by Liza James
I look over to Lucas and then back to Benj, who's now flashing an expression of irritation.
"Wait, what's going on here? Is there something I should know?" I press further, stepping closer to the two of them while I straighten my shoulders toward Benj.
"It's nothing—" he starts, just as a pair of slender arms wrap around my waist from behind. I twist my head, realizing its Liv coming to stand with us. As soon as I see her, my eyes are looking for Bloom, glancing behind her and then scanning the space quickly.
"Hey Liv," I smile and look back to her when I don’t immediately see Bloom. Tucking her into my side with a hug, she looks to her brother and waves. But instead of greeting Benj just as warmly, she offers him a tense grin and instantly looks away.
I slept with one of your best friends, I'll let you guess who.
Benj's text suddenly flashes in my head, and my eyes dart to his expression as soon as he sees Liv. He's pulled back even further, both physically and in his attitude. I look down to Liv again, and realize her cheeks are red and she's looking in every direction except toward Benj.
"What the fuck is going on?" I ask the group, looking to each of them as things start clicking together.
But before any of them can answer me, Bloom's dark brown hair and creamy skin flash in my peripheral vision. She suddenly steps up to our group, waving hello and fidgeting her hands in front of her waist.
God, she looks good.
My attention is instantly distracted, and suddenly I don't care about anyone else except her.
She's nervous and fuck, I love that even more. Her hair is down and cascading over her shoulders. She's wearing a pair of black, ripped up leggings that come high on her waist. Her top is a low-cut cropped sweater. It has long, flowy sleeves and cinches at her waist. So, while it shows off seriously sexy pieces of her, I know she's finding comfort in how much it hangs off her frame as well.
"Hey, Baby Bloom," I say, just as she glances my way from the other side of Liv. She smiles, and her eyes linger for a second too long before she turns her gaze back to the group. She steps up next Benj, and he drops his arm around her shoulder and pulls her into his side.
I don't fuckin' love that. That's for sure.
We've worked ourselves into a shit storm here. Liv and I aren't together, but Benj and Bloom are still casually seeing each other. Not to mention the strange tension between him and Liv. I need to figure out what's happening there.
Liv shifts behind me and grabs a drink for herself. "I have a feeling I'm going to get wasted tonight," she mutters, looking over to me while she fills her cup. "Things are weird."
I narrow my eyes at her and turn to face her completely, shutting us into our own private conversation. "Yeah, they are. Care to explain?"
She looks to me and then nervously darts to her cup again as she stays silent a moment longer. "No," she replies. "Not now. Later, though okay?"
I wish she would just have the conversation with me now. I don't want to stand here and watch Benj with his arms around Bloom all night. But I get it, this is a weird situation we're all in, and I have the tiniest idea as to what may have happened.
At the same time though, I can't believe it. When the hell would that have happened?
"Let's play beer pong?" Benj shouts over the noise, directing it toward Lucas. I turn around as Liv steps beside me, just in time to hear Lucas decline.
"But you both could play Carter and Liv, yeah?" he suggests, and I'm getting the feeling we're being pushed into some sort of fucking confrontation. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but everything feels tense and off tonight.
"Yeah, we'll play you guys," I agree, at least this way, I can keep my eyes on Bloom the entire time. "You'll have to drink my cups though, I'm staying sober tonight." I glance toward Liv as I place my hand on her shoulder and usher her out of the kitchen.
"Ah, shit yes. This is exactly what I need." She complies eagerly, and we walk out into the living room and walk over to the other side of the large house.
Three tables are set up, spaced evenly apart with plenty of room for everyone to get exceptionally drunk without knocking into anything else. We step up to one, while Benj and Bloom sidle up on the opposing side.
I lean forward and start pouring our cups, lining them up in the triangular formation we prefer. Benj is doing the same on the other side, and when I look up, I catch sight of Bloom watching me silently from behind her partner.
My eyes meet hers in a heated collision, and I see her suck her bottom lip into her mouth and bite down.
Fuck.
I want that. I want to feel her, touch her, bite down on that sweet little lip myself.
I clear my throat and step back, just as Liv jumps in front of me to throw the first ball.
"You're getting slaughtered tonight," she chimes out, bouncing back and forth between her feet before throwing the ball and successfully landing it in one cup. "Ah ha!"
"Probably best that you win, huh Liv? Wouldn't want to see you lose control in some drunken rage," Benj bites out sarcastically. Liv stiffens her shoulders, just as she throws her second ball and dunks it, all with her eyes glued to Benj the entire time.
"I'm never an angry drunk, Benjie. I'm a happy drunk," she retorts and turns back toward me, offering me the ping pong ball.
"Happy drunk? Or horn—"
"All right, it's my turn, yeah?" Bloom interrupts the awkward banter and steps in front of Benj. Coming up to the edge of the table, she lifts her slender arm and attempts aiming it perfectly before throwing.
"You think you can see all right, Baby Bloom?" I tease, watching as she squints her eyes tightly while mock tossing the ball. She pauses, lets her eyes fall to me and tightens her lips into a flat line.
I should laugh, I feel it, the humor in this moment. But it's shifting into something else, something hard and pressing when her eyes stay glued to my own. It's like I'm lost, for a moment. While this crowded room blasts with music and countless other voices, I'm only listening to her.
While people dance and walk around us, I can only see Bloom standing in front of me. She's frozen, into this perfect embodiment of the buildup between us.
Electric. Needy. Addictive.
My attention is distracted when Benj suddenly steps up behind Bloom and leans over her shoulder. He places both hands on either side of the table, crowding her in from behind while he whispers something in her ear.
My heart spikes, the heat in my blood suddenly slithering through my body and setting me on edge. Liv shifts beside me, clearly uncomfortable while her eyes fall from watching Bloom and Benj on the other side.
I nudge her arm with my elbow, "What the hell is going on with you two?" I ask quietly, wishing someone would just fucking tell me the truth.
"Nothing," she replies and her eyes snap back to the table as soon as Bloom finally releases the ball.
It sinks into one of our cups, and Liv is quick to snatch it and pour it down her throat.
"Damn girl," I mutter, to both Bloom and Liv for their specific impressive habits tonight.
Bloom backs up against Benj's chest, and he rests his hand on her waist as he steps around her to throw his shot.
I step up to the edge of the table, meeting his gaze in something dark and disturbed. "Think you can sink it after Bloom's shot?" I taunt, not even bothering to rein in the annoyance I'm already feeling tonight. She should be next to me, with my arms around her rather than Benj's.
"I think I can sink a lot of things, Carter," he snaps back, and throws the ball without even looking at the cups.
Sink.
I pass the cup back to Liv and Benj's eyes instantly fall to her with a cocky smile on his face.
"You're an asshole," she mutters to him, but she throws the cup back like the champ she is and we all continue playing.
Each new shot is another cup for both Benj and Liv. We're all sinking balls like we're pros, and Bloom and I watch as our partners become sloppier and slower.
We end up playi
ng three fucking rounds and by the end of it, Liv and I have won two and Benj and Bloom won once.
Liv is thoroughly plastered already, and Benj is a heated mess of snide comments and possessive holds on Bloom.
I want to rip his fucking arms off.
For looking at her the way he is, as if she's some sort of prize he's fucking won in all of this. For the way his hands slide around her waist and over her shoulders while she plays. He keeps whispering things I can't hear, and I wish she could tell him to fuck off like her eyes are clearly saying.
She awkwardly glances to me every few minutes, with an apologetic look on her face before he comes back to her for more.
I can tell she's uncomfortable, and she starts gently resting her hands against his chest whenever he comes up to her. She’s keeping some sort of distance between them now that he's gotten a bit tipsier.
We finish the last game and decide to step outside and relax. Lucas meets us, along with a few other guys from the team as we all huddle together.
Suddenly, Benj sits down on one of the lawn chairs, pulling Bloom into his lap at the same time. He stumbles a bit, and Bloom shifts around in his lap so she's not plastered against him. His lips fall to her neck while the group continues speaking, but my eyes are trained on them and them alone.
My skin tightens and I tilt my head back and forth on my shoulders to try and release some of the tension. My hands are resting in my pockets, but I'm tempted to clench my fists in frustration while I watch them.
None of them know about Bloom and I—aside from Lucas. And his eyes seem to be stuck to his sister tonight.
"You gonna fuck her in front of us, Benj?" Liv suddenly snaps out and I rear back at the unexpected outburst.
"Jesus, Liv," Lucas mutters under his breath. But his angry gaze settles on Benj.
He sways a bit, and Bloom's cheeks redden at the thick tension now settling between all of us. She stands, and Benj holds on to her waist with a confident smile as he watches Liv.
"Do you want me to?" he asks her, standing behind Bloom and tugging her against him.
A new kind of rage rolls through my entire body at the whole interaction, on both Bloom’s and Liv's behalf. I step forward and toward Benj, reaching out and pulling Bloom out of his grasp and against me. She shifts immediately, coming to stand at my side while her hands grasp at my arm.
"What the hell is your deal tonight, man?" I ask him, and his gaze rests on mine in unfocused jerky movements. He looks away, and then lifts his hands to rake over his hair before dropping them to his sides again.
Suddenly, he turns around and kicks the chair back, sending it flying across the yard as he stalks off.
A wave of shock envelopes the entire group, because this is so incredibly unlike him. He doesn't let anything to get to him like this, and seeing our usually calm and gentle Benj be anything but, is difficult to comprehend.
"I'm going to the bathroom," Bloom mutters absently, clearly shaken by what's happening with her tense frame and tight lips. She pulls out of my hold and walks off, and I turn around to find Liv both teary eyed and visibly angry.
"I'm going to fucking kill him," she snaps just as her brother walks up to her and snags her attention.
I lift my hands to my head and turn back toward Benj, considering going after him in order to find out what the fuck happened.
But my attention falls to Bloom again, and I decide to follow after her instead. She's my first priority, and we haven't had a moment alone at all tonight.
Without a word, I step out of the chaotic group and walk away. I move through the house, unsure of which bathroom Bloom ran off to, but guessing the one upstairs and farthest away from everyone else.
I quickly climb the stairs, passing random couples making out or in drunk conversation. People are sitting casually on the staircase or pressed up against the walls of the hallway.
Third door to the left.
The bathroom directly next to mine and Benj's rooms. I rap on the door a few times, pressing myself against the surface while I call through it. "Bloom? You in there?"
No answer.
So, I jiggle the doorknob and push it open. Before it's even an inch there, someone else is suddenly slamming it back into the frame. "Not now, Carter," she bites out aggressively.
And that's when I know I've got her.
I kick my foot out in front of me, trying to shove the door shut while Carter pushes through. It's a useless attempt though, weak at best because even though I'm confused and frustrated, Carter's the one person I want near me.
He gives it another push and steps inside, clicking the door shut and locking it behind him. "Bloom," he says hesitantly, as he steps forward and drops his hands to my face. "Are you okay?"
"No, I'm annoyed. And irritated, and what the fuck is going on with Benj?" I grind out through clenched teeth. "He's being an asshole tonight."
"Yeah, he is. I have an idea, things I've been putting together but I'm not positive about it," he explains cautiously, and if it's the same thing I'm sort of thinking, then I think we're on the same page.
"There's a thing between him and Liv, right?" I ask, and the immediate understanding on his face is the only answer I need. "It would make sense, you know. Her trying to confront something with me the other day, but not wanting to talk about it in front of you."
"Yeah, it does make sense. I just don't know when it would have happened," he agrees as he shifts us around so my back is leaning against the bathroom counter. He places both of his hands on either side of me, dipping down low so he's surrounding me in everything that is him.
He smells good. Fire and leather. Smokey and seductive.
I tilt my head back and meet his gaze, lifting my hand to rake over the subtle scruff along his jaw. "I miss you," I whisper, knowing full well this distance between us is my doing.
I've been so wary about us hurting other people, when it seems like there were unknown occurrences taking place behind our backs. I'm not angry, necessarily, simply disappointed that I've been worried about pleasing everyone else except myself.
He leans forward, tucking a piece of my own hair behind my ear as his eyes bore into my own. They're slipping darker, into a deep blue shade that sets me on fire. I love it when he gives me this piece of him.
He's hungry, and I'm the only one who can satisfy him.
"I've hated every single second of being around you tonight," he starts, and the angry words sting as they flow between us. "Because I can't stand seeing Benj touch you. The way he was whispering to you while we were all together. You sitting on his lap and his lips on your neck. Fuck, Bloom—"
"Stop," I quickly reach up and grip his face tightly in my hands. I lean forward and move my lips closer to his. "I know it's hard. I'm putting an end to everything with him as soon as he isn't in a drunken rage. I've been so preoccupied with making everyone else happy that I've put you and our needs on the back burner. I'm so sorry for that."
He kisses me, gently at first. His lips moving against mine in a mutual desperation to be closer to each other. To connect with each other.
"It's okay," he says as he slips his hand to the back of my neck and into my hair. His tight hold pins me in place while he moves up against me. "But this will never happen again. You're mine, Bloom, and I'll make sure everyone fuckin' knows it before someone else ever touches you."
His tongue trails against the seam of my lips, slipping inside as soon as I open for him. He consumes me, colliding against me with renewed power and intoxication. We lose ourselves in each other, in the way his teeth scrape along my lip and my tongue slides against his own.
My hands twist into his shirt and I tug him even tighter against me. He lifts me up onto the counter, stepping between my thighs as he rolls his hips into mine. "Carter," I say his name on a breathy whimper. My core already wet and aching to be filled by him.
God, I want more. I want him to claim me, make me his in every way I can give him.
His hand slips betwe
en us, and I let mine fall to the button of his jeans as I begin unclasping it. He groans as my hand glides down beneath his briefs, stroking over his thick shaft while he thrusts into my grip.
"Fuck, Bloom." His hand slides over my chest, his thumb grazing over my hard nipple through my sweater. But I need more, and it's like he already knows what I'm thinking when he shifts to pull my top off completely.
But then he pauses in silence for a quick moment when he suddenly releases me completely and pulls me down off the counter. "Wait, Carter—" I start, but he ignores it and grasps my hand, tugging us out of the bathroom and into his room next door instead.
"I want more time with you," he whispers as he stalks us back toward the wall of his room.
Back.
Back.
Back.
I crash against the surface behind me, and he reaches for the hem of my sweater as he quickly yanks it up and over my head. His hands fall to my leggings, his fingers trailing a slow, intentional line along the top before dipping down and sliding over my pulsing clit. I moan at the touch, I can't help it.
Feeling him move against me. Seeing the outline of thick cock beneath his wide-open jeans.
And god, those fucking eyes. Alight with a blazing fire. Desire and need warring together with his own strength and power while he takes control.
He pulls his hand free of my leggings then yanks them down completely. I step out of them, standing before him in my matching black, lace g-string and bra.
Carter steps back several feet. The air in the room heats, burning against my skin in seductive energy. His eyes fall, deliberately harrowing over every agonizing inch of my body.
I love how he's watching me, and he lifts his hand to scrub against his jaw while his eyes linger on my chest.
So, I slowly lift my fingers to my bra strap, pulling it down off my shoulder while my gaze remains on his. He watches the movement, and I can see his chest shifting heavily with each bated breath.
"Do you like this?" I ask him, as I do the same for the second strap while my tits spill over the top of my bra. "Watching me?"
His eyes meet mine again. A new hunger resides in them, something predatory and instinctual, and it's taking everything in me not to beg him to fuck me right this second.