Chapter 23
LIAM
“How’s it been going, living with her?” Jerry inclined his head toward London, who was dragging Lorelei behind her for a tour of the house while he and I were unloading the truck. “Things seemed a little tense at the airport.”
“Nah.” I chuckled and grabbed two of their suitcases. “It’s complicated, but honestly, it’s also been really good. We haven’t killed each other just yet and we’re making progress with the branch too, so I can’t complain. How’s the engagement going?”
“The wedding is only a few months away, which is wild, but it’s been amazing. I haven’t regretted popping the question even once. Most of our planning is done and Lori hasn’t gone bridezilla on me once. So yeah, I just feel really lucky.”
I nudged him with my elbow as I walked past. “That’s because you are really lucky, man. You found the one. That’s rare.”
“My bachelor trip is coming up,” he reminded me on our way to the front door. “You’re still in for that, right?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Jerry had been one of my closest friends for as long as we’d both been alive. There was no way I’d skip out on his last hurrah. “Anyway, welcome to your home for the next few days.”
He paused in the driveway to take his first real, proper look around and his jaw dropped. In his defense, it was a really nice house, the multi-level structure at its most impressive when the strategically placed lights came on at sunset, which had happened just after we’d parked.
A gentle breeze rustled through the trees and waves crashed to the shore. It was a perfect day, but I was starting to wonder if they knew anything else around here.
“This place is ridiculous,” he said breathlessly as he shook his head and widened his eyes at me. “If I was you, I’d stay here forever.”
“I’m considering it,” I joked, but then I groaned. “Not really. Obviously, if London and I end up staying, I’ll find a place of my own. We couldn’t live here together forever. It’s just not feasible.”
“I thought you said it was going well.”
“It is, but right now, it’s only for a few months and we know it. If it ever becomes indefinite, I’m not sure if it would work.”
“Yeah, okay, man. Show me around?”
“You got it.” I led him into the foyer and saw the moment that he realized the place was even more stunning than he’d initially thought. I watched him taking in the breathtaking view from the living room and heard Lori’s excited shriek upstairs.
Jerry winced before he grinned and darted a glance at me. “I’m assuming our room is nice?”
“As nice as they all are in this house.” I motioned for him to follow me and showed him to their bedroom.
The girls ordered takeout while Jerry and I carried the rest of their things inside, and when that was done, we grabbed some drinks and had them outside on the patio.
We laughed a lot, devoured a few pizzas in record-breaking time, and then London grabbed Lori’s hand and pulled her to her bedroom to get ready for the night.
Jerry chuckled when I scowled at their retreating backs. “I swear, I will never understand the dynamic between you two.”
“The only thing you need to understand right now is that it’s going to be tomorrow morning by the time they’re ready. Can I interest you in another beer? We’re really not going to be going anywhere anytime soon.”
He laughed but nodded. We grabbed more drinks and he told me all about his expansion plans for his business and what his first steps were going to be.
Music blasted from London’s room, but we heard the girls laughing on occasion and my friend seemed really happy whenever he heard the sound, so I relaxed and left the girls to their… whatever they were doing up there.
Eventually, he and I headed inside, hit the showers, and got ourselves ready.
Then we had another beer before the women finally appeared.
Lori came downstairs looking awesome in a very short, very bright red dress that matched the color of her hair.
Her makeup was dark and dramatic and her heels were pretty freaking high.
I heard Jerry’s sharp intake of breath when he saw her and half-turned my back to give them some privacy when he pulled her into his arms. Eyes on the staircase, I waited for London to make her appearance, already bracing myself against making any noises of my own—but then I saw her.
She’d put on that champagne-colored glitter bomb of a dress we’d bought the other day, and it looked insanely good. I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly bone dry. God, that’s hot.
The hem only hit about an inch below her panties, and I ached to catch a glimpse. The straps of her high-heeled sandals wound around her toned calves. Her hair was loose and shiny, a sleek golden curtain that brushed past her exposed shoulders.
One of them was completely bare, a single, thin strap allowing the dress to cling to her upper body.
On the other side, fabric gathered at the top of her bicep.
With a plunging neck and back, I had no idea how that thing was supposed to have had more substance than the black dress I’d pointed out, but holy mother of cow, she looked like she’d walked out of my wildest fantasies.
She smiled when she caught me checking her out, winking as she gracefully descended the stairs. “Are you guys ready to go?”
“Yep. I went online and found a club for us to check out.” I held my hand out toward her when she reached me, her eyes so much bluer as a result of whatever she’d done with her makeup.
“People say it’s the ultimate Miami clubbing experience.
I thought we could head there first? If it’s not good, we’ll figure out something else. ”
She nodded and took my hand, winding those strong but delicate fingers around mine. The slight brush of cool metal from all her rings against my skin sent a weird rush through me. Stepping in close, she peered up into my eyes and pressed the tip of her tongue to her lips.
“That sounds good,” she murmured. “Let’s go dancing.”
A throat cleared behind us and we both jumped a little bit. Crap, Lori and Jerry are here.
I’d legitimately forgotten about them as soon as I’d seen her, and judging by the mild shock on London’s features, the same thing had happened to her. We broke apart gently, so it wouldn’t be too obvious, spinning to face our friends.
Lorelei was watching us with an amused expression on her face, Jerry shaking his head as he reached for her hand. “Let’s go before they jump each other right here.”
“We’re not going to jump each other.” London scoffed, but my friend knew me well. If he hadn’t cleared his throat when he had, I wasn’t sure what might have happened next.
With my jeans a little tighter than they had been a minute ago, I led the group out to the Uber I’d arranged to pick us up, and even the driver assured us that the club we were going to was really hot right now.
London and I were careful to avoid physical contact on the drive over, but once we arrived, she moved into me and my hand fell to its usual place in the small of her back.
Strobing purple, red, and green lights spilled out of the warehouse the club was in and onto the street, the pulsating music heavy on the bass. I felt it in my blood and adrenaline shot through me, making me grin as we went inside.
Jerry and Lorelei were right behind us, and they stuck close as we made our way around the packed crowds of writhing, dancing bodies to the bar.
It turned out that the back wall of the club was a giant set of glass doors that opened right onto the beach.
Out there, bonfires had been lit and there were even more people.
Lori whooped and London grabbed her hand, dragging her to the nearest available spot at one of the bars. Unsurprisingly, she caught the attention of a bartender as soon as her hand shot up, and only a couple minutes later, the girls were back with a round of drinks and shots.
The music was too loud to speak much, but we had a blast, laughing, and drinking, and dancing. A few drinks in, Jerry and Lori were in a world of their own, their fronts plastered together with her arms around his neck and his solidly clamped on her ass.
I chuckled into the deafening music, but at the same time, I was a little jealous that he was getting to hold his girl that way.
London was driving me nuts tonight. She kept pulling these sultry dance moves, her eyes either closed or on mine and her hands in the air or somewhere on her body that I would have preferred mine to be.
I couldn’t deny that I was drawn to her and I wouldn’t make any excuses for it. The woman was a bombshell and, well, I’d been hit. It didn’t mean anything other than my body had developed a minor addiction to hers.
Drinking her in, I swigged the last of my beer and set the bottle down on the cocktail table beside me. She was a few paces away, and I went up to her, eyes zeroing in on hers when they opened.
“Dance with me.”
She smirked and slowly shook her head, sashaying out of my reach.
My heart rate spiked in response to the unspoken challenge and I stalked toward her, more than willing to chase if that was what she wanted.
I saw her eyes widen ever so slightly before her lids suddenly got heavier, and when I caught up and hooked an arm around her hips, she let me tug her to me, her body molding to mine.
But her hands fell to my chest and she looked up into my eyes. “Say please.”
“Come on, girl. You know we can have a good time.” I slid one of my thighs forward just a little, fitting it between the gap between her legs. “All you need to do is say yes.”
“Fine.” She pretended to be reluctant, but her arms came around my neck, her palms warm and dry at my nape as she held me to her.
I felt her stepping into me, our bodies starting to move together with heat pressed against my leg. Despite the denim of my jeans between us, I was extremely aware of her practically grinding on me, her soft body fused to mine.
I held my gaze on hers, tightening my grip on her hip with one hand and bringing the other to the small of her back, holding her firmly against me.
Her lips parted, her eyes blazing as she tipped her head back to keep looking at me.
The tips of her hair brushed against my forearms as we moved, a tantalizing touch that was way too light.
My hand in her lower back was so familiar, but tonight, it was possessive too, and I could see it in her eyes how much she both loved and hated it.
I brushed my fingers against her bare skin where her dress dipped low, and she inhaled sharply, the chemistry between us suddenly as off the charts as it had been the other night.
The space between us seemed to shiver, electric with this mounting tension neither of us was willing to break. London’s cheeks flushed, her teeth sinking into her lower lip and biting down. I groaned, so lost in her that once again, I forgot that our friends were even there.
Time seemed to slow as one song bled into the next, but we didn’t break apart. It must’ve been hours later when Jerry appeared behind London, giving me the nod that said, I’m taking my girl home.
Lorelei was clinging to him, a little unsteady on her feet.
I jerked my chin at him in response. They had the code to get into the house.
I’d given it to him earlier, so we didn’t need to leave with them, but I moved my lips to London’s ear anyway, speaking against her hair and feeling her shiver in response.
“Jerry’s calling an Uber to take them home. What do you want to do?”
She tilted her head up. “Lori is a sleepy drinker. She’ll be out the minute they get into the car. Let’s stay a bit?”
I gave Jerry a wave to let him know we wouldn’t be joining them, and then they were gone and it was just the two of us again, dancing, talking, and spending time together.
All the while, we never stopped touching, that same invisible force from the beach party dangerously close to tipping us into that space where we’d inevitably end up in bed together again.