My grandmother had always warned me to appreciate the tortoise because I’d be up against the hare one day.
The days were flying by faster than I liked, and the last thing I expected when we ditched the bus for good was that I’d miss it. The cities as we made our way through Canada became a blur. Montréal had been fun. Toronto, where we’d ditched the bus and said goodbye to the crew, was even better. After only one night in Edmonton, however, we were boarding a flight to Vancouver.
The SUV we rode from the hotel to the private hanger pulled to a stop, and we all climbed out. People were waiting to load our bags onto the plane, so Houston, Loren, Jericho and I immediately climbed the steps leading up to the plane.
Xavier and Dani had already arrived and boarded and were the only ones still traveling with us since they were Bound’s manager and assistant, respectively. The road crew had been booked on commercial flights and would be meeting us at the venues now.
I was nervous about the flight since this was only my second time flying, and I still hadn’t decided whether I liked it or not. Loren had to hold my hand the entire four-hour flight from Toronto, so I was determined to get through this one on my own. In another month, we’d be making our way to Europe, and I couldn’t expect him to coddle me the whole way there, now could I?
As if he’d heard my thoughts and wanted to prove me wrong, Loren grabbed my hand the moment we boarded the small, private plane.
As I looked around the cabin with its plush leather recliners and wood-grain interior, I couldn’t believe how much my life had changed. I suddenly wished Griffin and Maeko were along for the ride since they were the ones who’d known I’d be here. I’d been too afraid to chase my dreams, so my dreams found me instead. There was only a one-in-a-million chance of that happening, really dumb-blind luck, and it only made me regret not finding the courage sooner.
But I hadn’t been afraid that I’d fail.
The problem had always been that I’d succeed.
Even my baby sister had known, and she’d called me out on it.
My eyes squeezed tightly together as I unwillingly recalled the moment I decided to give into Oni and sealed my fate with Bound.
Rosalie’s face had been coated in tears, her sobs cutting me deep as her fragile body shook with rage and frustration from being tugged in two directions as she glared at me. “Why should I listen to you, Braxton? I looked up to you! I thought you were strong, but you’re not!” No longer yelling, she whispered, “You’re still afraid of them too.”
“Hey, you all right?”
Hearing Loren’s voice, I hadn’t realized he’d been watching me as he stood in front of me now with his hands on my hips. I didn’t want to explain, so I offered him a smile that he saw right through. After taking a seat in the recliner across from Rich, Loren immediately pulled me into his lap. Xavier and Danielle were sitting together on the bench a few feet behind us as they discussed the arrangement for tonight’s show.
“You know I can’t stay in your lap, Loren. You might as well let me go.”
Burying his face in my neck, he growled, “Not yet.”
I stayed put until it was time for takeoff, and he reluctantly let me go so I could take my seat next to him, which also faced Houston. Jericho was seated diagonally from me, and my gaze couldn’t help but linger as he stared out the window and brooded.
It’s been seventeen days.
Two weeks and three days of climbing the mountain he’d put between us. And every day, it became more apparent that Rich had grown bored with me.
I’d expected that possibility from Houston, maybe even Loren, but not Jericho. I couldn’t ignore that he only seemed interested in me whenever I practically threw myself at him. I was beginning to wonder if he only gave me even that small mercy out of pity. He’d been enthusiastic each time, if not a little troubled, but he was a guy, so that didn’t mean shit.
The reason nagged at me because his interest hadn’t slowly waned.
It’d been abrupt.
The morning after our show in Connecticut, he’d been distant, and the only logical explanation was that he’d considered my terms and decided I wasn’t enough. I knew I’d been unfair, so I didn’t want to blame him, and yet…I absolutely did. Houston, Loren, and Jericho had all driven me to the edge, but it was his hand that shoved me over.
I almost felt like I didn’t deserve Oni’s praise, not that I ever wanted it. “Not quite the apple on your head, but effective nonetheless.” Before returning to Los Angeles, it had been all she’d said about the task she’d given me when she chose me to replace Calvin. Knowing this, I wasn’t as convinced as the guys that Carl had been the one to send her in the first place.
The short flight to Vancouver was over quickly.
The moment we were shown to our suite at one of the waterfront hotels, Loren proposed we hit the jet skis. Two hours later, after sending Dani out to get a bathing suit for me, three swim trunks, and four wetsuits since germophobic Loren was too prissy to use a loaner, we were back in the disguises we’d used in New York and standing on a dock in Granville Island.
After checking the straps on my lifejacket for the third time, I regarded the guys who were already mounted on the jet skis while I still stood on the dock. “So which of my doting boyfriends am I doubling up with?”
No way in hell was I riding one of those things alone. I barely trusted myself not to drown in the shallow end of a pool even though I knew how to swim.
I’d posed the question to all three of them, but my attention was steadfast on Rich as I waited for him to offer. I needed to know if I was reading too much into the distance he kept.
Noticing my gaze, he immediately looked away, and I sucked in a quiet breath as my heart cracked in two.
“You’re riding with me,” Houston said as if it had already been established.
He might be my boyfriend now, but he was still bossy and controlling as hell, and the perverted demoness squatting inside of me liked it.
I couldn’t even count on the pompadour wig and cheap, gold shades to detract from his appeal.
Even though I was disappointed in Rich, I didn’t hesitate to go to Houston. I slipped my hand in his when he held it out for me, and with his assistance, I climbed on behind him.
I didn’t allow myself to look too long at Rich and the muscle in his cheek, jumping as if he was restraining himself. Instead, I held onto Houston’s waist and pressed my cheek to his strong back. Despite the summer sun and the wetsuits we wore, my face was still at the mercy of the ocean’s breeze. It was cool, almost chilling, but no match for the heat Houston’s body generated. I was in awe, considering how cold he’d been when we met. Nevertheless, he was a furnace, and he warmed me right up.
Whooping, Loren was the first to take off, shooting forward on his red and blue jet ski. Rich, straddling a black and gray watercraft, was right behind him. As soon as Houston’s green and white Sea-Doo lurched forward, I tightened my grip so hard I was surprised he hadn’t complained. The brine attacking my senses was stronger than ever with the water’s natural scent mixing with my uneasiness.
Gradually, Houston accelerated, giving me time to get used to the motion each time we crested a wave. The moment we hit English Bay, the three of them opened up, and we were soon flying up the coastline.
I had no idea where we were going and no idea if they did either.
None of that mattered once I was brave enough to lift my head. The creamy sweetness of chocolate melted on my tongue as I watched the three of them enjoy the journey without a destination in mind. My heart swelled, and it was the first time I’d tasted true happiness in a while. The last time I’d been too young to realize that it would always be temporary.
Birds flew by closer than I would have given them credit, but as we raced past swimmers, groups on guided tours, and other rogues like us, I surmised they had no reason to be afraid.
Loren and Rich raced each other past Horseshoe Bay and Bowen Island and all the way up the Howe Sound while Houston and I followed closely behind but much slower. It wasn’t until they were done with their pissing contest that they slowed down, allowing us to catch up.
It didn’t occur to me they’d have a motive until they began to circle.
“So what do you say?” Loren shouted since they had to keep enough of their speed to turn their vessels. Houston and I were idle in the water now as they continued to circle and taunt. “Did you bring your big girl panties?”
“I’m not wearing any!” I reminded him—not unless I counted my bikini.
It seemed to have the desired effect on Loren either way because he was staring at me now like he wanted me to read his mind and every filthy thought inside it.
And I didn’t even care how utterly ridiculous he looked wearing that black, eighties mullet on his head, which had drawn more attention than it diverted. Luckily, he’d kept his disguise authentic with a pair of dark shades and a beard he’d glued onto the lower half of his face.
“How about a race then?”
“I don’t know,” I shouted at the top of my voice. “What do Houston and I get when we win?”
Loren pretended to mull it over even though we both knew he’d had his prize in mind long before he posed the challenge. “First one back chooses a dare for the loser to do. No exceptions. No excuses.”
I nodded as I thought it over.
“What will it be, baby fawn?”
“It’s not really up to me since I won’t be driving, is it?” I pretended to lean forward as if I was gauging Houston’s interest and whispered, “When I pinch you, punch it.”
The only indication I got that he’d heard and was on board was the subtle quirk of his lips as he waited for my signal.
“Hey, Loren?”
He was grinning already as he anticipated my answer. “Yeah?”
“We’re in!” Before I was even fully done speaking, I pinched the hell out of Houston, who immediately pushed on the throttle, shooting us forward and narrowly clipping Rich as we raced through the closing gap.
I heard Loren shouting obscenities, and one look behind me confirmed that they were hot on our tail. I smiled as Houston pushed the Sea-Doo to the max and laughed as Rich and Loren desperately fought to catch up. Since we’d had the element of surprise, we’d gained enough of a head start that it would take an act of God for us to lose.
It came just as Houston made a sharp turn around a bend I didn’t know to brace for because I’d twisted in my seat to watch our opponents.
Slipping off the side of the Sea-Doo, my scream was cut short when I fell into the cold water and plunged beneath the surface. Fear of drowning had me grappling to reach the top again, even as my life jacket brought me back up. I broke the water with a gasp, and then I looked around for my rescue.
Rich was the first to reach me since he’d been in last place. He twisted around in his seat as I boarded from behind and offered me a hand that I didn’t need but was all too eager to accept.
I missed him touching me because he wanted it too.
I might have preferred not taking an unintentional dip in the ocean and losing my wig to learn that he still cared, but I wouldn’t turn my nose up at the knowledge either.
Once I got him alone, I’d make him explain.
I got plenty of their hot and cold mood swings when they were just my bandmates. I wouldn’t accept them now that they were my boyfriends.
Houston and Loren had caught up when I was settled on the Sea-Doo with my arms around Jericho’s waist as if nothing had occurred.
“What the hell happened?” Loren shouted at Houston.
Instantly irritated, I pursed my lips. I was a grown woman—their woman—yet when it came to their expectations of each other, they treated me like a child. It was me who wasn’t being careful. Houston wasn’t to blame.
However, I could tell by the rigid look on his face that he disagreed.
Since Houston was staring at me, asking without words if I was okay while ignoring Loren, I refrained from rolling my eyes and nodded. Jericho must have felt my nod because he took off without another word spoken. Houston and Loren followed, but this time, we didn’t race back.
Unfortunately for them, I was still feeling devious.
Standing on the dock now with Rich hovering next to me, I faced Houston and Loren, who were still straddling their jet skis. “I guess this means Jericho and I win.”
“What? How?” Loren challenged with a frown. “We didn’t finish the race.”
“You said the first one back chooses the dare. You didn’t say anything about finishing the race.” Houston and Loren’s response to my loophole was to stare at me with their lips parted. I smiled. “No exceptions, no excuses, right?”
They grumbled what sounded like an agreement, and after returning our Sea-Doos to the rental company, we headed back to the hotel. I wasn’t so sure the jet skis were a good idea since tonight’s show started in a few hours, and I was already bone tired. The guys removed their disguises while I moved onto the private terrace overlooking the North Shore mountains’ jagged edges and rough slopes.
I stood there a few moments, just enjoying the view, when I felt a warm exhale on my nape. The zipper on my wet suit was slowly dragged down, and then strong hands peeled it from my body. The suit pooled around my ankles on the wooden planks of the deck where we stood. I stepped out of them before turning around to face Houston, who had already removed his own wetsuit and now wore cotton shorts that hung off his hips. He wasted no time kissing me deeply once I looked up at him.
“Come with me,” he whispered when he finally let me catch my breath.
Left only in my blue bikini, I followed him through the suite and into the bathroom with an L-shaped view overlooking the harbor.
There I found Jericho dressed only in jeans and sitting on the lip of the bathtub centered in the room as he checked the temperature of the water pouring from the spout. Loren had shed only the top half of his wet suit and stood at the end of the tub, pouring a generous stream of bubble bath into the tub. I knew it had to be the source of the lavender aroma filling the room and not another new emotion I couldn’t name. Watching the tub fill, I felt my muscles ache at the promise of soaking them.
Houston made short work of my two-piece, pulling the string at my neck and the ones at my hips until they both fell from my body and decorated the marble floor.
“Bath’s ready,” Jericho announced when he was satisfied with the temperature of the water.
Houston immediately lifted me off my feet bridal style before carrying me over to the tub. After placing me in the water, I realized just how deep the tub was. I was covered almost to my chin in warm, lavender-scented water.
Houston accepted a bottle from Loren while Rich worked to wet my hair. I didn’t realize their intention until I felt Houston’s fingers in my hair, massaging my scalp with shampoo and making me moan as I tilted my head back.
I hadn’t expected this when I said yes to them.
Any of it.
But I couldn’t say I wasn’t pleased.
Loofah in hand, Loren lifted my left leg and gently began washing me. Rich disappeared from the bathroom for a minute or two, and when he returned, it was with a platter filled with fruit that he began to feed to me from his lounge beside the tub.
It was never far from my lips to ask what brought this on, but for some reason, I never did. I shut up and let them dote on me as if it was always meant to be this way—as if we hadn’t hated each other once upon a time.
Loren moved onto my other leg just as Houston began rinsing the shampoo from my hair and adding conditioner. Together, the trio worked in perfect harmony and comfortable silence. I blushed when I saw how dedicated they were to their tasks.
Or maybe they were hoping I’d forget about the dare or have mercy on them.
Not a chance.
I was yawning uncontrollably by the time my skin was pruned and rubbed raw because the three of them were having too much fun to leave me be.
Houston stood me up, Jericho wrapped me in a towel, and Loren carried me into the bedroom with the biggest bed. Once I was under the covers, I tried to pull him down with me for a quick nap, but he mumbled something about needing to shower. I pouted, causing him to smile and kiss my lips before placing my phone on the nightstand and walking away.
I didn’t even know he had it.
The door made a soft click when it closed behind him, but my eyes were already closed, so I didn’t watch him go. Everything felt good and hurt at the same time as I shuffled my feet and burrowed deeper under the cool, expensive covers with a satisfied sigh.
I’d almost made it too.
It would have been the nap of the century.
But no.
My phone played the specially assigned ringtone, “Dear God” by XTC, and the last person I expected was calling.
