Lilac

by Reid, B. B.

  “He didn’t choose you,” Oni reminded her. “I did.”

  For some reason, she gave me a pointed look at that last part. Was I supposed to be thanking her or something?

  Yeah, without Oni, we would never have found Braxton, but it’s not like she knew what would happen. She didn’t know we’d fall for our rebel, and I doubt she’d have chosen Braxton if she had known. Oni had a lot of reasons to feel guilty, but she never showed it. Not even once. Why would she care to right her wrongs now?

  I glanced over my shoulder at Houston, who was pretending he wasn’t listening to every word as he continued to scribble new lyrics. He’d tweak it again later once he was ready to establish a melody. I wondered if he’d let Braxton help since I knew he had her to thank for the inspiration. Yes, I’d sneaked a peek at some of the lyrics.

  Braxton nodded, acknowledging Oni’s claim, but didn’t say more about it. She probably sensed, like I had, that it wasn’t actually meant for her. “Would you like some coffee?” she offered Sridhar.

  Immediately, I tightened my hold on her hips. I didn’t want her getting up just yet.

  “I’ll take tea if you have it.”

  The bunk door slid open again just as Braxton was standing. I noticed how she moved a little gingerly and smirked. I’d never fucked anyone as hard as I had her last night and was already eager to do it again. I knew she’d let me despite the fight she put up.

  Loren was awake, hair sticking up, and wearing a frown that cleared the moment he noticed Oni. Without a word or making a sound, he turned on his heel and disappeared again. It was probably for the best since Loren was cranky enough in the mornings without throwing someone he hated into the mix.

  Braxton fixed Oni’s tea, and as she handed it to her along with the milk and sugar Oni had requested, a knock sounded on the door. Without looking up from his pad, Houston shouted for the person to enter, and the door slid open, revealing Xavier.

  “You got to be fucking kidding me,” he snapped the moment he saw Oni.

  “That’s funny,” she said without missing a beat. “I was going to say the same about your tie.”

  “I’m not wearing one.”

  She gave him that same deprecating look she gave me, except much slower—like she was taking her time. Xavier always wore his suits without a tie. He preferred to keep the top buttons of his shirt undone, showing off his chest and the dark skin underneath.

  “My point exactly.”

  I stood from the table and joined Houston on the couch. He had to be the one who’d called Xavier over here though I didn’t know why. Those two hated each other even more than we did. “You know they’re just going to argue all day and pretend we’re the reason for it, right?”

  Houston looked up from the line he was writing down and over at me.

  “Exactly.” After glancing at Braxton, whose brown eyes were darting between Xavier and Oni as they traded insults, he met my gaze again. “They can keep each other occupied. I’d much rather we handle that.”

  Houston tipped his head toward Braxton, and I knew he was referring to the doubt in her eyes and the fact that she was back inside her head.

  Content with his plan, I nodded as I sat back. All the while, I kept Braxton in my line of sight. Making sure she didn’t change her mind was at the top of my priorities. Not even our show tonight would keep me from her if she tried to run away from us again.

  Braxton finally showed her face, and I must admit, the wait had been worth it. I loved her in leather pants because they always showed off the shape of her ass. We were backstage at the Mohegan Sun’s arena, waiting to go on stage. I’d never been this anxious to get through a show before.

  Here, with the combined eyes of the house staff and our road crew, I was forced to keep my hands to myself, and I didn’t like it one bit.

  Braxton had been taking advantage of the berth we were forced to give her and hiding out in the private space they’d given her to double as a dressing room. In addition to the black leather pants driving my head and dick crazy, she wore a loose, white tank that was shorter around her midriff and longer on the sides. Her jewelry included a silver cuff on her wrist, Loren’s medallion around her neck, and rings that covered each finger from knuckle to knuckle on her left hand, and heels I wanted to feel in my back when this was over.

  Feeling my gaze, she caught me staring, but I didn’t look away. She was my girl, right?

  After a moment of indecision that I hoped she broke free of soon, she slowly made her way over to me. I smelled the sweetness of her brown sugar body wash long before she reached me. When she was close enough, I pushed away from the wall I’d been leaning against and nodded for her to follow me.

  She did.

  All the way to the secluded spot I’d scoped out almost immediately upon our arrival at the arena. Because I knew I wouldn’t be able to get through the concert without touching her.

  I fucking knew.

  There was shit everywhere as house crew and road crew rushed back and forth. They were too focused on getting the job done to pay attention to me luring Braxton into the dark corner underneath the stairs. We were perfectly hidden in plain sight.

  Leaning down, I began to kiss her because I couldn’t focus on anything else right now. She eagerly kissed me back, and I silently thanked God for small favors. Her lips always tasted like succulent fruit, and I’d developed a dependency. She began to whimper when I deepened the tangle of our lips, so I pulled away. I couldn’t risk anyone discovering us…or me fucking her up this wall.

  Sighing, I rested my forehead against hers and closed my eyes. “Why does it feel like I’m still chasing you, Bambi?”

  She sighed too before shaking her head. “I don’t know.” I was starting to fear that she didn’t want to be with me after all when she cupped my face with both hands. “Just don’t stop. Please.”

  Feeling this spark in my chest that I couldn’t put a name on, I gripped her ass in both hands and yanked her closer to me. “I wasn’t planning to.”

  I’d run her ass down, however long it took, to get her to see things my way. There was no curing my obsession with Braxton Francesca Fawn.

  We ended up kissing again, but this time she was the one to pull away with her hands pressing against my chest. “Where did Rich and Loren go?”

  I shrugged only to answer absently, “I don’t know.” I didn’t care either, but I kept that bit of honesty to myself.

  I was strangely okay with sharing Braxton with them, and I didn’t quite understand why, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be times I needed her all to myself. Rich and Loren would just have to deal.

  “Something you need?” I forced myself to ask. Obviously, I was at her beck and call. I just didn’t want that something she needed to be Rich or Loren.

  Braxton’s hands reached for my belt, and while holding my gaze, she began to undo it slowly. “You.”

  I didn’t object when she pulled my hard dick out or when she dropped to her haunches to wrap her lips around it. Forgetting where we were, I gasped against my will at the feel of her warm tongue stroking me.

  Rich had warned me that her mouth was like no other, but I hadn’t been prepared for the crippling truth of it. I held her hair in my fist that had been loosely curled for tonight as she slowly bobbed her head while gripping the back of my thighs for balance. The sight of her red lips stretched around me had my hips moving, and my toes curling in my sneakers as she stared up at me through those innocent brown eyes.

  Wanting to enjoy this as long as I possibly could, I started to count the freckles under her eyes and around her nose, but each time, I lost count by the time I got to three. Picking up the pace, drool began to wet her chin as she grew more enthusiastic. The ardent sounds she couldn’t seem to control as she worked for my cum made me realize that we’d be caught if she didn’t get it soon.

  Luckily, I was right there on the edge.

  “I’m going to come in your mouth, and you’re going to swallow eve
ry drop. Understand?”

  Braxton barely finished nodding before I was pressing forward with a groan and spilling down her throat. I had to quickly grab the wall behind her for support before my legs could buckle from under me. Once I was sure not a single drop was wasted, I pulled free of her mouth and helped her to her feet.

  After fixing my jeans, I walked her back to her now empty dressing room. Her little glam team, as they liked to call themselves, had packed up and gone, so I waited on the leather sofa while Braxton brushed her teeth and cleaned her face.

  Loren and Rich found us by the time she was done and quickly closed the door behind them before locking it for some privacy. We only had about ten minutes before we were due on stage, so I knew they weren’t planning to act on that itch I could see in their eyes.

  Braxton must have known it too because she sat between them on the couch instead of keeping her distance like she’d been doing all day. It had been harder than I thought keeping Oni distracted, but at least now, she’d found somewhere else to be. I didn’t know where that was, and I didn’t care as long as she stayed out of our way.

  “Having seconds thoughts?” Loren asked her when he couldn’t take the suspense any longer. It was the question on all of our minds, and I didn’t know what I’d do if she said yes. She told me to keep chasing, but what if she woke up one day and realized she didn’t want to be caught? At least not by three jaded and broken men.

  “Not really,” she answered hesitantly. “Just…questions.”

  “We’re as new to this as you, but we’ll do our best to ease your mind,” Rich promised. “Just tell us where to start. That’s all we want.”

  “How does this work…me with all of you?” She looked from Rich, then to me, and finally, Loren, who answered.

  “To start, it helps that you’re ambidextrous.”

  I turned my head just in case so Braxton wouldn’t see me laugh. I wasn’t all that certain she’d appreciate it when she was trying to be serious.

  “Thanks,” she said dryly. “That really helps. I’m so glad we had this discussion.”

  Loren slumped in his seat before looking at her and taking her hand in his. I watched his thumb caress the back of her hand as he silently wooed his way back into her good graces. “It works however we want it to work. Tell us what you’re comfortable with, and we’ll go from there.”

  “No other women,” she blurted immediately.

  I don’t know if it had been heavy on her mind all this time or if it was just the first thing that popped into her head, but her quick response had caught us all off guard. Mostly because we’d never even considered other women since deciding to make her ours. Until now, it had only been an unspoken agreement, so I could understand why Braxton insisted on having it spelled out.

  “I know it’s selfish of me and unfair,” she said in a low tone before wincing and shaking free of her guilt. “I get the three of you, and all you get is me, but it’s what I want.”

  Rich gently gripped her chin and turned her face toward him. I could tell he didn’t like what she said. Not one fucking bit.

  “All we get is you?” he echoed.

  I could see the hurt in her eyes when she misunderstood him, but she kept her gaze steady as she looked into his eyes. “Yes.”

  Loren’s hand fell to her thigh, drawing Braxton’s attention back to him. “Do you see us turning into stage four clingers for anyone else, baby fawn?”

  I could hear the smile in her voice when she spoke. “Only stage four?”

  The bassist smirked as he held her gaze. “I haven’t asked you to marry me yet.”

  I knew her smile had fallen long before she turned to look at Rich and then me. “If this becomes serious—”

  “It’s serious,” the three of us stated at the same time. The only one still fighting this was her.

  “Then I can’t marry any of you,” she said, keeping her serious expression. “It wouldn’t be right for me to marry one of you and not all of you. I’m sorry.”

  Laying my head back, I closed my eyes as I let reality and the first hitch in our relationship sink in. I would never be able to give Braxton my last name. She would never fully belong to me. The only solution would be to make her choose and lose her altogether just to sate my ego.

  “Stop it, Morrow,” I heard Loren bark.

  My eyes flew open to find him staring me down. His black gaze was intense enough without anger doubling the effect.

  “I know exactly what’s going on in your head,” he continued, “and it’s bullshit. Marriage is as binding as shoelaces tied by a five-year-old. They’re hastily thrown together and easily unraveled.” I didn’t miss the pointed look he gave Rich, but Braxton did. “We don’t need an old fart in a robe to tell us that what we have with Braxton will last for-fucking-ever.” Glancing down at our girl, he pressed a kiss to her lips before pulling back a smidge so she could see the threat in his eyes. “That’s what duct tape and rope are for.”

  “Are you implying you’ll tie me up if I try to leave?” Braxton asked for clarity. I always liked the push she gave no matter how hard we pulled.

  “No implication necessary, baby. I’m sure I made myself pretty fucking clear.”

  Braxton simply rolled her eyes at Loren as he began to kiss on her neck. He was still sucking and biting on her skin like they were seventeen when a knock came at the door.

  It was time to hit the stage, and as much as I wanted to stay here and continue to get shit understood, I accepted that the sooner we got out there, the sooner we could get her back home to finish what we started last night.

  Sighing, I stood from the sofa and left the dressing room, followed by Rich, Braxton, and Loren.

  “If you do change your mind and you insist on marriage,” Loren rambled as he trailed us to the stage, “you could just get divorced and remarried every four months. You might raise some brows, but at least you’ll hold the world record.”

  Braxton walked like she was fucking floating, and call me arrogant, but I knew we were the reason. There was only pride and the ambition to do better whenever I looked at her and was reminded that she was mine.

  She was actually mine.

  We were back on the bus after another successful show, and even though I was exhausted, I knew I’d catch my second wind. It arrived right at the moment Braxton started stripping off her clothes. She was taking her time, too, like she wanted us to watch.

  I was tuned the fuck in.

  “Does anyone mind if I use the shower first?” she asked once she was down to her thong. I was caught between being jealous of that little piece of string between her ass and wishing the broom closet we called a shower was spacious enough to do what was on my mind.

  The three of us mumbled our agreement, and she smiled before disappearing inside the bedroom. Once she was done, Rich was next to shower, and then Houston took his turn. We had an unspoken agreement that I shower last since I liked to take my time and didn’t feel like hearing anyone bitch about it. No one gets to look this hot cutting corners.

  An hour later, as I was wrapping a towel around my waist, I heard the sound of something crashing and rushed from the bedroom to investigate.

  My steps slowed when I reached the front of the bus and found Braxton on her back, legs spread, and getting her pussy pummeled by Houston. Head thrown back, her arms were stretched above her head while her hands gripped the edge of the table like she was holding on for dear life.

  It looked like they’d been getting ready to eat the dinner our chefs had prepared since the porcelain plates and food that used to be on them lay broken and splattered all over the goddamn floor.

  I searched the room for Jericho only to see that he’d disappeared. One look through the window, however, showed him outside taking a call. I knew what it had to be about if he’d felt the need to take it out of earshot while Houston worked to keep Braxton distracted.

  Chicken Alfredo was his favorite meal.

  He wouldn’t waste the cha
nce to enjoy it without a damn good reason.

  Then again, fucking Braxton was reason enough.

  Ignoring my best friend and our girl still going at it like I wasn’t even standing here, I returned to the bedroom. It was hard keeping my focus just from the noise they made as I found a pair of sweats, socks, and shoes.

  Dressed, I joined Rich outside just as he ended the call.

  “Any luck?” I hadn’t bothered giving him time to notice my presence before making it known.

  “No,” he mumbled.

  At least he hadn’t run off this time with divorce papers in hand just to hit another dead end. In the beginning, Braxton had been curious about his sudden disappearances, but we’d always blown her off whenever she allowed herself to ask. I knew we wouldn’t be able to pull that shit now. At least not without serious repercussions.

  “So maybe you should just tell Braxton about Emily now instead of waiting until you’re both old and gray.” He’d have one foot in the grave, but Braxton would still send him to it early if he waited that long to tell her about his wife.

  “She’s not my wife,” Rich claimed like he was still in denial after all this time.

  “Technically, she is. How you feel about it doesn’t matter. Only the facts do, and the fact is you married her, you’re still married to her, and your girlfriend doesn’t know about it.”

  “Why do you care so much?” he snapped after rounding on me. He knew there was nothing else he could say. I was right, per-fucking-usual. It was always my delivery that people hated.

  “I care because Houston’s in there fucking the shit out of Braxton, and while I’m sure he’s having a jolly good time, I’m also positive that it’s for your benefit. That makes him an accomplice. I am too since I knew about Emily and chose not to say shit…for you. That means when this blows up in your face, it blows up in all our faces, and I’m not letting you fuck this up for me.”

  Braxton was my first and only girlfriend. If she broke up with me, mark my words, I would never have another.