Womanizer

December had arrived and Megan was counting down the days to her departure. Her parents' visit on Thanksgiving had been much too brief. She was ready for Christmas and the New Year, when she would be moving back in with them. She loved Zacky and Janine, and she appreciated all they had done for her, but she missed her home.

Brian had flown to California two days after Aiden was born. Megan had successfully avoided him every since the exchange in the waiting room the night of Aiden's birth. She could no longer see that there was anything to gain by knowing him. She'd been conflicted basically every day of their friendship and was sick of it.

Therefore, it was an unpleasant surprise to find him on the porch the day of the SEC Championship game. Megan had answered the door because Zacky was in his office/studio working and both Janine and Aiden were napping.

Brian's hand shot out and caught the edge of the door to prevent her from slamming it in his face. Megan was annoyed that he could read her well enough to know that that was what she'd been planning.

"We need to talk," he said.

Megan crossed her arms over her chest. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Oh, really? So you're giving me the silent treatment just for the hell of it?"

"No. You deserve it."

"For doing 'what I do best.' Wasn't that what you said at the hospital?"

Megan arched her eyebrows and didn't respond.

Brian sighed. "Look, Megan, I'm lost here. Everything was fine, then I come back from the gift shop and you're furious with me. I would appreciate it if you would fill in the gaps."

Megan felt her anger abate slightly. She was upset that he'd slept with Allison so soon after their weekend together. That was due to jealousy. She was also disgusted that he'd waltzed back to Alabama and slept with her, Megan, two days after spending the night with Allison. To a certain extent, that could be blamed on jealousy as well, but it was more than that. She didn't want to be one of his whores. She respected herself way too much to play his game.

And he needs to know that, she realized, uncrossing her arms and taking a step back. We were friends before all of this bullshit happened, which is why he actually cares that I'm upset. He deserves to know how I feel. Maybe not all of it, though. She cringed at the thought of admitting to Brian that she was jealous of the other women in his life.

"Okay," she relented. "Come in."

A hint of relief skated across his chiseled features. He walked through the door and she shut it behind him. The two of them went into the living room. Brian perched on one arm of the sofa. Megan remained standing.

Nervous and agitated, she began pacing. She couldn't bring herself to even start explaining things, despite the fact that she knew it had to be done.

All I have to tell him is that I'm upset about the last time we slept together because he'd fucked Allison two days before. She took a deep breath. Easy, right?

"Megan?" Brian said, regarding her with a mixture of concern and irritation.

"Sorry," she muttered. She forced herself to stop pacing and looked at him. "When Zack and I were outside at the hospital, he sort of mentioned that one of your ex-girlfriends had shown up while y'all were out in California."

Brian's expression cleared a bit, but a trace of confusion still remained. He was trying to figure out exactly why that would bother Megan.

"You slept with her," Megan stated.

"Yeah. So?"

"So she was there to see if you'd changed."

Brian frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"She told Zack that she wanted to know if you were any different than you'd been when y'all were together. She was disappointed to discover that you aren't."

"She moved to L.A. for her job. The distance killed our relationship, not me."

"You live in Huntington Beach, Brian! Your girlfriend being in Los Angeles doesn't really fall under the heading of long distance relationship."

"It was more than the distance," Brian defended himself. "We never discussed what her move meant for the relationship. I assumed she'd consider herself a free agent, so I--"

"That is a pathetic excuse," Megan interrupted. "You were just attempting to ease the guilt of wanting to stick your dick in someone new."

Brian opened his mouth, paused, and shook his head. "Whatever. What the fuck does any of this have to do with me and you?"

"Do you remember what happened after the Mississippi State game?"

"Um, how could I forget?"

"Two days after your ex-girlfriend comes around hoping that there's something left between y'all, you've already written it off as a fuck for old times' sake and moved on to your next target." Megan laughed mirthlessly. "God, Bri, you are really...horrible."

"Why do you care, Megan? Nothing that happened between us meant anything. I don't have to share any aspect of my personal life with you. Zack had no right to tell you anything and you have no right to be upset with me because of what I did with Allison."

"I have no right to be upset?" Megan repeated. "Are you fucking stupid, Bri? I have every right to be upset! How do I know that Allison was the only one? You invite me into your house and fuck me with a dick that has been shoved in every whore between here and California and I have no right to be upset!?!?"

Brian was suddenly on his feet. His brown eyes were practically black with anger. "I didn't hear you complaining!"

"It had never occurred to me that Zack and Jani were not embellishing your adventures!"

Brian grew very still. The tension drained from his body and he smirked. "You're jealous."

"I'm not jealous! I'm worried that you've given me a disease or twenty!"

"I don't have anything."

Megan snorted. "Right."

"You didn't seem too worried about it in Baton Rouge." Brian moved closer to her. "You remember Baton Rouge, don't you?"

"Don't, Brian."

"Remember how we agreed that it wouldn't mean anything?"

"It didn't mean anything!"

"You're full of shit, Megan. You're mad at me for fucking another girl. If our times together were meaningless, you wouldn't care that I had been with someone else. Just friends don't get this upset over each other's personal lives." He studied her for a moment. "You've made it pretty clear that you don't want to be friends with benefits. We're running out of options."

Megan gritted her teeth. "No, we're not. We're friends, Bri. I just needed you to know that I will never sleep with you again. You get around even more than I imagined and I can't trust you."

"I'm careful. But if that's what you want, fine." His voice dropped to a husky murmur as he added, "I won't touch you or kiss you or eat you or fuck you ever again."

Megan hated the way his voice and his words sent a spike of desire straight to her core. She was staring straight into his sinfully dark eyes and her anger dissolved in a rush of memories.

She vividly recalled the first night in Baton Rouge, writhing on the bed while Brian slipped his long fingers in and out of her body. And the second night, his tongue exploring the most intimate parts of her; riding him with his hands clutching her hips; being under him as he fucked her and his kisses muffling her yells.

These memories had haunted her during her waking hours and followed her into her sleep to become dreams that left her aching with need. She sometimes awoke and wondered why the hell she hadn't let the routine begin. When he'd fucked her after the Mississippi State game, he'd been on the way to altering their friendship. He'd wanted to be fuck buddies. However, she had stopped this change the instant she'd threatened to hurt him in her bedroom.

"You are not in control," she'd said. "So stay the fuck away from me unless I invite you in. And don't you ever hurt me like that again unless I ask you for it."

She hadn't gone back to him for sex. She'd viewed it as a victory: she had managed to sleep with Brian Haner Junior and not lose herself. She had denied him and could walk away with her head held high.

Was it really worth it? she mused now. At least if they'd been fuck buddies, things might not have gotten so complicated. No, that's not true. Either way, I would have been jealous and upset that he slept with Allison.

"Great," she said eventually, lifting her chin defiantly. "From now on, there's no longer even a remote possibility that you and I will ever have anything but strictly friendship between us. No bets. No dares. Nothing that is an excuse for us to repeat the weekend in Baton Rouge, or the night of the Mississippi State game."

"Deal."

They both looked up at the scuff of a footstep. Zacky was framed in the archway that connected the living room to the front hall. And judging by the way he was glaring at Brian, he had heard everything.