Smokin Gun

Flashback: Past Hookups and Albums: Part I

Summer 2014

Brantley's POV

I jumped off the bus after it pulled to a stop on the side of Stephanie's street. I told Tony I'd be right back and jogged toward her front door. I opened the door and walked in.

"Steph!! Where you at sweetheart? We've gotta go!" I yelled after slamming the front door. We had detoured through Georgia on our way to Philadelphia to play Lincoln Financial Field with Luke Bryan. She had been out of on the road with us a little this year on the Let It Ride Tour.

Jana and I had split up, thank God. Stephs ex-fiancée had tried to come back around a couple of months ago but she had quickly run his ass off. Turns out, she had found out he'd been cheating on her for a while before they split up. I wanted to go beat his ass but she wouldn't let me. What she didn't know is I'd had a couple of my biker buddies pay him a visit. They sufficiently scared the shit out of him. I never liked the little khaki wearing douchebag anyhow.

"Back here! Quit your bitching. I am hurrying," I heard her yell as I made my way down the hall to her room. I walked in her room and looked at the pile of clothes thrown on top of her bag and rolled my eyes.

I saw her bent over in her closet digging through a stack of flip flops. Best friend or not, damn woman could fill out a pair of daisy dukes nicely. I had to adjust my basketball shorts slightly. I shook my head and walked forward to smack her on the ass causing her to turn and launch a flip flop at my head.

"Dammit Steph,"I said laughing as I dodged it. "It's only for the weekend. You don't need a shit ton of stuff. You normally wind up wearing my t-shirts and sweats on the bus anyhow."

She stood up and turned to glare at me. Shaking a damn flip flop at me, her blonde ponytail bouncing as she stomped past me to her bed. I let out a grunt when she threw an elbow into my ribs. Damn woman, never has played fair. She started ruffling through the clothes on the bed and tossing some in the bag. I walked up behind her and dropped a kiss on her cheek as I pushed her towards the bathroom.

"Go get your girlie shit out of there and I'll put this stuff in your bag because we have got to go," I said as I started stuffing clothes in the bag. She rolled her eyes but moved on to the bathroom.

"Fine," I heard her comment. "But please pack more than just my damn cut off shorts. I'm not going around the whole weekend in daisy dukes."

I glared toward the bathroom door. I threw an extra pair in for good measure. Couldn't help it they were my weakness.

"I don't feel like bailing you out of jail if you don't like the way someone looks at me and decide to talk with your fists first."

I scratched my beard and thought about what she said for a minute and pulled two pair out to replace them with jeans. She was probably right. I had gotten her clothes in and started tossing the shoes, socks, and underwear in. A red see-through lace thong caught my eye. I hooked a finger in them and walked to the bathroom door to stand in the door way. I held them up to let them dangle as Stephanie looked in the mirror me.

"What?" she asked giving me a strange look.

"Umm...... didn't I snap the string on these a couple of months ago?" I asked with a smirk. She rolled her eyes before grabbing her flat iron and make up to walk out. She hip checked me to move me out of the way. She put the stuff in her hands down before turning around to snatch the underwear out of my hand.

"Yes, you did. That was the pair you bought to replace them if you remember," she snapped before stuffing them in the bag along with the last few things then zipped it up. She grabbed her purse, laptop bag and phone off the bed before pointing at me to get her bag. I grinned down at her as I passed her.

"Oh yea, that's right. Think there was several different other colors of those in that Victoria Secret bag as well. You bringing those with you this weekend to?" I asked with a flirty grin. Steph rolled her eyes at me then walked out of her room.

"If I was they're not for you," she called over her shoulder. "We both agreed the last time a couple months ago was it. Plus, the purple ones are my favorite so of course they are in there."

I stopped to bang my head on the wall in her hallway. Why in the fucking hell did I have to agree when we said that?

I locked her front door up and headed out to the bus. She was talking to Tony as I climbed on then made my way to the back to toss her bag on my bed. Stephanie came in behind me to stash her other bags in the cabinet.

"Where's the guys?" she asked.

"We'll catch up with them. They were making a stop somewhere since we were detouring to pick you up," I answered grabbing my phone of my nightstand and walking back up front with her behind me.

"I could have just flown up to meet you," she said as she stopped to pull a bottle of water out of the fridge. She tossed one my way then sat down at the table. I shook my head and smiled.

"Nah, I get to spend a little more time with you this way before you have to fly back. I know you're gonna be busy with school starting."

A few hours later I pulled myself from the writing I had been doing and stood up to stretch. I padded back to my room and saw Steph curled up on my bed with her Kindle. She was intent on the book she was reading with her earbud in. I took off running and dove on the bed causing her to yell. She smacked me in the arm as she rolled her eyes.

"Dammit Brantley Keith! You scared the hell out of me," she grumbled after popping an earbud out to hear me. I pulled her to me and propped my chin on her shoulder.

"Whatcha listening to sweetheart?" I asked. She was half listening to me as she read. I swap her swipe her finger to turn the page before idly answering me.

"Chase's new album. He sent me an early copy," she murmured as she continued to stare at the screen. I sat up quickly to look down at her.

"I didn't know you kept in touch with him," I said. She turned her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"You never asked. Besides its not that big of a deal. We're friends," she said rolling her eyes at me. I felt my blood pressure rising. I glared at her.

"Yea, a friend you have slept with," I grumbled. She punched me in the shoulder before sitting up.

"Yes, we did, once. Really BG," she snapped. Damn she never called me that unless she was irritated." That's like the pot calling the kettle black don't you think jackass. We've slept together more than once and we are best friends."

I winced she had a point. I decided to play nice. I picked up the earbud she had pulled out and slipped it in so I could listen to it too. I tugged her arm so she would lay back down to finish reading. I let myself get lost in the music. Not bad, "Look at My Truck" was probably my favorite so far. One I could relate to.

A kind of upbeat song came on and I tapped my bare foot a little as I listened. But as I heard more of the song I couldn't help but narrow my eyes as I listened to the words. I closed my eyes and counted to ten before opening my mouth. I was gonna try and not put my foot in my mouth.

"Steph......" I ground out through clenched teeth.

"Yea B," she said never taking her eyes of the book she was reading.

"You do realize that "U Turn" is about you right? I said. Stay calm B, stay calm, I kept reminding myself. I don't know why but the thought totally pissed me off. Then I heard her fucking giggle. Straight up fucking giggled!

"Yep, I know," she said grinning over at me. I could see a faint blush on her cheeka. "He told me."

I dropped my arm over my eyes and willed myself to calm down. I knew why it pissed me off. That woman had more songs written about her than she knew. One of them was a damn number one song, but she was completely oblivious to it and I didn't have the balls to tell her any different.