"You two look like twins," he smiled, casting his gaze from me to Becca, then back again. Becca stifled her laughter by covering her mouth.
He was just tipsy enough to be harmless and I think I liked him better that way.
"We should party, c'mon," he reached out for my hand, but I pulled it out of his grasp.
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"Actually, Becca and I were going to use the bathroom," I lied, giving him a simple smile.
He bought it. "Okay, come find me when you're done." We watched him walk away and get swallowed up by the crowd of people before us.
"He must have started drinking early,"
Becca noted, and I glanced down at my phone. It was only 7:00 P.M. He'd be well on his way to plastered if he kept the same pace.
"Not my problemo anymore! Let's go find drinks."
I strung my arm through hers and we walked through the party. Quite a few people paused to watch us walk by, but I think it was the matching dresses that pulled them in.
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Penn’s house had an open-concept lay-out. The dining room opened up into the living room and then it expanded into another sitting area. The entire back of the house was composed of floor-to-ceiling windows that showcased a pool and a perfect view of the ocean.
"Wow. This place is amazing," Becca murmured as we both stopped to watch the sunset for a moment.
"Glad you guys like it," Penn answered behind us. Becca's body stilled and then she unwrapped her arm from mine. When she spun around to face him, I could tell she was trying to mask her elation behind a cool facade, but there was no hiding it. She was thrilled to see him.
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"Hi!" she beamed up at him, and I shifted my gaze to Penn. His dark hair was styled back and his brown eyes held a little twinkle in them as he smiled down at her. His head was tilted a bit to the side like he was trying to take all of her in but couldn’t quite figure out where to start.
He was wearing a white plaid button down that he'd rolled to his mid forearms.
Beneath that he had on dark red board shorts.
"I'm so glad you guys made it," Penn said, finally glancing for a brief moment at me. It was like he had to remind himself that I was there standing beside Becca. Wow, this guy was falling hard.
"Hi Penn. You have an awesome house,"
I complimented him, sweeping my hand 512/890
around the room. "How long have you lived here?" I felt as if I had to carry the conversation. Becca couldn't wipe the smile off her face long enough to actually speak.
He ran his hand along the bottom of his chin in thought. "I think two years now.
Liam and I wanted to invest in some neighboring properties so we nabbed these two places right when they went on the market."
Neighboring properties?
"I thought Liam owned the house that the LA Stars live in?" I asked.
"Ah, yeah, he has that house as well as the place next door," Penn clarified, pointing out through the window. I followed his gaze to the house in the neighboring lot. Liam's house apparently. It was beautiful. It looked just as beautiful as Penn's, but the styles 513/890
were completely different. There was a giant wraparound porch and white siding. Navy blue shutters hung perfectly from each window and light flooded the bottom floor, as if drawing people toward the house.
I wondered if he was there now instead of enjoying the party.
“He was having a few sections completely remodeled, so he was staying at the other house while they finished up.” Ah, I remembered him mentioning that, and it also explained why he never took me there when we were trying to sneak around.
"We wore our bathing suits. Do people usually swim?" Becca asked, drawing me back to the conversation.
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Penn smiled. "Yes, but not until later.
Usually when the bigger crowd dies down.
It's more fun that way…"
Oh yeah, I bet it is.
Becca bit her bottom lip and nodded. I could tell she was nervous. Her hand was holding her opposite elbow and she only held eye contact with Penn for brief moments.
"Do you guys want me to take you on a little tour?" Penn asked, eyeing Becca. I figured it was probably my time to bow out.
"You guys go ahead. I'm just going to grab a drink and I think I saw a friend of mine over there." There was no friend, but they wouldn't have left me otherwise. Becca's hazel eyes locked on mine, and for a moment I couldn't tell if she was thanking me or pleading with me not to leave her. Either 515/890
way, I shrugged and gave her a thumbs up when Penn turned. As he waited for her to catch up to him, I wondered if their tour would include a special viewing of Penn’s downstairs.
After they were out of sight, I wandered over to the drink station where a well-dressed server was whipping up cocktails.
Technically I wasn't old enough to drink, but it's not like the guy was going to card me at a party like this.
"What can I get for you?" the server asked with a polite smile. He was mixing a drink for another guest while he talked to me, and for a moment I just watched him in action.
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"I'm not sure actually. I don't think I want a beer, but I don’t know many cocktails."
"Have you tried a greyhound before?" he asked, finishing off a drink and handing it to the person beside me.
"No, what’s in that?" I asked with a timid smile.
"It's one part vodka, one part grapefruit juice, and then garnished with a bit of lemon or lime," he explained with a friendly tone.
"That sounds awesome. I'll take one of those," I said, reaching into my purse for a tip.
We chatted casually as he mixed my drink. I loved the dark pink hue of the final concoction, and the moment I took a sip, I knew he’d pegged me right. It was delicious.
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The grapefruit cut the vodka so that the combination was just sweet enough to be deadly.
"I think this might be my new favorite drink," I complimented.
"You come back when you're done and I'll make you another."
I smiled before turning back toward the party.
I took another sip of my drink and surveyed the scene before me. The crowd had grown a little bit since we'd arrived, but his house was big enough that there were little cliques of people rather than a sea of bodies.
I was eyeing each of the groups, trying to spot someone from the club soccer world, when I laid eyes on Liam speaking with a pretty woman near the back windows. The sunset illuminated him from behind and he 518/890
was breathtakingly handsome. He had on black swim trunks and a black LA Stars shirt.
His hair was a bit longer on top, tousled more than usual, and I knew he needed a haircut soon. He was wearing a confident smile and sporting a cleanly shaved look that made it impossible not to notice his strong jaw. I could practically feel him dazzling the entire room. Women would regard him with interest as they walked by, but he was focused solely on the woman in front of him.
It was clear they knew each other well.
They were laughing and talking with their hands. Before I knew it, I was bee lining straight toward them instead of heading in the opposite direction. I couldn't help it. I was moth to a flame when it came to Liam.
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As I stepped closer, his grey eyes landed on me for the first time in three days. There was a flash of something behind his gaze: surprise, lust, hatred— I couldn’t tell, but I took a deep breath and willed my legs to carry me closer. His cool expression gave nothing away and I felt my heart rate pick up, hammering inside my chest, as he watched me approach.
I stepped up behind the woman he was chatting with, who was still oblivious to my presence, and gently tapped her shoulder.