I nod my head. “Play your guitar for us,” I whisper. “Please. Please. Please.”

His lips turn up into a smile, but he doesn’t respond. He looks around the crowd full of people, before bringing his attention back to me.

“Please. It will help relax me.”

He lets out a huff. “You’re so damn lucky that I can’t say no to you. You have no idea.” He turns to Mel. “I’ll be back.”

Mel looks at me, and smiles awkwardly, but doesn’t say a word. She almost looks . . . jealous. Of me? Ha! That’s funny.

Alex is inside for about ten minutes before I notice him come back outside. Everyone clears a path for Alex, as he walks confidently with his guitar. He doesn’t seem to have a care in the world. He’s about to own this party and he knows it. I know it. He’s owned me for years with that guitar.

Something about his confidence has always drawn me to him, making me want him way more than I should, and seeing all these people waiting for him to sing for us makes me want him that much more. It’s almost unbearable.

He stops once he gets back to the fire pit and smiles as he throws the strap of his guitar over his head. Almost everyone is now looking at him, and the DJ has stopped the music. “You asked for it.” He works on adjusting the strings of his guitar, while still talking. “I’m playing this song, because let’s face it, all you fuckers are having sex after you leave this party.”

Everyone starts screaming and cheering him on, but his face stays focused as he starts playing the melody to a song that I recognize right away: Wicked Games by The Weeknd. If people weren’t planning on fucking after this party . . . well they will be now.

A few girls, including Mel, start dancing close to Alex as the seductive words leave his lips. Holy shit . . . that voice. It’s been a while since I’ve heard him sing.

Closing my eyes, I get lost in his words, imagining his lips running across my skin with each word; the vibration of his voice against my flesh as he touches me in all the right places. Oh the things he can probably do with his mouth.

Maybe being drunk isn’t helping liked I’d hoped . . .

Before I know it, I’m standing just a few steps away from Alex, hanging on his every word. His eyes meet mine as he sings, “Just let me motherfucking love you.”

My eyes stay locked with his, unable to pull away. There’s something in his eyes right now that almost makes it feel as if he’s truly singing those words to me. It feels like just the two of us.

I feel my body shuddering with each word that leaves his sexy as sin mouth, as he gets deeper into the song and the melody picks up.

While still singing, he swings the guitar around his body so that it’s now hanging from his back. Reaching out, he pulls me against his body as he grinds his hips against me and sings, “Let me see you dance. I love to watch you dance.”

Letting out a small breath, I spin around in his arms and lean my head against his shoulder as I let myself dance against him. I feel his lips against my ear as he continues the song, seductively running his hands up the length of my arms as I hold them out at my sides.

Then, before I know it, he’s gone and reaching for his guitar again. I stop dancing for a second, but he nods his head at me, encouraging me to keep going.

A few seconds later I feel another set of arms wrap around me, and I know right away that it’s Lucas. He starts dancing against me, but his movements aren’t in sync with mine. Not like Alex’s were.

Knowing that I need to get my mind somewhere else, I dance with Lucas, hoping that feeling him against me will bring my thoughts to him.

“You look so sexy when you dance,” he whispers in my ear.

I feel myself leaning into him as we both dance to the sound of Alex’s voice, but as soon as the song finishes, I suddenly start to feel really anxious, as if I need to get away for a minute.

I turn around in his arms and place my hands to his chest. “I’m not feeling so hot right now. I think I need to go inside for a minute.”

“Alright.” Lucas takes a swig of his beer before kissing my forehead. “Come back when you’re feeling better. I’m going to keep our guests busy.”

My eyes pull away and meet Alex’s before I push my way through the crowd and break through the silence of the back door.

Once I get inside, I walk over to the stairs and take a seat half way up the steps. Closing my eyes, I lean my head against the wall and let out a deep breath.

My thoughts are really messing with me right now. I’m starting to wonder if asking Alex to move in was good for any of us. I can’t seem to keep my eyes off of him long enough to think straight.

“You feeling okay, babe?”

I look up to the sound of Alex’s voice. He’s standing at the bottom of the stairs with his guitar in hand. My heart swells at the sight of him.

“I’m fine.” I watch him with a smile as he walks up the steps and sits down next to me. “You should be out there enjoying the party and not in here worrying about my ass. I’m sure Mel is waiting on you.”

He bites his bottom lip in a teasing manner. “Oh, I’m always thinking about your ass . . . and Mel can wait.”

Blushing, I push his shoulder.

His face turns serious. “No, for real though . . . I can’t enjoy myself knowing that my favorite girl isn’t feeling well.”

I look up and smile at him as he reaches for my hand and helps me to my feet. “Come on. Let me get you to bed.”

Walking in front of him, I rest my head on his chest as he grabs my hips and guides me up the stairs. I feel a bit wobbly. “You’re the best friend a girl could ask for. You know that, right?” My words slur a little, but I hope he knows how much I mean them.

He pushes my bedroom door open and takes a seat in my chair as I plop down onto my bed.

“I know,” he says softly. Without me even asking, he starts playing his guitar as I close my eyes and eventually dose off.

I’VE BEEN UP FOR THE last two hours. Actually—I barely even slept at all. I’ve never been one for sleeping much, so there’s nothing new there, but I have a feeling that last night had something to do with my lack of sleep this time. I couldn’t help but notice Lucas make his way into Tripp’s room late last night. The little noises that she made while he pounded into her will forever haunt my dick now. He was in there for twelve minutes before I heard him leave again. Yeah, that’s right . . . I timed it. Something about knowing that he fucked her just a room over from me didn’t settle well with me last night, and I couldn’t seem to shut my mind off. Especially since he couldn’t even be man enough to take care of her when she needed it. That just pisses me off.