Stay With Me: A Best Friend’s Brother Small Town Romance (Sugarland Creek Book 2)

THREE YEARS LATER

“It’s my birthday, bitches!” I scream and throw my arms up.

Everyone cheers and holds up a shot glass. I’m finally turning twenty-one, and I’m making the most of it. I invited a few of my girlfriends over to pregame at my boyfriend’s house, and then we’re going to the Twisted Bull for the real celebration. There’s a large dance floor and a mechanical bull, but I’m only interested in the alcohol and music.

“Here, babe. Made you a drink.” Travis winks, handing me a red cup.

“Ooh, what is it?” I smell it, and hints of fruit hit my nose.

“Special birthday drink to make sure you have the time of your life tonight.” He wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me into his chest and kissing my lips. “I want you to let loose and have fun.”

I smile wide at my boyfriend, then gulp half of it down. We’ve had our ups and downs over the past few years, but he’s finally maturing. We used to fight about silly, stupid shit, and now he’s more considerate of my feelings and what makes me happy.

“It’s delicious!” I shout over the music, then take another long drink. “Wanna dance with me?”

“I will in a bit. I’m playin’ bartender before we head out.”

Pulling him down for a heart-stopping kiss, I grin at how sweet he’s being. “Thank you for all of this.”

His palm cracks down on my ass, and I yelp. “Anything for my woman.”

“Noah!” I shout when I see my best friend walk in with two of her brothers. “You guys came!”

I jump into her arms, and luckily, she catches me. The alcohol is catching up to me already.

“Of course!” She laughs and hugs me.

“You brought the snooze team with you?” I arch a brow at Landen and Tripp.

She gives me a pointed look. “They’re our DDs. Be nice.”

Tripp limits his alcohol and never gets drunk unless he’s at home. Even though he’s twenty-three, he’s never been a big drinker. I suspect that has to do with his best friend in high school dying from a drinking and driving accident five years ago.

I already know Travis isn’t going to like them being here. Before we got back together, Landen and I went out on a date last year. I was surprised to learn he liked me that way but figured I had nothing to lose since Tripp was blind to all my signals. When he asked if he could kiss me at the end of the night, we discovered there were no sparks between us and agreed to stay just friends.

But even so, Travis hates him simply for that reason.

“Well, perfect! Because we’re partyin’ hard tonight! C’mon, Travis is makin’ drinks!” I grab her hand, then pull her behind me toward the kitchen.

Tripp and Landen stand behind us while Travis makes Noah a cocktail.

“You two want a beer?” Travis asks them once Noah has her drink.

“Nah, we’re drivin’,” Tripp explains.

“Oh, c’mon. One won’t kill ya. Take it.” Travis holds out a bottle but neither reaches for it.

“I said no.” Tripp’s harsh tone sends a shiver down my spine. “I don’t drink and drive, man.”

They have a stare-off before Travis shrugs and takes it for himself. “C’mon, doll. Let’s dance.”

When I turn, I find Tripp’s icy glare on me as I take Travis’s hand. His hot-and-cold attitude confuses the fuck out of me because one minute he’d give me a sign he likes me, but then a minute later, he acts like he can’t get away from me fast enough.

It’s why I gave up trying and decided to give Travis another chance. I’m a goddamn catch. I shouldn’t have to convince a man to be with me.

Travis and I dance in the middle of the makeshift dance floor and halfway through the second song, I feel a hole burning in the back of my head. Noah’s next to us, dancing with our friends from high school, so I spin in Travis’s arms to see what else is going on in the room.

Tripp’s drinking out of a water bottle and Landen whispers something to him. Tripp’s brows are furrowed, his eyes locked on Noah and me. I sip more of my fruity drink and get lost in the music while keeping my gaze on him.

Arching my back, I rub my ass against Travis’s groin, and he tightens his hold on me. “You keep doing that, and I’m fuckin’ that tonight.”

I playfully elbow him, but he squeezes my arm.

“I’m serious, Maggie. Trust me, you’ll like it.” He spins me around to face him, and I scowl.

He knows I hate being called Maggie and even more when he doesn’t respect my boundaries.

“I thought we had this discussion already.” One where I told him no freaking way.

“I’ll get ya nice and prepped, dollface. By the time I’m done edgin’ you, you’ll be beggin’ me for my thick cock in your ass.” He winks, and it makes my skin crawl.

Thick? If a number two pencil was thick, then yeah, he’s thick. But I have a low pain tolerance, and nothing sounds worse than giving him the green light to touch me there.

It’d be one thing if he were talking about rough sex or even role-playing. We’ve experimented in the past, and it was hot as hell, but this is one thing I won’t budge on. It makes me uncomfortable, and he seems to think me saying no is foreplay to him getting what he wants.

Knowing he’s been drinking and not wanting to have this conversation at the moment, I brush him off. It’s not worth fighting about when tonight’s about celebrating and having fun.

“I’m ready to go to the Twisted Bull. Noah?” I look at her, and she nods eagerly.

“We’ll ride with her brothers since you’re drunk,” I tell Travis.

“The hell we will. I’m drivin’ you.” He squeezes my arm again, but this time it’s hard enough to leave a bruise.

“You’ve been drinkin’,” I remind him, keeping my voice steady so he doesn’t blow up in front of everyone. “Tripp and Landen can drive us there and then we’ll Uber home.”

He pinches his lips together and scowls in the direction of Noah’s brothers before finally looking at me. “Fine. But I want you close to me all night.”

Normally, I’d think his possessiveness was hot, but he’s acting more like a dick than a loving, protective boyfriend.

“You will be, I promise.” I wrap my arms around his neck so he calms down.

I finish the last of my drink before we get into Tripp’s truck. We can’t all fit in the front and back seats, so the rest of my friends pile in the bed and sing loudly to the music on our way there.

Noah nudges me, grabbing my attention, then tilts her chin toward the phone in my hand. When I unlock the screen, I find a text.

NOAH

Everything okay with you and Travis?

As discreetly as I can with Travis on my other side, I type out a response.

MAGNOLIA

Yeah, he just didn’t want to ride with your brothers, but I told him he had been drinking and it was best he didn’t drive.

NOAH

He keeps glaring at Tripp. I thought they were friends?

MAGNOLIA

Me too. I’m not sure what’s going on with him tonight. But I’m determined to have fun and not let his moody ass ruin it.

NOAH

You better not! You only turn twenty-one once, and then it’s all downhill!

She laughs when she watches me read her message.

“Bitch.” I chuckle.

As soon as I pocket my phone, we pull into the parking lot.

“You’re here to have fun tonight, okay?” Noah reminds me as we link arms and walk toward the entrance. “Just keep cruisin’ and shake it off. Or whatever Taylor Swift said.”

I burst out laughing at the reference. She’s a closet Swiftie.

Travis puts his hand on the small of my back as we go inside and brings his mouth close to my ear.

“I’m sorry for earlier. I just hate sharin’ you.”

The sincerity in his voice has me smiling. Travis isn’t good at processing his emotions or showing them, so I know it’s not easy for him to express when something’s bothering him.

“It’s just for a few hours, and then I’ll be all yours once we get back to your place,” I reassure him, losing my grip on Noah and wrapping my arms around his waist. “You still owe me a birthday gift anyway.”

He tilts my chin with a devious grin. “And I plan to fulfill it when I get you alone.” His other hand lands on my ass with a smack. “Gonna pop that cherry.”

I roll my eyes, not wanting to argue about it again.

“Want a drink?”

“Yes, please! Somethin’ with a big pineapple in it. Oh, and get a strawberry margarita for Noah.”

He chuckles, then brushes his lips to mine. “You got it, doll.”

“He seems in a better mood, huh?” Noah comes to my side.

“Yeah, he’ll be fine. If his mood swings don’t make me kill him first.” I laugh, but when I glance at her, she’s giving me one of her side-eye looks. “What?”

She shakes her head, staying silent, but she doesn’t have to say anything. I already know what she’s thinking.

But I’m just going to have to prove to her she’s wrong about Travis this time. We’ve had our problems, but I can tell he’s really changed and wants us to work out.

“Where’d your brothers go?” I ask to change the subject.

“They went to play pool and darts. I’m sure they’ll be back in a bit to babysit me. Oh, I love this song! Let’s go dance!”

Noah grabs my hand, drags me to the dance floor, and we let loose with our friends. Travis catches up to us and hands us our drinks. He then secures a tabletop and chugs a beer while watching me.

“Lemme try your piña colada,” Noah shouts over the music after I’ve sucked down half of it. “I haven’t tried one before.”

“Yeah, can I taste yours?”

We swap, and I moan at the sweet strawberry puree flavor. Instead of switching back, we keep drinking each other’s. Oh well, I’ll get another one later.

After dancing for five or seven songs and a pound of sweat across my forehead, we stumble our way back to Travis. Our drinks are nearly empty, but I want to do shots before getting another fruity one.

“We need to do some blow job shots! And Sex on the Beach!” I shout. “Oh, and I need a piña colada since Noah stole mine.”

Travis’s eyes lower to our glasses and his jaw clenches. “Noah drank yours?”

“Yeah, she wanted to try it, and then we forgot to switch back.” I shrug because who cares? We share our things all the time.

“Fuck,” he mutters, threading his fingers through his slicked-back blond hair. “Um, okay. Just stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Travis goes to the bar and then my gaze finds Tripp with some redhead hanging on his arm.

“Maybe I shoulda dyed my hair, and he woulda liked me,” I mumble toward Noah.

“Huh? What’re you—” Then she realizes who I’m looking at. “Oh, shush your mouth. Tripp has his own issues. It has nothin’ to do with your hair color.”

“You sure?” I blink a couple of times when my vision gets fuzzy. “He’s lookin’ at her like he’s ready to devour a medium-rare sirloin steak smothered in mushrooms.”

Noah snorts, hanging closely as we study her brother. “Of course you’d know his favorite meal, you psycho stalker. But if it’s any consolation, I’d say he’s lookin’ at her like she’s a bowl of cold pea soup.”

I furrow my brows at the visual. “What’s that mean?”

“He hates soup. And pea soup is the worst of ’em all.”

We’re in a fit of giggles by the time Travis returns with a tray of shots. Noah grabs one, then holds it up high. I wave our friends over and tell them to grab a shot, but I take one of each for myself.

“To the motherfuckin’ birthday girl and my best friend!” Noah shouts, and everyone hollers in return. By how much she’s yelling tonight, she’ll have no voice tomorrow.

We down them quick and easy before slamming the glasses on the table. Then I hold up my second one. “Who wants a BJ?”

Travis shoots me a disapproving scowl, so I ignore him. If he doesn’t want to have fun with me, then I’ll find someone else who will.

The commotion of our little party gets Tripp’s and Landen’s attention, and they walk over.

“Tripp, you wanna BJ?” I ask mostly to toy with him but also to see if he’ll actually do it.

“Am I supposed to know what that means?” His gaze shifts from mine to Travis, who’s no doubt giving him a murderous glare.

“Kneel in front of me and do what I say,” I order.

Once Tripp begrudgingly does what I ask, I stand in front of him. “Now open your mouth.”

He raises a brow, but I nod confidently. Once he does it, I tilt back my head and pour the shot in but don’t swallow. Holding it in my cheeks, I lean over Tripp, then spit the liquid into his mouth. Before he can swallow it down, I smash my lips to his.

His eyes widen as his throat moves.

“Yeah, go birthday girl!” one of my friends cheers, but I’m too stuck on the fact that my lips are touching Tripp’s to holler back.

After all this goddamn time, and it’s happening like this.

In front of my boyfriend. Oops.

Neither of us moves, our mouths glued, yet both too afraid to take a taste.

“That’s enough,” Travis barks, yanking me back.

I stumble on my heels and blink my eyes open to get used to the bright lights.

“That’s how a BJ shot works?” Landen asks, helping Tripp to his feet.

Shrugging, I wipe my lower lip. “It’s how I do it.”

Lies. I made it all up to see if Tripp would take the bait and he did.

“Hot damn, now I need me a cowboy to give a BJ shot to. Any takers?” Noah skips around, looking for a victim. She hasn’t dated since she and Jase broke up last year, so I’d love to see her finally getting back out there again. Between working on her family’s ranch and a busy horse training schedule, she hasn’t made time for it.

“You might wanna get your sister home soon before the ecstasy kicks in,” Travis tells her brothers in a hushed voice, but I overhear every word.

Did he say ecstasy? When did Noah take that?

“Excuse me?” Tripp’s booming voice can be heard from a mile away.

Oh fucking shit.

“You drugged our sister?” Landen snaps.

“Wait, what’d you do to me?” Noah’s voice falters as she stops dead in her tracks.

“Shit. No, I-I didn’t mean to. It was for Magnolia, but she didn’t keep her own fuckin’ drink, so it ain’t my fault,” he hisses, shooting a glare at me.

“What?” I shriek. “You drugged me? And it’s somehow my fault?”

“Well, if you’d stop swappin’ spit with everyone, it wouldn’t be a big deal.” He stands in front of me as if to block me from everyone else. “It was part of your gift. I wanted you to have fun and let loose for…later.”

I step back from him, trying to comprehend his logic.

“You can’t just drug me without my consent, then get mad I didn’t end up takin’ it. How could you do this?”

He closes the gap between us, lowering his mouth to speak. “You wanted to try anal, so I thought this would help ease your nerves. This way you wouldn’t even feel the pain.”

“When the hell did I say I wanted that? I’ve been tellin’ you no for weeks!”

“Yeah, because you thought it’d hurt, which is why I got the Molly for you.”

“Oh my God. That cannot be your excuse.” My head bobbles and the floor starts to open in front of me.

“Are you…how much of your drink did you have before you gave it to Noah?” he asks, holding my shoulders.

“Like a third of it, probably. Less than half.” I try to remember, but I can feel the blood rushing to my ears, and it’s freaking weird.

“Shit, you probably drank some of it then.”

“Guys. I’m feelin’ it. Holy shit. I love you so much, Magnolia. You’re my best friend.” Noah’s smile is so wide and goofy I can’t help but laugh.

“You dumbass, look what you did to her. She’s high as shit.” I smack his shoulder, but he doesn’t even flinch.

“You will be soon, too. We should get home. I’ll order an Uber.” He unlocks his phone screen and clicks on the app, but I don’t want to go yet. And right now, I don’t want to go anywhere with Travis after this.

Tripp steps between us, taking me off guard and nearly making me fall back on my ass. Luckily, Landen’s close enough to grab my arm and keep me on my feet.

“You ain’t takin’ her anywhere, asshole. You drugged them, and you’ve been drinkin’. Take your fuckin’ Uber and go home alone.” Tripp gets in Travis’s face with his hands balled into fists at his side.

Oh shit, this isn’t good.

“Fuck you, Tripp. She’s my girlfriend, not yours. So back off.” Travis shoves Tripp’s chest, then leans around him to find me. “Magnolia, let’s go. We’ll wait for our ride outside.”

I’m too dazed to be angry because all I feel is relaxed and happy. Glancing at Noah, I notice her toothy grin, and by the way she’s hanging on Landen tells me she’s beyond trippy.

“Landen, take ’em to my truck. Now,” Tripp says without glancing away from Travis.

“Dude, no. You can’t have her. She’s mine!” Travis sounds like he’s ready to kill him.

“Why’re you being so goddamn loud? It’s a party! Let’s dance!” I raise my arms and lift up on my tiptoes. “Oh my God, I love this song! Noah, let’s⁠—”

“No!” Tripp grabs my hand and pulls me away from the dance floor. Landen follows with Noah in his grip, and I pout.

“It’s my birthday! I don’t wanna go!”

“Me neither!” Noah whines. “We can have a dance party at my house!”

“Yes!” I shout at the same time Tripp and Landen bark out, “No!”

“The fuck? Magnolia!” Travis catches up, grabs my arm out of Tripp’s grip, then raises his fist. Before I can warn Tripp, Travis punches him in the nose.

“Oh my God!” I squeal, falling back into another body.

Landen shoves Travis, then kneels to check on Tripp.

Shit, I see blood.

“Let’s go!” Travis yanks me toward the door, making me lose my footing and my heels.

“Slow down!” I bend to grab my shoes, but before I can, Travis hauls me into his arms.

“Those are my favorites!” I whine.

“I’ll buy you new ones. We need to get outta here before…”

Before the cops show up.

“Magnolia!” Noah shouts behind us with Landen on her tail. “We didn’t ride the bull!”

“Oh my God! We have to!” I yell back, then turn to Travis and kick my legs. “Lemme down!”

“You hate the bull, Maggie. It’s just the Molly. It’ll wear off.”

I scrunch my nose. “Who’s Molly?”

“You definitely have some in your system. Why would you share your drink?”

“Asks the person who put drugs in my drink,” I mock as he searches for our ride in the parking lot. Perk of being in a small town is not having to wait long for an Uber, but a part of me doesn’t want to go back to his house. I don’t trust him even if I am feeling an adrenaline rush.

“Maybe I should stay with Noah and go home with her so I know she’s okay,” I say when he sets me down.

Travis opens the passenger door and shoves me inside. “Just shut up and buckle yourself.” He slams the door in my face before I can respond.

Oh, he’s more delusional than I thought if he thinks he’s getting anal after this.