"That wasn't so bad, was it?" I asked as I turned and faced Sash who was sitting next to me as Matt, another body guard of mine, drove my Surburban down the highway. She turned to me with wide eyes and I stiffled a laugh.

"Justin, I think I'm blind," she said, blinking frantically, "I'm seriously blind." I rolled my eyes and allowed a snicker to slip from my lips.

"That wasn't bad," I said, "Not as many flashes as it is at night." She gasped a bit.

"They follow you at night too?" she asked, amazed by the chaos that I hardly noticed anymore. I draped my arm over her shoulder and pulled her to my side. She absentmindedly began to lace her fingers with my own.

"They're everywhere," I said, "They're not that bad all the time though... LAX is the worst. They try and get everybody's picture there. That's there spot for candids." They are the paparazzi. I did my best to prep talk Sash before we landed. She got through okay, but she almost broke my hand as I took hers and guided her through the crowd. I would've laughed at the intensity of her grip if I weren't in so much pain.

"I don't get what's so fascinating," she told me, still a little out of wack, but calming down significantly since we've been in the car, "I mean, you're great and all, but there's a million pictures of you already."

"I know!" I agreed enthusiastically, "I don't get the infactuation with my face, but if they say so..." We grew quiet for a minute as Matt curved along the road way. I turned to look out of the window as the scenary flew by. For a minute, my mind wandered as I thought of being here with Sash by my side, holding my hand as my arm is wrapped around her shoulder. We would be on our way back to our house and not just my place. It wouldn't be her first visit to LA, it would be her home. I got a strange feeling in my gut as the thought of this made me happier than I thought it would.

"Can I ask you something," Sash whispered to me. I barely caught it, but I turned my head to face her. She adjusted herself so that I could see her face fully.

"Sure," I said, "What's up?" She glanced away from me for a moment, staring out over my shoulder.

"It's stupid, but it's been bothering me, I guess," she mumbled. I raised a brow.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned already.

"Nothing's wrong, but I was just curious..."

"About..." I egged on and she shrugged again.

"Does your family...know..."

"Know what?" I asked, growing a bit impatient.

"That I'm..." she trailed off again and I rolled my eyes.

"Sash, please; just spit it out," I whined. She glanced up at Matt who was so busy driving that he probably forgot we were even here.

"Do they know that I'm black?" she finally asked and I was a bit taken back by her question.

"Why?" I asked automatically and she looked at me like I were crazy.

"Because... I don't know," she said, "Shouldn't you mention things like that?"

"I don't tell them when my girlfriends are white, so why would I do it if she's black?" I asked and she gave me a bored expression.

"That's the dumbest question I ever heard," she told me and I shrugged.

"I just don't see why it matters," I told her, "Does it matter to you?"

"If they know?" she asked and I nodded, "Yeah."

"Why?" I asked again.

"Because... I don't want to... surprise them," she said and I laughed out loud.

"Surprise them?" I asked, "What are they going to do? Scream in shock when they see you? Are you popping out of a cake or something?" I couldn't stop laughing and Sash was giving me death glares.

"You're not funny, Justin," she told me, "I'm serious. You should've told them."

"Sash, they know you're smart, beautiful, funny, and you love me," I said, "I don't know what else is more important than that."

"I just don't know your family and I don't want to walk into something I won't be prepared for," she told, "I've never dated a white guy before... I don't know if it's the same or what."

"Angel wasn't black either," I challenged.

"We grew up in the same parts and he was at least Puerto Rican. My mom still gave me crap for that." My curiousity peaked.

"Does your mom know I'm white?" I asked and she got still in my arms. I nudged her. "Hmm...?"

"My mother doesn't know you exist," she answered, "I didn't tell her about you."

"Oh..." I mumbled, feeling a bit hurt by her words. I suddenly felt like I was overly excited about us. I couldn't shut up about Sash. Trace and my mother were tired of me whining and praising and thinking about her. The world didn't know about her, but two of the most important people to me at least knew.

"My mother and I don't really discuss who I'm dating until we're really serious," she continued.

"Aren't we serious?" I asked and she glanced at me before looking at her lap.

"We aren't even really together," she told her lap, "We're completely unstable."

"But we love each other," I said simply, feeling vulnerable. I was so open about her and she was so closed off about me.

"I know that," she said, finally looking up at me, "But I don't want to introduce a man into my family before I know where we're going."

"You already know where I'm willing to go," I said, "It's you I'm waiting on."

"Don't pin everything on me," she frowned, "I'm just trying to be reasonable here. There's a lot to think about in a relationship."

"I know that," I said, "But I think that once you love somebody, there's enough to at least try and build a relationship on. We can take baby steps like...geez, I don't know - telling our mothers that the person we're in love with exists." Sash rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, Justin," she said dismissively.

"Fine, whatever," I agreed, "But to answer your question, I didn't tell them. I didn't think it mattered to them anyway."

"You don't think it will matter or you know it won't matter?"

"I know it won't matter," I clarified, "My family isn't like that."

"Have you ever brought a black woman home?" I asked, "Have you ever dated a black girl?" I smirked a little, knowing she wouldn't like my answer.

"I brought some home, but I've never dated them."

"You're a whore," she grumbled, pushing my arm off her shoulder. I laughed. "Don't touch me."

"Sash, I'm just being honest," I complained, still laughing as I tried to get her back under my arm. She pushed my arm away repeatedly.

"You really think it's funny that the black women in your life have only been good enough to fuck and not date."

"You're saying it like I purposely go out looking for undatable black women," I said, "I've been involved with black women, but I wouldn't call it dating."

"You were fucking them," she said, "That's what you were doing."

"No, it was a bit more than that," I said, "I was dating them...kinda. It just wasn't serious."

"But all your girlfriends have been what...?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not shooting myself in the foot by answering that," I said.

"Oh, but you still shot yourself in the foot by not answering it too." She grunted disapprovingly and leant away from me with her arms crossed over her chest. Her lips were pursed and her eyes were narrowed. It was an oddly sexy stance, but I knew better than to say that.

"Sash, I don't see color, you should know that," I said, "Why are you worried about my past anyway? It's the future that you should be thinking about."

"I think about that all the time," she said, relaxing her face.

"And what do you see?" I asked and she shrugged.

"Depends," she answered.

"On what?" I asked. I used my questions as distractions while I reached for her cross arms. I tugged them apart and she sighed as I scooted closer to her.

"It depends on how we're doing that day," she answered, allowing me to pull her back under my arm.

"So what's our future like today?" I asked curiously.

"Today it's good," she said, placing her hand on my stomach before I rested mine on top of hers. "Today it's just like this... Us just driving home." My heart tightened up.

"Home?" I asked again, seeing my vision for the future matching hers.

"Yeah...home." I kissed the top of her head, giving her side a hug as we continued along the road. She was all warm and soft in my arms and I wondered how she could doubt this. Doubt what we are. We were just bickering moments ago and now she's enveloped in my arms, just like that. Her scent was filling my car and my nose and I knew that I'd never forget her smell. My car would never quite smell the same after her. If there were an after her...

I held her closer, not liking the thought of being without her one bit. She had to feel it too. All this emotion couldn't be just one-sided.

"I love you," I told her softly and she tilted her head up to kiss the spot where my jaw met my neck. It shot chills straight through me.

"I love you too," she mumbled against my skin, pushing herself against me as she cupped my face and lined her lips with mine. It was soft -her mouth- almost like silk. I wondered if she knew her menthol gloss was sweet and made my tongue tingle as it swept across her bottom lip. She pulled away from me slowly before I could get a chance to fully taste her and I was fully disappointed.

"What?" I asked, feeling her hands against the back of my neck and hip to support herself.

"I almost forgot we weren't alone," she said softly, getting shy all of a sudden. It was completely endearing as I reached behind her and pushed a small black button on the door. She watched in amazement as a tinted screen blocked Matt's view of us.

"The magic button," I said simply before she smiled down at me.

"I thought they only had those in limos," she said, relaxing against me again, allowing our noses to brush.

"Well, I can get exculsive shit like that," I said hurriedly, leaning in to kiss her, but she pulled back. "What?" I asked again, hating the disruptions.

"I'm still not fooling with you because you put up a window."

"It's sound proof," I assured, giving up on her mouth and kissing the breasts exposed through her v-neck t-shirt. Her breathing hitched as I ran my tongue between the valley of her breasts and up her neck before kissing and sucking along her pulse. She moaned and held the back of my neck tighter as her other hand rested on my shoulder.

"You're so bad..." she sighed as I kissed the spot behind her ear, the one I know she loves, and gripped her wide hips in my hands.

"Or am I so good...?" I taunted, running my tongue along her lobe. She trembled and my hands slid down her back, to the elastic band of her thong underwear. I felt the swell of her ass and pulled my hands back up under her shirt to run along her sides and shoulder blades. I was caressing every inch of skin I could touch and my mouth was working her neck. I was anxious to lay her down and make love to her. I didn't want to wait. It's been so long for us. I missed the way she felt all around me. I missed the way she arched her back and met my hips as she came.

I bit down on the skin my tongue hand just lapped over and she hissed, but didn't complain. One of my hands was on the small of her back and the other hand made its way to the front of her body, running beneath her shirt and over her stomach as our mouths collided in a kiss that almost made me crazy enough to rip her pants off and have her right then and there.

I was fairly sure that she wouldn't allow that, even though she was being so intimate now, letting push her bra aside to fondle her breasts. Besides, I was condom-less. Nurse Betty certainly wouldn't be having that, I thought, smiling against her jaw.

"Justin," Sash panted out suddenly, grabbing my wrists to keep my hands from going an further down her body. "We should stop."

"Why?" I whined. She pulled herself away from me even though I tried to hold her.

"Because I'm about to meet your family and I don't want to crawl out of a steamy car, half undressed in front of them. You only get one first impression." She was adjusting her bra the entire time and my focus was halfway on her words and halfway on her body, but I got what she was saying and knew that I wouldn't win this fight.

"I understand," I admitted reluctantly, adjusting my clothing before I realized we were turning up the bumpy ramp to my mansion. That didn't feel like a very long ride, but I guess that Sash was a distraction, to say the least. I sighed as I tried to take down my my erection. Women could front like they weren't turned on two seconds ago, but I had to think about disturbing scenarios in order to get myself back to normal. Sash was quiet for the whole time and I didn't realize my eyes were closed until she spoke and I opened them.

"Whoa..." she breathed, her face up against the tinted window of her side. "These houses are big..."

"Ellen lives there," I pointed out as we drove by her estate.

"Ellen...Degeneres?" she asked slowly and I laughed and nodded.

"The one and only," I said, "She's great people. We have lunch at least three times a month. I see her all the time." Sash nodded in approval and I made a mental note to call Ellen up this week and set something up. It was kind of nice to have a 'normal' girlfriend I could impress with my celebrity connections.

"Does Shia LaBeouf live around here?" Sash asked and my face immediately dropped.

"No." I answered sternly and she turned from the window to laugh in my face.

"Oh, stop it," she smiled, "I'm only joking."

"I highly doubt that," I argued beneath my breath and she turned back to the window in time for me to roll my eyes at myself. I was jealous of a boy she's never met (and will never meet if I have any say in it). I was a mess for sure, but I still made a mental note to kick Shia’s ass if he happened to cross paths with Sash.

"I’m so excited," Sash smiled, turning back to me, "I want to see your room." I raised a brow and smirked.

"I bet you do," I chuckled and she smacked my arm playfully.

"Stop being fresh," she reprimanded, "I just want to see how you live, is what I meant. I’m so used to us being in my crib that I never stopped to think of yours. The change of space should be interesting."

"As long as we’re in a room alone, I don’t care," I sighed, "The one bad thing about my family is that there’s never just a quiet minute. Steven’s probably gonna be on your ass the whole time."

"Who’s that?" Sash asked.

"That’s my little pain in the ass brother – the youngest one," I said, "He’s seven and he doesn’t shut up."

"Runs in the family, I guess," she shot back smartly and I poked her side, making her giggle.

"You’re hilarious," I said sarcastically, "If you think I’m a motor mouth, you wait for Steve." She didn’t seem to heed my warning as she turned back to the window and stared at the passing scenery. I watched her profile and traced the outline of her nose and lashes and lips in my mind. The way they curved and smoothed along were so beautiful to me. I wondered how she could ever question my attraction to her. Did she not look into the mirror everyday?

My family would certainly see what I was talking about as well. She had purposely gotten dolled up, but she would’ve been perfectly fine as is. They would feel the warmth of her spirit in seconds and know that I was lucky to have a woman like her. A self-respecting, loyal, intelligent, and giving woman like her was someone I have never brought home – black, white, Asian, or Latino.

My gut tightened a bit as I thought of Rachel, my cousin. I probably should’ve mentioned Sash’s race to her. She wasn’t racist or anything, but she grew up in the more rural part of the South and was a bit more… traditional than most. She was still adjusting to the way people thought these days, despite her age. I tried to bring her to LA as much as possible, but you can only take the girl out of the country and not the country out of the girl.

She wouldn’t have a problem with Sash and I right now, but if I even thought of anything more serious like marriage or children, the world would come to a stop. She was already uneasy about our relationship because of its lack of stability. She probably blames the differences in our backgrounds for that without knowing the full story… But she’s smart enough not to voice her opinion on it. I would have her on the first plane back to Tennessee if she did anything to upset Sash.

"Oh my…" Sash breathed in amazement while we drove up my gravel driveway, finally reaching our destination as Matt began to slow his pace. "Please don’t tell me you live here."

"Fine, I won’t tell you," I joked as we came to a stop. I reached around her to unlock her door and kissed the back of her neck, as her face remained glued to the glass. "You know… you could get out of the car and see it from the inside." She didn’t respond, but she did peel away from the glass in time for Matt to pull the door open. I had to nudge her to get her to move as she still stared at my mansion like… Well, like she’s never seen it before.

"This is so big!" she exclaimed, her feet crackling against the rocks beneath her. "And beautiful!" My dogs could be heard now, barking and howling at the sound of her unfamiliar voice. Sash turned to glare at me. "What happened to no dogs?"

"You’re gonna have to meet them sometime," I reasoned, "You should just get it over and done with."

"They better not attack me," she frowned, "I don’t even like dogs that much."

"Well, you’ll love my dogs, guaranteed." She didn’t look convinced, but didn’t argue any further. Instead, she ran up to Matt and snatched two of the five bags he was carrying by himself. He went to argue, but I raised my hand.

"You’ll lose," I told him, "Don’t waste your time." He laughed and I rolled my eyes to the heavens as Sash ran up to the front doors, almost bursting with excitement. As I trailed across the lot, I spotted my mother’s car along with Trace’s van. If he brought the van, he brought the rest of the family with him. Everybody was inside and Sash was itching to get inside as I walked up the five steps that led to my door to stand beside her bouncing form.

"Everybody’s home," I warned her, fair and square so I wouldn’t have to hear it later. She adjusted her hair; clothes and gloss before reaching up to wipe my lips with her thumb.

"You can’t walk in there wearing my lip gloss, now can you?" she smirked.

"You ready?" I asked and she nodded, "Okay." I pulled out my key and stuck it in the lock, turning the knob open. My dogs barked more excited than ever and a million pairs of racing feet came towards the door. It was almost like a stampeed. I turned to look at Sash, who had stepped down a few steps at the sound. I just laughed. I was accustomed to being bombarded this way.

"Justin!" An unchanged boy voice shrieked in excitement as the door was yanked open and I tumbled down the stairs, landing roughly on my back and the gravel as a body bolted out the door and into my chest. My head spun and I ached all over. I should've seen that coming. "I beat you up!" I felt small fists clobbering my chest, but I was too worried about my spine to care.

"Steven, what have I told you about tackling your brother like that?" my stepmother reprimanded before the extra weight of his body was pulled from my chest.

"Nice one," I heard Trace cheer on before he appeared above me, his hand reaching out to assist me. "Come on, Gramps." I took his hand and he helped pull me up, dusting me off as I cracked my back.

"Steve, I'm whoopin' your butt later for that," I groaned, rotating my shoulders. Trace took a step back and turned towards the object of my affection.

"You sure you want to be with a man who can't defend himself against child attacks?" he asked Sash, who laughed.

"Shut up," I said, before I charged at his side, knocking the wind out of him as I flipped him over my shoulder and spun him 'round. He groaned when I let him go and he landed on the ground with a thud. "That's what you get for talking all that bull-ish."

"Oooooooh!" Steven gasped and I turned to him as he squirmed in my stepmother's grip on his hand.

"I said 'ish'!" I told him, "I didn't cuss."

"I'm telling anyway!" he threatened and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Go ahead, but you're not getting a gift from me," I said, "I'll give it to John. He's my favorite anyway." Steven pouted and pretended to be angry as he turned away from me with his nose in the air.

"I don't care," he lied, "I don't like you anyway."

"Fine," I shot back. He stomped his foot down.

"Fine!" he yelled. I laughed and turned to Sash.

"You see how they treat me?" I asked.

"I see how you argue with seven year olds," she smirked before Trace appeared beside her, extending his hand.

"Since Justin doesn't have manners today, I'm Trace and that lovely lady is his stepmother Joy. And that little rugrat glued to her hand is Steven." She shook his hand and smiled brightly.

"I'm Sasheir- Sash. It's nice to meet you." I raised a brow at her correction, but Trace didn't seem to notice.

"It's so good to finally meet you," he said, bringing her hand to his mouth to kiss it. "He didn't do you enough justice. You're far more beautiful than he mentioned." She giggled and I gagged.

"Hands off, midget," I griped, walking over to them, breaking their hands apart and pulling Sash away, "We have the rest of the family to meet." I guided her past Joy and Steven, who tried to kick me, and up the steps. Matt had taken the bags inside and I could hear the chattering of adults inside. My father, Randall, and his throaty laugh was resounding all around the foyer and my stepfather, Paul, was chuckling with him, his laughter a pitch or two higher. The woman's bitter voice was my mother's. She was telling them they were both full of it and could kiss her ass from here to Alabama. Sash laughed and I gave her hand a squeeze as we entered my living room.

The laughter quieted before it turned to silence. Every stood as we came further into the room. My mother and Paul matched, both with cream colored tops and khaki bottoms. My father stood out in blue jeans and red polo. Sash moved a little closer to me and held my hand firmly. Our laced fingers were moisting with the sweat coming from her palm. She was so nervous that I almost began to worry.

"Well, I'm guessin' this is her," my mother spoke, breaking the silence with a wide grin, "Well, don't just stand there all yellow bellied. We don't bite here." Sash didn't move, so my mother walked over towards us. "Justin, I don't know what crap you're telling this girl, but she looks horrified."

"I'm fine," Sash spoke up as I rolled my eyes.

"She's just being nervous, Ma," I complained, "I didn't say nothin'."

"I'm sure," she said sarcastically, turning back to Sash. "It's so nice to meet you, sweetheart. You're adorable." She gave her curls a light tossle before embracing her warmly. Sash didn't let go of my hand as she opted for a one armed hug.

"It's nice to meet you too, Ma'am." I smirked, never once hearing Sash say 'ma'am' before.

"Oh, please call me Lynn, honey. We're all adults here." Sash only nodded as my mother came to me, hugging my side. "She's got manners, I like that." My mother had the annoying habit of talking about people like they weren't in the room when they were standing right next to me.

"She can hear you," I said, causing the two men left in the room to laugh. "Oh, fellas, this is Sash. Sash, the darked haired man is Paul, my stepdad. And the gray old man over there is Randall, my dad." They walked over and shook her hand.

"Justin won't shut up about you," my father revealed, "He kept callin' and callin' tryin' to get us up here to meet ya." I sighed.

"Thanks, Dad," I said sarcastically. Sash gave my hand a squeeze.

"I'm glad he's been telling y'all good things. I just hope he didn't put me too high on a pedestal," she said shyly. I raised our intwined hands to my lips and kissed her knuckles.

"You deserve all the praise you get," I assured her, "But where the hell are my boys?" I asked my family.

"Oh, I let those little monsters out back," my mother groaned, "Damn dog ate my sandwich."

"Did you leave it on the table? You know Brennan gets on the table," I said.

"Well, I told him to stay down. He waited for me to turn my back to get my glass of water!" I laughed.

"Where's Johnathan...and Rach?" I asked, a bit uneasy.

"Out back with the beasts," my mother said, "Go out and introduce her before we eat." I nodded just as Steven, Joy, and Trace came into the room as well.

"Where are y'all headed?" Trace asked. Steven had long broken free of his mother's grasp and sped out to the backyard.

"I'm introducing her to the rest of the family," I said over my shoulder, "You coming with?" He was already following us, the question was answered. Sash nervously walked beside me as we entered my vask kitchen. Her head was moving around to see every angle. The high ceiling, marble island, and wide sliding back doors... You could see my dogs, brother, and cousin running around with the dogs playing fetch along my yard that expanded a couple of feet and led to a pool and a patio to the left and right.

"Those are some big ass dogs," Sash groaned. I looked over at my mutts and smiled.

"They're just big ol' teddy bears," I assured her, sliding open the glass door. My dogs came running towards us, barking and tails wagging. Sash yelped and hid behind me, using me as a sheild to their jumping bodies. I laughed and she shrieked some more. I was trying to hold them down, but they were so excited by her presence. She was unfamiliar and I grabbed Brennan's collar as he became territorial, snapping his jaws at her unknown figure.

--------------------------------------------------------

I should've known not to come out here. I told Justin! I told him! They're trying to eat him. He can't even hold them down!

"Brennan!" he yelled at one of the beast while some brunette out of nowhere (God bless her soul) grabbed the other beast and held him down. "Stop it! Stop it now, boy!" Brennan ended the barking, but was still growling. Justin knelt down to him and held his face and collar, staring him straight in the face. "That's Sash. Don't bite her." My eyes widened.

"He bites?" I asked and Justin looked back up at me.

"Everything bites, sweetheart," he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes.

"If that thing bites me I'm going home."

"It's a dog, not a thing," the brunette said, rubbing down her Brian, I assume.

"It's a a hundred pound predator," I shot back at her.

"You don't like animals?" she asked me, smirking a bit as her grip on Brian visibly loosened. The dog was standing as she still sat with her arms hanging over his neck. He was too busy staring me down to notice.

"I'm a cat person," I said. She nodded like it was obvious.

"Well maybe they smell cat on you," she told me and I slapped Justin's back. He was now making baby noses at Brennan and getting his face licked up by him.

"I told you!" I said, "They can smell Bob."

"Your cat's name is Bob?" the brunette asked. I nodded. "Aw, that's cute. You have Brian, and Brennan, and... Bob. All b's." Justin grumbled something as he rolled his eyes and she reached over to push him.

"Shut up," she said, but I missed what was going on. Brian and I were too busy staring each other down. His wet nose and big dark brown eyes were almost black. His tail was wagging and his short mouth, full of razor sharp teeth, was dripping with saliva. It was disgusting, but he was surprisingly cute.

"He's kinda cute," I voiced and Justin glanced up at me and then at Brian. He smiled softly.

"He's awesome," Justin cooed, rubbing his dog's head lovingly, "Both my boys are great. Brennan's just a little grumpy." He baby gurbled to Brennan a little more before standing up. He held Brennan's collar with one hand and dusted his butt off with another. He stood between the dog and I. Brennan was staring at me and I was nervous as fuck. I jumped back when Justin released Brennan's collar and I scurried back as Brennan came forward.

"Justin!" I shrieked, "What are you doing?!" I was going to kill him if this dog bit me. My heart was pounding and I hit the closed sliding doors behind me with a thud.

"Jay, hold 'em, she's terrified," the brunette spoke up, but Justin raised a hand to silence her.

"Relax," he said calmly, watching Brennan approach me. I glanced up at him with wide eyes. Did this man not love me?

"Justin-"

"Calm down, Sash," he said, "He's just trying to figure you out."

"He's trying to find a good spot to bite me," I said, falling silent as Brennan sniffed my leg. I was terrified. I really hated dogs, but I tried to be less expressive about it because Justin obviously loved his pets.

"See, he's just trying to recognize your scent," Justin said knowingly. I nodded a little as Brennan's wet nose moved to my palm. The damn thing was up to my hip on all fours. How did Justin manage to play with two of these things?

"Eww..." I mumbled as Brennan licked my palm and panted, wagging his tail before hopping up against me. I yelped and turned my face, only to have my entire neck, face, and even some shoulder slobbered on by dog tongue. I didn't realize I had an audience until there were some laughs and claps coming from all directions. Justin pulled Brennan down and tossed a tennis ball across his yard. Both dogs charged after it as I wiped my face off with my hands. I smelt like Kibbles and Bits.

"See!" Justin said cheerfully, helping dry me off with the end of his shirt, "He loves you!" I pouted at him.

"I'm covered in spit," I moaned and there was some laughter again. I didn't see what was funny about being covered in dog saliva, but if you say so.

"But he loves you..." Justin pressed on, smiling down at me, "But you can wash upstairs. I need to change anyway." I nodded and he took my hand, guiding me around his entire family, who gathered out back to watch my embarassing display. They were chasing the dogs and fooling around as we entered the now empty house.

"That was disgusting," I complained, the moment we were alone, "Bob licks me every now and then, but Jesus!" Justin laughed as we walked through his living room.

"Well, big dogs, big tongues, I guess," he said, "Sorry though. It was a good thing that he licked you. I was worried for a minute." I shot him a look.

"You thought he was going to kill me, didn't you?"

"No," he laughed, "Bite you, maybe, but not kill." I punched his arm and he groaned and laughed at the same time.

"It's not funny!" I whined, "I could've died."

"You're so dramatic," he sighed as we took the stairs, "It wouldn't have been that big of a deal. They bite me sometimes. It's nothing serious."

"Says you," I mumbled, "I want to shower."

"You have to do a quick rub down," I said, "We're going out to lunch. We're already running late." I rolled my eyes.

"Fine," I said, "But I'm taking a bath once we get back in." We were walking down a long hallway that lead to a different section of the house. There was a double wooden door at the end of a shorter hall we were walking towards. Justin gave my hand a squeeze.

"I'll take one with you," he smirked, "I have a jacuzzi."

"I've never been in one of those before," I said, waiting as he pulled open one of the doors. He allowed me to walk through and I gasped as we entered the space.

"It's just my room," he said and I was in awe. His room was the size of my entire house. I ran over to the open door by his king sized bed. The linen curtains blew in the wind as I haulted my walking at the balcony.

"You have a freakin' balcony!" I huffed, taking in the view from the top. Los Angeles looked so small from here.

"I love staring out here. It's nice to think while you're looking at the sunset," Justin said, coming up behind me. He hugged my waist and pressed himself against my back. My shivered at the contact and hugged his arms around me.

"It's so beautiful," I said, leaning back into him as he rested his head on my shoulder.

"Imagine this every morning," he told me softly, "That would be real nice, right?" I nodded against him.

"I can't even imagine this being everyday life," I laughed, "I feel like I'm in a five star hotel or something." Justin chuckled and he vibrated against my back.

"Well, it can be every day..." he mumbled, "That's up to you." I sighed and looked down at his arms around me and mines around his. I thought about the sunset and the warm wind against my skin in the late evenings in May. I could practically see the purples and reds and oranges and pinks of the sky. I could imagine being out here after making love to him, feeling his flesh flush against me... Hell, I wanted to make the love out here with the sky watching.

"It's too soon to be thinking about all that," I said, pulling away from him. I turned and faced him. He was pouting. "We haven't even eaten yet, Justin."

"I know, I know," he said, taking my hand and leading me back inside. "I'm just getting my hopes up."

"You don't know that," I said softly behind him. He didn't respond. He kept leading the way to double white doors. He pulled them both open this time, letting go of my hand to do so. A purely white and silver bathroom was revealed and once again I was in awe. His house was ridiculous. I wanted to live in his bathroom.

"You can wash up real fast in here," Justin said, walking inside. He stooded at an amour and pulled a door open. He pulled out a white towel and handed it to me before grabbing a white washcloth. "The sink's right around here." A bathroom shouldn't have corners, but I realized that the shower was on one end of the room and the jacuzzi was in another. There were two sinks and a wide space of mirrors behind them. The circular lights surrounding the perimeter of them were modern shaped. It reminded me of IKEA.

"This is so nice," I told him as I slowly walked over to the sink. He hit a switch on the wall, lighting up the mirrors.

"I'm gonna be out here changing," he said, "I'll leave the doors open. Holler if you need me." I nodded as he walked away, still staring at all of my surroundings. Everything was in neat order and I was sure Justin was the culprit. The boy had some type of OCD, I swear. I smiled to my reflection, imagining myself in here everyday. I wondered how I could ever get bored of it. I wondered if it would become as normal as walking through the crapshack house I have now.

"Doubtable," I said to myself, wetting the washcloth and soaping up. I scrubbed for a minute and rinsed off before drying my face. I washed my hands and arms and fixed my curls with a fluff here and there. Once I thought I was presentable, I exited the bathroom, towels in hand.

"You done?" Justin asked, having changed his pants into tan cargos. He was currently shirtless as he dug through one of his drawers. I licked my lips as I watched his muscle move his movements.

"Yeah," I said, "Where do I put the towels?" Damn he was sexy, I thought as he lifted his head to look at me.

"There was a hamper by the amour," he said, "You can toss it in there." I did as told, trying to control my libido before I came back. It wasn't necessary. Justin had found a white t-shirt and threw it on in the two seconds I was gone. I was serverely disappointed.

"Ready?" I asked him and he nodded, slipping on some Adidas slides and grabbing his keys from his bureau. We headed back down the halls and stairs, chatting aimlessly about the plans for the day. There was a late lunch, movies, dinner, and crashing at the house, talking and having dessert.

"Sounds good to me," I said as we came into the living room.

"Cool," Justin said, "I'm gonna go gather everybody." I nodded as he ran off towards the kitchen. I stood alone in his living area. A grand piano was in the far corner of the room and I imagined Justin entertaining guest. I imagined being in the quiet of this house when he was gone. It seemed too big a space to stay here alone and I wondered if Justin ever got lonely himself...

"Shut up!" I heard Trace groan as a crowd of voices and feet interrupted the quiet space I was in. There was bickering and laughing going on. Justin came jogging from behind the crowd to reach my side.

"Mama and the Paulster ride with me and Sash," he announced, "Daddy, are you driving?" Randall nodded.

"I'm navigating the van," he said, "I've got everybody else." That was settled fast and we headed out to the parking lot. Justin had a million cars out front and I wondered how I missed them before.

"Which one's yours?" I asked and his mother laughed.

"All of them," she answered, rolling her eyes, "It's ridiculous, I know." I looked at Justin like he was crazy and he shrugged.

"I've got the Cadillac and the Mercedes on this key chain, so whichever." Lynn rolled her eyes again and snatched the keys from his hands.

"Quit showing off," she groaned, "Geez, you'd think you didn't love him already." Justin was red and glaring at his mother when I looked up at him.

"I wasn't showing off..." he argued weakly. His mother ignored him and walked towards a white Mercedes parked two cars away from where we were standing.

"Y'all coming or not?" she said over her shoulder and we all moved at once. Justin took my hand and mumbled something under his breath. I gave his hand a squeeze.

"You don't have to show off," I said to him and he gave me the side eye.

"I wasn't," he complained, "I was just giving you options."

"I don't care what car I'm in as long as you're riding with me," I told him before he kissed my forehead. He held the door for me as I slid into the back seat before playfully pushing me aside to sit next to me. Apparently Lynn was driving with Paul riding shot gun. She jetted off as quickly as Justin would've and as he slung his arm over my shoulder, I looked between them and saw the resemblance was uncanny. They even had the same serious demeanor as they drove.

I smirked, imagining this being a regular thing. Lunch on a sunny afternoon in LA with my famous boyfriend and his family. It seemed so normal in the car though. Paul and Lynn held hands as they drove and chatted randomly. The music was softly playing in the background as I rested comfortably against Justin. He didn't feel famous. He didn't seem so beyond me that I didn't want to try... We felt like any other couple and it shocked me. I didn't know what I was expecting, but it didn't seem like it could ever be normal like this.

"I hate the valet parking here," Lynn grimaced as we slowed. I didn't even realize we pulled into a parking area. I glanced out the back window and saw the van behind us, full of Justin's family. Johnathan, I assume that was him, was in the passanger seat, turned around and yelling at who I was assuming was Steven. I smirked a little before Justin slid over and opened the door. He reached for my hand and guided me out the car.

"Don't freak out," he mumbled quickly, putting a pair of sunglasses in my hand out of nowhere.

"What are these for?" I asked and he smiled down at me, taking them from my hand to place them on my face.

"You said the flash blinded you, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, but-"

"Didn't I tell you they were everywhere?" he said, taking my shoulders and turning me around. I gasped a little at the chaos across the street. There were so many men with cameras. People couldn't even get up the stairs to the restaurant they were horded around.

"We're not going there, are we?" I asked dumbly, knowing the answer.

"Just keep your head down and never answer their questions," he reminded. "And don't let go of my hand."

"We can't just get Mickey D's or something?" I teased and he laughed.

"The Ivy has the best food," he told me, "It's worth a couple pictures." I rolled my eyes, highly doubting that.

"Whatever you say," I told him, taking a firm grip on his hand. "Don't let go of me." I warned and he smiled down at me.

"Trust me, I won't."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We ended up going to the park instead of the movies before stuffing our faces at Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. Once we got inside, the kids were pooped and the adults were ready for bed as well. Justin and I had said our goodnights to everybody and were settling into his room. We both showered and I slipped on a silk nightie as he brushed in the bathroom. I was fidgeting in the center of his massive bed, unsure of what to do. All I could think about was our little make out session. We didn't get a moment alone after that and it didn't cross my mind all day, but now... Alone and separated from the rest of the house in his little wing of the mansion... It was all I could think about.

But I didn't know whether or not it was a good idea to have sex within this trial period. I already knew the sex was good. The point of this week was to test drive the celebrity half of his life, not to get laid. I frowned. It would be fine if we did anyway... We were technically together anyway.

"What's with that face?" Justin laughed as he came out of the bathroom, shutting the light behind him. The lamps adjacent to either side of his bed were illuminating the room in a dim, orange glow. He was just wearing boxers and his skin looked so smooth in the warm light. My eyes were scanning over his body and I didn't realize I was gawking until he stopped at the foot of his and rested his hand on his stomach.

I blinked and looked away, feeling embarassed when I looked up and saw his smirking face. "Umm...I had fun today."

"Sure," he said simply, completely disinterested. "You don't have to just look... You can touch if you want." I glanced up at him and cleared my throat.

"Pardon me?" I said, freigning innocence. Justin just smiled and walked to the left side of the bed. I scooted over a bit as he slipped under his sheets.

"Don't play dumb with me, woman," he said softly to me, violating my space by lining up flesh against my side. He curved my face towards his by running his thumb along my jaw. His nose brushed mine as his hand smoothed down my arm and to my hand, lifting it from my lap and placing it on his stomach. I shivered as the warmth of his skin warmed my palm.

"Justin..." I sighed, staring at his eyes in the poorly lit room. They looked so dark. His pupil was almost gone. He leaned into my lips, brushing his mouth on top of mine.

"Don't say you don't want to," he told me, "Just do what feels natural, Sash." The mint of his breath tickled my nose before I felt his hand sliding up my thigh. I trembled as he bit my bottom lip and I opened my legs to him. I was already wet when his fingers lightly skimmed over my sensitive flesh, making me thankful for skipping out on underwear. He moved his fingers against me with more force as he kissed me slowly. I reached beneath the sheets and slipped his fingers deep into me with my own hand. I moaned into the kiss while he moved his fingers slow and deep, curving them upward. I broke the kiss to gasp for air, not prepared for how good he'd feel.

He was kissing my neck, breathing hard enough to match my own breath. I was so heated that I was blinded by it. I couldn't see where I was anymore. I felt his skin and his hair and his breathing. I smelled his soapy skin mixing with the scent of me in the air. As I felt my stomach knot up, my moans grew louder. Justin tossed the sheets aside and found my mouth again, not stopping the slow and steady rhythm of his moving fingers. I grabbed his shoulder and gripped the pillow behind me, biting my lip before I came, moaning out his name as I rocked my hips into his hand. I kept my eyes closed as his wet mouth ran over my collar bones and neck and ears... I was trying to catch my breath, but Justin found my mouth, taking what little air I had right out of me with his kiss.

I broke the kiss to breathe and he chuckled into my ear before softly kissing the spot behind it. I sighed and pulled him closer to me by hooking my leg around his waist.

"What are you laughing at?" I asked softly, my hands smoothing over his curls as he pulled back from the crook of my neck to look me in the eyes.

"I just..." he chuckled again and I found myself smiling even though I didn't get the joke. "I'm sorry, it's not even funny."

"Well, it must be funny," I said, running my fingers from the small of his back to the back of his neck, "You're laughing."

"I don't know..." he trailed off, brushing our noses, "Don't worry about it." He went to kiss me and I playfully held him back.

"I hate it when people do that," I told him.

"What?" he asked, looking terribly upset when I kept his hands from running down my legs.

"Start saying something and then stop," I told him, pushing myself upward and forcing him back. I flipped us over, now straddling his waist. My nightie was bunched up at my waist and his hands were on my bare hips.

"It wasn't important..." he mumbled off, running his hands up my body, taking my nightie with him. I assisted him in getting it off my head before tossing it onto the floor. The air of the room was a bit chilly as I sat on his stomach, naked and self-conscious as his eyes ran over me.

"I still want to know," I said, trying to distract myself from his staring. He placed his warm palm on my cheek and slowly dragged it down the center of my body. Over my neck, the valley of my breasts, my stomach... Stopping right below my navel.

"You're so beautiful," he told me softly and I shyly looked down at his body. I admired his pecks and six pack.

"You're the gorgeous one," I told him, "I'm a'ight," I joked, sliding myself down his stomach and onto his boxer covered erection. I moaned when he pressed against my bare wetness and Justin grunted a bit.

"And you're sexy," he told me. I started a small grind against him, placing my hands on his chest to steady myself as I leaned down to kiss him. I loved that I could please him, but I could never understand why, so I didn't want to hear anymore compliments. I kissed my way down his neck and chest, lapping my tongue along his pecs before moving down to his six pack abs. I kissed him below the navel as I kneeled between his legs. When I glanced up at him, he was looking at me in anticipation.

I tucked my fingers into the band of his boxers and he lifted his hips as I pulled them down. I tossed those to the side and gripped his shaft in one of my hands. His breathing hitched as I rotated my wrist and moved him up and down. He was hard and warm and sighing softly. I was never really a fan of giving head, but I loved the way it made me feel with him. Angel was always quiet, like most guys, but Justin was a bit more expressive. It turned me on to hear him liking what I did. It made me feel powerful to have that much control over him. I always felt like he was skilled beyond me (and he was) but whenever I was down on him... I felt equal in the bedroom. I felt like he couldn't get enough of me. It made me feel less self-conscious because he let me know it felt good.

"Fuck..." he hissed as I twisted my tongue around the head of his erection before taking him into my mouth. I was still rotating my hand around his shaft as my mouth worked the tip. He was holding my hair our of my face and I glanced up at him for a moment to watch him watch me. He looked like it was his first time and I would've laughed at his wide, wonderous eyes if it wasn't so sexy. I knew my curls were pretty much done for when he gripped my hair in a messier bundle while I lightly ran my teeth along him as I pulled back for air.

I leaned back down towards him, but a hand rested beneath my chin and pulled me upward. He sat up and brought my face to his, kissing me roughly as I continued to jerk him between us. He moaned and broke the kiss as he leaned his forehead against mine. I kissed his mouth again before leaning down and taking him into my mouth. He fell back against the bed and held my hair in two fistfuls. I could taste his pre-cum against the back of my throat and it made me anxious to make him come this way...

Until there was a knock on the door.

"No, no, no," Justin panted, trying to hold me back as I pulled away completely and grabbed the sheet from the other side of the bed. I wrapped myself in it as the door was knocked on again.

"I'm not giving you head when someone's banging on the door," I told him softly, "Go see who it is."

"I can't," he said, pointing down at his erected self, "My dick will answer the door before I do."

I rolled my eyes, but laughed at his annoyed expression. He snatched the sheet from my body and huffed as he climbed out of bed. He wrapped the sheet around before bending over and grabbing my discarded nightie and his boxers. He tossed the nightie in my direction and I caught it, pulling it over myself. The door knocked again and Justin headed towards the bathroom. I made a face and he waved me towards the door.

"Why do I have to do it?" I mumbled as he shut the door behind him and disappeared. I checked my reflection in the mirror, fluffing up what was left of my curls before sighing. I could still feel how wet I was and it was an uncomfortable feeling to open the door like that. I only felt more uncomfortable when Steven walked into the room, brushing right past me.

"Where's Justin?" he asked as I shut the door.

"He had to use the bathroom," I said, "What's up? You okay?" He shrugged and sniffled the air.

"It seems funny in here," he complained.

"Well, boys smell funny," I said and he crossed his arms.

"We don't!" he argued and I shushed him.

"Sheesh, I was joking," I told him, "Why aren't you in bed?"

"I was," he said, "But I don't wanna sleep in there. I wanna sleep with my brother." You and I both, kid. I thought as I walked a little closer to him.

"Well, what's wrong with your bed?"

"Nothin'," he said, "I just don't like sleeping in there. It's too dark."

"Are you scared of the dark?" I asked and he immediately became defensive.

"I ain't scared of nothin'!" he told me defiantly, "I don't care about no dark!" I raised my hands up in surrender.

"Okay, it was just a question," I said before the bathroom door opened and Justin came out, looking annoyed, but relieved. He was wearing his boxers, erection free and I fought the smile on my face when he rolled his eyes at the sight of Steven.

"Steve, what are you doing up?" he asked as Steven shrugged, looking down at his feet.

"I dunno..." he mumbled and I was amazed by the fact that Justin intimidated him.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Justin asked, walking up to him before kneeling to his level. He ruffled his hair and Steven playfully pushed his hand away. "What's wrong?" Steven shrugged and Justin tilted his head with a disbelieving look.

"I dunno..." Steven mumbled before he slowly glanced back at me then back at Justin. "I don't want to say it." Justin smiled softly at me as he stood.

"Sorry, baby, but this is man talk. Can you step out into the hall please?" He gave me a wink and I smiled at him before nodding.

"I understand," I said, turning to walk out into the hall. I opened the door and stepped out into the dark. It took all of five minutes for the bedroom to open up again. Justin stepped out into the hall, leaving the door open a crack before taking my hand and leading me a few feet away.

"He wet the bed," Justin sighed and I raised a brow.

"Oh," I said, "That's why..."

"Yeah," he told me, "He's a bit embarassed, but he's always had this problem. He's getting better at getting up, but he made a mistake tonight because he was too scared to get up in the dark. Johnathan helped him clean up, but was pickin' on him real bad... He wants to sleep with me tonight." I nodded.

"Okay, that's understandable," I said, "Where do I sleep?"

"What do you mean? You're sleeping with us."

"Oh, I just thought you two were bonding or something..." I mumbled and he brushed my cheek.

"You're sweet for caring, but Steve's fine with it. It's the first thing I asked." he informed me before taking my hand again.

"So I'm guessing I don't know anything about what happened?" I asked.

"Yeah, you have to take this one to the grave," he laughed, "Steve would kill me if he knew I told you." We reached the bedroom again and Steven had already made himself comfortable in the center of the bed. Justin and I let go of each other and walked to opposite sides of the bed. Steven watched me the entire way.

"Sorry for being mean," he apologized once I settled in next to him and I smiled softly.

"It's okay, Steve," I said, "Just try and sleep." He nodded, turning his back to me and curling into the fetal position. Justin leaned over him to kiss me gently.

"Ew," Steven groaned before Justin poked his side, making him giggle.

"Shut up," he playfully scolded before lying down. I reached over and turned off the lamps, leaving just moonlight to illuminate the space. Justin was facing my direction and I was facing his. He rolled his eyes when Steven started snoring. I stiffled a laugh.

"He's lucky I love him," he whispered.

"You're a really good brother," I whispered back.

"Thanks," he whispered again, "He's a pain in the ass, but he's a good kid."

"Runs in the family, I guess," I teased softly. Justin reached around Steven to poke my side as well. I giggled like a school girl and Steven snorted and shifted his sleeping position. Justin shook his head at me.

"You're always making noise," he playfully scolded. I scoffed and pretended to be offended.

"Goodnight, jerkoff," I whispered, smiling to myself as he glared at me.

"You won't be talking shit tomorrow night," he whispered back. I glanced down at Steven and back at him.

"Will there be a tomorrow night?" I asked and he sighed as he glared at Steve's sleeping form.

"There better be..." he mumbled and I leaned over Steve slowly and kissed his mouth gently. He held the back of my neck as I tried to pull away and kissed me a moment longer before finally letting me go.

"I love you, stop glaring at your little brother, and get some sleep," I said softly as I laid back down in my spot again. "There will be a tomorrow night. Your home is massive. We'll find a place."

"I guess you're right," he said sadly, "And I love you."

"Thank you," I said, "Time for bed." He nodded and closed his eyes with a sigh, trying to get comfortable. I flipped onto my stomach tucked my arms beneath the pillows, giving me some leverage as I turned and face the wall instead of Justin. My eyes started to droop as I lazily stretched my arm along the length of the bed, still just an inch away from the edge. Even with three people, his mattress was neverending. I was so used to my full bed at home that this was just amazing to me...

Everything here was amazing to me. This mansion, his family... Even the paps intrigued me. Justin said to never speak to them, but I often found myself ready to ask them if taking pictures was all that they did for a living. I wanted to ask why they cared so much about Justin eating lunch or anybody eating lunch. It was honestly ridiculous... But he held my hand, literally, through it all. Not once did he let our fingers slip. There was no embarassment on his face when they asked if I was his new girlfriend. He'd smile and give my hand a squeeze as we breezed past them.

I bit my bottom lip, trying to fight the smile on my face as I laid down in the dark and remembered. My heart was swelling as I realized that having this everyday wouldn't be so bad. Justin's family was kind and even his dogs liked me. He wasn't opposed to getting an apartment in Philly... He had enough space in his mansion should I somewhere down the line have to live here. He loved me and I loved him...What the hell was I so scared of? It seemed silly now, being so horrified by the idea of his celebrity life. I would have Justin and there was nothing more important than that.