Ecstasy

Eli pulls me closer. “He pulled you in?” he repeats, his words almost…clinical.

I nod against his shirt, letting my eyes fall closed. I’m still shivering, but I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine.

I’m fine.

But my heart is still racing and even though my body is tired, my mind…

“Here.” Another familiar voice interrupts my thoughts. The one that just…

“You almost drowned me.” I’m not sure I’m speaking the words out loud or just mouthing them as I look up at a soaking wet Alex, hands on his knees and water dripping from his thick bronze hair as he smiles down at me.

He extends his hand.

“No.” I shake my head, but I still can’t tell… Am I actually speaking? My jaw is aching again, and Eli’s fingers are splayed on my torso beneath the water. I turn to him.

He’s glaring up at Alex, but he doesn’t say a word.

Then someone lifts me from under my arms straight from the pool.

I reach my hands down toward Eli, but Alex speaks as he pulls me up. “He can’t get to you without pulling you back down, princess.”

I turn to glare at Alex as he sets me on my feet on the concrete at the edge of the pool, hands on my upper arms. I’m having trouble focusing on his face, but I hear Eli say, “Let her sleep in the guest room. You’re fucking drunk, man.”

Alex smiles at me but I think he’s talking to Eli when he says, “I’ll take her to the guest room, but she’s not fucking sleeping.” Those words don’t make sense to drunk me, but I don’t have time to ponder them as he picks me up, tossing me over his shoulder. I hang upside down, trying not to throw up as I close my eyes tight, Alex’s hands holding me firmly.

I hear Eli swear under his breath, but Alex starts moving with me and I have to work very, very hard to keep whatever it is I managed to eat today inside my stomach as he walks inside the house, water dripping wet from the both of us.

“Yo, she looks like she’s go

Alex slaps my ass. “Better not, princess,” he mutters, and then we’re going up the stairs, but I keep my eyes closed, dangling limply over Alex’s back like a doll.

I want to go to sleep.

My body is so fucking tired.

My heart is working overtime.

My head is spi

And if Alex doesn’t set me down, right now, I’m going to puke.

My eyes fly open, hand coming to my mouth, stomach convulsing.

But then he does exactly that.

He sets me down, soaking wet, in the middle of a big bed covered in a white comforter.

The guest room bed.

Alex stands in front of me, appraising me. I vaguely register an open, empty closet at Alex’s back, the fan spi

“You feelin’ okay, princess?” he asks me, eyes flashing like he hopes I’m not.

I bury my head in my hands, shifting on the bed. It’s soaked beneath me, and I’m distantly aware that if the mattress gets wet, they’ll have to replace it but it’s kind of hard to think about furniture with the way my heart is pounding so fucking hard and my head is hurting and—

“Get out.” My thoughts are interrupted by another voice.

I look up, dropping my hands as Eli comes into the room, pointing to the door he just walked in through. He’s glaring at Alex, his jaw clenched.

Alex cocks his head, adjusts his dick through his swim trunks and I notice, not for the first time, it’s…big.

How it could possibly be that big when it’s cold in here and we’re both soaked and there’s a fan.

“You’re drunk,” Eli says, like he did at the pool. “You’re going to regret this.”

I force my gaze from Alex’s dick to Eli’s face. Eli doesn’t anger easily, I don’t think. Truth be told, I haven’t spent much time with him, even though he’s Alex’s best friend. They’re opposites in so many ways.

Hot. Cold. Loud. Quiet. Light… Dark.

Alex laughs softly, then glances at me. He runs a hand through his disheveled hair. “We’re not quite done yet.”

Eli’s eyes narrow into slits. He’s still dressed, but he’s dripping water everywhere too. He doesn’t say anything though. He just stares at Alex like he—I don’t know, actually.

Eli is always hard to read. Now is no different.

Alex turns to look at me, a contemplative expression on his face. He scrubs his hand over his jaw. “This isn’t your problem, E,” he says, and his words are a little slurred, too. “She’s a fucking whore. She fucking sucked Jamal’s dick.” There’s real anger in his sloppy words, and I feel my chest grow hot with shame.

But Eli still doesn’t say anything. He’s not looking at Alex anymore. He’s looking at me.

My stomach churns. I slide down the bed, knowing I’m leaving a wet puddle behind me. My feet hit the floor and I stand on shaky legs, wrapping my arms back around myself.

“Yeah,” I mumble, trying to take a deep breath. Willing my heart to slow down. “I’m just go

Alex’s laugh cuts me off. He glances at Eli, who looks tense by the door, his hands fisted by his sides, dark hair falling over his brow.

“I don’t think so, Zara.” Alex’s dark eyes are on me and he’s looking at me like I’m his next fucking meal.

I shake my head, shivering in my bikini as I step toward the door that Eli’s standing in front of.

“My girlfriend is a slut, but she’s hot, huh?” Alex presses. “Her skin is so fucking pale I can practically see her veins, and her ass is kind of small, but her pussy is really fucking tight.” He blows out a breath as I stare at Eli, and Eli stares back at me. Alex keeps going: “It’s a shame she’s a druggie fucking whore, but I guess that means we can use her—”

“Bye,” I mumble, heading straight for the door, arms still wrapped around myself.

Alex moves so fast, I don’t even know he’s behind me until he yanks me backward, his hand knotted in my hair, the braids having come undone sometime in the past hour since we fought in his room. Has it been an hour?

What time is it?

I don’t fucking know.

I stumble, my feet nearly slipping on the wet floor, but I catch myself, arms shooting out by my sides as I spin around to stare at him.

He lets go of my hair, but the room is spi

Alex smiles at me, cocking his head. “You’re not just drunk, princess. You’re high on something. And it’s not just the molly, is it? Whose dick are you go

My eyes widen and I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. My heart is still stuttering in my chest, and I press a hand over it, willing it to calm down.

I need to leave.

I turn and run toward the door, but shocking me, Eli tosses me back, right into Alex’s arms. Eli shuts the door and Alex holds me tight. I open my mouth to scream but Eli is there, clamping a hand over my mouth, both of them on either side of me.

“Eli…” His name is a plea on my mouth, muffled and low, and I’m not even sure I said it out loud. What is he doing? Is he going to hurt me, too?

“We don’t want to hurt you, baby.” Alex’s voice echoes my thoughts, his breath against my cheek. “We wa

I shake my head, eyes pleading with Eli’s green ones. Don’t do this. And I thought he was… I thought he was fucking around with Riha