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  “So Ryan? What happened to Grant?

  She looked like a deer in headlights; the guilt was emanating from her.

  “Well, Ryan asked me out, so here we are.”

  I could tell she was evading, so I grilled her a little further, “right… but two nights ago you were all into Grant, and tonight, you’re kissing my brother -- so what’s going on?”

  Chelsea was awestruck at the fact that I was so forthcoming; her eyes were fixated on Mila, awaiting her response.

  “Grant is a nice guy, but I do like Ryan, Pinks.”

  She sounded sincere, so I gave her a polite nod and let her know that I was only looking out for my brother. She acknowledged my concern, but reassured me that she was not going to hurt him.

  Jason came walking back to the table, and held out his hand for me. What the hell? All of a sudden he’s feeling better? I didn’t hesitate to take his hand, and he whisked me off to the dance floor. After a few up-tempo songs, a sweet, romantic slow song played and Jason pulled me in close so that his warm, albeit, beer loaded breath, was breathing down my neck. He kissed my neck a few times then held me back so that he could take a good look at me.

  “Do you even know how gorgeous you are?” He was pouring on the charm, and when drunk, his southern drawl was magnified 100 times.

  I laughed because it was all I could do. I hated that question; why did people ask it?

  He looked at me intently, “you are – I don’t know why you find humor in that.”

  My goal at the moment was to change the subject because this one was making me rather uncomfortable.

  “So are you feeling better?” I asked, hoping he would move on.

  “I’m whatever.”

  I looked around the dance floor and found Chelsea and Hunter dancing, as well as Ryan and Mila. I would have to get used to Ryan and Mila dating. Jason brought my focus back to him by pulling me back into his body, and humming along to the words of the song. I could get lost in him. He smelled so enticing. Thoughts started to wander through my head: why was he so serious about a few drinks? Why was he so up in arms by the slightest things? Would he ever lighten up? Do I even want him to? In a strange way, his domineering, cavalier attitude was a bit of a turn on. I couldn’t tell Chelsea that because she would try to slap some sense into me.

  The song ended and Jason kissed me before breaking for the restroom. Mila sensed her chance and tore away from Ryan, pulling me over to the bar.

  “Two Jager shots please?” She screamed at the bartender, and I believe it was partly due to the blaring music, but more so because she was already drunk.

  “Is this on Mr. Bradley’s tab ladies?” The bartender asked us, with a smile on his face.

  “Yes it is,” Mila nodded and handed me the shot. And we both pounded the thick, warm liquid down our throats.

  That shot might have been the last straw. My head was swirling and I was suddenly very light on my feet. Mila pulled me away from the bar before Jason could see me. She was inconspicuously guiding me back to the dance floor when Chelsea came bounding up, pulling us into the restroom. She was laughing hysterically at the fact that some girl tried to give Jason her number, and he turned around, tapped some guy on the shoulder, and handed him her piece of paper. That’s right!

  I stumbled into a stall, and had never been so thrilled to sit down. My head was pounding, and it had me question if the Jager shot was laced with something. I took my phone out, and remembered that Jacob commented on our picture, so I commented back.

  *Thanks Jacob. Look forward to meeting you too!*

  I finished and placed my phone back into my pocket, careful not to drop it in the toilet; I was notorious for doing that. Walking out of the stall, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sat it on the counter. Chelsea grabbed it, keeping it away from the sink, and played around with the apps. She caught a glimpse of the picture of Jason and me, and then her mouth dropped.

  “You mean to tell me he has a brother? Holy hotness!”

  I nodded my head, beaming with an asinine smile. Mila snatched the phone and looked at Jacob, nodding her head in approval. My phone buzzed, indicating a notification, and Mila handed it back to me. This time, the response came from Jason.

  *There will be no fucking meeting.*

  There was no lol, or jk, behind his response; the gravity of his sincerity in that statement was not to be mistaken. I pondered why he hated his brother so much? My face must have given away the fact that there was something happening, because Chelsea grabbed my phone and her mouth dropped and her eyes lit up.

  “Whoa. Singling rivalry?"

  “Yes,” I answered, slurring the word.

  Chelsea handed the phone over to Mila who responded with the exact reaction as Chelsea.

  “Whoa Pinks. Does he not like his brother or something?”

  “No he doesn’t, and I’m not really sure why,” I offered up, in hopes that I wouldn’t be interrogated any further. I wasn’t sure what made me believe that, since these were two of the most intrusive girls I had ever had the pleasure to meet.

  “Well, spill it. Why does he not like his brother?” Chelsea was suddenly a sober sister and full of energy with her question.

  “I really don’t know. He said they will just never get along.”

  This seemed to placate the girls and they dropped the line of questioning. Chelsea checked herself in the mirror, running her fingers through her hair before turning and stalking out of the bathroom. The dance floor was full of people as a fast song blared over the sound system. Mila grabbed my hand and pulled me out on the floor, where we bumped into people as we made our way to our spot. When we stopped and started dancing, Chase walked up to say hello. I gave him a cautious hug, knowing Jason and his searing eyes weren’t far away.

  “So when did you get here?” Chelsea asked him, still yelling at the top of her lungs.

  “About 20 minutes ago, but I don’t think I’m going to stay long, my buddies want to hit up Gaslamp tonight.”

  “Oh that’s cool,” I managed to mutter.

  “I saw Jason, Hunter, and Ryan in the back over there, I went to say hi… hostile crowd.”

  “Yeah, a few issues tonight,” I tried to smooth things over, but the truth was, Ryan didn’t like him, and neither did Jason. If Hunter was impolite, it was only because of the vibe that he got from the other two.

  “You know Jason doesn’t like you Chase?” Chelsea shouted, stating the obvious. She really had no filter. I could do nothing but shake my head in astonishment.

  “I figured that out, but thought I would be the bigger guy and say hello, probably a bad idea.”

  I laughed, “No not a bad idea at all. Someone’s got to do it.”

  Chase smiled down at me, placed his hand on my back, and leaned in to whisper in my ear. “You look amazing tonight Cara.”

  “Thanks,” and the next second I felt a familiar hand on my shoulder. Jason kissed my check, and glared at Chase.

  “Want to remove your hand?” he asked Chase in a very condescending voice.

  Chase looked at me, then to Jason, and smiled, seemingly unfazed by the hostility pouring out of Jason.

  “Well, I hope you all have a good night,” he turned and motioned to a few guys by the door that I had never seen before, and then he was off.

  Jason looked like he had just won some sort of contest. He pulled me in him and kissed me, keeping his arm around my waist in a very possessive sort of way.

  “I swear that fucking idiot wants you Cara,” Jason growled out over the music.

  “Well, Chase is just a friend to me, nothing more,” I responded, hoping to reassure Jason that our friendship was platonic, as far as I was concerned.

  “To you, but to him, he’d like to make you a whole lot more. I will break his face if he tries to act on it. His tone was so irate that I wasn’t sure if it was coming from the alcohol or the deep-seated hatred he seemed to harbor for Chase.

  The rest of the night went without incide
nt. We danced, laughed, drank, and people watched, critiquing all of the hideously bad dance moves circling around the dance floor. I managed to get another drink down, not sure how because before that I felt the need to vomit all over the floor, but kept myself in check. Ryan and Mila were displaying some serious PDA and, maybe because the alcohol was flowing through my veins, it didn’t bother me. Hunter and Chelsea were laughing, while sneaking in innocent kisses, all while dancing to every song the DJ played. Jason glanced down at his phone and made a call.

  “Hey, gather them up, we’re gonna to go.”

  I looked at my phone and saw that it was only 15 minutes past midnight, and while I was a bit annoyed that we were leaving so early, I nodded and walked in the direction of the others to rustle them up. Jason made his way to the bar to pay the tab, and we met up at the door.

  Patrick showed up just as we were exiting the club. Chelsea, for some strange reason decided she wanted to ride in the front of the Expedition, so Jason and I had the back seat all to ourselves. Mila fell asleep on Ryan’s shoulder and the sight of him caressing her hair down her back made my skin prickle. I would definitely have to get used to the sight of them on more than just a flirtatious level. Hunter started playing on his phone, and I lay my head down on Jason’s lap. An out of character exhibitionist came out of me, as I unzipped Jason’s pants and began playing with his length. He looked down at me without moving his head and smiled. I went a step further and took a couple of licks, making him look around the car to make sure no one could see what was happening. I looked up at him and smiled, then with the element of surprise, I swiftly took him in my mouth. Really? I even shocked myself. He threw his head back, and muffled his moans – hiding them between fake stretches. I started sucking, and just as I was starting to get into my groove, Jason pulled on my hair to pull me up and away. He leaned down and whispered ever so seductively in my ear. “Not in here Gorgeous; you’ll start something that we can’t finish.”

  I licked my bottom lip, because those words, in that tone, sounded so tempting that I was almost willing to call his bluff. He had a sly grin on his face, and I knew this was to be continued, so I zipped him back up, and just lay with my head in his lap.

  We made our way back to Jason’s house, and once the car stopped; Mila woke up, energized from her power nap, and ready to play. “Let’s go swimming… who’s down?” She asked in a voice that was far too high pitched.

  Everyone in the car agreed, and quickly paraded their way into the house to get changed. I waited for Jason, and saw him hand Patrick a $100 dollar bill, and then send him on his way.

  After changing, Ryan took a bottle of Jager out to the patio with six shot glasses. Jason grabbed a beer and declined the Jager, but anticipated my unasked question and sent me a curt nod, like he was giving me approval. We all took the shots, and then Hunter grabbed Chelsea and ran into the pool with her in his arms. Ryan dove in and Mila followed. I sat down on Jason’s lap and we watched the rest of them frolic in the pool like carefree children.

  “Do you want to swim?” he asked me.

  “Naw, I don’t really feel like getting wet,” I answered hastily.

  He gave me a wicked grin, “that’s inevitable. You will be wet tonight,” and I knew exactly what he was talking about. He took another swig of his beer, lifted a remote control out of a compartment in the bar and changed the pool lights to a sensual red.

  The others seemed enthralled in their new environment so with the lack of attention our way, Jason picked me up, laid me over his shoulder, and I screamed as he ran me to the bedroom. He tossed me on the bed and tugged on the string to my swimsuit top, making it fall forward. He used both hands to roughly massage my breasts. As rough as he was being, I was completely aroused, and I rummaged my hands through his hair, peering into his eyes. He removed his tank top, leaned down, and started aggressively kissing my neck, face, lips – basically anything he could get his mouth on. His breathing was hard and hurried, and I reached down and untied my bottoms. He stepped back, dropped his swim trunks, and rapidly climbed back on the bed, pulling me over to him, and holding my head in his hands.

  “Now, you finish what you started in that damn car,” he says softly.

  I took him in my mouth and began to swirl my tongue around him. He raised his hips to meet me and as I picked up speed, his moans and groans got louder and louder. I could now feel him in the back of my mouth, and his body convulsed rapidly. He had my head, holding very tightly to my hair as his hips met every suck. With the addition of my hand, moving up and down his shaft, I felt the wet, warm, sticky substance erupting out of him and into my mouth. He threw his head back on the pillow and as I got up, he grabbed me around my mid-section, throwing me down across the bed. I heard the condom wrapper, and within a few seconds, he had it on. He stood up, going behind me, grabbing my legs like a wheel barrel, he slammed into me. The alcohol made him so much more aggressive. He was using my legs to combat my body against his thrusts, and as I yelled out from the ripple of sensations of him hitting my spot over and over; he barked at me to yell louder and louder.

  He briefly stopped, turning me over and leaving nothing but my upper back on the bed. He had my legs spread out in his arms, as he quickly re-entered me. He was pounding into me so quickly, that I thought he might shatter something on the inside. Electricity was building inside of me, and my eyes rolled to back of my head. Jason growled at me to open my eyes, and I made a failed, feeble attempt to do so. He moved even faster, and I was at a loss. My eyes closed, my body clenched up and I screamed out his name, spilling out all over him. A few more thrusts and he stalled, and then fell on top of me.

  After catching our breaths, he stumbled off to the bathroom. I found my bikini pieces and started to put them back on when he came back into the room.

  “What are you doing?” he asked sharply.

  “Getting dressed so we can go back out with everyone else,” I answered, able to hear the screams and thrills from the backyard.

  “We aren’t going back out there, I’m tired. I just want you in my arms, in this bed.”

  I did want to spend more time with the others, but then again, Jason, in all of his naked wonder, was much more enticing, so I opted for the bed. He turned off the lights, lay down in the bed, and ordered me into his arms; which I eagerly did. We lay in the darkness, him occasionally kissing my hair, and fell asleep.

  Chapter 6

  Sunday morning sunshine was nowhere to be found, as the gloom from the marine layer decided to grace us with her presence. Jason wasn’t in the bed with me, and I heard wild laughter coming from the front of the house. I threw on my mesh shorts, and one of his t-shirts, ignoring my bed hair, and hurriedly walked out to kitchen area.

  Everyone was gathered in the kitchen and Jason was busy making pancakes – very domestic. A sudden pang of anger overcame me, as I noticed that everyone had been up for quite some time, and that I was left, in the room, in my glorious slumber. What was wrong with that again? Mila was the first to notice me, and finally, taking her school girl crushing eyes off of Ryan, finally acknowledged me.

  “Morning Pinks! Good sleep?”

  I stretched, plastered on an artificial smile to hide my unnecessary anger, and moved closer into the living room.

  “Yes it was. How long have you all been up?”

  “Since about seven,” Jason chimed in, “but you were sleeping so hard, I didn’t want to wake you.”

  “Oh okay!” I was still secretly and ridiculously pissed but I tried to move past that. I looked at the clock on the wall; it was nine thirty in the morning. I didn’t know if it was the gloom that made me sleep in, or the crazy weekend we’d had, but I woke up in the most perturbed of moods, and wanted desperately to shed it.

  “So, what are the plans today?” I asked, in hopes that everyone was ready to relax because I had had one hell of a weekend.

  “I have to get back home, get ready for work, and I think Mila is going to come with me,” Ryan uttered,
gazing at Mila with adoring eyes as hers sparkled into his. I had to pull my eyes away from them; their affections were driving me crazy.

  "I have to get back to RB and get ready for this week’s meetings with my dad. I’ll be gone most of this week to Vegas,” Hunter boasted. I got the feeling that he and Jason might become close, since they both pretty much did the same thing. Hunter worked for his dad – who holds accounts for Jason’s dad, and while he graduated two years ago, Chelsea still pulled him into the crazed college scene. Jason, on the other hand, was still a student – albeit an older one, but also worked for his dad, occasionally, and if he was going to hang out with this crowd, it would be vital that he became acquainted with this scene as well.

  “I’m going home to sleep the day away,” Chelsea replied in a rather monotone voice.

  Jason flipped a few more pancakes onto a plate, and turned to me, catching me off guard by the intensity of his stare. “What are your plans today Cara?” He said, not taking his eyes off of mine. I wasn’t sure if it was seduction, or anger in his eyes, but whatever it is, it was quite unnerving.

  “I don’t know – was hoping to just relax today.”

  “That’s a good idea; this has been a busy weekend for us.”

  He turned back to making pancakes, and I trudged along to the table, laying out the place settings for breakfast. We sat and ate, laughing and talking about the night before, when Chelsea, always being Chelsea, had to ruin the fun and festive mood.

  “So Bradley, angry response to your brother’s Facebook comments huh?”

  I saw Jason’s lip curl, a flash of red streaked across his face, as he adjusted himself in his chair. He glared at Chelsea and gently placed his fork down so that it hung off the side of his plate. All chatter at the table ceased. Chelsea was unrelenting and didn’t flinch.

  “Chels, sore subject, let it go.” I lowered my head and shook it, while giving her a disciplinary stare.