Page 145 of Brutal Prince

Indi

This house is a masterpiece of architectural genius. There’s nothing cozy or open-plan about it — it’s a sprawling collection of intimate lounges and hidey holes that seem custom-made for making out. No wonder Dylan throws these parties on the regular. If this were a club, he’d be making a killing.

Addison has hold of my hand, and I’ll be honest, it’s the only thing keeping me grounded right now. We had two glasses of wine and a fat blunt while I was getting ready at her house, and since my last meal was a sandwich at lunch, I’m flying pretty fucking high.

The temptation to turn around and see if Briar is still following is powerful, but I know I’ll trip and fall if I try. I didn’t want to let go of Briar’s hand, but Addy’s right — tonight, I’m in charge. If anything, it will piss him off so much, he’s bound to take back control in the worst way.

And we’ll be there, ready and waiting to capture every deviant moment.

Addy seems to know this place well. She tugs me after her without hesitation as she weaves around the kids littered throughout Dylan’s house. Music thumps in the background, weed and cigarette smoke hang thick in the air, and almost everyone I pass stinks of booze. I haven’t seen this many dilated pupils since I last partied at Queenies just outside Lakeview.

Addy sashays us through a kitchen, grabbing a pair of pink drinks from an ice bucket without pausing. The music gets louder. The congestion in the passages thickens.

Heads turn to follow us as we pass. Some envious, some considering, others openly leering.

I glimpse a big open-plan room with two pool tables, a dartboard, and a swarm of kids. Instead of heading inside, Addy leads me down a staircase.

It’s dark down here — the only light comes from a projector screen that’s playing some freaky fractals and a mirror ball that doesn’t seem to be doing much good. Here, the music is a physical entity. It pounds into my body with relentless force, making me hesitate before Addy tugs me after her.

She spins around, hands me one of the pink bottles she swiped from the kitchen, and raises it for a cheer.

“To getting fucked up!” she yells.

“To getting fucked up!” I yell back, and clink our bottles.

Damn, the music is intoxicating. Even as Addy starts shifting to the rhythm, my eyes slide closed. I slip away from the here and now, and lose myself to the track.

I’m rudely drawn back to the present when hands grip around my waist, and for a moment I wonder what on earth Addy’s doing. But when my eyes fly open, her eyes are locked on someone behind me.

A jumble of strange sensations flood me. That exact look had been in her eyes in that dream — hatred.

Marcus or Briar?

But as soon as I’m drawn back into the hard body behind me, I know it’s Briar who’s holding me. His smell envelops me, comforts me, arouses me all at the same time. I breathe him in, arching my ass against his groin.

In these shoes, I’m actually the right height for him.

I can’t help the coy smile that touches my mouth when I feel him harden against me a moment later.

“Let’s talk,” he says in my ear, his hands sliding over my belly.

“Let’s dance,” I yell back, not caring if he can hear or not. Addy’s turned her back on us as if she can’t stand the sight of us dancing together, and it takes sincere effort for me not to giggle at her theatrics.

I spin in Briar’s arms, drape my wrists over his shoulders, and start twisting in time with the beat. I’m far from an accomplished dancer, but what I lack in technical training I make up for in enthusiasm.

I can see the battle in his eyes — he wants to maintain eye contact, but his eyelids flutter how badly he wants to look at my curves.

And as soon as he crumbles and his eyes drag over my body, I snap my fingers in front of his face. “Up here!”

His eyes narrow, and his lip lifts up in a snarl. He grabs me and crushes our bodies together. His hands grab hard onto my ass, squeezing me through the dress. With those long fingers of his, he’s almost touching my pussy.

I go on tiptoes, trying to move away from his touch, but he just gives me a bemused smile and grabs the back of my neck.

When he kisses me, everything vanishes.

The crowd.

The music.

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