***
"Boys!" My mother yelled loudly in an effort to get everyone in the damn house to pay attention to the fact that the celebrity had shown up. Her smile faded and her eyebrow lifted as she whispered. "You're late."
"Sorry, Mom. It's Liam's fault." I popped him in the chest and moved past her without so much as touching her. Liam was the one that made us late, which meant his punishment was hugging the old bat. He'd tried to come up with a million reasons why that was a horrible idea on the way over, but I won out.
It was his punishment, as sad as that was. To be raised by two people who really didn't give a shit about either of us was more depressing. We were adopted together when I was three, and simply a means to get more money from the government.
Where I was once bitter about it, I had my parents to thank for selling me off to the movie industry when I was only a kid. It set me on a hard path that turned into something I was beyond grateful for. I still hated both of them more than I cared to discuss, but it was what it was. I was a man, not a scared little boy anymore.
"Thank God for Deza." I walked into the elaborate kitchen and greeted a dozen people on my way to the drink table. The whole house came out of my paycheck, but I'd cut them off a few years back. Every penny I'd made before I was eighteen was theirs. Spent. Gone. Nothing for all the years I missed dances and football games, and making friends. I lived on the road most of my childhood, shifting from set to set. My adolescence for their grand adventure they called living it up.
"I hate these fuckers." Liam moved up beside me and grabbed a beer as the stiff guy behind the table started to object.
"Fuck off." I glanced up and barked at the poor guy.
"Girls are here." Liam patted my back and walked back toward the front door.
I followed him as my mother fumbled with trying to understand who the pretty women at the front door were.
"I'm sorry, you're with Liam and Ethan?" She sounded as if she didn't believe them.
"Yes, Ma'am," Riley said.
I gripped my mother's shoulders from behind and moved her to the right a little. "Mom, this is my fiancé, Riley and Liam's girlfriend, Charlotte."
The slinky black dress she had on fit her like a glove, and yet it was elegant, dainty, sexy as fuck.
"Oh, nice! So glad to meet you girls." She reached for Charlotte as I leaned around her and took Riley's wrist and pulled her toward me.
"Hi." I smiled down at her before cupping her pretty face and leaning in for a long kiss.
"Ethan! Jeez." My mom closed the door as I continued to kiss my girl.
She pulled back as her cheeks colored pink. "Sorry."
"No reason to be sorry." I couldn't take my eyes off of her. "I love this dress. You look incredible. Beautiful beyond words."
Everyone walked toward the kitchen, leaving us alone.
"Are you just saying that for your mom?" She smiled and my heart contracted.
"No." I brushed my thumb by her pouty bottom lip. "Absolutely not. Touch me. My body betrays me all the time when you're around."
"What?" She glanced down and let out the cutest yelp I'd ever heard before pressing herself to the front of me. "Ethan. Shit."
"Right? I'm almost embarrassed. Almost." I leaned down and stole a few more kisses from her. "Come on. Let’s go find a room and hang out."
"Hang out? Like you did with all the other girls when you were growing up?"
"Shit. I wish. My life was on a bus riding from one stage to the other." I took her hand and walked toward the kitchen. "You want something to eat?"
"Not really." The drop in her energy level had me on alert.
"What's wrong?" I stopped by the entrance to the kitchen and glanced over to see my brother holding on to Charlotte like he owned her.
"Just had a long day." She glanced away from me.
"Like how?" I touched her chin and forced her to focus on me.
"What the-" She leaned around me. "Your brother is kissing my friend."
"We really should stop that if you like Charlotte a lot. Is she a new college friend or like an old friend that you would protect with your life."
"Why does that matter?" She moved back in front of me and chuckled.
"Damn, you're beautiful, Ri. You're stealing my thoughts more and more." I leaned down and kissed her a few more times.
"Get a room. We are." Liam walked by, and I pulled from Riley and reached out to grab his shirt.
"Dude. No. Seriously." I tilted my head and gave him bro-code for hell no. The girl was off limits.
"What? Why?" He glanced down at Charlotte and smiled. "Ethan is telling me you're off limits. You the third member of his and Riley's fling?"
"Fling?" Riley asked as I stiffened.
"No. Not fling. He's being a cock." I gave her my full attention. "It's in his nature. I was trying to make sure Charlotte-" I glanced back up and they were gone. "Well, fuck. I swear."
Riley pulled me back as I started to go after them. "No. It's fine. She's a grown woman and she knows that he's only after a night of passion."
"Passion is a really strong word." I turned back to her and grabbed a beer off a tray someone toted by before pressing it to my lips and drinking deeply.
"Wait. What's he after if not passion?"
I leaned down and pressed my mouth against her ear. "Have you seen those really nasty porns where the girl is getting drilled like a piece of meat? The guy's not interested in her pleasure, but only his own."
"Oh." She stepped back and glanced toward the stairs. "Really?"
"Yeah. He's a piece of work. I promise. We really should save your friend." I started toward the stairs and she stopped me again.
"But aren't there some girls in the world that like really rough guys that drill them all night?"
I swallowed as my cock started to dance in my slacks. "Really, right now? Just seeing you in that dress has me hanging over the edge of creaming my pants. Now you want to talk about getting drilled like a rag doll from behind."
"Wow. You just added a lot of adjectives to that sentence." She laughed and put her hand on my chest. "Charlotte can handle herself. She's fine."
"Is she one of those girls?"
"No clue." She licked at her lips subtly as the vein in the side of her neck beat wildly.
"Wait. Are you?" I lifted my eyebrow as every muscle in my body locked.
Please say yes. Oh fuck, please say yes.
"Maybe."
"Good enough." I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the stairs.
"Wait. I'm not messing up their night."
"Right." I glanced back and smiled at her. "You're making mine."