Brooke Roberts

Brooke POV

"Tell me everything. What's it like living with the hotties?" Liv asks, taking a sip of her drink and looking around, trying to see if the guys are nearby in the VIP area, but they are on the other side of the mezzanine talking to a group of people I don’t know. The nightclub is crowded once again, but unlike last week, people can move more easily around the dance floor, at least for now.

"There's not much to tell. I told you I went to pick up the stuff on Saturday, Seth came with me, and when I wasn't around, I think he broke Patrick’s wrist..."

"Voldemort, we don’t mention that name anymore, Brooke," she interrupts. "But yes, Seth defended your honor and took you surfing, I already know that. But what about the rest? You spent a whole week at their place. Did nothing happen?"

"Nothing new. I adapted as if I was always meant to live there."

"And you should, even your room's decor was made for you. So lucky, God really does have his favorites," she complains, making me laugh.

"Raffi is flirting more than usual, but I think it’s because we see each other every day now."

My friend tilts her head and raises her eyebrows suggestively.

"Or he wants a piece of you." I slap her arm.

"Liv!"

"What? Are you going to say you don't want it? He's amazing, not only does he have a delicious body, but his hair is softer than mine."

"You’re impossible. It’s not that I don’t want it; I never even considered it. When I met him, I was still into Kyle, and then they were already my friends," I declare, before finishing my second piña colada of the night.

"They, huh? We’ve included Seth in Brooke’s Harem, I like it. — She starts fanning herself as if she's hot. — And how is it living with your childhood crush?"

I rub my forehead before running my hand through my hair.

"Everything’s normal."

"Aha, you want to try lying to me again?"

"It’s complicated, Liv. I don’t even know exactly what I’m feeling. I thought I had gotten over it, but apparently it’s not that simple. Can we talk about this later? Preferably somewhere the subject isn't likely to overhear?"

"I think you’re missing an opportunity, but God gives teeth to those who don’t have nuts."

The theme of the party tonight is the 2010s, so it's no surprise when "Bad Girls" by M.I.A starts playing, the beat echoing off the walls, and I start moving to the rhythm.

"Finish your drink so we can go down!" I ask, and my friend smiles, finishing the rest of the cocktail in one go.

"Done." She gets up and grabs my hand, leading me to the dance floor. When we pass the security guard at the bottom of the stairs, my friend stops and turns to him. "Hi, good to see you again, Gary."

"Olivia," he nods in acknowledgment.

"You remember. Very well. I’ll think of a way to reward you," she comments and walks away, but turns to blow him a kiss.

"You’re starting early today," I tease.

"It was supposed to have started last week, I’m actually late," she replies, laughing.

The dance floor is more crowded than I had imagined from the mezzanine, so we have to push our way through until we find a bit of space for the two of us. We manage to dance through the final seconds of the song before “Uptown Funk!” fills the room. It’s an infectious beat that reminds me of high school dances.

Before long, I can feel the sweat collecting at the base of my back, sticking the thin fabric of my black dress to my skin. I keep lifting my hair to cool my neck, and Liv does the same, though she’s wearing a cropped top and tight pants.

I love how the music seems to fill every cell of my body, moving my muscles to the rhythm of the beats. It takes away the weight of work and the past few days and replaces it with a sense of euphoria.

"I missed seeing you smile like this," Liv shouts in my ear to be heard over the music, and I hug her.

"I love you," I reply in the same way, and she raises our hands high and dances with a smile.

“Despacito” starts playing, and we join the chorus of cheers while swaying to the Latin rhythm. A group of guys seems to be approaching, and I notice one of them watching my every move.

He has a scruffy beard over a square jaw and full lips. When he notices me looking, he smiles and raises an eyebrow before coming closer, leaving his friends behind.

"Hi, beautiful," he greets me, shouting in my ear as it's the only way to communicate. Liv watches me closely to see if I want her to save me from the stranger. I smile at her, and she shrugs, going back to dancing.

"Hi," I reply, still moving to the beat of the music.

"I’ve never seen you around here. I’m Ben," he says. His flirting is weak, but he positions himself behind me, moving to the same rhythm I am, and the heat from his body only makes mine rise.

"And what would you have done if you had met me earlier?"

"Can I show you?" he asks, with a tattooed hand reaching towards my waist. I appreciate that he asked permission before touching me.

"Sure." As soon as the words leave my lips, he wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me against him without stopping his dancing. I feel my body responding to his touch, and Liv’s eyes widen as she nods, encouraging me.

When the music changes, Ben takes the opportunity to spin me around so I’m facing him. We dance through two more songs, his hands always on me, caressing my waist and arms. But it’s hard to talk, and because of the lights, we almost bump heads twice when he tries to get closer.

Whenever our gazes meet, I can sense the desire there, and I realize how much I missed feeling desired. I can’t remember the last time Patrick and I slept together or when he did anything to show his feelings for me. Why did I stay with him all that time?

He tries to speak, but I can’t understand a single word. I shake my head and shrug my shoulders.

Ben tightens his hold on my waist, drawing my attention to his face. His other hand slowly travels up my arm until it reaches my chin, which he holds, keeping my head still. Finally, he manages to press his lips to my ear.

"Want to grab a drink and go somewhere quieter to talk?" I nod in agreement, and step back, taking Liv's hand. She leans in so she can hear me. I explain what's happening, and she says she’ll head up to the VIP area, and we’ll meet her there.

I take her hand and signal the way to Ben. When we reach the stairs, Liv gives me a hug.

"Enjoy, he’s hot," she whispers.

"I intend to."

She lets go and says something to Gary that I don’t hear.

"VIP area, now I know why I hadn’t seen you before," Ben comments and nods towards the bar.

"Yeah, we’ve been coming to Underworld since it opened." I shrug. I don’t need to say that I know the owners, let alone that I’m living with them.

We find a spot in the corner of the bar near the hallway leading to the restrooms. It takes a few minutes before one of the bartenders can attend to us, and Ben orders a beer while I get another piña colada.

"So, are you going to tell me your name?" he asks, taking a sip of his drink.

"Brooke." The cold cocktail helps cool me down, and I drink nearly half of it in one go, not realizing I was so thirsty.

"That suits you. What do you like to do?" He gets jostled by someone trying to reach the bar, and we end up in the hallway.

"My hobby is surfing," I say.

"Really? That’s cool. I tried it once, but it wasn’t for me."

"You can’t give up. It’s a sport that requires practice. But the feeling of catching a wave is surreal. Just sitting on the board in the middle of the ocean is like therapy."

"Your smile is beautiful," he says, and one of his fingers touches the corner of my mouth, making me shiver. His gaze follows the movement of his hand before focusing back on my eyes. Did I say his game was weak? I was wrong.

One of his hands rests on the wall next to my head, and he slowly brings his face closer to mine before descending. I can feel his warm breath against the bare skin of my shoulder. My breath catches in anticipation as Ben kisses my collarbone, sending a shiver down my spine. He trails kisses up my neck to my ear, and I stifle a moan.

It happens in a second: one moment Ben’s body is pressed against mine, and the next, he’s being pulled away.

"Hey, man. What’s up?" Kyle asks.

"What the hell, Kyle?" I complain, pushing my friend’s arm away from Ben, who is still glaring at him.

"Stay away from her," Kyle warns. "Just go back to your friends, man."

"Hey, I didn’t do anything. She didn’t say she had a boyfriend," Ben says, raising his arms defensively.

"And I don’t," I protest, trying to get around my friend who is blocking me from Ben, but he stops me.

"Kyle, get out of the way. What do you think you’re doing?"

"Just trust me," he says, finally looking in my direction.

"Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m out. Nice meeting you, Brooke," Ben says and leaves, probably in search of his friends.

"Kyle," he starts, turning to me.

"Who do you think you are?" I hit his chest. His posture exudes anger, as if he expected Ben to fight him. "You don’t have that right. Just because I’m living at your house doesn’t mean you can act like a controlling Neanderthal and dictate who I can or can’t see."

"You can see whoever you want," he says, taking a deep breath. I notice his fist clenching and unclenching at his side.

I point to where Ben just left.

"Doesn’t seem like it. You just stopped that from happening."

"It’s for your own good. You don’t have all the facts, Brooke."

"Oh, really?" I cross my arms over my chest. "And what are they? Why did you think you had the right to act like a jealous boyfriend? Is that it? Are you jealous?"

It can’t be, can it? Kyle didn’t see it that way, I’m sure of it, and that doesn’t change the fact that he can’t treat me like a child.

"Of course, I’m not jealous." He turns and heads towards the stairs. I follow him. "It’s what it looks like. What other reason would you have? You don’t even know him," I complain, and he stops halfway up the stairs leading to the mezzanine.

"You don’t know him either," he says in a dark tone. "Listen, we don’t have proof, so we can’t do anything, but he’s not a saint."

"You’re making things up."

"Come here," he says, pulling me toward the railing and pointing to the security team. "Marcus, James, and Chris are keeping an eye on him. They told me you were with him, and that’s why I came down," he finishes, looking back at me. "It has nothing to do with jealousy. You can be with whoever you want."

"Whoever I want?" I press, wondering if I’m seeing things the way I want them to be. "And if I say I want Raffi? Will you come up with another excuse to stop me, or will you admit you’re jealous?"

"I would never be jealous of Raffi; he's my brother. I trust him with my life and everything I care about, including you, Sunshine," he says, and the certainty in his tone irritates me. A voice in the back of my mind tells me he doesn’t believe I’ll actually go through with this.

"Good to know."

I head up the stairs and scan the mezzanine. Raffi is standing with Seth and Liv, so I make my way over to them.

"Back already?" Liv asks, puzzled. "I thought you’d be gone longer."

"So did I, but Kyle acted like a jerk."

"He has his reasons, Brooke," Seth says.

"Yeah, that’s what he said," I reply.

My eyes never leave Raffi, taking in every detail. His hair is loose today, his eyes have that familiar mischievous sparkle, and he’s wearing a gray shirt with some holes in the short sleeves that highlight his strong arms, paired with jeans that fit his powerful legs.

"Raffi, is the offer still on the table?" I ask, the alcohol giving me the courage to not back out as Kyle seems to think I will.

"For you, babygirl, always," he replies, one hand sliding down my waist to pull me against him. His eyes lock with mine, and he seems to look into my soul. "Are you sure about this?"

"I am." I lift my face to his, and he smiles mischievously.

As he brings his face closer, I notice the darker blue specks in his irises. His face is mere millimeters from mine, and I can feel the slight scratch of his beard on my skin. His woody scent overwhelms my senses, erasing everything around us. It’s different from what I experienced moments ago with… what was his name again?

"Last chance, Brooke," he murmurs against my lips, and the tension seems to coil in my stomach like a spring pulled to its limit and about to snap.

I press my mouth against his in response, and it’s all Raffi needs to let himself go. He sucks on my lower lip, and his tongue finds its way, expertly exploring my mouth. He tastes like beer mixed with something I can’t quite identify, but I’m almost certain it’s just Raffi’s taste. One of his hands moves to my neck, tilting my head for better access, while the other presses me against his firm body. His hand on my waist threatens to move lower, but he seems to reconsider and digs his fingers into the side of my body instead.

Meanwhile, my hands take the opportunity to explore his body, sliding down his arms and then up his back, feeling the muscles move beneath his skin as he shifts. One of my hands sinks into his soft hair, tugging gently, and Raffi bites my lower lip before pulling away, his eyes dark with desire.

“What have I done?” I think. I knew he would be good, but I didn’t expect to be so affected. My knees feel like jelly. What a grip, wow, if the kiss is like this…

“Brooke, stop.” I mentally chastise myself, preventing the thought from continuing and getting myself into even more trouble.

“Babygirl, you are…” Raffi licks his lips and shakes his head, unable to finish his sentence. His fingers loosen their grip on my waist, and I miss his touch.

All the sounds come rushing back— the thundering music and the surrounding conversations. When I turn, Kyle is sitting next to Seth, both talking while Liv stares at me with her mouth agape and eyes wide.

I stand on my tiptoes and give Raffi another quick peck.

“Thank you.”

“It was my pleasure,” he drawls.

I take two steps toward the VIP area’s restrooms, and Liv links her arm with mine and asks:

“What was that? And what offer was that?”

As we head toward the restrooms, I quickly explain what happened in the hallway. I open the bathroom door, and she follows me inside. I see my swollen, red lips from the kiss in the mirror’s reflection.

“So, I challenged him and said I’d be with Raffi since I could be with whoever I wanted,” I sigh. “And he said he trusted Raffi like a brother, and the way he looked at me, I don’t know, it felt like he wanted to see if I would actually do it.”

“And you did, very well. What did you think?”

“Intense.”

“Then why the look like you’re about to puke?” my friend asks.

“Because I messed up, Liv. I was upset with Ky and used Raffi; he’s my friend.”

“He’s an adult who seemed very happy to participate.”

“What do I do now?”

“Now we’re going to go downstairs and dance until we can’t feel our feet anymore. Give your head some time to process everything. You’ll see it’s not a big deal,” Liv says, putting an arm around my shoulders and smiling at me through the reflection.

We do exactly as she suggested, dancing until we can’t dance any longer.

***