I could sympathize with Tristan and wondered who was there to take care of him the way Brick had taken care of me.
"Maybe next time, man," Brick had said, easing the blow and obviously disappointed he couldn't ingratiate himself to my brother any more than he already had by making his dreams come true.
"What do you want to do now?" Brick asked. "Wanna catch a movie? Go shopping? Maybe come back to my place?"
Unable to help myself, I laughed at the exaggerated way he waggled his brows, something he did a lot, and something that never failed to amuse me. Shaking my head at his suggestion just as much as his antics, I pulled away, letting his arm slip off my shoulders. He didn't let me get far. His hand slid down my arm, his fingertips dancing across my skin, until he reached my hand. Lacing our fingers together, he gave me a slight squeeze. I felt like he was testing the waters, asking if this was okay. I read more in that touch than I did in anything else Brick had ever said or done and felt what was left of my already flimsy defenses melt away.
If I wasn't careful, I was going to be in so much trouble. Still, I couldn't stop my fingers from tightening around his or bring myself to scold my heart when it skipped a beat at his resulting grin.
Okay, so maybe I was already in a metric ass ton of trouble. Go big or go home, right? "How about all three?"
Brick's head swiveled toward me in apparent shock. "Yeah?"
I nodded. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted it. "Let's stop at that corner store and grab some snacks. The unhealthiest things we can find. Then we can go back to your room and be fat and lazy in front of the TV."
"Can we be fat and lazy and naked in front of the TV?"
I pulled us to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk and affected a serious tone. "Let's see how the night goes."
I couldn't actually see Brick's eyes widen behind his sunglasses, but his brows nearly reached his hairline, so the message was clear. "Seriously?"
Before I could craft a response, a squeal pierced the Pacific-cooled air. "Oh my god! Are you Josh Brickman?"
It would have been bad form to take a swing at the woman who had rudely shoved me aside in order to accost my man -- record scratch -- Whoa. My man? Now, those were dangerous words, and I shouldn't have been thinking that way, but the sensation that swelled in my chest was undeniable. Oh, hell. It looked like 'metric ass ton' was a gross underestimation in terms of the amount of trouble I was in.
I met Brick's searching gaze over the mountain of blonde beach waves between us with an understanding smile. This was his life. It's who he was. A rock star. Adored by many. Lusted after by far more than just me. If I was going to let him in, even just a little bit, the Wasted Breath fandom was just one of the many things I'd have to live with. As an employee, it was easy to live behind the scenes and remain invisible to the attention brought on by the band's fame. As Brick's friend -- or more -- it would be next to impossible. Could I live in the spotlight at Brick's side? Would I have to?
"Hey, talk to me."
I blinked, bringing Brick's face into focus. "Hm?"
"You look freaked, and I don't like it." He was so far up into my personal space, our noses almost touched.
My eyes darted over his shoulder, and I realized that his fans had moved on. I vaguely remembered him signing autographs and taking selfies with them before thanking them, as if they'd done him a favor. He'd been gracious and humble and approachable. And it was over before I'd known it. Well, I guess that wasn't so bad after all.
Brick's hands squeezed my shoulders, his thumbs gently stroking the dips above my collarbone. "Tell me you're okay," he demanded gently, his concern making the words slightly scratchy.
My hands rose of their own accord to cradle his scruffy jaw. "I'm okay," I whispered.
"You're sure?" He kept his voice low, like he was talking to a spooked animal that he didn't want to bolt.
"I'm sure."
"You still want to get fat and lazy?"
I smiled. "And naked."
Brick dropped his hands, immediately pulling out his phone to tap out a text.
"What are you doing?"
"Putting it in my calendar."
I frowned, not understanding.
Brick elaborated. "The day Marni Morrison admitted to wanting to get naked with me."
I rolled my eyes but cracked a smile at his joke. "You're such a dork."
"Let's go, sweet lips," he said, slinging his arm around my shoulders, prompting my feet to resume their function. "You want sweet or salty?"
He was referring to the snack selection, I knew, but that's not where my mind went. Either way, my answer was the same. "Both."
Somehow he seemed to know exactly what was happening between my ears because he flashed me that devastating smirk. "You got it, babe. You got it."
Eleven
Brick
Is this real life?
That was the question I kept asking myself each time I dipped my spoon into the tub of chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream that sat between us on the bed. Marni had not only surprised me with her request for naked time but also with her ice cream choice. I knew from extensive stalking research, that she was more of a birthday cake flavor kind of girl. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. When given the choice between chocolate cake and vanilla, Marni always chose vanilla. Same with drive-through milkshakes. And last Easter, I'd caught her picking all the white chocolate candy out of the community Easter basket the band had supplied to the crew along with a full Easter dinner as part of a thank you from the band for working through the holiday.
The behavioral anomaly nagged me so much, I blurted, "I thought you didn't like chocolate."
Marni's spoon paused halfway to her mouth and her eyes slowly moved from the Schitt's Creek marathon we'd come across while arguing over which movie to watch and landed on me. "What makes you say that?"
I narrowed my eyes at her, noticing the smudge of chocolate at the corner of her mouth and helpless to stop myself from leaning in and licking it away. Her gasp was a reward she didn't even know she'd granted me. I dropped both our spoons in the carton before tossing it off the bed, not caring where it landed or what kind of mess it made. I'd tip the housekeeping staff well when I checked out.
"Brick?" Marni's breathy call was exactly what I wanted to hear.
"I think it's time we move on to the naked portion of the program." I made sure to look into the pools of dark chocolate she had for eyes as I spoke. I needed her to know I was dead serious about this happening but only if it was what she wanted too. She didn't make me wait.
She nodded, and even I knew the devil was in my grin.
Her fingers were tangled in my hair, pulling me in and surprising me before I'd had a chance to make a move. Our mouths slammed together a little too hard in our enthusiasm, hopefully not requiring a trip to the dentist for either of us.
"I want to take my time with you," I growled in between kisses.
"I don't want to waste another second."
"That works too." I dove back in, pouring everything I had into every kiss, every touch.