“I really am sorry, Drake,” I whispered. “I…”

“Shhh. I understand.” He kissed my lips tenderly. “Just don’t keep things like this from me again. I hate having secrets between us. Promise me we won’t have any more.”

“I promise!” I kissed him back, wanting more than just a gentle brush of his lips across mine. “Tell me we’re okay, Drake. Swear that you aren’t going to breakup with me.”

“Is that what you thought?” He sighed, leaning his forehead against mine. “I can’t live without you, Angel. I love you.”

Those words were something I had been aching to hear almost from the first day I had met this man, yet I wasn’t ready to repeat them. I was in love with Drake, would probably always be in love with him, but my heart and brain were still arguing about where I stood. So instead of saying another word, I pulled his head down and kissed him until neither one of us could think about anything except getting to bed.

--

Drake was still asleep when I left the next morning. The apartment was so quiet that I knew Shane was either out for a run or hadn’t come home the night before. I hoped it was the former. If he was going to fuck anything with a vagina while he was pursuing my best friend, then I wasn’t going to stand for that.

It was Saturday and I had a full to-do list screaming my name: laundry, homework, and dance practice with Linc. Somewhere in there I had to make time for a few extra special things before I saw Drake again tonight. As soon as I walked through my apartment door, I headed for the shower.

I should probably start leaving some of my things at Drake’s, but I was trying to go slow with big things like that. I didn’t want him to think that I was moving in and scare him. He hadn’t even mentioned it, and I was okay with that. Really…

Harper was still sleeping soundly when I came out of our bathroom in nothing but a towel. My toothbrush was sticking out of my mouth as I pulled fresh underwear out of my bra and panty drawer. I was multitasking and making good time when Linc scared the hell out of me by walking in without knocking.

“Did you hear?”

I could only raise a brow at him because my mouth was full of toothpaste and spit. He grimaced. “The competition has been postponed because two of the judges got food poisoning last night. So we have three more weeks to practice.”

I gave him a thumbs-up and walked back into the bathroom to rinse my mouth. “That’s good news. I still haven’t got that last swing perfect yet.”

“Sorry, sweetheart, but I can’t make it. I have a body builder’s competition that weekend in Miami.” He dropped down on my bed with a sigh. “Can you find someone else?”

I flopped down beside of him. “It’s too late now. But don’t worry about it.” It was a little disappointing that I had worked so hard and wouldn’t be able to compete, but it wasn’t the end of the world for me. Besides, Linc and his drill sergeant routine had started to make the whole dancing thing less fun for me. “So, does that mean we don’t have to practice this morning?”

“Not much use in it now.”

“Great.” I jumped up and started pulling on my clothes. “That means I have more time for other things…Want to go out with me this afternoon? Or do you have to work?”

“I don’t have to go in unless they call me.” Linc grinned and I had to stop looking at him for a moment. Damn that man was hot when he smiled like that. “So I’m all yours if you want me.”

A pillow was suddenly tossed at my head, and I turned to find Harper glaring at me from her bed. “Keep it down. Sleeping here.”

I blew her a kiss. “Sorry. I’m going.” I grabbed my watch, phone, and shoulder bag before leaving. “Meet me later!” I said over my shoulder as I closed the door behind me and Linc.

“Much later!” Harper called back. She definitely wasn’t a morning person. On days when she didn’t have to be in work, she slept until after one. It was really crazy that she was the complete opposite of Shane. He was a morning person and could actually function on just a few hours of sleep. Harper, not so much! Shane was a man-whore and had fucked more women than I would ever care to count. Harper was still holding onto her V-card.

Dallas was just coming through the door as I reached the living room. She had an unkempt look to her, but that could mean just about anything when it came to her. Late night party? Maybe. Early morning breakfast with her mother and she had wanted to go for the grunge look to piss the woman off? It wouldn’t be the first time it had happened.

All night love fest with the rock god?

Perhaps.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Dallas muttered as she brushed passed me to get to her room.

“Noted.” I grinned. “I’ll just ask Ax.” She shot me a glare but didn’t say anything as she continued on down the hall. “Two thirty!”

“Yeah. I know. See you then,” she grumbled as the door to her room slammed shut behind her.

Linc shook his head as he pushed the call button for the elevator. “She so has that ‘I’ve been fucked to within an inch of my life’ look going on. Cage must be really good in the sac.”

I laughed. “I wouldn’t know.”

He rolled his eyes at me. “No. But that’s only because you have another rock star to rub up against at night…And just when am I going to get to meet this one? I’ve already meet the brother-in-law and the future brother-in-law. When am I going to meet the brother that goes with them?”

Linc insinuating that Shane was my future in-law made my heart stutter. I hadn’t let myself think along those lines for me and Drake. It had only been a little over a month since we had started seeing each other. Sure he had said he loved me the night before, but that didn’t mean he was going to put a ring on my finger.

“Seriously, Lana. When am I going to meet Drake?”

I sighed. “Soon.”

In all honesty, I was avoiding introducing my friend to my boyfriend. When Jesse and Shane had met Linc they had both gone all territorial alpha until I convinced them that Linc really was gay. So I could only imagine what Drake’s reaction would be when he came face to face with the man I had been spending so much time with.

But it wasn’t being fair to Linc to keep him out of the picture. It wasn’t like he was some secret that I wanted to keep hidden away. I loved the guy like a brother. “I’ll arrange a dinner for us all to meet. Maybe I will even invite Axton just to fuck with Dallas.”