Lilac

“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.Canceling a show mere hours before the start without demanding a reason why was a pretty accurate measure of how far I’d fallen.

We were currently back on the private jet and headed to some town I’d never heard of called Faithful. I watched Braxton’s knee bounce rapidly before giving Loren and Rich the same quizzical look we’d been sharing since she told us she had to return to California.

We tried to get answers, but she hadn’t been willing to give them. Our only option had been to watch her grab her shit, leaving us no choice but to grab ours the moment she darted out the door without an explanation.

We could have made her stay and talk, but that anxious look in her eyes only turned mine up a few thousand notches. I’ve never been very empathetic, but how else could I explain leaving Xavier behind to manage the chaos and barking orders at Dani to arrange a last-minute flight?

I didn’t bother to think about the phone call we’d be getting when it got back to the label that we’d missed a show. I didn’t care. The refunded tickets would come out of our meager cut, though it wouldn’t be enough for slimy, fucking Carl Cole.

I sat back as we continued to make our way south and wondered how I got here. Seven, hell, three months ago, I would have never let Braxton pull the shit she did today.

I was addicted to controlling everything around me.

More so than her claim to be a sex addict.

Braxton hadn’t torn apart her own life and her friends as well just to feed it.

At this very moment, she wasn’t contemplating ruining a relationship still in its honeymoon stage, one that could eclipse all others, by ordering the plane around and heading back to Vancouver.

I was.

Feeling someone’s gaze, I looked away from the window I was staring through and found Loren watching me. The look in his raven eyes as he sat across from me was intense yet worried. Elbows braced on his strong thighs and hands clasped together at the set line of his mouth, he subtly shook his head.

He’d read my mind and was telling me it wasn’t worth it.