“What?” she asked, smiling. “It’s way more fun with a captive audience, don’t you think? Want to go again?”
“Shockingly, hell yes.”
We slid down the plastic over and over again—giggling like little girls each time, running over to the bar for more alcohol in between.
I gave no thoughts to the fact that my dress was soaking wet, that my once perfectly styled hair now resembled a mop, or that I was drunker than I’d ever been in my entire life. Also, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop laughing.
“Okay, I think we should try to get dry now,” Nicole pointed toward a bonfire that had just started. “I just overhead some guy saying they’re doing free Skittle shots inside. They’re also doing a power hour at midnight.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“It’s a great thing.” She smiled. “They turn off all the lights so we won’t have to guess much of anything if we see a cock we’re curious about. We can just cop a quick feel for ourselves.”
“You’re ridiculous!” I burst into laughter as I took a seat in front of the fire.
The bright flames flickered and hissed, and as I held my hands out for warmth, I spotted Carter walking onto the deck.
Dressed in a black muscle shirt and dark blue jeans, he raised a red cup to me and Nicole before taking a long sip. Close by his side was Tina, and her eyes were completely glued on his body.
She was blushing and rubbing her hands against his chest, but he wasn’t paying her any attention. He was looking at us. At me.
His eyes trailed up and down my body, taking in my soaked dress and messy hair, but it didn’t look as if he was questioning it at all. Smiling, he looked me over one last time, and then he finally turned away to address Tina.
I watched as he gave her his usual “I know goddamn well that I’m charming the shit out of you” routine: A deep stare into the eyes, a light clasp of the wrist, and a few hushed and whispered words into the left ear that almost always led to an immediate blush. Watching him do those things normally made me roll my eyes, but tonight, I was envisioning myself in her place.
What is he saying?
My eyes roamed his body again and again—taking in the black tattoos wrapped around his sculpted right arm, his muscular chest, his mouth…And I seriously began to wonder how his lips would feel against mine.
Is he really into dirty sex? Would he have told me so if he was…?
“Are you checking Carter out?” Nicole asked, interrupting my thoughts. “Is that what you’re staring at?”
“No,” I said, lying. “Just thinking about something, and for the umpteenth time, Carter is like a brother to me.”
“Brother-brother or stepbrother? Because if it’s more along the stepbrother route, you should give it a try someday. How big do you think his cock is?”
Like he was any other random guy, I let my eyes drift toward his pants, but I stopped myself. I preferred to look at his lips instead.
As if Carter could feel me staring at him, he slowly turned around and looked in our direction again. He smiled at me and I blushed. Actually blushed.
Oh my god… “I’ve definitely got to get out of here.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I…I just think I might be drunk.”
“You are drunk.”
You don’t like Carter…You don’t like Carter…There’s no way you like Carter… I tried to keep my psychotic mind in check.
“Um, Ari?” Nicole asked. “Why does it look like you’re about to get up and run away?”
“No idea…Can we please go inside?”
“Sure.” She stood up and slipped her arm in mine, slowly pulling me to my feet. “You know, I would so sleep with Carter if he wasn’t your best friend and liable to tell you all about it the next day.”
“Gee, thanks…”
“You’re totally welcome!”
Leading me across the yard like I was an elderly woman, she stopped each and every time I asked her to, and since that was at least ten times, it took us forever to make it back to the deck.
“Okay. Now, up the steps,” she said. “Right foot, left foot…No, no, no. Your right foot, Ari. That’s your left…That’s still your left…”
“What’s wrong with her?” The sound of Carter’s deep voice made me look up.
“Nothing. She’s just super drunk because she drank over ten drinks. You should’ve seen her do a body shot. It was epic with a capital ‘E’ indeed.”
“She probably didn’t eat enough before coming here, then.” He slipped his arm around my waist and carried me up the remaining steps. “No offense, but as her friend, you should’ve known that she’s a terrible hard-liquor drinking buddy. She’s the perfect definition of a lightweight.”
“I honestly had no idea…” Nicole’s cheeks turned bright red in slight shame, but her eyes zoned in on Carter’s lips. “Since I don’t want her to go to sleep just yet, I was going to get her some water and have her dance off some of the alcohol. Care to join us?”
“In a minute, sure.” His blue eyes met mine. “Are you feeling okay? Do you want me to take you home?”
If you do take me home, do you promise to have sex with me? I think I’d like to do that with you…Right now…
I silently chastised my mind’s attempted response, grateful that it had at least had enough sense to send a signal for me to bite my lip so those words wouldn’t come out.
“Ari?” Carter was still looking at me, waiting for an answer. “Do you want me to take you home?”
“No…” I managed, fully aroused by his touch—by the way his hand was rubbing my back.
“Carter…” Tina whined behind us. “Since she’s okay now, can we go get another drink together? I don’t want to go alone…”
He asked if I was okay and looked me over one last time before taking Tina down to the yard bar.
“You were right.” Nicole said, opening the door to the house. “He’s definitely like your big-brother.”
I don’t think I would ever want to sleep with my big brother…
The second I stepped inside, the mix of weed fumes, wasted alcohol, and body sweat were so strong that I felt like I was going to pass out.
To my surprise, Nicole retrieved a few bottles of water and patiently encouraged me to drink them before pulling me onto the dance floor.
White and red strobe lights were now illuminating the room, striking the walls with their brightness. And every few minutes, the DJ shouted “Get ready! Power hour is almost here!” over the bass.
With the alcohol still in control, I shut my eyes and swayed to the music. I even leaned forward, grabbing onto a pair of shoulders for support, but those shoulders moved away—making me stumble.
“Is that your way of asking me to dance?” Some random guy turned around and caught me before I could fall.
“Sorry…” I stepped back.
“No need to apologize.” He placed his hands around my waist and steadied me. “Better?”
“Much…Thank you.”
Several songs later, when I was finally able to distinguish the difference between the ceiling and the floor, I was able to dance without him holding my hips.
“All the single people scream!” The DJ shouted over the speakers. “It’s power hour, bitches!”
I screamed my lungs out and danced to the techno beat—leaning my head back against random stranger guy’s chest. I felt his grip tighten around my waist, heard him whisper something in my ear, but my focus was on the music.
“Hey, Arizona!” Nicole stepped in front of me, shouting and waving her hands. “Ari?!”
“Yeah?”
“This has been really fun, but I’m leaving now. Are you going to be alright?”
“Wait, what? You’re leaving the party?” I yelled over the music. “I’ll come with you, I just need to find my—”
“No, no, no…” She cut me off. “I’m leaving with a guy and we’re going back to his place. Looks like y
ou found someone to go home with, too.”
“No, I’m just dancing…” The sober part of my brain surfaced and wondered if she honestly thought leaving me here alone was something a good friend would do. “I thought we were supposed to take a safe ride together?”
“We were until I found a guy, a very hot, I-was-dancing-on-him-and-felt-his-massive-cock-in-the-dark guy.” She put her hands on my shoulders. “You’ll be totally fine…Besides, Carter is here. He’ll definitely make sure you get home okay. If you don’t want to go home at the end of the night, the guy you’re dancing with is really, really good-looking…Just saying.” And with that, she left me in the same way that she’d left me a hundred times before.
I shouldn’t even be surprised anymore…
Random stranger guy spun me around to face him and smiled. He leaned close and whispered into my ear, “You want to get out of here?”
“Like, together?”
“Yeah, babe.” He smiled. “Together. My place?”
“Your place?” My brain still wasn’t firing off enough logical neurons. “To have sex?”
“Um, yeah.” He looked amused. “To have sex. Good sex…”
“No, I’m uh…” I shook my head. “I don’t think I’m sober enough to have sex right now.”
“Why do you need to be completely sober? I’m good at what I do, I’ll make sure you feel more than satisfied when I get done with you…”
What the…
I immediately yanked my hand away from him and pushed my way through the crowd, heading straight for the bathroom. I knocked, waited for a reply, and when none came, I slipped inside and shut the door.
I turned on the cold water and splashed my face repeatedly, murmuring, “Sober up, sober up, sober up….” I gave myself another slap of water and heard the door opening.
“Hey!” I snapped, turning around. “I’m in here! Do you not believe in knocking first?”
“I do,” Carter said, stepping inside. “I saw you come in here so I wanted to check on you.”
“Oh.” I continued splashing my face. “Thank you.”
“Where’s Nicole?”
“Where do you think?” I looked at him through the mirror, prepared to say something else, but I got distracted by his smile.
Has he always had dimples?
“You should probably stop trying to force that friendship.” He turned off the water and took a face towel from under the cabinet, pressing it against my wet forehead. “I personally think you can do much better.”
“Well, I personally think you can do much better than Josh, but you don’t see me complaining.”
He laughed and pressed the towel against my cheeks and my neck. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I’m going to catch a safety ride later, but I think I want to dance for a little bit more…”
“I’ll join you.” He opened the door and followed me out.
To my surprise, the living room was even more packed now and the lights were a lot dimmer. Since we couldn’t find a decent spot on the dance floor, Carter grabbed my hand and led me over to a corner.
He put his hands on my hips as we danced together, but unlike the numerous times that we’d danced before, my nerves were going out of control. My heart was racing a mile a minute.
I tried to act normal as the music shifted from chaotic to sensual, as he pulled me so close we were nearly lip to lip, but it was no use.
I wanted him to keep his hands on me, to touch me for the rest of the night.
“You look beautiful tonight, Ari…” he whispered against my mouth, letting his fingers caress my skin through the fabric of my dress.
“Thank you…” I breathed.
“Have you ever worn this dress before?” He tugged at its hem.
“Freshman year.” I blushed and buried my head in his chest to prevent our mouths from getting any closer.
“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” he whispered into my ear, but I didn’t answer. I was breathing in his scent, exhaling as he pressed his hand against my thigh.
“Ari?” he asked. “Ari?”
I ignored him once more, and instead of questioning it, he ran his fingers through my hair—setting my nerves on fire all over again.
A few songs later, when I’d convinced myself that my increased heartrate had nothing to do with the fact that Carter was still holding me close and touching me, I looked up at him.
“Why is the DJ playing slow songs now?” I asked.
“Would you like me to tell him to change it?”
“Yes…” I said softly. “Yes, I would.”
The lights in the room dimmed even darker, to where I could only make out the outline of his face.
“It’ll speed back up in a second,” he said, his lips slightly brushing against mine. “He always slows it down before the next power hour.”
“Right…” I felt his forehead touching mine.
The lights suddenly went black, and the next thing I knew, his lips were all over mine and my back was pushed hard against the wall. His tongue slipped into my mouth—demanding complete and utter control, and I immediately gave in.
Murmuring, I shut my eyes as he used his hips to keep me pressed against the wall, as he used one of his hands to slightly cup my ass.
He slid a hand under my dress and softly ran his fingers against my panty-line; in response, my arms went around his neck—my fingers threaded through his hair. He bit down hard on my bottom lip, so hard I moaned. But he didn’t stop kissing me. He kept his mouth attached to mine, barely giving me a chance to breathe.
“Ah…” I let another murmur escape my lips, and he bit my lip again. Even harder this time.
“Alright, enough of this slow shit!” The DJ bellowed! “Power Hour, part two bitches!”
The strobe lights came on again, and Carter and I quickly tore away—panting and staring at each other in utter disbelief.
“Fuck…” He breathed. “What the hell was that?”
“You tell me.” I leaned back against the wall. “One minute, I was dancing and the next minute, you were sticking your tongue down my throat.
“My tongue was nowhere near your throat,” he said, now smiling. “And you left out the next minute where you were kissing me back.”
“No, no, no. I was simply reacting to a sudden and rude intrusion of my mouth…” I paused, shaking my head. “You know what? I think I definitely had way too much to drink tonight, so I’m…I’m going to go lay down…Can I use your room?”
He readjusted my dress and smoothed my hair before answering. “Sure.”
I expected him to walk away and leave me to get there on my own, but he grabbed my hand and led me down the hallway—past the bathroom and past the door that separated his suite from the rest of the place.
He unlocked the door to his room and hit the lights, motioning for me to get into his bed.
“Wait…” I felt a sudden chill hit my skin, bringing attention to my still slightly damp dress. “I need to take a shower…Can I use your shower for a few minutes?”
“Of course you can,” he said, his eyes locked on mine. “You know you never have to ask me for anything like that…”
We stared at each other, and I was pretty sure that dampness I was feeling was not my dress.
“Um…” I stepped forward, looking away from him. “I’m going to go um…Take that shower now…” I moved past him and walked straight into the bathroom, but I saw his reflection in the mirror behind me seconds later.
He took a towel from the closet and handed it to me. “Here.”
“Thank you…” I said, wondering why he was shutting the door. Shutting the door without leaving…
“You’re not going to stay in here with me the whole time are you?”
He smiled. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Do you watch Josh when he takes his showers? Do you get off on watching your friends naked?”
“No,” he said, smiling wider, looking me up and down and m
aking my heart race all over again. “I was only going to help you get undressed because you’re not completely sober yet, just in case you can’t do it yourself.”
“I’m pretty sober, so I think I’ll be perfectly fine.” I felt my cheeks heating. “I take off my own clothes every day, all alone. So, I think I can manage…”
“I’m just being a good friend, Ari.”
“Yes. A friend, Carter.”
“A good friend.”
“Yes…” I was definitely more than drawn to him right now. “You’ve said that already…”
Our eyes locked again and I felt like I couldn’t even force myself to look away.
“Okay. I’ll wait in my room until you’re done.” His eyes lingered on my lips for a few seconds, and then he left.
Swallowing hard, I shut my eyes and tried to think.
This is a dream, Arizona. A very sexy, titillating, yet random as hell dream…You did not kiss Carter. He did not kiss you. You like him as your friend and you do not find him that attractive. You’re in his bathroom because you probably just went to the beach together and wanted to freshen up afterwards…Yes…Yes… That makes much more sense...
I opened my eyes again and turned on the water—holding my hand underneath the faucet until I felt like it was warm enough. I pulled the shower lever forward to turn on the overhead streams.
Then I realized I hadn’t taken off my clothes yet.
That I couldn’t take off my clothes.
The zipper on the back of my dress was jammed, and I now remembered Nicole forcing it up a bit before we came to the party.
I considered ripping the dress off myself, but the fabric was too thick, so I decided against it. I walked over to the door and called Carter’s name.
He walked down the hall to me seconds later, with a knowing smile on his face. “Yes, Ari?”
“Could you please help me take off my dress?”
“Just your dress?” He raised his eyebrow.
“Yes.” I stepped back inside, letting him follow me. “Just. My. Dress.”
“Okay. Turn around.”
I turned around and felt his hands in my hair, felt him slowly pulling my hair on top of my head and attempting a makeshift bun.
He gripped my zipper and jerked it a few times before it gave, and then he slowly pulled it down until it reached my lower back.