Don't You Dare

“You’re freaking me out,” Aubrey’s concerned voice caught Brian’s attention. “What’s wrong?”

He quickly ignored the shit-talk that Zack was spewing beside him and glanced over at Aubrey. She was sitting next to Jimmy, who was wide-eyed and tense. Brian watched as he leaned over and whispered something into her ear.

She immediately let out booming laughter. Despite not knowing what his best friend told her, Brian felt relief, figuring nothing was wrong and Jimmy was just acting a fool with her.

For a brief moment, Brian went back to watching the intense football game happening on the big TV in front of him. Zack’s team was winning, by a long shot, and Brian was well on his way to playing their next show in his underwear. He thought about ways he could bargain with Zack to where he’d only have to play one song in his underwear. But his thoughts were immediately interrupted by the bartender’s voice.

“So you’re in town for the night, yeah?”

Brian froze, immediately recognizing the intention in the man’s voice. The words rang in his ears like an alarm. Was he talking to Aubrey? He refused to turn and look, but out of his peripheral vision, it appeared as if Aubrey was the only one sitting there.

“I get off around midnight. I know that’s late for dinner but maybe you’d join me for a late-night coffee? Or hell, even a nightcap in the bar?”

What the fuck? Is he hitting on her? Brian’s arm muscles flexed as his hand tightened around his drink glass. Did this prick even know her name?

“If you’re feeling up for it. I know that’s kind of late.”

Aubrey hadn’t responded vocally at this point, which Brian took as a sign that she was going to reject him.

“Is it okay if I let you know later?” Aubrey’s sweet voice finally appeared. “I’m already feeling a little tipsy so I’d feel terrible if I agreed then passed out drunk in my room.” She chuckled softly.

Brian was surprised by her response, but even more surprised by the way her words hit him in the chest. Sure, she wasn’t his girlfriend, but damn, he didn’t think she was the type of person to just sleep with a random person.

But then again, at the beginning of the tour, he was a random person too.

“No pressure,” the bartender reassured.

Brian rolled his eyes, feeling his blood pressure rise.

First, this dick was pining on Aubrey - why can’t the poor girl just have a drink and a conversation at a bar without some asshole hitting on her? Second, Aubrey didn’t turn the bartender down, and that made him feel weird. Weird because he was jealous, and that made him feel weirder, because why was he jealous? Aubrey wasn’t his girlfriend. He had no claim on her. Hell, no one even knew they were sleeping together.

Ah, a light bulb went off in Brian’s mind.

Sure, she didn’t reject him, but she didn’t agree either. And maybe, just maaaybe, she wasn’t planning on sleeping with him but didn’t reject him because it might seem suspicious? Because why wouldn’t she sleep with an attractive guy who she would probably never see again? Maybe it was her way of playing it off.

The thought eased Brian’s mind a little.

Jimmy started causing a ruckus in the bar, per usual, but once he quieted down, Brian went right back to eavesdropping on the conversation between Aubrey and the bartender. Though he stared at the football game on the TV, he wasn’t paying a lick of attention. Because each time Aubrey giggled at something the bartender said, Brian’s saw red and gripped his glass tighter; his light bulb explanation seemed more and more wrong as he listened to them converse. He listened to her explain how she hadn’t been getting along with her snobby friends for a while then she lost her dog and quit her job and ended up on this tour. He listened to the bartender, Jake, express his sympathy and console her.

“What kind of dog did you have?” Jake asked her.

Damn. Brian had never even thought to ask her about her dog. He didn’t want to bring it up, he didn’t want to upset her, but shit, maybe she wanted to talk about her dog.

“A golden retriever,” Aubrey sighed.

“No way,” Jake replied. “I just got a golden retriever puppy!”

“Fuck,” Brian cursed quietly under his breath as he watched, out of his blurry peripheral, as Jake pulled out his phone and showed Aubrey a picture.

“Her name’s Stella,” Jake told her.

“Aww, Jake,” Aubrey cooed. “She’s beautiful!”

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Of course he has a fucking puppy. Girls love puppies.

Alright, Brian decided, as soon as he gets home from tour, he’s get a fucking puppy.

But for now, he needed to do something about Aubrey and the bartender. Something. Anything.

“Dude, your knuckles are turning white,” Zack pointed out, glancing down at Brian’s hand that was still clutching his drink. “You don’t have to play the whole set in your underwear, just like a song or something. Jeez.”

Brian glanced over at his bandmate; he had nearly forgotten he was even sitting right there, forgotten about the game, forgotten about playing a set in his underwear. Well - at least that part was taken care of...

He glanced at the TV. His team had lost. He had officially lost a bet to Zack. And he had officially lost his mind to Aubrey.

Blinking a few times, Brian snapped out of it. He relaxed his grip on his glass. He wasn’t going to listen to any more of their conversation. He wasn’t going to get a dog. He wasn’t going to do anything about the bartender.

He had no right to be upset about the predicament, despite the fact that it did sting for some reason. He had never tried to woo Aubrey, never tried to win her over, except in bed.

Besides, she was a grown ass woman. And she did not belong to him.

Ø

That night, the adjoining door that connected Zack and Johnny’s hotel room to Jimmy and Brian’s room was open wide. Valary had stepped out into the hall way to make a few phone calls while Jimmy and Brian were in their room, being suspiciously quiet, and Johnny and Zack were in their room with Aubrey and Matt, battling in an intense game of drunkenly flicking rubber bands at each other’s faces and laughing hysterically at the red welts they were causing.

“That one,” Matt laughed hard, clutching his stomach and panting to catch his breath. “It looks like a dick.”

Johnny wheezed as he chortled and pointed to the phallic mark on Zack’s cheek.

Despite being the butt of the joke, Zacky laughed so hard his eyes were watering.

A second later, another rubber band went flying, nearly grazing Aubrey’s cheek. She flinched hard and jumped out of the way.

“Someone’s gonna lose an eye,” she warned with a laugh as she darted to the adjoining door. “And it’s not gonna be me!”

Despite laughing about the situation, she quickly ducked out into Brian and Jimmy’s room to hide and found them sitting on each of their beds, sharing a thick joint.

“Oh, that’s why you two are being so quiet in here,” she pointed out. “Busted.”

“Shh,” Brian encouraged but waved her over. She joined him on his bed, crossing her legs as she sat next to him.

Jimmy inhaled a long drag of the cigarette and quickly handed it to Brian. Within seconds, Jimmy had a minor coughing fit and exhaled swirls of smoke from his mouth and nose.

Brian took a small hit then lifted it in Aubrey’s direction, offering it to her. She took it from him and placed the end between her lips. Brian watched as she puffed on it slowly. God, everything she did was attractive to him. Even smoking.

They continued taking turns, sharing the blunt until it was small and ineffective and their eyes were glassy.

Aubrey laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling with red-rimmed eyes. With her
inhibitions gone, relaxation took over her body. She felt peaceful and content. Obviously thanks
to the weed, but she reveled in it for a moment, thankful for every life decision that she made
that brought her to this exact moment.

Jimmy snorted laughing out of nowhere. “I called you a cockmonkey this morning, AC.”

“And an asslicker,” she reminded him with a laugh, still looking at the ceiling.

He laughed harder. “An asslicker cockmonkey.”

She continued giggling, which made Brian chuckle, which built and built until the three of them were doubled over in laughter.

“Surprisingly, I’ve been called worse,” she said through her laughs.

“No!” Jimmy gasped. “Who the fuck called you something nasty?”

“You did!” Brian pointed out, still laughing.

“Shit,” Jimmy smacked his forehead. “I love you, AC - you know that, right?”

“I do,” she confirmed, her laughter dying down. “I love you too.”

“Now who called you nasty names?” Jimmy pressed. “I’ll fuckin’ kill them.”

She was still gazing up at the ceiling, seemingly spaced out. “I just have some shitty friends back home.”

Brian turned to look at her. She looked sad, or maybe that was just how she looked when she was high, but he wanted to hug her. Or kiss her. Or touch her. Or all of the above all at once.

“Well, fuck them,” Jimmy countered. “You got us now. You don’t need anyone else.”

Brian could see a smile twitching at the corner of her lips; he could tell Jimmy’s words had warmed her heart. His best friend was good at stuff like that. Brian, on the other hand, not so much.

A few seconds later, she sat up in bed, drunk and high and swaying a little as she tried to stand.

“Where are you going?” Brian asked quickly, immediately stricken with panic and paranoia over the thought of her leaving to find Jake. It wasn’t quite midnight yet, but maybe she was going to wait for him in the bar.

“To find a vending machine,” she announced. “I need snacks.”

“Me too,” Brian added, standing a little too hastily, wondering if she was lying, wondering why the hell he suddenly cared so much again.

A singular rubber band flew into the room through the adjoining door, landing on Jimmy’s bed beside him. He looked down at it, furrowing his brow.

“You guys saw that too, right?” Jimmy asked. “I know I’m not that high.”

Aubrey laughed. “Yes, I saw it. They found a fuck ton of rubber bands and have been shooting them at each other’s faces for about forty-five minutes now.”

“Well,” Jimmy began as he stood. He walked over to the adjoining door and lifted his foot karate-style then kicked it shut. It slammed with a booming thud. “Fuck them.” He turned back around and stalked over to his bed then flopped back on it. “I’m going to sleep so you guys can fuck off too.”

“Goodnight,” Aubrey laughed as she made her way over to the room entrance. Brian followed close behind.

They were silent as they stepped into the elevator. Aubrey leaned up against the wall for support as Brian pressed the button for the first floor.

He wanted so badly to say something - anything - to get her to change her mind about meeting up with Jake. But she would ask why he cared so much and he wouldn’t know what to say because he didn’t know the answer himself.

From inside the bar, Jake watched through the tall glass windows as the elevator opened to reveal Aubrey with one of the guys in the band. They were stumbling as they stepped out and began searching for something unknown to him. He smiled to himself, knowing she would probably end up bailing on him later judging from her physical state at the moment. He supplied the drinks so he could only blame himself.

Brian glanced up for a moment and saw Jake behind the bar. He was looking at Aubrey and smiling softly. And it made him cringe. He had to look away. Because all he could think about was Aubrey tangled in Jake’s sheets.

When they found the vending machines, Aubrey scanned the contents like a deer in headlights. Everything looked so damn tasty.

Brian stood behind her, looking at the back of her head, still wanting to say something. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. So instead of saying something, he did something. Since they were closed off from the lobby, he moved closer and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

“I don’t know what to get,” Aubrey grumbled. “I want it all.”

He didn’t reply. Instead, he turned his head toward her and began placing soft kisses along her neck, trailing from the crook of her neck to just behind her ear. He inhaled her sweet scent; it only added to his euphoric state.

It was probably manipulative and probably fucked up, but he had to make sure that she would be naked under him that night, screaming his name. He had to make sure that he was the one who fucked her, that he was the one who made her come.

“Do you...” She trailed, distracted by him nibbling on her earlobe.

“Hm?” He hummed into her ear.

“Do you want anything?” She managed to croak out.

“Just you,” he whispered.

She dropped her head back onto his shoulder and he sucked on the delicate skin of her neck. When he pushed his hips into her ass, she sighed.

“Okay, I don’t care about food anymore,” she told him as she turned around and looked him dead in the eyes. “Take me upstairs.”

He nodded then grabbed her hand and began to pull her away but she resisted. When he turned to look back at her with his bloodshot eyes, she was swaying even though she wasn’t moving.

“Everything is spinning,” she explained.

He laughed but felt guilty. He shouldn’t be making moves on her if she was too disoriented to even walk. Maybe he’d back off and just bring her upstairs to make sure that Jake didn’t try to take advantage of her. “I haven’t seen you this fucked up all tour. Are you sure you want to go upstairs?”

“Yes,” she answered without hesitation. “Just give me a second to remember how to walk.”

Brian smiled at her adorableness. “Here,” he said as he turned around and crouched down. “I’ll bring you upstairs.”

“Okay,” she agreed, nodding. She wrapped her arms around Brian’s shoulders and as she hoisted herself up onto his back, he hooked his arms under her knees to secure her.

“Okay, let’s go,” he announced unnecessarily as he began walking back toward the lobby.

Again, Jake watched as Aubrey reappeared with the band guy. She was on his back, clutching his chest and resting her head against his, as they stumbled to the elevators. It was hard to tell from where he was standing, but it almost looked like she was whispering something to him. Or kissing his ear.

When the elevator doors opened, the guy stumbled inside and turned to press the button for their floor. Aubrey slid off of his back, still hidden behind him. Jake watched as the guy turned around, backing her up against the wall. It looked like he was kissing her, but again, it was hard to tell exactly what was happening. That is, until the elevator doors begin to shut, because just before they did, he saw Aubrey snaking her arms up the guy’s back and tangling her fingers into his dark black hair. They were definitely kissing. And she was definitely not meeting him for coffee later.

Brian’s intentions of keeping his hands to himself had flown out the window once Aubrey started whispering dirty things into his ear as he carried her to the elevator. Coherent and alert and begging him to fuck her, she was clearly in a rational state of mind.

By the time they had reached Aubrey’s room, she and Brian were yanking at each other’s clothes, undressing each other before the door had even shut behind them. As soon as they were shielded by a closed door, they moved frantically to finish taking off each other’s clothes.

His shirt, her pants. His jeans, her panties. His underwear, her shirt and bra. Fully naked in what seemed like record time, he carefully guided her to the bed as he attacked her mouth with his own, kissing her desperately and feverishly.

The bartender no longer existed in Brian’s mind. He was focused on Aubrey and only Aubrey.

He grabbed a condom out of his wallet and tossed it onto the bed then moved over her, pressing small kisses where her hipbones protruded beneath her skin, loving the little bulge they made. He used two fingers to spread her lips then ran his tongue over her warm, wet clit. She was so ready for him, she didn’t need any additional arousal, but he wanted to taste her. She shuddered, arching her back as he continued licking, kissing, and sucking on her plump, pink bud.

“Ohmygod,” she moaned, running her hands through his hair, holding him between her thighs.

“Mm,” he hummed against her core, sending mini vibrations throughout her body. She tasted better than he imagined and he could’ve ate her out for days, but he didn’t want her to come yet. Not until he was inside of her.

He pulled back with a smacking sound then continued kissing up her stomach, doting on the little protrusions from her ribcage next. He moved up to her chest, and she ran a hand through his hair and down the back of his head as she watched him kiss between her breasts.

When he glanced up and looked at her, he realized she still looked a little dizzy.

“You sure you’re okay?” He asked sweetly.

She nodded, smiling softly. “Just go easy on me.”

“Don’t I always?”

She nodded again and pulled him down to make him kiss her, tasting herself on his lips as he nestled between her legs. She could feel his bare warmth against her core. It made her shiver with desire. She wanted him just like that.

He ripped the foil packet open with his teeth but when he took the condom out to roll it on, she grabbed his wrist, stopping him. He gave her a confused look.

“I don’t want to use a condom,” she breathed.

He stared into her eyes. She was serious. She was also fucked up.

“Baby...” he trailed cautiously and uncertain.

“I’m clean and on the pill,” she promised. “You’re clean?”

He nodded gently, still not convinced. “I always use condoms and get tested before each tour. But...” He really didn’t have a good argument, but he had never barebacked before. Never.

“I just...” she sighed. “I can feel you right there; it’s killing me.” She rocked her hips, nudging the tip of his head up against her wetness. “I just know it’ll feel so good without one.”

Involuntarily, his hips jerked at her comment, which made his throbbing head push just ever so slightly into her. He winced at how amazing just that little bit felt.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” she relented. “I don’t want you to do anything you aren’t comfortable with.”

He stared into her forgiving dilated eyes. He could trust this girl with his life and he knew it. No matter what bullshit he tried to tell himself about how casual they were, if there was ever a girl to forgo a condom for, it was her. And he knew he would never regret it.

In one swift movement, he threw the condom over his shoulder. She chuckled and the sound of her laughter struck him straight in his groin.

“Are you sure?” She asked.

“More sure than I’ve ever been in my life,” he said as he slowly pushed inside of her.

Their eyes remain locked as she took every inch of him, stretching around him, clenching him tight between her legs. She was so slick and ready for him, he slid in with no friction other than her tightness. She whimpered, overwhelmed by the sensation - it felt even better than she expected. She could feel his pulse against her inner walls.

His jaw clenched and his brow furrowed. She loved the pained look on his face that he made anytime something felt so good that it almost hurt.

“Fuck,” he breathed once he was fully within her. “I can’t see straight.” He had never felt anything like this before. He could feel every inch of her, every nerve, every fiber of her being. He was connected to her in a way he never thought possible. He was never going to come back from this.

He moved his hips, pulling out and sliding back in, thrusting cautiously into her. Her hands slid up his arms, gripping his biceps, feeling the flexed muscles beneath her fingers, beneath the colorful tattoos on his skin.

When his thrusts found a steady pace, Aubrey began rolling her hips to meet his. His mouth fell open and his eyes rolled into the back of his head when he felt her working her sex on his.

“Don’t do that,” he grunted roughly, gripping her hip with one hand, his favorite place to hold her steady. “I’ll come too fast.”

“I can’t help it,” she moaned, attempting to roll her hips again. “You feel so good.”

He groaned at her words, and with his free hand, he laced their fingers together and brought their hands above her head as he continued to grip her hip. He kissed her as he began to thrust again.

It was too much. Everything was too much. He could hardly handle it. Every nerve tingled. His heart raced.

This beautiful girl, naked and sighing beneath him, was slowly but surely ruining him in the best way possible. And he was giving her his all without even realizing it.

He hovered over her, driving into her over and over again with so much force and so much meaning. She placed her free hand on his cheek, cupping it gently as she nibbled on his bottom lip, then wrapped her legs around his waist, giving him deeper access to her.

He buried his face into her neck, trying to hold on to the little bit of composure that he had left. He kissed along her collarbone, breathing his hot breath onto her skin. She moaned and writhed under him, desperate to move her body with his.

When he felt her toss her head back, he pushed up slightly, wanting to watch her come. Sure enough, her eyes were fluttering shut and her mouth was open and round. She was so close.

“Do you want me to pull out?” He asked softly, not wanting to cross that line without her permission.

“No,” she answered, shaking her head. “Come inside me.”

Those words shot a jolt of intense pleasure to his groin. His balls drew up tight; he never thought three simple words could push him so close to an orgasm. He pressed his forehead against hers, kissing her mouth as she began to moan and clutch his shoulders, clawing at the back of his neck.

In an instant, he felt her release, bucking her hips in rhythm with the waves of internal spasms that were milking his bare dick. And he came – hard.

He groaned loudly, violently jerking his hips as he unloaded directly into her. Her blissful moans were tangling with his grunts as they kissed desperately and frantically while their orgasms rocked their bodies.

Everything was intensified. The sights, the sounds, the feelings. And it was all perfect, suspended in time.

As their pleasure subsided, Brian relaxed on top of her, kissing along her jawline sweetly. From her ear to her chin to her lips, he planted soft kisses. Aubrey sighed with contentment as she stared at the ceiling and played with the hair on the back of his head, running her fingers through it. He stayed inside of her, well after his dick had softened, snuggling into her.

They slowly came down from the sensual and drug induced highs then cleaned up and drifted off to sleep.

Ø

The early morning sun crackled through the blinds in layers, shining soft orange into the hotel room. The light slowly brought Brian out of his slumber. His head throbbed as he opened his eyes gently, absorbing his unfamiliar environment.

As soon as he saw her, all of his pain dissipated into adoration.

Aubrey’s dark hair was tousled across her pillow, strands hanging down into her relaxed face. She inhaled and exhaled softly, still asleep. Her naked body was tangled in the sheets, bare skin visible from her mid-thigh to just under her breasts, exposing the bruises from his fingertips that dotted her hips.

Brian couldn’t help but stare at her while she was in such a vulnerable and angelic state. And he couldn’t stop himself from reaching forward to lightly trail his fingertips along her side. Down her hip, over the sprinkle of bruises, following the arch of her backside, then back to her waist and up her arm. Her skin was so soft, so immaculate, and so alluring. Seeing her like this brought on a whole new set of feelings that he wasn’t expecting. He was literally and metaphorically seeing her in a new light.

Sure, the first night they had sex, they spent the night together afterwards, but he was buzzing with adrenaline and honestly afraid to touch her again. He stayed so far away from her in the bed.

But last night... they were wrapped around each other, tangled and intertwined, waking up numerous times throughout the night to copulate again and again. Hazy, slow, passionate, lazy sex all throughout the night. He didn’t think he was in love with her, but damn he could get used to this shit.

Waking up to her was even better. Waking up to a beautiful naked girl with a heart of gold and an ass that could kill after having intense sex all night while on the biggest tour of his life doing what he loved for a living.

How the fuck did he get here? What the fuck did he do to deserve it all? Shit, he wondered if he was still high.

Her eyelashes began to flutter delicately. Brian, still softly running his fingertips up and down her skin, immediately appeared in her line of vision as her eyes focused, and a smile slowly spread across her face. Likewise, her smile made him smile.

“You have the softest skin I've ever felt,” he whispered.

Her smile grew at his gentle words.

“How do you feel?” He asked.

“Hungover,” she said softly, her voice hoarse and raspy and absolutely adorable to Brian.

He chuckled, removing his fingers from her skin. “I figured.”

“I need a shower,” she informed him. “Want to join?”

“You already know the answer to that,” he replied with a wink.

Just the wink alone sent heat between her thighs.

In the shower, hot water cascaded over Brian’s head, weighing his dark hair down into his eyes. Aubrey stood behind him, stroking his thick cock with one hand and had the other splayed across his chest, holding him close to her. She planted soft kisses along his back where red, raised scratches were scattered across his neck and shoulders from her clawing nails.

Once he was good and hard, he turned around and picked her up then pressed her up against the wall and slid into her. He had a taste of what it was like to screw her without a condom, and now he was ruined - he was never looking back. Not with her, at least.

He held both hands on her ass firmly then rested his head on her shoulder, his face buried into the crook of her neck as he pumped into her over and over again. She held the back of his head, her fingers tangled in his hair, wrapping her legs around his waist.

“God, you’re incredible,” Aubrey sighed into his ear.

Her words just encouraged him to drive deeper.

He wanted to panic. He wanted to run. He had never slept with someone like this, never this consistently, never with this much emotion. And the feeling overwhelmed him. But he didn’t panic; he didn’t run. He just dwelled in it, memorizing every second, every touch, every moan, constantly unsure of how long this would last.

They came together, as they always did, then washed each other’s bodies.

Once they were dressed, Brian gave her a sweet kiss on the forehead then snuck out into the hallway and rushed downstairs where he met Valary, Matt, and Zack for breakfast.

“Ooh, you look happy this morning,” Valary cooed as Brian sat down at their table with a big plate of complimentary breakfast.

“You so got laid,” Zack teased with a laugh.

“No way; you found a chick to bang last night?” Matt asked somewhat rhetorically.

Brian stayed quiet but he couldn’t stop the smirk from gracing his face.

In response to his silent admission, Zack whistled and Val let out a loud “Woo!”

“What the fuck are you idiots whooping about?” Johnny asked as he plopped down at the table with sunglasses on, clearly as hungover as the rest of them.

“Brian got laid last night,” Matt informed him.

“The fuck?” Johnny asked with a wrinkled brow and a dumbfounded expression behind his sunglasses.

“How’d you even find her?” Matt asked. “Is she staying here?”

Brian shrugged as he started eating.

“Your chicks are like ninjas lately dude,” Johnny pointed out. “What's going on? You're hardly even searching for girls, but when you do, you're stealthy about them. I never get to see them!”

Brian shrugged again. “It's called growing up, little Johnny. I don't want my dick to fall off from an excessive number of STDs, nor do I want Brian Haner the third running around on this planet just yet, so excuse me if I'm a little selective in who I bang nowadays.”

Johnny rolled his eyes, clearly thrown off by his serious comeback. “Don't be such a fuckin’ girl.”

“Hey!” Val defended. “You're just mad cause you can only bang gross chicks who want to tattoo your name on their tits - stage five clingers.”

Matt’s brow rose and his eyes widened happily at his girlfriend’s sudden hounding.

“Duuude,” Zack laughed. “Val just roasted your ass.”

Brian, amazed and impressed, grabbed Val's face and kissed her cheek. "And that is why I love you."

She smiled proudly. Johnny flipped her off but stayed silent as he didn't have a comeback.

Brian ignored the rest of Johnny’s commentary about other bullshit, consumed by his own thoughts. Because, suddenly, a part of him wanted to thank Jake for hitting on Aubrey last night. It made Brian so determined to make Aubrey want to be in bed with him. And that’s exactly what happened. And so much more.

And although he initially felt conflicted about his reaction to the bartender, he was so fucking glad it happened.

On the other side of the lobby, Aubrey discreetly made her way over to the hotel bar. In all honesty, before they had left the bar last night, she had pretty much already decided that she wouldn’t meet up with Jake. Because all she could think about was Brian.

And after they left the bar, meeting up with Jake didn’t even cross her mind. Not once. Especially not after she was naked with Brian.

It was all for the best. But she wanted to apologize for being a total flake. She would likely never see him again, but he had been so sweet to her, the least she could do was apologize for never showing up.

As she entered the bar, she immediately saw Jake, who looked like he had just arrived for the day.

“Bars open early around here, huh?” She asked.

He glanced over at her. “A lot of people need a good drink after traveling, no matter what the hour is.”

She smiled. “I can imagine.”

He returned a sweet smile.

She sighed. “I’m sorry about last night.”

“Don’t be,” he insisted casually. “You were preoccupied.”

She tilted her head to the side, not sure what he was implying. “What do you mean?”

“I saw you last night,” he told her. “In the elevator. That was some piggy back ride, huh?”

“Oh.” Her smile faltered, realizing what he was saying. She wasn’t sure what to say. She felt like she had been caught deceiving him. “Brian and I are just... I wasn’t lying when I said I wasn’t dating any of them.”

“I know,” he smiled again, cutting her off so she wouldn’t have to explain. “I get why you said what you said. I saw how different you acted when all your friends were around versus when it was just you two. I get it.”

She nodded. “I shouldn’t have led you to believe that there was a chance I’d meet you after midnight. I knew what you were asking of me, but deep down, I already knew whose bed I would end up in last night,” she said, feeling somewhat embarrassed and disloyal to Brian for even considering the possibility of sleeping with Jake.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jake insisted. “Seriously. Just protect your heart, okay? Secrets don’t guard your heart as well as you think they do.”

She nodded, his words resonating within her. It was uncomfortable to have an outsider know their secret, and as she turned and walked out, she felt different. She didn’t know what had happened overnight, but something had changed.

Notes

I will be very busy with work this coming week, so I apologize in advanced if it takes me a little longer than usual to get the next couple chapters out. To make up for it, here's a super long chapter with some hot SG sex ;) This is probably my favorite chapter so far, so I hope you enjoyed it!

Thanks to everyone who continuously reads and comments. I get so excited seeing new alerts for comments and messages, and I adore your reactions to every chapter! <333 &*