Stepbrother Untouchable(3)

“Well, they have the best parties,” she assures me. “And the hottest guys.”

“Lacrosse guys are hotter,” Rachel argues.

“Of course, if you can always do both…” Marie murmurs, and they burst into laughter.

“Hey, you look great, by the way,” Cara says to me as we walk up the front steps of the house. “Love that top.”

“Thanks,” I say, trying not to glow. A couple guys chilling on the front porch greet the other girls by name, and I blush as I feel their eyes glance over me. I tug my hair self-consciously as one of them grins at me. Two girls hurry past us in the opposite direction. One leans over the railing as her friend barely manages to pull her hair back before she retches into the bushes.

Lovely.

Sweat and the scent of beer greets us as we walk inside. The lights are dim, barely illuminating the mass of people crowded into the main room, and I feel my heels sticking to the sticky floor.

“Cara, the love of my life!” a tall, brawny guy says, sweeping her up into a hug. I recognize him from the crew team. Not that I've studied their roster photos or anything…

“Oh, ha, ha,” Cara says, rolling her eyes, though something about the gleam in her eyes tells me she likes the guy.

“Can I get you ladies a beer?” he asks, nodding to the keg behind him.

“Yes, please,” Cara says. “Hey, Foster, this is my good friend Brynn. This is her first Crew party so treat her nice.”

“I'm always nice!” Foster says indignantly, then bows in front of me and offers his hand. “M'lady,” he says, as I place my hand in his and raises it to his lips. Marie and Rachel giggle and then head over to another group as Foster hands them their beers. Cara and I follow Foster over to an old, mysteriously stained, couch in the corner. We weave around other scantily clad co-eds, and for the first time in my life, I feel like one of the cool kids.

I perch nervously on the far left cushion as Cara sits next to me, with Foster on her other side. I slowly sip my beer as he whispers in her ear. I've had beer before, even gotten tipsy a few times with Allison and Miriam when we first turned twenty-one and tried out some wine bars. I just want to make sure I don't overdo it tonight and end up like that girl we passed on the way inside.

“Where's Nate tonight?” My head whips around as I hear Cara ask Foster the question. My heart stops for a second. I have to admit I'll feel crushed if he's not even here.

“He's somewhere around, probably getting crushed under a pile of chicks,” Foster rolls his eyes, and Cara laughs. I down half my beer. I can't believe how jealous it makes me feel, I've never even met the guy.

Cara and Foster keep chatting, and though Cara makes an effort to include me, I'm feeling too nervous to contribute much to the conversation. By the time I finish my beer, I really have to pee.

“Be right back,” I murmur to Cara, and go looking for the bathroom. I weave through the sweaty throng to a hallway along the stairs. I see a line of five girls outside of what I assume is the bathroom, and with a sigh, I step behind the last one. The door opens and a guy darts in front of the front girl.

“Hey!” she protests.

“Sorry! Emergency!” he cries, and shuts the door behind him. I lean back a little and glance up the stairs. There are several people hanging out on the landing, but it's definitely quieter up there, and I'm sure there's more than one bathroom in this place. Holding my legs close together, I turn around and hurry up the stairs.

I bypass the first couple rooms with open doors and come to a couple closed ones. I can see a room at the end of the hall that looks like a lounge, with a pool table in the middle of the room. One of these two rooms must be the bathroom. I lean toward the nearest one and press my ear against it. I can't hear anything. I knock softly and wait for a reply, and when I don’t hear one, I slowly turn the knob and open the door. I gasp as it's pulled open and out of my grasp.

My eyes fly up and immediately I realize that Nate is standing before me.

“I…I…” I stammer. His pupils dilate as he stares at me in amusement. I let my gaze fall down his body. He's naked but for a pair of pale blue boxers. Good lord, his body is ridiculous. The line down between his six-pack looks like it was etched in stone. It's suddenly very difficult to breathe.

“See anything you like?” he asks drily. I snap my gaze back up. A brown curl of hair hangs just over one of his eyes. I clear my throat as I try to think of something to say. I feel his eyes travelling over my body, my skin burning under his gaze as desire begins to pool in my stomach.

“Oh, no, I was—”

“You wanna join us?” he says, pulling the door open a little more. I glance over his shoulder and see a naked girl in bed covered in rumpled sheets.