Dangerline

CHAPTER 38-THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING...

7:00 P.M. THAT SAME NIGHT

     After making sure Duchess had extra food and water I locked up the apartment, flipped my hood up over my head and made my way down the stairs towards the back of the bar like Brian requested. I wasn't sure what tonight was going to be about and it had me on edge...now I knew where the urge to smoke came from. A few minutes past 7 I was beginning to wonder if Brian wasn't able to make it but headlights turning sharply down the alley told me otherwise. I didn't know what Matt's car looked like but judging by the expensive looking rims on a Cadillac nonetheless I could only assume this was his SUV that pulled up next to where I stood. The darkened window rolled down a moment later, revealing a pissed off looking Brian, his beanie in place underneath a hood. "Hop in babe" was all I got from him before the window was going back up, completely blacking out everything. I sighed as I flung my back in the back seat before climbing in the front, I had a feeling this was going to be a long ass night. No sooner did I have my belt on than he was on me, kissing me with a hunger I had missed. "God baby I'm so, so sorry" he muttered miserably against my lips, holding my face in his hands. "Brian it's okay...really" I was trying my best to soothe him but he was in a mood and he wasn't taking that for an answer as he sped away, heading south out of Huntington Beach. "No, it's not fucking okay...but we'll talk about that when we get to the hotel." I looked over at Brian, trying to figure out what was going on in his head but his face was set in a grim manner.

      Change topics dumbass I thought to myself as we drove on in silence. "Babe...what did you tell Matt when you asked to borrow his vehicle?" I didn't want to cause a heated debate but I was curious as to how he procured his best friends' vehicle for the night. "I told him about us" he stated simply, his eyes never leaving the highway. "YOU WHAT?! BRIAN OH MY GOD WHY?!" I felt myself fill with panic and dread as I thought about our secret spreading beyond Kenna. "What if he says something?! What if Monique finds out?! Oh my god he must thing I'm such a whore!" I wailed on and on until I felt the SUV jerk violently to the right, a small parking lot coming up out of nowhere as Brian jammed the SUV in park. "Ash stop right now!" he barked out, turning towards me. Shit did I just make him mad?! I watched as he took a deep breath, his hands rubbing his face before he spoke again, this time in a softer tone. "He's not going to say anything, trust me I know him like the back of my hand. He swore on River's head he wouldn't tell a soul...the bitch is not going to find out and if I ever hear you call yourself something as vile as a 'whore' again I will personally haul you across my lap and smack your ass...and not in a nice way either!"

      My eyes dropped to my lap in embarrassment, I should have known that Brian wouldn't have told anyone if he couldn't trust them but still a small part of me worried over the fact that now someone else knew about us and while Matt seemed friendly enough to me I didn't know how he would feel about someone who was practically his brother dating someone as young as I was. We sat together in silence for a while before Brian continued driving, arriving at a small mom and pop hotel that looked old but well kept. "I'm sorry it couldn't be something fancy but after tonight's events I had to remain inconspicuous" his words sounded so exhausted and beat down that now it was my turn to get angry...what the hell had that bitch done to him?! "Stay here, I'm gonna go check in...hopefully my fake ID still works" he stated with a small smile and headed inside. After what seemed like forever he finally emerged, key in hand and came around to my side of the vehicle. "Grab our bags please, I have to get Pinkly from the back." I grabbed our bags as I watched Brian remove a small travel crate from the very back.

      "Matt loves Pinkly but he doesn't want her fur all over his brand-new vehicle" he stated with a small smile and rolled his eyes, pulling his fur baby from the confines of the cage and setting her on the ground. "Come on this way, room is around the back." Hand in hand we walked to the room, the darkness of the night and the faint rush of the highway our only noises. "I'm sorry again that it's not like the suite in Hawaii but- "at that I cut Brian off, kissing him lightly. "Brian I don't care if we were in a cardboard box, I'm with you that's all that matters." I could see Brian was still disgusted with himself so I left him be for a minute, reaching down to unhook Pinkly from her leash and letting her romp free in the room.