Blaze & Bind (Surrender to Them 10)

I grabbed a quick lunch, ate it on the way back to the apartment, and was surprised to find out that Liam hadn’t made it back—and that Rachel was still there. The beautiful brunette’s demeanor was still a mystery to me. I couldn’t imagine how I would feel if our roles were reversed—if she was the one that never called me after our night together. I would have been furious. I wouldn’t have been cordial. I wouldn’t have been nice—even if it had been two years since our passion burned up the sheets. An apology sure as fuck wouldn’t have fixed anything, no matter how sincere it was. The problem was—the real truth? Rachel was the one that got away, and it was all my fault. I was the fool—the one who chased after fantasy instead of the incredible reality I could have had. I regretted it—and Rachel was my biggest regret. Maybe those were the words I should have said instead of a hollow apology.

Two years ago

Rachel was on my thoughts the second that she left my apartment following our incredible night together. I took her virginity—claimed her innocence—and that was a moment I would never forget. I even made her breakfast before she left, and I never did that for any of the girls I took to bed. Rachel was different though. She was special. She was the kind of girl I could see myself settling down with—having a future that included a white picket fence and a few children. That was a ways off. She had school, career aspirations—she didn’t seem like the type to rush headfirst into becoming barefoot and pregnant. That drive was part of why I liked her so much though, even if we were just getting started on what seemed to be a promising relationship. I stared at my phone and considered texting her, but I was interrupted by the sound of my front door opening, and then Liam came stumbling into the apartment.

“Is your date gone?” He swayed as he stood in place and looked around.

“Yeah, she left a few minutes ago. You just missed her.” I nodded quickly.

Which is a damn good thing, because I definitely don’t want him to find out the woman who shared my bed was Billy’s little sister.

“Good shit.” Liam chuckled. “I need a drink.”

“You look like you have had a lot of those.” I raised my eyebrows as he walked towards the kitchen.

“Yeah man, but if I’m still drinking—it’s technically not too early to start, right?” He grabbed a beer from the fridge and walked back into the living room.

“I suppose that’s some form of logic.” I shrugged and sat down as he crashed into the couch in a stumble-fall.

“Man, you’ll never believe who I ran into last night.” He sipped his beer and grinned. “Billy Lawson!”

“What?” I felt a surge of concern shoot through my veins.

“I know, man. Crazy right? He showed up at the bar and had money to spend. I guess he’s doing well.” Liam sipped his beer again. “The ladies certainly didn’t mind him buying drinks for them all night long—we took two of them back to his place. You should have been there man; it was awesome.”

“Shit…” I blinked in surprise.

I haven’t really talked to Billy since high school, and he pops back up the same night I have his sister spread eagle? That’s not good.

“Yeah, I invited him to come back here with me this morning, so we could keep the party going after we drank everything at his place, but he passed out.” Liam shrugged. “Oh well. I got his number, so maybe we can all meet up tonight.”

“I—yeah, I guess that would be okay.” I hid my concern the best that I could.

“Awesome, we can smash some pussy like we used to—maybe ask your new girl to come out with us if you don’t want some random chick tonight.” Liam chuckled and nodded.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” I shook my head back and forth. “I may not even see her again.”

“Ah, well that’s cool too. We can definitely get some girls if Billy is going to keep blowing cash like he was last night—that shit might as well have been an aphrodisiac.” Liam lifted his beer to his lips. “I remember when I had that kind of money to burn. Too bad the credit card companies won’t raise my limit.”

“Probably a good thing.” I tilted my head to the side. “You’re barely paying your half of the rent as it is.”

“Yeah, but you only live once, right?” Liam stretched out on the couch. “Fuck, I’m tired. It’s hitting me all at once.”

“At least go to the bedroom—fuck.” I watched as Liam’s eyes closed before he heard what I said.

The conversation with Liam put things in perspective immediately. It shattered the fantasy I had built up in my head. I wasn’t going to be able to date Billy’s sister—especially if he was going to be hanging out with us again. Even having Liam find out could be a mistake, because he might let it slip. I wasn’t scared of Billy or anything—it was more of a mutual respect for our friendship. I might not have seen him much since high school, but he was still one of my best friends. I let my lust get the better of me, but I couldn’t do it again. I just had to end things and accept that it was a mistake. I didn’t regret what we shared, but Billy would see what I did as an act of betrayal, and we promised always to be loyal to each other—no matter what. I held up my end of that bargain with Liam by helping him get into the Fire Academy, and once I saw how bad his finances were, I convinced him that we should be roommates to save money.

Now I’ve got to honor that promise by letting Billy’s sister go—even if I do really like her.

Present day

“Gerard, are you home?” The front door opened, and I heard Liam’s voice.

“Yeah man, where the fuck did you go? We said we were going to meet back here around noon.” I raised an eyebrow as he walked into the living room.

“Sorry, I met up with some guys that I used to hang out with when I was paying bar prices for my drinks.” He sat down across from me. “Then I—paid bar prices for my drinks.”

“You’re drunk? Really?” I shook my head back and forth.