We’ve also gone over the play. It’s a fun take on the elves at the North Pole. Christmas songs are sung throughout, but I told her I think the final act should be an original. She didn’t like the idea at first, but I reminded her that I got roped into this and she should give me a little freedom. Kissing a path down her neck and nipping on her shoulder definitely helped my argument.

  I’m on my way to the school to help with the rehearsal when my phone rings. I know it’s my assistant, and I can’t deal with that right now. I’m in discussions with the label about moving my tour back a few months. I need more time with Bri before I leave again. My assistant wants to discuss it all, and right now isn’t the time.

  I turn off my phone and put it in the glove box after I park outside the school. The school still smells the same as when I was here. It brings back so many memories walking through the halls.

  I stare at Brielle as she props her hip against Abigail’s locker. I’ve never seen someone so incredibly beautiful. She makes me feel things I’ve never felt before. The music I’ve been writing has been pouring out of me just thinking about her. She doesn’t even realize that she inspires me the way she does.

  She will, though.

  “Hey,” David says, stepping up next to me.

  I nod my head toward Brielle and smile. “I’m gonna marry that girl.”

  He laughs, slapping my back. “Good luck with that.”

  She walks away, and I watch her hips sway as she laughs and tosses her head back. I glance over at David and shrug. “I don’t need luck. I know what I want.”

  “Maybe you should ask her out before you plan your wedding,” he says, smirking.

  I nod and close my locker. “She’ll be mine before the end of the day.”

  “Shut the hell up,” he says, walking away.

  I smile as I follow behind him. “Watch.”

  “Hey,” Bri says, breaking my thoughts.

  I smile, looking at her beautiful face. “Hey, baby,” I say, pressing my lips to hers.

  “We’re in school,” she whispers, backing up.

  “Like that ever stopped me,” I say, wrapping my arms around her waist. “Remember when I asked you out?”

  She smiles, nodding. “Of course, I do. I was so nervous. All the girls wanted a chance with you, and when you approached me, my knees almost gave out.”

  My fingers dig into her back as I lean a bit closer. “Did I ever tell you what I told David that morning?” She shakes her head, searching my face. “I told him that I was going to marry you.”

  Her smile slips and she glances down at the ground. She recovers quickly, laughing as she looks up at me. “And I was nervous to talk to you.”

  “Miss Crawford?”

  “Hope? What’s wrong?” she asks, pulling away from me.

  “We just need your help real quick,” Hope replies.

  Bri smiles at me as I nod. She goes backstage to handle something, and guess who comes in?

  “What are you doing here, Mom?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.

  She holds up her hands, laughing. “I’m just checking in with Brielle.”

  I chuckle and look up on stage. “Remember when I played up on that stage? It was the first time I let everyone know I could sing,” I say.

  “I remember. I don’t think anyone was as shocked as me. I’d hear you playing guitar but I never heard your voice until that day.” She reaches up and touches my cheek. “You truly are an extraordinary singer, Jase.”

  It’s been a long time since she said anything like that to me, and I’m surprised that at my age, I needed to hear it. “Thanks, Mom.”

  “I saw Mason earlier,” she says, staring up at me.

  “And?”

  “Jase Weston, how could you hit him?” she scolds.

  I scrub my face and sigh. “I thought you were here to check in with Bri,” I say.

  “I am, but she’s busy.”

  I shake my head, crossing my arms. “Don’t act like you didn’t hear. The entire town has been talking about it. You also have no idea the things he said. He’s lucky he walked away.”

  “You were protecting her, weren’t you?” she asks, smiling.

  “Yeah, I was.” I wink at her as Bri comes walking over. “I always will.”

  “Charlotte, what are you doing here?”

  I narrow my eyes at my mom, and she laughs. “I just wanted to check in and see if you needed anything.”

  I laugh, and Bri looks between us. “No, we’re all good. Thanks.”

  “So, you kids are back together or what?”

  I glance at Bri, and she’s smiling. I press my lips to hers, and I hear my mother squeal. She actually squeals. I wrap my arm around Bri’s shoulders and look at my mom. “Is this the gossip you came here to get?”

  “Jase,” Bri whispers.

  “Oh, please, she knows she’s a gossip,” I say.

  My mom lifts her chin as she lifts her eyebrows. “As I’ve told you. I speak the truth.”

  Bri and I both laugh. “Okay, well, go spread the truth. We’re back together.”

  She tosses her arms around us both. “I knew it. You two are meant to be together. I never doubted it.”

  “Are we going to practice?”

  The three of us start laughing and turn our attention to the kids. I glance down at Bri as she talks and my heart races in my chest.

  I’m gonna marry this girl.

  ✽✽✽

  “Damn, you look stunning,” I say, walking into Bri’s house.

  She’s wearing a simple black dress, but her exposed cleavage and the short length make my dick hard. Her hair has curls in it, and her makeup is darker than usual. She is, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

  “Thank you. I know we’re only going to The Ice Box, but--” She shrugs.

  “But, you wanted to make sure to turn all the heads?” I ask, pulling her to me. “I’ll have to keep my hands occupied with other things instead of knocking them all out.”

  She laughs, pressing a kiss to my lips. “Only one head I want to turn.”

  “Well, you did, baby,” I say, capturing her mouth.

  I swallow down her moan as I squeeze her ass, pulling her closer to me. I’m not sure how much longer I can wait. My body is burning, and she’s the only one who can extinguish it.

  “You’re killing me, baby,” I whisper.

  Her green eyes are heated as she searches mine. “You showing up in those perfect jeans, tight black shirt, and sexy smile are killing me. I’ll be chasing all the girls away.”

  “Only one girl has my attention,” I say, smiling.

  She steps back and runs her hands down her dress. “If we don’t leave I’m afraid we won’t.”

  I nod and help her with her jacket. The complete opposite of what I want to do - put more clothes on her.

  We walk into The Ice Box holding hands. The whispers and stares are immediate. I tighten my hold on her hand as we find a table. We sit down, and I grab her hand on top of the table. “You ready to be the center of attention?”

  She laughs and kisses my knuckles. “Won’t be the first time.”

  James comes over, and we both smile up at him. I order a whiskey, and Bri orders a beer. We look over the menu, and when James gets back, we both order a burger.

  “You know, I’d love to take you out to an actual restaurant,” I say, sipping my drink.

  “And you know I don’t need things like that,” she replies.

  “Baby, I don’t want to do it because you need it. I want to do it because it’s what you deserve. I want you to be happy, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.”

  She smiles and picks at her napkin. “Okay, Jase, I’d love to go to dinner with you at an actual restaurant.”

  “Holy shit, look who it is,” Abigail says, standing at the end of the table.

  Like she didn’t know we were gonna be here. I have no doubt Bri has talked to her, and even if she didn’t, we’ve been here twenty minutes, which is plenty of time for gossip to begin.

  “Hey, Abs.”

  “Hey, guys,” David says, walking over with Stacey.

  I look at Bri and laugh. Our night just turned into something else. I get up and move to sit next to her. “Why don’t you all join us,” I suggest.

  A very pregnant Stacey slides in the booth, and David sits next to her. Abigail grabs a chair and sits at the end of the table. I’ve seen her several times, and she’s always alone. She said she was married, but I haven’t seen her husband, or even heard about him.

  “Stacey, how are you feeling?” Bri asks.

  “Fat,” she says, groaning.

  We all laugh, and David rests his hand on her stomach. It’s probably something he does all the time, but I can’t help staring. She’s pregnant with his baby. I can’t even begin to imagine how that feels. I glance at Bri, and my pulse races. The idea of sitting here with my hand on her stomach suddenly takes hold of me. I want that.

  “You alright?” Bri whispers, looking concerned.

  I rest my hand on her thigh and smile. “Never better.”

  We spend the next few hours reminiscing about high school and drinking. I haven’t laughed like this in a long time. Some of the memories I completely forgot about and it’s been fun talking about them all.

  “So, what’s going on with you two?” Stacey asks, looking between me and Bri.

  “Stacey!” David hisses.

  “No, it’s fine,” I say, laughing. I glance at Bri, and she smiles. I turn back to the three of them and shrug. “You guys are stuck with me cause Bri and I are back together.”

  David and Stacey tell us how happy they are for us. Abigail, on the other hand, crosses her arms, looking between us. I’m not sure if her problem is me, or men in general, but she always seems unhappy.

  “How’s that going to work? Don’t you live in LA now?” she asks.

  I nod, finishing off another whiskey. “Yeah, but we’ll figure it out.”

  She shakes her head, giving a sarcastic laugh. “Figure it out? You mean break her again and leave us all to piece her back together.”

  “Abigail,” Bri hisses.

  “What? You really think after all these years, that a few weeks together is going to fix it all? That you can magically go back in time and pick up where you left off? Can you honestly tell me that you believe he’s going to give up his rich and famous life to be a husband and father? You’re going to be destroyed again. True love doesn’t exist, and you’re falling for it twice. Don’t be that girl, Brielle.”

  Bri goes to say something, but I grab her hand. I stare at Abigail and give her a grin. “Abs, I don’t know anything about your personal life. In fact, you may have to give me the secret to that because I can’t seem to stop being the topic of gossip.” The other three laugh, but Abigail narrows her eyes. “I know I fucked up. Bri knows I fucked up. The entire town knows I fucked up. I’ve heard it since I walked back into town. What you all don’t realize, is that while I was becoming rich and famous, as you say, I was also empty and alone. I never stopped loving Bri, not for one second of one day. She’s been mine since the day I laid eyes on her, and it may have taken me longer than I would’ve liked, but I’m back for my girl. When I say we’ll figure it out, I mean every fucking word. True love does exist, Abs. Look at David and Stacey. Look at my parents. Look at me and Bri. I chased my dream, but it’s time I followed my heart. Brielle is my heart. It’s time for her dreams to come true.”

  Bri pulls my face toward her and kisses me. It’s hard and passionate and begging for more. I run my hand up her thigh and she moans, causing me to pull away. She juts out her bottom lip, and I nip it before pulling her to my side.

  “It was my fault,” Bri whispers.

  “Don’t, baby,” I say, lifting her head to look at me. “It’s our business. Don’t.”

  “Your fault he walked away?” Abigail asks.

  Brielle sits up and moves closer to Abigail. “No, and stop shitting on my relationship because yours is miserable.” Abigail flinches, but Brielle isn’t finished. “Jase invited me to go with him. He bought my plane ticket, and everything. I told him I’d go, and I did. But I didn’t stay, and I didn’t even let him know. I walked away, flew home, changed my number, and let him take all the blame. So stop judging him because he didn’t walk away, I did.”

  They all sit there stunned. I feel like shit that Bri felt the need to expose her secret. “Baby, I told you not to do that.”

  She smiles at me and rests her hand on my chest. “That’s how we move forward,” she says.

  Alright, baby. Checkmate.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jase

  When we finally leave the bar, my body is completely on fire. Listening to her confess to everyone that I wasn’t the only one to blame for what happened did something indescribable to me. She proved she’s all in, and I’m done waiting. I’ve been wanting to reacquaint myself with her body since I first saw her at the bar the night I got to town.

  I’ve waited long enough. It’s time she knows for sure I’m all in.

  I stopped drinking a while ago, so I’m fine to drive. Which is good because I can’t get to her place fast enough. I push my hand up her thigh, resting it close to her pussy. She lets out a whimper, and I grin.

  “Bri, I’ve been burning with want since I first saw you, and after tonight, I’m on fucking fire. I need you, baby,” I whisper as we pull up to her house.

  She turns to me, biting her lip. “Finally,” she breathes.

  When we get out of the car, I grab her, tossing her over my shoulder. She laughs as I rush through the front door. I quickly remove her jacket and mine, moving into the living room. I don’t bother turning on any lights. The moon shining through the windows provides just enough light.

  We both stare at each other. Her captivating eyes are shining with want, reflecting my own. I cup her face with my hands and glance down at her full lips. Her tongue pokes out, wetting them and I can’t resist any longer. I press my lips to hers and beg entrance. She immediately opens her mouth, and the second our tongues touch, it’s explosive.

  I pull her flush against me, my hands wrapping in her hair. She moans in my mouth as her hands drag down my back, resting in my back pockets. I growl in her mouth, deepening the kiss. My hands slide down her body and grab onto her ass. Her hands move up, pulling at my hair and my hard cock pushes against my zipper. This kiss is deep and hard, both of us feeling the flame between us burst into a blaze.

  I pull my lips from her mouth and kiss down her neck, sucking on the delicate skin. Her hips push forward against me and I dig my fingers harder into her ass. A deep moan slides out of her mouth as she holds my head against her. Slowly, I move down to the top of her tits where they strain against her dress. I suck and bite on them, causing her to roll her hips against me. My hands move down to the bottom of her short dress, and I grab it. I lift my eyes to hers to see if this is alright, and she gives me a slight nod. I pull it up and over her head, letting it drop to the floor. It’s hard to get air into my lungs when I see how unbelievably sexy she is. She’s absolute perfection, standing in front of me, the moon shining in around her. She’s breathtaking.

  My mouth continues to suck and bite on her tits. Her hard nipples are noticeable through her bra and I bite down on them.

  “Oh, God,” she moans.

  Her hands move down to the bottom of my shirt, and she pulls at it. I help her tug it over my head, dropping it in the growing pile of clothes. With shaking hands, she touches my chest, letting her fingers trace my well-built body. I can’t take my eyes off of hers as she watches her own hands move down to my pants. She unbuttons them, and pulls the zipper down. My cock is so hard at this point, I need to take a deep breath when she pushes them down. I step out of them, and the only thing between us now is some thin material.

  “You are breathtaking, Bri,” I whisper before slamming my mouth to hers.

  There are no more words as we explore each other's bodies. I remove her bra and cup her tits in my hands. I suck and bite on them, leaving them marked so she remembers I was here. I drop down onto my knees and pull her panties down her legs. Her wet pussy greets me, and I lift one leg to rest on my shoulder. Digging my fingers into her thighs, I taste her. The scream she lets out when my mouth touches her just spurs me on. I attack her pussy, sucking, licking, and biting. She grabs my hair, forcing me to stay, which is pointless because I have no intention of moving. I continue to fuck her with my mouth as she starts to move against me and I growl my approval. She tastes even better than I remember. It’s addictive.

  I push two fingers into her dripping pussy and bite down on her clit. She yells out and holds my hand against her. I finger fuck her while my tongue lashes out against her clit.

  “Jase, oh, God,” she moans and I know she’s close.

  The speed of my fingers picks up and I suck her throbbing clit into my mouth, biting down again. She shouts out my name as her orgasm rips through her. I remove my fingers and lick at her delicious taste.

  Her legs are shaking as I slowly stand, pulling her close. I press my lips to hers, and I know she can taste herself, which only turns me on more. Especially when she moans. With our kiss becoming deeper, I reach down and pull my boxers off. Without breaking the kiss, I effortlessly lift her, and she wraps her legs around me. My hard cock presses against her, and she responds by pushing herself against me. I don’t even seek permission again, I slam into her, and we both moan at the same time. I move forward until her back hits the wall in front of us. Her tight pussy wrapped around me is all-consuming. It feels fucking amazing, and I couldn’t go slow even if I wanted to. I start to pound into her, and she drops her head back, hitting it on the wall as she lets out a deep moan. Her nails dig into my back as my fingers sink into her outer thighs.

  “You feel so fucking good, baby,” I breathe in her ear.

 

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