I couldn’t believe he was really here and that he had flown all this way to surprise me. I almost wanted to pinch myself to be sure this was actually happening. When we arrived back at the apartment, I opened the door and saw a flurry of movement out of the corner of my eye, just on the other side of the sofa. I turned to Sebastian and tried my best to hold back a giggle.

“I think someone’s with Jade,” I whispered into his ear.

“I think that might be Dek,” he whispered back, a little louder, causing both Jade and Dek to pop their heads over the back of the sofa.

“Hi,” she squeaked.

“Hey, kids,” Sebastian teased. “I leave you alone for a few minutes, and this is what you do?” he admonished them playfully, tisk-tisking them with a click of his tongue. “Kids.” He looked at me, throwing his hands up in the air. “What can you do?”

“Give them some privacy,” Dek muttered, causing Sebastian to cuff him on the back of the head.

“I thought I told you to be on your best behavior,” he hissed.

“Who says I want him to be on his best behavior?” Jade quipped, making my jaw fall open. That was so out of character for her. I knew she had a mad crush on Dek, and I didn’t want to interfere with her happiness, so instead I gave a look that said ‘be careful’ and then tugged on Sebastian’s arm, encouraging him to follow me into my room.

“Come on, we’ve got some catching up of our own to do.”

“Oh, yeah, we definitely do. Lead the way, sweetheart,” he said, grinning devilishly.

We were lying side by side on the bed, our fingers intertwined, and Sebastian wouldn’t stop touching me. Not that I wanted him to, but it was almost as if he couldn’t touch me enough. He used his free hand to gently stroke up and down my forearm, drawing random figure-eight patterns and making me giggle as it tickled in the best way possible.

“I still can’t believe you’re really lying here on my bed. It feels like a dream, you know? I mean, I’ve dreamed about this for the last three months, but I never really knew if it would ever happen.” I sighed into his chest.

“You’ve been dreaming about me?” he asked, pulling slightly away from me and cocking his head.

“Well, yeah, just about every night.” I blushed, burying my face in the softness of his shirt. He chuckled softly, his breath warming my skin.

“I’ve waited a long time to see you blushing.” He kissed the top of my head as his hand now brushed long strokes up and down my back. “For the record, I’ve dreamed about this moment every night since I left you at the airport.”

“That was a hard day,” I admitted.

“One of the hardest of my life. I was afraid it would be the last time I saw you.”

I was floored by his honesty, not to mention flattered. I knew we had shared a special bond while spending that week together, and since I returned home, we have kept in constant contact, sharing heartfelt gifts and words of love; but hearing him tell me he was worried that we may not see one another face-to-face was something altogether different. It was hard to explain actually. I mean, if you think about it, I was just a young woman who spent most of her days in a hot kitchen with a bunch of sweaty men who banter back and forth endlessly. I was happy with myself and my life, but I didn’t feel particularly special. Then there was Sebastian, a young, attractive rock star who could probably have most any woman he wanted. He spent most days in a house that could hold at least ten of my apartments, or in a recording studio writing killer lyrics that would eventually make him more millions. He was amazingly talented, sweet, and incredibly sincere; and in my eyes special is just not grand enough of a word to describe him. We were, by all accounts, worlds apart, yet here he was, lying next to me, kissing me and telling me how much he loved me.

“Sebastian, please tell me you’ll stay with me tonight,” I whispered. “Now that you’re here and I can finally touch you again, I don’t want to let you go.” Today had been hard, in more ways than one. Having him here somehow made it all better, and I wasn’t ready to let go.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” he replied hoarsely, covering my mouth with his, reminding me once again what I had been missing these past three months.

* * *

SEBASTIAN

Waking up next to Brooke was probably the best thing I’d ever known, seeing her lying there on her side, her hair splayed around her sleeping face, her soft body pressed tightly against mine. It put me at complete peace. I didn’t think I moved all night, afraid of disturbing her and missing out on holding her all night. The chemistry between us was undeniable; just a touch of her hand made my heart rate increase. Mom had always told me that when I met the one for me I would know, without a doubt. Lying here, next to this beautiful woman I loved with everything I was, she had been right; I did know. I kissed Brooke tenderly, not wanting to wake her, and whispered another promise in her ear.

“One day, I’m going to make you my wife so I can spend the rest of my life waking up to you like this.”

I held her a little while longer before quietly slipping away and heading into the kitchen. I smelled coffee, so I am assumed Jade must be up already. As I rounded the corner, I heard her talking and realized Dek must also be awake.

“Good morning, sleepyhead. Where’s the little missus?” he snickered behind his coffee cup.

“Keep laughing, smartass,” I sneered at him. “For your information, the missus is still sleeping; she had a hard day yesterday.”

“Not to mention, the shock of her life last night,” Jade chimed in. “By the way, where did you end up finding her? Did you get to see the restaurant?”

“No, I found her sitting on a bench on Main Street.” I gave her a knowing look, and her eyes immediately reflected realization.

“Oh crap, it totally slipped my mind yesterday. Damn, I knew that something wasn’t right with her when she left for work. Did she talk to you at all about it?” she asked, concern filling her voice.

“Yeah, she opened up a little more to me last night. It was important to her to be there, to honor his memory like that. You know, living with survivor’s guilt is incredibly difficult. Unless you’ve been through it yourself, you have no idea. I just sat there with her and held her, let her take all the time she needed.” I shrugged.

“So, let me get this straight,” Dek started, “Brooke lost someone she loved in an accident too?” He looked at Jade and me, confusion clouding his handsome face.

“Yeah, four years ago the man she loved was killed in a car crash on Main Street. He was on his way to pick her up from work. That very same night she was planning to accept his marriage proposal,” Jade explained quietly.

“Whoa, you two are eerily connected. And you knew all of this, Sebastian?”

“Yes, Dek, she told me about it when she was staying with me, which was just another reason for me to love her. The way she handled her grief and how she allowed the pain to make her work harder and be a better person. She is an incredibly strong woman. Just being with her makes me want to strive to be a better person,” I replied, each spoken word dripping with pride.

“You make me sound like a saint, Sebastian. Surely, you must have found some faults in me by now,” Brooke teased as she came into the room with her face freshly washed and her hair piled loosely atop her head. She bent down to give me a quick kiss, and I took that moment to inhale her scent deeply. I had almost forgotten how pretty she was first thing in the morning. When she stayed with me, we would wake up each morning and have coffee together on the patio. I haven’t been back out there since, knowing it wouldn’t be the same if she weren’t there with me.

“Only a few, but nothing out of the ordinary.” I grunted as she plopped onto my lap, nearly causing me to spill my coffee.

“Ooh, now you have to tell me what faults I have. Come on, spill it, Miles.” She poked me playfully in the ribs.

“Well, if you must know, you eat all the crispy fries off my plate when we go out to eat, you listen to Taylor Swift,”—I scrunched my face up at her—“and you steal all of the blankets when we are sleeping.” She rubbed her nose over mine and slipped her hands under my T-shirt, working them over my lower back, causing a low groan working its way from my throat.

“Is that all? Surely, there’s got to be more than that.” She laughed deeply, hands still working their magic over my skin, and I shook my head again.

“Nope, but there are other things you do, good things. You take off all of your pepperoni and give it to me when we order pizza, you like it when I carry you around—”

“Yes, and you like that too,” she interrupted.

“Hell, yes, I do. Anyway, as I was saying, you like it when I carry you, and I like it too.” I raised my eyebrows. “Your lips taste like strawberries, and you let me kiss you anytime I feel like it,”—I inched forward and gave her a sloppy, wet kiss just to prove my point—“and you let me fall asleep holding you in my arms.”

“Sounds to me like you’re one lucky S.O.B.,” Dek quipped smartly, hitting the nail on the proverbial head.

“You know it.”

“Good grief, you do realize I have to live with her after you leave. Stop blowing up her ego,” Jade complained playfully, rolling her eyes and laughing, clearly not jealous of her best friend’s happiness.

“Jade, sweetie, I promise I’ll only wear my crown when you’re not at home,” Brooke replied tartly, making all of us crack up. “So, what are your plans while you’re here? How long are you staying?”

“Well, we have to fly out Sunday evening in order to get back for an early rehearsal on Monday. I suppose we should find a hotel for tonight. We don’t want to put you out again,” I replied.

“No!” Jade shouted, probably a little louder than intended. “I just mean, we have room here. Dek slept in our empty guest room, and you’re probably settled into Brooke’s space. Just stay here again.” Her eyes pleaded with me to go along with her, and I couldn’t help but smile. The truth was, I wanted to stay, but I didn’t want to be presumptuous. Last night had been different. There were extenuating circumstances involved. I looked over at Dek, who nodded inconspicuously in agreement, and watched as his eyes danced over Jade’s face, clearly showing he was very attracted to her. Then I turned to Brooke, not wanting to make a decision until I heard from her if she was on board with us staying another night.

“I agree. There’s no point in you leaving. We have plenty of room. Besides, I just got used to waking up next to you. I’d kind of like to do it again tomorrow.” She blinked a few times and smiled coyly.

“Then I guess it’s settled. We’ll stay here, but I’m taking you all out to dinner tonight and then we can go somewhere fun afterward.”

* * *

“Bowling?” Dek’s mouth gaped open as we walked into the bowling alley. “Bowling is your idea of fun?”

“Um, yeah, duh.” Jade smirked. “Have you ever been bowling?”

“Yeah, I’ve been, like once, and I don’t recall there being anything fun about it,” he complained as they attempted to find the perfect bowling ball.

“Then you obviously weren’t experiencing it with the right type of people,” Brooke purred. “Jade and I always have a blast when we go bowling.”

“I know I can’t wait,” I growled, slipping my arms loosely around her small waist, eliciting a girlish giggle from her freshly painted glossy lips.

“Stop it,” she groaned, “we have to put our game faces on. What do you say, girls versus guys, winner take all?”

“I don’t know. What do the winners get?” I nipped at her ear.

“Hmmm, let me see…” She tapped the tip of her index finger against her shiny lips, and my eyes were immediately drawn to the innocent gesture. How my body responded was an altogether different gesture.

“How about the winners pick out the movie we watch before we go to bed tonight?” Jade offered sweetly, a devilish smile spreading over her face.

“Dude, if they’re any good we’re in trouble. I’ve seen their movie selection; it’s chick-flick torture.” Dek’s palm went to his forehead.

“You’re on, but if we win, and we will, we’re stopping someplace and picking up an entirely different kind of movie, one where things get blown up or people are chased by a psycho killer,” I replied confidently.

“Game on, sucker,” Brooke retorted, winking at me before bending down to pick up a pink bowling ball. “You are so going to lose this bet.”

* * *

“Dude, I think you’re supposed to aim for the pin in front, not the one on the end.” Dek shook his head as my ball took out the pin closest to the gutter. “We can’t lose to a couple of girls.”

“Cut me some slack. I’ve only done this one other time,” I mumbled, picking up the ball and lining up my stance. I looked down at the floor, mentally noting which arrow I used before to line up, and then side-stepping over two more, mimicking the same stance Brooke had been using to throw a strike each time. This time, when the ball releases from my fingers, I felt it. This would be the one. I watched as the ball connected just to the right of the head pin before they all fell like dominoes. I turned, bowing, celebrating my minor victory, before Dek’s sarcasm stole my thunder.

“Nice, too bad you couldn’t have done that eight frames ago.”

“I’m still proud of you, baby,” Brooke gushed as I plopped down next to her, giving her a kiss.

“Hey, no fraternizing with the enemy,” Dek teased, but I waved him off and kissed her some more. Maybe my kisses would make her head dizzy with desire and she wouldn’t be able to pull off this last frame as expertly as the other nine had been. She stood to line up her stance, sashaying forward and jutting her rear end out at the last minute, causing my breath to do a sharp intake, and I watched helplessly as the ball proceeded to knock down all but two of the pins. My strategy had failed big time. She moved to throw another ball, and this time I was shocked as it slid quickly into the gutter.

“Oh well,” she shrugged. “They can’t all be perfect.” Then she came over and sat on my lap, straddling my seat.

“Uh, babe, I need to concentrate. I’m trying to win a bet here,” I groaned, feebly twisting my head to avoid her kisses and making her laugh in the process.

“Give it up, sweetheart. The game’s over and you lost, badly. Now shut up and kiss me.” Her mouth pressed firmly against mine, and we opened to the kiss, instantly getting lost in the moment. I felt her soft tongue moving against mine, fighting for dominance, both of us winning. My arms locked tightly behind her back, drawing her in, loving the intimacy of being pressed this closely to her.

“Get a room!” Someone a few lanes over yelled, and we pulled apart, slightly embarrassed.

“Yeah, get a room,” she teased in my ear before we stood up and made our way out the door.

We ended up on the sofas in their living room, each couple cuddled together, watching a romantic comedy about a young woman returning to her childhood love interest in Alabama. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I was lying on my back with Brooke nestled against the back of the sofa, in the crook of my arm, her head on my shoulder, and thanks to the blanket draped over us, no one could see my hands roaming beneath her clothes. This girl made my head spin and my heart race, but I couldn’t get enough of her.

I glanced over in Dek and Jade’s direction, only to find they were snuggled together and watching the movie intently, still in the early stages of getting to know one another. Brooke pulled down on the collar of my shirt and placed a kiss on my clavicle; then her hands began to trail their way down my chest.

I slipped my hand inside her leggings and savored the sound of her quiet moans as I traced the tip of my index finger over a soaked spot on her panties.

“Does that feel good?” I growled low in her ear. She nodded as her lust-filled gaze locked with mine and held it while I pulled the lace aside and eased two fingers deep inside as my thumb connected with her most sensitive spot. Several strokes later and she was quietly bucking against my hand, seeking release. When the orgasm hit I covered her mouth with mine and swallowed her pleasured screams. The kiss continued long after the trembling subsided and then her hand smoothed down my stomach in teasing circles.

“What do you say we call it a night?” I asked when her hand reached the waist of my pants. This was exactly where we’d gotten into trouble before. I wanted her but I could still sense she wasn’t ready to fully give herself to me in that way.

“Okay.” She moved her hand away. I rose, reaching down to pull her up before leading her toward the bedroom. She hesitated a moment before stepping through the door.

“Relax, Brooke, we won’t do anything you’re not ready for. I only wanted to be alone with you. Besides, this gives those two a chance to be alone too. We can just stay here and talk.”