Sin City Baby

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“I finally got you away from all the dancing so we could talk,” Lauren said.

“About what?” I asked.

“Whatever it is that’s bothering you. And I know something’s wrong, so let’s skip to the part where you tell me why you aren’t your usual cheery self so I can help you.”

“Is it that obvious?” I asked.

“Yep. Now spill before my brothers come steal you again. I know they’ve missed you just as much as I have.”

I took a sip of my drink to try and hide the blush in my cheeks.

“I’m just having a personal dilemma is all. Going to Paris for an entire month gave me some time to think. That’s all.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” I said.

I wasn’t about to tell my best friend on her Bachelorette weekend of my growing attraction to her brothers.

“Then I’ll dispense some overall wisdom before I get back to my fiancé,” Lauren said with a grin. “You’ve always done well in life. You’ve always made the right choices. And you want to know why that is?”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because you listen to your gut. You don’t allow anyone else to dictate your actions other than you. And you never settle. Ever. So, whatever it is you’re dwelling over, listen to your gut and don’t settle. It’s gotten you this far and you’ve become this successful already. Don’t change the formula when you’re at your peak.”

I wrapped my arm around Lauren and hugged her closely before the two of us finished our drinks. She was right. My gut and my own decision-making had gotten me this far, so it only made sense that it wouldn’t steer me wrong now.

Would she feel the same way, though, if she knew what I was thinking about?

I shared one last drink with my best friend before we went back to dancing. And when the guys received me with open arms, I allowed myself to fall into them. I lost myself in the rhythm of the music and the strength of their embraces and completely lose track of time. When I went to go look for Lauren again, I found that her and Todd had already left.

Which left me with the four men I couldn’t rid from my mind.

I enjoyed dancing with all of them, feeling their hands on me, watching the way they looked at me. I had my choice of them this weekend, and I wasn’t going to let that go to waste. For as long as I could remember, I’d admired the Anderson brothers with their thick brown hair and their striking blue eyes.

All except for Luke, whose eyes were a stunning green-- the color of emeralds.

After another hour of dancing, long after Lauren and Todd had left, the guys and I made our way back to the hotel. My feet ached, and I was drenched in sweat. I needed sleep, but I wasn’t ready to stop partying. Liam had purchased a couple of bottles of champagne from the club and neither of them had been broken open yet, so I told them to bring it all back to my room.

“Woo!” I exclaimed as I stumbled into my hotel room. “Party time.”

“Whatcha pick up for drinks?” Logan asked.

“Champagne. Though I figured Lauren and Todd would also be with us,” Liam said.

“Leave the lovebirds be,” I said as I grabbed a bottle. “She’s probably giving him the time of his life anyway.”

“Not an image I needed,” Levi said.

“Oh, get over it. Your sister’s getting married to her old man lover. Be happy she’s happy.”

I popped the cork on the champagne bottle and grabbed a lone plastic cup to pour it into. With each swallow I took from the cup, my don’t give-a-fuck personality grew. That personality that always shined whenever I was around the Anderson brothers. The alcohol flooded my veins as I sat on the edge of my bed. One of the brothers popped the other cork, and they all started passing bottles around, getting drunker with each sip. Refilling my glass. Regaling me with memories from our childhood that made me laugh until I was hoarse.

And the more I drank, the more I lusted after the brothers.

All of them.