Chapter Nine 

“Your boyfriend’s late,” Justin teased.

Kara looked up from the notebook she was scribbling in and pursed her lips at Justin.

“I like how he’s my boyfriend when something is wrong, but he’s your friend when everything is great.”

He shrugged, glancing over her head at the door. She could guess that Trace had come in by the sudden change in Justin’s demeanor. His previously genuine smile faded into the plastic version he usually reserved for the media, and he stood up from his seat beside her on the couch.

“Hi babe,” Trace greeted her.

She leaned her head back, accepting the kiss her offered her. He tasted like coffee and cinnamon. He’d probably stopped at Starbucks on the way. She kissed him again just to get another taste of the flavors spread across his lips.

“Hey. You’re late,” she told him.

Kara glanced over Trace’s shoulder. Justin was there, watching them as he chewed on the inside of his cheek. When he caught Kara’s eyes he flicked his tongue out at her, and she shuttered inside. She remembered exactly what that thing was capable of, and he shouldn’t be toying around with it in public like that.

“I know. Traffic was so bad; I think they closed some streets down for construction so it was worse than usual.”

Kara was having a hard time concentrating. Just that simple movement with his mouth had her mind running off in a million different directions. And Justin knew it. He grinned, pleased with himself at her reaction before he turned back to the board.

“So, what did you guys get done yesterday?”

“He laid down some main vocals, but then Mr. Brilliant Ideas over there decided he wanted to add another song to the catalogue.”

“What?” Trace questioned. “Why? Justin, you have like twenty tracks for this album already. Are you going for a dual disc or something?”

Justin shrugged, looking at Trace, then at Kara.

“What can I say? When you’re inspired, you’re inspired.”

Trace’s eyes rolled as the ringer on his Blackberry went off. He leaned back next to Kara as he replied to the text message he’d gotten.

“Technically it’s not my job to worry about this, but Jive isn’t going to like paying for the unnecessary studio time.”

“We could always move to the studio at my house,” he suggested.

Kara’s eyebrows nearly rose to her forehead. How could she have forgotten that Justin had a studio at his house, and why didn’t the idea occur to one of them before? It was the perfect excuse to spend some time alone with him. Late night at his private studio, with the doors locked and no one around to accidently walk in.

“That might be a good idea,” Trace said. “As it is you’ve already gone over budget.”

Justin nodded, giving Kara a crooked smile. He couldn’t have set that up better if he tried. Trace suspected nothing, and now Justin had unlimited access to his best friends girl. Kara stood, dropping her notebook on the table and heading over to the board. When she passed Trace, a loud smack sounded as his palm connected with her butt.

“Ow!” She shrieked, swatting his hands away.

Trace chuckled to himself, turning his attention back to his phone. Justin held in his amusement. He’d done that same thing to Kara three or four times last night, but he’d gotten a completely different reaction out of her.

Then Justin paused, his mind running a hundred miles an hour. Was he really sitting here silently trying to one-up Trace? Some part of him became sickened with himself. Wasn’t it bad enough that he was sleeping with her; did he really need to trump Trace on top if it?

He shouldn’t have cared if Trace wanted to give Kara a love tap. His relationship was with Marz, not Kara. For them, it was purely physical. Okay, that was a lie. He’d be lying if he said it was just a sex thing with Kara. It was so much more than that. She was smart, and funny, and his musical equivalent. They were comfortable together, and the physical connection was unbelievable. Even if they hadn’t been sleeping together, he’d still want to spend time with her. She was sassy, and sexy, even if she didn’t always acknowledge it. Trace was one lucky guy.

“Ready to get to work?” Kara asked.

Justin nodded, pressing keys on the computer.

“Yeah, let’s get started.”

They began cuing up all the equipment, and a ring sounded through the room. Kara’s brow furrowed as she looked around. It didn’t sound like any phone she knew of. Finally she was the culprit buzzing on the table.

“Justin, since when does your cell phone sound like a house phone?”

He shrugged.

“I got sick of my ringtone. Grab it for me.”

He went back to the computer, and he heard Kara’s footsteps cross the room. There was a muttered hello, and then he felt her presence next to him.

“Your girlfriend is on the phone.”

“She’s only my girlfriend when she’s irritating you, the rest of time she’s your sister.”

Kara gave him a sarcastic smile.

“Funny how that works, isn’t it?”

Justin took the phone, turning away from Kara and putting it to his ear.

“Hey.”

“Hey babe! What are you doing?”

“I’m in the studio with Trace and Kara.”

“Aww, the happy couple. They’re really good together, don’t you think?”

Justin glanced back at them. Kara had reclaimed her spot next to Trace, and was resting her head on his shoulder while she watched whatever buttons he was pressing on his phone. He was muttering quietly to her, and it caused her to giggle adorably.

“Yeah,” he said dryly. “Perfect.”

“So, do you want me to come join you? I can help get the creative juices flowing.”

Like he needed any help in that department.

“Um, not right now, baby,” he said. “We’re kinda in the zone already.”

It was going to be hard enough keeping his thoughts –and hands- to himself with Trace close by, he didn’t want to have to worry about keeping Marz out of the loop as well.

“Oh okay,” she said, her voice dripping with disappointment. “I understand.”

Justin felt guilty. He could tell she was feeling rejected by his lack of interest in her coming to visit. Usually he would have been ecstatic to have her around. He turned and leaned his hip back against the board, folding his arms over his chest.

“But, why don’t you come over to the house later on tonight? I think we’re going to be finishing up some projects there. You can help me get creative then.”

She caught the sexual reference and giggled.

“Great! I’ll see you tonight then. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Kara looked up at his words. Her face dropped momentarily, the shade of her eyes darkening slightly. But she tried to recover, turning back to Trace’s phone with a forced smile. The worry lingered around her eyes in a fashion that only Justin would recognize. She forced her breathing back into a normal pattern before speaking.

“Ready to start?” She asked her tone just a bit too high.

It didn’t seem like Trace picked up on it, but Justin certainly did. He simply nodded, choosing not to respond audibly. The look of pain that flashed over her face when he finished his conversation with Marz pulled at his heart. He’d said ‘I love you’ back without even thinking, without even realizing how it would affect her. He watched as she slowly rose to her feet and walked over to the sound board. Kara sat down and adjusted the knobs on the electronic equipment and it was a minute or two before she noticed that he was still standing there next to her, a pleading look in his eyes.

“We don’t have all day Justin,” she said in a clipped tone.

“She’s right. I already told you that we’re over budget, so unless you want to move this session to your house I suggest you get in the booth, man,” Trace said, never looking up from his Blackberry.

Justin sighed. He couldn’t win for losing that day.

***
“Pass me the sausage,” Kara said to her sister as she moved the chopped potatoes around in the skillet.

They were having ‘sister’ time for the second time in two weeks and Kara had to admit that she was actually having a good time for once. She didn’t know what had changed in their relationship, but Marz had been cutting back on the rude remarks lately. Kara wasn’t sure if this was because she was spending less time with her because she was hanging out with Trace more; and when she wasn’t with him she was with Justin.

Justin.

She bit her bottom lip. Even thinking about him sent the raw edges of her heart throbbing. Kara didn’t even know why she was reacting like this. It wasn’t like she was the one in the relationship with him. She knew what she was getting into when she agreed to engage in this affair with him, and she scolded herself for getting emotionally attached. In fact, you could barely call what they were having an affair. It was just two people who had amazing sex.

Lies.

She could try to fight it all she wanted, but there were definitely chemistry between them. There had to be since they were constantly going at it like rabbits. Who was she fooling; there was more than just physical attraction there. She honestly enjoyed his company. It wasn’t all about the sex with her. Yeah it was toe-curling, but she’d be okay if they decided to keep their relationship strictly platonic.

“Hello,” Marz said, snapping her fingers in front of her sister’s face. “Earth to Kara.”

“Huh?” Kara said hazily. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Where were you girl? Because it definitely wasn’t with me and the potatoes you almost burnt.”

“I’m sorry,” Kara apologized once again, accepting the meat in her sister’s hands.

She mixed it in with the sizzling potatoes and bell peppers while her sister laughed.

“What?”

“You were zoning worse than Justin the other day,” Marz said.

Kara immediately understood the sexual reference, and she didn’t want to think about it.

“Trace must be doing something right.”

“You don’t even know,” Kara said.

“That good?” Marz questioned.

“Better,” she responded.

Now she wasn’t sure if she was still referring to Trace.

“Hey, why don’t you grab some plates, this is almost finished.”

Marz nodded before flittering around the kitchen, gathering their needed dishes and utensils. Kara was giving the contents of the skillet a final stir when she felt her phone vibrate, indicating she had a text message. It was from Justin.

I’m sorry.

She stared at the screen for a minute, not knowing how to respond. Part of her wanted him to be sorry, and other part wondered why he even cared. She finally thought of something.

For what?

The’ love’ thing back at the studio.

She’s your girlfriend; you have every right to tell her you love her.

But I could see it affected you.

What? I was shocked; don’t turn this into something it’s not.

Kara wasn’t sure if she was referring to their relationship becoming something it wasn’t, or his overanalyzing her reaction earlier, but she sent the text anyway. She placed the phone back in her pocket and divided the food onto the two plates her sister laid out on the counter. She wasn’t in the mood to have this conversation with him at the moment, she wanted to enjoy a nice evening in with her sister…it may not occur for another blue moon.

***

“Ok! Ok! I got one; worst kiss you’ve ever had?”

The two sisters were lounging in their living room working on their second round of margaritas. They’d finished dinner and didn’t want the night to end there so Marz came up with the genius idea of homemade margaritas and a game of ‘I never’. The game lasted a whole round before it turned into them just trying to one-up each other.

“Hmm.” Marz thought long and hard before answering her sister’s question. “It was my junior year of high school.”

“Oh my gosh, Chad!?!” Kara exclaimed.

Chad was her sister’s boyfriend that year. He was the captain of the football team, the All-American boy next door. Marz nodded.

“The boy could not kiss at all! Now Justin, that man can work his tongue. Chad could take some pointers from him.”

Kara grinned; she knew all too well about his tongue and the marvelous things he could do with it.

“Ok, my turn. What’s the craziest place you’ve ever done it?” Marz asked enthusiastically.

Kara didn’t even hesitate.

“In a car, driving stick, going down eleven levels in a parking garage.”

She conveniently left out the part about it being with her boyfriend about a week ago.

“What?! How did that come about?”

“He asked if I knew how to drive a stick and I wanted to show him,” Kara blushed.
She was getting turned on just thinking about the evening. The speed, the low rumble of the engine, his hands rubbing up and down her body.

“My sister is a freak!” Marz exclaimed laughing.

“I know you’re not talking. I’ve heard you and Justin before.”

“Yeah, it’s like he can’t get enough of me,” Marz started. “But I don’t mind. Boy definitely knows what he’s doing though. Has stamina for days too, but I wore him out the other day.”

Kara smirked. She must’ve been doing something better than Marz, because she wore him out every time. She mentally scolded herself. What was she doing? Did she want to get caught? She was practically putting their affair out in the open, sharing excursions, trying to up her sister. She shouldn’t have even been comparing the stories. It was like comparing apples to oranges. Justin was just having a fling with her, but he was in a relationship with Marz, and that wouldn’t be changing anytime soon. It’s not like she wanted it too anyway, right?

The ringing of the house phone made Kara focus. She answered, not bothering to look at the Caller ID.

“Yellow?” She said with a giggle.

“Are ya’ll coming over or what? I thought we were gonna work on some tracks tonight.”

“Oh, that was tonight?!” She exclaimed, still giggling.

Blame it on the alcohol.

“Are you…are you drunk?”

“Nope, ladies don’t get drunk, they get tipsy.”

“Oh gosh, is Marz there with you? Maybe she can drive.”

“No, she had even more than I did,” Kara responded, her tone still light.

“Alright, well I’ll just go ahead and save what I was doing and we’ll just pick this up tomorrow.”

“We can work on the tracks tonight. I can help you with your tracks, just not drive. You could come get us; you know, give us a ride.”

Justin shook his head; it was definitely going to be an interesting night.

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

***

“Just call him Timberlake!” Marz sang loudly, and off-key.

She, Justin, Kara were down in his studio listening to the songs the pair had been working on since New York.

“I like that one, it should definitely be a single,” Marz continued, snapping along with the track.

Trying to do two things at once threw off her already shattered equilibrium and she nearly fell to one side.

“Whoa, be careful. You don’t wanna spill your margarita,” Justin laughed.

“No, that would be a party foul; right Kara?” Marz asked in an overzealous tone.

Kara simply nodded. Marz had just made a fresh batch of margaritas when Justin showed up on their doorstep and she decided to bring it along, not wanting to waste perfectly good alcohol. They were lucky that they didn’t get pulled over; she would’ve gotten arrested for riding around with an open container, well, open blender.

“Party foul!” Marz said in a sing-song voice.

Kara sighed. She should’ve taken away her sister’s cup hours ago. Marz was definitely going to regret all these drinks when woke up with a hangover in the morning. It didn’t seem like Justin cared about the fact that his girlfriend was getting shitfaced, he just laughed at her silly antics. Kara figured it was because he thought they were gonna have sloppy drunken sex that night and shuddered. Great, now she’d have to hear her sister moan for the better part of the night. Where was Trace when she needed him? Oh right, another meeting at William Rast. He spent more time up there than he did with her nowadays.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Kara nearly jumped out of her skin.

“You scared the crap out of me!” She said with a laugh.

“Well someone had to pull you out of la-la land. What’s on your mind?” He asked with his classic Timberlake grin.

Kara felt her heart flip.

“Oh nothing, just wondering what’s going on at William Rast that’s so important. I’ve spent a total of maybe ten hours with Trace in the past five days.”

She wanted to say that she’s spent more time having her affair with Justin than she had having her relationship with Trace, but decided against it since Marz was still in the room. Justin got her drift though.

“I’m sorry,” he frowned.

“It’s ok, it’s not your fault,” she said softly.

“If you weren’t recording you’d be by his side and Marz would never see you either. We don’t need two emotional women drinking, now do we?” She asked jokingly.

He laughed with her.

“I guess not. So, what do you want to do about your sister? I think she’s had enough.”

“Yeah, she’d had more than enough before we left the house. I don’t know why you let her bring the damn mixer in your car,” Kara laughed.

“You try prying it from her hands next time,” he joked.

“Wussy,” she joked.

“WUSSY!” Marz exclaimed.

Kara sighed again; she really did need to put her sister to bed. Here she had thought that they’d progressed in their relationship, but she was taking care of her again, like always. She rose from her seat behind the mixing board and walked over to the couch where Marz was sitting.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed. It’s getting late,” Kara said, holding her hand out to help her sister up.

Marz swatted it away.

“No, I don’t wanna go to sleep,” Marz replied in a childlike tone.

Kara rolled her eyes, her sister was beyond gone.

“You don’t have to go to sleep, you can just go lay down.”

“You just want me out of here so you and Justin can fuck!”

Kara and Justin froze in place; she stood there with her mouth wide open, hand held out and his finger was frozen on the loop button. The only sound that could be heard in the room for a full five seconds was him singing “ooh yeah” over and over. When Kara finally moved she looked back at Justin with panicky eyes, and he responded by chuckling nervously.

“I’m kidding!” Marz laughed.

Kara joined in, her laugh mimicking Justin’s.

“The look on ya’lls faces was priceless! It was like you got caught with your hands in the cookie jar. If I didn’t know any better I’d think that you two were having an affair behind my back.”

Marz couldn’t even get the sentence out with a straight face; she was doubled over with laughter. She focused all her attention on Kara and laughed harder.

“I mean come on; you are so not his type!” She laughed.

Kara stopped laughing.

“Come on Marz, time for bed.”

“No, I want Justin to take me,” Marz giggled, slowly teetering to her feet.

Justin walked over and scooped her up in his arms. He took a step towards the door and turned around.

“I’ll be right back. I’m just gonna tuck her in and we can finish this song.”

Kara nodded and saw him mouth ‘sorry’. She waited until they were out of earshot before exhaling loudly. She’d been seriously ready to piss her pants, thinking that her sister knew about the wrong-doings in her relationship with Justin. Why would Marz make a joke like that?

“I seriously thought she knew,” Justin whispered as he walked back in studio.

“Me too, she scared the crap out me,” Kara giggled.

He pulled her close immediately, placing feather-light kisses on her neck.

“Justin,” she whispered. “Stop, she might hear us.”

“She passed out before I could tuck her in. She’s down for the count babe.”

Her heart fluttered when he said the pet name. He kissed her neck again.

“We are going to hell,” she moaned.

“With gasoline drawers.”

His affection for her neck continued, his arms winding around her waist. Their lips were just about to meet when a yell sounded throughout the house.

“Justin!!”

The pair jumped apart, Justin groaning with frustration while Kara eyed him. She told him they were probably going to get caught.

“See,” she said.

“She was passed-out assed-out when I put her in bed a minute ago.”

Justin left the room, telling Marz he was coming when she called his name again. While he was gone, Kara ran a hand over her face. She was letting herself get way too caught up in all of this. It was bad enough that they were having this adulterous relationship, but they’d actually been entertaining the idea of fornicating while Marz was in the same house. A stupid idea no matter what angle you looked at it from.

“Kara,” Justin appeared in the doorway again.

She looked up at him, expecting to see Marz by his side. No one else was there.

“Did she go back to sleep?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I’m gonna take her home. She remembered she’s got some photo-promo-whatever thing tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Kara sounded.

Secretly her heart sank a little inside. She’d been looking forward to spending a little Marz-free time with Justin. But Marz was so intoxicated that she needed someone to be there for her.

“She can’t be at the house alone.”

“I know,” Justin said. “Lauren is gonna meet us there.”

“Lauren?”

Lauren was Marz’s replacement assistant. The poor girl had been thoroughly tortured while Kara was in New York, and was probably enjoying her well-deserved mini-vacation.

“Yeah. She’ll stay with Marz so you and I will be free to finish that track, and Marz won’t risk being late tomorrow.”

He threw her a wink and she understood completely. He must have been looking forward to a little Marz-free time as well. She heard them heading for the foyer, Marz’s heels clacking on the hardwood floors and her obnoxious laughter echoing off the walls.

The poor girl had no idea that she was only making it easier for her two closest friends to betray her. Kara couldn’t help imagining what she’d feel if Marz and Trace were sneaking around behind her back. After so many intimate conversations with Trace, after having spent her entire life with Marz, it would turn her entire world upside down if they were to do something so hurtful. So many thoughts swirled through Kara’s mind and it started to make her feel a little queasy.
* * *

“You’re doing it again.”

His voice came from just behind her. She knew he was home because he’d let the front door slam behind him.

“What?”

“Pouting.”

“When have I ever pouted?”

“The other day, when I was on the phone with Marz.”

The never-to-be-spoken-of ‘I love you’ comment.

“So,” he continued. “You’re either thinking about that, or your damning us to hell. Again.”

“I’m not pouting.”

“I can see it through the back of your head.”

Kara sighed, running her hands down her face.

“I know what you’re getting at, and I’m not pouting, nor am I mad. I told you before; you have the right to tell your girlfriend that you love her. Especially if it’s the truth.”

Kara stood and turned to face him. He was leaning against the counter, smirking at her. She rolled her eyes and moved to pass him, but he put his hand on her arm, stopping her motion.

“Well just in case there’s any little bitty part of you that is mad, I’m sorry…”

“Okay. That tiny imaginary part of me that wasn’t mad accepts your apology. The rest of me is begging you to let it go.”

“…And incase you were envisioning us burning in a pit of fire for eternity. Stop.”

Kara nodded and he chuckled, letting go of her and standing up straight.

“It’s still early. Wanna watch a movie?”

Forty-five minutes later Justin and Kara were sitting on his over-sized sofa in his over-sized family room watching his over-sized TV. Over-sized burgers had been delivered and devoured, the wrappers covering the table.

With no movie in sight that at least one of them hadn’t seen, they opted for cable TV instead. Ghost Adventures was playing, Nick and Adam had just been locked into a haunted hotel, and Kara could feel a chill run down her spine. This had been Justin’s idea; she’d never been a fan of scary shows.

She didn’t even know she was doing it, but she began to lean away from the TV, and the dark spooky corner to her right, and closer to Justin. He was the only other person in the house and she was seeking some sense of comfort. Justin was too busy holding in his laughter at her to follow the show. Who knew that tough Kara --who could drive down eleven floors while grinding in his lap—was afraid of a fake ghost on a fake reality show on the Travel Channel?

He wished Trace could be here to witness it.

On second thought, not really.

Kara made a face and squirmed at his side as Nick headed down to the basement of the hotel, where the door to the afterlife supposedly was. Justin’s heart started to pound a million miles a minute as he lifted his arm and placed it on the sofa behind her. He was going to attempt to put his arm around her, and he was terrified that he was going to be rejected. Yes, they’d had sex, but cuddling with someone had nothing to do with sex. To some people, it could even be considered more intimate. What if that was an intimacy she reserved only for Trace?

Justin lifted his arm again, slowly and cautiously resting it around her shoulders. Kara looked down at his hand, and then over at his face. He turned his vision to the TV, pretending to ignore her stare and be nonchalant about it all. She watched him for a moment before she leaned against him completely, settling into his embrace.

He leaned against the armrest of the couch, pulling her along; before Kara knew it she was stretched out next to him, feet at one end and her head on his chest. It was nice, being cuddled up next to him, and it was even better that they weren’t doing it in a hotel setting like last time. They were comfortable, at home, and for a moment it felt like a real relationship.

That feeling might have been more sinful than the affair itself.

It wasn’t much longer before hands began to wonder over her body, caressing places they shouldn’t have been. Kara looked up at him, smirking knowingly. She sat up, climbing higher on his body so their faces were at the same level. Slowly she lowered her head, reviling in the anticipation. Every nerve ending in her body was standing on end, waiting for that moment when his perfect, tainted lips would touch hers. They’d kissed a dozen times, and every time it felt new, and every time is sparked that fire that constantly burned between them.

“Wanna go upstairs?” He asked, breathing labored, shirt tossed onto the floor.

Kara had barely nodded before he’d jumped from the sofa, grabbed her hand, and began dragging her up the steps to his bedroom.

* * *

Kara awoke quietly, her eyes popping open and looking up at the dark ceiling above her. She immediately recognized it as Justin’s ceiling, not able to forget the experiences of the past few hours. She looked over at Justin, and he was sleeping soundly on his side of the bed. He was on his back, his head facing away from her towards the window.

She sat up slowly, glancing over him silhouette to the clock on the nightstand. 2:47am. She could still make it home undetected if she got up now. Sliding from the bed, she gently tugged on the top sheet, pulling it from the bed. Kara wrapped it around her body, balling up the extra fabric in the front. She tip-toed into the bathroom, closing the door behind her before turning on the night.

It was a large white room with silver accents. It was clean, and bright, with a large bathtub and separate shower. No wonder Marz like to stay here so much. Kara could fit her bedroom in here. She looked along the countertop, seeing some of her sister’s familiar products. Face wash. Lotion. A pink toothbrush. She shook her head, going to the other sink to rinse off her face. She’d freshen up a little and then hit the road.

When she exited the bathroom she kept her head down, scanning the floor quickly for her clothes. She located them before turning off the bathroom light and headed towards the floor by the bed where they were laying.

“What are you doing?”

The voice breaking the silence made her jump and she looked up. Justin was sitting there, at the end of the bed, his hands calmly folded. He’d obviously woken up recently, and hadn’t bothered to cover his body at all. She could see the muscles in his shoulders and arms, the jaw line along the side of his face, his hips and thighs.

“Um, just getting dressed. I didn’t mean to wake up you; I was trying to be quiet.”

“Getting dressed?”

“Yeah. But, don’t worry, I’m gonna grab a cab. I don’t want you to get up and drive me this late.”

“Come here,” he said.

Kara crossed the room, standing in front of him. He reached out, taking her hand and pulling Kara into his lap. She straddled him, still holding tight to the sheet wrapped around her. Justin rubbed her back gently in slow sensual circles.

“You know, you could just stay here,” he suggested.

“Here?” Kara questioned.

“Yeah.”

“With you?”

“Yeah.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s already almost 3am. Because Marz is going to wake up in a few hours and expect me to be home.”

“Just say that we were working late and you decided to stay in the guestroom.”

Kara shook her head slowly.

“I don’t know.”

“Come on,” he pressed. “Please. I really want you to stay.”

She sighed, seeing his puppy dog eyes even in the dark. Part of her wanted to stay as well. She liked being here, with him, where they could talk and be as they wanted too without worrying about who was nearby and who would over hear. Just his solid, silent embrace felt good even if nothing else happened.

Finally she nodded, and Justin smiled brightly.

“Good,” he said, his hands rubbing her thighs.

His fingertips rose to her face and he titled his head as he studied her. He brushed the stray strands from her cheeks, and then ran a finger across her delicate skin.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, watching as his hand traced her features. “I like you like this, no make-up, no show, no pretending. I think you’re one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”

Kara smiled, but she couldn’t stop the small twinge that she felt in her heart. Trace had said very similar words to her just the other day, but they didn’t have the same meaning to her that Justin’s words had. No more, no less, but not the same.

She leaned forward to place a kiss on his barely parted lips. It was moments like this, when he said things like that, which made it so hard for her to say no. To any outsider they probably looked like the most romantic couple on Earth. But there wasn’t very much romance involved in an affair that trapped so many people in its crosshairs. But when he told her things like that, with that honest look on his face, it made her believe maybe it was about more than just sex for him too.

Their kiss grew in passion, and the spark between them had been ignited into a fire once again. Kara clutched at him, lightly scratching at his back and neck, wiggling in his lap with anticipation. She could feel him growing underneath her, and was imagining all the possibilities. Justin reached between them, taking the balled up fabric that had once been in her hands. He untangled the sheet, and a rush of cool air swirled around her body when he opened the fabric.

He pulled it around himself, encasing them both in warmth. They were skin to skin, her touch all too familiar, yet just as tempting and titillating as it had been the first time. Lying back on the bed, Justin kept his grip firmly on Kara, letting her work his body into exhaustion.

* * *

When Kara awoke for the second time that night, the sun was shining in through the windows, bathing the bed in a warm glow. Her face was pressed against Justin’s back, an arm carelessly flung around his waist. His breathing was slow and deep, and she didn’t want to wake him again. She also didn’t want to move. She was warm, and comfortable. She could hear the echo of Justin’s heart, feel the rise and fall of his chest, his mushy scent swirling in the air around her.

She took a deep whiff of him, enjoying the moment, before she slowly started to pull her arm back. She’d barely moved an inch before Justin’s hand shot up, grabbing her wrist.

“Don’t move,” he said. “I was enjoying the moment. I’m almost done.”

Kara held perfectly still as Justin rolled over. His arms enveloped her and they were face-to-face on the blue pillows. He looked the same as he had any other times, relaxed, handsome, and devilish. Kara was sure her hair was probably sticking out in eighty different directions.

“Morning,” she whispered.

“Morning. Did you sleep well?”

She nodded subtly.

“This is a really comfortable bed.”

He laughed and opened his mouth to speak –probably insult her or make a dirty sex joke- but the ring of a cell phone interrupted him. Kara rolled over, leaving Justin’s arms and reaching down to the floor to dig into the pocket of her jeans.

“Do you really have that ringtone?” Justin sounded. “That song is soo old!”

Too panicked to even argue with him, Kara threw a hand over his mouth. He gave her a look, but stopped talking as she pressed the send button.

“Hey, Marz,” she said pointingly.

He got the message and held still.

“Hey! Where are you? You’re room was empty when I got up.”

She sounded cheerful enough, but also tired.

“Um, I’m in Justin’s guestroom.”

“Oh, you stayed the night there?”

“Yeah. We were working on the album until really late and I felt bad making him run back and forth to the house, so I stayed in the guestroom.”

She felt terrible as soon as the lie left her lips. She was naked in Justin’s bed, feeding a lie to his girlfriend over the phone. Was there an even worse hell within the biblical hell? Because if there was such a place, that’s where she was going.

“Okay. So, are you guys going to be working all day too?”

“Why? What’s up?”

She got the sneaking suspicion that Marz wasn’t just calling to check-in.

“Well you know I have that Candie’s commercial today, and last time I looked over the clothes they totally weren’t right. She wants to put me in a jumper for Christ’s sake! And Lauren is no help whatsoever. She’s very nice, but you should see how she dresses. Crocs. Ugh!”

Kara rolled her eyes, waiting for Marz to get to the point.

“Uh-huh.”

“So, basically I was hoping you’d stop by the shoot and help me pick something out.”

“Okay.”

“I mean, even though you can’t fit any of my clothes, you’ve always been able to make me look great.”

Kara bit her tongue. Apparently, despite all of the ‘quality’ time she’d been spending with her sister lately, old habits die hard. Justin’s brow furrowed as he watched a million emotions play across her face in a matter of seconds.

“Sure, Marz,” she said. “I’ll swing by later when we break for lunch.”

“Okay, great. I’ll have Lauren text you the info.”

“No need; I already know where you’ll be. I’ll see you later.”

“Later. Give Justin a hug for me!”

Kara hung up the phone and tossed it back onto the floor, letting out a heavy sigh. Justin pulled her hand away from his mouth, and held it in his own.

“What’d she say?”

“Just that she needs help with her wardrobe for the shoot. I’ll go by there later.”

“What did she say that made you upset?”

Kara looked over at him and he shrugged.

“I can see it on your face.”

She glanced up at the ceiling momentarily before looking at him again.

“She’s just being her usual, sweet self.”

Justin caught her tone, and he could only imagine the backhanded compliment Marz had just given her. That was the one flaw his girlfriend had, and part of what drew him to Kara. Marz was superficial and at times too self-absorbed to realize when she was hurting someone else. Kara had always accepted everyone as they were, going out of her way to help out when she could –even when she didn’t particularly want too. She hadn’t been too hot on the idea of helping him with his album in the beginning, but she had anyway.

“Can I take a shower?”

Kara’s question broke his trance, and he nodded as an evil grin crept onto his face.

“Need some help?”

She giggled, climbing out of the bed. He was so busy eyeing her body that her answer barely registered in his brain.

“No, thanks. I think I’m capable of bathing myself.”

She headed into the bathroom and he sat up on his elbows so he could get a better view. Through the mirror he saw her open the glass doors, staring at the various knobs on the wall before she finally turned the shower on. She checked the temperature, and then climbed inside as the mirror fogged.

Justin sat there for a total of four minutes. He tried to distract himself. First the TV, but nothing interesting was on. Then he thought about making some business calls, but he wasn’t quite awake enough for that. No matter what, nothing was urgent or engrossing enough to distract his mind from the naked girl in his bathroom. So he hopped out of bed and headed in to join her.

Everything was foggy and wet, a cloud of steam hovering in the room. He crept over to the shower door, tracing the lines of her body through the glass door. Silently he stepped inside, smiling as she hummed to herself under the spray. She was soaking wet from head to toe, her curls dripping with warm water.

He reached over, picking up the bottle of body wash and squirted some into his hands. He rubbed them together, warming the liquid, and then smoothed his hands over her shoulders. Kara let out a shriek of alarm and whirled around. He couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“Don’t laugh, you jerk,” she said, half-heartedly punching him in the chest. “You scared the hell out of me.”

“I’m sorry,” he chuckled. “I just wanted to help.”

“I already told you, I’m not at the age where I need someone to give me a bath.”

“I know, but I guarantee it’d be a whole lot more fun if you’d let me.”

Their eyes locked as he smoothed a soapy hand down her neck, between her breasts. His orbs darkened to an almost navy blue as he waited for her to complain, but she didn’t speak at all. As his fingers continued to glide over her skin, her eyes fell closed and her head dipped back under the spray. His appetite for her, always insatiable, reached new heights in that moment.

Pulling her out from under the water, his lips searched out hers with a hungry, greedy intensity. They stumbled back against the wall, water showering down Justin’s back. Kara clung to him, practically clawing at his skin. It was all so surreal, like a fantasy or dream come true. He felt so good pressed against her, and he made her feel so good. Everything about him was warm, familiar, and made her heat flutter.

There wasn’t too much time to enjoy it though. Justin stepped back, spinning Kara around the face the wall. She gasped as her skin met with the cold tiles, but that thought quickly left her mind. She could feel him, all of him, between her thighs seeking out her entrance. Delicate kisses were left on her shoulders as he slid inside of her, a wave of pleasure and relief washing over her. His tight grip on her hips was the only thing keeping her grounded as he pushed into her deeply, luring her closer and closer to the edge.

Kara’s hands rested on the tile, wiping and smudging the water droplets. His moaning in her ear and firm grasp were making it harder and harder for her to hold back the growing butterflies in her belly. Her orgasm was intense, nearly paralyzing as her body convulsed. If she hadn’t been pinned between his body and the wall she probably would have fallen over. But his grip held her steady as her pulsating triggered his own release.

She could feel every move he made, every twitch, every eruption inside of her, and then the fantasy was over. He pulled away, completely leaving her body. When she turned, he was leaning back against the back shower wall, his mouth slightly open and chest heaving.

“You’re not worn out already, are you?” Kara joked.

She couldn’t help but remember Marz’s comment the night before about how she wore Justin out only sometimes. His eyes opened, and they were once again their clear crystal blue. He stood in front of her, and put her hand to his chest. Kara looked at her fingers, resting on his smooth, bronze chest. She could feel the beat under her fingers, strong and rhythmical.

“My heart is still racing,” he said gently.

“Mine too.”

“It always races when I’m with you.”

The shower continued to rain down on her as she looked up at him, almost stunned by the sincerity she saw in his face. He was waiting for a response, and there was only one she could think to give.

“Mine too.”