Tamed By You (Always & Forever #2)

11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Harry

We slept till noon and had a late breakfast brought to our suite. I booked us a cabana for the pool party this afternoon in the hotel—a chilled afternoon is needed before another night spent partying.

Images of Ali stood above me, hips swaying, eyes heated before the hurricane shot ran through my head all night long. We said one time, that turned to two, but she's a hard one to forget.

Ten months I've spent in London, living with my sister Victoria, enjoying the London ladies but none, not one, compared to her. Never has a woman met my energy or challenged me like she does. Never have I wanted to fuck a woman into next week and set her on fire at the same time.

Alice Hart really was the perfect mix of pleasure and pain.

“Coffee, I need coffee,” I mumble as I sit on the couch that sits near the window, the view looking over the Las Vegas strip.

“You look as shit as I feel,” Brett groans, rubbing a hand over his face and up over his buzz cut. He sinks into the couch and pulls the hood of his dark sweater over his head, covering his eyes.

I hear a yawn and turn as Brad walks in, ruffling his dark hair, wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs. His tattooed body on full display. He’s starting to run out of skin to ink.

“Coffee,” he groans. Taking a seat next to me, he reaches for a pastry and pours the dark liquid into a mug.

“Where’s Jack and Mason,” I ask.

“My guess is sleeping because those fucking headboards only just stopped rattling a few hours ago,” Brad mumbles.

“Jealous are we, Bradley,” I tease.

He ignores my comment and bites into his pastry. Out of the corner of my eye, a flash of auburn hair whips past the doorway. Being the dick I am, I shout, “Bye, Harley.” She back-peddles, looking sheepish. “Err, bye,” she mutters, her voice small.

The suite door closes and then Mason enters the room with freshly fucked dirty blond hair and a huge grin on his face that you would expect to see on a photo hanging in the window of an Abercrombie store.

“Well, good morning to you all. How are we all on this fine day?” he asks, annoyingly chirpy.

The three of us look at him deadpan.

“Look, just because you rattled your headboard like a sailor on leave last night and got your rocks off doesn’t mean we all did, so park your happy ass down and get the coffee in you. We have a busy day,” I grumble.

“Oooh, someone’s as bitter as the coffee this morning,” Mason jokes. I roll my eyes and reach for my mug of coffee.

“Ali fob you off again?” Brett questions, lifting his hood back a little to give me a teasing look. I flick him the middle finger.

Do I wish I had Ali in my bed last night, tangled in the sheets, banging her like a screen door in a hurricane? Hell yeah, I do. But the day is young—there’s still time.

“Right, you've got an hour. Eat up and we are heading to the pool. I'll wake the happy couple,” I say, standing as I clap my hands together.

I make my way toward the bedrooms, excitement buzzing through me because my little pocket rocket has no idea, I'm about to invade her day… again.

We made it to the pool. I managed to tear Jack and Ria apart long enough to get him to our cabana for some drinks. I get it; the man pined after her for over a decade and Ria has been to hell and back. He wants to spend every moment with her now she is finally his, but I need to give my boy a good hurrah before we send him up the aisle.

The Vegas sun beats down on us, the burn tingling my skin. The pool is so busy with people moving to the beat of the music you can barely see the turquoise water. We have the perfect view of the pool from our cabana, and I have no plans to move for the afternoon. We swap old war stories, Jack talks about Ria’s daughters who’s he’s taken on as his own. If there was anyone born to be a girl dad, it’s Jack. He beams with pride, telling us how Elle is now copying everything Lexi does and he's now not only doing the ballet dad gig, but he's also cheer dad. It feels good to catch up and just be together.

“Did you remember to strap your bunny in for gym class,” Brad snorts.

Jack gives him a death stare, like the memory of the ballet class has given him some sort of PTSD. Poor guy offered to take Lexi to her ballet class back when Ria and Jack were in their ‘we are just friends’ phase, and he didn’t realize he was required to participate. I’ve never laughed so hard in my life than the day he told us what went down in the class.

Since we all left the Marine Corps life has been crazy. We wish Noah, Ria’s older brother, could be here, but since he joined Special Forces, it’s hard to pin that man to a date to catch up. It's only when I think of Noah that I think of Scotty. Truthfully, not a day goes by that I don’t think about him and the day we lost him in combat. He impacted us all more than he’ll ever know and there will forever feel like a missing piece to our group. Not wanting to bring the mood down, I give my head a little shake and notice a pretty redhead in a blue bikini carrying a bucket of Moet over to our table. I give her my best smile and watch as a blush creeps over her skin.

“Thanks,” I say, holding out my hand. She takes it and shakes it.

“I’m Crystal. Anything else I can get you, boys?”

“What are you offering?”

“How about my number?” she suggests, the side of her mouth quirking upward.

I raise an eyebrow, not expecting that reply from her. “Sounds great.”

She turns, heading back to the bar. I watch her leave. She doesn't hold a candle to Ali, but she's a pretty girl.

Maybe I need a distraction? Maybe Ali really isn't interested, and I need to just move on. I mean, we could never work, could we? Watching Jack settle down has me thinking that I'd like that one day, but she doesn't strike me as that type of girl. Ali Hart is not one to be tamed.

“So that lap dance with Ali? What’s the deal with you two?” Brett asks out of nowhere.

“Nothing. We love to hate each other. Nothing more.” Brett nods, accepting my answer. I eye him suspiciously. If he’s interested in Ali, well, we may have a problem.

Right on cue, my eyes zone in on a group of girls, dressed in gold bikinis aside from a pretty brunette in a white one-piece and a veil on her head. I’m immediately drawn to a certain blonde, with long legs and a toned waist, wearing dainty body chains hanging from her bikini. Looking at her sends my heart racing.

Fuck, she looks good.

My cock grows hard just looking at her and I have to quickly adjust myself in my navy swim shorts. I watch as she places her tote bag on the cabana couch, talking with her hands to the girls and laughing.

Yeah, change of plan. I don't need a distraction; I need her.