In Love with the Prince (of Darkness, That Is)

It took a moment for Dreama to remember where she was when she woke the next morning. Then she looked down and saw Taylor's arms around her waist. Part of her smiled and snuggled closer to him. The other part of her panicked.

Sex. She and Taylor Gable had slept together. And she really hadn't been drunk, like she sometimes was when she hooked up with Thomas. God, Thomas. Dreama freaked and launched to her feet. "Oh, damn," she whispered, crossing to the curtained window.

Thomas would know that she hadn't gone to work. Which meant that her brothers would know. "Oh, damn!" she repeated.

"What's wrong?" Taylor asked sleepily.

"Hmm? Uh... nothing."

"Come back to bed," he muttered, opening his arms for her. Dreama was sorely tempted to move back into them--she was cold, and, besides that, she liked being in his arms.

"Taylor, we have to go home," she told him.

"Why?"

"Because I have to work tonight. And Thomas will know that I called in sick last night, when I told my brothers I was going to work. Which means Jesse will have called Gem, who will say that she didn't see me yesterday, and then they'll freak."

Taylor still had his eyes shut. "Come on, baby, just for a few minutes. I'll drive you home later."

"Tay, please. My brothers are probably freaking out."

"So call them."

"It's long distance, and we're in a hotel."

He sighed and rolled onto his back, opening his eyes as he went. "Okay, I'll take you home."

"Thank-you."

"Just let me dress, we'll leave now."

He slid out of bed and pulled on his discarded pants and dress-shirt while Dreama slid into the extra clothes she had brought with her. The two-hour car ride was relatively silent, though Taylor held her hand the whole way, only letting go when he needed to change gears.

He stopped the car in front of the apartment building and Dreama leaned over to kiss him. "You're an angel," she said as she pulled away.

Taylor sighed. "If only you knew," he said dryly.

Dreama giggled and kissed him again, this time flicking her tongue across his bottom lip. "Give me a few days, and I will," she said impishly. She moved to get out of the car, but Taylor grabbed her shoulders and crashed their lips together once again. This time it was his tongue that sought entrance and Dreama accepted, parting her lips. He cupped the back of her head in his hand to keep her from pulling away from him.

Dreama laughed against his lips when she tried half-heartedly to break the kiss and found that she couldn't. "Taylor," she mumbled.

"Mmm?" He was nibbling on her lips.

"I have to go inside."

"You just think that."

She laughed and forced her hand between them. "I'll see you later, I promise. But they're probably all watching out the window right now."

"Even what's-his-name?"

"Especially Thomas," Dreama sighed resignedly.

"Good." Taylor waved to the fourth-floor window and then moved to kiss her again.

Dreama was laughing so hard that she had to turn her head. "Taylor!"

"I'm just having some fun with him, Dray."

"Yeah, but I have to go talk to him."

"Just one more kiss, and I'll let you go."

Dreama obliged him, and then scrambled out of the car and raced up to her apartment.

She was right: Thomas, her brothers, and Gemini were scattered around the living room. Thomas, Gemini, and Craig looked angry, Nathan looked relieved, and Jesse just looked amused.

"Hey, sis!" Jesse laughed.

"Where the hell have you been?" Nathan asked.

"I went to go see Chicago live."

"Where?" Jesse exclaimed, still laughing. "It's not showing in town!"

"London," Dreama said simply, moving toward her room to toss her bag through the door.

"You lied to us," Craig said angrily.

"I know. And I'm sorry. But I knew you guys would freak."

"You think we weren't freaking out when we found out you were MIA?" Gemini retorted. "You could have at least told me."

"I didn't think about it," Dreama admitted quietly, feeling horrible.

Gemini crossed her arms. "Thanks."

"I'm sorry," Dreama started, her voice small. "We just decided to go yesterday. I would have told you if we planned it." Gemini didn't look convinced.

"This guy's taking over your life, Dray. We didn't even spend time together yesterday."

"One day doesn't mean he's taking over my life."

"You've stopped coming to work on Saturdays," Thomas said. "Are you with him every time?"

"I don't see how that's your business. We've had this discussion, Tom, and we are not going to have it again."

"What discussion?" Craig asked, looking bewildered.

"You didn't tell him?" both Dreama and Thomas asked together.

"Why the hell should I tell him? He's your brother, and you broke up with me."

"You two broke up?" Craig interjected.

"No, I'm screwing both of them," Dreama snapped sarcastically, irritated. She immediately regretted it at the look on everyone's faces.

"You slept with him?" Jesse laughed. "Both of them? I thought you said nothing happened when he spent the night here!"

"Who spent the night here? Tom, or this new guy?" Nathaniel asked.

"You slept with my sister?" Craig yelled at Thomas.

"Many times," Dreama nodded. "Not that it's any of your business. What do you care, anyway? It didn't bother you that we went out together."

"Yeah, but that's different. You weren't serious."

"Wow, that's ironic," Dreama muttered, more to herself than anything. Thomas heard and glared at her.

"You had sex with the guy in the car, too?" Nathaniel wanted to know.

"The guy in the car is named Taylor."

"I don't care what his name is. Did you or did you not sleep with him?"

"That's for me to know and you to wonder about."

"That means yes," Gemini added.

Dreama shot her a hard look, which Gemini returned full-force. "I'm sorry," she said stubbornly. "I forgot you didn't want them to know." She turned on her heel and left, slamming the apartment door behind her.

Dreama sighed and sunk down onto the couch beside Jesse, who was still laughing. She pinched him on the leg and threatened to tell Nathaniel and Craig about Lindsay if he didn't shut up.