Feeling tired from all her walking and shopping she returned to the hotel near sunset to find that the boys still had not returned. In fact it was late that night before Nick came quietly into the hotel. From her spot on the couch she looked up at him and saw the absolute exhausting in his eyes. She knew it had been a long hard day for him and immediately felt guilty for her agitation at him for not calling.

“Are you hungry?” She was going for the phone to order something for him when he raised his hand and shook his head no.

“We ordered in at rehearsal. They are really pushing to get this new song in, so we had more rearranging and blocking to do. Man I’m beat!” He plopped down in a chair and leaned his head against the back of it.

“Why don’t you go take a hot bath then? It will help you relax and feel a little better.”

Sighing and raising himself from the chair he agreed. “Yeah I was thinking about that on the way back here. A long hot bath sounds heavenly right about now. I’ll be out in a little bit, okay?” He felt guilty for leaving her alone again, especially after she had been alone all day long.

“It’s okay. Just take your time and unwind. I’ll be right here.”

“Thanks.” As he walked by he patted her hand that was resting on the back of the couch.

Brianna waited about 30 minutes before heading into the bedroom. She knew he had probably dozed off in the tub and she would let him rest for a few more minutes before waking him. While she waited she rummaged through her bags and pulled out her candles, the ones she uses when she needs to relax. She knew Nick liked them too and always joked that he needed to get a few of his own. Maybe she would leave these here with him. She could always get more once she got home.

She was just turning back the covers on the bed when she heard the bathroom door open. Nick walked out of the steamy bathroom and inhaled the warm scent of the candles that Brianna had lit around the room. “This is nice.” He said as he approached the bed and crawled under the covers.

“Lay on your stomach and I’ll rub your back for you.” Of course Nick turned over immediately. A warm bath, warm candles, and a back rub, he was in heaven. Brianna started with his shoulders, gently massaging the tension out of them. Then she moved to his neck the back of his head, running her fingers back through his damp hair. Finally she moved down to his back. First she ran her nails down the length of it before pressing her fingertips into the tense muscle. She heard Nick moan softly and even felt the vibrations from it in her legs. “Is this okay?”

“Yes.” He whispered, shifting a little to get more comfortable. “It is very much okay.”

Smiling she resumed her massage slowly using pressure to release the tightness all along his back. She had her eyes closed and was guiltily enjoying the feeling of being close to him, feeling his occasional movement beneath her. She slid further down so her hands could reach his lower back. She could feel the release of tension as her hands continued to work the muscles.

Nick felt the warmth of her body radiating against his own skin. He felt the pressure of her little hands and they kneaded and pushed at the muscles along his back. He was all too acutely aware of the gentle rocking motion her hips made against him as her hands traveled up and down his back. His body was in a state of confusion. On the one hand what she was doing was relaxing him, releasing the tension from the stressful day. On the other hand, what she was doing was winding his body up and building more tension that he knew had no hope of release. When he felt her scoot down, her knees on either side of his hips, her weight pressing down through his hips, the rocking motion gently creating a rhythm he felt from her to him to the bed, he held his breath and tried to get himself under control.

Brianna felt Nick tense up and mistook the reason. “Just relax Nick, let the worries of the day melt away. Okay? Do you want me to stop?”

“No.” He barely managed to whisper. Yes he wanted her to stop, but then again, no he didn’t. Finally, though he reached his limit. Turning over under her he held her hips in place and looked to her eyes. “Bree, what do you want?” He asked her.

She was too shocked to understand what he was talking about. She wasn’t expecting him to turn over so suddenly. And she was more than a bit surprised at his obvious state of arousal. “What do I want? What do you mean?” She sputtered.

“I mean…what do I mean? This is what I mean.” Reaching up he placed his hands behind her neck while sitting up in one motion and literally devoured her mouth. They both whimpered at the contact. Brianna wrapped her arms around his back and held onto his shoulders pulling him closer. She knew this was so wrong but she didn’t care, she wanted it that much.

Nick lay back down brining Brianna with him. Grabbing her hair with one hand he wrapped his other arm around her waist pulling her up to him before turning them over on the bed. Leaving her lips he began an assault on her body kissing her everywhere from her forehead to her shoulders, and skimming the tops of her breast through her nightshirt. He ran his hand up her sides and brought her arms above her head pinning them in place before bringing his lips back to hers.

She didn’t know what to do, but knew she wanted to touch him. Freeing her hands from his she ran her fingers back through his hair and drug her nails across his scalp. As she kissed him back she ran her legs up the outsides of his, needing to feel him everywhere. Taking a deep breath he buried his head in her neck, enjoying the feeling of her hands, her legs, and her body everywhere.

That’s when it happened. With his eyes closed he had a flashing vision of the two of them. And a single word boomed in his head.

FRIENDS.

<~ Chapter 72 or Chapter 74 ~>

In the End

Karina 2003