Blessed Fate by Hb Heinzer

and heard Jon, Travis and her brothers in the basement talking baseball and shooting a game of pool. "Sounds like they're getting along just fine," I whispered into her ear.
    "Guess so." She laced her fingers with mine as we walked to the basement. I didn't want to read too much into the gesture, but I couldn't help the feeling that there was a shift occurring in our relationship. It didn't take long before Rain excused herself to the seating area on the opposite end of the basement from where everyone was talking. I could only hope that meant she was finally going to sleep.
    I looked from the guys playing pool to Rain curled on the couch, trying to decide where to go. The only place I wanted to be was next to her on the leather sectional, stroking her hair, but I didn't want her brothers to make any assumptions that could cause her stress. I joined the guys for a heated debate over which bands deserved to be called classics.
    "Come on, sleeping beauty. Let's get you into your bed," I whispered as I scooped her into my arms. I figured it was the perfect time for us to escape since everyone else had gone outside. She might be an adult, perfectly capable of making her own decisions, but that didn't mean her brothers were going to be okay with me sleeping in the same bed as her, which is exactly where I planned on sleeping.
    Matt and Mike, her two oldest brothers, came inside before we could get up the stairs. They stopped us, asking to talk to her for a minute. From what I understood, these two had been the least supportive of her over the years, so I was cautious about leaving her alone with them. When they stuttered and stammered, trying to come up with the right words to tell her they were proud of her, I had to hold back a laugh.
    Walking through her bedroom door was like walking into a Barbie Dream House. Everything in the room was pink, the one color I could never picture Rain liking. The only thing I could see that wasn't pink was the furniture, which was bright white, including the four-poster canopy bed.
    As she dug through her drawers for something to wear to bed, I reached for the back of my collar, pulling off my black t-shirt. She looked stunned when I reached for the button of my jeans. "What?" I asked, continuing to get ready for bed.
    "You know they'll have your balls if you sleep with me tonight, right?"
    "What do you want, Rain?" I couldn't care less what her brothers thought at that point. She led me to her room, which led me to believe she didn't want to sleep in separate rooms any more than I did.
    "I don't want you to go, but I don't want to explain your untimely death to five thousand fans on Sunday night either."
    I climbed into the bed, patting the mattress next to me. "We can deal with them in the morning. If you want me here tonight, that's where I'll be."
    "Thank you." I pulled her tight against my chest, taking in the scent of her hair as we drifted off to sleep. Every night before this, we had shared the bed, sometimes even draping an arm around one another, but this was definitely different. Every curve of her soft body fit perfectly with the firmer contours of my own like pieces of a puzzle.
    Sleep didn't come for me until shortly before dawn, and even then, it wasn't restful sleep. I laid there in the dark, watching her sleep, allowing my fingers to trace her arms, her sides, her hips and her legs. As the sky began to lighten and the sun started creeping towards the horizon, I knew what I had to do.
    If not for the scent of freshly brewed coffee wafting through the house, I would have thought I was the first person awake. Granted, I had only slept for about an hour, so I wasn't sure that counted as having slept at all, but I was up for the day. As I rounded the bottom of the massive staircase towards the kitchen, I saw Matt, Mike, and their dad sitting around the table in the breakfast nook.
    "Good morning, Colton. Would you like some coffee?" Matt asked as he stood from his chair.
    I motioned