My eyebrows rose as I waited for an answer. Of course, she didn’t take the bait, not that I expected her to, really.

“You’re exhausting,” she said with a shake of her head.

“I prefer riveting.”

“How about pig?”

“You could call me that, but then you’ll still want me to fuck you.” I shrugged.

Our gazes met and held, but she didn’t bother denying it. Falling into bed together was just a matter of when. We were wrong for each other in every facet but one—the chemistry we made could crumble the strongest mountain.

Because I was a gentleman when it suited me, I let her off the hook by focusing on the movie until my eyes started to droop.

The film wasn’t even close to ending. How long was this fucking thing?

I’d need a bed soon, preferably with Braxton in it.

Movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention in time to see her yawn for the third time in ten minutes. While she was falling asleep, she must have thought up the perfect punishment for me because she turned on her side, and just before laying her head in Rich’s lap, she paused.

“Is this okay?”

Fucker didn’t even hesitate before nodding. She rewarded him with a sleepy smile, and then her head was on his fucking thigh.

I saw red.

It bloomed on Rich’s cheeks like he was a thirteen-year-old girl.

“Why am I friends with you?” I blurted out of jealousy. I didn’t give two shits about hiding it. “You’re twenty-seven years old, blushing because a girl asked to touch you platonically.” I shook my head in envy disguised as disgust. That should have been me Braxton was lying on. “God, you’re embarrassing.”

“Ignore him,” Braxton mumbled as her eyelids drifted closer together. Any moment now, she’d be out cold. “He’s jealous because you’re sweet, and I like you more.”

Feeling evil as fuck, I smiled at them both.

“Too bad he’s married,” I snitched to Rich’s horror.

Lucky for him, Braxton had fallen asleep.

I was relieved the next morning when I woke up alone. I just wasn’t sure I’d slept alone. All I could vaguely recall was being carried into the bedroom and laid gently on the pillow-top mattress. That and a gentle kiss pressed against my forehead. I just wish I could place a face to the lips.

Following the smell of French toast, I entered the kitchen and caught Loren stealing a slice of bacon from a plate meant for me.

“So, you’re a thief, too.” I shuffled toward the counter and the delicious smell coming from the plate. I could seriously get used to having a chef around. It seemed like a worthwhile investment for a girl who was clueless in the kitchen.

“Morning, baby fawn.”

His gruff greeting told me he hadn’t been awake long either. I wasn’t a morning person, so add what he said to me last night, and I found myself snapping. “Stop calling me that. My name is Braxton, but if you insist, can you at least drop ‘baby’?”

“I’d rather drop Fawn,” he said as cool as a cucumber.

Oh, hell no. I didn’t like my stomach’s positive reaction to that. “Fine. Whatever. It’s a fucking deal.” I thrust out my hand for him to shake and pretended I wouldn’t like being that intimate with him.

He stared at my hand with amusement before his gaze snapped up to meet mine.

And then he kissed me.

The bastard fucking kissed me.

Loren’s kiss wasn’t rough like Houston’s. He wasn’t demanding, but he wasn’t generous either. No, he teased and toyed with my lips, heart, and tongue until I was ready to put my soul on the line. He was a playful kisser, leading me in only to pull away. With just one kiss, he taught me how to please him.

“You taste like cheese, beer, and a bad night, baby.”

In typical Loren fashion, he cruelly shoved me out of the clouds he’d placed me on. I recoiled in horror at the reminder that while Loren looked like a magazine spread, I haven’t even brushed my teeth.

I turned to run for the bathroom and my toothbrush when he grabbed me and spun me back around.

“I came to tell you that we’re back on the road soon. I didn’t mean to kiss you, but I’m not sorry.”

“Don’t do it again,” I forced myself to plead.

“Nah, I’ll definitely do it again.”

“Loren—”

“It won’t be your fault,” he interrupted while pulling me close. “You can’t help that I don’t want to resist you.”

I frowned at Loren while pretending my heart wasn’t shoving shit aside to make room for him. “You almost sound like you’re in love with me,” I tried to joke to break the tension.

Loren didn’t even blink. “If we’re not careful, I will be,” he told me seriously.

My lips repeatedly parted and closed until a sane response came to mind. He’d given me no reason to believe him, and yet…the meadow my brain was telling me I smelled right now urged me to. I still hadn’t figured out this new emotion. Only that Loren triggered it.

I so didn’t need this right now.

“What am I supposed to do with that, Loren? We barely know each other.”

Our second kiss came sooner than later. It was slow and gentle. The kind that lingered long after the culprit was gone.

“Whatever you want,” he whispered against my lips. His head popped up, and then he was giving me a hard look. Stern on Loren was a foreign look, yet so fucking good. “As long as the answer isn’t no.”

“It has to be.” I pulled away, and he let me. “You know my secret.”

“Thanks for reminding me,” he responded, lips curled. He was definitely pissed now, but I sensed it wasn’t at me. “Who the hell told you that you were a nympho? Was it by chance a licensed professional?”

“I’m serious, Loren.” I shook my head when my voice failed me. I could feel shame clawing at my skin. It was still too familiar. “You can’t joke about this.”

“Believe me, no part of me finds this funny. I didn’t take it seriously until I realized that someone put this shit in your head. Give me a name. I want to deal with them.”

I shook my head while looking down at his Derbies. “You didn’t know me then. I crossed too many lines, and I hurt too many people. I was willing to let it destroy me.”

“Show me someone who hasn’t made mistakes when it comes to sex, Braxton. If I could remember their names, I’d tell you a few I wished I’d met when I was sober,” he mumbled.

I didn’t want to laugh, but I did. Inside. “If you had an upbringing like mine, you’d understand. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Mine wasn’t the most forgiving.”

He grabbed me again, holding me by my hips, but it was his eyes that conquered me. Not his hands. “How can I convince you?”

“You can’t.”

“Have you met me?” he shot back, his voice deep and low. When he kissed me again, he tasted like morning dew. I couldn’t get enough. When he finally pulled away, it took us both a moment to catch our breath. “I can run circles around your demons, Braxton. Just let me in, and I’ll handle the rest.”

The romantic I kept in line with a bat and knuckle dusters sighed in appreciation. He was saying all the right things. Naturally, since it was Loren, I was suspicious. “If this is some ploy to sleep with me, I’ll make you sorry.”

“Fuck, you’re sexy.”

It was hard not to fall for his gorgeous smile that lit up my entire life, but I managed. “You won’t think so when I slip orange dye in your shampoo or shave your eyebrows while you sleep.”

Sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he stared at me for a long, long, long time. “Duly noted, baby.”

Denver, as it turns out, was a thirteen-hour drive from Phoenix. Add in the frequent stops, including our current one in some town bordering Colorado, and I wondered if we’d ever reach the city. We didn’t have another show until Friday, which gave us two days to find trouble.

I didn’t know we’d do it in one.

The warning stirred in my gut as I inhaled the air and tried not to fixate on this new turn of events. Houston hated me, Loren had a crush, and…I couldn’t figure out Rich’s angle. A part of me hoped he didn’t have one because I liked being around him a little too much. I didn’t have to keep my guard as high.

“Feeling all right?”

The voice was partially obscured by the howling wind, giving me no choice but to face them to solve the mystery. I thought I was the only one hanging around the buses. Everyone else had gone across the street to dine in the only two food options offered. Peeking over my shoulder, I expected to find either Rich or Loren waiting. Maybe even Xavier.

Of course, it had to be Houston. He was best at getting me riled.

Wearing his usual T-shirt and jeans combo, he held a black store bag from the gas station where we filled up the buses.