I decide to head out to grab a drink and a couple Motrin before falling into a ten hour rest and recoup session.

I hear Finn and River talking and wonder if my chicks are bed hopping. Honestly, I don’t give a fuck if they are.

“She’s fucking hot,” I hear River whisper. “Wonder who the hell left her out here alone.” I walk past them, sure as hell not interested. “She one of yours?” he asks me.

“If she was, she’s not now,” I reply, grabbing a bottle of water out of the bar’s mini fridge. “Motrin?”

“Look left. I just took some,” Finn answers.

As I open the bottle, I hear a female’s startled gasp. I glance over to where the noise came from and pause.

“We scare you?” River asks in his smooth, I’m-putting-the-moves-on voice.

“No. Oh, wow, I’m sorry. I just … Madison gave me the gate code, and the door was unlocked, and …” She stands up and fixes her shirt.

Holy hell, she’s a fucking knock out: long, wavy hair, green ass eyes, rocking body… damn, damn, damn.

The pajamas, fucking cartoon characters … Those little blue ones? The girl one, blonde hair … Fuck it. Who cares? That’s her.

“No shit,” I say in shock, which actually makes her laugh.

Now she is covering her mouth, blushing. I watch as she tugs at her shirt, then runs her hand through her hair.

“Sorry. She said she called.”

“Tally?” I know it’s her—same voice and nervous laughter—but hot damn. Hot motherfucking damn, she has all sorts of grown up.

“Hi, Memphis.”

“You know this sexy, little—”

“Watch it, River,” I growl. Shit. Maybe I didn’t … Dammit, I know I fucking did.

I look over and see Finn smirk.

“Friend of the family,” I say in a much more cool, calm, and collected voice. “Mads didn’t call me.” I grab another bottle of water and walk it over to her.

“She said it went to voicemail. Her flight was delayed.” She can’t even look at me, too busy twisting the bottom of that little tee in knots. My balls are doing the same thing.

Her phone chimes, and she looks down. “Cancelled? Oh, dear.”

“It’s fine. You’ll stay with me. She and you can catch up when she gets in.”

Before I know it, I have her hand and am dragging her behind me while I snarl at Finn, who is just about ready to bust out laughing. I stop when she tugs her hand away and looks back. She’s looking to escape, and those two fuckers are looking like that wolf, the one that wants to eat the little girl, and they aren’t going to eat her. Fuck that. I will kill them first.

Red Riding Hood. Yeah, that’s it. Little Red Riding Hood.

“If you think for one second I’m gonna leave you out for them to try and snack on, Tales, you have lost your fucking mind.” I hold out my hand. “Let’s go.”

She hesitates for a moment then grabs her bags and looks up at me. “Where are you taking me?”

“You’ll sleep in my room, just until Mads gets here. Then I will lock you both up somewhere.” I say it in a way I know makes her nervous, and hell, that’s kind of hot, too.

I grab her hand again and pull her behind me. She doesn’t fight me; she comes willingly.

I open the door and turn the light on, and all she can say is wow, her eyes wide and full of wonder.

My blood is pooling in a place it shouldn’t be right now, and I think of that green ogre chick, the one who’s a princess. Then all hell breaks loose, and she is a nasty green ogre. Fuck, Tales, you need to show me your inner, what’s her name? Fiona. Yeah, that’s her name. Shrek and Fiona.

“Nice, right? Hop in bed,” I say, pulling back the covers.

She looks at me all wide-eyed, and damn, damn, damn.

“Where will you sleep?” she asks.

“With you.”

Her mouth drops open, and I feel a little off. Not a lot, just a little.

“Is there a problem, Tales? Would you rather be out there where they—”

She shakes her head. “Okay. It’s just—”

“I will be a perfect gentleman.”

“You promise?” she asks, looking back and forth between the bed and me.

I point to the bed. “Like a slumber party.”

“Those two girls?” she asks and a slight frown traces her lips. “They came out of here.”

There isn’t a question in her voice, and I sure as hell can’t lie to her after she saw them. “They left. Clean sheets.” I point to the dirty sheets pooled on the floor. “It’s been dealt with.”

She climbs in, and I am right behind her.

Once we’re settled in, I ask, “You comfortable?”

She pulls one of the pillows from the top and puts it in the middle. “I’m fine, and just remember, I’m not like them.”

“I know who you are, Tales.”

“Right.” She rolls to her side, facing away from me.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask as I settle in next to … the pillow.

“Nothing. Thank you for the place to sleep, Memphis.”

“Of course. Sorry I didn’t get Madison’s message. Phone wasn’t charged.”

“But you knew she was coming?”

“Yep.” When I think about the statement, I know she is judging me for being, well, me. “It’s charging now.”

“She’ll text me when she gets in,” she says, tightening the blanket around her.

I let the quiet hang in the air like a fucking black cloud for as long as I can stand it then finally say, “Tales?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m really sorry about your father.”

“Thank you for the flowers.”

That statement seems like a big fuck you to me.

“Sorry I couldn’t make it.”

“He doesn’t know you didn’t come, Memphis.” She yawns. “Goodnight.”

I lie there, my body exhausted as it should be, but I can’t sleep, not with the way her scent is mixing with the smell of sex still in the air.

I slide out of bed, grab the dirty sheets and blanket, and toss them in the hallway, all with a fucking hard-on that I am sure is caused more by the sweet scent of lilac invading my senses than the already fading memories of my first threesome.

I lie next to her again, inches from her. I know the exhaustion and alcohol that is still mixed in my cells aren’t helping me right now, but fuck.

Her hair is almost waist length, and those waves are more inviting than any one of them I rode today. Her neck is long and slender, and I want so badly to run my tongue from right behind her ear, down her neck to her spine, and all the way down. I want to taste her so fucking much right now, and I don’t taste.

Her tight, little tee is hugging her body, and I am thankful she has her back to me because I would be testing the little restraint I have if her tits were staring me in the face. Her ass is like POW! She obviously works out. Hell, she’s a dancer, I think. Her ass was never POW! before, was it?

I run my hand over my face. What the fuck are you doing? I ask myself. She hadn’t even hit puberty the last time you saw her.

Well, fuck, that shit changed.

I glance back over at POW! My mouth waters, my dick gets a little harder, and then I see those legs: strong, lean, and long. They have two purposes: one, to wrap around my waist while I bang her against every wall in this room and the other to hold up POW!

I want to save her from every one of those fuckers out there who want a taste, and I want to eat her up. I want to make sure no one hurts her, and I want to wreck her, too. I want to do all that to the chick who had little nubs last time I saw her, the girl who still can’t handle a curse word, the girl I am sure was wearing a chastity belt that’s key went to the grave with her old man, but I can’t.

God help me survive the two weeks Mads is going to be here if Tales is going to be here, too.

I lie in his bed, acting as if I’m asleep. I wish I was asleep because then I wouldn’t be thinking of that night, the night he kissed me. He was so intoxicated I know he doesn’t remember. I mean, why would he? Besides, it made him vomit.