Page 30 of Accidental Baby For My Brother’s Best Friend

After a shower to wash the scent of Gemma Arden off me (some combination of rose and tequila which I find intoxicating), I feel a little less lightheaded, even though my headache remains. I’m able to get it together long enough to find my phone, which had slid behind the headboard of the king-sized bed of this mystery hotel.

I’m stitching together clues like that stupid movie series with Bradley Cooper that Jackson made me watch half a dozen times. There’s a stationary pad on the nightstand that tells me that this is a Best Western, but the street address means absolutely nothing to me. When I pull up the Uber app, I see that I searched for hotels near Aphrodite’s Lounge, even though I spelled “hoetels” instead in my inebriation.

I’m grateful that I was smart enough to book a hotel a few miles away from the casino, because if I’d taken Gemma to my room, my best friend would have surely knocked my head off as soon as he found out. In fact, panic rises in my throat when I think about what might happen if Jackson finds out.

I’m notactuallyworried that he’ll kill me, but he’s certainly going to hit me, and he’ll probably never talk to me again. He’ll kick me out of the band and by all rights, he should. Although I don’t exactly regret what happened with Gemma—according to my spotty memories, we both enjoyed ourselves immensely—Jackson’s my best friend. He’s been there for me when no one else was, and he believes in me and my music, so I feel like shit for betraying his trust. Not to mention, Gemmahatesme. She never would have slept with me if she hadn’t been drunk, and I feel like I might have taken advantage of her.

Axel doesn’t seem to feel that way, though. I huff out a breath, anger flowing through me once more. Tequila made me admit that I am possessive over Gemma for reasons I can’t begin to understand, and after last night? Seeing her flirt around with Axel will be ten times harder. Even if Gemma doesn’t tell Jackson what happened, how am I supposed to act normal around her? Hell, I’ve already been acting crazy around her, especially after I found out about her fling with Axel. I’m sure that Gemma probably never wants to speak to me again, but I need to apologize, at least.

I manage to make it back to the hotel before noon when we’re supposed to leave for the next city. Los Angeles, another big show. Luckily, this time it’s a shorter trip, only about four hours so that I won’t have to stare at Gemma for very long and have more memories of what her skin felt like beneath my palms. I keep having disjointed memories of the night before, about how she breathed out my name, and if I keep having those, it’ll be difficult to even function like a remotely normal person around GemmaorJackson.

By the time I make it back to the hotel, everyone is waiting for me as it’s nearing two in the afternoon. No one complains, in fact even Samuel looks a little bleary-eyed and hungover. Jackson is already in the driver’s seat of the tour bus, looking more put together than all the rest of us.

I pause when I climb onto the tour bus and Jackson just nods at me and I bite back a sigh of relief. Jackson’s been too distracted to recognize what’s been going on between us. No matter how distracted he might have been, it’s clear from his appearance and demeanor that the distraction isn’t because he’s drinking too much again, and I’m grateful for that.

Gemma seems to be sleeping and I’m grateful for that, too, even though it makes my jaw tighten that she’s sitting next to Axel, her head on his shoulder as they both doze. My face feels hot as I plop down across from them. Samuel took the back bunk as soon as he boarded the bus, face down and snoring before Jackson pulled out of the driveway.

I still can’t comprehend why I feel the way I do about Gemma. Why the very idea of her panting beneath Axel the way she did with me last night makes me want to put my fist through a wall. It’s not like I havefeelings for her. I don’t stick around long enough to have feelings for women…not since Janis. I’ve known Gemma for a long time, but I’ve never known her likethis, and it’s for the best that nothing like last night ever happens again.

The jealousy, part, though? That’s harder to shake. I’ve always had a possessive streak, even with women that I’ve been casual with. Now that I’ve been with Gemma, now that I’ve tasted her…I just hope that the next ten weeks go by quickly.

Because if Gemma continues seeing Axel after this, instead of a wall, it might be my friend’s face I put my fist through.

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