I held back the giggle and closed the door. Finishing up washing, I slipped the shirt up over my head and let it fall. It was definitely too big on me, but I gathered the hem and tied it to the side, fitting it a bit better to my body. The edges of my bra showed a bit through the arm holes, but it covered up the important parts and that was all that mattered.
When I exited the bathroom, Alden was leaning against the wall opposite the door, his arms folded together and a flustered yet serious expression lighting his face as he stared at me.
“You okay?” I asked him, taking a few steps towards him and resting my hand on his shoulder.
But the moment my hand had touched him, he grabbed it and pulled me flush against him. My body warmed at the contact it made it with his, extremely aware of how good it felt against mine. Our faces were barely a breath apart, and his eyes flicked back and forth between mine. But I didn’t dare move, even though my nerves began to run rampant and my heart pounded erratically inside my chest.
“I can’t keep pretending I don’t want you, Sophia,” he admitted in a low whisper. “Seeing you with the others and not being able to touch you the way they do or kiss you is slowly killing me. But I don’t know what to do.”
My breath almost came out of me in a rush. Alden had feelings for me? I knew I’d caught him staring at me several times with what I’d hoped was longing, but my mind kept convincing me that it was just my imagination. Now here he was telling me exactly what I wished one day he would. Well, not exactly but close enough.
So, I prodded him. “You want to touch me? Kiss me?”
His gaze didn’t waver as he just slowly nodded in response.
“Then why don’t you?”
He swallowed thickly. “Cause I’m afraid you don’t have enough room for me when you have something pretty great with my brother and best friend already. I don’t want to come between you three.”
I let out a half laugh, half sigh. “Alden Duvall, I have crushed so hard on you since that day at the Aquarium. I have more than enough room in my heart for you, and the other two know exactly how I feel.”
His expression morphed to surprise. “They do?Youdo?”
I mimicked his earlier slow nod.
It was like something snapped inside Alden, because it took less than five seconds for that nod to sink in and him to grab me, turn me, and press me into the wall where he had just been leaning.
Then finally—finally—his mouth was on mine.
Like a man starved for my touch, he pressed into me, his hands feverishly digging into my curls and his mouth devouring mine. Meanwhile my hands clawed at the edges of his shirt, pulling him into me harder. It felt like it’s taken forever to get to this moment right here and I was in no rush for it to end.
The taste of beer was still prevalent on his tongue and his touch left fiery trails along my scalp. My entire body tingled, desperate for more of his mouth. More of his hands. Just more of Alden.
When he tore his mouth away so we could both gasp for much needed air, it took everything in me not to yank him back toward me.
Instead, I said three words I couldn’t stop from pouring out of my mouth in a whimpering plea.
“Take me home.”
Alden grinned wickedly. “Yes ma’am.” He snagged my hand and began tugging me behind him back toward where Porter sat waiting.
Porter’s gaze zeroed in on our joined hands and a satisfied smirk graced his mouth.
“We’re taking Sophia home,” Alden told him quickly before he downed the rest of his beer and tossed the bottle into the trash, not releasing my hand as he did.
Porter bellowed out a laugh and followed suit. “Bout time,” was his only comment.
The guys grabbed the check for the tab and tossed some bills down with it at the bar. Porter grabbed my other hand, and faster than I’ve ever seen them move, they walked us towards the exit with me sandwiched between them.
I’d caught Misty’s stare just before we exited, which was filled with utter disdain. All I did was smirk in her direction and continue letting myself be pulled outside.
The drive home was filled with tension you could cut with a knife. But not in a bad way. I wasn’t sure if it was the beer fueling the desire that radiated between myself and the other two, but all I could think about was getting home and having my way with both Alden and Porter.
And from the heated glances both men kept shooting me, it was clear their thoughts were mirroring mine.
The moment the SUV was parked in the driveway, Alden jumped from the back seat out of the truck and had my door open before I could even finish unbuckling my seatbelt.
“Allow me,” he announced before slipping the seatbelt off of me and grabbing me out of the SUV.
