"You're really taking me for deep dish pizza?" Alana inquired hopefully, offering a small, hopeful grin when AJ climbed into the limo beside her. Smoothing her hands delicately over the turquoise peasant top that draped off her shoulders and created a fluttering appearance over her rounding belly, she glanced at her reflection in the two-way mirror separating them from the driver. She had straightened her strawberry blonde locks and placed a touch of lip-gloss to her lips; after the much insistence from AJ. He wanted to take her out to celebrate her success during the tour. They had only two more weeks left and Howie had insisted that she go. Apparently, her sullen attitude on the bus made him leery. No matter, AJ had offered her infamous Chicago deep dish pizza and she couldn't turn down that opportunity. The cravings of her pregnancy came every so often, but not too much, so she wanted to indulge.
"Babe, this is all a ruse," AJ answered with the utmost seriousness, straightening the dark blue button-down shirt he wore over a black tank top. Reaching to adjust his belt buckle, he placed a hand on her thigh as the limo pulled away from the front of the hotel. Leaning close so he could kiss her cheek, he let his warm breath rush against her ear. "I'm really running away with you, Al. Driving to Vegas and drugging you so you'll marry me!"
"You'd really take responsibility for Nick's twins?" Alana mused, leaning toward him to play his flirtatious streak. She never really took his actions seriously. It was just a game they played. Who could make the other squeal or blush first. He was usually the winner. That much was apparent by their recent streak of tabloid gossip. Brian had collected all the magazines for sheer torture value.
"Absolutely! I mean, I'm sure they're going to inherit your great looks, so I'd have no problem. And then, after they're born, we can get to work on some more," AJ enticed with a wicked grin. Nibbling gently on her earlobe, he let his hand move in a gentle caress. "And, you know, we could start practicing for that work now…"
"Alex, you're way too desperate to make it with a woman who is virtually immune to birth control, y'know?" Alana questioned with a small grin, reaching to take his hand into both of hers to keep it from going elsewhere. As hard as AJ fought to get her away from Nick, her heart would always remain true to the man. She could never hurt him so egregiously.
"And what's so wrong with that?" AJ returned honestly. "Nothing wrong with having a houseful of kids, is there?"
"No, not at all. I'd love to have a house filled with kids," Alana admitted with a small nod of confirmation, toying with the large engagement ring on her finger. She hadn't been close to her brother and it hurt to know that she was alone in the world. She didn't want her children to feel that. She wanted a house filled with love, laughter, and kisses.
"So, after the twins are born you and Nick are going to have more?" AJ inquired, realizing he had never truly asked Alana about her and Nick's plans for the future. Aside from the twins and engagement, he knew nothing.
"…I'm not really sure…" Alana trailed, biting down on her bottom glossed lip as she held AJ's hand in her lap. "He mentioned something about when we wanted another baby that we'd have a date out on the beach, so… I assume that he wants to have more?"
"Do you?"
"I would like to have more."
"Nick's told me before that he's always wanted a big family… He grew up in one, you know, and even though they weren't happy and practically can't stand one another now, he really loved having all the siblings around…"
"Y'know, Alex, any time that you want to come over to our house and be part of our big family, we'd love to have you. Zachie, the twins, and any other kids that crop up on the way are going to need a crazy uncle to play around with. And, Aaron's not going to be able to handle it all. I really love the sound of the kids calling you Uncle Alex," Alana offered, knowing her friend was an only child and understanding how very lonely it was.
"I'd like that," AJ agreed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders for a gentle squeeze. "The guys have been my family for so long… I love Bay and Zachie like they were my own kids already. I can't wait for Kevin and Howie to have kids for me to spoil rotten…"
"Well, in a couple months Kevin is going to have a kid for you to spoil rotten," Alana assured him, shifting to get comfortable within his embrace, putting her full support on him. "And then a few months afterwards when you get tired with that one, you'll have twins to fawn over."
"And then, when they've barfed on all my favorite shirts and their diapers have leaked all over my favorite jeans, maybe Nat and B will have gotten over all this shit and give me another one or two to coo over and completely corrupt!"
"You've got it made, Alex! Baby heaven!"
"Then, knowing my luck, all my cooing and spoiling will be dried up, and that's when I meet the one woman who wants me for me!"
"It's all, kitties, puppies, rainbows, and glitter from here on out," Alana laughed.
"Speaking of puppies…"
"What about puppies?"
"Zachie needs a puppy…"
"You tell Handsome that."
"Nicky-Dicky loves dogs… C'mon, let's get a puppy! One that'll grow into a big guard dog that won't let strangers within twenty feet of you or the kids!"
"One the kids can ride, too, huh?"
"Not that big…"
"And when are you going to buy Zach a puppy and send it back to California?"
"Why do we have to send it back?" AJ questioned honestly, leaning forward to tap on the partition.
"You're honestly suggesting that we buy a puppy and just keep it with us for the rest of the tour?"
"Two whole weeks, no big deal," AJ decided as the driver lowered the partition. "Yo, go to that Pets-Mart we were talking about earlier, okay?"
"I thought you wanted to take me out for a date? Deep dish pizza and a dance club? Get our pictures plastered all over the papers again?" Alana questioned in confusion as she heard the agreement of the driver followed by the rising of the partition. Leaning when AJ fell back to get situated on the comfortable leather seats, she felt his arms wrap around her and draw her close. She needed his hugs and cuddles to keep her from going completely insane with lack of companionship. Whenever she was alone, she thought of Nick. Whenever she was with AJ… She still thought of Nick… How she missed him…
"We're just going to stop and look at the doggies," AJ assured her with a grin, kissing the top of her head. "And if one just screams 'pick me', we'll take it with us. Besides, what better way to get in the papers than to buy a dog together?"
"I think that making out in the dining room of the hotel got us several magazine covers…"
"And making out at a pizzeria with an adorable puppy cuddled between us will get us on twice as many…"
"I'm not mad at Handsome anymore."
"Just my luck," AJ sighed.
"Well, if he calls, I'll make sure to get pissed at him just for you. Lord knows what he's doing with Natalie anyway, right?"
"Something tells me that he ain't doing shit with Natalie."
"…Yeah?"
"He loves you, Babe," AJ promised, lightly tickling her sides when the limo pulled to a stop. Glancing out the tinted windows, he saw they were in the parking lot of Pets-Mart.
"Thanks, Alex," Alana giggled with surprise as the door was opened for them. Allowing AJ to slide out first, she smiled when he extended a hand inward for her. Taking it, she was helped out into the somewhat empty parking lot. Feeling AJ's hand slide protectively over her abdomen, she glanced toward him. "If these people start to maul at you for being one of the hottest men to walk the Earth, should I just run for it and dive back into the limo?"
"You ain't allowed to dive nowhere," AJ murmured in her ear, placing his other hand on the small of her back as they walked into the store. He was grateful to see that there weren't many people inside, wanting Alana to be able to look through and choose from the puppies without interruption. "Besides, the pimply teenage boys that work here will all be laying bets on who can wait on you, and I'll just be cast aside like yesterday's pizza box…"
"I won't let them cast you aside," she promised with a loving coo, snatching his baseball cap from his head to throw over her locks, hoping that might conceal her better.
"One goofy grin and a few pickup lines and I'll be standing here holding my hat wondering where the Hell you are," AJ teased as he turned her towards the pet adoption center.
"From a pimply faced teenager? Alex! That's statutory rape!" Alana breathed in a playful horror, taking his hand away from her abdomen so no one would be the wiser of her pregnancy yet. Hearing the soft whimper of puppies, her teal eyes seemed to electrify with passion, looking back to AJ before tugging him along to hurry. The idea of having a puppy for the home thrilled her.
"I doubt they'd squeal--" AJ's sentence halted when Alana jerked him down the aisle. Skidding to a stop in front of the kennels, he reached to tug up his jeans, grinning when she saw her flop down to her knees in front of the dogs. "How many are you going to get, Babe?"
"I think I might need to stay in the ballpark range of one since I don't have Handsome's permission," Alana murmured, clicking her tongue when the puppies started to whine for her attention. Little paws were thrust out of the cages in order to reach her, followed by sharp whimpers. She had never seen so many breeds of dog before. They were all so cute and adorable.
Kneeling down next to her, AJ glanced up as a salesperson headed over to them with a clipboard. Turning his attention back to the puppies, he grinned at the small one huddled in the back corner, large blue eyes peering at him over a gray shoulder. "Hey there little guy," he crooned, smiling when he saw the responsive tail wag. "C'mon… Alex ain't going to hurt you…"
"You looking for another bulldog?" Alana guessed, glancing sideways to her friend as she watched the little puppy slowly inch his way to the front. He looked to be the runt of his litter, hesitantly licking his chops as he studied AJ's offered fingers. She could tell by the gleam in AJ's sepia eyes that he'd be purchasing a puppy tonight. He loved animals far too much to deny himself the chance of offering another animal a home.
"I think he's a Husky…" AJ murmured, cooing softly when the puppy tentatively licked at his fingers. Glancing towards the salesperson hopefully, he nodded his thanks when she gave him a nod, reaching to open the cage. "C'mere, little guy…"
"Actually, that's a little girl," the salesperson corrected.
"You said you needed another woman in your life, Alex," Alana murmured with a small smile, watching the little pup scramble underneath AJ's legs when her brothers and sisters attempted to gain freedom as well. "She's fallen head over heels in love with you, too."
"She's very affectionate. A bit scared of strangers. This is the first time I've seen her so assertive," the salesperson noted with a smile as AJ managed to close the cage before scooping the puppy into his arms.
"Aren't you just her knight in shining armor," Alana cooed appropriately as she moved to stand with AJ. Allowing the puppy to sniff her fingers for a worthwhile moment, she then reached to tentatively scratch her ears. Hearing AJ's giggle at the bushy tail batting against his stomach, Alana had to laugh. "She's perfect for you."
"Aren't you a little sweetheart," AJ cooed, snuggling the puppy close. "You want to come live with me, huh?"
In response to his raspy voice, the puppy released a hearty yip before reaching up to lick his face appreciatively. Her bushy, silver tail continued to wag with pleasure as she writhed against him, just wanting to get closer to attack his face with more licks. "I think that's a yes, Alex."
Glancing towards the salesperson, AJ reached for the clipboard she held. "If you'd go get me everything I'd need to take care of her for the next two weeks, I'll go ahead and fill this out…"
"Two more weeks of touring?" she guessed with a breezy sigh as she offered him a pen from the pocket of her uniform. "It's so adorably sweet that you're going on tour with your girlfriend. Not many guys would be willing to do that."
"Yeah…" AJ trailed with a noncommittal shrug as he seated himself on the floor, letting the puppy lay in his lap as he began to fill out the form. Glancing over his shoulder to see the girl rushing away, he chuckled, looking towards Alana. "It'll be all over MySpace that we were shopping for puppies, I guarantee it."
"Brian'll email the link directly to Handsome," Alana concluded with a nod of agreement, reaching to rub the new family member's tummy till she heard a pained whine. Glancing up, she noticed a determined puppy fighting to reach her through the bars. He was a just a hairball of dark browns and blacks, his ears perked straight into the air when he noticed he looking to him. A small German Shepherd pup. "Now that one is just adorable," Alana breathed, moving to stand so she could reach the pup. Only, halfway there a lanky man rushed to open the cage for her with an infatuated grin. "…Thank you…"
"You're welcome, Ms. Moore," the man breathed in awe.
"How 'bout you run get her some puppy food, chew toys, food and water bowls and all that jazz?" AJ suggested without glancing up from the clipboard as the puppy chewed happily on his frayed jeans.
Alana did her best to hide her bemused laugh as the puppy in her arms was furiously licking at her ear. When the man stumbled away in mortification, she moved to sit down once more, gently running her fingers through the puppy's soft coat. When he started to nip at her fingers playfully and roll from her lap, she smiled. He danced away for a moment, but immediately turned to assure she was still watching. At her soft whistle, he came tearing back into her lap, immediately pawing at her growing belly with a yip. "Guess you found out my secret, huh?"
"Dogs know these things," AJ murmured as the puppy in his lap growled playfully at his belt. Signing the form with a flourish, he set aside the clipboard, scooping her into his arms for a cuddle as she began to nibble at his neck.
"He's an absolute bundle of energy. I love him," Alana cooed as the pup worked his way underneath her shirt, licking at the protruding bump as means of welcome. That is, till he managed to crawl up and pop his head out of the neckline of her off the shoulder, peasant top. "Spunky little rascal!"
"Wait till he's ten times bigger than he is now and still tries to do that," AJ laughed, letting the puppy down to the floor so she could scamper around the aisle.
"It'll just be like Nick when he first started pawing at me," Alana murmured with a shrug, helping her pup from her shirt. When he rolled onto his back for a belly rub, Alana retrieved her phone to snap a quick picture. Grinning when he writhed on his back for attention, she used her free hand to scratch him while typing a quick text message to her fiancé - Can I keep him?
The reply was almost instantaneous – I'll go out and buy puppy stuff tomorrow, Beautiful.
Alana grinned at the reply her fiancé gave, the pup seeming to know the answer as he bowled into her lap with triumph. Reaching to pet him as his tail thumped against her leg, she punched another message to Nick - I like the name Radar. He spotted the twins right off.
"Nick said yeah, huh?" AJ guessed as the puppy scampered back into his lap, eyeing Alana and her puppy warily. Though, when Alana's puppy tentatively moved over, lowering himself in a submissive posture, the Husky crawled from his lap, sniffing the other puppy for a moment before darting off, yipping happily.
"He said he'd go out and get puppy stuff for our house tomorrow," Alana confirmed with a nod, watching the German Shepherd hurriedly trail after AJ's puppy to play. "His name's Radar," she told Alex as he reached to help her stand, only to have several men rushing toward them with every product known to pup and mankind.
"And her name's Q.T.," AJ informed with a grin. Glancing towards the mass of puppy products, he nodded. "Ring it up," he told the girl, who nodded happily before heading towards the front. "Let's go pick out collars, Babe."
"Q.T.? Oh! Cutie!" Alana breathed in recognition as AJ scooped their puppies up, depositing one in her arms and the other in the crook of his. Though, he made sure to hold onto her hand as he led her down the aisles. Looking backward when Radar started to yip, she noticed that several male customers as well as the employees were starting to follow. "Are they going to attack, Alex?"
"The dogs?" AJ questioned in confusion before glancing back at the men. Clearing his throat, he drew Alana closer to his side, giving them all the vibe that she was taken. "I think we can pick two collars out by ourselves, don't you, Babe?"
"I think we can manage," she agreed, leaning to nuzzle her face into the crook of his neck.
Q.T. squirmed up to rest her head on AJ's shoulder, peering at the men down the aisle. Her hackles immediately raised, and she released a loud, warning growl as AJ stopped in front of the collars. When the men continued to follow, she let out a loud bark, growling louder.
"She's quite defensive of you," Alana murmured as Radar seemed to take his lead from Q.T. Though, he took it a step farther, squirming from Alana's hold before releasing a terror of repeated barks and growls at the men following. Hair standing on end, he gave chase, causing Alana's turquoise eyes to widen when he caused a man to fall and perched on his backside, growling at the rest. "Handsome's going to love him!"
"He's very protective of you, too," AJ chuckled as Q.T. leaped from his arms to join Radar. Laughing with appreciation when she grabbed the man's pants leg in her teeth and began to jerk on it, he glanced towards Alana. "Who needs bodyguards with these two?"
"Ain't that the truth," Alana mused as she took a quick photograph of Radar's 'King of the Hill.' Hurriedly sending it to her fiancé, she then turned toward the array of collars as the tags were being processed.
Her phone vibrated a moment later, Nick's message short and sweet – I love him already!
Laughing, Alana leaned over to whistle for Radar. His long, triangular ears immediately perked with awareness, turning to see her gesturing for him. "C'mere, Radar. Let's get your collar picked out."
"C'mon, Q.T.," AJ called as Radar bounded to lay at Alana's feet.
Giving a heavy tug to the man's pant leg till she heard a rip, Q.T. seemed to grin with triumph as she carried the piece of cloth over to her master with a little prance to her step.
"That's my girl," AJ crooned as he stooped to lift her into his arms, accepting the prize as he kissed her face repeatedly.
"Now Alex won't be hitting on me 'cause he has another girl in his life, Radar," Alana told her puppy as he burrowed into the crook of her arm, resting his chin against her bicep to watch for other strangers. Softly running her fingers through his silky coat, she began to look through the variety of collars.
"I promise you, Babe, I'll always be hitting on you," AJ informed her with a grin.
"We going to try to fit two puppies and us in one bunk?"
"You honestly think they're going to go sleep with Howie?"
"Actually, I was thinking you might migrate toward Howie."
"Hell no. His feet turn to ice blocks and the man thinks that my back is his personal blanket," AJ grumbled, selecting a dark blue collar decorated with rhinestones.
"So, you'll be moving to your own bunk?" Alana guessed, selecting a handsome olive green leather collar that would match Radar's coat perfectly. Holding it up for the pup's inspection, she smiled when he took it in his mouth for holding till they paid.
"And why would I do that?" AJ questioned, reaching for a leash that matched Q.T.'s new collar.
"I don't know…" she trailed honestly, draping an identical leash over her neck that would compliment Radar's collar.
"If Radar growls at me when I try to climb in, I'll move to my own bunk," AJ relented.
"I hope he doesn't growl--"
"He'll probably take a plug out of my nonexistent ass as I stumble away…"
"You don't have to feel obligated to sleep with me," Alana reminded as they walked toward the registers where everyone was loitering. At that moment, she knew they would want photographs and autographs and perhaps some other tokens of memorabilia.
"Just smile," AJ reminded her, giving her shoulder an affectionate squeeze as they made their way to the register.
"I hope y'all have camera phones or at least one of your coworkers has one and can share nicely with the rest," Alana announced with an adorable smile as she set Radar on the counter, allowing him to chew on her fingers for a moment before she offered him a rubber chew toy that one of the employees had handed her. She smiled gratefully toward him while Radar chomped on the toy with delight. "Thank you so much," she cooed, reaching to press a soft kiss to his cheek.
"I didn't say nothing 'bout kissing them," AJ hissed in her ear.
"Jealous?" Alana inquired of AJ with an innocently impish grin, watching the employee turn bright red from the kiss as he fumbled for pen and paper.
"Over you? Always," AJ promised, stepping aside when several people moved forward to ask for autographs.
"Then I'm going to have to kiss each one," Alana mused, causing the women to laugh and the men to grin excitedly.
*~*~*
"Say bye-bye to Daddy," Leslie cooed as she buckled Zachary into his car seat, under the watchful eye of Nick, who hovered just behind her. Blowing a raspberry on her nephew's cheek, she playfully tickled his stomach before backing out of the back seat. Looking towards her brother, she offered him a smile, taking the diaper bag he was holding to store on the floor of the backseat as he leaned in to kiss Zachary goodbye. She and Mike were taking the child to the zoo and then back to Aaron's house to watch a marathon of Disney movies. When Nick shut the back door with a sigh, she gave him a gentle hug. "He'll be fine, Nick."
"My whole family is leaving me," Nick murmured, taking the opportunity of his sister's hug to pull her close. The only person he had been receiving affection from was Natalie and Zachary over the course of the weeks. But Zachary had been fussy since leaving Atlantic City. He wanted his mother more than anyone could say. And Natalie just wasn't Alana. He wanted his fiancée back home - safe and sound. "I have Beautiful's t-shirt in there in case he starts getting really bad for you. He loves to hold it all the time. And you have to call Kris and Nat sometime this week about the baby shower--"
"I'll talk with Nat about it when I bring Zach back tonight," Leslie promised, smacking his cheek with a quick kiss before ducking under his arms. "And don't look so glum, okay? The next two weeks are going to fly by, and then you'll have your Beautiful home with you where she belongs."
"The next two weeks are going to pass as slowly as the last weeks have passed, Omen," Nick sighed, leaning down to wave at her boyfriend who was actually carrying on a conversation with Zachary.
"Go back inside and work on that song of Nat's," Leslie groaned as she climbed into the car. "We'll call you if there's any problems--"
Nick paled. "If you think there's going to be problems, then I'll just take Snot Sucker right now--"
"For God's sake, stop worrying! He'll be fine!" Leslie promised before turning to Mike. "Let's go, Baby."
Nick stepped forward to warn Leslie once more about Zachary's needs for the day, but she was already inside the car and pushing Mike to leave. Watching the car pull away, Nick thought twice about reaching for his cell phone to get hold of Leslie once more, but decided to leave it be. Holding his breath, Nick walked into his home with thoughts about what he would do with his day. Usually, he would keep himself preoccupied in the care of Zachary, but today would be useless. Wanting to call Alana, he turned slightly to shut the door, finding his jaw falling ajar when Natalie sauntered past him in a bikini. "Nat… What the Hell are you doing?"
Natalie paused, turning to look at him over the rims of her sunglasses. "I'm going to go lay out and get some sun… And maybe go for a swim… Is that alright with you?" she inquired softly. Offering him an impish smile, she reached to pull her hair into a ponytail.
"Yeah… That's alright by me…" Nick answered with a furious shake of his head, reaching to run his hands haphazardly through his growing platinum locks. For some reason, he honestly couldn't take his eyes away from her sensual form. The curves of her body expressed in an electric yellow, string bikini. The darkness of her tan accentuated by the lightened streaks in her newly cut locks. The excessive sight of skin caused his body to burn with excitement. "Nat… You look good…"
"Thanks, Nicky," Natalie murmured, blushing slightly at the compliment. Reaching to pat his chest gently, she grabbed her MP3 player off the table by the door. She was looking forward to an afternoon of sunning and swimming, grateful Leslie had taken Zachary for the rest of the day. She loved the little boy to death, but he exhausted her quickly with his rambunctious behavior. He was just like Nick in that respect, she mused with a smile. Always keyed up over something. "I'll have this blaring in my ears, so if you need me, you'll have to come get me."
"Alright…" Nick trailed, rubbing a hand furiously over his face to clear away the sexual thoughts of Natalie as she disappeared to the backyard. Groaning heatedly, he walked into the kitchen to stick his head in the freezer. "God, I need some phone sex or something!"
Whining, he pulled the ice cream out of the freezer, deciding that food could work as an aphrodisiac. Setting it on the counter, he searched the drawers for a large spoon, about to dive into the carton with a regular spoon when he spied the silverware draining in the sink. Reaching for one, he glanced casually out the window, the spoon dropping to the floor with a clatter when he saw Natalie settling down in a lounge chair. His mouth gaped open in surprise, he could only stare as she untied her bikini top, revealing her full breasts to the sunshine as she laid back. "Damn…"
When the Hell had Natalie become so beautiful? When had her breasts become that large? When had she ever had the gall to lay out on his back porch half naked? Dozens of questions about Natalie's gorgeous anatomy continued to plague him as he leaned over the sink, squinting for a better view of Natalie's assets.
Yelping in pain when the tines of a fork in the dish rack dug into his chest, he shifted to the side, wondering if Natalie had any idea that she was in full view of the house as she began to rub oil over her concave stomach. When her hands slid up to apply the oil to her breasts as well, Nick released a strangled groan, pressing his face against the window.
"Jesus Christ…" Nick whined in delight, pressing a hand to the window to wipe away the fog he had created with his hot breath. It had been so long since he was physical with a woman. The sexual depravation was agonizing. Especially when his phone began to vibrate against his hardening erection, causing him to fall to the floor as if he had been shot at.
Jerking the phone from his pocket, he barely glanced at the screen before answering with a surprised gasp. "Hello?!"
"Playboy Bunnies taking you hostage again, Handsome?"
"Beautiful!" Nick yelped in surprise. Ignoring her question, he pulled himself into a seated position, leaning upwards to lower the blinds in the window before climbing to his feet. "What are you doing?"
"Calling you to tell you how much I love you?" Alana answered with a hint of perplexity to her voice. "I couldn't really sleep last night after the concert and woke up early today 'cause of morning sickness. I guess I just missed you and had to talk to you. But, if you're busy with Natalie…"
"No, I’m not busy," Nick quickly dissuaded, grabbing another spoon so he could dig into the softened ice cream. "She's doing… Whatever, and Les has Snot Sucker for the day, so I was facing an afternoon of complete boredom until you called… How long can you talk? How you feeling now?"
"I can talk for a good while till Howie or Alex or Brian or Boogie come hunting for me… I think we have another interview or something before sound check… I'd rather just stay in bed with Radar and call it a day. I'm just so nauseous, but… It ain't a big deal…"
"Have you tried ginger ale and crackers?" Nick suggested softly, hating the thought of her curled up in bed with only a dog to keep her company. "…Radar's not too active for you is he? 'Cause if you need to rest and he's hyper, I'll call Howie and tell him to take the dog--"
"Radar's fine," Alana assured him gently. "He's curled up at my side with his chin on my stomach; sound asleep. He's an angel."
"He still attacking all your fans?" Nick questioned with a chuckle, gathering up the ice cream and his spoon so he could go to the living room and eat it without fear of Natalie's breasts distracting him again.
"Not all my fans… Just the guys that seem to gesture rudely or look at me too much or… Yeah, just guys in general… Not that they're my fans--"
"I am buying him the biggest, juiciest, meatiest steak in the world when you get home," Nick sighed with approval. At least Radar was making sure to keep the undesirables away from Alana.
"He'll want to save some for Q.T. Those two puppies are the cutest things together. They make sure to curl up at the pillows together when we're on the tour bus. Just flop right on our heads for the entire night…"
"Heads?" Nick repeated in confusion, scrambling to remember who Q.T. belonged to. "Howie bought a puppy?"
"No, Alex did--"
"AJ's sleeping with you?"
"In my bunk--"
"Oh," Nick muttered, reminding himself that scant moments before he had been ogling Natalie through the kitchen window.
"He tosses and turns in the bunk above Howie and that gets Howie all riled. So, he was either getting kicked out or he was joining me. And it gets so damn lonely at night when we're on the road… I'd rather have you here… I'd give Alex up for you any day. I miss you so much."
"I miss you so much more, Beautiful," Nick promised, flopping onto the couch with a relieved sigh.
"But you're surviving with Natalie?"
"If that's what you call it…" Nick trailed, tensing when he heard the back door open.
"…What'd you do?"
"Nothing. She's just… Moping over Brian--"
"I'm not moping over Brian!" Natalie defended as she entered the room, gently patting the length of her neck with her towel.
Clapping a hand over his eyes, Nick groaned. "Beautiful, all she does is whine and sniffle, and God forbid JC calls from New York, 'cause then she gets all giggly and teenybopper on me--"
"How about you talk about yourself and that raging hard on you're sporting! You'd think you were watching me sunbathe-NICKY!"
"Why are you constantly focused on my crotch?!" Nick growled, jerking his hand down to glare at her. "At least I don't skip around half naked!"
"Only when you insist on hugging me and letting me feel your--"
"Just go put some fucking clothes on," Nick growled.
"It isn't my fault that you can't keep your eyes off my body, Nicky! Always cuddling up to me like some lost puppy! You're the fucking pervert here, not me," Natalie hissed as she raced up the stairs.
"Handsome?" Alana's voice projected warily.
"I'm sorry," Nick whined softly, knowing he was dead.
"No… Howie's here… I've got to go…"
"Beautiful--"
"Enjoy your day with Natalie."
"Beautiful, I love--" Nick faltered when he heard the call disconnect in his ear. Slapping the phone closed, he flung it across the room with disgust, lifting his head to glare at the ceiling. "I'm such a stupid fuck-up," he grumbled as he launched to his feet, intent on giving Natalie a piece of his mind. "NAT!"
"Don't you even start bitching at me, you self-centered prick!" Natalie spat immediately when the door to her room was thrown open. The invasion of her privacy set her off like an exploding keg of gun powder as she reached to throw the nearest object in Nick's direction. "You watch me through the window like some peeping tom then blame it on me when your fiancée finds out! You're nothing but a damn dog! And if Alana--"
"What the fuck do you think you're doing, sauntering around here half naked?!" Nick interrupted, ducking to avoid the shoe that narrowly missed colliding with his head. Even now she was standing in her doorway clad only in a towel. "Goddamnit, you're the one who was sprawled out there playing with yourself, not me!"
"I wasn't playing with myself, you Grease Monkey!"
"What do you call slathering oil all over your perky tits then?!"
"Making sure I didn't burn to a fucking crisp!"
"I would have rubbed aloe on you - Goddamnit!"
"What the Hell is your problem today?! First you tell me I'm disgusting and now you look like you're ready to start humping my leg!"
"I don't know!"
"So there is something still there, isn't there?!" Natalie immediately accused, though her tone dropped significantly toward the end of her outburst. Clutching the towel to her body, she stared at the enraged man in front of her, sobered by the release of her thought. Perhaps she had been hopeful that he still thought about her in a sensual fashion…
"No… Yes… Maybe… I don't know," Nick whined, banging his head against the door. He wasn't remotely interested in Natalie, except as a friend. "Just… Stop walking around like a hot little nympho…"
Natalie blushed with a proud smile. "You think I'm hot?"
"Do you think I'm hot?" Nick returned with a slight scowl.
"I asked you first."
Groaning, Nick moved to slump on the bed, refusing to look at her. "You're… You… I mean… Yeah…" he trailed. "But you're nowhere near as gorgeous as Beautiful is to me…"
"Say it with me, Nicky - Yes, Natalie, I think you're hot."
"Yes Natalie, I think you're--"
"Thank you," she chirped, leaning down to kiss his cheek as if no fight between them had commenced.
Nick scrunched up his face in distaste, forcing himself not to respond to the feel of her warm fingers brushing against his cheek. "Don't go kissing me if you're not wearing anything under that towel!"
"You really do think I'm scorching," Natalie squealed with triumph, sauntering over to her dresser drawers to select some pieces of clothing to wear.
"And you're going to hold that fucking fact over my head like a damn… Something," Nick decided, flopping back on her bed to pull a pillow over his head. "What are you getting ready to do?"
"You're going to take me out to dinner," Natalie suggested, whistling happily when draped her clothing over the back of her sitting chair. She seemed to forget all about the phone call from Alana and the tabloids that were aching for more news about Nick Carter's budding relationship with a Playmate. She had been so consumed with her loss of Brian that she just wanted a chance to breathe. He'd be returning to Los Angeles soon, so she had to enjoy Nick while she could.
"I am?" Nick questioned, sitting up abruptly. Letting the pillow fall to the floor, he eyed her warily. "And why am I doing that, again?"
"To apologize for peeping at me."
"Wouldn't it be easier for you to peep at me and we call it even?"
"No, I'm hungry. Go get dressed."
"What's wrong with this?" Nick questioned, glancing down at his t-shirt and jeans. "If you think I'm going to go get dressed up just to take you out--"
"A t-shirt without grease stains or holes," Natalie insisted, shooing him out the door.
"Wear something revealing!" Nick hollered as she pushed the door shut.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks to all who have been reviewing. We really appreciate all the support. And, just so you all know, it's my (shrinkingviolet) fault for the lack of updates. *cough* Sorry 'bout that. :)
