“Great job tonight, guys.” I bent down behind Josh’s drum set and grabbed my messenger bag. “I’ll see you at practice tomorrow.”

It took every ounce of self-control I had to not break out in a run when I saw Aleksandr waiting for me at the door. When I reached him, I hurled myself into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his hips. He laughed a rich rumble that came from deep in his stomach as he easily cradled me and carried me out the door.

“Are you ready?” he whispered, lips brushing my ear, electricity pulsing through my veins.

“Yes,” I said, firm and decisive.

And I was. This was it. The losing-my-virginity chapter of my life. The ever-present-around-Aleksandr bees on speed were getting ahead of themselves as I was more excited than frightened. I didn’t feel anxious around him. With Aleksandr, everything felt right.

Nothing could ruin this moment.

Chapter 22

Except my best friend. My best friend could ruin this moment.

“There you are!” I heard Kristen’s voice before I saw her.

Aleksandr’s surprise appearance made me forget I’d promised Kristen we’d hang out after my show. The only thing I wanted right now was to summon Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak, whip it over me and my boyfriend, and bolt.

After contemplating the friendship code for a situation like this, I knew hoes before bros was the correct answer. Hoes being a term of endearment in this case, of course.

“Hey, KK,” I greeted her, releasing my leechlike hold on Aleksandr. He held me tight as I dismounted, and I shivered from the friction created by sliding down his hard body. “Hey, Lace.” I nodded to my other roommate, who had popped up behind Kristen.

“Hey, Aud. Hey, Aleksandr,” Lacy greeted us with a cheerful smile.

“Josh told us you’d already left, so we were headed to Larry’s to find you,” Kristen said, eyeing Aleksandr and me. “You’re still heading to Larry’s, right?”

“Of course,” Aleksandr answered, grabbing my hand. I guess there was no need to rush, in his mind. He’d had sex before. I was the overstimulated virgin, so ready to get it on with my hot hockey-god boyfriend that I could barely walk from the throbbing in my nether regions.

I caught his eyes, pleading for him to understand the release I needed. His aggravating, yet sensual, trademark smirk splayed across his lips. He leaned down, using his cheek to push the hair away from my ears.

“Anticipation makes it so much better, my love,” he whispered.

The man needed to think about carrying me if he kept up that kind of talk. How did he expect me to walk on rubbery legs?

“Lead the way.” I swept my hand in front of me, allowing Kristen to take the lead.

If Wreckage was small, Larry’s was a storage closet inside of Wreckage. And it was a hole. But Larry’s was the only place in town that never ID’d us, so we’d been drinking here since freshman year. Kristen and I declared their gin and tonic the best in the world. Maybe it wasn’t, but it was the only place we could order one, and the bartenders always gave us extra limes, which made the whole drink.

I turned my attention to the bar, filled with the usual—a few kids from the university, but mostly townies. Townies were people born and raised in Bridgeland and the surrounding small farm towns. I’m not insinuating townies stuck out in any way. I’d just frequented Larry’s so often, that I knew the locals from the students. Plus, the number of pickup trucks in the parking lot was a telltale sign of what group there would be more of at any given time.

Aleksandr nodded to the three empty stools at the bar. Kristen and I both saddled up and ordered gin and tonics, while Lacy stood next to us and ordered a beer.

“I saw Beth waiting in our booth. Come over when you guys are finished,” Lacy told us, grabbing her beer and making her way to the front of the bar. There was a group of booths in the front corner, one of which we’d claimed as ours because we took it over every time we came to Larry’s. I think Kristen might have even carved our names into the table during a very drunken evening.

“This is disgusting,” Aleksandr announced, pulling the glass from his lips with a frown after I’d let him try my gin and tonic.

“You have to squeeze two or three lime wedges in it and mash them good with your straw. Then you get yummy lime pulp in every sip.” I demonstrated by stabbing at my limes before taking another sip of mine. “Ummm. Perfection.”

“I don’t like fruit in my drinks,” he said.

“Well, you deserve a gross gin and tonic then. The lime is what makes it. Otherwise, it just tastes like pine-flavored floor cleaner,” I told him.

Kristen burst out laughing. “That’s my girl.” She turned to Aleksandr. “So what are you doing in town?”

“Auden needed me,” he responded, holding up a hand for the bartender. He’d waited to taste my gin and tonic before he ordered, and judging by his reaction, he’d stick with his usual.

Kristen’s face lit up. I didn’t have to ask her to know why. She was beyond happy that Aleksandr would do that for me. She’d been witness to the guys I’d fallen for during my early years at school, and she knew I needed someone like Aleksandr.

“I wasn’t sure about you at first, you know.” Kristen waved her hand around Aleksandr’s head. “With the crazy hair and all, but you’re a good guy.”

“Thank you.” Aleksandr smiled, saluting her with his shot before downing it in one gulp.

Suddenly Kristen’s face lost the happy glow. “Wait. Why do you need him? What happened?”

Instead of beating around the bush, I let the story gush. “Turns out I have a brother who my mom put up for adoption before I was born. And he lives here in Bridgeland.” I turned to Aleksandr. “And it’s Jason Taylor, Landon’s brother.”

“What?” they both asked in unison.

I just nodded and tilted my gin and tonic back, sans straw. Wow. It really was disgusting.

“That’s not even…I don’t know what to…holy shit, Auden,” Kristen stammered.

“Yeah, I know. It’s fucked up.” The television above the bar flashed various colors, sports highlights scrolling across the bottom, reminding me it was just a regular night for so many people.

Kristen wrapped her arms around me, some of the contents of her drink splashing onto Aleksandr’s leg in the bear-hug process.

“I feel left out of this hugging,” Aleksandr joked as he pressed cocktail napkins he’d swiped from the bar against his jeans.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” I told him when Kristen released me. Then I took his face in my hands and planted a quick, hard kiss on his mouth.

Aleksandr put a hand up for the bartender. “Two gin and tonics and a shot of vodka.”

“Make it two shots,” Kristen called.

“Make it three,” I called. Both Kristen’s and Aleksandr’s heads swiveled toward me, eyes wide. I dropped my shoulders and tilted my head to the side. Was wanting to drink myself into oblivion such a surprise after my story?

When the bartender brought our drinks, Aleksandr passed me and Kristen each a shot of vodka.

I scrunched my face. “I’m gonna need sugar and a lemon.”

“Yeah, me too,” Kristen agreed. “It’s cold, right?”

“Americans.” Aleksandr sighed. He scanned the table behind us and plucked sugar packets out of the plastic holder. Then he grabbed two slim lemon slices from the tray on the bar and handed one to Kristen.

Kristen and I tore open our sugar packets and licked the inside of our wrists. Just as I was about to summon my inner Def Leppard and pour some sugar on myself, Aleksandr placed his hand over the wet spot I’d created. Jerking my head up in protest, I caught a mischievous glimmer in his eye as he ran his tongue over his wrist, doused it with sugar, and held it out to me.

I loved this man.

After licking the sweet granules off his warm skin, I downed the shot and searched the bar frantically for my lemon. Of course, it was wedged between Aleksandr’s teeth. When I pressed my mouth to his, he released the lemon. After I sucked the juice out, I spat the rind into my empty shot glass and coughed from both the vodka and the sour lemon.