I shook my head. I’d had three drinks and then switched to Coke because I was driving to my parents’ house in the morning. “Nah, I’m good with this.”

The song changed to something a little more upbeat and Seth started to laugh quietly behind me. “Oh, here we go,” he muttered, laughing merrily.

I frowned at him, giving him the ‘what the hell’ face. He grinned and pointed towards Rosie and Anna again. I took a sip of my drink and turned back to them and, just as I swallowed a mouthful of Coke, my throat constricted, and I almost choked to death.

Anna and Rosie were doing the sexiest dance I had ever seen in my life. Rosie had her back to me as she swivelled her h*ps to the beat of the song, trailing her hands up her bare thighs.

“Holy fuck!” I moaned breathlessly, still half choking. I couldn’t take my dirty eyes off her as Seth laughed wickedly, slapping my back, trying to help me breathe.

Ashton’s eyes were wide too, but he was in a little more control than I was. My hands were shaking as I shoved my drink in Seth’s chest and stepped towards the dance floor quickly. I needed to go dance with my girl, right now.

Someone grabbed my arm and I tried to shake them off, I needed to get there quickly so I could wrap my arms around her while she did that. She was now dancing with her hands above her head, grinding down towards the floor, going dangerously low. This was better than any dance I had ever seen in a strip club by a clear mile. Guys were watching with their mouths open, not even trying to be discreet about it.

I looked back to Seth as I shook my arm again, telling him to let go. “Seth, I’m going to dance,” I grunted, frowning at his hand that was restraining me.

He grinned and shook his head. “She’s playing you,” he said, laughing again.

Playing me, how can she be playing me? “Huh?” I mumbled, my eyes glued to her ass, the skin of her back and her long legs.

He pulled me back to him and held my drink out to me again. “Rosie and Anna are having a competition right now. It was Anna’s idea,” he said, nodding at Ashton who was looking at him just as confused as I was. “When you two went to get drinks, Anna had the bright idea to see which one of them could get their man over there first.”

My mouth dropped open in shock as I looked back to Rosie again, watching her hair swish as she danced in perfect timing to the beat. She was testing me. She was betting with Anna that I was whipped. I took my drink back off Seth and crossed my arms. I wasn’t losing. No way. I wouldn’t let a girl have that kind of power over me, she was playing me to see if she could get me over to her like a little puppy dog!

“Rosie didn’t really want to play, but Anna made her. Apparently the rules are that they’re not allowed to catch your eye or call you over, but the first one to get you over there wins,” Seth explained, obviously highly amused about it.

I frowned at Ashton. “Your wife’s a menace.”

He laughed and shrugged, clearly he already knew that.

My whole body was trying to force me to go over there; the way she was moving her body was like it was hypnotizing me, I could barely breathe.

Be strong, Nate, you’re not going over there.

Halfway through the song I could stand it no longer. My hands were gripped tightly in my hair as I watched, wide-eyed at my girlfriend. It was actually painful watching this; the blood was rushing down south, and I needed to get my ass over there before the song finished. Ashton was just watching the show with a small smile on his face, he was so composed and I had no idea how he was doing it. Maybe Anna wasn’t shaking her ass like Rosie was, I wouldn’t know because I couldn’t take my eyes off my girlfriend long enough to look at Anna.

I groaned. “I can’t take it!”

Ashton shook his head. “Come on, you have to at least make it one song! Nate Peters, whipped beyond recognition!” he teased.

“It’s not funny! You get to take your wife home and f**k the life out of her tonight. If I don’t go over there and let Rosie grind her perfect little ass on me, I’m gonna die!” I whined dramatically.

Seth and Ashton laughed. “You’re not gonna die. Be strong,” Ashton insisted, banging his fist on his chest as a joke.

“I am gonna die. Seriously, I’m drowning in my own fluids right now! You don’t know how freaking painful this is to watch and know that I can’t do anything about it. She’s killing me!” I complained, watching as she ran her hands over her stomach. She’d moved to the side slightly, and I could see her face now, she was smiling happily and talking with Anna.

“Maybe you should be releasing some of that strain by yourself then,” Seth suggested, shrugging.

“I do! It doesn’t work! She’s tempting me to death. I always thought blue balls were a myth thought up by guys as an excuse to masturbate. It’s f**king not a myth; my balls ache like a bitch!”

Ashton snickered and shook his head. “I remember those days.”

He grabbed my wrist and held my hand up, tapping the back of it.

“This right here is your new best friend, as is a cold shower. You’ll be fine.” He winked at me.

I groaned and shook my head as the last of my restraint went out of the window. “Rip into me all you want, I can’t watch this any more,” I sighed, defeated, as I strutted over to where Rosie was. As my arms wrapped around her waist from behind, she jumped a mile, whipping her head round with a shocked expression on her face. Her face softened quickly as she realised it was me. “Hey,” I mumbled huskily.

“Hey.”

She looked back at Anna, and they both giggled but I just didn’t care.

“I’m gonna go get a drink,” Anna shouted over the music. She nodded to Rick and they both walked off through the crowd.

Rosie’s hands went on top of mine on her stomach as I pressed my chest to her back. “You shouldn’t have come over,” she said, looking over her shoulder with her mouth tantalisingly close to mine.

I pressed my lips to hers for a second just because I couldn’t help myself. I gulped; I wanted her so much, if I could, I would take her right now with everyone watching. She smiled and turned in my arms, pressing her whole body to mine as she carried on dancing hypnotically. My whole body was tingling with desire. This was easily the hottest damn thing that had ever happened to me, and believe me I’d seen a lot of hot stuff, but this dance took the prize easily. Her eyes glittered with amusement and something that looked a little like pride. Maybe she liked the fact that she made me come over here before Anna got Ashton over.

“You are the hottest damn thing in this room,” I whispered in her ear.

She smiled and rolled her eyes and tightened her arms on my neck. “Nate, stop with the lines, okay?”

I grinned at her proudly. “You are. It’s not a line. Every single guy in here is staring at your ass right now,” I informed her, looking up and catching the predatory looks on a few of the male faces around us.

“Is that why your hands are there? Shielding it from view?”

“Mmm hmm, I’m protecting your modesty.”

She drew a little pattern on the back of my neck with one finger. “Always the gentleman,” she mused, smiling. We both laughed and she guided my mouth to hers again. I kissed her passionately. The music was banging around us, but I couldn’t think about anything other than her taste and the fact that this girl was mine.

“You know, my mom warned me about guys like you,” she teased, tracing her hand up my chest softly as the kiss broke.

I grinned and shook my head. “I’m not the guy your mom warned you about. Your mom doesn’t have this much imagination,” I joked, winking at her. She burst out laughing pulling me closer to her as she kissed me again, still giggling against my lips.

Two hours later, she was completely and utterly wasted. She was leaning on me heavily and I had to keep my arm around her waist to hold her up. When she fiddled with my shirt buttons and giggled uncontrollably at something that I’d said, I knew it was time she went to bed.

I smiled. “I think it’s time I took you home, Stripes.”

She pouted and shook her head, making her hair fall around her face. “I don’t want to go home, I want to dance some more.”

I tucked her hair behind her ear. “You can dance more next time.”

She threw her arms around my neck and crushed herself to me, kissing me hard. I smiled against her lips and took most of her weight as she swayed on her feet. She was certainly going to regret drinking this much in the morning. Reluctantly, I broke the kiss and stepped back a little way, still keeping my hands on her h*ps to hold her steady.

“It’s time to go. You can barely stand, let alone dance.”

She frowned. “It’s these stupid shoes! I’ll take them off and then we can dance some more,” she slurred. She lifted one foot and gripped her shoe and started to fall over backwards as she yanked it off her foot.

“Whoa!” I grabbed her quickly and pulled her upright again before she fell and hurt herself. The rest of our group was laughing behind us. “I’m gonna take Rosie home, see you later, guys,” I called over the music.

They all nodded and said bye as Rosie started tugging on her other shoe. Before she could get it off, I swept her into my arms making her squeal and grip my shirt tightly. “Nate!” she protested, as I carried her through the crowded bar.

“We’re going home, you need to go to bed,” I said, shrugging.

She smiled seductively at me, and I shivered because of the lust I could see in her eyes. “Really? You gonna take me to bed? You need to be gentle with me, I haven’t had sex for over a year,” she purred, tracing her finger round the collar of my shirt.

Wait, she hasn’t had sex for a whole year? Damn, that’s a long time! “You haven’t slept with a guy for a year?” I asked, just as we got outside. Lucky for me there was a row of cabs sitting there waiting outside the club ready for closing time. I opened the door to one and slid in, pulling her on my lap.

“Nope,” she giggled. “I haven’t slept with anyone since Josh.” She kissed my neck again.

I frowned. Her timing didn’t match up. “I thought you split up with Josh three years ago?”

She pulled back and her nose scrunched up in distaste. “I did, but…”

My eyes widened. “So you got back together again after you broke up?” I asked, pushing her back a little as she tried to kiss me.

“Kind of. It was just one time. I was upset, lonely, and very, very drunk, and he was there. It didn’t mean anything. If I could take it back, I would. I barely even remember it, so he couldn’t have been very good,” she answered, hiccupping.

I wasn’t sure I really liked that much. Anna had assured me that Rosie wouldn’t ever go with him again, but yet she’d been with him a year ago. Rosie didn’t look particularly happy that she’d done it though; her face clearly told me that it was a mistake that she didn’t want to happen again.

She smiled, leaning in, pressing her chest against mine. “So you’ll have to be a little patient, I may have forgotten what to do,” she purred seductively as she pressed her lips against mine. I couldn’t help but kiss her back. The kiss was getting hot. She’d manoeuvred herself so she was straddling me. Judging by the way her h*ps moved against mine as she ground against me, she’d forgotten nothing at all.

Too soon, we pulled up outside her apartment. I handed the guy his fare and asked him to wait for me to come back. Rosie frowned as I said it. “Tell him to go. Don’t you want to stay with me?” she pouted.

“I would if I thought you were sober enough to consent.” I shrugged as I shifted her in my arms and climbed out of the cab, pushing the door closed with my hip.

She giggled and held on to me tightly. “You’re such a hero, Officer Peters. Do you carry many girls like this, or am I just the lucky one?” she asked, nibbling on my earlobe.

I tried my hardest to ignore the little thrill that went through me when she called me Officer Peters.

“What’s the code for your building, Rose?” I stopped at the door, looking at the number keypad for the external door.

“8952,” she mumbled, yawning.

Awkwardly, I punched in the code and pulled the door open, being careful not to hit her head as I carried her through and up the stairs. “Get your keys out, Stripes.”

She giggled. “I hate that nickname.” She dug in her purse and pulled out a set of keys, with a triumphant, “Ta-da!” She fumbled, trying to get them in the lock as she giggled and dangled her head over my arm, and I couldn’t help but laugh at her. She made an adorable drunk. After a minute, she shook her head and pulled the keys back, frowning at them. “Are these even mine? They were in my purse, and they look like mine because that’s my key ring, but,” she shook her head in confusion, “do you think someone changed my lock?”

I burst out laughing, and the door opened. A younger, though slightly fairer version of Rosie stood there rubbing her eyes. “Hey, having trouble?” she asked.

“Yeah. Your sister tried her very best to drink the bar’s whole supply of rum tonight, so apparently we have someone else’s keys,” I joked, rolling my eyes. Toni laughed and stepped to the side, motioning for me to come in.

“There’s my baby sister!” Rosie slurred, stroking the top of Toni’s head like she was a dog. “I love my sister, she’s awesome. Toni, this is Nate. Nate, this is my baby sister,” she introduced.

“Hey, nice to meet you,” Toni greeted, nodding and smiling tiredly.