Sequel: Happily Ever After
Status: Complete

Even Lovers Drown

Chapter 65

Comforting warmth encompassed Saylor, the arm wrapped around her waist and body sandwiched against her a safe haven against the hotel lobby’s biting air conditioner. Fingers danced under her tank top, feet tapped hers, lips murmured sweet endearments against her hair. Blake. Sweet, lovely Blake. Saylor could drown in her loving gestures, could lose herself so completely in the woman she was once fearful of, and enjoy every moment of it.

“You two are cuddly,” Davy’s voice drifted over the snuggling couple.

Saylor raised her head from Blake’s shoulder, and Blake’s lips left her hair, the nonsensical endearments coming to an end so the pair could look at Davy. Just the man they had been waiting on so they could start breakfast. He strolled across the lobby, towards their couch in calm strides, an unnaturally placated Andy at his side. Hayden and Hunter trailed behind them, identical expressions of exhaustion on their faces.

“They’re fornicators,” Sage remarked, lounging in a cushioned chair across from Saylor and Blake.

Blake attempted to scowl at Sage but the small smile that played on her lips broadened into a full grin. She couldn’t contain it, the happiness that bubbled inside of her, nor could she stop touching Saylor. “Fornicating” seemed to bring them closer, seemed to connect them more intimately, seemed to open up a new world to explore. She knew Saylor’s body now. The scent of her arousal, the rosy tint of her nipples, the flush that colored her breasts and neck when she orgasmed, she knew every intimate part of her.

And, yet, she didn’t. There was more to discover, more to experience. They had only begun their journey as lovers.

Davy stopped at the set of couches and recliners, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at Sage, eyebrow cocked in silent question. She nodded in a matter-of-fact manner, accenting her previous declaration. Davy’s teasing, green eyes landed on Blake and Saylor and his smile dimpled his right cheek

“You didn’t do it with Sage in the room, did you?” he asked.

“No, Sage was gone.” Blake smirked at her longtime friend. “On a date.”

Sage’s face turned an interesting shade of red and her eyes shot invisible daggers at Blake. But she didn’t flinch under the malicious glare. This was revenge. Blake would enjoy it.

Davy’s teasing smile dropped, leaving his mouth agape in shock, and his eyes honed in on Sage. Confusion read in Andy’s eyes, though his expression remained unaffected, in control. Hunter raised an eyebrow.

And Hayden, Oh Hayden, he perked at the newfound information, like Blake expected him to, all traces of exhaustion disappearing from his face.

“You went on a date?” he asked.

With one comment, Blake’s sex life was no longer anyone’s concern. They had a new topic to keep them occupied. Sage’s nearly nonexistent dating habits.

“It wasn’t a date,” Sage snapped.

“So it was a hookup?” Hunter asked, smirk tweaking his lips. “Was she good?”

Blake snorted and buried her face in Saylor’s red hair, body shaking from pent-up laughter. Sage would kill her for this. At the very least dump curdled milk on her pillow. But it was worth it.

“You taking Blake’s place now that she’s a one woman kind of girl?” Hayden asked.

One woman. She liked that, loved that. No more searching for solace in the arms of groupies. No more walks of shame from cheap motel rooms. No more stifled loneliness. She had one woman now. One gorgeous, amazing woman who actually liked her.

She peered up from her hiding spot in curtains of red to look up at Saylor, her one woman. But Saylor didn’t look at her in return, nor did she seem affected by Hayden’s offhand remark about their relationship. Her gaze was focused on Davy, green eyes boring into his side. Searching. Analyzing. So fixated she probably didn’t hear a bit of the conversation around her.

Curious.

“That’s good,” Davy said, “I don’t know what I’d do without a lesbian hooker to handle.”

“I’d rejoice,” Andy commented.

“It was not a hookup,” Sage snapped.

“Did you propose yet, or did she?” Hunter asked.

Every statement could, and would, be subject to the teasing band mates’ banter. Sage should have known. But she was too concentrated on deflecting their goofy statements to think.

With Reese saving seats in the hotel dining room, she had one less mental assailant. She was lucky. Early in the morning, he may not have been a voice of reason.

Though he wasn’t much of one at a more sane hour either.

“I want to be your flower girl,” Hayden declared.

Shame he wasn’t gay. He’d fit the stereotypical, flamboyant gay male role perfectly. His twin, on the other hand, didn’t fill those fabulous designer shoes. The twins were quite the oddities.

“Maid of Honor. Called it.” Davy and Hayden high-five, then he looked at Blake, feigning remorse. “Sorry, Blake, you have to be the Best Man.”

Grinning, she shrugged. “I could rock a tux.”

She looked to Saylor, expecting to catch playful green eyes and a smile, but Saylor’s one-track attention hadn’t left Davy. From his body, to his face, and back again, subtle jumps of her eyes that went unnoticed. Her teeth clamped around her bottom lip, trapping the questions written in her expression.

What was she thinking about?

“Let’s go meet Reese,” Sage grumbled, commanded, and pushed herself out of the cushioned lounge chair.

“Good idea,” Hayden said, “He knows all about planning weddings.”

Sage groaned, her only means of verbalizing her frustration and avoiding the potential of adding fuel to their banter, and stalked to the dining room. Hayden and Hunter followed close behind, on the heels of their new victim. One of the identical voices carried across the distance, words unintelligible. But Sage’s yelp of “Get away from me” confirmed what Blake assumed.

Another teasing comment.

“I’d better make sure no one dies,” Andy said, “I question Sage’s control when angered.”

“We’ll be there in a bit. I need to give a lecture about safe sex first.”

He shot Blake a look, eyebrows raised in suggestion, grin dimpling his cheek. Embarrassing but she returned his embarrassing look with a crooked smile.

She’d take embarrassing best friend over protective older brother any day.

Andy laughed. “Alright. See you.”

He strolled away, followed the trio of band mates casually. Far calmer than he may have been most days. Spending the night in the same room as Davy was good for him.

Blake doubted there was much progress in Davy’s long journey to claim Andy.

“Damn, he has a nice ass,” Davy sighed, staring at Andy till he disappeared through the glass double doors. The image gone, he snapped from his revere, green eyes dropping to the cuddled couple. “You guys—“

Saylor cut him off, her own revere broken. “I’m telling on you.”

Almost in slow motion, his goofy smile slipped and his eyebrows drew in confusion, then the words visibly registered and his jaw dropped. Blake would have laughed, would have found amusement in his comedic expressions, but she was trying to understand Saylor’s mental wanderings.

“Me? I didn’t do anything. You’re the one sexing your girlfriend. I’m telling on you.”

Girlfriend?

“We’re not—“ Blake started, intent on setting him straight herself so she wouldn’t have to hear Saylor say the words.

“You have a tattoo,” Saylor said, ending her weak protest.

His tattoo, that’s what her consistent staring was about. She’d been waiting to bring it up, waiting for the band members to leave because the conversation wasn’t theirs to hear. And the girlfriend slip had gone unnoticed.

Or maybe, she didn’t mind being deemed Blake’s girlfriend. The title wasn’t official yet, but they were getting there. Correcting someone was pointless.

Or maybe, she just ignored the term to continue a more important conversation.

Davy faltered, unsure worry crossing his features, before addressing Blake. “Can you save us some seats?”

A not-so-subtle hint they needed alone time.

“Sure,” she said. Kissing Saylor’s forehead, she murmured, “I’ll make you a plate.”

The gentle gesture drew gorgeous green eyes to her, away from their focused position on Davy. The loving hue glittering in the emerald depths melted Blake’s heart and froze her breath in her lungs.

“Thank you,” Saylor whispered, squeezing her hand.

“Absolutely.”

One more kiss, this time on the corner of her lips, and Blake stood, detangling herself from their comfortable embrace and walked to the dining room, her heartbeat unsteady against her ribcage.
♠ ♠ ♠
Second update.
Thank you to Sincerely-Angela, MRGF123, SpencerG, and beautifulescape21 for the story comments.
And thank you to any new subscribers.
Nifty fact time: Sage and Hayden were originally completely different characters. Sage was supposed to be a man and supposed be Hunter's twin brother (because both names are colors of green). Hayden was supposed to be a woman. Basically, Sage was supposed to be Hayden, and Hayden was supposed to be Sage. But I didn't feel like either of their names fit with the character type I was assigning them to. So I switched them.
I hope you enjoyed.
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Peace from Cali,
Dakota Ray