“Wake up, Emma!” Lindsey shook me. God, how many times did this woman need to wake me up during the week?

“Go pester other people, Linds,” I grumbled against my pillow as I tried to shut her giddy tone out of my mind. Sleep…. please come back to me, I pleaded.

“You’re such a grump! I need a favor and you have no choice but to say YES,” Lindsey Mason demanded in her own cute way.

I ducked under my pillow and yelled, my voice muffled, “You want to borrow my car, go ahead. You need to borrow something from my closet, I don’t care. Honestly, do whatever you like as long as you leave me alone so I can sleep!”

“Sorry, doll face, but my favor will take up your entire weekend. We’re going to Lake Tahoe.”

“Lindsey! Look at me!” I sat up with my eyes barely cracked open as I pointed at my sleepy face. “Do I look like I want to go on a road trip? No? Good because I don’t want to go. Lake Tahoe is like an eight-hour drive. Nothing you could say or do would make me change my mind—well, unless it’s a ‘do or die’ situation, then I just might reconsider.” I flopped back on the bed and sighed as I closed my eyes.

Finally! Sleep! I rejoiced, but it was short-lived.

“I’ve been sleeping with Cooper for the last six months, but I accidentally slept with Brody last night. And all of us are all going to Lake Tahoe, as we’ve been planning for, like, the last three months. I need your help like so badly!” she rambled.

Like, she really loved using that word—wait! Cooper Haze and Brody Thompson? Whoa! Talk about double hotness overkill!

“Like, holy shit, Lindsey Mason! What? What!!! Cooper? Cooper is like even worse than your own brother! Does Carter know? He’s going to murder him. And my God! You slept with Brody? What the hell are you going to do now?” My mind ran through a few scenarios, none of them were any good.

“I know! This is something I wasn’t expecting, Em. I mean, Cooper was just a good lay, but lately he’s been wanting to make it official. He’s even willing to talk to Carter about it. I think that happened because Brody spoke to Carter about wanting to date me and Carter gave Brody his seal of approval. Now Cooper is, like, jealous about it.”

What a holy mess.

“Wow—just wow. I knew there was some inner prowess in there, but I wasn’t prepared for Lady Godiva. Wow, I am in a state of shock, babe.” I really was shocked beyond comprehension. Lindsey Mason and Cooper Haze? Hold up. “Hey, weren’t you the one who said Cooper Haze had the ‘triple ew’ factor?” She rolled her eyes and smacked me with a pillow.

“God, Emma! Come on, let’s admit that Cooper is hot. I was a little tipsy and he just looked way too delicious to refuse and from then on, it just kept going, you know?” Uh-huh. Of course it did.

“Are you in love with Cooper?” Lindsey shook her head no. That was a good sign, right? “Okay, who do you like best then?” I asked as she chewed on her nail. I lightly smacked her hand away from her teeth. I hated the sight of chewed up nails; it was a total pet peeve of mine.

“I don’t know. I’ve always had a crush on Brody, you know. I don’t even remember how old I was exactly when I realized that I loved the man. So, I guess I’ve always loved him. I mean, always—to the point where I threw myself naked at him—but he refused me and told me I was a ‘little girl.’ Now that Cooper wants to see where this is all going, Brody wants to date me, but the whole Cece thing kind of kills it for me. It’s really confusing, Em. I don’t know what to do.” Freakin’ Cece!

“I guess I should say, may the best man win! Ooo, how juicy is this? Your life is officially a soap opera.” Lindsey just rolled her eyes at me. If I had to guess, I bet she was feeling like she really was in a soap opera. Two hard-headed males vying for her, pulling her in all sorts of directions. How hot and frustrating would that be to watch? Uh… sort of sounds like your life, too, right? Shit. I forgot for a second. Ha!

“You’re going with me, right?” Lindsey pouted, looking at me all doe eyed, pleading and begging for me to say yes.

Damn. Those eyes were quite convincing.

“Sure, what are friends for?” I mumbled.

A very long weekend with Carter, how taxing could that be on my sanity?

E

“All set, doll?” Amber asked as she took a peek in my room.

“Almost, give me a sec,” I called without looking back to Amber as I folded my clothes and placed them in my small getaway bag.

She threw something and it landed on my bed. “Bass has called, like, twice now. Go pick it up. We’ll be waiting downstairs when you’re ready. Don’t be long though, and oh, tell him I said hi.” Amber winked and left me to get the call.

Picking it up, I spoke, “Hello?”

“All packed and ready?” Bass asked.

I smiled at the sound of his voice. “Yes, you could say that. Are you all packed for Vancouver?” I couldn’t believe he’d be gone for six months. I was saddened knowing I wouldn’t be able to see him for such a long time.

“I’m not leaving until Wednesday, Em. I still have a few days to pack and stuff. Anyway, I just called to say have a safe trip and I will see you before I leave for Vancouver.”

“Great, I’ll see you then. Be safe and have a great weekend.” He would be hitting the Hollywood party circuit, no doubt. Bass got invited everywhere and he’d probably hit it a little hard this weekend before he left for Canada.

“I want to say the same, but I honestly don’t want you to have too much fun with your ex. Just be safe, all right? Do take care, my sweet Emma. Bye.”

“Bye,” I whispered, feeling a little deflated.

I knew it was crazy, I’d known him barely a week, but he seemed to have grown on me. Bass’s approach to life was different and I found it invigorating. He was such a remarkable man.

I grabbed my things and headed out the door. There were about twenty people meeting us in Tahoe. I looked around for Amber, Trista and Cece to ask if I could ride with them so I didn’t have to ride with Carter. They were parked behind Carter’s black Escalade and I could tell that there wouldn’t be any room for me. I guessed I was riding with Carter, Lindsey and her sexy boy toys.

The man himself was in the driver’s seat and the seat next to him was empty. Brody, Lindsey and Cooper sat in the back—all three of them were silent and broody. Ha. I guessed I would be sitting in the front seat then? Sigh.

“Sorry I took so long,” I apologized as I opened the door. Carter immediately got out of the car and took my bag. “Thank you,” I said kindly as he went to the back of the SUV and shoved it in the trunk.

After four hours of a completely silent ride, I knew some serious stuff was brewing in the back. Carter tried to engage Brody or Cooper to talk, but none of them were speaking. After several attempts, Carter cranked the music up to fill the silence. It was better that way, I supposed. He, himself, barely glanced at me.

Still mad, was he? Well, tough.

I could ignore him all the same. Although his nearness was almost killing me, I could pretend that he didn’t bother me one bit.

When my phone vibrated, I was relieved to have something to do. It was a message from Bass. He sent me the picture of us that had been on the cover of the gossip magazines, the one where I’m looking up at him with a huge smile pasted on my face, the one I looked happy in. There was a silly caption underneath it.

Bass: I guess someone is finally ‘star-struck’?

Ha. Sure.

Me: Wishful thinking, aren’t we, Mr. Bass?

Smiling widely, I typed the message. I loved the playful side of Bass.

Bass: Indeed, Ms. Emma. Indeed, I am… can’t get your smile out of my mind. Did you cast a spell on me? For there is no other alternative reason for this raging delirium.

I bit my lip as I tried to conjure a response. Did I cast a spell on him? Ha.

Me: No witchcraft involved. Sorry to disappoint. Indeed, it is all crafty me, the one and very same. Maybe it’s been a while? Suppose you need to get laid or something?

Yeah, I was hella fishing for information, but I couldn’t help it. I was curious.

Bass: Why, Emma? Do you want me to stop?

Stop what? Stop him from having sex? Shit, who had he been sleeping with?

Me: No, Bass. Your life is your own. That’s solely up to you.

I searched for him the other night on Google and there hadn’t been any news of him hooking up with anyone. Who had he been sleeping with? I guessed he could get laid without having it splashed online. I mean, he could easily hook-up with another pretty actress without getting caught.

My phone vibrated.

Out of nowhere, Carter snatched the phone out of my hands and shoved it in his pocket. “Give it back!” I furiously demanded of the man next to me.

“No.” His lips pressed together in a straight line, clearly determined and not budging an inch.

Dickwad!

“Give Emma her phone back, Carter! Stop being such a tool!” Lindsey chimed in. Her brother was unyielding.

“Do you honestly think I’m going to sit here idly while you talk to another guy, Emma? Try to be a little sensitive here. I’m trying to drive, but I can’t help being distracted when you smile stupidly at his messages. I fucking hate it!”

Okay, maybe I was being a little insensitive, but confiscating my phone was going overboard. “I apologize. That was rude of me. Can I have my phone back now?”

“No.” Carter’s eyes were stuck on the road, not even bothering to glance at me.

“What the fuck, Carter!” I yelled at him, but he was unmoving. What the fuck!

FML!

Oh, he was definitely going to face my wrath once we got to his uncle’s cabin in Tahoe. My anger was brewing fiercely. Once we were out of the car, I was going to erupt like Mount St. Helens!