My Brother’s Best Friend

Other party members had arrived while I was in the restroom. It offered a welcome distraction to Chance and Ollie, who were quickly following behind me.

I needed to put as much distance between the hot-headed man behind me and his equally hot-blooded best friend. My brother would not be happy about me hooking up with his friends.

He hadn’t asked me to stay away from them, but I was fairly certain it had been said in our unspoken sibling language. I wouldn’t appreciate him coming into town and hooking up with my friends either.

Plus, the narrowed look he’d shot Chance a few times over the past several hours seemed like warning enough for us to stay away from each other.

While everyone was skating, I decided to get a beer and cool off at the bar. The molly was hitting me hard, and skating was too much for my system to handle at the moment.

The chill of the beer in my hands and mouth was helping to level out the high.

“How ya feeling, killer?” Chance said low in my ear, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin. He deeply laughed and put his hands on my shoulders to steady me, “Careful. You about fell out of your seat.”

His hands lingered on my shoulders for far too long, but I resisted the temptation to turn and look at him.

Instead, I silently sat and took deep breaths, reminding myself that he was off-limits and that Los Angeles had millions of other eligible men.

I would feel a man’s touch soon enough, and it would not be that of my childhood crush, my brother’s best friend.

“Everyone is heading back soon. Looks like Ollie’s girl showed up, so he booked a hotel room for the night. Didn’t want to take her back to crash at Allie and Fred’s. You should come back with the rest of us though,” he said behind me.

I tensed and turned. I hadn’t been aware that Ollie would be leaving me alone tonight, and I suddenly felt nervous about going back with his friends, without him.

“I’ll probably just get an Uber home,” I said, pulling out my phone and opening the app.

Chance pulled out the barstool next to me and sat down facing me, “Just so you know, Ubers are super expensive at this time of night. You should just rideshare back to Fred’s with us. They have a couple of extra rooms and a couch you could crash on until you sober up.”

I suspiciously glanced up at him and went back to typing my new address into the application. He was right. I’d never paid three figures for a cab in my life, and I wasn’t about to now.

“Fuck,” I cursed under my breath.

“Fuck what?” Chance put his index finger—the one I recently had in my mouth—on my phone and pushed it down and out of my eyesight.

“I was just saying fuck. Like fuck, that sucks,” I explained, tucking my phone into my crossbody purse.

Chance leaned into me with a devilish grin. “I like it when you say fuck.”

My stomach tightened and coiled into itself. I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to speak, “I…I…I should go home.” I stuttered.

He looked around before leaning in so far I thought he was going to kiss me, but instead, his lips brushed my ear. “You should come back with me, not go home. Give me a chance, Tessa.”

I shuddered at the gentle caress of his lips against the sensitive shell of my ear. “I can’t,” I said breathlessly, not even believing my own words.

This man uses his name in a pick-up line, and instead of making fun of him, I’m melting. The drugs are definitely impairing my ability to think rationally.

My brother would kill me or him, or both of us. Well, probably not kill, but he would be pissed. I didn’t want to upset him or hurt their friendship. I reminded myself that one night of pleasure was not worth it.

Chance pulled back, his face showing defeat. At least he knew how to take no for an answer.

“Okay. I’ll quit being so obvious about how much I want you, but you should come back with us. It’ll be fun. You’ll bond with everyone and save your money. It’s a win–win,” he said.

He had a point, and I decided to go to the house, but not before letting my brother know I was furious with him for choosing a random hook-up over me. Funny, how it was okay for him but not for me.

On the Uber ride back, Chance sat next to me again, but he kept his thighs and shoulders to himself. He glanced in my direction several times, but his expression was unreadable. I didn’t understand why a guy like him was even into someone like me. I wasn’t the typical LA beauty that I was certain he attracted. Yet, his words kept replaying in my ear.

I’ll quit being so obvious about how much I want you.

It had been a long time since I had heard anything remotely close to that, and it did something strange to my body. Like a dog in heat, all it took was a glance and he had me panting.

Going back to my brother’s friend’s house and sleeping under the same roof as Chance was a bad idea.

The fact that this was a bad idea was further confirmed by the branching off of the couples shortly after we arrived. The molly was hitting everyone hard, and they were beginning to get sexual.

Freddy and Allie were the first to go to their room.

Monica and Jace were the next to leave, and they took one of the spare bedrooms. Greyson soon followed them; she took the last spare room.

I secretly wished I knew her better so that I could stay in her room and not on the other side of the couch from Chance.

Chance went to a linen closet, pulling out blankets and a couple of pillows before spreading them out on the couch. He set two pillows on the lounge seat and doubled the blankets before settling into the smaller side of the section.

“You don’t have to take the lounge seat. You’re like a foot taller than me,” I said, standing beside the couch and refusing to lay down yet. He hadn’t set out any pillows or blankets for me.

I got that he was trying to be courteous, but it wasn’t necessary. I could comfortably stretch across the lounge, while his feet hung off when he was curled up. The length of the couch was better suited for him.

“I like this spot the best, but thanks,” he said, pulling out his phone and engaging with it instead of me.

I felt slightly irritated by his rude behavior, but I suppose I deserved it. Walking over to the linen closet, I opened it to find some blankets and pillows for myself. Except, the cupboard only held some sheets and towels.

“Do you know where more blankets would be?” I turned to ask Chance.

He fought to hide a smirk while keeping his eyes on his phone. Oh no, he didn’t.

“No idea. Are there none in there?” He feigned confusion.

“You know there aren’t any in here,” I snapped.

He looked up at me with an arched brow, as if daring me to continue my tongue-lashing.

I was sexually frustrated and now equally irritated by his put-off attitude. I strode up to him and latched onto one of the pillows under his head. I ripped it out from under his head and went for the blanket next.

“Hey!” he yelped as his head fell back against the second pillow.

He barely caught the escaping blanket and tugged it from me. My blood was boiling. I threw the other pillow down on the couch and double-fisted the blanket he clutched. We tug-of-warred the blanket with teeth bared, yelling profanities at each other.

“You fucker! Give me the blanket!” I pulled on my corner, using my entire body.

“No. Fuck you!” he yelled back, tugging harder and making me lose my balance.

I barely caught myself from falling on top of him and gave the blanket another yank. “You motherfucking asshole, prick, teasing cunt!” I yelled as he let go of the blanket, causing me to fall on the floor.

“Ugh!” I seethed.

Chance stood and towered over me, letting the blanket fall to the floor. He looked irritated, but asked, “Are you okay?”

“No. Fuck you,” I repeated his words and snatched the other blanket from his feet.

Climbing to my own feet, I plopped down in his spot and cocooned myself in the blankets. Chance’s mouth dropped open in shock at my audacity.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he spat.

“Go away. You’re ruining my molly high,” I said, covering my head with the blankets.

I felt the couch cushion shift and sink under Chance’s weight as he sank into it. As I hadn’t lifted the blanket from my face, I had no idea what part of his body now touched my entire side.

Slowly, I inched the blanket down and peeked out.

Chance’s face was inches from mine, yet again.

“I dare you to call me a motherfucking asshole, prick, teasing cunt again.” He licked his lips before dragging his teeth across his bottom lip, “Who taught you how to speak so vulgarly anyways? Your mother would be ashamed.”

It was hard to focus with him so close. Thank the gods the blanket protected me from his body. The entire length of him pressed into my side, his leg bent on top of my leg and his arm lying across my stomach.

“I asked you a question, Tessa.”

The way my name rolled off his tongue was like a snake charmer’s song. I was caught in the allure of this man, and the only thing keeping us separated was the two blankets cocooning me.

“Um…” My brain tried to come up with a witty remark. The fire that fueled our little tussle quickly moved from my brain to my pussy, making me incapable of forming sentences.

“You want me just as badly as I want you, don’t you?” His voice was like a beating drum, methodical yet taunting in a way that made my heart race.

I shook my head no, but my body said yes. I was squeezing my thighs together as firmly as I could to deny the growing heat pooling there.

“Can I steal a kiss? Just a kiss. I swear. I just want to taste your lips once.” His eyes moved back and forth between my lips and eyes, questioning and yearning.

It was stifling under the covers, and I needed air. I shimmied the blankets down my shoulders slightly as Chance watched me with curiosity.

He pressed closer and moved the hand draped across my stomach to the top of the blanket. Chance pulled the blankets down, freeing my upper body, and the air doused my desire like a bucket of ice.

Laying back down, free of the covers, I took a massive chilling breath, but my breasts fell heavily toward my chin, revealing more of my cleavage. Chance’s eyes widened, and his mouth parted when he caught sight of them.

I attempted to pull the blankets up, but his hand caught my wrist again. His bare skin touching mine warmed my body all over again.

Our eyes met, and my breathing stopped. He was so close I could smell him, and I could smell my growing arousal as well.

There was no denying my attraction to him and no denying what I truly wanted. I wanted him to fuck me harder than I’ve ever been fucked before. This had been years of yearning in the making.

“Fuck it,” I quietly said, gasping for air to cool the inferno inside me, but nothing could calm the flames of desire, nothing but Chance.

His lips slammed onto mine. He was the forbidden fruit, and I’d never tasted anything so sweet. He would be my undoing in so many ways, but I was ready to fuck it all to hell.