Giving up on the zipper, I manage to get the tie around the neck undone. The top of the dress falls down easily, the silky material slithering down my skin. I don’t have on a bra under it, because the neckline and back are too dramatically plunging for that, so as soon as the fabric falls down, it exposes my bare tits to the car.
“Fuck,” Sloan hisses, and I can see him looking in the rearview mirror. He drives even faster.
Levi and Rory are affected too, their eyes going dark. Rory licks his lips and glances away and Levi clenches his hands into fists in his lap.
We get back to the house in record time, and it feels like I blinked and we’re already there. The two guys in the back help get me inside, pulling my dress back up to cover my tits.
When I glance at Sloan, he looks hard and closed off. He’s mad, but it’s nothing like the way he was the last time I embarrassed him or whatever while we were out. He turns away from me, like he doesn’t want to look at me, and I look at the floor, breathing hard even though I don’t really have a reason to be out of breath.
I don’t know what to say to him, and it doesn’t really matter one way or another, because he turns and disappears into the kitchen without another word, leaving the three of us alone in the living room.
Levi and Rory practically cart me up the stairs between them, and Rory pushes open the door to my bedroom so Levi can get me through. It’s still a little bit of a mess from when I got ready for the party earlier, and if I wasn’t so out of it, I might be embarrassed for them to see it. As it is, I don’t give a shit.
“I’ve got it from here,” Levi says, finally letting me go.
Rory hesitates, glancing from his friend then back to me, and it looks like he’s unsure about leaving.
Levi just rolls his eyes and makes a face. “I’ll take care of her,” he says firmly. “I’m not a fucking prick. I’m not going to do anything to her.”
“Yeah, I know,” Rory replies. He moves to stand in front of me, reaching up to brush a few stray strands of hair out of my face. “You’re gonna be okay?”
It sounds more like a question than when he said it before. As if he really wants to know the answer. Rory’s nice. He cares. He pretends to care.
“I’m fine,” I tell him, and he grins.
“That’s our Hurricane.” He leans in and gives me a quick peck on the lips and is gone before I can react to it.
Levi closes the door behind Rory and starts rummaging through my clothes in the dresser. He pulls out a pair of soft shorts and a t-shirt and puts them on the bed.
“Okay,” he says. “Let’s get your dress off.”
“Let’s get your dress off,” I mutter back, and he shakes his head, coming to stand behind me.
His hands are warm as they ghost down my mostly bare back, fingers finding the zipper and dragging it down. He unties the halter top straps again, and the dress slides down my body and pools on the floor, leaving me in just my heels and panties.
I can tell Levi is trying hard not to look. He keeps his eyes focused on my hands as he holds one and helps me step out of the puddle of red fabric. He turns to get my t-shirt, and I step closer, running my hands up his back.
It’s broad and strong and just as warm as his hands. I pull the hem of the shirt out of his nice pants, but if I want to get the shirt off, and I suddenly very much do, he’s going to have to turn around. The thought of rubbing my naked skin against his naked skin is a very good one, and I make a soft noise of want just from thinking about it.
There’s a sharp intake of breath from Levi, either at my closeness or the noise, and he turns around quickly. My fingers go straight for his buttons, but he catches my wrists in one of his large hands before I can make any headway.
“Mercy.” His voice is low and firm. “No.”
I pout and let him push me away, giving himself some space. In the back of my mind, I’m still upset about everything. My dad is out there somewhere, scared and feeling like he’s going to die, and none of the guys will help him.
The feelings churning in my chest haven’t gone away. Emptiness, loneliness, guilt, and fear all claw at the inside of my rib cage, and I need something to make me feel better.
A good fuck would go a long way there. The heat and pleasure of it would chase away the bad feelings still festering in me, and I already know how good it can be with Levi. I know how solidly built he is under that shirt, and how good his dick is.
“Come on,” he says, keeping me at arm’s length. “Get dressed so you can get in bed.”
“No,” I mumble, folding my arms. “I don’t want to.”
He sighs with feeling. “Mercy. You can’t go to bed in your underwear and heels. You need to put something on.”
Fine. If he doesn’t want me to sleep in my underwear and heels, then I won’t. I shimmy my panties down my hips, letting them fall to the floor in a heap. Keeping my eyes on him, I kick off the heels and stand next to the bed, butt naked in front of him.
Levi just sighs again. “Good. Great. Get into bed, okay? You need to sleep this off.”