#bragnae bennett

Part 11: The Talk

“Hold that thought, Bragnae,” Drake said as he moved to sit up. “I’m gonna grab some water first. You want some?”

She sat up too, reaching for a blanket to cover up with. Her mouth felt dry from all the pleasured gasps he gave her, so water sounded great. “Yes, thank you.” As Drake made it to the door, he bent down to pick up his discarded jeans throwing them on before leaving the room.

Knowing she was about to deliver a blow to their pleasant afternoon, Bragnae didn’t want to do it wearing nothing but a blanket. She’d be vulnerable enough telling him about Leo, and she didn’t want to make it worse. After collecting her clothes, she got dressed save for putting her shoes back on.

Drake came back into the room holding out a water bottle for her to take. As she wrapped her fingers around the cool plastic, his grip remained. He smirked as he pulled her to him for a kiss. “I don’t know why you got dressed. I’m just going to have to take it off you again.”

She giggled awkwardly trying to come up with a believable excuse. “You’re not exactly naked anymore either, which is a damn shame.”

“Yeah, well, I did that for Leo’s sake just in case he was home. We try to keep each other’s dicks out of sight when we can,” he told her as he plopped down on the bed. He leaned back on his elbows taking a swig from the bottle. Drake was absolutely stunning laying back on the bed with just jeans and a bare chest. He could be a model with those muscles and the denim provocatively hanging off his hips.

Bragnae brought her mind back into focus and away from Drake’s abs. She sat down on the bed, keeping her body more rigid than comfortable. It would have been easier and much nicer to just enjoy this moment with Drake instead of ruining it with what she had to say. Feeling parched, now more so from being nervous, she took a drink from the water bottle.

“So, what do you want to talk about?” He reached over and stroked her knee with a tranquil expression on his face.

Clearing her throat, she looked at him, mentally capturing his face this way – happy, calm, devastatingly handsome, and with the utmost affection in his eyes all aimed at her. “I need to tell you something, and it might be hard to hear.”

Instantly, his expression shifted to a cautious curiosity. “What is it?”

Taking a deep breath, she began. “The day after you and I got together to watch the movie – the night I basically kicked you out of my apartment, I hung out with Leo. We met up so he could teach me some self-defense, and then he asked me to go out with him to the club later that night.” As she paused, Drake sat up to be more level with her eyes as she spoke. His brow had furrowed as he listened intently.

“I agreed, so he took me there. We danced and had a good time. And we,” she hesitated again, knowing this next part would disrupt everything they had become. “We had sex.”

“What?” Anger and confusion spread over his face like wild fire. “I thought you told me he wasn’t trying to pursue you. Why did you lie to me?”

“I didn’t lie,” she said calmly. “At the time, he wasn’t.” She didn’t want to leave him confused, so she kept going. “As soon as we were finished, Leo became this different person. He ignored me and treated me like I meant nothing to him.” Although it stung to have to retell this story, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it once was – not now when she had finally forgiven Leo. “He took me home that night, and then I didn’t hear a word from him until the day he walked in here and saw you and me kissing in the kitchen.”

Drake scoffed, looking away as he shook his head in disgust. “Fucking asshole.”

Bragnae was a bit surprised by his reaction to chastise Leo, but it was short lived when he returned an intense glare in her direction.

“So, let me get this straight. I tell you ‘no’ one time, and the next day you run off and sleep with someone else? I didn’t think you were that type of girl, Bragnae.” His tone was both bitter and harsh.

She sat back, somewhat stunned by his assumptions of her. “First of all, I am not that type of girl. I liked Leo, and what happened between us that night happened naturally. I wasn’t just out for sex. Secondly,” she leaned toward him with a confident stare. “You were the one I was hoping to get to know better, but I had no idea why you suddenly seemed uninterested in being with me that night. I know the reason now, and I really wish I didn’t kick you out that night because I wouldn’t have gone out with Leo the next day if I hadn’t.”

“But, Bragnae, it wasn’t as if I told you I didn’t want to see you again. I explained myself and even asked you if I could call you. Why did you think I wasn’t interested?” She could see the hurt in his eyes as he desperately tried to understand her actions.

“It’s completely on me, Drake. You hadn’t called or texted me all day, even after I left you that message telling you how sorry I was for making you leave.” Drake opened his mouth to speak, but Bragnae continued her story quickly to cut him off. “I know your mom and sister came to visit you. But because of past relationships, where I had to endure mind games from immature boys, I figured you were ignoring me and playing those games too. We weren’t exclusive and I had no idea what your intentions with me truly were. So, I allowed myself to go out with someone else who had expressed clear interest in me.

“That didn’t mean I stopped liking you. I was upset that you hadn’t called.” Bragnae looked down at her lap, and fidgeted with the cap of the bottle. “I felt a connection with Leo that night, but then he ditched me and it… hurt very badly. I wanted to tell you when you took me out to dinner, but I couldn’t talk about it yet. I was devastated. I knew I wanted to be honest about this before you and I moved our relationship forward, but I just needed more time. And I’m so sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner.”

He looked at her incredulously. She could see him contemplating something and waited for him to speak when he was ready. “So, if he wanted nothing to do with you, why was he there to save you the other night?”

“Well, after he saw you and me together, he had a change of heart. He wanted to speak with me a few times after that, but I essentially told him to fuck off each time. The night I was attacked, he showed up at Mikey’s to talk to me again.”

“What the fuck did he want to talk to you about?” His gaze was intense, but Bragnae answered him despite wanting to curl up in a shameful fetal position.

“He told me that he cared for me, and that he was sorry for hurting me.” She pursed her lips together.

“So, he did all of this even though he knew I was with you?”

“Yeah, but Drake—.”

“Don’t,” he said, cutting her off, “…defend him. He knows what he did.” Drake looked away clenching his fist. “We’re supposed to be friends.”

Bragnae felt terrible. And she still had more to tell him. Ending this tortuous conversation seemed so far away. “So, after I told him I didn’t think I could ever forgive him, I later found out that Leo had stuck around the restaurant. He saw me walking home, and kept an eye on me to make sure I got there safely. As soon as he saw the guys chasing me, that’s when he interfered. I was lucky he was there.”

Drake’s hard expression relented, dropping his eyes to the bed as he exhaled a softened breath.

“After he fought those guys off for me, he took me back to my apartment,” a lump of emotion swelled in her throat as she continued. “He helped to clean me up. I was so scared, and he made me feel safe.” She looked at Drake wistfully as tears collected in her eyes. “I asked him to stay with me that night.”

He did a double take before he could actually speak. “Did you do anything with him?”

“No,” she told him, shaking her head. “I didn’t even kiss him. But I did ask him to lay in the bed next to me. I’m sorry. This turned into a huge mess, and I never intended it to be this way. And I especially didn’t want to hurt you.”

Drake leaned forward with his head cradled in his hands. He was silent for a moment, but then turned back to face her. “You said what Leo did to you hurt you so much that you could barely talk about it. So, that must have meant you had significant feelings for him. Do you still have feelings for him?”

She slowly nodded. “Yes.” He looked at her for another second before standing up in a fury, kicking one of his bags on the floor.

Bragnae got off the bed, and gently touched his back. “But I also have feelings for you, Drake. Very, very deep feelings. I care about you so much.” Tears streamed down her cheeks as her hand felt the tenseness of his back.

“I think you should leave,” he told her in a low, defeated voice.

Bragnae took in an inaudible gasp, and suddenly there was a tremendous ache in her heart. Even though she expected she’d have to give him space, it didn’t hurt any less hearing him ask her to leave. She sniffled. “Okay.”

She bent down to put her shoes back on, and grabbed her purse. Digging in the bag, she pulled out his truck keys, and placed them on his desk. He was still facing away from her when she went to pass him. She couldn’t ignore the urge to press herself against his back in hopes to convey the remorse she felt. “I’m so sorry, Drake.” Before he could say anything else, she let go of him and walked out of his room to the front door of the apartment.

Reluctantly, she opened the door and left. Once outside, Bragnae burst into heavy tears, taking her time as she walked down the stairs, and aimlessly wandered away from the building. After taking a minute to let it all out, she calmed herself down. She realized she didn’t have a car to drive home, so she’d have to call for an Uber. But first, she wanted to let Leo know that Drake was now aware of everything. She couldn’t stand the thought of him being blindsided. Retrieving her phone, she found his name and called him.

The phone rang a few times before he finally answered. “Bragnae? What’s up?”

“Hey, I just wanted to let you know I just told Drake about us. All of it.” She exhaled a deep breath waiting for him to respond.

She heard him sigh on the other end. “Oh.”

“I wanted to give you a heads up because he’s probably going to want to talk to you.”

“Yeah, I figured.” He was silent for a moment. “You doing okay?”

His question brought the tears back. “No. Not really.”

“Alright. Hang in there. Thanks for letting me know.”

“Yep,” she said, swallowing to push the hard lump back down her throat. “Talk to you later.”

Bragnae ended the call, taking another big breath. Brushing the tears off her face, she looked to her phone again to arrange for a ride.

“Bragnae!” Drake said from behind her. She turned to see him walking down the stairs towards her. “How are you getting home?”

A little surprised to see him, she couldn’t find the words right away. “I was going to grab an Uber.”

He stood in place, fidgeting with the keys in his hand. “Come on.” He motioned with his head for her to follow. “I’ll give you a ride.”

“Thanks.” She started towards him, but he didn’t wait for her to catch up. She had to hustle her steps to reach him. He didn’t open her door this time, which was a painful reminder of how much she hurt him.

After getting in the truck, Drake started the engine and began the drive to her place. It was a long and awkward ride home. She stayed silent, and so did he. Hugging the purse in her lap, she kept her eyes on the road in front of her.

Drake pulled into a parking spot and threw the gear in park. He sat back, staring in front of him not saying a word. She dared a quick look in his direction before deciding she’d better leave.

“Thank you for the ride,” she barely managed to say as she made a move to open the door.

“Bragnae, wait.”

She carefully looked back at him. His gaze locked with hers.

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around all this. I’m pissed at Leo for what he did to you and to me. And I’m upset that you didn’t tell me before now.” The muscles in his jaw clenched before the rest of his face relaxed. “But I still care about you, Bragnae. I didn’t want you to think I was going to ignore or abandon you because of this. I’m not Leo.”

The tiniest of smiles appeared on her face. “I know you’re not.”

He worked his jaw allowing his eyes time to take her in. “I’m going to need some time to think about everything.”

“I understand.”

“I’ll call you when I’m ready to talk, okay?”

She nodded, and gave him one last look before turning back to the door. Letting herself out of the truck, she turned back to him. Not knowing when she’d see or hear from him again was a horrible feeling. There could be so much of his life that’d she miss out on, and the thought was unbearable. He was only going to get busier with the hockey season starting up in another week, and she hated that she couldn’t be involved in that with him. Not until he was ready.

“Congrats again on getting the first line. I’m really proud of you.”

He swallowed, looking at her with sadness wrapped up in emotion. “Thanks.”

Bragnae shut the door to his truck and turned on her heel to head to her apartment. After a few steps, she heard him pull away. At least he still cared about her, and he wasn’t just going to run away from this. She was glad he was mature enough to want to think this through. That, at least, was good news even if it resulted in him turning away from her in the end.

The rest of the day went by at a snail’s pace. With no homework to do, she zoned out in front of the television. Shows she’d already watched played comfortingly in the background as she sat with her legs held against her chest not really paying attention. Madeleine was working, so the apartment was quiet save for the television.

Even though the afternoon had been hard to get through, she was glad Drake knew everything. She was not someone who enjoyed keeping information from people. It was overdue, and she knew it. A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. She paused the show, and got up to answer it. On the other side of the door was Leo, and he was sporting a brand new black eye.

Her heart sank. “Oh, my God. Leo. Come in.” He walked inside, and she immediately reached up to cup his face to inspect his eye. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said gloomily before holding up a plastic bag in his hand. “I brought ice cream. We both had a crappy day. Thought you might want to indulge with me.”

“Did you get punched, and then run right out to get ice cream?” She looked at him with a slight smirk.

“Shut up. It’s my comfort food,” he said with a wink and smile. “You want some or not?”

She mirrored his expression. “Yes, please.”

“Grab a couple spoons,” He told her as they walked into the kitchen together. Bragnae grabbed the utensils before joining Leo at the counter atop the bar stools.

“So, what flavor did you get?

“Um, the best flavor. Chocolate Fudge Brownie.” Leo removed the Ben & Jerry’s pint from the bag and popped the top.

Bragnae’s eyes widened. “Ooh. Good choice.”

Leo scoffed. “Look who you’re talking to here. I’m the king of ice cream,” he said, tilting the full container towards her. Bragnae scooped some onto her spoon and took a bite, melting as soon as the delicious taste hit her tongue.

“Ohmigod, that’s amazing.” She closed her eyes for a second to savor the flavor.

“You’re lucky I like you,” he said, lifting his own spoon of ice cream into his mouth. “I just gave you the first bite. The best bite,” he confirmed as he finished swallowing the ice cream. “I never give anyone the first bite.”

“Well, don’t I feel special?” She asked teasingly as she dove in for another round.

“You should,” he smiled, taking another scoop for himself.

Bragnae’s giggle trailed off as she looked at the bruised skin around his left eye. “I’m sorry you got hit.”

Leo shrugged, keeping his eyes on the ice cream as he took his time to fill the spoon. “It’s okay. I deserved it.”

“But you more than made up for it.”

He turned his head to look at her. “To you, maybe. But I selfishly went behind his back to try to convince you to be with me. He’s my friend – I shouldn’t have done that.”

“What happened between you two today?”

Leo returned his attention to the pint, idly digging a crater into the ice cream. “Well, when I got home from the gym, he wasn’t there. So, I took a shower, and by the time I was done, he had come back. We had a stare down of sorts in the hallway at first, and when I started to speak… he gave me his right hook.” Leo used the spoon to point to his eye.

Bragnae felt incredibly guilty. Even though Leo was responsible for some of the blame too, she felt bad that he was punched because of her conversation with Drake.

“He told me I was a shitty friend for doing what I did. And he gave me hell for ditching you that night, too. But I will say this,” he continued, using the spoon to emphasize his point, tapping it in the air. “I’ve been in a fight with Drake before – for some reason I can’t remember right now – and let me tell ya, he let me off easy today. He could have really beat me down. I think it’s because I helped you out with those guys. Or maybe because I didn’t put up a fight. Who knows?”

Bragnae patted his back.

“How are things between you and Drake?” He asked, taking another bite.

She sighed. “I don’t know where we stand.”

“Knowing him, Drake’s going to need time. But despite that, I know he still cares about you. I know he’s not going to want to let you go – no matter what.”

“How do you know?”

“If I was in his position, I wouldn’t want to let you go.” He looked more deeply into her eyes. “I would never let you go.” She felt his words deep in her soul. “What did he say when you told him about us?”

“Not a lot actually. Mostly, he asked questions. I told him everything. And before he told me to leave, he asked me if I had feelings for you.” Bragnae reached for the ice cream, but Leo tilted the top in his direction instead.

“And do you?”

Bragnae rested her arm on the counter, giving him a knowing look. “Don’t you know?”

“I’d like to hear it from you.”

She looked down at her hands. “Yes.” Her voice was almost a whisper, and then she found his eyes again. “For quite some time now. And they grew exponentially after last Thursday.”

Leo’s eyes searched hers for a long moment. His face revealed nothing. Then, he offered the ice cream to her again. She scoffed a chuckle, and dug her spoon in liberating a big chunk of brownie and fudge from the softening chocolate.

“Damn! You’re getting the best bites!” He feigned frustration in such a cute and playful way.

Bragnae rerouted the spoon from her mouth, and brought it to his mouth instead. He looked at her before slowly wrapping his lips around her spoon, taking the bite.

She cocked an eyebrow and smirked at him. “And you’re lucky I like you.”

He smiled as he chewed the delectable treat, watching her the whole time. “Mmmm…delicious.” His sultry tone could have melted the rest of the pint.

The offered bite had caused Bragnae to lean in close to him. As she observed Leo enjoying the ice cream, she became lost in the deep ocean of his eyes before her gaze dropped down to his full lips.

“Don’t,” he told her.

“Don’t what?” Her eyes shot back up to his.

“Don’t kiss me.”

She swallowed. “How did you know I wanted to do that?”

“Because I want to do that.”

“So, why haven’t you?”

He took a deep breath looking at her mouth. “Because I won’t be able to stop if I do. I’ve been craving to kiss your luscious lips for weeks. If I start, even just a little, it will certainly lead to more.”

His words only enticed her further. There was a burning need inside her to press her lips against his – to feel what it was like to kiss him with no barriers between them. He had confessed his true feelings to her, apologized, and atoned for his wrongdoing. A kiss now, after he’d come so far since that night at the club would be different… amazing… renewed.

“Leo,” she whispered. They both stared at each other waiting for the other to proceed. Bragnae felt her heart beat faster as he returned the same desperate look she was giving him.

As the memories of the day rushed back to her – sleeping with Drake and telling him everything, she knew she couldn’t allow herself an indulgence with Leo. Not now. Not when she was upset the way she was. It wasn’t fair to her, or to Leo, or even to Drake. As much as she thought she wanted to dive into his soft lips, she knew it’d be a mistake. At least for now, it would be. She needed time to sift through her feelings of both men, and wanted a clear mind when she finally did kiss him.

Her eyes closed, breaking the tension between them. “I’m sorry.”

Leo blew out a breath he’d been holding. “Don’t be. It’s probably for the best. It’s been one hell of a day.”

“Yes, it has,” she said disappointedly, looking at her lap.

Taking her hand, Leo regained her full attention. She was surprised by his gesture, and yet she was happy he was touching her – to have him hold her in such a tender way.

“You know this already, but I’m going to say it anyway. I want to be with you, Bragnae. I think about you all the time. I care about you so much that it hurts.” He paused to let it sink in. “And if you decide you want to be with Drake instead, it’ll be hard, but I won’t stand in your way.”

Placing her spoon on the counter, she tenderly cupped his cheek. “Thank you for letting me know. I’m going to need time to think about all of it, but I’m so glad you came over. I needed this.”

Leo turned into her hand, placing a gentle kiss on her palm. “Me too.”

~

Two weeks had gone by and Bragnae still hadn’t heard from Drake. She missed him, and hated not being a part of his life. Hockey season was starting up, so she knew that occupied a lot of his time.

She took that time to distance herself from Leo as well. Like Drake, she also needed time to think about things, and remove herself from the whirlwind of having two incredible men vying for her attention. While some might find that exciting, it was more stressful to Bragnae than anything else. She wasn’t the type of person to juggle more than one man at a time, so all of this was new to her.

Having strong feelings for both of them didn’t help the situation. She figured if she gave herself time away from Drake and Leo, she’d be able to have more clarity about who she felt pulled towards most. Drake, of course, was making the decision for her to stay away, but Leo understood that she needed time.

Despite his decision not to speak to her, Bragnae still wanted to support Drake, so she decided to attend his first hockey game of the season. She had originally planned on making it to all of his games anyway, and didn’t want what happened between them to change that. At least she’d be able to see him this way.

Bragnae arrived at the arena where Drake’s game was to take place. She sat in an open seat in the fourth row at center ice. Much like the other rink she’d visited before, there was only one side for spectators to view the game from.

It wasn’t long before the players from both teams took the ice. After the national anthem was sung, the players skated to their positions, waiting for the puck to drop. Drake stood as the right defenseman, which was closest to where she sat. Her breathing quickened at the sight of him as she watched Drake lean his weight on his stick – his eyes focused on the center line.

The puck dropped and both teams unleashed their fury to retrieve it. The Pit Vipers were facing another team with gold jerseys called the Arctic Wolves, and they appeared to be equally matched in terms of talent.

The first period ended with no goals scored. Both teams had fought hard to keep the puck out of the net. After a quick intermission the teams took the ice again. The start of the second period was even more exciting than the first. It seemed both teams had been properly motivated by their coaches and the lack of points on the scoreboard to amplify their skills.

The Pit Vipers worked together to score two goals by the end of the second period. As the buzzer sounded, the team rose from the bench to return to the locker room for one last intermission. Bragnae watched as Drake said a few words to the referee facing in her direction. Just as he was about to skate off, his gaze found her in the audience. He looked at her for a few seconds with no change in his expression. She didn’t wave or nod, she just kept eye contact with him until he turned away to leave the ice.

Now, he knew she was there. She hoped her presence wouldn’t distract him during the final period, but it was nice to feel his eyes on her again. Bragnae killed time during the intermission by using the restroom and playing with her phone. A part of her hoped he’d call her soon after seeing her at the game today, but even if he still needed more time, she was relieved to be able to see him now.

The players took the ice again to finish out the game. Drake and his friend Chuck covered defense as the puck came sliding their way. Chuck gained control of it, and passed the puck to Drake who skated expeditiously down the rink. Drake delivered the puck to another one of his teammates who shot it into the net to increase their score to three. The team celebrated in the corner. Drake had earned an assist with the goal – his first of the season. Bragnae smiled as she cheered for the team along with the other spectators.

The teams continued to battle for the puck as the clock counted down. With only a minute left to go, the Pit Vipers were doing their best to keep the puck out of their end to claim the shut out of 3-0 at the end of the game. The other team’s players dug in and furiously tried to regain control of the puck, but they weren’t successful. The buzzer sounded once more giving the win to the Pit Vipers. The audience stood and cheered as a sea of royal purple jerseys flooded the ice to celebrate the victory.

Bragnae clapped along with the others as both teams showed their sportsmanship to each other on the ice with quick handshakes. As most of the audience started to disperse, Bragnae stood there watching Drake rejoice with his team over the win. He wore a dashing smile that made her heart ache and soar at the same time. She was glad he was happy, but she knew when he thought of her that beautiful smile wouldn’t grace his face.

Before she could work herself into deep pit of sadness, Bragnae bent down to retrieve her purse, and started to make her way out of the row of seats. Reaching the aisle, she walked up the steps towards the door, but stopped when she heard her name being called. She looked over her shoulder and saw Drake at the edge of the rink looking up at her.

Stepping to the side of other people trying to leave, she returned her attention to him. Drake beckoned her with a gloved hand to come closer. Swallowing, she made her way back down the steps to get to him. He opened a latch on the wall, and slid the door to the ice open so they could hear each other better.

He stood with both feet on the ice, but hugged the boards just a foot away from where she was standing. He smelled like sweat and triumph, but she didn’t care. He was allowing her next to him, and that’s all that mattered.

“You came to the game,” he noted, taking his gloves off as he spoke.

“I didn’t want to miss it.” She grinned. “It was spectacular. You played great, Drake. Nice assist.”

He ran a hand through his wet and matted helmet-hair. “Thanks. We worked together, and got it done.”

His warm brown eyes locked with hers, and a chill shot down her spine. He didn’t look at her with the affection he once did, but at least there wasn’t a burning anger or deep sadness in his eyes now as he spoke.

“Listen, I’m going to shower, and get changed. Will you wait for me? I was thinking we could go somewhere to talk if you’re not busy.”

Bragnae drew in a sharp breath. He was ready to talk to her again, and she was more than happy to oblige. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Part 9: The Rescue

Seeing Drake on Saturday did help the next week to go by quicker than the first. It was Thursday – only a few more days until he would return from the hockey camp. Bragnae traded hours with a co-worker to have off on Sunday, so she could meet Drake as soon as he came back.

Thursdays weren’t so bad to work. The shifts usually went by quickly because a lot of college students didn’t have class on Fridays, or they were just eager to get the weekend started despite one more day of classes in the week. Either way, Thursdays were good nights for tips, and Bragnae was happy to take this night knowing Drake would appreciate spending more time with her when he returned.

Even though she still had access to Drake’s truck, she decided to take her own car to work tonight. She wasn’t insured with his vehicle, and didn’t want to risk damaging it in any way while he was gone. Luckily, her car had started up just fine, so Bragnae was able to drive it the few blocks to Mikey’s.

The first two hours of her shift went by fast. She had gotten into a groove of taking orders, filling drinks and boxing up leftovers that helped her turn over her tables more quickly. She was about to take a fifteen minute break when Leo walked through the front door. They made eye contact immediately.

Bragnae hadn’t seen him since the day she picked up Drake’s keys. She hoped he was there as a customer, but when he made a B-line for her, she knew he wanted to talk again.

“Hey, how’s it going?” He asked, standing close enough to be heard over the crowd.

“Good,” she said. “Do you want a table?” She gestured towards the busy room.

Leo shook his head. “No, I was wondering if there was a place we could talk? It’ll only take a few minutes.”

His timing was uncanny. If she hadn’t been about to take a break, she could easily tell him to shove off, but knowing his determination, even if she said it now he’d find out that she was available anyway. She looked into his bright blue eyes, and exhaled a deep breath. “I was just about to take my break. Come on, we can go out back.”

Relief crossed over his face. “Lead the way.”

Bragnae led Leo to the back entrance where the staff would come in and out for their shifts. A co-worker was smoking a cigarette at the small round table where she would have wanted to sit down. Instead she walked over to her car, and sat lightly on the hood to face Leo.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “So, what do you want to talk about?”

“I want to talk about us, Bragnae. About that night at the club – about you.” He kept his gaze trained on her, and spoke with more confidence than the last time she saw him.

“We already talked about this. Why do you need to bring it up again?” She couldn’t deny that the memory still pained her, and talking or thinking about it only made the wound reopen more.

“We talked about it, yes, but we didn’t get to finish. I’ve tried to give you some space, but I just can’t anymore.” He looked at the ground briefly, taking in a breath. “What I did to you was exactly what my ex did to me. I hate myself because I know how it feels to be hurt like that – to not have a say in the matter. I hate that I hurt you, and I’m sorry.”

His words started to fill the holes of pain he left in her heart, but it just wasn’t enough. “You can say you’re sorry all you want, but it won’t change what you did to me.”

“I know, but that’s why I want to make it up to you. I want to fix this.”

“For what purpose? To be friends again? Or are you hoping I’ll be with you instead of Drake?” She admired his persistence, but to what end?

He took a step closer to her with a confident stare. “All of it. Bragnae, I want you back in my life. I want to see you smile at me like you used to. I don’t want to see the pain on your face every time I get near you. I want you to heal. I want us to get over this.”

She wanted to heal from it too especially with Leo being Drake’s roommate and friend. She wanted to be able to see Leo in passing when she hung out with Drake, and not want to harden her heart because of the memories he left her with.

“I know why you’re having a hard time moving on from this. You’re even with Drake now, and yet you still can’t heal. I know why.” His voice grew softer with every word, but the tenacity of his message didn’t falter. “You cared about me then, and you care about me now.”

He was right. Somewhere along their friendship and the intimate moments they shared, she had developed feelings for him than ran deeper than the surface. “So, what? Are you going to use that knowledge to exploit me to get what you want?”

“No, never.” Leo took another step forward. “I will never use you again. I just wanted to see if I was right. I wanted you to see that you still have feelings for me. And just now, you didn’t deny it.”

Bragnae felt her eyes start to water. She looked to the sky to keep any tears from falling. “Leo, I don’t want to talk about this.”

“We can’t move past this unless we do.” He moved closer again, but this time he reached a hand out to gently stroke her cheek. “I know I hurt you very badly, but you never told me how much.”

She shook her head. The wound was already opening back up, and she couldn’t take it anymore. She didn’t want him to have the satisfaction of knowing what he did to her.

“Bragnae, please,” he coaxed gently as he towered over her.

Leo stood so close that she could smell his intoxicating fresh cologne, and the smell immediately jogged her memory of the night at the club. All the feelings she had, both pleasant and lousy, came rushing back to her. Bragnae felt anger surge through her body prompting her to shove Leo back as she stood from the hood of the car.

“You ruined everything! We had a beautiful moment together, and you ruined it. I felt so cheap and used and unworthy. You spent the majority of that day making me feel amazing with your kindness and appreciating looks in my direction. But then, when you started to push me away, I felt useless. My confidence was shot. You made me feel like I did something wrong. I was mind fucked for days while I waited for you to call me. And you never did. You avoided me like I was the plague.”

She was helpless to stop the tears that streamed down her cheeks. “You know, what your ex did to you was awful, but at least you had closure with her. At least she told you openly that she wanted to end the relationship. I did not receive the same curtesy from you. Granted, we weren’t in a relationship, but we were friends, Leo, and you could have at least told me all you wanted was sex and that whatever we had was over.”

Leo closed the gap between them again, gently grabbing both of her arms to keep her attention. “But I didn’t want it to be over, Bragnae. I was just protecting myself, but deep down, I knew I wanted you. I wanted more than the amazing sex we had, but I didn’t have big enough balls to stand up to my fear. I know that was my mistake. I’m just hoping that if I acknowledge all of this and tell you how god damn sorry I am that you’ll forgive me.”

Bragnae angrily wiped the tears off her face. “Drake treats me like every girl should be treated. He’s amazing in every way. Even if I wanted to ends things with him to be with you, how could I be sure that you wouldn’t let your past interfere with your future again? How could I be sure that you wouldn’t just run away or push me out when you thought you might get hurt?”

“I wouldn’t do that, Bragnae. I’ve grown up a lot in the past few weeks. I realized just how much you mean to me, and there’s no way I’d ever intentionally hurt you again. I’m done running from my past. It leads to nothing but emptiness. I know that because being with you makes me feel whole again. And I can’t live without that… not when I know how much better it feels to embrace happiness over being bitter and letting pain run my life.”

“Why don’t I believe you?” She really wanted to, but something told her to keep him at a distance so he could never make her feel this way again.

“Because I misplaced your trust in me, and I regret that more than you know. But I’m trying to get it back, baby, I really am.”

His voice was laced with sincerity, but hearing him call her ‘baby’ just now made her think she could easily be replaced by someone else. Sure, she could’ve been the one that revived his broken heart from the past, but maybe that’s all she was good for. Maybe who he became since then, a man searching endlessly for different women to satisfy his lust, would still remain. The trust was gone – that was for certain – and the idea of him trying to earn it back seemed pointless.

“Leo, I’d love to go back to how things were between us before all of this, but I just don’t think we can.” She felt herself start to tremble, and knew she hated having to say that to him as much as he did having to hear it.

He looked into her eyes for a long moment. The realization that she wouldn’t change her mind dawned on his face. “Bragnae,” he pleaded softly as one last ditch effort to sway her.

"I have to get back to work.”

Leo reluctantly dropped his hands, and stepped aside to let her pass. She gave him one last look, and then headed inside. Before stepping back into the dining area, she dashed into the ladies room to remove the evidence that she was crying. Luckily, her face hadn’t gotten too red, and she was able to touch up her eyes without affecting her make-up.

She was mad at Leo for doing this to her at work, but she knew deep down it needed to be said. All of it. And now, hopefully, they both could move on. Bragnae left the bathroom, and returned to her duties.

A little while later, she headed over to a table of three guys that needed their check. They were a bit rowdy, and had been sitting there drinking beer and eating pizza almost since the start of her shift.

“Here’s the check, guys. Just pay me whenever you’re ready,” she told them, placing the white receipt down on the wooden surface.

“Oh, hey. Wait a minute. I’ve got that now,” one of the guys said. He was the most rowdy out of the three, and hadn’t been shy about trying to flirt with her either. After looking at the bill, the man retrieved cash out of his wallet, and handed it to Bragnae. “Keep the change, gorgeous.”

“Thank you very much. I hope you guys have a great rest of the evening. Come back, and see us again.” She smiled and turned to walk away when she felt a pinch on her backside.

Bragnae immediately spun around to face the arrogant prick that copped a field after handing her what he assumed was a big enough tip to give him the freedom to do that. The man was thick and had an athletic build like a football player. His curly black hair made his face look full, and his crooked, cocky smile did nothing for his looks. She glared at him. “You have some nerve.”

“You sure got her attention, Ralph,” one of his idiot friends commented in between laughs.

“I sure did,” he said, looking up at her triumphantly. “You got a nice ass, honey. Don’t let this pizza be the only thing I’m taking home tonight.”

Furious, she thought back to her training with Leo, and decided she wouldn’t let this asshole get away with it. Since she had lost the moment to catch him off guard when she first turned around, she chose a different approach. A wicked smirk transformed her lips as she leaned in towards him.

Ralph and his friends chuckled as she flirtatiously ran her hand across his meaty shoulder and over to the collar of his t-shirt, gripping the fabric tightly in her fist. Just when he thought she’d bend over to give him a smooch, Bragnae cocked her fist back and slammed it against his eye making him fall hard onto his giggling friend.

“The only thing you’ll be taking home besides your pizza is a black eye. Don’t ever fucking touch me again, asshole." She turned on her heel, hearing a roaring laughter coming from his friends, and Ralph murmuring insults in her direction.

The punch hurt her hand, but Bragnae felt great. For a brief moment, she knew she had Leo to thank for instilling that confidence in her, but it was still a feat she accomplished. She allowed herself a moment of internal celebration before getting back to work.

As she made her rounds, she kept a careful eye on Ralph and his friends, happy to see they left without any further retribution. The rest of her shift went smoothly – something she needed after the talk with Leo and dealing with an entitled, disrespectful asshole.

After leaving through the back door, she got in her car and turned the key to start it. The engine wouldn’t turn. She tried several more times with no luck. She knew it wasn’t the battery because she just replaced it. It had to be something more. The ‘check engine’ light had been on lately, but she hadn’t gotten around to inspecting it yet.

“Damn it. I should have just taking Drake’s truck tonight,” she said aloud to herself.

Not wanting to spend money on an Uber, Bragnae grabbed her purse, and left the car. She’d walk home. It was only a few blocks, and the clear night with a slightly cool breeze was actually comfortable after running around the restaurant all night.

Before she began her trek down the street, she popped her head in the back door to tell the manager she was leaving her car behind and walking home. She’d have to call a tow truck tomorrow.

She crossed the street, and began following the sidewalk that would eventually lead to her apartment. After walking a few minutes, she heard someone call out behind her.

“Hey! Hey you, pizza bitch.”

An eerie feeling shot down her spine. Bragnae looked over her shoulder to see Ralph and his two friends slowly following behind her. She kept walking, but hastened her steps.

“I know you can hear me, pizza bitch. Why don’t you slow down, and let me talk to you?” Ralph shouted.

Bragnae wanted to ignore him, but felt words coming out of her mouth anyway. “Go home! You’re drunk!” She kept up her pace while digging in her purse for her phone. She dialed the police to have it on standby if she needed it.

Looking behind her again, she saw they were closer. She wanted to avoid running as to not show her fear, but they were gaining on her. So, she bolted. Her apartment was only another block away. She glanced over her shoulder seeing Ralph and his friends running too. Even as drunk as they appeared to be, somehow they were catching up to her.

Her heart thumped in her chest, her breathing was heavy. Her eyes darted everywhere for a place to escape. The street lights illuminated her path. Cars passed on the road, but no one seemed to notice that she was being chased. As she came up to the last intersection she’d have to cross to get to her apartment, she halted nervously as she waited for a car to pass in front of her. Grabbing for her phone again, she had her thumb over the call button when it was suddenly knocked out of her hand.

Bragnae turned around just to catch a heavy open hand swat across her mouth. The force knocked her to the ground. In a flurry, she heard a loud roar from the street, and the footsteps of the three men quickly surrounding her. The two friends encircled her as Ralph lowered himself to the ground, grabbing Bragnae’s ponytail in anger.

“You stupid bitch. I’ll teach you never to embarrass me again,” he snarled as he pulled her hair and unsteadily began ripping at her shirt. He reeked of beer and even began spitting as his words left his mouth. She was both disgusted and frightened.

“Get off me!” She screamed with all her might. “Help, please!” Bragnae kicked with a fury, but Ralph laid his heavy weight on top of her once flailing legs.

“What the fuck?” She heard one of his friends say. There was a commotion around them that she couldn’t see because of Ralph’s massive body. That and she was focused on trying to survive.

Ralph uncoordinatedly tried to untuck her shirt from her jeans, but was failing. He became frustrated and literally growled in her face before attempting to stand up. “Come on. I’m taking you back to my place.”

Bragnae knew that was her chance to run, but as soon as Ralph tried to hoist her up, she saw Leo throw him to the pavement away from her. She watched, stunned, as Leo bent to one knee and punched Ralph repeatedly in the face. Her eyes darted to Ralph’s two friends lying on the sidewalk. One looked unconscious while the other slowly crawled on his stomach, groaning with each movement.

Her attention was brought back to Ralph when she saw Leo stand up out of the corner of her eye.

“Pathetic piece of shit!” Leo shouted as he kicked Ralph on the side. “If you ever fucking touch her again, I’ll cut your dick off, and shove it down your goddamn throat. Got it?” Ralph groaned again before passing out.

Bragnae was still lying on the sidewalk, but had propped herself up on her elbows to watch the scene unfold. Leo turned to her suddenly. His chest heaving deep breaths as he crouched down beside her.

“Are you okay, Bragnae?” His eyes, filled with worry, scanned her body frantically. His hand gently cupped the side of her face as his gaze focused on her lips. “Oh, God.”

“Leo,” her voice creaked out as tears pooled in her eyes.

“I’ve got you. You’re safe,” he told her, pulling her to his chest. She clung to him desperately.

After a few seconds, he drew back. “Can you stand up?”

She nodded while he helped her to her feet.

“Let’s get you home.” Leo picked up her purse and threw an arm around her waist as they walked across the street.

The shock of everything still hung in the air around her. Tears were streaming down her face, but she hadn’t allowed herself to fully break down and cry yet. Her mouth and jaw ached, and so did the backside of her body where she collided with the hard concrete.

Fortunately, her apartment wasn’t that much farther than where the scuffle took place. Leo took her keys to unlock the door, and guided her inside.

“Come here,” he told her, taking her hand gently and leading her to the bathroom connected to her bedroom. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

When he flipped the light on, more tears flooded her eyes as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her bottom lip was bleeding, and there was some redness across her cheek and jaw where Ralph had hit her. Her black hair was a mess. Still half in its ponytail, there were tendrils of hair out of place all over her head. The black and orange t-shirt she wore with the pizza parlor’s logo on it was ripped in the front. She whimpered at the sight and pain she felt.

“It’s okay, Bragnae. Come here and sit down.” He helped her to sit on the covered toilet, and then grabbed a wash cloth. He ran it under the cold water, wringing it out before kneeling in front of her. Leo draped the cloth over his hand and cupped her bruised cheek.

Bragnae closed her eyes in relief. The cold cloth felt good against her irritated skin. When she opened her eyes again, there was Leo’s staring back at her. “Thank you. That feels nice.”

He gave her a sympathetic look before softly wiping the blood away from the corner of her mouth. “What happened with those guys anyway? Why were they chasing you?”

She sniffled and took in a deep breath. “They were at the restaurant, and I was their server. When I brought the check, Ralph – the guy that was on top of me, paid the bill and when I turned to leave, he pinched my ass. So, I punched him in the eye.”

“Using those self-defense skills we practiced, eh?” Leo asked while he continued to clean her face.

“Yeah, but Leo, he waited for me to exact his revenge for making him look bad in front of his friends. What good does it do to defend myself one minute when I’m putting myself in more danger later?” The thought of it made a fresh batch of tears swell in her eyes.

Leo put the rag down to give her his full attention. “It’s not always going to be that way, Bragnae. You did the right thing tonight. Just because you pissed off some asshole jock who had something to prove, doesn’t mean they’re all going to try this. But it is better to fight than to just let it happen – no matter the consequences. And besides, that’s not who you are. There’s no way Bragnae Bennett would let anyone get away with that crap. You’re tough and you know it.”

A brief smile appeared on her lips. “Thanks.”

He picked up the cloth again and dabbed at her bottom lip. “So, why were you walking home anyway? I thought you had a car… and Drake’s truck for that matter.”

“I took my car tonight, but it wouldn’t start when I was trying to leave. It’s normally a rule of mine to avoid walking to and from work during night shifts, for this very reason, but I thought I’d be fine. It was only a short walk.” She shook her head at her bad decision. Her eyes drifted over him, from his face to his chest, to his tender hands caring for her injuries. “How did you know I needed help? I mean, you were there at the right time.”

He blew out a breath. “After our conversation, I didn’t leave. I couldn’t. I walked around to a couple of the stores next to Mikey’s, but I just didn’t feel like going home. Something told me to stick around. I was sitting on my bike just watching the street lights change when I saw you walking. Call me a creep if you want, but I just sat there and watched you. I thought it was weird that you were walking home, and I guess my protective instinct kicked in, so I needed to make sure you got home okay. I held back a good distance, so you wouldn’t know I was there, but I followed behind as sort of an escort for you.”

The muscles in Leo’s jaw tensed. “And then I saw those three guys start to follow you. And when they started to run, I knew it wasn’t good. So, I hauled ass on my bike to where you stopped, and took them down one by one. I hated them, Bragnae. I wanted to rip them to shreds. But I knew I needed to do the bare minimum to neutralize them long enough to get to you. I couldn’t let them hurt you.”

A lump of emotion caught in her throat as she listened to him share his side of the story. She shuddered to think what could have happened if Leo wasn’t there to save her tonight. If he hadn’t waited around after their conversation, if he hadn’t decided to make sure she got home safe… she’d be in much worse shape now.

Bragnae placed a quivering hand against his face. Even after denying his persistence, and basically guaranteeing they couldn’t even be friends earlier in the night, Leo stepped in to help her out of a dire situation. He was there for her with nothing waiting for him in return. He didn’t do it to push his own agenda with her. He did it because he cared about her and wanted to protect her. That meant something.

“Thank you for saving me.” Without a second thought, she pulled him into a warm embrace. When his chest crashed against hers, she felt safe and comfortable.

His long arms tightened around her back. “You don’t need to thank me for that. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, allowing the built up tears to finally fall. Clutching his back, at last, she allowed herself to give into the trauma of the night. Leo held her steady, rubbing a soothing hand across her back as she cried.

After a few moments, he gently drew back from her. “Why don’t you take a moment to yourself, and get into some comfy clothes? I’m going to go move my bike out of the street, and when I get back, I’ll grab you some ice for that lip.” He reached a hand up to pull the rest of her hair out of the disheveled ponytail it was still in. His gentle fingers glided through her hair allowing it to frame her face.

She nodded. “Okay, thank you.”

Leo patted her knee before standing up. When he left the bathroom, Bragnae turned to the mirror again. She looked a fright. Her make-up had run, her lip was busted open – although not enough that stitches were required, and her face was starting to swell.

After she removed the rest of her make-up, she washed her face, and ran a brush through her hair. Then, she changed into flannel pajama pants and a fresh t-shirt. It was near her bed time anyway, so she completed the rest of her nightly routine before going to sit on the edge of her bed.

The night had been horrendous. When she thought the only thing that would have disturbed her was the hard conversation with Leo earlier, three guys tried to assault her. And to her surprise, Leo – of all people, was there to defend her. As she waited for the sound of her front door to open again, she found herself wanting to see Leo walk through it. What an unexpected turn of events.

A minute or so later, Leo came back into the apartment, and she felt a sense of peace again. His presence meant she was safe and cared for. It was an amazing feeling. Bragnae heard him walk into the kitchen and take ice cubes out of the freezer. She smiled at the thought of him tending to her this way. Before tonight, there was no way she could have ever imagined him doing that.

Leo stepped into her bedroom with a bundle of ice wrapped in a hand towel. He sat down on the bed next to her, and lightly applied the ice to her mouth. “Here, hold this on your lip for a while. It will help with the swelling.” She took the bundle from him as he fished an object out of his pocket. “I found your phone on the sidewalk too. Thought you’d like to have it back.”

Amidst the commotion, she had forgotten that it was knocked out of her hand. She took it from him noticing the screen was still intact. “Thanks. And look at that – not a scratch on it.”

Leo lightly chuckled. “That’s one good thing to come out of this at least.” He looked at her for a moment before sighing. “I should probably get going. I’m sure you want to get some sleep.”

Just as he was about to stand up, Bragnae put a hand on his leg. “Will you stay with me tonight? I’m still a little shaken up about everything, and I’d feel better if you did.”

His eyes bore into hers as he contemplated his options. “Yeah, of course. I can go sleep on the couch.” He stood from the bed. “I’m sure I’ll scare the shit out of Madeleine when she comes home. With my luck, she’ll plop down on me thinking I’m the couch.”

“No, Leo,” she said as he started to walk out of the room. When he turned to face her, she used her head to point beside her. “I meant in the bed with me.”

“Oh,” he replied, looking from her to the bed. He swallowed before took a step towards her. “Okay. If that’s what you want.”

She nodded, and scooted back towards the pillows, climbing into the sheets.

He watched her for another moment. “Just let me clean myself up a bit.” He held up his bloodied fists from the repeated punches he threw tonight. “I’ll be right back.”

Bragnae relaxed her sore body on the comfortable mattress, keeping the ice stationed on her lip. The coldness felt good. Already the night was looking up.

A couple minutes later, Leo walked back into the bedroom. He stepped out of his shoes, and put his wallet, keys and phone on the bedside table before climbing into the sheets next to her. He kept his t-shirt and jeans on presumably to not encourage other actions to occur. Or maybe he was nervous. Bragnae would never mistake Leo for being nervous, especially around a woman, but it was possible. As he settled in, his body was still rigid.

He was most likely waiting on a cue from her since this was something he hadn’t expected her to ask of him. In that moment, Bragnae acted on her instinct. After the drama filled night, she scooted over to Leo and curled up by his side to feel his warmth. Immediately, she felt at ease.

Situating herself to a comfortable position, she rested an arm on his chest to help keep the ice on her lip. “As I fall asleep, I might drop this ice, and it might startle you with its coldness.”

Leo laughed. “That’s alright. I can handle it. Just rest.”

“You too.” She looked up at him so he would know she meant it. She waited for him to take a deep breath, and then felt his body sink more into the mattress. “Goodnight, Leo.”

Part 6: The Counter

It had just rained, so the streets were full of puddles as Bragnae made her way over to Mario’s, the Italian restaurant Drake had suggested. She chose to meet him there to avoid replicating what happened with Leo. She wanted to find her own way there and back. Not that she’d be sleeping with Drake tonight, but she didn’t want to be reliant on a man to get her home if things didn’t pan out.

She moved swiftly in her skinny jeans and crimson blouse, and avoided a giant puddle as to save her stilettos from getting drenched. A few patrons walked out of restaurant avoiding the awning over the door that dripped with excess rain water.

As she walked inside, Drake was standing there. He turned to offer her a bright smile. “Hi, Bragnae.”

A sudden chill shot down her spine as he said her name. She wasn’t ‘babe’ or ‘sweetheart’, or any other nickname that Leo liked to use. She was just herself. And she liked that Drake used her name. It meant more.

“Hi, Drake.” She couldn’t help the smile she gave him in return. He looked incredibly handsome with dark jeans and a black polo with the logo of his hockey team embroidered on it. Drake wasn’t the type to get all dressed up, but he was resourceful and could pull off any outfit he could find.

“You look nice,” he told her before planting a sweet kiss on her cheek.

“Thank you,” she blushed a little. “So do you.”

“Our table is ready.” Drake allowed the hostess to seat them, but stayed near Bragnae on the way over. “I requested a round booth. I hope that’s okay.”

She looked to the corner of the room where they were headed, and saw a big red padded booth in the shape of a half circle. They’d be sitting close, and she couldn’t say that she minded. With whatever Drake had to say, he wanted her to be near him when he said it. It was intimate to say the least.

The hostess gave them both menus and allowed them to settle in. Drake slid in next to Bragnae with about three inches between them. She could smell his woodsy cologne, and it was both comforting and ruggedly sensual. They quickly decided on their meals and made small talk until the waitress came back to take their order.

Drake took a sip of the whiskey the waitress had brought him, getting comfortable in the booth. He shifted slightly to face her. “So, thanks again for letting me take you out tonight. I really wanted to explain more of why I wanted to take things slow with you.”

Bragnae drank the red wine from her stemmed glass as he spoke. “I must admit, I’m quite curious as to your definition of slow considering what we’ve already done.” She gave him a cheeky smile.

Drake chuckled. “I know. It must seem ridiculous to you, but there is a legitimate reason behind it.” He paused to take her in. “I told you that I liked you even before the night of the bet. If I would have acted sooner, we never would have had that threesome with Leo. I would have taken you out like I am now, we would have dated and hopefully gotten along enough that you’d want to be in a relationship with me.”

He inhaled a breath before taking another drink. “I don’t like to share, Bragnae. Women, I mean. The truth is, what I wanted to tell you last Friday was that I want to be with you. Not just for sex, but for much more – a deep, meaningful connection. Hell, we’ve been friends for the better part of a year now. We’ve gotten to know each other on a casual level, and now we have a physical bond as well.”

His hand covered hers in her lap. “I want it all. The friendship, the sex, the relationship. You are an amazing person. Funny. Smart. Sexy. I love hanging out with you, and I think about you more than you know.”

Drake’s words floored her. Everything he was offering her, she wanted. A feeling of regret washed over her that they hadn’t had the opportunity to discuss this on Friday before she kicked him out. If she had allowed him to stay, maybe she wouldn’t have gone out with Leo the next night. Maybe she wouldn’t have made the mistake of liking him more than she had only to get her heart broken.

“I thought I might have to compete with Leo for you. He seemed to be into you as well. If I could ask… is he trying to date you, too?”

She thought about her answer. “No.” She wasn’t lying – Leo wasn’t actively trying to date her, but she also wasn’t ready to tell him of her mistake. Bragnae wasn’t over that hurt yet, plus it wasn’t as if she and Drake were in an exclusive relationship when she slept with Leo. She knew Drake deserved to know at some point, but that was her recent past to share when she was ready.

Drake let out a relieved laugh. “That’s good,” he said, scooting closer. “I want to be with you, and see where things go. And if it feels right, then maybe we’d move forward together.” He brushed a strand of hair away from her face as he stroked her cheek. “I just wanted to make sure you knew that all of this means more to me than just being physical. Just because we started out with a threesome, doesn’t mean I see you as only a girl who does that.” He swallowed, wetting his lips. His eyes imploring her to understand his careful words. “I care about you, Bragnae.”

Wow. He was being honest and direct, and that was refreshing. “I didn’t think you wanted all of that.” She was stunned, still trying to wrap her mind around his professed feelings.

“That’s why I wanted to be clear about this because up until now, you might have thought that I only wanted to get into your pants. And that wasn’t true at all.” He leaned in a bit, staring deeply into her eyes. His hand still cupping her cheek.

Drake was always someone Bragnae could see herself with. He was kind, motivated, and down to earth. So many days had passed since they met that she wanted him to end the suspense and ask her out. So many times she wanted to feel his lips against hers. And when she finally did… when he held her in his big, strong arms, filling her up with undeniable pleasure, she crashed hard into him emotionally as well as physically.

“That’s what I’ve always wanted. Everything you just said.” She felt herself becoming gradually closer to him. Their faces mere inches apart.

He smiled. “Bragnae, I’d consider myself a lucky man if you’d let me be the one to give you what you wanted.” His eyes dropped to her lips as he whispered. “Will you let me do that?”

He had captivated her in every sense. His words surrounded her like a warm, cozy blanket. His gentle touch soothed her aching heart. His incredible scent intoxicated her. She knew then there were no games being played. He was genuine. He wanted her in every way, and she knew she couldn’t deny him.

Bragnae nodded. Her eyes locked on his mouth as he pulled her into a tender kiss. She sank into his soft lips, feeling the warmth and veracity of his affectionate gesture. Drake had kept a consistent dreamy pace that made the world seem to disappear around them. That was, until she heard the sound of plates being set on their table. They broke apart immediately. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Bragnae avoided eye contact with the waitress, smiling down at the table instead. Drake was an amazing kisser, and she couldn’t wait to experience that again.

“Enjoy your meal,” the waitress said before leaving them.

“Thank you,” Drake replied. He looked over at Bragnae, bringing her hand to his lips with a sweet kiss. He smiled and gave her a wink. She blushed as she straightened in her seat to begin eating.

After they finished eating and paying for their meal, Drake took Bragnae’s hand in his and walked out of the restaurant.

“Where’d you park?” He asked.

“Oh, my car’s being a little sketchy right now, so I just grabbed an Uber.”

“My truck is just down the street. Mind if I give you a lift back home?”

She grinned. “Not at all. Thank you.”

After a short walk, Drake opened the passenger door to his truck waiting for her to get into the cab before closing the door. Her heart swelled at his chivalry. This is what being treated with respect feels like. She was jubilant and filled with resonating peace. Walking over to the driver’s side, Drake climbed into the vehicle and started the engine.

As they started the short drive back to her apartment, he reached over to entwine his fingers with hers again.

“I can take a look at your car sometime, if you want,” he told her.

She loved the feeling of their hands combined. Reveled in it even. “I didn’t know you were a mechanic,” she teased.

He chuckled lightly. “I’m not, but I have some skills in that area. I’m pretty good with my hands.” He squeezed hers for emphasis.

She glanced at him, biting her lower lip. “Good to know.” Turning back to look at the street ahead, she smiled. The thought of his hands working magic on her body was thrilling. Bragnae could feel him looking at her, which made her blush even more.

Soon, they arrived at her place. He opened her door again, and she thanked him. They walked hand in hand up to her apartment, when Bragnae turned her back to the door to face him. She wanted to invite him in, but it was a school night, and she intended to not rush them along. Even though opposing thoughts were currently consuming her mind.

“I had a nice time tonight, Drake. Thank you for inviting me out.”

He casually moved in closer, not quite touching her. “Me too. I’m really looking forward to spending more time with you this way.”

The heat in his eyes mixed with sincerity drew her in immediately. Looping her arms around his neck, she stood on her toes to meet him with an eager kiss – the one she wanted to continue since dinner. His hands found her hips and migrated to the small of her back as he gradually pushed her against the door. She moaned in approval as Drake deepened the kiss by parting her lips with his tongue. Warmth started to build between her legs when his mouth moved more ardently with hers.

Lost in the moment, Bragnae suddenly felt the support against her back give way. She stumbled backwards a bit, but Drake caught her before she fell.

“Looks like the date went well,” Madeleine said from within the apartment.

Breathing heavily from being startled, Bragnae looked over her shoulder at her friend who was standing with a hand on her hip and a teasing smirk on her face.

“It was going well until you opened the door.” Half mocking, half serious, she turned back to Drake who just smiled. “I better call it a night.”

He nodded. “Okay. We should do something this weekend though. You can come over to my place. Maybe we can finish that movie.” He flashed a devilish grin.

“I’d like that.” Blatantly aware that Madeleine was still standing there watching them, she wasn’t sure if Drake wanted her to kiss him or not. Luckily he decided that for her by placing a sweet but brief kiss on her lips.

“I’ll call you. Goodnight ladies.”

Bragnae watched him walk down the sidewalk to his truck before heading inside.

“I take it he’s back in your good graces?” Madeleine asked.

Leaning back against the closed door with a dreamy smile on her face, she barely replied. “He sure is.”

~

It worked out that Bragnae was given Sunday night off from work. In an effort to spend more time with Drake without worrying about homework that was due by Monday, she got it finished ahead of time. She was due at his place by three o’clock. Excited to be embarking on a new adventure for herself, she couldn’t ignore the nervous feeling she had on her way over to his apartment. His shared apartment…with Leo.

It had been a full week, and she still hadn’t heard from him. Not that she expected to. What Madeleine said about him made sense even though she refused to believe it at first. She felt a connection between them – more than the physical. There was definitely something more. She was still confused, and admittedly still hurt by his actions, but she had to move on from that. It would be tough not to have the closure she desired, but she had no choice.

Bragnae hoped Leo wouldn’t be around, so she could relax and avoid the awkwardness that would certainly be present between them if they came face to face.

She had been to their place before a few times to hang out. It was smaller than hers and Maddie’s, and set up like a bachelor pad. Beer was always stocked in the fridge, paper plates and plastic utensils were used instead of real ones, and there was always some sort of clothing strewn about. She noticed Leo was more so the messy one. Drake wasn’t a clean freak, but he always seemed to have his things in order.

She knocked on the door, and soon Drake answered it.

“Hey, Bennett.” He smiled. “Come on in.”

As she stepped over the threshold, Drake pulled her into his arms and kissed her firmly. She leaned into him indulging in his lips. It was the sort of kiss that let her know he was happy to see her, and she loved that. When she pulled away, she looked up into his warm eyes feeling comfortable and content.

“Well, hello there.” She kissed him again.

“You want something to drink? Water? Beer?”

She giggled at his options. “Water is just fine. I have a feeling I’m going to need it if we keep kissing like that.”

“Water it is.” Smirking, he turned towards the kitchen. “I’ll grab this, and we can watch TV in my room.”

“Okay.” She walked further into his apartment, cautiously. She looked down the hallway and saw the door to Leo’s room was shut. He normally shut his door whether he was there or not, so she was still in the dark. She decided to wait there until Drake returned.

“Here you go,” he said, handing her the bottle of water. He had grabbed one for himself as well. Then, he led them to his bedroom.

Drake allowed her to step in first. It had a lot of gray tones. His royal purple hockey jersey was displayed over his desk chair, a hockey stick was propped up in the corner of his room, and his skates leaned against the door of his closet. He had a poster of The Rolling Stones on his wall, and another of Wayne Gretsky – ‘The Great One’ of professional hockey. Rock n’ Roll and hockey. Two of his favorite things. She liked that about him, plus enjoyed those things as well.

His queen sized bed was made, and it actually smelled good in his room. He hadn’t lit a candle or anything, but just his natural scent mixed with residual cologne collected in the air. It was comforting, much like it was when she had opportunities to nuzzle in close to him.

He sat down on the bed wearing a t-shirt with his hockey team logo on it, and athletic pants. She loved the casual look on him.

“Please join me,” he told her, waving his hand over his bed.

She removed her shoes and climbed towards the head of the bed where he was already propped up against the pillows with a remote in his hand. Bragnae settled in, leaving a few inches of space between them.

“So, you want to finish The Hangover, or find something else to watch?”

“We can finish the movie. It’s a good one.”

He pulled up Netflix on his 40 inch flat screen that was mounted on the wall, and navigated to the film. He fast forwarded it to the point where they had stopped it a week ago, and pressed play. Drake tossed the remote on the bed side table, and situated himself closer to Bragnae.

Their legs touched, which was already thrilling, but then he rested his hand on her thigh, folding his other arm behind his head. He was getting comfortable, so she decided she would too. Shifting a bit on her side, she curled up next to him, and leaned her head against his shoulder.

Even though they had once been far more intimate, for some reason now she felt a little awkward. She fidgeted with her hands, unsure of where to rest them before finally deciding to tuck them up against his side.

But then Drake shifted. “Here, let’s make this easier.” He moved to face her more with an arm behind her head and his other hand resting on her leg again. “Better?”

She smiled. “Yes. Thank you.”

They both turned to watch the movie, but after a minute or so Bragnae looked back at Drake. His side profile was just as stunning as his front. She admired his strong jaw line and longer brown hair that swept back casually, yet still looked like it was meant to be styled that way. She knew he didn’t fuss over his hair. He wasn’t the type of guy to care, but luckily for him his hair naturally looked good no matter what he did. Even when it was a sweaty mess when he took his helmet off after a hockey game, he still looked desirable. How was that fair?

He must have felt her gaze on him, so he turned to her again. “The movie is that way, Bennett,” he teased.

“Maybe I found something better than caught my attention.” A flirtatious grin appeared across her lips.

He gave her a heated look full of excitement. “Oh, so you want to add a little romance to this comedy, then?” He slid a hand to her side as he pressed his body against hers.

Bragnae scooted herself down a bit so she was laying flatter than before. “You could say that.” Cupping the back of his neck, she brought him down to her as they kissed through smiling lips. Her giggle instantly transformed into a moan when he readjusted to cover her body more with his. Their legs entwined. Their chests connected.

Drake’s fingers found the inch of bare skin between her waistband and shirt, and glided his calloused fingertips over her. His touch inspired goosebumps to prickle up throughout her body. And then, there was his tongue. Slow. Methodic. Sensual. He really did know how to use it in a way that made her melt.

She let her fingers dive into his chestnut locks before skimming over his impressive bicep. She squeezed his muscle, delighting in its firmness. Both of their breaths came fast as the passionate moment grew. After another moment, Drake slowed his kisses and pulled up.

He peered over her hungrily. “What do you want, Bragnae?”

She knew he was asking how far she wanted to go in that moment. Thankfully, he was letting her decide that today instead of halting them altogether. Although she ached for him to crawl inside her again, she didn’t want to rush things. She did that with Leo, and it didn’t turn out well. However, she figured she’d offer up a fun alternative.

“Show me what you can do with your hands, and then I’ll show you what I can do with mine.”

He looked at her another moment until the corners of his mouth curled up mischievously. “Okay. I can definitely work with that.” He bent down to capture her lips again. There was a renewed sense of anticipation now that they both knew the parameters.

Once they got back into the groove, Drake’s hand traveled beneath her shirt until he reached the curve of her breast. He massaged her as she exhaled whimpering moans. Her bra stood in his way, but it still felt nice to have him touch her there.

His hand gradually left her chest while he continued to adore her with his mouth. Her body trembled as his fingers dipped below the elastic of her pants, grazing over her mound until he located her clit. Even over her silky panties, she could feel every tantalizing circle he made around her sensitive parts. Her breath caught in her throat as he finally hit the position with his fingers that made her toes curl. He applied pressure and rubbed against her slowly at first.

Drake pulled up to watch her as he increased his speed. She already missed his lips, but now she was able to concentrate on the pleasure he was providing. The warmth was building fast. She clutched his arm, grabbing at the fabric of his shirt sleeve. Her breath quickened.

“Yes, right there,” she whispered desperately. Her eyes closed to help bring the moment closer. She bit her lip in anticipation, and then she found her release. Bragnae’s back arched, bringing her chin up and exposing her neck as she moaned satisfyingly.

Drake slowed his movements to help her ride out the wave, and then rested his hand against her heat as she grew silent. She exhaled shuddering breaths as she floated in the pleasure high he put her in. He bent down to brush his soft lips against her neck as she recovered from her orgasm.

When she relaxed her body again, she pulled him in for a tender kiss. His playful hand wasn’t finished yet, however. As they continued to kiss, he breached the top of her panty line, and sank his hand against her skin. She throbbed against him savoring the skin to skin contact. He had bypassed her swollen clit and instead circled her soaked entrance.

“I did tell you that I was good with my hands, didn’t I?” He asked confidently.

She exhaled a breathy giggle before focusing on his fingers again.

Drake groaned as he dipped his middle finger inside her. She lazily thrusted her hips to feel him more. After a few slow pumps, his finger dragged up to her clit again, using her own natural wetness as lubrication as he rubbed against her skin once more.

The sensitivity had lessened, so as he touched her now the residual pleasure from before pushed her closer to the edge. He had risen up again, letting his eyes rake over her body as he worked. She braced herself on his arm as her body writhed under his determined fondling. This time, the release unfolded rapidly, causing her head to jerk up as she reached the peak of the mountain.

Her cries this time were even louder than before – the blissful feeling was more intense as well. An involuntary smile came to her lips as she looked up at him.

“It’s such a turn on to watch you come,” he said with a smirk.

Feeling incredibly relaxed and satisfied, she giggled. “Well, thank you for making me do it twice. That was very generous of you.”

He slid his hand out of her panties and rested it on her hip. “I’ll make you come as often as you want me to. Seeing you enjoy that pleasure is worth any effort on my part.”

He had a way with words that made her swoon. She pulled him in for another kiss before gently pushing Drake to his back. She threw a leg over his, still on her side, running a hand against his solid chest. Desperate to see his chiseled physique again, she lifted his shirt to reveal his washboard abs.

“I love your muscles.” She outlined his abs with a single finger.

“That’s what working out and playing hockey will do to you.” His eyes followed her hand.

Bragnae peeked at the growing bulge beyond his waist. Grateful he was wearing pants that allowed her easy access, she let her hand slide teasingly slow until she reached his waistband. As she ran a finger beneath it and across his stomach, Drake’s abs flexed.

She locked her eyes with his and smiled before dipping below his pants and briefs to palm his smooth shaft that was hard and ready for her. She wrapped her delicate fingers around him watching his eyes grow darker and his mouth fall open as his breath hitched.

Bragnae pushed his pants down a bit, allowing his erection to spring up freely. He was long and thick – her fingers couldn’t quite reach around his circumference. And it was beautiful. His cock, as lengthy as it was, stood straight, and was perfectly shaped. She had heard stories from Maddie about some awful looking dicks, but the ones she had seen lately, both Leo and Drake’s, were breathtaking. Both by sight and by the way they felt inside her.

In an effort to get a better angle, Bragnae moved to straddle his thighs so she was perched right in front of his cock. She looked at Drake as she took ahold of him again, this time with both hands. His eyes flicked between hers and what she was doing.

With both hands wrapped around him, she began to slowly stroke his shaft up and then down. Drake let out a shuddering breath as she worked in a slight twist of her soft hands paying extra attention to the tip of him. Her long hair rested over one shoulder, falling in her face as she leaned in to increase her speed. She added a slight bounce of her body against his thighs to enhance the experience for him… and herself.

Judging by the tension in his legs, she could tell it felt good, but something inspired her to offer him more. She raised off his legs and scooted her body down a bit as she moved her face closer to his glorious cock. Her eyes locked with his and she saw excitement and desire, but most of all hope that she’d actually go forward on the path her head was taking.

She smiled before lowering her mouth around the tip of him. Still keeping an eye on his face, she watched as his head fell back and his eyes fluttered shut. She had to open her mouth extra wide to really take him in. Using her hands to help stroke him while her mouth and tongue focused on as much of his length as they could, she could hear him breathing heavier now.

“Fuck. You’re really good at that,” he moaned.

Appreciating the validation of her work, she became even more motivated to give him a good show. With her body in a Downward Dog position, her butt stood in the air while her head bobbed up and down. He completely filled her mouth. Her jaw was becoming tired, but she knew it wouldn’t last much longer. Drake had started to thrust his hips beneath her letting her know he was enjoying it.

“That’s it, Bragnae,” he panted. “I’m gonna come.”

Two seconds later, she felt the rush of his hot seed pouring into her mouth. She worked her lips around him until she felt the tension in his body dissipate. Taking every drop he gave her, she swallowed and wiped her mouth before sitting up to face him.

His head was back against the pillows, his eyes shut and the hint of a smile rested on his lips. “Jesus Christ. That felt amazing.” She grinned, tucking him back into his pants.

After another restful moment, his eyes found hers again. “No fair. I didn’t get to use my mouth and tongue.”

She shrugged with a playful smirk. “You gave me two. The least I could do was give you one really good one.”

“I’ll get you next time,” he said with a wink, sitting up to pull her into a crashing kiss. When she pulled away, a surprised expression highlighted her face. “What’s that look for?”

“I just didn’t think you’d want to kiss me after that.” Some of the guys she performed that on in the past had asked her to wash her mouth out first before they kissed again. It didn’t make her feel that great, but she kind of understood why. Although, it never bothered her when they’d want to kiss after reciprocating the effort.

“I’m not one of those assholes.” He stroked his thumb across her cheek. “Plus, there’s a reason why it’s called a job, Bragnae. It’s hard work, and I wanted you to know I appreciated it.”

Smiling, she nuzzled her face against his while he wrapped his arms around her. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I almost unhinged my jaw trying to fit you in.”

Drake laughed. “Well, it worked. It felt incredible, and it was so hot watching you do it.”

“Good.” Feeling pleased with herself and content in his arms, she shifted her head to reach his lips again. She loved the way he kissed so passionately. Even when it was slow and soft, she could feel how heartfelt it was.

“Now, I’m hungry. Want to order Chinese for dinner?”

“Hell yeah!” She excitedly hopped off of him and the bed after he gave her a playful smack on her bottom.

They left his room and went to the kitchen. Drake led her to a drawer that housed menus from various restaurants nearby. Once he retrieved the one he wanted, he splayed the menu over the counter and allowed her to step up to view it.

Bragnae leaned against the counter’s edge looking through the numerous options on the Chinese restaurant’s menu. Drake stood behind her, affectionately keeping her in place with both hands braced on the counter. He was certainly tall enough to look over her shoulder to read at the same time. She liked the feeling of him standing so close and pressing into her. It sent tingles down her spine.

“What sounds good?” He asked, pulling her hair to one side, and laying gentle kisses on her exposed neck.

Her eyes fluttered a bit, and her knees grew weak, but despite the distraction, she steadied herself. “Fried rice is always a good choice.”

“Yeah?” He began to nip at her neck. “With chicken?”

“Mmhmm,” she replied lazily as he kissed the crevice between her neck and jaw.

“What else?”

Her breath quickened. She was enjoying the sensuous movement of his mouth against her skin too much to concentrate on the conversation. Overcome with the urge to kiss him, she spun around and seized his lips. Drake propped her up on the counter, and stood between her widened legs as they kissed more fervently.

“Hey, I got us more beer,” Leo spoke loudly into the apartment as he rounded the corner to the kitchen. “Oh, sorry, bro. I didn’t realize…” his voice trailed off.

Startled by the sound of his voice, Bragnae broke their kiss, and looked behind her to see Leo standing on the other side of the counter. Drake chuckled, but humor was the last thing on her mind. She slid off the counter and faced him. Drake stood behind her again like he did before.

Leo looked stunned. “Bragnae… hi.” It took a long moment before he finally peeled his eyes away from her and landed on Drake instead. “So, are you two a thing, now?” He watched carefully and waited for a response while slowly removing a beer from the case he had just placed on the counter.

Drake squeezed Bragnae’s arm prompting her to look up at him. He smiled and turned back to Leo. “Yeah, I’d say so. A new thing.”

Turning her attention back to Leo, she noticed the muscle in his jaw twitch at Drake’s reply.

Ringing came from Drake’s pocket suddenly, so he retrieved his phone. “It’s my coach. I’ve gotta take this.” He walked off towards the living room leaving Bragnae and Leo to continue staring each other down in the kitchen.

Leo twisted off the cap to the beer in his hand, and took a drink. There was something different in his eyes today compared to the last time she saw him. A week ago, he was avoidant, uncaring and somewhat callous. Now, she saw regret and maybe a little jealousy in his eyes.

Seeing him now made it hurt all over again. She didn’t get the closure she needed from him since he was the one who decided to abruptly end whatever it was that they had without her consent or acceptance. But not wanting him to see that, she decided to take control of the conversation.

“We were about to order Chinese. Do you want some?” Her eyes never left his.

He stood there in contemplative silence for another moment. “No, thanks.” Leo brought the case of beer over to the fridge. After closing the door, he hesitated and opened it again to grab two more beers. “I’m just going to hang out in my room.”

Without another look, he headed off down the hallway to his room, and shut the door behind him. Bragnae fumed inside. He was the one who decided not to hang out with her or call her anymore. So, why the hell was he being so standoffish? What right did he have to still be this self-important? He couldn’t even make small talk with her without running off like the immature little boy that he was.

With her starting to date Drake, she knew this wouldn’t be the last time she’d hang out in their apartment. And Leo would just have to get used to that. She would too, if she were being honest. They were friends before all of this, and now he ruined it. Standing with her back against the counter, she crossed her arms over her chest as she waited for Drake to be done with his phone call.

“Sorry, Bragnae. That was my hockey coach.” Drake set his phone down on the counter, and pulled her in for a sweet kiss, which lifted the raincloud that came in with Leo.

“What did he have to say?”

“He wants me to go to this hockey camp to get ready for the season. Its two weeks long, and about two hours from here.”

“Oh,” she replied. She was disappointed he’d have to be away so soon after they started dating. “When do you have to leave?”

“This Friday after school.”

With the hockey season starting up next month anyway, she figured he’d be busier. “Well, that sounds exciting for you. I’m glad you get to do it, but I’m kind of sad that you’ll be away those two weeks.”

He wrapped his arms tighter around her. “Me too. But we’ll make the most of it.”

Part 2: The Pizza Place

“I’m going to jump in your shower, Bragnae.” Leo pulled himself out of her, giving her a quick swat on her bottom before retrieving his clothes and heading to the bathroom.

There was immediate relief from the fullness she felt before now that Leo had vacated her back door. Without an extra set of hands to help hold her up, Drake shifted his arms to support her entirely. She gave him an impressed, sensual look before wrapping her legs around his waist to assist him.

Bragnae felt like putty in his arms. She had just had one of the best sexual experiences of her life, and even though the men did most of the work – okay, all of it, she could barely move except to hold onto Drake’s neck and shoulders as he walked over to her bed.

Drake slowly lowered them both to the lavender bedspread. She unhooked her legs as he finally broke their intimate connection. She already missed the feeling of him being inside her.

When she thought he’d stand up again, Drake surprised her by dipping down to kiss her, slowly and with a tenderness that could soften steel. Bragnae ran a hand through his chestnut hair, and pressed her palm into his back to hold him close.

After another moment of getting lost in his gentle but deep kisses, he raised his head again, keeping his eyes on hers.

“How do you feel?” He whispered.

A slow, dazed smile crossed over her lips. “Wonderful.” She felt ravaged, and definitely sore, but her answer came from the warm and beautiful moment she just shared with Drake. The way he thoughtfully carried her to the bed instead of just letting her awkwardly dismount from his arms meant something. He was sweet, considerate, and something about him told her his feelings ran deeper than just wanting to engage in an impromptu threesome with her.

He grinned. “Me too.” His eyes flicked to her lips, and just as he leaned in for another kiss, the sound of the shower’s faucet turning off caught their attention.

She watched Drake’s eyes look to the bathroom with a sudden alertness before he returned his attention to her. “I better get dressed.” He stood, taking a blanket from the foot of the bed and draping it over her before he reached for his clothes.

Bragnae gripped the blanket to keep herself covered as she sat up against the pillows. Drake got dressed in silence, looking over at her once his lower half was clothed. He opened his mouth to speak just as Leo reemerged into the room fully dressed. Drake immediately looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Damn, bro, you take a long time to get dressed.” Leo said as he traipsed over towards the bed. Drake ignored his comment and proceeded to put the rest of his clothes on.

Leo tossed himself on the bed next to her, bouncing both of them on the mattress, making her giggle at his child-like behavior. “I had a great time tonight, Bragnae.” He moved a lock of hair out of her face. “Was it everything you thought it could be?”

“It was better than anything I could have imagined. You two are very talented.”

Leo patted her leg over the blanket. “I knew you’d like it. I’m certainly glad I suggested it. You are one scorching hot babe.” He leaned in to capture her lips, catching her a little off guard. When he pulled away, Bragnae noticed Drake looking at them with uncertainty in his eyes. Leo blew out a whistle. “Love those full lips, too. Damn.”

Leo kissed her again before abruptly leaping off the bed. “Come on, Drake. You ready? Let’s get something to eat on the way home.”

The vibe Drake was giving off made Bragnae unexpectedly feel guilty for the way Leo kissed her. Just minutes ago, the act of having a threesome with the two men, kissing them both and letting them share her was acceptable. But now, it seemed as if that was no longer appropriate, or at least to Drake it wasn’t.

The way Drake had kissed her while Leo was in the shower was incredible and definitely resembled more than just a post-coital kiss still wrapped up in the passion of it all. It had gravity. It meant something. Whereas Leo’s just now was playful and light-hearted. A drastic difference just like everything else they had showcased that night.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go.” Drake sighed.

Bragnae got off the bed, wrapped the blanket tightly around her, and walked the guys to the front door.

“Later, Bragnae,” Leo said before leaving her apartment.

Drake’s stride was slower than usual as he reached the door. She wanted him to stay, even if it was a few seconds longer, so she’d try her best to draw it out. She ran a gentle hand down his back. “Be safe driving home.”

He turned his head to look at her. Hesitation struck. “Thanks for having us over.”

She didn’t know what to say. The usual response to that statement ‘anytime’ seemed wrong at the moment, not to mention she wasn’t sure she wanted to welcome that kind of attention to herself again. One threesome in her life was plenty. She wasn’t the type of girl to engage in sex with two partners at once on a regular basis. She agreed to do this thinking it’d be a one-time thing, among other reasons.

Bragnae nodded and smiled awkwardly. They stared at each other for another moment, saying nothing. She wouldn’t have minded another kiss from Drake, but wasn’t sure how he’d take it. Would he assume she was just indulging in him because of what they just did? Or would he know that a kiss between them would mean more? She decided not to pursue it.

“I’ll talk to you soon. Goodnight, Bennett.”

“Goodnight, Drake.” With one last look, he turned to leave.

~

The next day, Bragnae stopped at the campus cafeteria to grab a drink before her next class. It was Friday, and luckily she only had Astronomy left to attend before she could start her three day weekend. It was her favorite class this semester, and she loved her professor. Although, she’d told Madeleine she’d cover the first half of her shift at the pizza parlor where they both worked, which prohibited her from getting a jump on the weekend. Luckily, she enjoyed her job, so it wasn’t such a burden.

As she rifled through her purse for some change, she heard a familiar voice call her name. She looked up to see Drake approaching her.

“Hey, Drake. How’s it going?” She smiled at him casually, but felt flush suddenly remembering their intimate experience last night. She wasn’t sure if things would be awkward with him, but she was at least glad he was coming up to speak with her now.

“Good. Just finished a test in Chemistry. Shit was hard.” He adjusted his backpack that hung on one of his broad shoulders. “You done for the day?”

She shook her head. “I have to do a presentation on the moon in Astronomy, but then I’m finished. I was just going to grab a drink before class.”

“Oh, I’ll walk with you, if that’s cool. Chemistry was my last class, so I’m done,” Drake offered.

“That’d be nice.” Bragnae reached into her purse to finish collecting a few quarters that had fallen to the bottom, and walked over to a cooler pulling out a vitamin water. After paying for it, she and Drake headed out of the cafeteria.

There was still another twenty minutes before her class began giving Bragnae a nice opportunity to talk with Drake. Ever since he left last night, he had been on her mind. The threesome she had with Leo and Drake was intense and amazing, but it was completely out of character for her.

She was in college now, her senior year – theirs too, and she wrote it off as sewing wild oats. With both gorgeous men staring her down across the pool table last night willing her to agree to Leo’s bright idea, it was hard to say no. She made a deal with herself before leaving for college that she’d be more adventurous and open to new ideas. That just so happened to translate to sleeping with two men at the same time.

Bragnae didn’t regret it, but she did feel different. She liked both guys, and had wanted to get close to either of them, but until last night, neither one had made a move. Drake and Leo were good friends and roommates, so she didn’t feel right going after one and not the other. Turned out they compromised and shared her anyway – for last night at least. How would she navigate it now if they both had wanted more?

“So,” she began. “Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?”

“I just have an early shift at the rink tomorrow. Other than that, not much going on.” Drake worked at the local ice rink. He bounced around doing different jobs like monitoring skaters on the ice and driving the Zamboni in between events. He was a hockey player, so the owner would give him time to practice on the rink during breaks and after hours. Bragnae had gone to hang out with him a few times.

“That’s good. It’s nice to have a low-key weekend every now and then.” Drake held the door for her as they stepped inside the Science Building. Bragnae’s classroom was right around the corner. She stopped in the middle of the pathway where a few benches were and turned to face him.

“So, do work tonight?” He asked.

“I do, but only until 8:00pm. I’m covering for Madeleine. I took the rest of the weekend off so I could enjoy three days of no work and no school.” She watched as Drake nodded, looking down at the ground as if he was disappointed. “Did you want to do something tonight? With me, I mean.”

His eyes lit up as they found hers again. He rubbed the back of his neck as he prepared a response. “Actually, I was going to ask you if you wanted to hang out. Maybe watch a movie or something. But you’ll probably be tired from work.”

“No, it’s fine. Why don’t you come over to my place around 8:30pm, and we can check out what Netflix has to offer. I’ll even bring a pizza home with me. Sound good?”

Drake grinned. “That sounds perfect.”

“Great. Any particular pizza you’re hoping for?”

“Whatever you bring home is fine. Thanks.”

She nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you tonight, then.” There was an awkward vibe suddenly. Bragnae wanted to stand there with him for a few more minutes, but she did have to prepare some notes before her presentation. And Drake didn’t seem to want to go either.

“Looking forward to it. Good luck with your presentation.”

“Thank you,” she smiled, slowly turning away from him. Bragnae was glad Drake wanted to spend time with her again so soon. She feared everything would be awkward after last night, but she was grateful he wasn’t letting it stand in the way of their friendship… or whatever their status was now. She’d hoped to find out soon.

~

Michelangelo’s was packed like it was every Friday night. It was in the heart of the college town where students could walk or drive to it easily from their dorms or apartments. Bragnae usually waited on tables and answered the phone, but would occasionally help make the pizzas if they were short staffed. She had worked there ever since she was a freshmen, so she had gotten to know each position of the restaurant very well. Tonight, she had to cover it all.

The pizza parlor was quaint. There were ten tables inside with a small patio in the back that had more seating. Michelangelo’s served beer and soda, and prided themselves on having the best brick oven pizza in town. The owner was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan, hence the name of the restaurant, so there were turtle action figures in display cases, comic book covers and other décor that hung on the walls. It was a popular establishment earning the loving nickname of ‘Mikey’s’ from the locals.

It was 7:30pm and the dinner rush was in full force. For such a tiny building, it could hold a lot of people and a lot of noise. Bragnae popped in the kitchen to place her pizza order to take home, and ran back out to take a new table’s order.

As she walked through the crowd she came up to a table with two guys. The one she could see had shorter brown hair that was styled into a nice faux-hawk. She hadn’t seen him before, but he was cute.

“Hey, welcome to Mikey’s. My name is Bragnae. What can I get you to drink?”

“Bragnae!”

She looked to the second guy who had been hidden by the tall booth before. “Leo! Hey!” She wore a bright smile that he reciprocated.

“I didn’t know you were working tonight,” he said, letting his eyes trail down her body.

“Yeah, I’m covering for Madeleine for the next,” she tilted her wrist, “twenty-five minutes.”

Leo shifted in the booth leaning against the wall and relaxing an arm on the table top. “Well, then you should join us when you’re finished. Oh! This is my friend Maxwell. Maxwell meet Bragnae.”

She extended her hand to shake his. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

Bragnae turned her attention back to Leo. “I’d love to, but I have plans once I’m done here.”

“What a shame,” he said, truly looking like he was disappointed. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

Grinning, she answered, “I haven’t decided yet.”

Leo leaned forward in the booth. “Well, maybe I’ll call you, and we can find something fun to do.”

“Sure, I’d like that.” She and Leo smiled at each other for another moment until Maxwell cleared his throat. Bragnae chuckled at herself. “So, what can I get you guys?”

“Two beers and a large sausage,” Leo told her, then looked across the table. “What will you have Maxwell?”

Bragnae guffawed. “Where the hell do you put all that, Leo?” She shook her head in amazement as he playfully shrugged, then looked to Maxwell.

“I’ll have the same, but make mine pepperoni.”

“Sounds great. I’ll be right back with your beers.” She gave them each a smile, and headed back to the kitchen to place their order before going to the bar to fill the drinks herself.

Placing the four beers on a tray, she carefully maneuvered her way back to Leo and Maxwell’s table. After she transferred them all to the wooden surface she picked up her tray, and felt a hard slap on her butt. Before she could react, Leo flew out of the booth. Bragnae turned in time to see him grabbing some guy by his shirt before slugging him in the face.

She gasped as the guy fell to the ground looking dazed. Leo bent down to pick him up again. Both fists gripping the fabric of his shirt.

“Don’t touch her again, asshole.” Leo gave him a violent shove towards the door. The guy’s friends followed him out of the restaurant, looking back at Leo with awe and disgust. They had obviously been drinking and chose the wise course of not pursuing any retaliation.

Leo’s hands lightly cupped her waist, standing close to her because of the crowd. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she said without really thinking about it. Then she nodded. “Thank you. Unfortunately, that happens about once a week.”

“That’s fucked up. What do you do about it when I’m not around?” His hands tightened around her making her feel utterly safe.

“Not that. If the manager sees it, he’ll kick them out, but I usually tell them to fuck off. Then, I keep my distance.” She swallowed looking up into his bright blue eyes.

“Well, you need to do more than that. I’ll teach you sometime.”

“Okay, thanks.” She smiled. It was nice to have someone stand up for her like that, and even nicer to feel Leo’s hands on her.

“You’re welcome.” He moved to sit down in the booth again.

“I’ll go check on your pizzas.” Bragnae stopped by a few other tables before making her way back to the kitchen. It was almost time to go.

Madeleine walked through the back door, stringing an apron around her waist before walking over to Bragnae. “Thanks for covering for me. Any tables I need to finish out for you?”

Bragnae removed her own apron, and boxed the pizza she was bringing home. “Yeah. Leo’s here with a friend. They’re waiting on a large pepperoni and sausage at table 3. And tables 5, 8, and 10 have their checks.”

“Okay, cool. I’ll bring your tips home later. It’ll be after midnight though,” Madeleine told her as she checked on the two pizzas for Leo’s table. Madeleine was Bragnae’s roommate, and had been since they were able to move out of the dorms sophomore year. They were very different in a lot of ways, but she had become a good friend to Bragnae. Reliable and fun even if she was a little self-centered sometimes.

“Thanks, girl! I’ll grab it from you tomorrow.” Bragnae grabbed the pizza box and her purse and walked out towards the front. She swung by Leo’s table to say goodbye, and left the restaurant.

The pizza parlor was a two minute drive back to her apartment. She could have walked, and sometimes she did, but she was always cautious about walking the streets at night especially on the weekends when the drinks were plenty and lots of guys were looking to get laid. She’d had an instance of a few guys catcalling her one night when she walked home, and they got a little too close for comfort. It was then she decided not to take any chances.

Her apartment was on the first floor, which she appreciated after long days at work and school. Once inside, she sat the pizza on the kitchen counter, and rushed to change out of her work t-shirt and jeans, and into a teal spaghetti strap top and black leggings. She took her hair down, primping it to add more volume, and spritz some perfume on her chest and at the base of her neck under her hair.

She was grateful for the extra time to prepare for Drake’s arrival. The man was always punctual. Touching up her make-up, she heard a knock at the door. She quickly rolled some gloss over her lips and went to door, opening it to see Drake standing there wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, and a six-pack of beer in his hand.

Part 7: The Keys

“Do you have everything you need? Did you get all of your assignments from your professors?” Bragnae asked while Drake zipped up his big duffle bag. It was the night before he was supposed to leave for the hockey camp. She took the night off from work so they could spend time together after school before he had to leave the next day.

“Yep. I got it all,” he said, walking over to kiss her on the forehead. “Thanks for double checking.”

“Well, you don’t want to fall behind with school. You’re so close to graduating.” She looped her arms around his neck.

His hands were immediately drawn to her hips keeping her close. “I’ll be fine, Miss Goodie Two-Shoes.” Drake smirked as she rolled her eyes at him. Bending down, he captured her lips in a playful kiss.

Two weeks without being able to see Drake in person would be tough, especially in the beginning of their blossoming relationship. He was constantly on her mind, and they didn’t get much time to spend with each other over the past few days because of Bragnae’s work schedule. She was pleasantly surprised when Drake showed up at Mikey’s on Tuesday night with a friend. She liked the effort he put into seeing her even while she was working.

“I’m going to miss you.” Damn it. She didn’t want to say that, thinking it was too soon in the relationship to mention.

He brushed a wisp of hair out of her face. “I’ll miss you, too.” He smiled. “Believe me, I don’t want to leave you for two weeks. But I’ll call you tomorrow night when I get there, and we’ll find ways to talk while I’m gone.”

Bragnae rose up to kiss him again. “I can’t believe you’re making me go two weeks without these lips.”

“I’ll be back before you know it, kissing you all night long.” They melted into another deep kiss that heightened her senses. She knew he was giving her something to remember him by.

~

It was Wednesday, and Drake had already spent a few days away at the hockey camp. He called her like he promised, and they had a few good conversations that brought them closer. They weren’t just the superficial things any two people could discuss. Their talks would lead deeper and more meaningful with each one. It was nice to get to know him better, and perhaps having him out of her reach allowed them to do so. Being physically apart, they could focus on their personalities instead of getting distracted by how well they could kiss or touch one another.

Bragnae finished reading a text from Drake. He said he had finished one practice already, but now was in the gym working out with still another practice before the day was over. She sent him a cute, go-get-‘em type of reply, and plopped her phone back into her purse. In between classes, she had taken a seat on a concrete bench outside to eat a quick lunch and to enjoy the fresh air.

Looking at her watch, she decided it was time to head to her next class. She got up to take her trash to a garbage can nearby. When she turned to face it, she saw Leo standing there. Her feet halted her in place. He was looking at her with an almost pleading expression.

Bragnae didn’t have time for his games. Her class begun in twenty minutes, and plus, she didn’t want him to detect an ounce of hurt on her face. Seeing him last Sunday didn’t help the wound that still tore her apart. She had chosen to take a fun risk when she agreed to the threesome with him and Drake. That she could accept as a one-nighter with no attached feelings or expectations. But when he pursued her and said all those wonderful things… when he made her feel beautiful and cared about, she took that intimate moment to mean more. And it hurt her so much to realize he didn’t feel the same way about it.

Keeping her eyes on the trash can, she hurried her steps to look as if she was in a rush in hopes that he’d leave her alone.

“Hi, Bragnae.” His voice was soft and cautious.

“Hi,” she said dismissively, throwing her garbage away. Immediately following, she turned in the opposite direction, but then he spoke again.

“Can we talk?” He asked from behind her. She could hear his footsteps trying to keep up with hers.

“I’ve got to get to class.” She said firmly, keeping her head straight forward.

Leo must have taken bigger strides because he was suddenly in front of her causing her to stop walking. “I want to talk about what happened between us.”

Bragnae scoffed. “Oh, now you want to talk about it? Is it, perhaps, because you saw that I’m with Drake now? And that you lost the opportunity to be with me? Is that it?” Her eyes narrowed at him as she waited for his response.

He sighed, looking down at the ground briefly before returning his attention to her. “That’s not exactly the reason, but it has something to do with it.”

Her eyes scanned his face. He had the nerve to look sad – sad like a lost puppy. She wasn’t buying it. All of the hurt and anger inside her bubbled to the surface. Bragnae took a step closer to him. “I was wrong about you, Leo. You’re not the sexy bad boy I thought you were.” She paused, seeing a hint of hope in his eyes. “You’re just a bad guy. You had your chance to talk to me, and you blew it.”

His face falling was the last thing she saw before pivoting towards the direction of the building that housed her next class. Her body shook and her heart raced from the confrontation. She’d be lying if she told herself she wasn’t curious about what he had to say to her, but he had ample opportunities before now to do it. And that infuriated her. Was she just supposed to wait around for him to finally make a decision as to when he wanted to talk to her? She deserved better, and she had better now that she was with Drake.

Luckily, he hadn’t followed her, but he had done enough. Even with that short conversation, Leo had warped her mind for the rest of the day.

~

Later that evening, Bragnae was finishing up some homework when Drake called her. She remembered he had that extra practice, so she had texted him earlier to call her when he was free. She couldn’t wait to talk to him, plus she needed him to lift her spirits after seeing Leo.

“Hey, you,” she said gleefully as she answered the phone.

“Hey, Bennett. How’s it going?”

She exhaled a breath. “Just peachy.” Now definitely wasn’t the time to tell him about Leo. She didn’t want to have that conversation over the phone, and didn’t want to distract him while he was at his camp. “How was practice today?”

“Intense. Our coach is really pushing us hard to get ready for the season.” She could hear him sigh. “I’ve been thinking about you all day. Wish you were here right now.”

Almost a week since she’d last seen him, she really missed him. “I wish I was too.” An idea immediately dawned on her. “Hey, Drake?”

“Yeah?”

“I have Saturday off work. Maybe I could drive up to see you. You know, only if you wanted me to.” She hoped she wasn’t being too forward.

“Bragnae, I’d love it if you did.” She heard a rustling of papers on the other end. “I have practice sessions until three o’clock on Saturday, but then I’m free for the rest of the night. Want to meet me at the arena around that time?”

She smiled brightly. It felt wonderful to know he wasn’t opposed to the idea. A few of her past boyfriends would have taken her suggestion as moving too fast, but not Drake. She loved that. “Of course!”

“Awesome. I can’t fucking wait.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “You should take my truck instead of your car, though. I didn’t get a chance to look at it yet, and you’ll need something reliable to get here.”

Feeling a bit stunned by his offer, she took an extra moment to think about it. “That’s… a great idea. I hadn’t thought about my car not making it.” Thoughts raced in her mind. “Oh, how am I going to get your keys?”

“Easy,” he told her. “I’ll just ask Leo when he’ll be home, and he can give them to you sometime before you leave.”

Her eyes closed in disappointment. That meant she’d have to face him again, and she knew he’d try to talk with her. She wondered if this trip to see Drake was worth another confrontation with Leo. He had worked her up into a frazzled mess with the little she allowed him to say to her today. She could just imagine how she’d handle it again, which was to say poorly. Deciding Drake was, indeed, worth another round of being mentally fucked over, she agreed.

“Sounds good. I work tomorrow and Friday, but I could pick it up on Saturday around 10:00am if that works for him.” Bragnae gritted her teeth. This was yet another thing she’d have to rely on Leo for that could backfire on her, and she hated it.

“Alright. I’ll let you know what he says.”

~

With a new paper to work on and two shifts at Mikey’s, the rest of the week went by fast. It was Saturday morning, and she was freshly showered, and had a small bag of just-in-case items packed for the trip. Drake told her he was rooming with a fellow hockey player at their hotel, so she couldn’t stay with him overnight – and that was fine by her. Staying the night could have led to them having sex, and she still felt they should wait – at least until he came back home where they could take their time and make it special.

Bragnae was both looking forward to and dreading this day. When her brain ran down the list of her to-do tasks before she had to leave, nervous butterflies would flutter in her stomach. In order to get to Drake, she’d have to go through Leo first. She didn’t sleep soundly last night because of the thought of having to see him again.

She had arranged an Uber to pick her up and take her to Drake and Leo’s apartment. With a purse and small tote bag in tow, she climbed in and was chauffeured to her destination.

Taking a few deep breaths, Bragnae walked up to their apartment and knocked three times. As she waited, her hands fidgeted with the handle of her tote bag. Soon, she heard the locks being turned, and straightened her posture to prepare herself to see him.

Leo opened the door, flashing a bright smile at her forgetting himself. Her stony expression must have reminded him she wasn’t equally happy to see him. “Hi, Bragnae. Come on in.”

Her leg twitched in the forward motion, but her brain took over before it could act. “Actually, I’m just here for Drake’s keys. I can wait here.”

“I know. It will only take a second. Just come in.” His insistence was casual. It wasn’t the pleading tone he had earlier in the week when they were at school.

Against her better judgment, she sighed before walking into the apartment. He shut the door behind her, and then disappeared into Drake’s room. Her grip on the bag’s handle grew tighter while her body became tense as well. He was gone just long enough for her to regret her decision to be there.

“Here they are,” he said walking towards her at a deliberately slower pace.

“Thank you,” she said reaching out for them, only to be surprised when he pulled them back with hesitation. “Leo, what are you doing? May I have the keys, please?”

He looked at her trying to decide something before he slipped the keys in the front pocket of his jeans. She sighed again, shaking her head as her eyes shifted away from him. “Bragnae, I really need to talk to you.”

“I knew you were going to do this.” She turned to him again. Her tone was full of disappointment and frustration, but it did lack the anger that fueled her words during their first confrontation. “Please, just give me the keys. I have somewhere to be.”

He took a step closer to her. “Come on. You’ve got a few minutes to spare, don’t you? Just hear me out, and then I’ll give you the keys.”

It irked her to have to admit that she did have spare time. Drake was only two hours away, but she wanted to give herself extra time to fill the truck up with gas, if needed, and take her time finding the arena he practiced in since she’d never been there before. Her damned curiosity piqued again, and she felt herself warming up to the idea of hearing what he wanted to tell her.

“Okay, fine.”

“Can we take a seat in the living room?” He held out a hand for her to join him, but she just brushed past him instead. She dropped her bags by the side of the couch and sat down. He followed a few seconds later.

Not wanting to waste any more time there, or worse, letting him dredge up her feelings for him, exposing all of her weaknesses, she decided to speak first. “So, enlighten me, Leo.” She turned to him coldly. “Tell me your version of what happened between us. Because from where I’m sitting, I can already tell you it’s a completely different story.”

Leo adjusted on the cushion to face her more. He inhaled a deep breath before he spoke. “I know what I did to you was wrong. It felt wrong… and I didn’t mean to hurt you that way.”

She glared at him. “How could you say you didn’t mean to hurt me when you knew it was wrong to just ditch me after we had sex? I mean, for God’s sake, it was like a freaking switch had been turned off inside you.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but took another moment to think of a response. “Bragnae, I want to explain this to you, but I need you to hear me out. I’m going to sound like a real asshole, but I just need the chance to say it without you dissecting everything in between.”

She narrowed her eyes, but sat back against the arm of the sofa. He wasn’t really in the position to make demands of the conversation, but if she wanted to get this over with, she’d let him say his peace. She waved an impatient hand in front of her to get him to continue.

“Thank you.” He visibly relaxed. “The night we had at the club was unforgettable. I really enjoyed being with you.” He swallowed to give himself a moment. “Look, it’s no secret that I don’t really do relationships. I’ve conditioned myself to just… have a good time, and then move on. I can’t say that wasn’t my intention with you in the beginning, but then we became friends. We got to know each other. And that was different for me. I don’t have friends who are girls. Not like you.”

He looked to the sofa cushion for courage. “After the night of the bet, I thought I’d be satisfied that I was finally able to be with you. But I wasn’t. Even though Drake was there too, I felt something spark between us. And when I took you to the club, and we had sex,” he paused to reflect on the memory. “It shook me. That whole day was amazing with you. And then watching you fall apart in my arms, I felt drawn to you. Like I wanted to keep seeing you day after day, making you come, making you smile. I… wanted more than just that night. And it scared me.”

“Why would being with me be so bad? Why would it scare you?” Leo was revealing raw emotions with her for the first time. She had never seen him like that.

He exhaled another breath, cracking his knuckles as he prepared to speak. “When I was a senior in high school, I had been dating this one girl for about a year. We were very close, and I even told her that I loved her. We had talked about going to the same college, and being together forever. And then one day, she broke up with me. She told me she was going to a different college and thought it was best that we break it off, so we could start fresh somewhere else.”

Bragnae felt empathy towards him. Break ups were hard, especially when a lot of time and feelings were invested.

“That devastated me. It just made me feel like I meant nothing to her. All those talks, all of our plans. I had no idea what I did to make her change her mind, but she didn’t let me in on it. She broke up with me with ease. Not a single tear was shed. I didn’t even get a goodbye hug from her.” He squeezed his eyes shut and grimaced as he seemingly fought back the rush of painful memories.

“So, I decided then that I wouldn’t allow myself to get hurt like that again. Before any girl could pull me into an emotional trap, I’d have my fun and then I’d leave her. It was the only way I knew how to protect myself. It took a good year and a lot of different women to help me get over my ex. I didn’t ever want to go through that pain again.”

She understood him better now. Not that she condoned his actions, but she understood.

“And the night at the club with you, right after I came harder than I’ve ever come before, I looked into your eyes and felt the same feelings I had for my ex before she ended things. Only this time, it was much more. I really like you, Bragnae, but having that familiar feeling creep back into my life made me want to run. If I allowed you to pull me in – even more than you’d already done – there was a chance I’d get hurt again. So, I shamefully pushed you away.”

Bragnae hated his ex for hurting him this way, but in the end it was Leo who could make the choice to move on from it instead of letting the past dictate his life.

“Leo, how many women are needed to get you to take a risk with your heart again? You are missing out on so much because you’re afraid of being hurt. If you would have just allowed yourself to feel what your heart was telling you that night at the club,” she paused, feeling emotion creep into her throat. “Things could have been very different.”

He moved closer to her on the sofa. “I know.” He picked up her hand, sandwiching it between his. “And when I saw you kissing Drake the other night, all I could think about was how mad I was at myself for missing the chance to be with you. I’ve thought of you every day since we were together. I can’t deny my feelings for you, Bragnae. Not when they’re this strong.”

His ocean blue eyes peered deep within her. They looked at each other in silence for another moment as he brought her hand up to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the back of it. “I was an idiot. You didn’t deserve that."

Her eyes glistened. “No, I didn’t,” she whispered.

Seeing the effect his words had on her, Leo slowly shifted towards her again. He extended a cautious arm so he could cup her cheek. “I’m so sorry, Bragnae.”

Her breath had quickened during his speech. She believed every word he said. There was nothing on his face that implied he was lying or making excuses. And she could feel their shared pain weighing heavily on her heart.

“What can I do to make this right for you?” The pleading look was back in his eyes.

“I really needed to hear this, Leo. It makes complete sense, and I’m sorry that you were hurt so deeply in the past.” She pulled her hand gently out of his grip. “I wish you would have told me about this that night at the club. I could have helped you through it. But you chose fear over your desire to be with me, and I am no one’s second choice.” She stood to gather her bags. As she blinked her eyes, rogue tears fell down her cheeks.

“Bragnae, please don’t go. Wait.” He grabbed for her arm, but she moved out of his grip.

“Thank you for finally telling me this, but I have to go. May I please have Drake’s keys?” She held her arm out with an open hand.

He sighed, fishing in his pocket for the keys. He pulled them out and dropped them into her hand. Leo quickly covered her hand with his, looking at her with a regretful and hurt expression.

Part 8: The Locker Room

Bragnae arrived at the practice arena fifteen minutes before Drake’s practice was supposed to be over. The drive up went fast with her mind being as occupied as it was. She went over everything Leo told her again and again. It was such a shame he had to endure such heartache before, but he could have turned it around for himself. He could have made a vow not to hurt women the way he was, but for some reason, he felt using them for his needs would be the easiest way around his pain.

Even though he knew he hurt her for what he did, Leo still didn’t know the magnitude in which she suffered from his actions. She was glad she didn’t have time to tell him that earlier, and maybe he never needed to know. But, the fact remained that he hurt her very deeply and ruined his own chance at being happy again.

She turned off the engine of Drake’s truck, grabbed her purse, and headed up the sidewalk to the building. When she walked in, the cool air immediately hit her. It was a small arena, but the ice rink was designed in full regulation. There was only six rows of spectator seats that stretched the length of the rink. It was only on one side of the ice. The other side had two benched areas for the team to fill in, a Gatorade stand and a hallway leading to what Bragnae presumed was the locker room.

There was a flurry of guys fighting for the puck at the far end of the rink. Half were dressed in black jerseys, the others in neon green. The Pit Vipers’ colors were royal purple with a black and green logo of the intimating snake, so their practice jerseys reflected that theme as well.

Bragnae found a seat in the second row at center ice, scanning the bench of players. From what she could tell, none of them were Drake, which meant he had to be on the ice. She didn’t know which color he sported yet, but she did know he was a Defenseman. Somehow, protecting the goalie and helping to block shots from the opposing team fit Drake’s personality.

Finally, the puck broke away as a player sent it sailing down the ice toward the opposite goal. The players hustled down the rink as two guys from each of the teams scrambled to take control of it. The one wearing the black jersey slammed the green jersey player into the boards. They dug in and fought vigorously for the puck until the black jersey player took it, and passed the puck to a fellow teammate.

She caught a glimpse of the back of the black jersey attached to the tall player, and saw the number 22. That was Drake’s number. Their practice jerseys didn’t have their names on it, just their assigned player numbers. Now, she knew where he was.

As the forwards on his team passed the puck between them towards the other net, Drake skated in that direction, but held back in case the other team got ahold of the puck again. Bragnae watched one of Drake’s teammates shoot the puck into the net with ease, and then a whistle sounded.

The players vacated the ice and sat on their respective benches, hydrating themselves as they listened to the coach talk about their performance. Bragnae couldn’t make out his exact words, but that was okay. She kept her eyes on Drake anyway. He leaned his stick against his shoulder as he removed his helmet. His dark hair was completely saturated with sweat. He rubbed a hand over his head before bringing the green Gatorade bottle up to take in more fluids.

Bragnae grew up a hockey fan. Her dad had played when he was younger, so it was engrained in their family. She had fond memories of watching their state’s professional team sitting next to him on those cold winter nights. Her father taught her a lot about the game, which made it easier to watch Drake play and listen to him tell her about his practices and games.

After another minute, the teams rose and starting filing out towards the locker room. She stood and walked over to the boards in front of the first row. Drake noticed her immediately. Even though he was 85 feet away from her – the width of the regulation rink – she could see him smile in her direction. Instead of following his team, he skated back onto the ice and headed towards her.

“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” he observed, smiling brightly at her. There wasn’t any acrylic shielding walls where they stood, unlike a true hockey rink that was surrounded in it, so it was easier to see and hear him.

“Hey, stud. You looked good out there.” She leaned her legs against the polyethylene dasher boards, gripping the top of it as she admired Drake in his gear. His shoulder pads and chest protector made him look even more bulky than he was, and his skates gave him an inch or two of extra height. With sweat beads rolling down his somewhat flushed face, he looked like he’d just been in an intense battle. Technically, that wasn’t far off.

“Thanks. Glad to be done for the day, though.” Drake skated to the edge of the board bringing his stick around Bragnae’s back to guide her to him.

She giggled as she fell forward a bit, bracing herself on his protected shoulders. He smiled as her mouth dropped to his. She could taste the saltiness of the sweat on his lips, and even though his athletic scent filled her nose, she was happy to kiss him in that moment. Drake, showered or un-showered, was irresistible.

A teasing whistle sounded from the opposite side of the rink. Drake laughed as he pulled away to look behind him. “Hey, fuck off!” He shouted playfully before returning his attention to Bragnae. “That’s just my buddy, Chuck. He’s on the same defensive line as me, and I think he’s a little jealous that I get to kiss such a beautiful woman right now.”

“Poor Chuck.”

“Yeah, bad for him, but good for me.” With his hands on the hockey stick that still held her in place, he pulled her towards him for another sweet kiss. “Wanna skate for a little bit? Maybe play a little one-on-one?”

“I didn’t bring any skates.”

“Not a problem.” He dropped his stick from around her, and pointed to the upper far corner of the room. “Go through that door, and there will be a place you can grab some skates. A nice lady named Carla will give you a pair to borrow.”

She patted Drake on the shoulder. “Okay, I’ll be right back.” She grabbed her purse and walked in the direction Drake told her. She wore a long-sleeved lavender sweater and a jean mini skirt. As she walked to the skate rental counter, she wondered how easily she’d be able to move on the ice in her outfit.

Carla had given her the size skates she needed with no charge, but she needed to grab the pair of socks in her tote bag to put them on. She was grateful she thought ahead to bring extra items. A few minutes later, while she laced up her skates, Drake was gliding around the ice casually flipping a puck into the net every so often.

When the skates were secured, she stood and walked over to the boards. Drake joined her in a flash, skidding his skates at an angle on the ice to stop himself.

“I don’t know how well I’ll be able to skate in this outfit, or hop the boards for that matter,” she told him, looking skeptical.

“I’d be happy to help a lady out.” He pulled her closer to the boards and reached over to scoop her into his arms, placing her down on the iced part of the rink.

“Well, that settles that,” she giggled, straightening her clothes.

“We’ve got about thirty minutes before the Zamboni needs to clear the ice. So, let’s skate a little bit and maybe get you a stick to hold.”

Naughty thoughts filled her mind. “Would I get to hold your stick? Because if so, we may want to find somewhere more private for that.”

He glanced at her from the side, shaking his head with that sexy smirk of his. “You have a dirty mind today, Miss Bennett.”

“You know you like it,” she flirted with a wink. “Plus, you kind of set me up with that one.”

He laughed. “So I did. Come on.” He took her hand, and the two of them began skating casually around the rink.

Bragnae couldn’t move too swiftly because the denim skirt restricted her a bit, but she was still able to catch up.

“You’re pretty good on the ice. Did I know that about you?” Drake asked.

She thought for a moment trying to recall if she’d ever skated with him when she visited Drake at his work. “No, I guess you didn’t. I’ve been leisurely skating my whole life. My dad took me skating a lot growing up. He played hockey too.”

“No kidding. What position did he play?”

“He was a defenseman like you. From the stories I’ve heard, he was pretty good. Taught me all I know about hockey.” Bragnae concentrated on crossing her skates over one another to turn with the rink. Drake glided gracefully along with her. It was second nature to him at this point. That was evident by the way he spent most of the time looking at her rather than what was in front of him.

“That’s awesome. If I ever get to meet him, I’m sure we’ll have lots to talk about.” Drake slowed them down and pulled her over to the bench where the team once sat.

Bragnae smiled at the thought of Drake meeting her father. She knew they’d get along great, and that they’d have a lot in common. They were both a little rough around the edges, but kind when it was needed.

Drake procured a shorter hockey stick from the other side of the boards, and handed it to Bragnae. Then, he tossed a few more pucks on the ice for them to play with. She gripped the black hockey stick like her dad taught her to do years ago, and skated out to center ice, dragging a puck with her.

Sliding the rest of the pucks with his stick to the center, Drake dashed off to the net to stand in front of it. “Go ahead, Bragnae. Show me what you can do.”

She scoffed. “You’ll just block all of them. I am way out of my league here.”

He chuckled. “Just give it a try. And keep the shots low. Coach will kill me if I get hit in the head when I should have been wearing a helmet.”

Bragnae pulled a puck in front of her with the stick, and pushed it forward, handling it back and forth until she was closer to the goal. She shot it towards Drake who just stood in place letting it hit the net.

“That was good. Try it again.”

Bragnae skated back to center ice, and retrieved another puck. Taking her time so she wouldn’t stumble, she eventually made her way back to Drake. This time, he took a more defensive stance, bending his knees and bobbing back and forth, as she prepared to shoot the puck. She held firm in front of the net trying to gauge which ‘hole’ she should shoot it towards. There were five distinct gaps a player could shoot the puck through that the goalie’s body couldn’t always protect.

Putting weight on her stick, Bragnae bent forward locking her eyes with Drake. “Where am I going to shoot it, Walker?” She taunted.

He smirked at her. “Why don’t you go for the five-hole – right between my legs?”

“You’d like that wouldn’t you?” She propelled the puck forward, trying to send it flying through the upper right corner of the net, but Drake blocked it. She didn’t have the power behind the shot to challenge his reflexes. “You’re just too quick for me.”

Drake skated forward to pull her into him. “I think you’re doing just fine. And you look very sexy skating around in a skirt, handling the stick and puck like you are. I could watch you do this all day.”

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you.” She gripped the fabric of his jersey and pulled him into a slightly unsteady kiss thanks to the ice below.

His hands slid down to her thighs just below her skirt. “Are you getting cold?”

“A little.” She didn’t anticipate spending a long time in the arena, which made her decide the mini skirt was okay, but now being directly over the ice, she was starting to get chilly.

“How about this? I’ll clean up the pucks and then head to the locker room to take a shower. After you return your skates, you can meet me in there and wait by my locker.”

“Okay, but won’t there be other guys in there getting dressed?” Not that she’d ever turn away from seeing hockey players in any capacity, but she wanted to be respectful of their space.

“Don’t worry about that. You’re a hot female, and they won’t mind. Besides, most of them are probably gone by now anyway.”

“Okay, I’ll see you in there in a few minutes.” Bragnae skated off to the side of the rink she came from, and threw her legs over the boards. After taking off her skates, she gathered her things and went to return them.

She didn’t know an alternative path to the locker rooms, so she walked carefully across the ice in her sandals to get to get to it. After sauntering down the long hallway, she saw a sign for the locker room to the left.

Bragnae hoped the rest of the team had gone so she wouldn’t embarrass them or herself. She wondered why Drake wanted her in the locker room anyway. It just felt wrong for her to be there. If she were on an all-female team, she wouldn’t want some random guy hanging out while the rest of the team got dressed.

Carefully stepping through the spacious locker room, she heard the shower to her right, but couldn’t see anything as she glanced quickly in that direction. Walking into another room, she saw open cubbies that lined the wall. Each of them had a thin dry erase board above with their names written on them. As she made her way over to his locker, she noticed a tall, muscular guy with short auburn hair throw a t-shirt over his chiseled torso. He looked over at her and politely smiled.

She waved nervously at him. “Sorry. Don’t mean to intrude. I’m just waiting for Drake.”

“You’re good,” he told her as he walked in her direction with an arm extended. “I’m Chuck Mulligan. Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” she said, accepting his greeting. “Bragnae Bennett.”

“Drake talks about you all the time.” His eyes quickly scanned down her body trying to be discreet, but she noticed anyway. “I can see why.”

“I guess I’ll take that as a compliment. Thanks,” she smiled.

“It definitely is.” He walked back over to his gear, and slung a duffle bag over his shoulder. “Drake should be done soon. Take care, Bragnae.” She waved at him again as he left the locker room.

After a quick glance around, she took a seat on the bench in front of Drake’s locker. The room definitely had the smell of men in it. It wasn’t unpleasant, rather it was sort of comforting. It was a mixture of hard work, sweat, and cologne – the way any man that was worth a damn should smell.

Just as she was about to pull out her phone to pass the time, Drake started walking towards her… wearing just a white towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was still soaked, but this time it was clean. A tendril of his wet hair curled over his forehead, but the rest was combed back. Residual water from the shower made parts of his upper body glisten. He made her heart skip a beat.

Drake walked right up to her, bent down with his fingers tilting her chin up, and captured her lips in a solid kiss. “You look cute sitting here by my locker,” he said before walking around the bench to get to his clothes.

Bragnae spun around on the wooden bench to face him. Just as she did that, Drake removed the towel from his waist and began drying off the few wet spots left on his chest. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. Her jaw dropped as she was faced with the side profile of Drake’s very nice looking dick and the curves of his butt. She had only been privy to his nakedness once before during the threesome with Leo, but everything happened so fast that night that she didn’t have time to really indulge in his magnificent features.

“Oh my,” she blushed, but didn’t look away. In fact, her eyes feasted on his physique with absolute hunger. There wasn’t anything about this man she didn’t crave.

Drake gave her a side smirk before handing her the towel. “Here, I think you’re drooling a little.”

Giggling, she snatched the towel from him, and snapped it against his perfectly formed ass. He chuckled reaching for his cologne.

“You really know how to grab a girl’s attention, don’t you mister?” Even now she couldn’t peel her eyes off of him. Her heart thumped in her chest while heat pooled between her legs.

“Am I making you wet?” He asked without hesitation still standing stark naked in front of her.

Excited by his sudden candor, her lips automatically transformed into a salacious smile. “Uh-huh.” She loved how honest they could be with each other. “To be fair, you already kind of got me started watching you play hockey.”

He cheerfully nodded at her response. She bit her lip desperately wanting to touch him all over. From where she sat, she’d be able to take him in her mouth easily as he towered over her with his scrumptious bod. “Why don’t you come a little closer, and let me drag my tongue around that big guy.” His dick twitched at her comment, and she loved it.

Drake exhaled a slow breath, and stepped into a dark green pair of boxer briefs. Bragnae playfully pouted her lips making him laugh when he turned to her again. “Don’t be too disappointed, Bennett.” Then, he threw on a t-shirt and pulled on a pair of light-washed jeans.

Grabbing his hockey stick, he straddled the bench and held it over Bragnae’s head. “Face me on the bench, and then grab this with both hands.”

She was a little confused but did as he said. As soon as she had a comfortable grip on the stick, Drake pushed on it making Bragnae lean back with it. He followed through until her back was flush with the bench. “What are you doing?”

“Stay like that, and just relax.” He kissed her briefly on the lips. The stick rested perpendicular on the bench, and Bragnae let her arms relax while she continued to grip the hockey stick.

Drake brought her legs together again just so he could push up her tight jean skirt. A tingle shot down her spine, not only from his touch, but from the anticipation of what was to come. With the denim pushed up to her waist, Drake hooked his fingers around the straps of her red satin panties and pulled them off. He sat down on the bench, and threw her legs over his denim clad thighs while positioning her just right.

“Now, it’s my turn to use my tongue.” He winked at her before diving his face down to her pussy.

A moan immediately left her body while she slowly twisted her torso, feeling his tongue work wonders against her sensitive skin. Her breathing quickened, and she tightened her calves against his legs. The tension in her body elevated the pleasure she was receiving. Her grip on the hockey stick constricted as he continued.

Drake used his hands to tilt her pelvis up to give himself a better angle. His skillful tongue rounded her clit in slow concentric circles before moving to rapidly flick her swollen bud.

Bragnae arched her back in approval. “Ohmigod, Drake. Don’t stop.” She felt the pressure build quickly leading to what she knew was to be a fantastic explosion of pleasure. Like the trooper he was, Drake kept up that same pace for a few more moments until heaven rippled throughout her body. She sent a flood of cries into the room as he continued to coax more of the orgasm from her depths.

Drake dragged his tongue around her skin, even dipping down to lap at her entrance. She was at complete peace in that moment reveling in the pleasure high he put her in. When Drake sat up, he wiped his mouth and took a deep breath followed by a triumphant smile.

“How was that?” He asked knowing the answer.

She nodded her head still trying to regain her breath. “Amazing. So amazing.”

He patted the side of her leg smiling down at her. “You are so beautiful, and you taste so nice.”

“You always make me feel so good about myself, Drake.” She let go of the hockey stick, and stretched her tensed arms above her head. “Thank you for this.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Now, will you let me return the favor?” She asked still lying flat against the bench. He had slayed her with his tongue, and she was utterly spent.

“I appreciate the offer, but this was all about you today. Plus, it’s better for my training if you don’t.”

“Why? Wouldn’t it be better to release the built up tension?”

“That’s exactly why I shouldn’t. Not having that release helps me to focus on my training more, making me more aggressive on the ice. Being hot and bothered makes for a better hockey player than a happy guy that just got off.”

Her eyes widened as she thought about what he said. “You’re not saying we can’t do this and have sex for the entire hockey season are you?”

Drake laughed. “No, thank God. The coach is deciding the first line for the upcoming season based on our performance here. The guys that get it will see the most time on the ice during the games. To make it fair for everyone, the coach put these rules in place to motivate us while we’re at this camp.” He gently massaged her thighs as he continued. “So, by not giving into my desires, I can train harder and play better during the practice games. I’m not even touching myself.”

Bragnae’s mouth gaped open in surprise. “Wow. It makes a lot of sense when you put it that way, but didn’t this torture you a little bit?”

He looked down at her still widened legs longingly. “Yes. Yes it did.” He sighed before meeting her eyes again. “But seeing you like this now and remembering the taste of you in my mouth will fuel me even more when I’m on the ice this week. Hell, I shouldn’t have even allowed you to visit me, but I wanted to see you.”

Bragnae used what core strength she could find to sit up amidst the incapacitating pleasure that still radiated in her body. She framed his face with her hands as he looped his arms around her back for support. “Did you miss me as much as I missed you?”

“Mmhmm,” he grinned, looking down at her affectionately. “I sure did.”

She smiled up at him. “Will the coach tell everyone who gets the first line by the end of the camp?”

“Yep.”

“Good. Then, when you come back to the university, we’ll have to celebrate because I know you’re going to get it.” She let a hand slide down the muscles of his chest. “And celebrate we will.” She looked up at him through her eyelashes being extra flirtatious.

“I can’t wait.” Drake leaned forward to kiss her. “Wanna grab some dinner?”

“Yeah, I bet you’re famished.” Drake scooted back, so she could more easily untangle herself from him. “Just let me put my panties back on, and we can go.”

Drake chuckled, retrieving them from the floor and tossing her the discarded thong.

Later, after they finished a couple of delicious burgers, they drove back to Drake’s hotel. They got out of the truck, so they could say their proper goodbyes.

“Thanks for letting me come up to see you. It will make this next week a little easier to get through.” Bragnae leaned back against the driver side of Drake’s truck, and he leaned into her.

“I’m glad you did. I needed this little reboot, too.”

“Do you want me to drop off your keys with Leo before you get back?” She needed to mentally prepare for it again if he wanted that.

“Nah, you can hold onto them. The team gets back next Sunday morning, and I’m sure we’ll see each other that day at some point. At least I’m hoping we will.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his finger.

“I’m pretty sure I work the lunch shift that day, but as soon as I’m finished I’ll be coming to see you.”

“Sounds good.” He leaned in for a deep lingering kiss. The cool breeze of the night perfectly complemented the heat between them. “Let me know when you get back tonight.”

“I will.” She pulled him in again, needing to feel his soft lips one more time before she left. “Good luck with the rest of the camp. I know you’ll kick ass and get the first line.”

“I hope so. Thanks, Bennett.” He opened the truck’s door for her, and watched her climb in. She started the engine, and rolled the window down. He looked her over with a smile on his face. “You look pretty good behind the wheel of my truck.”

She gave him a flirty shrug. “Bye, handsome.”

“See ya. And drive safe.” He tapped the door, and stepped back so she could pull out of the parking space.

Bragnae waved once more before driving away. A day that started off more stressful than anything else ended with lovely time spent with Drake. She really liked him, and felt their bond growing with each passing day. When he returned from his camp, it was highly likely they’d have sex. And she was more than ready for that because she wanted to be closer to him now more than ever before. She loved the idea of being his and only his. And she knew it was just a matter of time before they made their relationship status official.

Part 2: Someone You Loved

The first few days of their honeymoon went by in a blur. Leave it to the King of Cordonia to own his own private island. With only a few staff around to cook their meals and tidy up the villa, Bragnae and Liam were virtually alone. It was a refreshing change after the whirlwind that was her life once she stepped off the plane in Cordonia for the first time.

Getting a moment alone with Liam was more difficult than she would have liked, but she understood. First, she’d been competing for his hand with five other women. So, he had to be fair to share his time with them all. Next, he was engaged when he didn’t want to be, and Bragnae was branded as a harlot, so having Liam seen with her would have looked bad on him.

Once they were engaged, they had the freedom to be with each other more, but with Liam’s duties as King, Cordonia always comes first. Bragnae accepted that. She knew what to expect with him, but it didn’t make her want him any less. If anything, the moments they could be alone together were that much sweeter.

The honeymoon was a particularly special treat because it was truly just about them. In the days they spent on the island, their pleasure was of the utmost importance. A true honeymoon. They’d eat, have sex, sleep, wake up, have sex again, eat some more, and the cycle just repeated itself. Far from being an exhausting routine, they enjoyed every minute.

After they intimately explored every square inch of the villa, Liam took Bragnae out to discover the island leading to many impromptu erotic moments. In a quiet oasis towards the center of the island, Liam bent her over a downed tree, making her come hard twice while the wild birds scattered from her ear-piercing screams. They had also found a beautiful waterfall to make love under, letting the power of the water invoke many sensual and heightened orgasms.

As if Liam had placed it there himself, a large, smooth bolder sat in the shallows of the ocean, which was the perfect place to enjoy the silvery glow of the moon bouncing off the water while Liam pounded into her. The crashing waves lapping against their lower halves only enhanced the experience. With miles separating them from the nearest person, especially after the staff left the island for the night, Liam encouraged her not to hold back with her pleasured cries, and he made sure she didn’t.

Aside from the frequent, mind-blowing sex, Bragnae and Liam had grown even closer than they ever had before. There was actually time for them to talk about their interests, relax without any major distractions, and just be with each other. It was all she could ever hope for – the perfect honeymoon with her new husband, the King.

Bragnae finished getting ready for bed with a quick spritz of perfume. She looked at herself in the mirror, admiring the black and red negligee that hugged her curves. She knew it wouldn’t stay on long, and being naked made more sense, but the King liked a challenge.

Flipping off the bathroom light, she strolled back into the bedroom to see Liam sitting up in bed with a laptop resting on his thighs. His brow furrowed as his eyes scanned the screen. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and she hoped he was bare even under the sheets. She’d soon find out.

Bragnae got on the bed, and crawled seductively towards him, catching his attention. “How’s the kingdom, Your Majesty?” Her tone was flirty and playful in hopes to get his mind on her instead.

He smiled at her. “It’s running smoothly, although it looks like we’ll be a bit busy when we return.”

“Why do you say that?” She straddled his knees, and leaned over his computer letting her ample cleavage tease him. His eyes immediately shifted to her chest with an appreciative look.

His gaze returned to her eyes. “Well, for starters, we have to have your coronation. Since you married the king, you automatically fill the role as queen, but Cordonian tradition states that there must be a coronation for you to be officially considered a ruler of the country. It has to happen within a month of us getting married.”

“That sounds nice. I’m looking forward to it. What else?”

Liam sighed. “As soon as we get back, I have to go to Lythikos.” He ran a hand through his silky, blonde hair. “Olivia needs some help with something in her duchy. She’s being vague as to the details, but needs my assistance.”

“Can I go with you?”

“Normally, I’d say yes. But I want you to get settled in at the palace, and start getting to know your role as queen. There will be a lot for you to adjust to, I’m afraid.”

“What’s a queen without her king?” Her lips transformed into a sultry smirk.

“You make a valid point, but I won’t be gone too long. One night, maybe.” Her smirk faltered at the thought of not being with him. “Trust me, I don’t want to leave you either. We can make up for it now, and when I come back.”

Bragnae nodded assertively. “Fair enough. And speaking of now, what do you say we put the country’s needs aside, and focus on ours instead?” She slowly pushed the laptop closed, and put it on the bedside table, making it a point to hover over him in a sexy feline sort of way.

Liam grinned, using a finger to pull down her top for a better view. “I don’t even know why you’re wearing this. I’m just going to take it off of you anyway.”

She inched herself closer, still on all fours. “Maybe I wanted you to work for it.” Leaning forward, she slowly and barely brushed her lips against his before sitting back again.

“I will always make an effort to work for it when it comes to you.” Just then, Liam sat forward grabbing her by the waist, and pulled her on top of him like it was nothing.

“You’re so strong, Liam,” she said biting her lip. Flattening her hands onto his well-defined chest, she admired his physique. “You have such a sexy, toned body. I can’t get enough of it.”

“A king should be strong to defend his kingdom… and his queen.” Liam pushed the satin fabric above her hips before running the back of his hand across her pelvis.

Bragnae tingled at her core. No matter how many times they’d slept together, his touch always inspired such a reaction. Not to mention staring at the blonde Adonis sitting beneath her already made her wet and ready for him.

“Well, on behalf of the citizens of Cordonia, we want to thank you for every chiseled muscle on your body for the betterment of our country.” Her finger outlined his pectorals, dropping down to trace each of his defined abs as she spoke. Her hand slipped further down beneath the sheet to gently grip his already hardened cock.

A low groan rumbled in his throat. “That particular muscle is not for Cordonia. It’s only reserved for you.”

“Yes, but the citizens are rooting for me to have a very pleasurable honeymoon, and this,” she paused to peel back the sheets to expose his monumental erection, “plays a vital role in that.” Bragnae slowly stroked him, mesmerized by his mouth-watering dick.

She briefly wondered if all Cordonian men were as well-endowed as he was. A recent memory breached her mind of the other massive cock she encountered and who it belonged to, but she quickly pushed it away.

Liam smiled, shifting a bit under her touch. “The people are already rallying around you, huh? It makes sense. They, like me, want you to be completely satisfied.” He rolled her on her back, so she was underneath him. “Over and over and over again.”

His mouth crashed against hers, kissing her with everything he had. That was Liam – full of passion, devotion and eagerness to please her. She moaned as his hands moved down her body. He gripped her hips, and tugged her down the bed a bit before lifting her negligee up. Instead of removing it completely, he made it so the fabric both covered her eyes and restrained her arms. She was bound by her own outfit with her body bare and entirely at Liam’s mercy.

She squirmed a bit just to play along. Seeing nothing but darkness made her other senses spike, especially when Liam caressed her breasts, loving each one of her taut nipples with his tongue and a gentle tug of his teeth. Bragnae gasped, her breathing increased.

“God, Liam that feels so good.” A surge of heat rushed to her core as he loved her body.

After assuming he’d move south next, Liam surprised her by capturing her lips once more. “You ready to scream, my Queen?” He bit her lower lip, slowly dragging away from her before his mouth worked its way down her body.

Bragnae moaned deliciously. “You know that I am.” If there was an award given for ‘most skilled at oral sex’, King Liam would win it every time, hands down. He not only was exceptional at it, but he liked doing it as well – almost to the point of obsession. It was thrilling and unbearably hot. A man with such a skill should be afforded as many opportunities as he wanted to perform, and Bragnae would happily and shamelessly enable his pleasurable addiction anytime.

It didn’t matter what position he had her in – because it did vary, she would reach her climax hard and fast, and would soon be putty in his arms. Worthless to the world for at least two minutes, sometimes longer. He was that good. Thinking about it in more depth, it made sense that he excelled in this particular area.

Liam was charismatic, a well-spoken man, and he addressed the public on an almost daily basis. His tongue assisted him in speaking five different languages, negotiating with diplomats and other foreign leaders, and her most favorite, talking dirty to her. It was no wonder that when he flicked his tongue at just the right speed and pressure that she’d fall apart around him.

To add to the suspense of it all, he would always include an extra move that pleasantly surprised her whether that be using his hands to assist his skilled mouth, humming into her, or even biting. Yes – biting. Where she thought it might be too much for her sensitive skin, the way Liam did it made her toes curl. Whatever combination he decided to use never failed to elicit the same response in her – glass-shattering screams, soaked sheets, calling to God… it was all amazing.

Liam spread her legs wide, placing tender kisses on her inner thigh. Bragnae gasped as she felt him blow lightly on her hot, aching center. He chuckled at her reaction.

“I could stare at you like this all day. Spread eagle, your hot, wet pussy in my face, your beautiful breasts moving up and down along with your ragged breathing. You’re. A fucking. Work. Of art.” Liam punctuated each word with a lap of his tongue, making Bragnae writhe with anticipation.

As much as he enjoyed the act itself, it seemed he relished teasing her beforehand as well. She didn’t mind it because she knew what was coming – aside from herself, that was a given – and it was worth any wait she had to endure.

She smiled, exhaling a giggle that turned into a moan. “I wouldn’t mind this all day, but I’m pretty sure the country would need your attention sooner or later.”

“Such a pity.” Bragnae could feel his hot breath before his expert tongue grazed the soft skin between her southern lips. He always knew the right place to start.

Bragnae dreamily sank into the incredible and hastened strokes of his tongue, which he would use in all the cardinal directions as well as the occasional swirl. Her hips would have rolled with him if he hadn’t held her firmly in place.

Just as she felt the warmth start to build, Liam hummed as he licked, making her entire core vibrate. She pressed her head back against the mattress, tensing her body as the flood gates were about to open. His name left her lips in a breathy whisper as he helped to unleash the blissful fury she had expected.

Her body convulsed as her still restricted hands grasped at the pillows above her head. Liam kept up with his mission until her long screams subsided. An overwhelming sensation of pleasure, love and comfort filled her – almost as if she had floated out of her body and was left hovering on cloud nine.

She tasted herself on his lips as he kissed her, and removed the negligee so that it no longer held her captive. Her eyes fluttered open looking at her husband who wore a big, accomplished grin on his face.

“I love when you scream like that. Makes me so hard.” Liam winked at her before hopping off the bed.

Still in a euphoric state, Bragnae barely noticed as Liam tugged her towards the edge of the bed. He picked up one of her legs letting the other rest on the mattress, and stroked himself as he looked at her. Her gaze met his – those blue eyes dark as an ocean with desire.

“I’m going to be useless to you for another minute or so.” Still panting, she barely managed to speak.

He lined the tip of his engorged member to her, teasing her dripping wet entrance. “Hmmm, not completely useless. All you need to do is relax and moan like the goddess that you are.” He pushed himself inside her with ease prompting a throaty moan of agreement from Bragnae.

Leaning over, pumping slowly in and out of her, he smiled. “That’s it. How do you like my dick, Bragnae?”

All she could do was whimper from the wonderful feeling of him stretching her out.

“Tell me you like it,” he demanded in a low, hoarse voice. He increased his pace a little.

“I love it. I love when your big, hard dick is inside me.” What wasn’t to love about that?

“Such a dirty mouth you have,” he said chuckling before bending down to kiss her again. “And I love your tight, wet pussy.”

She smiled. “I remembered to do my Kegel exercises for you too, big boy.” As if to emphasize her point, she used her internal muscles to contract her walls around his cock, giving him a unique, sexy hug.

He smirked down at her. “I do appreciate that.”

“Harder, Liam.” He answered with a powerful thrust that she felt in her throat.

“How’s that?” He did it again. She hissed a sharp breath through gritted teeth.

“Good. Now, faster.”

He kept his eyes on hers as a determined look spread across his face. His abs flexed with each thrust he made into her, pounding at rapid speed. Her leg pressed against his chest as he held onto it with both hands, squeezing her thigh.

The position of her leg and the slight curve of his dick made for the perfect position for him to rub in just the right spot. She felt the hot pressure in her pelvis swiftly change to the promise of more.

“Liam, I’m close. Oh, my God. I’m so close.”

He moved his thumb over her clitoris, lightly rubbing as he kept up his pace. “Go on. Soak my dick, baby.”

The added stimulation sent her over the edge. Gripping the bed sheets with both hands, she squeezed her eyes shut, and became consumed with all that encompassed her sensual release. Seconds later, Liam set free his own climax draining himself into her.

Still nestled safely inside her, he leaned down again to kiss her. “I love you, Bragnae.”

“I love you too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Empty bottles that once contained alcohol and used glasses littered Drake’s otherwise tidy room. He laid in his bed, fully clothed, as rays from the sun shined on his face. This was the way he’d fallen asleep every night for the past week – drinking until he was good and drunk, and then passing out on his bed with the lights on. He felt a pounding headache throb at his temples that hadn’t seemed to go away since the night of wedding no matter how much whiskey he drank.

Of course, he knew the alcohol wasn’t making things better, but he didn’t care. He needed two things: to be comforted, and to forget. Since he didn’t have the woman he wanted to warm him with her touch, the whiskey sufficed. And because that particular woman was on her honeymoon, likely getting fucked in every position imaginable – and if he knew his friend, he wasn’t far off, he needed to get her out of his mind.

He had grown to realize that even after nearly drowning himself with all that he consumed in alcohol, it hadn’t been as reliable as he’d hoped. Still, through the mind-altering haze, he found himself thinking about Bragnae. There wasn’t an inch of her body he didn’t see in his mind, not a single detail of their dalliance that he didn’t obsess over.

Hoping to find some solace amidst the pain, he even tried to use the thoughts of her to inspire a release of his own built up sexual tension and strife, but knowing he couldn’t be with her took the thrill of the fantasy out of the equation. Frustrated, horny, sad, pissed off – this is what his life was now. He was already a bitter person, but somehow in the last week, he was able to dig down to a whole other level of disturbed.

He wanted nothing from life but Bragnae. Being with her made him happy, in ways he didn’t even know he could be. She challenged him, laughed at his sarcastic jokes, and went out of her way to make sure he was having a good time. They had bonded to the point of friends, which he didn’t expect at first.

But with his desire for her coupled with her reciprocating need for him, they had entered a new plane of existence between platonic friendship and romantic relationship, which was confusing as fuck. And because of his incessant need to put others before him, he missed his chance to be with her for good. He hadn’t even told her how much he loved her, and had loved her since the beginning.

  A knock at the door startled him. It sounded as if a bomb had just gone off, making him cringe. There was a pause before another repetition of knocking came. He drew in a deep breath, heaving himself off the bed to stop the head-splitting noise.

On his way, he stumbled a bit, still feeling the effects of last night’s binge. He opened the door to see the small, but fierce Hana Lee looking up at him in surprise. Why the hell is she surprised to see me? This is my goddamn room.

“Drake, you look awful.” Her mouth had gaped open as her eyes raked over his disheveled appearance. He hadn’t shaved in a few days, so his dark stubble became more than that. His wrinkled clothes hadn’t been changed in a day, and his longer hair hadn’t seen a comb in twice that amount of time. Maybe he shouldn’t be so shocked that she had that reaction.

“Thanks. It reflects my mood. What do you want?” His voice was low and grumbly. When she pulled back, appearing to have been offended, he retraced his words. “I’m sorry. I have a headache. What can I do for you?” His eyelids felt heavy, probably from the lack of decent sleep he’d gotten, but also from the anguish that plagued him. He hoped she didn’t notice too much.

Hana placed a gentle hand on his arm. “I just came to tell you that Liam and Bragnae come back to the palace today. And I thought it’d be nice for us to be there to greet them when they arrive.” As soon as the happy couple was married, Hana stepped in as Bragnae’s Senior Lady-In-Waiting, and she took her role very seriously. “It looks like you could use some time to… freshen up. How about I grab you some coffee, and then you can do what you need to do?”

Hana also grew to be one of Drake’s few friends. She was sweet, caring, talented as hell, and could knock a guy’s block off if she wanted to – even if her confidence told her she couldn’t. Standing at just over five feet tall, he towered over her small frame at his own six and a half feet. She was half-Chinese, half-Cordonian – gorgeous. She’d make any man happy, any man that wasn’t already infatuated with someone else like he was.

He looked into her compassionate, brown eyes that pleaded with him to comply. He hadn’t wanted to leave his room today, except maybe to find something to eat, but he couldn’t say no. Plus, they were coming home today. It wouldn’t look good if Liam’s best friend wasn’t around to welcome him back.

“Sure, Hana. That’d be great. Give me twenty minutes, and I’ll meet you in the dining hall. And I take my coffee black.”

She nodded. “I’ll order some food for you as well. Twenty-minutes, Drake,” she said, pointing at him with a stern look.

He chuckled at her sudden assertiveness. “I promise. Thanks, Hana.”

“You’re welcome, my friend.” He closed the door as soon as she walked off.

Leaning against it, he sighed. Now, he had to do the impossible: prepare himself to face the woman he loved as she hung on the arm of another man. All the while, he had to look presentable as if her marriage to his best friend had not transformed his life, now wrought with despair.

~

An hour or so later, Drake had showered, shaved, and eaten a bigger breakfast than usual. Having a strict diet of whiskey over the past week would surely make a person ravenous. The coffee was strong, just how he liked it, and it gave him the energy he needed to brave the rest of the day. Maxwell and Bertrand had even come in from Ramsford to greet the King and Queen.

Hana had caught them all up with the day’s festivities. They’d have a dinner with the royal couple celebrating their return. Drake grumbled inward – all the royals did was throw parties, it didn’t matter the occasion. He tried to mask his bitterness, but felt like he was failing. His intention wasn’t to snub his best friend and his new wife, but the situation dictated a different response. He felt like an asshole.

His headache had gone away with the coffee and stomach full of food, so after everything was said at breakfast, he excused himself to go back to his room. He had a little over an hour before he was needed in the Grand Hall, so he took some time to clean up his room. The trashcan filled up quickly with the embarrassing amount of empty whiskey bottles. He made his bed, and picked up his floor.

Checking the clock, the cleaning had only taken thirty minutes of his time. He sighed, sitting on his bed, feeling antsy. Normally, when he hadn’t resorted to poisoning his liver with endless whiskey, he would go to the gym to exert his tension, stress or just for the fun of it.

He couldn’t do that now, there wasn’t enough time, and he’d have to shower again. He decided he’d go later. Late night work outs were nice to clear his head before bed, and he’d most likely need it after being forced to be in the same room as Bragnae.

He leaned back, thumbing through his phone. First through social media, then over to a game that could let him escape reality for a bit. His fingers twitched before moving to the other app. What he really wanted to do was look at the few saved pictures of Bragnae he had on his phone.

Some of them were some they took together over the engagement tour, when Liam was still betrothed to Madeleine, and the others were some he’d swiped from her social media. She had modeled in a photoshoot for a friend in New York once, and the second Drake discovered those photos, he was a goner. He’d incorporate them into the background of his phone had it been acceptable, but of course it wasn’t. Still the guy on the outside looking in, he had to hide his desire for her.

Luckily, the game had done its job, and it was time to head to the Grand Hall. Drake slipped his phone into his pocket, and left his room.

When he reached the meeting area, Hana, Maxwell and Bertrand were already in place along with many other servants and guards. Select members of the press too.

“You’re just in time. Their plane landed twenty minutes ago, so they should arrive any minute,” Hana told him. She looked happy, as she should, for their friends’ return. He wished he could be that happy.

Drake acknowledged her, and proceeded to cross his arms over his chest. After a few seconds, he realized the way he stood made him appear unapproachable, so he shook out his arms, and let them rest at his sides. He fidgeted a bit more, feeling uncomfortable.

Loud applause and cheering spread through the room as Liam and Bragnae strolled through the double doors. Camera flashes went off and the crowd swarmed them. Drake and the rest stood in the back allowing the media a chance for their questions and pictures before the palace guards would shoo them off.

After a few minutes, the crowd began to dissipate, and he could now see his friend, the King. Liam wore a polo and shorts, his aviator sunglasses hung on the V-neck of his shirt. He looked relaxed, care free. Why wouldn’t he? He just got to spend the week doing nothing accept his wife. Drake clenched his jaw at the thought.

Finally, the persistent media goons left, allowing Drake full access to look at the new queen. He dreaded this moment just as much as he craved it. No matter how much pain sat in his heart, not seeing Bragnae was worse than seeing her. He missed her – he wasn’t afraid to admit that. She had been such a big part of his life over the past several months, and being away from her for a week was excruciatingly difficult – obviously.

He drew in a sharp breath as he saw her face. She smiled brightly at those around her. Her skin looked tanner than usual, and her long, black hair was tousled in a breezy sort of way. She wore a strappy sundress that extended to the floor, and a long gold necklace, drawing his eye to her impeccable breasts. God, that dress looked great on her.

Drake felt stirrings of arousal hit him suddenly. He wanted to deny them, but they were relentless the more he looked at her. The high slit in her dress gave him all kinds of naughty ideas, and soon he was daydreaming about the things he’d love to do to her. He wasn’t even concerned with anyone else in the room. All that mattered was her.

Liam stepped up to Drake first before greeting the rest. “Hey, buddy. Things been well while we’ve been gone?” He pulled Drake into a bro-hug.

He cleared his throat. “As well as can be expected.” What can anyone expect of a man with a broken and lust-filled heart except that things were all they could be? Unchanging and depressing as fuck.

Liam clapped him on the shoulder. “Good to hear. Looking forward to catching up with you soon.” He quickly moved on to Hana and Maxwell sharing similar greetings.

Drake knew Bragnae was close just by the smell of her sweet perfume. Her scent was intoxicating, both graceful and seductive. It suited her. He watched her traipse over to him with a bright smile. It awakened his heart to see her looking at him like that.

“Your Majesty,” he said with a slight bow and straight face.

Bragnae lifted an eyebrow at him. “Come on, Drake. You don’t have to do that. ‘Bennett’ is just fine.”

“That’s no longer your name.” His responses seemed callous. He didn’t exactly plan on them coming out that way, but it did reflect his mood.

She scoffed. “Fine, Drake. Call me whatever you want.” As she turned to walk away, Drake grabbed her hand. He couldn’t let her leave like that. He had to make it right.

Bragnae snapped her head in the direction of their joined hands before glaring up at him. “What are you—,”

“I’m sorry, Bennett. How was your honeymoon?” He hoped she’d tell him it was terrible, and that she thought of him the whole time, but he knew that wouldn’t happen.

She visibly relaxed, but didn’t pull her hand away. “It was nice. Thank you. How’ve you been?”

“Well enough.” He looked into her amber eyes. She stared right back. He noticed her breathing had quickened, and knew it was a result of holding her hand from the way her gaze dropped to it. She swallowed, trying to hide being flustered, but Drake could see it. He saw everything.

He still affected her with a single touch, even after being a rude asshole to her. He, too, felt the electric current running through his veins stemming from their joined hands. He knew she was experiencing the same thing. Seeing her react that way gave him hope. A hope for what? What would he do with it? He didn’t know just yet, but he had a feeling he’d soon figure it out.

Bragnae cleared her throat and shook off her entranced expression as she gently pulled her hand out of his. “That’s good, Drake. I’ll see you later.”

He nodded, keeping his heated gaze on her. She took a step toward Hana, but looked back at him once more. The end of his mouth curled up into a smirk. Bragnae quickly averted her eyes and focused on Hana instead offering her a warm greeting.

After a week away with her husband, a single touch from Drake still muddled her composure. He decided he would test the waters further telling her what he wanted, and maybe she’d want that too. The night should prove interesting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was good to be back at the palace, even though she already missed her alone time with Liam. After greeting the welcome committee, they went back to their suite to shower and get ready for the dinner with their friends. Liam, as insatiable as he was, caught her before any other clothes could shield her body, and made love to her in their king-sized royal bed. Good to be back, indeed.

Bragnae slipped on a pink, chiffon dress that stopped at her knee, and stepped into a pair of peep-toe heels before her husband escorted her to the Dining Hall.

Everyone was already waiting for them when they walked in the room and took a seat. Liam at the head of the table, and Bragnae to his left. Out of courtesy for their position, their friends waited for them to sit before taking their own seats. Hana sat next to Bragnae, while Drake, Maxwell and Bertrand filled in across from her.

Her eyes flicked over to Drake as he settled in. He was looking particularly handsome today. She didn’t know what it was, but still she tried to ignore that. So, she turned to look at Maxwell, and thought about how nice he looked, and even Bertrand.

Maxwell, the hilarious party-guy she had come to love, was extremely good looking. He styled his hair, in what she considered was purposefully carefree, but he always looked good. He smelled delightful and warm, as a man should, dressed nice, and was toned and fit. Despite all of that, Bragnae had grown to love Maxwell as a brother-figure than anything else, which was probably best as she already had two men, specifically at this table, that she had romantic feelings for.

Bertrand was handsome in his own way. As Maxwell’s older brother, he was the Duke of Ramsford. He had been the indignant man that always gave her a hard time during the Social Season when she wanted to act like her ‘carefree American self’ – his words. Over time, however, he had become something more to her, like an older brother or even father-figure. Raised as an orphan, she was grateful to have him and any of her friends to consider part of her close-knit circle, part of her family.

Drinks had been served, and the servants presented them all with their meals. Everyone started to chat, especially Maxwell with his seemingly endless, but adorable questions about the island they just spent a week on, already making plans for them all to go back.

As she continued to listen and eat her meal, she felt like she was being watched. After taking a bite of the savory pot roast, she looked at Maxwell again before shifting her eyes to Drake. It was him. He was looking at her. But when their gazes met, he didn’t look away. In fact, he made it a point to deepen his stare.

Bragnae had to avert her eyes as a shiver shot down her spine. That was the second time that day one of his looks affected her that way. She took another bite. Maybe he was done staring. Of course, she’d need to check. Looking back in his direction, he had a glass of his favorite libation in his hand, and before he took a drink, his eyes flashed over to her again.

She could feel her heart race. Drake, with his dark eyes, could slay any woman with a single look. Well, so could her husband. But there was something to his smoldering and always brooding expression that made her tingly. She wondered why he was so attentive with her today. Before the wedding, it felt like he did all in his power to avoid her eyes, perhaps so she wouldn’t see the hurt inside him.

But now? He was eyeing her like a predator stalking its prey. Not that she ever felt threated by Drake, but his looks now definitely were intimidating. Mostly because she didn’t know what they meant.

Liam put his hand over hers on the table. Startled, she jumped slightly at his touch.

“Are you okay, Bragnae? Your face is a little red,” Kindly, he lowered his voice to a whisper not to draw the attention of the others, but they all still honed in on her.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious and needing a moment to sort out the mixed emotions running through her head, she stood. “I’m fine. Thank you,” she told him with a soft touch to his arm. “I’m a little warm. I think I’ll go splash some water on my face.”

The men at the table stood, chivalrous as they were, as she left the room. Once she was out of their sight, she headed to the nearest powder room. Closing the door behind her, she walked up to the sink, leaning on the counter as she took a few deep breaths.

She raised her head to see herself in the mirror. She was a bit red in the face. Damn Drake. No matter how hard she tried, he would always get a rise out of her. She shook her head, partly in disgust at herself as well as frustration. How could she move on from him if she saw him every day? He lived at the palace, same as her.

It would have been fine, and easier to deal with had he not started to intentionally capture her attention with his sexy, determined eyes. She put a hand to her chest feeling her heart beat faster than normal. Even her breathing was ragged. That wasn’t good. It was too soon to be around him again. How would she get around this?

Bragnae sat down on a cushioned tuffet she pulled out from under the counter, and gave herself another minute to regain her composure. Then, there was a knock at the door. She sighed. This was how life would be as the queen. She’d never truly be able to escape for a moment alone without someone coming to check on her.

Stubbornly, she let the person knock again before she called out. “I’ll be right there.” She stood, pushing the seat back in its place, and looked herself over once more. Taking another deep breath, she opened the door to see Drake staring down at her.

Her heart rate skyrocketed again. “Drake, what are you doing?”

Without an invitation, he gently pushed his way into the small powder room, closing the door behind him. “Shhh, Bennett. I’m sorry but I’ve got to talk to you.”

He’s got to talk to me? No way. I’m doing the talking. “Why do you keep looking at me at the table like you are?”

The room felt bigger before he was in it. Now, standing over her, crowding her a bit, the room was shrinking. She backed up against the counter, and he continued to step forward. Summoning all her strength, she tried her best to appear confident instead of the reality of her about to melt on the floor in a lustful puddle of herself because of his presence.

“That’s what I want to talk to you about.” He paused to study her for a moment. “I missed you… and I’ve been an idiot. I should have told you this sooner. You’re everything to me. You’re my last thought before I fall asleep, and on my mind immediately when I wake up. I love the way your smile lights up your entire face, I love that you laugh at all my stupid jokes, and I love that you push me to be better — you make me want to be a better man than I was.”

Drake took a small step forward. “I care about you so much, and… I want to be with you. It hurts,” his hands clutched at the fabric of his shirt over his heart, “it physically hurts that I’m not the one you call yours.” He visibly swallowed. “I love you, Benn— Bragnae.”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her eyes frantically searched his for an ounce of humor or sarcasm, but there was none. He was sincere. He was pouring his heart out to her, telling her everything she wanted him to say before, and he chose now to do it. What a nerve. Suddenly she felt hurt and irate.

“How dare you say this to me now? You’ve had plenty of chances to tell me how you feel, and you wait until the day I get back from my honeymoon?” Her voice had raised a bit on that last word. “What is wrong with you, Drake?”

He dropped his hands to his sides again, and straightened his posture. “Plenty. And don’t think I don’t know it. But I’m not going to apologize for telling you this now.”

Surprised by his confidence, she gave him a questioning look. “What am I supposed to do with that? In case you forgot, you can’t be with me. I’m married now. You were there. You saw it.”

Drake stepped even closer to her. Their bodies mere inches apart. “Yeah, I saw it. Do you want to know what else I saw that day – on your face in particular? Longing, desire, maybe some regret – and that was just a few minutes after you said ‘I do’. Today, five minutes after you return from your honeymoon, I saw it all again. But this time there was more. I know you care about me, Bennett, dare I even say that you love me.”

He shifted his weight, looking down in attempt to gather his courage again. “I wouldn’t be telling you this – I wouldn’t be trying to ruin your marriage if I didn’t think you felt the same about me.”

I do, but I can’t allow you to think that. Not when my heart is still in this fragile state. “Well, I don’t.”

“Bullshit.” He narrowed his eyes at her. He had the gall to call her out, and at a time like this?

Unwilling to let him compromise her emotions further, she started for the door. She got it open a crack before Drake’s hand slammed it shut. She turned around to face him. His arm extended against the door, not allowing her to leave.

“What are you doing, Drake?” Anger and shock filled her voice.

His stature exuded confidence, but his face and words showed his vulnerability. “I know why you’re running away, but I can’t let you leave until I get all of this out. It’s… it’s okay if you don’t want to be with me. I know you said what happened in Vegas was a one-time thing. And at the time, I was so desperate to touch you again that I didn’t give a shit about the consequences. And now, it’s haunting me.”

Her expression and voice softened. “I was afraid of that.”

Drake looked deep into her eyes. “The day you got married, I sat in the parking lot trying to figure out whose life I was going to ruin: Liam’s, yours, or mine. I considered leaving Cordonia for good, but I knew that would hurt you. And to be honest, I didn’t think I could survive without seeing you regularly. So, I chose Liam because I just had to have you for myself.”

Bragnae listened intently. He was opening up to her, and she wasn’t going to interrupt.

“I walked into that church, spotted your door, and made my way to you. Before I could get there, Liam stepped out of his room, and told me it was time to go. And it was at that point I realized that Liam deserved to be happy too, and I couldn’t ruin his life by taking you away from him. So, I ruined mine instead.”

She so badly wanted to reach out to touch him, but something held her back.

“Bennett, you will never understand the level of pain and regret I have for letting you slip between my fingers. I know I hurt you. I know I didn’t speak up when I needed to. I know that I have no leg to stand on, but I couldn’t go another day without telling you how I felt.” Drake ran his hand softly down her arm. “I’d give anything to turn back the clocks, and tell you all of this before Liam proposed, but I can’t.”

“No, you can’t.” A lump of emotion welled in her throat. “Please don’t bring this up again. It hurts too much.” She turned away from him, hoping to avoid seeing the agony on his face. After a moment, Drake dropped his hand from the door, and she left the room.

~

Later that evening, Bragnae lay awake in bed next to her peacefully snoozing husband. She couldn’t sleep. Even when she and Liam had sex a few hours ago, she was distracted. Drake’s words had imprinted her mind, and she couldn’t stop thinking about what he said, and how he said it.

She hadn’t seen that kind of passion in Drake, when he was speaking, in… ever. The barrier of his friendship and duty to Liam always shielded whatever emotion he’d hoped to convey.

It was half past midnight. Liam had to leave early in the morning for Lythikos, so she didn’t want to disturb him with her restlessness. She decided she’d get up, and walk around the palace to help clear her thoughts. She threw on a camisole before slipping on a pair of pajama shorts. On her way out of the bedroom, she put on a jacket, zipping it up halfway.

Bragnae shoved her hands in her jacket pockets as she roamed the hallways of the palace thinking about Drake. As much as she wanted to hear those words from him, and as wonderful as they were to hear, she was more upset than infatuated. Why did he have to wait so long to tell her?

He had mentioned he wanted to break up their wedding, but changed his mind at the last second. Thinking about her wedding day, she tried to imagine what she would have done had he found her before Liam interrupted his plan. Would she have run off with him, or would she have denied him? Knowing her heart, and how desperately she wanted to be with him, there was no question.

But what about Liam? He wasn’t just this unbelievably attractive guy who was also a king. He was kind, tender, and loving. Even though it had only been about a week, she enjoyed being married to him. Granted, they were on their honeymoon the entire time, but still. He meant the world to her.

So, Drake corralled her in the bathroom to tell her all the things he should have said before, and expected her to jump right into his arms? She shook her head at the thought. Although, she’d be lying to herself if she said she didn’t want to. It was Drake, after all.

Looking ahead of her, Bragnae saw a bright light coming from a room. As she approached, she recognized it as the palace’s gym. The room had a wall of windows looking into the spacious area. She had only seen the gym in passing, never visited it for its intended purpose.

She looked at the vast array of equipment, cardio machines, weights, other contraptions geared towards different muscles in the body. A brief thought came to mind for her to go in there and work out – try to release the stress and pressure she now felt inside her. But before she could make any plans, she spotted someone.

It was Drake. He wore a black, razorback tank top, and a pair of red athletic shorts. She watched him pick up a set of free weights, forty-five pounds in each hand, as he pulled them up and away from the sides of his torso, putting his impressive wingspan on display. His back was turned to her, so he hadn’t noticed her gawking. Thank God.

The muscles in his arms and shoulders rippled with each repetition. His back glistened from the sweat of his hard work. Bragnae’s heart fluttered in her chest at the sight of him. The strength he possessed made her insides ache. Seeing him now reminded her of the few times his strong hands held her, picked her up, and touched her. She wanted more, but it wasn’t right. Not now. Not ever.

And suddenly she was mad again. Mad that she couldn’t have him. Mad that he waited so long to tell her. Mad that he conflicted her already unstable emotions when he confessed his feelings. Before she could think better of it, she opened the door and stepped inside the gym.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Drake set the weights back down, and squirted water into his mouth before wiping his face with a towel. The melodic tunes of American Classic Rock blared in his ears, helping to motivate his work out. He shook his arms out as he rested in between sets. He’d move up to the fifty pounders next.

As he turned back to the weights, he was startled to see Bragnae walk into his view. Why is she here? For only a moment, he froze up, not sure what to do, but then logic set in. He slowly removed his ear buds, one at a time, and gently tossed the cord over his shoulder.

He continued to stare at her, not wanting to speak first. Not after what happened earlier. Plus, it gave him time to catch his breath, both from the work out and his surprise.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she told him, crossing her arms over her chest.

Drake felt guilty. He knew why. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Well, you should be.” Her tone had taken an unexpected direction, and now the softness of her amber eyes burned with ferocity. It had been a very different reaction from what he witnessed from her earlier.

She’s mad at me? He scoffed. “What? Look, Bennett, I know it was a dick move to surprise you with this information, but I do not regret it. I needed to tell you. No matter your response, you had to know.”

“Drake, I was happy!” Her elevated voice stunned him, but he stood resolute as she continued. “After we made love in Vegas, you kept pushing me away. I knew then it was never going to happen with us. I made peace with that. So, I pushed the thought of you out of my mind, and focused on the other man that I love.”

He heard her emphasis, and his heart swelled at the thought of her loving him – actually loving him. The concept was unfathomable.

“I love him, Drake. I wouldn’t have said ‘yes’ to him if I didn’t.” And just like that, her words cut him deep. Now he had to put up his walls again, so he didn’t get hurt anymore.

“So, what? Did you just come in here to rub that in my face? If you did, you can leave. I’ve already been tormented enough seeing you two together.” He turned away towards the weights, hoping she’d take the hint to go before his heart shattered into a million pieces.

“And whose fault is that?!” She screamed at him.

Drake rounded on her, snapping his attention back to her livid face. Even with her as mad as she was, he still wanted to kiss her. “Mine! I fucking said that earlier!” He fumed, staring down at her. With almost a foot of height over her, she had to tilt her head back just to look at him.

“I need you to hear me right now.” Her voice leveled out again. “I’m in love with you, Drake Walker. And if you would have acted on what you wanted instead of trying not to hurt your best friend, I’d be with you right now. I was prepared to hurt Liam’s feelings because you were worth it.”

She was right. Everything she just said, as hard as it was to hear, was true. He hated himself.

Bragnae lowered her gaze, shaking her head. “And now it’s too late.” She looked back up at him, her eyes glossy. “I’m married to a wonderful man who tells me he loves me every day. I’m the Queen of Cordonia. I just can’t erase that. No matter how much I might want to.”

They looked at each other for another moment, letting the words sink in. This can’t be how it ends. She obviously had feelings for him, and desired him still. If his lack of action before was what kept him from being with her, then he wasn’t going to make that mistake twice.

As Bragnae started to walk away, Drake grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, kissing her deeply. She protested at first, feeling rigid in his arms, but after another second, she melted against him. Her hands ran across his swollen biceps as she pressed her full lips into him.

She felt amazing in his arms, and even better was her kiss. He could feel the love pouring out of her, and the little moan she released told him she was enjoying the moment as much as he was.

Suddenly, he felt the pressure of her hands pushing against him, and the protests returned. He let go of her as she took a few steps back. Both of them breathing heavily, staring at each other. He waited for her to say something or rush out the door, but she didn’t. She just kept looking at him with hunger in her eyes. And he really wanted to finish that kiss.

He took a step forward, so did she, and soon their lips were locked again in a heated kiss. Their bodies pressed together so tightly, it’d take a crowbar to pry them apart.

Drake wanted her. That much he knew. And he also knew he’d do whatever it took to have her. Against his own desires, he tore himself way from her, gripping both of her arms as he looked into her eyes. He needed her full attention.

“You can still be the queen, and be with me if that’s what you want. If I can’t have you completely to myself, I’ll share you with the king. If that’s what it takes to be with you, then so be it. I need you, Bragnae. I can’t live without you.”

Her eyes fixed on his as she contemplated his suggestion. Even he was surprised by it, but he was past the point of caring. His morals were shot the second he agreed to have the fling with her in Vegas, regardless of Liam’s approval.  And now, he was offering himself to her as someone she could fuck on the side of her marriage.

“I’ve got to go,” she finally said, taking another moment to look at him before she gently pushed herself out of his grasp.

Drake watched her leave the gym, as guilt and pain reentered his heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Bragnae stood on her toes to kiss Liam by the front entrance. He would be traveling to Lythikos, and wouldn’t return until tomorrow. Whether that was a good or bad thing, she didn’t yet know. With Liam away, she could have time to sort through her thoughts, to find out what she truly wanted. But with him gone, she was afraid that would present a convenient opportunity to explore Drake’s proposal.

“I won’t be gone long, my love. Just an overnighter, and I’ll be back in your arms tomorrow.” He smiled down at her, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

“I’ll miss you.” She pulled him in for another kiss.

His hand slid down to her curvy tush, giving it a hearty squeeze. “I’ll miss you, too. I’ll call you when I land.” Liam gave another kiss. “Goodbye, my queen. Have fun today.”

She smiled at him as Liam walked out the double doors to his limousine. Heaving a sigh, she turned around to head back to her room. As she walked out of the foyer, she saw Drake standing with his shoulder leaned up against the wall, looking at her. She stopped in her tracks.

Even though he stood several feet away from her, she could see the longing in his expression. She felt it too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He stared at her not moving a muscle. Everything had been laid out on the table. Now, they knew how each of them felt about each other, and Drake had told her he was okay with being the other man. Still not completely proud of his proposition, he was more than willing to move forward despite it. She was worth the risk and everything else involved.

Bragnae reached around her neck and unclasped her pearl necklace, balling it in her left hand. Curious about her peculiar behavior, he watched as she ascended the stairs, dragging the pearls over the polished banister keeping her eyes down and in his direction. His gaze followed her as she reached the top of the stairs, and turned right down a hallway. Before she walked out of sight, she looked right at him, and that’s when he knew.

Part 5: The Confusion

Bragnae arched her back as Leo kissed down her exposed chest. He had managed to completely disrobe her in a matter of minutes. The way he took his time using his hands and lips to prove his adoration for her had placed Bragnae in a comfortable daze. She didn’t have a care in the world.

In the midst of it all, she had removed his shirt letting her admire his magnificent abs with fingers on her way to reaching for his belt. She fumbled a bit getting easily distracted by the sensual way he continued to touch her.

Leo chuckled lightly. “Let me help you out, beautiful.” He rose up off the sofa. The absence of his body on top of hers left a sudden chill, but the heat in his eyes as he stared down at her while removing the rest of his clothes made her warm again.

She watched carefully as his long, hard cock sprung out of his clothes. He stroked himself a few times while looking her over head to toe. Bragnae laid there with her legs parted just as he left her. Her head rested on the cushy arm rest of the black leather sofa. The sultry but unhurried beat of the music in the background added to the mood. She was primed, and wanted him desperately.

“Leo, come here. I need you,” she whimpered as her breathing increased.

“I’m coming, babe. Don’t worry.” He reached down to his jeans and pulled out a foil packet. Like an expert, he quickly rolled the condom on, and was already back on the couch. He knelt before her, nudging her legs open more with his knees. He ran a soft, slow hand down her chest, guiding it to the space between her legs. His fingers encircled her clit before gliding down her silky sensitive skin. His breath hitched as he dove a finger inside her. “You’re ready for me. So wet,” he whispered.

His finger moved with the rhythm of the song that played. When he withdrew it, he doubled his effort with two fingers reaching for her pleasure center. It felt amazing. Bragnae moved her body along with his intentional motion. Both of them staring into each other’s eyes.

“You’re so sexy, Bragnae.” His focused gaze traveled down the length of her body. His other hand grabbed her leg, holding it against his hip. Removing his fingers, he guided his engorged tip to her entrance, teasing her a bit.

“God, Leo. Please.” Her core burned with anticipation. She rolled her hips trying to encourage him inside, but he stayed put. She moaned out of frustration.

He braced his hand on the head rest next to her, and leaned down. His face inches from hers. “Just trying to savor the moment, babe. I know this is going to go fast once we start.” He bent down to capture her lips in a lustful, impassioned kiss. “I’ve wanted you all to myself since the other night.” He guided the tip of his cock just inside her making them both exhale shuddering breaths. “And now I get to feel your wet pussy around my dick, and I can’t wait anymore.”

Leo pushed into her with agonizing slowness. Bragnae moaned, finally feeling what she craved. Her hands flew to his hips holding him against her so she could feel the fullness inside, not to mention the pressure of his pelvis between her legs.

He laughed. “I like a woman who knows what she wants.”

Bragnae let out a gasping breath. “Glad you finally gave it to me. You feel so good.”

“Just you wait, lil’ lady. You’ll feel even better when I make you come.” Leo curled her leg around his hips. Bragnae took the hint wrapping her other leg around him too, locking her ankles.

He bent down to kiss her again, sliding his hand underneath the small of her back to hold her in place as he rocked his hips against her. The couch wasn’t that wide, but they made the best of the space they shared. Leo gripped the head rest to help steady his movements. The sound of the leather groaned in her ear as his pace increased.

Every moment from that day had led to this one. The flirting while he helped inspire her to defend herself. The playful words when he first saw her in the dress. The smoldering looks at the bar. The grinding on the dance floor. The irresistible touches he laid on her skin. Leo was scratching an itch that had burned for longer than just today. She hungered for his fun-loving take on life, his sense of humor, and his apparent desire to be with her – now and after they were finished.

The passion of their moment and the leather from the sofa was making Bragnae hot. Her back stuck to the couch keeping her even more in place than before, allowing Leo to hit the exact spot inside her over and over again. Lucky for her, it was the spot she needed him to find. A warm pressure started to build. She exhaled ragged breaths as she concentrated on bringing her release closer.

Leo had brought his other hand up to caress her breast, quickly finding her nipple and pinching it between his fingers. This propelled Bragnae’s orgasm forward as she released a scream into the room that carried on for several seconds. The explosive pleasure continued to ripple throughout her body.

An accomplished smile appeared on his face. “There ya go, babe. That was hot. So hot,” he said as his eyes fluttered closed for a second before he too had found his release. Leo pumped into her slower than before as he rode the pleasure out. Then, his head fell forward exhaling a satisfied breath.

Still feeling the effects from her blissful high, she smiled up at him as she gently rubbed her fingers over his cheek. He was still in her, but resting. After another moment, he raised his gaze to hers, which was different than before.

“That was incredible, Leo.” She steadied her hand against his face feeling a deep connection between them. The way he stared into her eyes now made her heart skip a beat.

Leo took another breath in. “Yes, it was.”

She sat up to kiss him in such a tender way, taking her time with each parting of her lips that devoured his. When she finally pulled back, he looked more deeply into her eyes as if he was searching for something.

“Bragnae,” he whispered. “I…”

Still cradling his face, she spoke softly. “What is it?”

She watched as his eyes sharpened from their once passionate haze. “We should get going.”

That was not at all what she was expecting him to say. It took her aback especially when he suddenly vacated her and the couch with haste. She watched in slight shock as he discarded the condom in a nearby trashcan and began getting dressed.

The energy in the room shifted so dramatically that she felt extremely vulnerable, being as naked as she was, and like a trespasser. Bragnae stood and pulled her clothes on too. She didn’t know why he was suddenly not looking in her direction or why the beautiful moment they just shared made him react this way.

Both fully dressed, they left the room and Leo led her out of the club. He hadn’t taken her hand like he did when they first walked in. He felt more cold and distant than she’d ever seen him before and was utterly confused.

Leo walked to his bike and straddled it as he quickly started the engine. He didn’t even look at her, not even to watch her lift her dress the way she had before. Bragnae felt extremely awkward all of a sudden, and wanted to talk about it with him, but sensed that wasn’t an option. She didn’t even know if she was welcome to sit behind him on the bike. She stood there on the sidewalk contemplating her options. Walking home wasn’t preferable as dark as it was, so she’d have to call an Uber.

Finally, he looked over at her. “Come on.” His tone wasn’t rude, but it wasn’t altogether pleasant either. Not like before.

She mounted the bike like she had earlier and barely had her arms around his stomach before he sped off. Startled, she held on tightly. A few minutes later, he pulled up to her apartment.

Bragnae got off the bike and waited for him to do the same but he didn’t. He just avoided her gaze. She walked over to see his face waiting for him to acknowledge her before speaking. After a moment, he did.

“Did I do something wrong?” She couldn’t hide the look of concern in her eyes.

Leo averted his gaze again, shaking his head. “No. I had a good time, Bragnae.” He pulled her in closer by her hand, and rose out of his seat to give her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll call you, okay?”

“Okay.” She didn’t know what else to say to that.

Without another look, Leo pulled away from the curb and left her sight. She was dumbfounded. What the hell just happened? Bragnae went inside to her apartment. Madeleine was still watching television in the front room, but she didn’t feel like talking to anyone. So, she just went to bed instead.

The next morning, Bragnae woke up feeling off. Her weekend had started off great with Leo, but then abruptly ended and she didn’t understand why. She checked her phone, but all she had was a text from her mother. Determined to not let that ruin her day, she got up and showered. After getting dress again, she toweled her hair as she made her way to the kitchen. A cup of coffee was calling her name.

When she rounded the corner, she saw Madeleine was already there making a cup. “Morning, Bragnae.”

“Hey, girl.” She took a seat on the stool at the breakfast counter.

“You okay? You came home awfully early last night. What happened there?” She asked before going to the fridge to grab the flavored creamer.

Bragnae sighed. She definitely wanted some advice, but it was still so disappointing. “Well, it was weird.”

“How so?”

“You saw how…attentive Leo was when he picked me up right?” She waited for Madeleine to nod before continuing. “Well, he was like that for the rest of the evening until…”

“Until after you guys had sex?” Madeleine asked.

Bragnae nodded, a little surprised. “How’d you know?”

Madeleine gave her a knowing look complete with an eye roll. “B, that’s how they all are. They want you until you give it up, and then they ditch you so fast your head spins.” She pushed a cup of coffee across the counter. “Here, girl, you need this.”

Bragnae accepted the cup of java and inhaled its comforting aroma. “Thanks. I just didn’t think Leo would be like that. He seemed into me. And I don’t know if I said anything to spook him. I keep going over everything, but I don’t know what I did wrong.”

Madeleine leaned on the counter. “I’m going to save you some time. Don’t worry about what you did because this is all on him. If he doesn’t want you that’s his fucking loss.”

“But,” Bragnae started to say.

“But nothing. Girl, you have to move on from his sketchy ass. Leo is a player, and players break hearts. Don’t get involved with a player. And yes, I’m speaking from experience.” She gave Bragnae a sympathetic smile as she finished making her cup of coffee the way she liked it.

Bragnae absentmindedly watched as she put the creamer away, and caught a glimpse of the leftover beer Drake had brought over a few days ago. She was instantly reminded that he had never returned her call. Not even a text. She groaned in frustration.

“What is it?” Madeleine asked.

Sighing, she palmed her forehead with both hands. “Guys suck.”

“Join the club. But… is there something more?”

“Yes. Drake still hasn’t called me back.” She watched Madeleine give her an expectant look. “So, he came over on Friday, and we were talking and getting along great. And then we started kissing…”

“You little minx!” Madeleine guffawed. When Bragnae glared at her, she swallowed the rest of her surprised giggles and gestured for her to continue.

“We started kissing, and then Drake stopped it. It stung my pride, so I basically kicked him out. Well, I called him yesterday to apologize for that, and he still hasn’t returned my call. And he said he’d call me before he left on Friday, so why wouldn’t he call me back yesterday?” Bragnae stared at the countertop. “What’s wrong with me?”

Madeleine reached out to squeeze Bragnae’s hand. “Hey, don’t go there. There’s nothing wrong with you. Leo is a profound jerk who’s just out for sex, and Drake… well, I don’t know what his problem is. But that doesn’t mean the problem is you. Do you believe me?”

Bragnae met her eyes. “Yeah, I do. Thanks.”

“Try not to let this worry you. I know it’s easier said than done, but the best way you can show those douche bags up is by being happy and moving on with your life. They’ll be sorry they missed out.” She took a sip of her coffee. “It’s guys like them that make me seriously contemplate being a lesbian.” She sighed to herself. “But I love dick too much. Damn them.”

Bragnae laughed. “I’ll drink to that.” They clinked their mugs together taking another sip.

Madeleine set down her coffee and lightly slapped the counter top. “So, I work tonight, but why don’t we do a little retail therapy to get your mind off those bozos this afternoon?”

“You’re a good friend, Maddie,” she smiled.

The girls spent the day shopping and eating at one of their favorite Mexican restaurants in town. It was a nice, relaxing day. One that Bragnae desperately needed. Later on, after Madeleine left for work, Bragnae finished up the little homework she had over the weekend before settling on the couch to watch television.

She still had one full day left to her weekend, and the hopeful plans she had with either Drake or Leo were completely shot. Even though she had a fun and breezy day with her friend, now she was alone with her thoughts, and they drifted back to the two men that made her heart ache and her brain confused. All within the same few days.

As Netflix appeared on the screen, she saw the unfinished movie she and Drake started. Embarrassing memories of being asked to stop kissing Drake flooded her mind. She didn’t like how she reacted, but then, even as she tried to make amends, Drake wouldn’t even acknowledge it.

And Leo. He reached out to her asking her to join him for a self-defense lesson and then to a hot club. She really thought he liked her. She knew she was definitely into him. And as soon as they were finished having sex, he switched off whatever game he was playing with her, and left her feeling used. It was a horrible feeling.

She had no idea what she did to deserve to be ditched by two men in the same weekend, but her strong sense of self kicked in and told her to listen to Madeleine’s advice and forget about them. Fuck them. If they can’t appreciate me for what I have to offer, then they can go kick rocks.

Instead of the ice cream dinner she had planned for herself, Bragnae fixed up a salad packed with lots of vegetables, a sliced egg and croutons. She tossed it with some ranch dressing, grabbed a water and went back to the couch. Knowing laughter always helped her through times like this, she turned on stand-up comedy and settled in for the night.

~

The rest of her weekend went by in a flash. She powered through her first two classes of the day, dreading her math class after lunch. As she walked towards the next building, she heard her name being called. Her last name. Sure enough, she looked up and saw Drake heading in her direction. Feeling empowered, she rolled her eyes and kept walking.

She cringed as she heard hurried footsteps behind her. Bragnae felt strong and determined to tell him to fuck off if necessary, but she was still fragile, and didn’t want his words to pull her back in.

“Bragnae, wait a minute. Are you trying to ignore me?” He asked, slightly out of breath.

She whipped around so fast that Drake almost lost his footing. “What gave you that clue?”

“Hey, look.” He sighed. “I know you’re probably upset about me not returning your call, but I can explain.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at him. She shouldn’t have even given him the time or day, but something peeked her curiosity. When she didn’t say anything more, he continued.

“When you called on Saturday, I was still at work. But then my mom and sister showed up surprising me with a visit for the long weekend. They didn’t leave until last night. I didn’t have time to call you, and I’m sorry.” Drake spoke with sincerity, but it wasn’t good enough.

Bragnae narrowed her eyes. “That’s a shitty excuse.”

“It’s the truth!” Drake barked back.

She stepped closer to him. “I know it’s the truth, Drake. You’re not one to lie.” She studied his face for a moment. “But are you telling me that there was absolutely no time to shoot me a quick text letting me know you got my message? There wasn’t a single second for you to do that, so I wouldn’t be sitting around wondering why you didn’t want to talk to me?”

She didn’t want to play her hand too early to let him know she was thinking about him all weekend, but she was fueled up, damn it, and wanted answers.

Drake’s expression softened as his eyes fell. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I should’ve at least done that.” He returned his gaze to hers. “But I didn’t ignore you on purpose. I wanted to come see you as soon as I was off work to talk things over, but then my family showed up.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t blame you for being mad.”

“Drake, after that night, I wasn’t feeling very desired. Yes, I felt like an idiot later for kicking you out just because you told me ‘no’, but then I put myself out there again, and by you not calling or texting me back… well, it hurt.” She stared into his eyes unflinching.

“I’m sorry I hurt you.” He took a step towards her running a gentle hand down her arm. “I realized it wasn’t right for me to just spring that on you while we were, ya know, in the moment. If you had been the one to stop us just when things were starting to heat up, I know I would have been disappointed too.”

It took maturity to see the other person’s perspective, and Drake was trying to make amends. At least he wasn’t just shutting her out cold turkey like Leo had done. The rest of the weekend went by and she heard not a peep from him.

“So, what do you want, Drake? What do you want from me?”

His hands lightly held the sides of her crossed arms. “Let me make this up to you. I’d like to explain why I said what I did last Friday. I want to take you out to dinner tonight. Will you let me?”

“No.”

Drake pulled back slightly, his eyebrows raising in surprise.

“I work tonight.”

The corner of his mouth curled up. “You’re making me work for this, aren’t you?”

“Maybe,” she replied with soft smile.

“Well, I know Mikey’s is closed on Wednesday’s, so if you have nothing else to do, can I take you out to dinner tomorrow?”

She worked her jaw as she looked up at him, pretending to think over his request. “Yes.”

Drake smiled. “Okay, good. I’ll call you, and we’ll set up a time.”

“You better,” she said with an absolute seriousness to her voice. Bragnae would not allow him to hang her out to dry again.

He moved even closer to her, this time his face inches from hers. She felt her heart pounding at his proximity. “I promise I will, Bragnae.”

She nodded, and swallowed discreetly.

“I’ve gotta get to class, but I’ll see you tomorrow.” He brushed his thumb lightly over her chin. She thought he’d lean in for a kiss, but he just smiled before walking away.