I had a knack for sensing when something happened between Braxton and one of my best friends. I found them standing too close and a little disheveled even though they were both fully clothed. It was in the small details, such as the hickey on Braxton’s neck that hadn’t been there an hour ago and the corner of Houston’s shirt sticking through the open fly of his jeans.
A blind man could tell that they’d screwed.
Loren was a few paces behind me, trading fucking beauty tips with the makeup artist we hired for Braxton—who right now looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
I made a quick decision.
I decided I didn’t want to spend the rest of the tour breaking up the fights between Houston and Lo. Yanking Houston’s shirt from his fucking jeans, I let him see my disapproval before turning to Braxton. Her hair was pinned up, and for once, I didn’t bother asking permission. I undid the messy bun at the top of her head and watched the red waves fall around her shoulder, hiding the hickey taking form.
She stared at me with those wide eyes that I once thought so innocent, and since I wasn’t as cruel as Houston or Loren, I didn’t let her see my disgust before turning away.
Braxton was every bit the tease Loren accused her of being, but I never took Houston for a hypocrite. Since the day she joined our band, he made it clear Braxton was a no-fucking-go, and then the moment our backs were turned, he fucked her.
The real irony was that I knew him too well. In the space between betraying us, screwing Braxton, and getting caught, I’d bet my life that he’d already claimed her. He couldn’t keep us from doing what we wanted, so he switched tactics and decided to take Braxton for himself.
The only silver lining was that Braxton wasn’t a doormat.
Clearly, she was going to do whatever the hell she wanted, but Houston was arrogant enough to believe her submission was a sure thing.
Whatever happens next, the two of them deserved each other.
“Rich—”
“Whatever you’re about to say, don’t. It became meaningless the moment you spread your legs for him.” I’d only admit to myself that my disappointment had little to do with Loren. He really liked her, but so had I.
“Back off her.”
I couldn’t hide my shock at Houston coming to her rescue. Shaking my head, I wondered how we got here. “You’re unbelievable,” I mumbled.
“Can we please talk about this later?” Braxton begged.
“Why?” I snapped at her. It was her turn to look surprised since I’d never been unkind to her. “Don’t want Loren finding out that you’re not worth his time?”
I couldn’t change that I’d been dealt that blow.
Braxton blinked at me until the tears she tried to hold back slipped from her big, brown eyes. I felt the apology on my lips and swallowed it back. I was sick of being sorry for the way people made me feel. Not this time. She made me believe she was someone I could hold on to. Why not let her suffer the consequences?
Braxton excused herself, disappearing onto the bus. A couple of minutes later, Loren finally stopped being a fucking chatterbox and showed his face.
Immediately sensing something was up, his smile turned into a frown. “What’s up?” he questioned as soon as he saw my face. He was clutching the food bags with the takeout he’d brought back for Braxton. He was already doting on her when it had never been his style. “Why do you look like someone shit in your cereal, bro?”
“Ask him.” I tilted my head toward Houston. I doubt he regretted fucking Braxton, but at least he didn’t look smug. He’d perfected his blank expression so well that when he spoke, his confession was the last thing I expected.
“I fucked Braxton.”
“What?” Loren’s head swiveled between Houston and me. I could already tell he wouldn’t let himself believe it. That’s how far gone he was, and she just—I forced my fists to unclench. “What the hell is he talking about?” Loren asked me. Before I could answer, he’d already turned back to Houston. “You fucked Brax?” he echoed. “When?”
“Just now. Right here.”
Loren’s gaze narrowed to slits. “You’re lying.”
“Regardless, I’m not interested in convincing you. From this point forward, you two should have no problem concentrating on the tour. If you want to get laid, snag a groupie. They’re all around.”
If I’d had an inkling of how low Houston would stoop just to keep control, I would have warned Braxton. He’d used her, and the worst part was that she still had no idea.
Loren stepped toward Houston until they were nearly chest to chest. “You think because you fucked her first that makes her untouchable?”
“We both know you’re too full of yourself to settle for my sloppy seconds. Get back on the bus.”
“Fuck you. Maybe I’m done taking orders from you.”
Houston’s eyebrow perked before he taunted, “You got a better option?” He already knew that Loren didn’t. None of us did. It wasn’t about the wealth we’d obtained but the connection to another human life. Without each other, we had no one.
“Maybe I do,” Loren returned, making my heart stop. What the hell was he talking about?
“If you want to run back to your daddy’s lap, be my guest, but don’t kid yourself into thinking the grass will be greener. Oh, and we won’t take you back this time.”
The air was dipped in so much tension I thought the sky might crack open from the strain. Loren was silent, but his rage rang loudly. Houston was taking a huge gamble. Loren would have appreciated it if it weren’t his pride and sanity on the table.
I didn’t exhale until he walked away but not before he shoved the bag of takeout that he’d bought for Braxton into Houston’s chest. We watched helplessly as Loren stormed away in the opposite direction of the bus.
“Don’t,” Houston commanded when I started after him. “Loren’s not going anywhere. He’ll be back.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” I said, voicing my hope that this was all part of his plan to bring us back together. I missed my friends.
Scrubbing his hand down his face, Houston gave me a tired look. “I’m doing the best I can, Rich. What more do you want from me?”
“To find a way that doesn’t involve you being a major dick. Braxton didn’t deserve what you did. Neither did Loren.”
He rolled his eyes as if what I said was debatable. “If it helps you sleep better tonight, look at the bright side.”
“Which is?”
“No one gets her now.”
It took us sixteen hours to find Loren.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he croaked. With one eye open, he peered up at me as I stood over him. We’d found him passed out inside a rundown motel room that I was sure someone had died in. The floor was littered with empty bottles, condom wrappers, and discarded clothes. After bribing the desk clerk for a copy of the room key, Houston had chased off the chicks we found cuddling with drunk-ass Loren.
“What the—” Loren barked. As if he were a vampire, the drama queen used the floral comforter to shield himself from the sun Houston let in after he ripped open the curtains. “Close the fucking curtains. What the hell is your problem?”
“You,” Houston answered coldly. “Now get the hell up.”
“Bite me.”
It sounded like we’d time-traveled to our teenage years when our hormones made us hate each other for a time as well as ourselves. Now we were men and back to hating each other but with only our egos to blame.
“Braxton’s one chick. One. You just found three to fuck you in the middle of nowhere,” Houston pointed out. “Not to mention we’re all better off anyway.”
Loren flew from the bed, naked and as shameless as the day he was born. I’d seen his dick so many times that I could probably draw it from memory…
I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about that.
“Really? Your solution after screwing me is to insult my fucking intelligence? You didn’t screw Braxton for the band. You wanted her for yourself.” Shoving Houston, he yelled, “Admit it!” Loren was loud enough, I’m sure, to be heard from the next room.
It was only a matter of time before someone freaked and called the cops. I could read the outlandish headline now.
Bound Spotted: Sources report the purchase of stolen organs at shady Colorado motel.
I shook my head.
“If you understand my motives, why do I need to explain them?” Houston shot back. He really was a dick. “Admitting what you already know is not what you want to hear anyway. You want me to tell you that everything you imagined is true. You want to know that her pussy is fucking crippling. I can’t get the feel of her out of my head even while I’m standing here listening to you bitch about it. She let me use her, Lo. She begged me for it. She made me not care if you turned the corner and caught me balls deep. She’s fucking insatiable. I may never get enough, but what I do know is that Braxton is mine as of yesterday. It should be easy now for you to keep your hands off and your mind on the music.” Houston’s chest expanded as he inhaled deeply and exhaled. “Are we done now? Can we go?”
“That’s mighty fucking convenient,” Loren replied in the flattest tone ever.
“Come back to the bus.”
“Why? Do you need me, Houston?” he taunted. “A monkey could play the bass. That’s what you told me once, remember? Find someone else.”
Calvin had been a magician at guitar. We never thought replacing him would be possible, but it helped that we hadn’t given two shits about that cunt. Loren was different. For Bound, there was no one else. For Houston and me, there was no one else.
Houston had already drawn the same conclusion. The only problem was that he’d never admit it. I watched him silently make a decision and knew what angle he’d play before he even spoke.
“While you might have lost your appetite for money, I know the last thing you want is to hand it all over to Carl fucking Cole when he sues you for breach of contract, so get dressed, and let’s go. We’ve been in this shit-hole too long.”
It took another thirty minutes of Houston and Loren bickering like an old married couple before we made it back to the buses. All at once, we stopped in our tracks.
Braxton was leaning against the door of our rig.
She wore a white muscle tee with a black graphic design I couldn’t make out from where we stood. What I assumed was supposed to be a dress only extended to the middle of her thighs. If her attempt was to tone down the sexy, she failed miserably. Not when she wore those black, lace stockings that only reached an inch below the hem of her dress. On her feet were distressed brown leather boots that had seen better days. She had the oddest style, but it worked for her. Before yesterday, I would have fucked her just as hard in her weird clothes as I would out of them.
Braxton couldn’t seem to decide which of us to focus on since we were all watching her. Glancing at the ground, she pushed away from the bus.
We didn’t move to meet her halfway as she approached. Instead, we stood together like an impenetrable wall, giving no parts of our thoughts away. By the time she stood in front of us, her indecision was gone, and my jealousy was at an all-time high.
She only had eyes for Loren.
“I’m guessing the cat is out of the bag since you can’t even look at me,” she said to him. Loren wore dark shades to shield his eyes from the sun, but his head was slightly turned, making it obvious he was ignoring her. “I’m sorry.”
His head swiveled forward, and then he was pushing up his shades. “You’re sorry?” he echoed in a deceptively pleasant tone. Braxton shifted nervously under Loren’s piercing gaze. “Whatever for, baby fawn? You’re not my bitch.” Tilting his head toward Houston, he held her stare. “You’re his.” Needing to punish her further, he shoved past her as if she weren’t there.
Braxton didn’t lash out at him, though.
No, she turned her rage on Houston.
“Is this why you fucked me?” she asked as if she didn’t already know the answer. Her eyes were red, telling me she’d been crying and on the verge of doing it again. Knowing Braxton, she’d hold it in until she was alone. She hated anyone seeing her weak more than she hated weakness itself.
Houston’s gaze held no remorse as he regarded her. “A lot of good it did me. You’re the perfect muse, Bambi. If I ever write a song about how shit can get worse, I’ll be sure to think of you.”
Seeing the look in Braxton’s eyes, I took a step away from Houston. I watched her debate for a moment, and after several deep breaths through her nose, the anger left her gaze.
“Stay away from me.”
“Sure,” Houston readily agreed. I knew better, though, and so did Braxton. Hooking his finger under her chin, Houston tilted her head back. “But can you stay away from me?” Too quickly for Braxton to dodge, he placed a kiss on her plump lips and walked away.
I watched her innocent brown eyes turn vengeful and then frantically search the ground. I didn’t catch on until she’d already snatched up the largest rock she could find.
“Stop kissing me, asshole!”
Shit.
I barely got my arms around her before she could chuck the rock at the back of Houston’s skull. Losing her grip, it fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
She would have knocked him out cold.
God forbid he’d end up with a concussion. It was too early in the tour to have to cancel a show. I could already hear Carl’s mouth, and it put me in a foul mood.
“Take it easy,” I snapped when she struggled against me.
“I’m going to kill him. Let me go.”
“All the more reason not to.” Hell, I believed her. Braxton’s temper was unmatched. When she kept fighting to get away, I gave up trying to detain her and hauled her over my shoulder.
“Put me down, Jericho!” Gripping my shirt with one hand, she pummeled my back with the other. I’d never let her fall, but I understood why she didn’t trust me. Houston and Loren had done a number on her, and it had only been a week. “Where are you taking me?”
Ignoring her, I boarded the bus Houston vacated for her. The driver didn’t blink an eye when I passed him. I carried her through the living and bunk area and into the bedroom where she’d slept alone the night before. After putting her to bed myself and forcing Loren back to our bus, I made sure of it. I could still hear that sweet sigh she released after I’d kissed her forehead.
It seemed like it happened a lifetime ago.
Setting her down on the bed, I turned to go.
“Wait.”
I paused at the door, but I couldn’t face her. I didn’t want her to see my anger when I had no right to be.
“Don’t go.”
“We’re leaving soon,” I announced as if it explained why I was so eager to go. Every second I spent with her was like barbed wire around my heart. She was bleeding me dry, and she didn’t even notice.
“It’s still a few hours to Denver.” She paused, and I knew she was weighing the chance of me saying yes to the question on her mind. “Keep me company?”
I could no longer hold my thoughts in when I whirled around to face her. I’d have plenty of time to be disappointed in myself later. “Why would I do that?”
Twenty-four hours ago, I would have never told her no.
Braxton paused as if realizing this before drawing her knees to her chest and hugging her legs. “You’re mad at me.”
What was your first clue?
“No,” I lied and shook my head as if that would convince us both. “I have no reason to be.”
That part was true, at least. Braxton was free to fuck who she wanted. I just didn’t realize how deep it would cut when she didn’t choose me.
“Yes, you are,” she called me out. “Tell me why.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I turned to go, but my feet felt too heavy to carry me forward.
The mattress was memory foam, making movement impossible to hear. I didn’t know she’d stood from the bed until her soft hand was in mine.
“Stay with me, Jericho. You can still hate me. Just stay with me.”
“I don’t,” I said against my will. I swallowed hard, shoving the rest of the idiotic words down. Unfortunately, she pressed her tits against my arm in a move that seemed too calculated for Braxton not to have done it intentionally.
“You don’t what?”
“I don’t hate you.”
“Then why won’t you look at me?”
Because I was too busy staring at a spot on the wall as if it held the answers to why I kept fucking up my life. The more I became invested in Braxton, the deeper my hole grew. “Because you’re Houston’s now. That means I shouldn’t want the things I do when I look at you.”
She placed her hands on my chest, and I let her push my back against the door.
“I can be yours too.”
Rising to the tips of her toes, Braxton pressed her lips against mine. I didn’t kiss her back. I held out as long as it took her to flick her tongue against my lip ring and then the seam of my lips. I gave in then with the eagerness of a boy finally reaching first base and the skill of a man who’d been starving.
She tasted too good to be true.
I let her have her way to see what she’d do without anyone leading, and she didn’t disappoint. She was as insatiable as Houston claimed. We’d stop in between long enough to take a breath and then be back at it like we couldn’t survive being apart for too long. Her lips were softer and fuller than I imagined they’d feel against mine, and the little sounds she made had me thinking of other devious ways to use them.
I always knew Braxton was in my head.
She proved as much when she dropped to her knees in front of me.
I didn’t stop her when she unbuckled my belt and pulled the tab on my jeans free. Before she could unzip me, though, I grabbed her wrists. “You don’t have to do this,” I told her and immediately wished I could take it back. “I’ll stay.”
“Well, that’s a relief.” She pulled her hands away.
Fuck.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it through the night. I’d never been this hard. Instead of standing, however, she held my gaze.
Brown was the most common eye color, but on Braxton, her gaze felt like being caught in a cosmic storm.
No matter how much her eyes gave away, I was always left feeling more befuddled than before.
I was too caught up, wondering what was happening inside her head, to notice her undoing my zipper. I snapped out of it in time to push my jeans and boxers down enough to free my dick.
Braxton wasted no time licking the tip. I felt like I was fourteen again and about to receive my first blow job. Only this time, I was emotionally invested.
After teasing the head until her mouth was nice and wet, she slowly took more of me. I liked that she didn’t concentrate too hard on getting me off or think that looking away would somehow make sucking my dick less awkward. Braxton held my gaze, picking up on my cues whenever she gripped me too tight or didn’t apply enough pressure. When she found her rhythm, my eyes drifted close, and my head fell back against the door.
Fuck, Braxton.
I kept my eyes closed for maybe two seconds top—long enough to realize I wanted to watch every second. Her cheeks were hollow now as she tried to swallow more of me. She made it halfway before giving up and bobbing her head back and forth. Had she been a groupie, or I’d been Houston or Loren, I would have made her take all of me. Instead, I respected the rhythm she set for as long as I could. The wet sound of me fucking her mouth was curling my goddamn toes.
Eventually, the pleasure she offered trampled all over my good intentions. I was too far gone to think of anything else but dumping my cum down her throat. My fingers slid through her red hair before gripping the lush strands tight. I then did the most challenging part of reaching the orgasm I needed.
I pulled her mouth off my dick.
The lower half of her face was soaked in her effort to please me as she blinked her teary eyes at me in confusion. My dick was angry with me, too, for interrupting. Thick veins ran down my shaft coated in her saliva until reaching the purple head that hung mere inches above her lips.
“I’m going to fuck your mouth now, okay?”
Her brows dipped as I lowered my jeans around my thighs. “Wasn’t that what we were doing?” She looked like she wanted the ground to open and swallow her whole. “You didn’t like it?”
I smiled down at her before bending, grabbing her hands, and kissing each set of knuckles. “It was perfect.”
I didn’t know how to explain what I needed without scaring her, so I said nothing. Bringing her hands around to my ass for her to hold, I slipped my fingers through her red hair before getting a good grip.
Her lips were made for sucking cock, and I intended to help them reach their full potential. The day we met, I thought she’d been wearing a soft shade of red lipstick. And then I realized that everything about Braxton was natural—her red hair, swollen lips, perky tits, curvaceous ass, and her ability to captivate me by just being in the room.
Braxton’s lips parted when I teased them with my dick, and I was back in her mouth again with a groan.
This time I didn’t hold back.
I wasn’t Rich, and she wasn’t Braxton.
She was a warm mouth and nothing more.
I used her.
I felt her hands still gripping my ass as I worked her mouth. The sounds that filled the room as I went deeper than she dared were obscene. I pushed her limits and mine. I threw away the nice guy she expected and fucked my way to oblivion. The part of my mind still lucid, worried I might go too far.
And then Braxton opened her mouth as wide as she could and tipped her head back for easier access. Each time my concern for her slipped through the pleasure, she’d dig her fingers in my ass, warning me not to stop. It went like that until the telltale signs of my orgasm approaching washed away all thought.
I didn’t even think to stop myself from coming down her throat.
She held me in her gaze, and I held her in mine when I felt my orgasm arrive while my dick was lodged in her throat. Her right hand curved around the back of my thigh, soothing until I gathered enough strength to pull away. I barely got my jeans back up before my knees gave out, and I lowered onto the floor in front of her. It was a narrow space, so I stretched one leg out and bent the other.
Neither of us spoke as we fought to catch our breath. When my vision cleared, I saw the mess I had made of her makeup, the sweat wetting her light freckles, and the drop of cum resting on the corner of her lip.
Reaching out, I thumbed it away. When I never cared before, curiosity had me licking my thumb instead of wiping it on my jeans. I’ve heard horror stories, and for the first time, I felt insecure. Braxton smirked when I blinked in surprise.
Twenty-seven and I’d never tasted my own cum. It definitely had some zing to it.
“Did I hurt you?”
On the outside, I remained calm. Inside, my heart was punching a hole through my chest. It seemed like a lifetime had passed before she shook her head. It wasn’t until she rested her hand on my thigh that I allowed myself to relax.
“It was wonderful, Rich. I loved giving you what you need.”
“What about you? I can—”
She waved me off before I could finish. “I can’t be alone right now. Just stay with me. I’ll have everything I need.”
“I’ve never known a sex addict to turn down sex,” I said while eyeing her skeptically.
“Have you ever known a sex addict?”
I chewed my lip as I mulled that one over. None of it made sense. Braxton seemed perfectly in control of whatever desires lurked behind her brown eyes. They weren’t the driving force of her actions.
So what could have driven her to think the worse of herself, to see only the ugliest parts? We all had them. Braxton feared hers while Houston wielded, Loren flaunted, and I kept them buried.
“No, I guess not.”
Feeling like I could trust my legs again, I stood and helped Braxton to her feet. The bus rumbled to life, and the moment I let go of Braxton’s arms, the rig pitched forward, sending her back into my arms. My back connected with the door before I caught my balance while holding Braxton against my chest.
“Let me return the favor,” I whispered even though we were alone. Well, mostly, if you didn’t count the driver who was separated from the rest of the bus by a door. My dick twitched in my jeans at the thought of going down on Brax. I’d been wondering what her pussy tasted like since I first heard her play.
Too eager to wait for her answer, I walked us the two steps it took to reach the bed before shoving her down on it.
“You don’t have to do this,” she told me, reversing our roles. If it had been my friends in my shoes earlier, it would never have crossed their minds to turn her down.
Houston was too demanding, and Loren too entitled.
Braxton and I found common ground in our first instinct being to deny ourselves for the sake of others. “I-I’m okay. We can just talk and get to know each other.”
You don’t want to know me.
It would only shatter the illusion she was already clinging to.
“Sure,” I said, pretending I’d play along. “I’ll ask the first question.” Crouching before her, I removed her boots before standing back up. That damn dress was next to go.
“Um…okay.”
I took the time to remove her black bra and thong, both lace like the stockings adorning her legs. I left those on. My gaze raked her naked body, but Braxton didn’t cower or move to cover herself. She let me look my fill. When I felt my dick waking up for round two, I pushed Braxton on her back before climbing on top of her, fully clothed. This wasn’t about me. If my dick came to play, I’d spend the drive to Denver fucking the memory of every man that came before me from her mind until there was only me.
“Would you rather I eat you from the front or behind? Frankly, I’m partial to you sitting on my face.”
