Her BFF's Brother

by Regina Wade

  I get to my feet, helping Brash up as we turn away from the ledge and over the railing.

  “You know,” His dry wit is back, and it’s good to hear. “ I hope this thing with your girl works out mate, ‘cause you need to find another job. You’re a shit bodyguard if I had to talk you off the ledge.”

  I toss an arm over his shoulders.

  “Brash, if we can make this work, mate, I swear to you on my life, my days of guarding anyone but her are over.”

  Chapter 12

  Rori

  You’re on the road, but you’ve got no destination. You’re in the mud, in the haze of her imagination. — Beautiful Day, U2

  “Rori, I can’t believe you not only got to fly on a plane with Brash Knight, but you’re staying at his hotel and you get to see his show!”

  “Beth, honey, relax. It’s not as glamorous as it sounds, trust me.” I flop back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling with my phone on speaker beside me.

  “It’s got to be much more glam than middle-of-nowhere, Nebraska.” Beth sighs loud enough for me to feel it.

  “Well, the view is nicer, I’ll admit. Not as much corn.” I joke, staring out into the deep blue of the ocean. It really is beautiful, but that beauty doesn’t entice me. I don’t know that I’ll ever be enticed again. Everything seems duller now, like the color saturation on the world’s been turned down.

  Guilt prompted me to call Beth. I thought maybe if I touched base it might myself why I had to stop tonguing the sore spot that was Reed Baker.

  “At least you’re not alone. Having a familiar face around must make it nice, right?”

  I smile as I think of Reed’s breathtakingly handsome face. Jawline so sharp I could use it to shave my legs.

  “Yeah. It’s good.” I reply, luxuriating in a stretch.

  Reed’s face brushing up against my legs, his stubble dragging across them as he slides his face along my thighs —

  “I’m sorry, what did you say?” I ask as I realize Beth had asked another question that I hadn’t heard.

  “I asked if Reed was treating you right.”

  His hands on my ass, teeth in my neck, body pinning mine beneath it. I’ve never felt more alive, more right.

  “Uh, yeah. I mean, he’s busy. Brash —”

  “Ooh, juicy celebrity gossip. Spill, girl! If I can’t be there in person, then at least let me live vicariously through you.”

  “Oh trust me, honey, you don’t want to do that,” I say with a chuckle.

  Just like you don’t want to hear about me wanting to get on my knees and tongue-bathe your brother.

  Best friends are supposed to be the people we turn to when we’re having guy problems, but who do you go to when your guy problem is that he’s your best friend’s brother?

  “Please, Ro. I’d so rather be there than here. Anyplace with you is better than being stuck at home.”

  I bolt upright on the bed, fueled by the spark of an idea at her words.

  “Beth, honey, have I ever told you that you’re a genius?”

  I can hear Beth’s grin across continents.

  “Of course. I’m the smart one. But do go on.”

  “Well, it’s pretty simple actually. One of the perks of my job is that I’ve got a lot of frequent flyer miles. It’s a long trip, but what do you say? Want to join me in paradise?”

  “Oh my god, Rori. No way. No freaking way. Of course! I’ll be there as soon as I can. When does the next flight leave? What should I pack?”

  Beth dissolves into a human questionnaire, making me smile. She’s always been smart and capable. Dependable. But last-minute was never her specialty. It was mine.

  Mine and Reed’s.

  “Take a deep breath. I’ll get everything squared away. Just get your ass to Eppley. But before you go, I need you to pack one thing in particular. It’ll be easy, I left it at your house…”

  My heart leaps into my throat. This plan is definitely mine. Last-minute, edge-of-my-seat planning. Making it up as I go along. It’s likely to end in disaster, but at least I will have shot my shot.

  Chapter 13

  Reed

  Highway to the danger zone. I’ll take you ridin’ into the danger zone — Kenny Loggins, ‘Danger Zone’

  No matter where I look, I can’t find Rori.

  Not that I’m looking for her. But in the few days we’ve been sharing the hotel, I’ve gotten used to seeing her everywhere again. Like old times, Rori has become a part of my life. Omnipresent. Only now she’s vanished again, and this time my heart knows exactly why it feels like it’s been ripped out of my chest.

  Stupid. A stupid reaction to a stupid, juvenile obsession.

  Still, when I don’t see her at dinner, don’t hear from her, don’t even so much as get a whiff of her scent, I can’t resist reaching out.

  Scaredy Cat.

  It’s an incredibly infantile taunt to match my feelings. Something about being around Rori brings back all of my teenage bravado, strips away all sense of maturity— as evidenced by the love bite still blossoming ripe and dark at the juncture on her shoulder.

  I don’t even have to wait ten seconds for a response. That alone makes my heart leap in my chest.

  Bark. Bark.

  My hand tenses around my phone, squeezing it until I feel it creak beneath my grip. I briefly contemplate throwing it at the wall, shattering it into a billion tiny pieces. It wouldn’t be a win, but it would be satisfying, and I could use some satisfaction right now.

  Instead, I take a deep breath and fire off a response.

  Big words for someone who was hiding all day.

  Again, there’s no lag in her response. No pause. I can picture her clearly, sitting in bed, her fingers flying over her phone, her gorgeous eyes intensely locked onto the screen.

  Big bad wolves are supposed to be better hunters.

  I start and stop half a dozen different responses, but all of them fall flat. Finally, I decide to just retreat from the entire conversation.

  Be at the concert tomorrow.

  I put all my faith in Brash’s plan.

  I have to. I’m no good at coming up with extravagant, elaborate schemes. That was always Beth’s forte. Hopefully, my deviously talented new pal knows what he’s doing. Because I don’t know that I can stop myself from stalking over to her room and simply claiming her body for much longer.

  The next day dawns bright and clear. For the first time since landing, I didn’t toss and turn every second of the night. Something about having a rock-solid foundation for the next twenty-four hours has calmed me, refocused me.

  Rori is absent again from breakfast and lunch. I look around the dining room for her at every walk-through of the hotel grounds. She’s nowhere to be seen, though I do get several pointed glares from a dark-haired waitress with brown eyes and deep dimples.

  More than once, I contemplate seeking her out for even five minutes, but I don’t. There’s too much to do— and not just when it comes to setting Brash’s plan in motion.

  Tonight’s the big concert. Brash’s first South American performance, and the Patty Cakes tour kickoff. While the security for the entire event is thankfully not my job, keeping an eye on anyone who gets too close to the star himself is.

  Fortunately, Brash is totally focused on our shenanigans; to the exclusion of everything else.

  “Brash, don’t take this the wrong way, but don’t you need to rehearse or something?” I ask after another hour of carefully discussing every possible detail and scenario of how tonight might go down.

  Brash gives me a long, measuring look before he breaks down into a fit of laughter so hard tears form at the corners of his eyes.

  “Oh, mate. Rehearse? For this? Please. I could do a show like this in my sleep. I did, in fact, once upon a time. Liverpool? Bristol?” he waves a hand dismissively. “Doesn’t matter. I was hopped up on so much Ambien that I did a gig completely zonked out. There's a video of it, but I don’t remember a thing.”

  “N
ow come on. We’ve got work to do,” Brash waves me along.

  Part of me is certain that this won’t work. That Rori’s distance will extend to the show and this’ll be just another, final, bit of wrong place and wrong time between us.

  But what else can I do, but put all of my hope and faith in the power of love?

  The show starts right on time, something of an oddity for a big star like Brash. He’s clearly firing on all cylinders, his mood having flipped from depressed to joyous in a flash.

  I’ve got to admit, he was right. He is good enough, talented enough that he didn’t need a second’s worth of practice. From the first note, his voice carries across the outdoor amphitheater. He’s in his element, more connected and tuned-in than I’ve seen him in a while.

  I scan the crowd, looking for both crazy fans and the love of my life. Neither appears to be in the offering, just a horde of women screaming out their love and adoration for my boss-turned-friend.

  The show is three hours of utter madness as Brash swings from slow and sultry to fast-paced and frenetic. His hands never falter once on his guitar, and his presence on the stage is massive. It’s not hard to see why he’s the phenomenon he is. Even with everything I have riding on tonight, it’s hard not to get a little caught up in the frenetic energy.

  Then, suddenly, it’s time. I give the crowd one last look, hoping and praying to see a certain set of hazel eyes in the throng of faces —

  “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve got a very special treat for you tonight. As you all know, I’m a big believer in the power of love.”

  There are cheers and a few whistles from the crowd.

  “Now, everyone give us a bit of your patience, alright? This next bit might be a bit hard, so bear with us. Everyone, this is one of my very best mates, Reed. Reed, come on out buddy.”

  No matter how many times we went over it, how many different ways we practiced and all the advice Brash gave me, It takes a lot more than I thought it would to step out onto that stage.

  I’m used to being next to the spotlight, not in it.

  There are a few whistles and catcalls from the women near the front of the stage. I realize that this is what Brash goes through every time he performs, and suddenly so much about him makes sense.

  “Reed, give everyone a wave.” Brash swings a casual arm around my shoulder as I join him in front of the massive crowd. I’m not sure if it’s meant to be reassuring or keep me from sprinting for the exit. “Good, now. Reed here has a bit of a sad story. I’ll be honest, I tried to put it to music but it was just a bit too sad. I need a happy ending to my love stories, you ladies know that.” A deafening roar rises up through the crowd at that. It takes Brash raising his hand to quiet them down again.

  “But we’re hoping to change that tonight. Reed?”

  The lights on the stage die, except for one single circle illuminating the main microphone sitting on top of its stand. Looking at it, I feel a surge of fear stronger than anything I ever faced in combat.

  Back there, all I could have lost was my life. Here, I’m risking my heart.

  But Rori is worth any risk.

  Brash steps away from the microphone, and I step up.

  Chapter 14

  Rori

  So kiss me and smile for me. Tell me that you’ll wait for me. — John Denver, — Leaving on a Jet Plane’

  I stare at Reed from twenty feet away, absolutely paralyzed by fear.

  “Oh my god, what is he doing? Can you see?” Beth whispers against my ear.

  I’d been planning to surprise him with his sister after the show. Use her as a buffer to remove any last-minute temptations for the both of us. But nothing could have prepared me for this. This is more than any fantasy, bigger than any dream I could have stitched together in my overactive teenage imagination.

  “Rori, if you’re out there. I want you to know that I’ve always loved you. You’ve always been it for me. I know you feel the same way, too. I see it in the way you look at me. The way you feel against me. I feel it in your kiss.”

  The roar dies down, the crowd around us growing deathly quiet. I don’t dare look at my best friend beside me. I wouldn’t know what to say to her right now anyway. Reed has my full attention, and I couldn’t look away from him even if I wanted to. I don’t. I don’t ever want to look at anything else ever again. My heartbeat is deafening in my own ears, drumming away with the intensity of a jet engine.

  “I should have told you years ago. I shouldn’t have left, I shouldn’t have let you run. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, and I’m sure I’ll make more, but—”

  For the first time in all the years I’ve known him, Reed falters. He stops, his eyes scanning the dark blob of the crowd in front of him.

  There’s a flash an instant later before I’m bathed in a pool of light so pale it looks white. It’s coming from above, a bright white spotlight being maneuvered by some part of Brash’s crew.

  “Holy shit, Ro look!” Beth tugs my arm, hard. I blink up, still mesmerized by brilliant white light and the words I just heard spilling out of Reed’s mouth. On a giant screen above the amphitheater, my face materializes. Beth’s wide-eyed confusion is apparent at my side.

  Reed’s deep voice resumes, more sure now that he can see me, knows that he isn’t talking to a vast crowd of strangers, apparently.

  “But I want to make them by your side. I love you, Rori Stewart. I don’t care who knows it.”

  A tattooed forearm appears at my side just then. I recognize the velvet black hair and the grey eyes below from the flight earlier in the week. All around us, the crowds of women erupt back into throws of uproarious ecstasy. The screams are almost enough to blot out everything but my own hammering pulse. I can still hear Brash as he leans in close, though.

  “What do you say, Rori? You want to put my poor bodyguard out of his misery?”

  “Yes! No—” Brash’s blue-black eyebrows nearly disappear into his shaggy black hair at my response. But there’s one thing I have to do first. Fighting the lump of emotion in my throat, I whirl around, looking right at Beth.

  Her own blue eyes— so much like Reed’s, but all her own, somehow— are waiting for me with all the patience in the world.

  “Beth. I— I need to know this is ok. I love your brother, but I won’t ever do anything to come between you and—”

  “Are you out of your damned mind?!” Bethany drags her hand through her hair in exasperation. It’s a perfect mimic of her big brother when he’s frustrated with me, and I have to bite down on my lip, hard, to keep from telling her exactly that.

  “Rori, listen to me. You and Reed are perfect for each other. Of course it’s ok. Why else do you think I’ve been trying to hook you two up forever?”

  “Wait, what?” It’s my turn to gawk. “What do you mean?”

  “For the two smartest people I know, you guys sure can be dumb sometimes.” Beth taps the center of my forehead with the tip of her finger. “Why else do you think I always dragged Reed along with us whenever you were there? Insisted on us staying home every weekend he was home on leave? Do you even remember who suggested my big brother take you to prom in the first place?”

  I blink at her, my thoughts misfiring over six years of heartache and jumbled confusion. Slowly, I look down at the dress I asked Beth to throw into her suitcase.

  Pale blue, tea length, and spaghetti-strap, I thought wearing it tonight would be one final fuck you. The one thing— the only thing— I could do to prove it to myself. I thought if I could wear this dress tonight, I might finally get over Reed Baker once and for all.

  Instead, my unworn prom dress has become so much more.

  A new beginning, a fresh start. Everything I’ve ever wanted, waiting for me in the brilliant wash of a spotlight.

  I throw my arms around Beth, pulling my best friend in for a quick, tight hug before turning back towards the stage, where her brother is waiting. No, not just my best friend’s big brother. My man. My future.

  “
You ready, love?” Brash’s rough-hewn voice is filled with genuine emotion as he leads me up the massive set of stairs towards the stage where Reed stands, waiting.

  “You know, you guys might find this hard to believe.” Reed’s voice fills the space of the concert hall around us as I walk up the last few steps. I feel every inch the fairy tale princess. “But six years ago I actually turned down the opportunity to take this woman to the prom.”

  My heart slams against the walls of my chest as I will myself not to cry in front of thousands of people.

  “I think it’s past time I take her home and make her my prom queen.”

  The roar of the crowd fades away as I crest the stairs and Reed bends down to scoop me right off my feet.

  Chapter 15

  Reed

  Leaving home, out on the road. I’ve been down before. Riding along in this big old jet plane. — Steve Miller Band, ‘Jet Airliner’

  Rori crashes into me with enough force to slam the door open when my back hits it. She sends us spinning into the room, barely staying upright. Despite it all, we don’t break our kiss for a second.

  The rollercoaster of emotions has finally stopped, and now all that’s left is the warmth of happiness and the slight nervousness of wondering if this is all a dream.

  Rori’s teeth sink into my ear, and the slight flash of pain dissipates any chance that this isn’t real.

  “God, I need you so much.” I groan, sliding my hands up her sides to cup her breasts through the fabric of her dress.