, but maybe she didn’t have to be.

  Drawing as much weed as I could into my lungs, I slowly exhaled.

  One step at a time.

  As soon as Braxton disappeared inside the bedroom, I rolled out of my bunk and snatched her bag from her bed.

  “Lo!” Rich hissed so that Braxton wouldn’t hear. He’d been sulking in his bunk for the last hour too. “What are you doing?”

  “Staying out of your business,” I tossed over my shoulder. “Return the favor?”

  A joint in one hand and Braxton’s phone in the other, I typed in her passcode and then tapped the Instagram icon only to realize she’d logged out.

  Fuck.

  Not willing to give up, I tried a few combinations.

  When I struck out on her full name, birthday, and all that simple shit, I switched tactics.

  bambi

  babyfawn

  richisawimp

  houstonisabadlay

  I snorted when I struck gold on my final attempt before Instagram locked me out.

  lorenisadick

  I started to put her phone back once I unblocked myself until I realized there was no rush, unlike last time. Getting comfortable on the edge of Houston’s bunk since he was still out discussing shit with Xavier, I went to her photos. I thought her Instagram feed was good until I saw all the shit she didn’t post.

  Damn.

  I was praying for a nude as I scrolled through all her photos, and just when I thought I wasn’t that lucky…

  There was an aerial shot of her without a stitch of clothing, lying in her bunk alone, thick lips pursed, and staring at the camera as if she knew someone would find these photos. Her hair was spread out like wings on her pillow and around her shoulders while the light from the TV illuminated her pale skin.

  She looked like an angel cast from heaven, but she didn’t fall.

  She dove.

  I felt my mouth watering as I stared at her dusky nipples and the gentle swell of her breasts. Her stomach was taut, the skin there smooth, and I even felt the urge to dip my tongue inside her belly button.

  Just as I was admiring what I knew were soft thighs and thinking about what I really wanted hidden between them, her phone was snatched from my hands.

  I’d been so caught up in her photo that I failed to hear Rich climb out of his bunk. He stood over me, holding Braxton’s phone in his fist and staring down at me in disapproval.

  Toking on my joint, I watched as Rich glanced at the screen and then as he sucked in a breath at what he saw. It took him a second longer to realize he shouldn’t be looking either before exiting the photo and stuffing the phone back in her bag.

  “Enjoyed that, did you?” I teased.

  “Seriously, Lo. Grow up.” Shaking his head, he slid back into his bunk, and I chuckled under my breath when he stared at the top like he couldn’t get Braxton’s nude out of his head.

  Welcome to the party.

  Hearing the shower cut off, I climbed back in my bunk to resume my nightly ritual of smoking. Before I gave it up, I could never seem to sleep without getting high as fuck first, but I managed. Now it seemed to be having the
opposite effect. I was too wired.

  Braxton was keeping me on edge.

  Rubbing my eyes with the heel of my hands, I sighed. Fuck it. I climbed out of my bunk just as Braxton entered wearing a camisole and… Where the hell were her shorts? She usually wore them, or maybe it was the other way around. Perhaps she was tired of accommodating us by being decent, which was more than fine with me.

  Panties covered her perky bottom—if you could even call them that. They went up her ass like a thong, but they had a little more material. I had no idea what chicks called those shits. It was sexy as fuck, and that’s all I needed to know.

  Since I was just standing there in my boxers like a dope, Braxton eyed me warily as she finished towel drying her hair. More than once, her gaze strayed to my chest before catching herself and meeting my eyes. I could feel Rich silently warning me from his bunk to stick to the plan.

  Fuck the plan.

  “Enjoy your beignet?”

  There was amusement in Braxton’s eyes as she regarded me. “Does the answer have anything to do with tomorrow night’s show?”

  Cheeky bitch.

  “It would if you got food poisoning.” I wasn’t quite sure if she could from eating fried dough and powdered sugar but…anything to keep her talking.

  Tossing her towel at the foot of her bunk, she turned away from me. “I think I’ll be fine, Loren. Good night.” As Braxton climbed in her bunk, Houston showed up and got an eyeful of her nice, round ass.

  He looked like he wanted to say something to her, but one glance at Rich, and he swallowed it. It was good to know he followed someone else’s rules better than he did his own.

  Tucked inside her bunk and nestled under the covers now, Braxton met Houston’s gaze, and a moment later, she turned, giving him—us—her back.

  “Ouch.”

  Rich promptly threw his pillow at my head, a final warning before he lost his shit. Rolling my eyes, I decided to brush my teeth before Houston could finish getting ready for his shower. Once I was done, I borrowed a couple of things and was back in my bunk after hiding them under my pillow.