Chapter 36
36
EVELYN
I genuinely didn’t give a shit where we went for dinner, so long as I could get out of the house and away from Lacey. Okay, fuck, Lacey wasn’t the problem—she actually seemed lovely and I could see why the boys all thought the sun shined out of her backside. Connor was the problem. Or more specifically, my uncontrollable embarrassment over how deluded I’d been.
My plan to give him the cold shoulder wasn’t working either. I’d tried, but then he’d been all snarky and teasing and the urge to snap back was all too much.
Embarrassing. No other word for it. I was acting like some kind of obsessive, controlling psycho who’d written mine on every man in Bluebell House, whether I liked them or not. Didn’t matter. All mine .
“You okay?” Ethan asked, squeezing my hand as we entered the run-down country western bar on the far side of Meadowridge town.
I nodded, shoving all thoughts of Connor, Lacey, and my underlying urge to piss all over my territory aside. “Yeah.” Then I tipped my head to Brodie, who’d put on a black baseball cap in what had to be the lamest attempt at celebrity disguise ever. “Is it safe for him to be here? The fans…”
“He’s fine here,” Ethan assured me as Brodie swaggered over to the bar. “The staff are discreet thanks to the nature of Meadowridge College itself. And as you can see…not many customers to worry about.”
He was right. There were only a handful of patrons in the bar, which made sense considering it was a Monday night in a college town. In fact, I recognized the group of middle-aged guys playing pool as security guards from campus.
Brodie strode over to our booth with a jug of something and three tumblers in hand, not to mention a wide grin on his face as he plonked it down on the table.
“I hope you like spicy margaritas, Evie babe, because it’s my favorite.” He gestured for me to slide over in the semi-circle booth seat and sat down, trapping me in the middle.
I cautiously accepted the tumbler he poured for me and took a sniff. “I don’t know, I’ve never tried it before.”
Ethan groaned, then laughed, shaking his head. “Fucking hell, you’re not legal to drink yet, are you?”
“Nope,” I replied, taking a little sip. At first I thought it was just citrusy sour, but then the spice hit the back of my tongue and I gasped. “Holy shit.”
Ethan rolled his eyes at Brodie’s laughter, then ducked back to the bar to grab us some waters as well. “Here.” He handed me one. “Brodie really should have asked before ordering.”
My in-disguise celebrity lover just smirked and tossed back a much bigger gulp of the spicy cocktail. “Sorry, babe. Child actors lose all concept of legal drinking age before we even hit puberty. Try again. It’ll grow on you.”
Ethan started to protest, but I did as Brodie suggested and now that I was prepared for the kick, it wasn’t so bad.
“See?” Brodie smirked.
“Did you order food while you were up there, Sentinel? Or just booze to corrupt our innocent Eve?” Ethan narrowed his eyes across the table, but there was a relaxed air about him betraying the fact he wasn’t actually pissed off.
Brodie pushed the third margarita tumbler across the table. “Of course, what do you take me for? I ordered the taco platter, a plate of mixed nachos, the mega enchilada, and the chips with queso.”
“Holy shit,” I chuckled, sipping more of my drink, “Thank fuck I’m not lactose intolerant, that’s all I can say about that.”
Ethan eyed the drink in my hand with a small frown. “You don’t have to drink that if you don’t want to. I can get you something else.”
“I like it now,” I informed him, drinking some more. “It just took me by surprise, despite the fact Brodie did call it a spicy margarita. Unless you’re implying that I should be drinking soda?” I arched a brow at him, challenging.
Brodie snickered, clearly enjoying the awkward position Ethan was in—not only as the only one of legal drinking age between us but also as an authority figure within the university. “Yeah, Eth. Is that what you’re implying? Because if alcohol is where you draw the line, you probably shouldn’t be okay with fucking a student in the library during school hours. Just saying.”
My jaw dropped, then I groaned. “Fucking Andrew is such a gossip. What happened to that iron-clad NDA, huh? Was that all for show?”
“It doesn’t apply within the house, babe,” Brodie said with a grin. “And he really is a gossip. Worse than your friend Nina, I reckon. He’s just sneakier about it.”
Our food arrived then, absolute truckloads of it requiring two servers with enormous trays to deliver it all. Not a single gap remained on the table, but with how eagerly Brodie and Ethan dove in, I suspected they wouldn’t leave much waste.
As we ate, we flip-flopped between casual banter and deep, meaningful conversations. Each time the mood shifted too serious, somehow Brodie reeled it back in with a sexy quip or teasing joke, and it worked. The jug of spicy margarita was refilled some time during our meal, and by the time our servers cleared everything away, I was both full to bursting and more than a little drunk.
“Holy shit, Eve,” Ethan chuckled when I tried to put my elbow on the table and missed. “I didn’t realize you were a lightweight.”
Neither did I, but then again, I’d never really been a big drinker, even at my last college. Couple of frat parties here and there, but it was all watery beer that made me bloated long before I got drunk.
“I’m not that drunk,” I replied, frowning. “Just a little tipsy. Same as Brodes.” I tipped my head toward Brodie, who took advantage of the movement to kiss me.
Taken slightly off guard—because we’d all been on our best behavior so far—I gasped, then kissed him back eagerly with a little moan.
“Fuck…” Ethan growled, pulling my attention once more. He’d shifted in his seat, swiping a hand over his hair with agitation. He was by no means sober ; he was just holding his liquor slightly better than Brodie and I. Barely.
“You got something to say, Professor?” Brodie drawled, casually cupping my breast as if no one could see us. Apparently tequila made Brodie forget he was a celebrity, and it was a little bit adorable.
Ethan glowered, but it was a heated, horny glare. “Yeah, I do. You’re gonna end up on TMZ if you keep that shit up.” He pulled out his wallet and tossed some cash on the table, despite the fact Brodie had already settled our bill. “Call for your driver, Brodes.” To me, he offered his hand in helping me out of the booth .
It was a good thing, too, because I wobbled a little on standing up and his strong grip saved me embarrassing myself.
“Lightweight,” he muttered, chuckling as he pulled me close and wrapped his arm around my waist. “Lean on me if you want.”
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “Just a little wobbly.”
He still kept his arm around me as we exited the bar into the parking lot, though, and I shivered when the cool night air reached my arms. Snuggling into Ethan’s warm body was better than any blanket, though, and I shifted in his embrace until we were chest to chest with my arms looped around his neck.
“Thanks for taking me out tonight, Eth,” I murmured, and ran my tongue over my lower lip. I could still taste Brodie’s kiss there, and I suddenly wanted a whole lot more.
He smiled, his hand slipping between my shirt and pants to stroke my lower back. “You keep looking at me like that, Lilith, and we’re not making it back to Bluebell House before I…” He trailed off, visibly biting his own lip as his gaze dipped to my mouth.
“Before you what?” I prompted in a whisper, rising up on my toes to bring us closer to kissing. “Before you bend me over the hood of a random car and take turns fucking me with Brodie?”
“Whoa,” Brodie exclaimed, having just exited the bar himself. “We’re doing what now? Fuck it, no explanations needed. I’m in. Which car, Evie babe? Your pick.”
Ethan gave a pained groan, then kissed me so savagely I thought he might bruise my lips. Not that I was complaining. I kissed him back just as hard, threading my fingers into the back of his hair as I strained my neck to meet his height.
“So fucking tempting,” he whispered with frustration. “How far away is your driver, Brodes?”
“Uh, like five minutes, but I’m really not keen for him to watch, you know? He’s a bit?— ”
“Dude, not what I meant,” Ethan said, cutting him off with exasperation. “Eve, beautiful, just how drunk are you actually? Because as much as I’d love to do exactly what you just suggested…I really don’t want you to have any regrets tomorrow.”
It was a fair concern, considering how badly I’d wobbled when I stood up before. And it was so incredibly Ethan to voice that concern. But taking our three-way date night into the bedroom was not something I’d ever regret, drunk or not. So I told him as much.
“Same,” Brodie added, kissing my neck even as I stood there, all twisted up in Ethan’s embrace. “Unless you’re not okay sharing, Eth, in which case, just say so. Me and Evie babe can take it to my room.”
Ethan’s brow dipped, like he was really wondering whether he was this okay with sharing. It was one thing to know about me and Brodie in theory; it was another entirely for him to watch me choking on another guy’s cock and moaning for more.
“Car’s here,” Brodie announced, smacking my ass. “Continue your moral dilemma on the way, Professor. I, for one, am not ending tonight without the taste of Evie’s pussy juice all over my tongue.”
His matter-of-fact bluntness shouldn’t have shocked me, but it did. Somehow he’d rendered me speechless as we clambered into the back of the chauffeur-driven SUV.
“You have this car on standby?” I asked the first thing that popped into my head as I settled into my seat. “Why?”
Brodie shrugged. “I don’t always wanna drive myself. Besides, it comes with cool features like this.” He pressed a button on the ceiling and a blacked-out privacy screen slid into place between the front and back seats. “It’s soundproof,” he added, then faster than I could blink, he was on his knees, unbuttoning my jeans and tugging them down over my hips .
“Brodie!” Ethan exclaimed, seeming shocked but, at the same time, intrigued enough to shift positions to sit opposite, giving him a better view.
My head spun, but there was no part of me that wanted to stop Brodie’s hands as they explored along each sliver of skin he exposed down my thighs. With my eyes locked on Ethan across from us, I threw my head back as Brodie kissed and caressed me through my panties, before they too were torn from my body, leaving me bare and wanting.
“Fuck,” Ethan groaned. “This is so wrong, but hell if it doesn’t feel completely right.”
Brodie’s chuckle had me arching against him. “Wait until you taste her, bro. Fucking delicious.”
Thank god for soundproofing, as he flattened his tongue and ran it up my slit, lapping all my arousal right up. Thank fucking god.