AN: Wow, I updated. Feedback would be nice. inspiredthoughts@hotmail.com *************** One Night Stand: Chapter Three ****************** “So, umm, can I get you something to drink?” Keelie watched AJ McLean and Nick Carter warily as she perched nervously at the edge of the sofa in the living room and tried not to stare. AJ’s house was NICE, ugly as sin, but it cost a lot of money to look that bad. Her fingers played with the hammer in her tool belt. “Yeah, iced tea or water would be great if you have them.” AJ laughed suddenly, startling her into looking at him. He was carefree again, curiously happy, his handsome face full of gentle amusement that should annoy her, but didn’t. “I can’t guarantee tea but I think even I can manage to find water in the house, though it might have to come from the tap.” She flushed despite herself as he turned and bounded off, and stiffened when Nick Carter threw himself on the other end of the sofa. “So…” he drew out loudly, “you’re the tongue girl.” Keelie scowled. “Only some nights,” she grumbled. Nick surprised her by laughing as well, a sudden sound that was spontaneous. From the look on his face it had surprised him too. “Aje never said you were funny.” “ ‘Aje’ has never had a chance to find out,” came the curt reply. There was something wrong with these people. The Backstreet Boys needed ‘one’ to be defined to them, repeatedly it appeared. “So, screw celebrities often?” Keelie Stephanie Marie Childs stared at him and he stared back with guileless blue eyes that knew too much for so one young. Not that she any old hag but, well, Nick had all the maturity of a half trained puppy. She had only met him and already knew that. “Actually,” she answered, choosing her words carefully, “I screwed AJ because he had on pants so tight they looked like paint. Your friend has a very nice ass.” He coughed on his laughter. “Are you telling me you had no idea who he was when you took him home with you?” Nick demanded between wheezes. She rolled her honey colored eyes. “Please, this is Orlando. Whoever says they don’t recognize the stars of Boy Band Land are delusional. I knew who he was, but I wouldn’t have taken him home if he hadn’t been dancing like liquid sex. That’s all.” Nick twiddled his thumbs as she watched, exasperated. “So,” he finally said, “you’re British.” “Do you like stating the obvious?” “Hey, I sense tension in the room. I brought tea…” Keelie stared at the extended glass, a peace offer of sorts, and smiled wanly at the too hopeful expression in AJ’s eyes. It was weird because she knew that he really did feel bad about what had happened out in the yard, with destroying her credibility and all. He wasn’t a bad guy at all. She knew that with a certainty she wished she had with most of her previous boyfriends, who had turned out to be total jerks on the whole. She wanted to be pissed at him because, well, she would prefer NOT to starve to death but, he was so damned earnest about trying to make things right. So she took the offered glass of tea and tried not to make a face when she sipped it. Okay, the boy went to McDonalds by himself and obviously made tea by himself. No self respecting help would ever make tea this weak. And iced. Keelie always forgot that tea meant iced tea, not, well, REAL tea. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t lived in Britain since she was three and only had a bit of lingering accent. She still had a passion for REAL tea. It wasn’t much in the way of heritage but it was something. The three of them sat in an uneasy, awkward silence as Keelie managed to sip her way through the glass of watered down iced tea. Nick was busy studying his hair for split ends, and AJ, literally, twiddled his thumbs. When she finished she placed the empty glass on the edge of the table next to the couch and slowly stood. It shouldn’t have surprised her, but it did, when the two men stood as well. “I guess, I’ll be going.” She turned and started to head back the way she had come, embarrassed and angry despite herself, when AJ’s hand caught her tattooed wrist once again. “Wait!” She flinched automatically and he flinched in return. “I’m sorry, it’s just…” It was so damn hard to ignore him, with his honest brown eyes. He wasn’t wearing sunglasses and she could see him. Could see his concern for her, and the empathy. Pity would have driven her away but empathy, empathy drove her closer. Alexander James McLean had not always led an easy life. He had understood what it was to be desperate once and that meant more to her than it should. Keelie swallowed and tried to relax as he loosened his grip but still held her at his side. “Come work for me,” he blurted out in the brief space of acquisition she had granted him. She blinked and AJ gently drew her closer, until they were inches apart and she could feel his heat. Could remember what he tasted like, felt like, when they were skin to skin. The thumb gently tracing the lines of the music notes on her wrist told her he was remembering things too. Remembering the arch of her back, and the full fall of her hair. “Come work for me,” he whispered. Keelie resisted the urge to laugh hysterically. “Doing what?” Nick started to break in and she shook her head. “No sex.” Nick subsided and a small, sweet smile unfurled from AJ’s lips. “Come work for me. My house is a mess. It needs some light work on it.” She wrinkled her brow and saw laughter, the non hysterical kind, dancing in AJ’s pretty sable eyes. “Like housework? I’m not very domestic…” “No, general contractor stuff.” Keelie wrinkled her brow even more. “Your house is like brand new and worth more than my entire life. What could be wrong with it? I don’t want pity work…” Well actually… AJ shook his head vehemently. “Are you kidding me? Just because I paid a fortune doesn’t mean that stuff works. One of the faucets on my kitchen sink doesn’t work, the guest bathrooms have toilets that aren’t connected, my banister on the stair case is loose, look. I even have a list!” He released her long enough to dash to the entertainment center and retrieve a crumpled sheet of paper that was very definitely a list of things wrong with his house. “See?” Keelie looked, even though she knew she shouldn’t. Most of the jobs were time consuming, and a pain, but relatively simply. Definitely within her realm of limited expertise. AJ saw her waver, and pounced. “Work for me. Please?” The please did her in. Somehow she knew he knew it would. Damn him. She sighed once, gustily, and nodded. “All right, I’ll work you for.” AJ grinned from ear to ear and grabbed her hand to shake it firmly. He paused mid shake to look at her. “Umm, I still don’t know your name.”