Chapter 19: do

Raven has decided to go out tonight with her friends. So, considering I’ve been told to be with her at nearly all times, I’m currently parked outside the Brooks’ mansion, waiting for her to depart from the house.

I don’t really know what to expect tonight. I’m not entirely thrilled about having to go and sit in a bar like her babysitter, but it’s not like I have much choice in the matter. I don’t want to completely restrict her from going out. She should be allowed to safely have fun, but at the same time, I’m not a huge bar guy.

I’m not about to force her to stay confined to her room until Marco tells me otherwise. This is the best way to go about things where everyone is happy. I’m not here to make her life miserable.

I’m here to make her uncle’s life miserable, but that’s a whole other story.

I’m not sure which bar she’s wanting to go, but I’ll let her tell me when she gets in the car. I don’t really care where, I’m just the driver in this case.

I do hope she behaves. I’m not keen on having to take care of her if she happens to get drunk. I won’t stop her from doing so—she can have as much fun as she wants, as long as it’s safe—but I won’t be thrilled about it.

I especially don’t want another Sienna situation. That is something I will put a stop to.

I get distracted fiddling with my music, trying to decide on a song when I finally hear the front door slamming shut and I lift my head to see that she’s descending the few stairs at the front of the house.

I think every neural pathway in my brain snaps in half and they all rearrange themselves frantically at the sight of her. She looks hot as fuck in a dress that has me swallowing my damn tongue. It’s a darker shade of purple, and short, with thin straps holding it up. The material is a combination of faux leather and lace—the lace part is directly up the front, giving the impression that she’s nude underneath. In fact, it exposes the bottom curves of her breasts and it makes my mouth water. It’s skin tight, hugging every delicious curve of her body and to finish it off, it has eyelets up the hips with a strand woven through them to hold it all together.

With the amount of skin that’s exposed, there’s no way she’s wearing anything underneath that and I’m acutely aware of that fact.

She’s also finally taken her hair out of its usual updo, the soft waves cascading beautifully down her shoulders. It has me wanting to play with the curls, to watch the way they dance against the skin of her back with each thrust as I fuck her.

She approaches, carefully getting into my car as if the sight of her hasn’t taken my world and flipped it upside down. Like she hasn’t upended my chest like a tree in a storm, bringing my nerves to the surface like roots.

She’s temptation personified. She’s the siren that’s luring me to the turbulent sea. She’s the one thing that has me conflicted about my role in this world and I don’t think she even knows or realizes it.

She hooks the seatbelt over her body and I listen to it click into place, but my eyes aren’t anywhere near there. No, instead, they’re locked onto the sight of the belt between her tits, but I force my gaze away at the last second to finish admiring her outfit.

That’s when I notice she has this dainty chain wrapped around her one leg. A piece of thigh jewelry—I didn’t know that was a thing—with two dangling chains and a snake descending in the middle.

“Hey,” she smiles meekly, but my brain has fried at the sight of her. It only worsens when she takes in what I’m wearing—dark-wash jeans, and an olive green Henley—her eyes dragging down the length of my body with a heated gaze that I feel through the fabric of my clothes.

“H—Hey,” I awkwardly stutter, feeling as though I’ve swallowed my fucking tongue. “You look—Christ.” I don’t have words. Words don’t exist in the English language to accurately describe how incredible she looks.

Her tongue darts out to draw along her lower lip, clearly feeling the same chemistry I am. However, she ignores my fumbling, “I’m sorry you have to do this.”

“S’alright,” I admit, “I’d rather you get to have your fun, but be safe about it.”

The drive to the bar is filled with that same sexual tension that seems to follow us everywhere.

I figured by the time I’d pull into the parking lot that it would’ve subsided if not remotely. It’s not as if we acted on the tension. She talked a little about her friends, told me stories of Max and Ariah that would help me understand them better.

At one point, I’d inquired if Dove was going to be there too. She informed me that Dove had other plans, but didn’t elaborate. I figured her and Adiv are likely together, but I didn’t comment on it. I’m unsure if Raven knows about her cousin’s love life or not and I don’t want to put Adiv at risk, so I kept my mouth shut.

Even as I put my old Camaro in park, I feel drawn to her. I push the desire down, jogging around the vehicle to open her door for her, offering her a hand as she mindfully removes herself from the seat in a way that maintains her modesty with the short skirt.

Walking up to the bar, I glance at the name affixed to the outside of the building written in large neon red block font—Renato. The logo at the end depicts a snake, appearing to consume its own tail. Inside the circular shape created by the reptile depicts some sort of labyrinth with a lotus at the very center.

Stepping inside, I realize this is clearly a dive bar. However, despite the place being older and less glamourous than a proper nightclub, it’s still very busy. In fact, Raven grabs my hand and begins to weave me through the crowd, bumping into various strangers as we do so.

For a moment, I wonder why she would’ve brought us here of all places. Perhaps this is where her friends hang out, but I reckon it’s not as safe as somewhere with some actual security. This place didn’t even have a bouncer at the door.

Glancing around, that’s when I realize why she’s chosen here—there isn’t a camera in sight. Though I’d scold her if she came here alone because it isn’t safe, I understand why she’s brought me here. She knows she’s protected with me so she’s more worried about being surveilled.

I’ll admit, it’s smart. It proves to me that she’s studied and observed her uncle enough that she knows how to get around his rules. She’s figured it all out and she’s using those same techniques to not only continue doing so, but to now also avoid Marco and his people.