Letting My Brother's Best Friend Take My V-Card

KNOCK KNOCK JESS

I sat on the pool's edge, letting the cool water lap at my legs. The party hummed around me-laughter, splashing, and the faint sizzle of burgers on the grill. I leaned back on my hands and closed my eyes momentarily, enjoying the pool and the fact that the blazing sun finally set.

Then, a shadow fell over me. I opened my eyes to find Luke standing nearby, his gaze fixed squarely on me. He crouched down, his face suddenly close to mine, and leaned in.

"You're good enough to eat," he murmured, his deep voice low and filled with mischief.

Heat crawled up my neck, and I froze, my breath hitching. Before I could form a response, he smirked and straightened, turning on his heel and walking away as if he hadn't just sent my pulse into overdrive. Lara looked over at us, "Don't," I said, shooting her a warning look as my face burned.

She held up her hands, but her smirk didn't waver. "Oh, I wasn't going to say anything." Before I could reply, Josh's voice boomed from the grill. "Food's almost ready!"

Laura popped to her feet. "I'll grab plates and napkins."

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"No, I'll do it, I said quickly, getting up and brushing off my legs. "I need to pee again-surprise, surprise-and this baby is making my body feel like a furnace. I need to be in the aircon for five minutes" Laura raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "You sure?"

I nodded, waving her off. "Yeah. Besides, you should probably go check the pool house. I think Sarah's in there, and she needs to eat with how much she's been working lately." Laura grinned knowingly. "Look at you, already acting like a

mom

up. "Whatever. Just go before Josh turns the serving table into a beer pong

toward the pool house. Meanwhile, I made my way to the main house, weaving through the clusters of people scattered across the

the house hit me as soon as I stepped inside, a welcome relief from the relentless summer heat. I momentarily paused in the

1. me.

as I headed through the quiet main house toward the kitchen. I froze mid-step, tilting my head to listen. I thought I'd imagined it for a moment, but

the..." I muttered under my breath, my brow furrowing. Maybe it was just a raccoon or something. This house backed up to enough trees that

of the old house felt like a ghost of the past, memories swirling around me as

it. Josh had worked hard to renovate it for Sarah, and seeing how much she

old room, sneaking down to the kitchen for late-night snacks, Luke banging on the door when I'd taken too long in the shower. Now, Luke and I lived next door in the house his father built to be next to my father. It was

coming again from one of the bedrooms. My

The house didn't answer.

a breath, I moved toward the

was coming from the guest

quickening as I strained to listen. The soft knocking had stopped, replaced by something else entirely-a faint, rhythmic

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shook my head, nerves prickling at the