CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: When you woke up the next morning, you found yourself completely tangled up with AJ under the covers. It was so bad in fact that it would have been really hard for you to tell where AJ's body began and yours ended, not that you really minded or anything. You laid your head back on the pillow as a smile crept across your face, the events of the night before replaying in your head. After a few moments of reminiscing, you began to wonder how what had happened would affect your relationship with AJ and what it would mean for the two of you. As far as you were concerned, you had shown AJ how you felt about him in the ultimate way. You had secretly wanted him for so long, but what if he didn't feel the same way? What if you were reading more into it that he had intended for you to? After all, it wasn't like AJ hadn't had casual sex or one night stands before in all the time that you had known him. You wanted so badly to just wake him up right then and ask him, but you decided that you would let him sleep instead. He was so beautiful as he laid there peacefully in your arms and deep down, you were afraid that once he woke up, all of the love and happiness that you were feeling right then would end because of something that he might or might not say. You decided that the best thing for you to do was to go to the beach and be alone with your thoughts for a while. You knew that now you and AJ would have to talk about what had happened between you, and you wanted to make sure that you were prepared for whatever might come. Slowly and gently, you untangled yourself from AJ's strong embrace, and trying desperately not to wake him, you slid out from under the covers and out of the bed. You picked his shirt up off of the floor and slipped it on as you stepped into the other room and out onto the balcony, checking the weather outside so that you would know how to
dress. Just as you had suspected because of the darkness in the room, it was raining. You didn't seem to mind that much though because you always seemed to do some of your best thinking in the rain. You let yourself back into the suite and leaving the balcony door open, you went back into the bedroom to dig for something to put on before you went to shower. You settled on your favorite pair of jeans and a light purple spaghetti strapped tank top because although it was raining outside, it was still fairly warm. You took the clothes into the bathroom with you and laid them on top of the sink as you hopped into the shower. About 15 minutes later, you were finished, so you got out and got dressed, skipping your make up and leaving your hair wet since the rain would flatten it anyway. Coming out of the bathroom, you looked in on AJ once more to find that he was still sleeping soundly, just where you had left him, so you quietly grabbed your room key and headed off to the beach. You walked to that same spot by the breaker wall where AJ had taken you to get the horses the night before. Sitting down on the wall, you drew your knees up to your chest and wrapped your arms around them, resting your head on your knees as you listened to the calming sound of the rain drops falling around you, hoping that your one night of passion hadn't cost you the best friend you had in the world. It was true that you did love AJ, but if being his friend was all you could get, then you would certainly take it. You had been so close to him for so long now that you just couldn't imagine your life without him in it. You sat there lost in your thoughts for what had seemed like only a few minutes when a voice came from behind you and startled you out of them. In reality, you had been sitting there for over an hour. "I thought that I would find you out here" the person said. You looked up to see AJ who was now standing beside you. He had on an old pair of blue jeans, no shirt, no socks or
shoes, and the rain was dripping off the tip of his nose. He had obviously been all up and down the beach looking for you. You had to smile at the site of him, even though in all reality, you didn't look much better. "How did you know?" you asked as he took a seat next to you on the wall. "Because I know you well enough to know that when you need to think, you like to do it in the rain, although for the life of me I will never know why" he confessed. You smiled at him and returned your head to it's former position on your knees. "I also know that when you are thinking in the rain, it's usually because you are upset about something, so what's wrong?" he asked as he slipped his arm around your shoulder. "Nothing" you replied softly. "It's something ******. You can't lie to me because I can see straight through it. I know you too well. I woke up this morning and you were gone without a word. You didn't even leave a note. What's going on baby?" he questioned gently. You sighed loudly before admitting "I'm just confused, that's all. I needed to think." "Confused about what? Last night?" he asked, trying unsuccessfully to get you to look at him. "Last night, myself, us...everything!!" you told him. "******, I hope you don't think that what happened between us last night just happened because I had nothing better to do. You mean a hell of alot more to me than that." AJ protested. "I honestly don't know what to think. So much has happened in my life so fast recently, that sometimes I don't even know what I am doing or who I am. Everything always has to be so complicated." you said, the sadness clear in your voice. AJ took his fingers and placed them under your chin, forcing you to lift your head off of your knees and look at him. His brown eyes were full of sincerity and you knew that whatever he was about to say to you was coming straight from his heart and 100% true. "*******, I know who you are. You are my best friend, you are the only girl who has ever beaten me at pool in my entire life and you know that was just luck because you don't even know how to play. You are the sweetest, most giving person that I know, and you are the only person who can punch me and get away without being punched back." He laughed, pointing to a small scar near his lip that you had given him years ago before continuing. "You are who I worry about and who I dream about, and no matter how bad things get, I know that you will always be there for me if I need you. You are who I love and I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to admit that to myself and to you. If you don't like the past that we've had together...the years of friendship, of laughs, of fights, and of everything else, then we will make a better past to remember from today on. I don't want you to go anywhere and I don't want to think of a day where I can't have you in my world, but I can't be just your friend anymore. It hurts too much. I have wanted to say this to you for so long now....*******, I love you. Please don't ask me to walk away." Tears rolled down your face as AJ finished what he was trying to say to you. All you were able to choke out as a reply was "Really?" "Really" he replied as he wiped your tears with his thumb. "Don't you see? There's no one like you. You speak to my heart and what happened between us last night was so much more than just sex. I have loved you and wanted you for so long now that it was eating me up inside. I was just too afraid to tell you because I wasn't sure how you would react. When we were alone in your room last night, everything just seemed right and I couldn't fight my feelings anymore. I've never known a love like this before. You're in my heart, my soul, and you're all I can't resist. I'm sorry if I made a mistake or if I read you wrong, but you are the love of my life." Tears
were now starting to form in AJ's eyes as well as you took his hand in yours and smiled at him. "You weren't wrong AJ. I can't tell you how long I have wanted to hear you say that, secretly hoping that you felt the same way about me as I did about you. I wanted so badly to tell you what I was feeling so many times, but I never did out of fear that you wouldn't feel the same way about me....that you could never see me as anything more than a friend, and then we would lose what we had all together. The fact of the matter is, I love you with all of my heart and I have for quite some time now." A smile formed on AJ's face, and the two of you just sat there for a moment, staring into each other's eyes as the rain continued to pour down around you, both of you soaking wet and not caring in the least. All either of you cared about at that very moment was the fact that you were together. Without another word being spoken, AJ placed his hand on the back of your neck and pulled you into a long, passionate kiss as he wrapped his fingers up in your hair and you wrapped your arms around his neck. Although you had felt some fireworks when you had kissed him previously, this one was truly the most passionate, intense, and meaningful kiss that you had ever experienced. It was as if the two of you were soul mates who were meant to be together, and for the first time in a long time, you felt whole. You felt complete.CHAPTER THIRTY- SEVEN:As your kiss continued and increased in intensity, AJ glanced around and noticed that you were the only two people there on the beach, no doubt because of the rain. He also noticed that you would be tucked away and out of sight behind the breaker wall that you were currently sitting on. "Do I dare?" he thought to himself briefly before finally leaning over and whispering in your ear..."I want you ******. Right here, right now". You
were shocked at what you had just heard him say to you, yet you could feel your arousal growing at the thought of doing it with AJ right there on the beach. "AJ, we can't do that here...we are on a public beach. What if we get caught?" you said, looking around nervously. "Baby, look around. We won't get caught...we are the only 2 people out here. No one can see us and I want you so bad. Come on, live a little." he pleaded. You sat there
considering his proposition, then replied "I want you too, but not here". AJ looked deep into your eyes, searching them for any sign of confirmation to proceed. "I love you ****** and I want to show you just how much I care for you. Making love to you is something that I have wanted to do for a very long time now". he said softly as he took your hands in his. "I love you too AJ, and I want us to be together" you confessed. Without another word, AJ leaned in and engulfed your mouth in a passionate kiss as he let his hands freely roam your back, pulling you tightly to his body. His tongue was eagerly greeted by yours and you continued kissing like that until AJ felt his need for you grow even stronger. Breaking your kiss, he darted his tongue in and out of your ear, knowing all to well the effect that it would have on you. "Oh god! He had to stick his tongue in my ear, didn't he? He knows what that does to me" you thought to yourself before giving into AJ's seduction once more. You faced him, then took a deep breath before saying "Let's just be really careful, ok? I don't want to end up plastered across the front page of the National Enquirer, or worse yet, I don't want to be arrested. I can just hear Kevin or Nick now if they had to come and bail us out for something like this. Hell, any of them for that matter. They would never let us live it down". "Don't worry. I won't let us get caught" AJ said, laughing slightly at your comments about the rest of the guys as he stood up and took your hand, leading you down to the wet sand by the surf. You settled down into the sand and looked up into the sky at the falling rain as you laid back. "I love thunderstorms. It's like nature is putting on a show for us". you mused. AJ laid down beside you, kissing you hungrily as he ran his hands up and down your body. You responded by letting your own hands roam and you kissed him back with equal aggression. He broke the kiss momentarily and reached to remove your rain soaked tank top, pausing to admire your semi-naked body in front of him. "God, she is so exquisite. How did I ever manage to wait so long for this?" he wondered to himself. He lowered his head back down to yours and your lips met in a soft, wet exploration of the passionate feelings you had for each other. Gradually, as your kiss intensified, the heat between the two of you became like a raging fire. Only when a very pressing presence made it's self known to you did the realization of what was about to happen hit you. "Finally, we are going to do what I have wanted to do since we first got here" you thought silently. You let your hand run down and verify your suspicions, and you got a slight gasp as a reward. Again your bodies molded into one, the passion between you now reaching dangerous levels as your mouths converged again. You reached down and unbuttoned AJ's wet jeans, pushing them away from his body as you reached in and freed his manhood from the confines of his boxers. Softly, you stroked the tip, eliciting a moan from AJ. You looked up at him and noticed that his eyes were shut and that his face was a mask of ecstasy and contentment. With one great tug, you managed to remove both his jeans and his boxers completely, allowing yourself easier access. Tossing the clothes aside, you returned to his chest and began to playfully lick his nipples. When AJ chuckled softly, you suspended your teasing and began a trail of feather-light kisses down his chest and abdomen. He inhaled sharply and his eyes flew open upon your arrival at your destination. Slowly, you ran your tongue up and down his rock hard shaft. Then, taking his entire length into your mouth, you began to ease it back out, making rings around it with your tongue. AJ was so aroused at this point that he knew he had to stop you before something happened that he wasn't yet ready for. "Wait ******" he commanded, placing a hand on your shoulder. He slid his hands up your arms and motioned you up to his eye level. He looks straight into your eyes and smiled an alluring smile that was meant only for you as he reached down and removed your shorts and panties, tossing them into the sand. You embraced again, now with nothing between you. Your lips met in a passionate kiss that lasted for minutes, causing both of you to become a little light-headed. Your mouths were joined in a dance, breathing life into each other as your tongues intertwined. You had now reached a point where the kissing was no longer enough, and AJ moved his mouth to your neck, your jaw...anywhere he could reach. He blazed a red hot trail of passion filled kisses down your chest, pausing to play with your breasts and tease your nipples. His mouth possesed you and you could do nothing but writhe with the experience, moaning his name as you did. The sensations that AJ was creating were so intense that you found yourself running your hands through his hair, pulling the heat of his body to that of your own. Your body began moving against his, your hips pushing against his erection. AJ, scared of having this encounter end too soon from your stimulation against his groin moved away from you, his mouth and tongue still blazing a path along your flesh. When he finally stopped at your center, he let his lips graze you, tasting the
familiarity that he so loved. "Sweet inside and out" he thought. "Please AJ!" you pleaded, your voice conveying every emotion that your body was feeling. AJ let you pull him up your body, sliding sensuously along the way. As he eased farther up towards you, you could feel him there, just at the edge of your body's opening, and you closed your eyes in anticipation of what was about to happen. Your hands clasped to AJ's shoulders as he ran his hands under your back, bringing you into his tight embrace. He pushed himself into you and started moving slowly, wanting to savor the intense feeling of being inside of you for a little longer, but his own passion coupled with your body moving in perfect rythm with his quickly made that dream an impossible one, and along with it, cast aside any other rational thought that was attempting to enter his mind. Your pace couldn't be controlled any longer. Thrusting faster and harder now, his strokes were infinitely more arousing, putting you right on the edge. Before AJ knew what had hit him, you flipped the two of you over and assumed the dominant position on top of him. You thrusted your hips to meet AJ stroke for stroke. He was a bit surprised by your actions, but quickly adjusted to the new position, savoring the fact that your breasts were once again within his reach. After a few more hard, deep strokes, you both were lost in your own private world of pure bliss. You laid there together for a moment, panting breathlessly in one another's embrace before AJ finally broke the contact and laid down beside you, spooning his body up to yours and wrapping his arms around you as tightly as he could. "Have I told you how brilliant you
are for having the idea to come here? you whispered as you turned to face him. "No need for that. This is more relaxed than I have seen you in weeks. That is all I really wanted to accomplish. I don't like to see you so tense" he replied as he ran his hand softly down your cheek. You smiled at him naughtily and said "You know, I love it when you get wild ideas like this". AJ wrapped his hand around the back of your neck and pulled you in for a kiss, then said "I love it that you love my wild ideas and that you are willing to go along with them." "Well, thank you again for coming up with the idea to come here. It's been really nice. I love you Jay" you sighed happily. "I love you too baby girl" AJ purred. "Besides, now I have a reason to like thunderstorms as much as you do" he laughed.CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT:Reluctantly, you and AJ finally separated yourselves from each other and gathered the pieces of you wet clothing that was scattered all over the beach around you so that you could head back to the hotel. You both had been out in the rain long enough after all, and you would be lucky if you didn't catch pneumonia because of it. Aside from that though, the two of you were supposed to be meeting the rest of your group for dinner later in the evening, and you knew that if you didn't soon get back and get ready that you would never make it on time. You had spent far too much time rolling around on the beach as it was. You and AJ made the short walk back to the hotel hand in hand, and after much protesting on AJ's part, you went your separate ways once you got there so that you could shower and change, agreeing to meet back up when you were done. Although you would have loved his company, you were on a time schedule and having him in the shower with you would accomplish nothing but making you run later than what you already were. Once you were finished making sure that you had gotten the sand out of all the places that it didn't belong, you washed your hair and jumped out of the shower, quickly drying off and slipping into the black dress that you had decided to wear for the evening. You then applied a thin layer of make-up and blow-dried your hair, deciding to leave it down. Giving yourself one final look-over, you decided that you were ready to go and went to meet AJ in his room to see how he was coming along. You didn't get very far on that journey though because just as you shut the door to your room and started down the hall towards AJ's, he came out of his room heading for yours. "Looking good" you called to him from down the hall with a smile. "You're not looking too bad yourself sexy" he called back, returning your smile. "I guess we should get to the restaurant, wouldn't you say?" you teased as AJ reached where you were standing and waiting for him. "Yeah, no kidding. Everyone else is probably already there and wondering what's keeping us" he laughed, slipping his arm around your shoulders and kissing you lightly on the lips, the two of you heading out to join your friends for an evening of fun. Brian and Howie, who had come up with the idea of getting together as a group for the night, had some very tough specifications in mind when they were trying to pick where you guys should go. They wanted to find a restaurant with a bar of course, but one that was small enough that they could get a private room on a night's notice, yet large enough that you all would be left alone. They found a quiet little steak house that advertised fireplaces and fur rugs, which seemed to meet all of their requirements, so they made the reservation. When they showed up at the restaurant, they weren't disappointed. They were led into a dimly lit room with a fireplace, and sure enough, fur rugs on the floor. One side of the room was taken up with a thick wood table surrounded by velvet cushioned chairs set for the 10 of you. The other side of the room with the fireplace had couches and big comfy chairs set up around low wooden coffee tables. A wooden bookcase was built into one of the walls and it held a nice stereo system as well as several rows of CD's so that you could pick your own music. "Nice going D!" Brian exclaimed appreciatively as he made his way over to the CD collection. Howie just smiled as he looked around the room. It was exactly what they had wanted....a place for everyone to get together where you could kick back and have a little bit of fun before going back home. One by one, the rest of you starting arriving and ordering drinks. It was scotch and soda for AJ, beer for Howie, rum and coke for Nick, bourbon straight up for Kevin, beer for Brian who swore to AJ that he "might" switch to something stronger later, and mind-erasers for you, Kristin, Claudia, Leighanne, and Nikki, since you all had agreed earlier that getting tanked for the night would definitely be fun. Everybody took a seat at the table and looked over the menu as you shared your disgust over it's offerings of rabbit and frog's legs. "I know that people really do eat these things because I've been to Texas before, but I sure as hell don't need to hear about it, and Damn it Kevin, if you order Thumper I swear to god that I will kill you!!" you said jokingly, knowing all too well how fond Kevin was of trying new things. Nick burst into laughter as the rest of the table just sat staring at you with a dumbfounded look on their faces, not getting the reference. You looked at them for a moment, then threw your hands in the air saying "Hopeless! All of you! Disney is an essential part of every human being's life...BAMBI you fools!!" "Don't be silly ******, Bambi is a deer. Everyone knows that. Bambi is on the menu too though" Kevin laughed, teasing you as he held up the menu for you to see. "I think I should change the music" you said as you got up, glaring at Kevin. "Fine! Steak it is. Is COW alright with the lady?" he cracked. "Give me a T-bone baby!!" You ignored him and rolled your eyes, concentrating fully on your music choices. "What's there?" Nikki asked as the rest of the girls bounced up behind you. "Having fun yet?" Claudia chirped. "Yeah, this was a great idea" you grinned as you held up a CD. "Too early?" "Too sober" Leighanne said as she took the Brian McKnight CD from you and placed it back on the rack. "So, where have you been all morning, and all afternoon for that matter?" Kristin asked pointedly, getting to the real reason that the girls had followed you in the first place. "I uhhh...slept late" you said as you took a gulp of your drink. "Sure" Claudia laughed. "With?" When you heard that, you nearly choked on your drink. "Damn Kris, you are a bad
influence on Claudia" you said. "No, she's fine" Claudia grinned. "So?" "So, AJ and I slept late" you countered. "Right!" Kristin said as she walked over to you and snatched the glass out of your hands. "I'm not giving this back until you tell us!" You protested and reached for your glass, but Kristin handed it to Nikki who was standing just out of your reach. "Come on! Spill it!" Leighanne demanded. "Ok, ok!! It was amazing" you confessed, a large grin beginning to cover your face as you
thought about it. "Oh god, look at that face" Claudia said as she pointed to you. "Yeah, that's the expression of someone who just had some really good sex. Alot of it too!" Nikki agreed. You nodded your head and held out your hand for your drink. "Can I have it back now?" you whined playfully. "NO!" Kristin reprimanded. "We've been waiting for this a long time you know! We want details!!" "Like what?" you sighed as you looked at your glass, still in Nikki's hands. "How many times?" she questioned. "His nickname is bone. I had forgotten what that meant" you laughed. "And exactly what does that mean?" Nikki asked as she raised an eyebrow in interest. "He ummm...comes back quickly" you giggled. "So?? How many times?" Kristin persisted. "I have no idea Kris, really. I wasn't exactly counting" you said as you rolled your eyes at her. "Anyway, it wasn't like anything I've ever experienced before. It was alot less of an act and alot more of just....I don't know. I already knew AJ so well..." you admitted, trailing off. "Like the only way possible to express how much you love the other person?" Leighanne offered, finishing your sentence. "I felt like that the first time Howie and I were together" Claudia added. "It still
feels like that actually" she smiled. You nodded, understand in just what she meant. "I was so scared at first...it all felt so wrong right up until we actually started doing it. Then, everything just felt perfect, like it was meant to be" "Damn ******! Only you would be afraid to make love to AJ McLean" Nikki laughed. "You can have your drink back now" You accepted your drink with a grateful smile and said "Thanks. I need this. I didn't get much sleep last night" "I can imagine" Claudia giggled. "He did finally tell you that he loves you, didn't he?" "Yes, and I love him too" you replied happily. "Thank god" Leighanne said. "It's about time!" "Now, I
have asked you this many times before and you've always refused to answer me. I have let Nikki return your alcohol to you, so now I want an honest answer" Kristin said, her tone becoming serious. "How big is the bad boy of BSB?" "KRISTIN!!" you gasped. "Come on, I've got to know. You know what all those fan sites love to say. I just want to know if it's true or not" she defended. "No, what do they say?" you inquired. "That the baddest is the biggest" she explained. "Oh, I'm huge baby!" AJ stated proudly before you could even think about answering, as he made his way over to where all of you girls were standing. "How long have you been listening?" Leighanne asked, glaring at AJ. "Yeah, it's not fair for you to be listening in on our girl talk" Nikki stated simply. "I didn't hear much" AJ shrugged. "Us guys were just wondering if you all were going to stand over here and gossip all night or if you were going to join us at the table so we can eat. They seem to have this crazy idea that you ladies are up to something and you aren't sharing whatever it is with them." he laughed, already knowing what was going on. All at once, you girls turned around to see the table full of guys looking your way with ear to ear smiles on their faces. "Men!" Leighanne sighed. The five of you followed AJ back to the table and took your seats. "Awwww, we're just teasing you guys. Don't get mad" Nick laughed as he put his head on Nikki's shoulder and looked up into her eyes when she sat down in her seat next to him. "Get off me" she squealed and pushed him away from her, causing him to slam into Kevin who was on the other side of him. Howie shook with laughter from his spot on the other side of the table as he watched what was going on around him in amusement. "I like it over here. I'm out of the line of fire" he said. Kevin sat Nick back up in his chair and proceeded to eye his rum and coke. "How many of
these have you had so far tonight?" he questioned. "Not enough to matter yet" Nick replied, picking up his glass and finishing what was in it in a gulp. "Where's the waiter? I want some more." "See Kev, if you remind him that he's drinking, he'll chug. If you don't remind him, he'll forget and barely drink a thing." Brian confided in a serious tone. Nick just frowned at them and studied the menu in front of him, finally shutting it with a bang. "Where's the waiter?" he asked again. You guys all continued to joke around, everyone mainly picking on Nick with Brian trying to defend his best friend until the waiter arrived and everybody ordered. A minor scene took place when Kevin tried to order Thumper in an attempt to be a smartass. The waiter was clueless, but all was resolved quickly when Howie assured him that Kevin would be getting his medication soon. The food arrived shortly after, good and hot, and everyone happily ate, talking about the upcoming tour. The drinks were continually refilled by the waiter, and no one really paid any mind to how much they were drinking. You all were out to have a
fun night after all, starting with a good meal.CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE:
Once dinner was over with, Kristin got up and put an Ice Cube CD on the stereo as she started dancing around, her feet getting caught in the fur rug that covered the floor, causing her to nearly fall over. The amount of alcohol that she had consumed so far was no doubt playing a huge part in her lack of coordination. "I guess they don't want us dancing" she laughed as she finally fell on the floor. "Square dancing maybe" Brian laughed as he looked at the CD collection on the shelf. "It is a strange mix, I'll give you that" Kevin agreed as he too flipped through the music choices, Ice Cube just not being is thing at the moment. While they were doing that, you grabbed your mind eraser from off the table and walked over to one of the big chairs where Nikki was sitting and sat down with your legs draped over the side. "This is a great place. Good find Howie and Brian" you called out as you raised your glass to them and drank. Nick, complete with his rum and coke in hand, stumbled over to a chair across from Nikki and flopped down in it, looking at her intently. "Yes?" she giggled as she looked back at him. She was quickly discovering how much fun Nick could be when he was drunk. "Kev said you gotta stayplation2" he slurred as he took a big gulp of his drink. "I got 2 what?" she asked, rather confused at what he had just attempted to say. "I told him about the Play station 2 that you have in your room" Kevin explained as he joined everyone by the fireplace, giving up on the CD choices. "Oh" Nikki said as she finished off her drink and sat the empty glass down on the table. "Maybe I really don't need another one" she thought to herself. Her face felt all hot and Nick was just looking too cute. "The Play station 2" she said. "Yeah! What games didja get?" Nick asked, his words only slightly slurred now. "I don't know. Only 3 or 4, but I'm not really sure which ones off the top of my head" she shrugged. "I'm sure that you would like them though. They look pretty cool to me". "Was it a racing game? A fighting game? What?" he questioned excitedly. "Both. And a baseball game too...I think" Nikki replied. "Awesome!" Nick said with a smile. He sat back and contemplated the game system for a few moments, then asked "Can I borrow it at night? You know, when you're not in your room?" "Nope! If you want to play it, you've gotta play it with me" Nikki laughed. Just then, having heard the whole conversation from across the room, AJ came strutting over and took a seat on the couch near them, motioning for you to get out of the chair that you were in and come over to sit with him. His scotch and soda had turned to straight scotch long ago, and as you curled up beside him, he felt it necessary to add his two cents to the exchange. "Nikki knows that the way to get Nick alone is through his games" he laughed. Nick blushed bright red as he slumped down into his seat. "What's wrong with my games?" he protested. "Nothing Nick" Nikki assured him as she reached over and playfully patted his head. Suddenly, Nick growled and grabbed her hand, pulling her over towards him. When she tried to pull her arm back, he kissed the back of it before letting her go. Nikki looked away shyly, embarrassed by how much that simple gesture excited her. "Where'd that waiter go?" she laughed, trying to get everyone's focus off of her and Nick. Howie, who was still sitting over by the table with Claudia stood up. "I'll make a bar run" he offered. "There's no reason to make him come back here again just yet. Who wants what?" He gathered up the orders and then headed off towards the bar with Claudia tagging along to help him carry the stuff back. Leighanne made her way from the chair that she was sitting in to the one that you had just vacated so that she could be closer to the fireplace, and her husband, halfway falling over Kevin in the process. "Sorry Amazon man" she said, then quickly gasped when she realized what she had said and covered her mouth, her eyes wide as she stared at you for support. You were absolutely no help to her though because you were laughing hysterically, the tears pouring out of your eyes as Kevin looked at the two of you. He was not very appreciative of the new nickname and he made no effort to hide that fact. Of course, AJ had to love it. "Amazon baby, yeah!" he laughed. "Amazon, huh?" Brian said thoughtfully. He was still drinking his beer, but in nowhere near the quantities that were being consumed by everyone else. "Weren't they tall and blonde? More like our little Nicky here?" Nick shook his head adamantly. "No, definitely Kevin" he said. About that time, Howie returned with the drinks and passed them out. You guys raised a toast to the upcoming tour and to the health of all involved and you were all just settling back with your drinks when a scream interrupted you. You all looked over to see three teenage girls standing in the doorway, staring at the guys with their mouths hanging open. "OH MY GOD!! It's Nick! Brian! OH MY GOD!!" they squealed until Howie walked over to solve the problem. "Hi. You guys want an autograph?" he asked with a smile, rather amused by all the fuss. The girls readily produced a pen and napkins from the restaurant for the guys to sign since they had spotted Howie on his way back from the bar and followed him. Three autographs per boy later, the girls headed off, their night an absolute success......
As the night wore on, the drinking continued and everyone seemed to be getting less able to control what they were doing and what they were saying. "Come on baby, let's dance" AJ said, taking your hand and leading you to the small space by the stereo where Kristin had attempted to dance earlier in the evening as a slow song began to play. He placed his arms around your waist and pulled you close to him as you wrapped your arms around his neck and rested your head on his shoulder, listening to the sound of his heart beating. Never in all your life had it felt so right to you to be in
someone's arms like it did when you were in AJ's. Just as if he had planned the whole thing out, he began to sing the words of the song softly in your ear, and as you listened to him, it seemed as if that song had been written just for the two of you. It seemed to speak all of the unspoken thoughts
concerning your relationship without either of you having to say a word. Feeling as if AJ was singing to you from deep within his heart, you lifted your head off of his shoulder and looked deep into his beautiful brown eyes, concentrating fully on the message that he was trying to give to you. Without ever taking his eyes off of yours, he continued to sing the song, his voice full of passion and feeling as he looked at you and held you in his arms.
You are the love of my life
Chapters 41-45
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