A Filthy Friend (Filthy Line #5) - Jaxson Kidman Page 0,31

little,” she said. “Now leave. And don’t try peeking.”

I stepped back and smiled. “Have fun. If you play with one of the detachable shower heads, just rinse it off before you hang it back up.”

Bree’s cheeks turned red again.

I walked out of the bedroom and realized that for all the joking and harmless flirting Bree and I had done throughout the years, it never once turned sexual.

At least not until now.

That was just the rock star thing.

I looked down and took a deep breath.

Thinking about her naked in my shower…

I swallowed hard.

There was no way I could pitch a tent over that. Over her.

Right?

When Bree walked into the kitchen with her hair down and wet, in fresh clothes, I felt my throat tighten for a second.

“How was the shower?” I asked.

“I think I died and went to heaven in there,” she said.

“Did you ever think you’d meet the devil in heaven?” I asked.

“Seriously, Sab, this place is amazing. That shower is amazing. Your entire life is amazing. I’m proud of you.”

“Proud of me?” I asked. I opened the fridge and got out two beers. I wiggled them in my hand and Bree nodded. “For what?”

I twisted off the caps and handed her a beer.

“Of course I’m proud of you. This was all you talked about. Remember? There wasn’t a day that went by where you weren’t talking about becoming a rock star. All you wanted to do was play drums. Yet you were really good at guitar.”

“I was a kid with a dream, babe.”

“You were a teenager, waiting to become a man, with a plan,” she said.

“If you say so,” I said. “I got lucky. I met the right guys at the right time. And we were relentless. We wrote, played, partied…”

“And it all worked out,” Bree said with half a smile.

The smell of her soap crept toward me.

My nose tingled.

My mind was desperate to picture her naked.

I’d never seen Bree naked before. Not even close. So I had nothing to go on other than the shape that showed from her clothes.

It was dumb and torturous.

“Are you proud of yourself?” she asked.

“I don’t think that matters,” I said.

“Of course it does.”

“Why are you saying all this?” I asked.

“Honestly? I’m just looking for something good right now. I… I cried in your shower…”

I put my beer bottle down and touched her arms. “What? Why?”

“Just being here. And I feel like I should be somewhere else. And it still hits me hard that she’s gone…”

“Ah, fuck, babe,” I said. I pulled her in for a hug. “I’m sorry. Just know anytime you need to cry, you should. If you need me, I’m here. If you need to be alone, I’ll leave you alone.”

I felt Bree nod.

There were a few seconds of silence and she backed away.

She smiled again. “I bet I wasn’t the first woman to cry in that shower.”

“Of course not,” I said. “Have you ever come so hard you burst into tears?”

Her cheeks blushed one more time. “Can’t say that I have.”

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” I said.

I grabbed my beer and put a little space between us.

“So what’s the plan again?” she asked.

“I’ve got to practice with the guys,” I said. “You can crash here. Enjoy the pool. The house. Whatever. If you stay, I’ll give you a list of names of people who come around.”

“People?”

“To take care of the house, Bree.”

“You mean…”

“There’s a lot to do around here,” I said.

“Do you pay someone to cook for you?”

I didn’t answer.

Bree laughed. “You rich asshole.”

“Yeah, maybe this was a mistake.”

She kept laughing. “I can’t believe it. I should believe it though. Nothing should surprise me now. But… if it’s okay, I’d like to go with you.”

“Yeah, that’s fine too,” I said.

“When is the first show?”

“Couple days,” I said. “It’s an acoustic show. For Mitchy.”

“Are you okay, Sab? With all of that?”

“I’m fine,” I said. “His memorial is tomorrow. We’re going to swing through that. Take a few pictures. And then the show will happen the day after that. Then it’s done. He’s gone. Can’t change it. You know?”

“Yeah, I know,” Bree said.

One second we were laughing. The next we were flirting. The next we were sad.

But out of everyone in the world, I trusted her with that part of me.

“Come here,” I said. “Look at the view of the city.”

We stood at the biggest kitchen window and I pointed out every building I knew. I described the places the band used to play. And sleep. And party.

I told her