A Filthy Friend (Filthy Line #5) - Jaxson Kidman Page 0,68

babe,” Sab said.

“You just showed up on your own?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“What took you so long?”

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted to see me again,” he said. “Then I realized I couldn’t let another second go by without you. I can’t let days turn into weeks and weeks into months…”

“And months into years,” I said and rolled my eyes. “It’s not going to work, Sab. That cheap stuff.”

“Then let me try something different,” he said. He took my hands. “Bree… I’m sorry for invading your privacy. I’m sorry for making a decision for you instead of talking to you about it. When I came to Mia’s house and saw you drunk and sad, I hated myself. All the money. All the fame. The big stages and bigger crowds. The radio play. The autographs. The ability to be above the law. It wasn’t worth it. To see you like that killed me a little. I was supposed to protect you, Bree.”

“No,” I said. “I don’t want that anymore. I’m done with protecting.”

“Then what am I doing here?”

“You tell me. You flew here, right?”

“I did. I was back home, alone, and hating everything. I felt myself ready to snap.”

“And what does snapping look like, Sab?”

“What do you think it looks like?”

“Other women?”

“I’ve been trying to chase you away my entire life, babe,” he said. “And it cannot be done. So it’s all or nothing. Well… it’s all. I already tried the nothing and it doesn’t work.”

“And what am I supposed to do?” I asked. “Just throw away my life? Give up my apartment? My job? Chase you around the world?”

“Not even close,” Sab said. “I’ll move here.”

“What?”

“I’ll move here, Bree. To be with you. I’ll buy a house for you. Or I’ll rent an apartment for now. Whatever you want.”

“Sab…”

“I can be here with you all the time,” he said. “I’ll just fly to LA when the band needs me and then fly back. A work commute. Fuck it.”

“You’re not serious.”

Sab reached into his pocket and took out a key. “I am serious.”

“What is that?”

“I rented an apartment in the building,” he said.

“What? You just said you’d buy a house…”

“I know,” he said. “Oops.”

“This is crazy. I’m still dreaming.”

I stood up.

Sab looked up at me. “I love you, Bree. I don’t want another day without you. If you find a way to forgive me for what I did, I’d appreciate it.”

“You know, I could milk this forgiving you thing for a long time,” I said.

“I know. It’s worth it.”

Sab stood up and towered over me.

“You can’t live here, Sab,” I said.

“I’m not living here. I have my own apartment.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Bree. I spent so many nights years ago watching you. Waiting for you to come to me. So I could hold you and keep you warm and safe. And every single fucking night I did that, I bit my tongue, not wanting to ruin our friendship by telling you I loved you. I’m not doing that again. I love you. I. Love. You.”

I reached up and touched his face. “You flew in a private jet to rent some shitty apartment just to tell me you love me?”

“Yeah,” he said.

“I love you, Sebastian,” I said.

“What about Sab?” he whispered.

I smiled. “I love Sebastian. He’s looking at me right now. As far as Sab goes? He’s the one who handles the bedroom stuff.”

“Good,” Sab said. He made a quick move and grabbed the back of my legs and picked me up. “Because Sab has something to say to you.”

“No,” I said. “Sab doesn’t talk.”

“Right,” Sab said. “But he does use his tongue…”

Warmth flooded my body.

Sab carried me toward my bedroom.

I stared into his eyes.

None of this seemed possible.

But when he kissed me, I knew for sure it was real.

23

SAB

I stepped off the practice stage and looked back at Nash, face down in a notebook. Jay sat on an amp, still plucking at a riff. Reed took his bass off and was on his phone. And Dex was chilling on a leather couch with an acoustic guitar, strumming away.

I let out a quick whistle and gave a peace sign.

They all waved and I exited the practice area without a word.

Waiting for me was a motorcycle.

I put on my bucket helmet and fired up the engine.

It roared and I took off out of the parking lot.

I picked up speed on the main roads and avoided the highway at all costs.

Nothing like LA to turn a ten-minute cruise into a three-hour fest of ready to fight