thirty-three

EMMA

Gulping a long drink from my overpriced water bottle, I scan the crowd underneath the neon EXIT sign across the bar. I breathe a sigh of relief when Beau re-enters the club, Beck trailing behind him with a small smile on his face. As for Beau, his expression is more conflicted, dark brows furrowed over his eyes. Still, he doesn't look violently angry, like he so often does when talking about his brother. The sight warms my heart. They may never be close, but at least they're speaking.

It's funny seeing them together - similar in a lot of ways, but so starkly different. Beau's hair is dark and messy, Beck's is light and neatly kept, except for the stray strand that falls into his eyes. Blue eyes, instead of green. I've tried not to stare too much, but I feel like Beck's eyes are sad, too.

I shift my weight in the booth, alternating between sitting on my hands and keeping them folded in my lap. The club is crowded and the air is heavy with smoke and heat. Between the steam practically coming from peoples bodies and the strobe lights flashing intermittently, it's hard to focus on any one persons face. Still, Beau stands out from the rest - his strong jaw and pretty eyes dazzling even from a distance.

Across the table from me, Rey let's out a drunken burp and then a bubbly giggle. She follows my gaze to Beau and his brother, now cornered by a group of young women. One of them leans close to Beau, trailing a finger up his forearm tattoos as she inches closer to his body. Her friend runs her fingers through Beck's golden hair, batting her long lashes seductively. It might be hard to see in the dim lighting, but I'd have to be completely blind to miss their flirting.

I feel the crease forming between my brows and stare down at the soggy cocktail napkin under my water. Twisting the damp paper between my fingers, I refuse to let myself get worked up over some random fans at a bar.

After the show, Rey had given Beau a huge hug - one that Beau assured me was platonic. But I saw the glimmer in her eyes as they made contact - similar to the one in this woman's eyes now. Rey looks up to him - as a musician, as a brother, who knows. But there's more to it than that, whether Beau sees it or not.

"Does it bother you?" Rey leans across the table, her head a little wobbly on her shoulders. When I tear my eyes away from the crumbly napkin in my fingers, I notice that Rey, too, seems to be undressing him with her eyes. Bottom lip pulled under by her top teeth, she watches him with a dazed expression. Finally, she rolls her shaved head towards me and continues, "All the women all over him all the time, I mean?"

I wonder if she sees the irony in her question. Her dark eyes follow Beau's every movement, envy etched all over her face as a pretty brunette giggles and slaps Beau's shoulder. I watch as Beau shifts back a couple of steps uncomfortably, trying to tug Beck back to the table.

"Not really," I lie in between her band mates intoxicated hollering around the table. When she meets my gaze again, her thick brows pull together in confusion, like she's forgotten that she asked me anything at all. The colorful overhead lights sweep across the room, illuminating her sad, gap-toothed smile when she finally understands my words. Looking back to Beau, who is incredibly handsome in a black v-neck and jeans, I feel the corners of my lips pull into a grin. "I know who he goes home with at the end of the night."

As the words leave my mouth, I begin to believe them more and more. I make sure to meet Rey's eyes as I say it, hoping she never dares try me. Her eyes widen a little before she composes herself. The men of her band are too wrapped up in scouting the club for single women to notice the tension before it dissipates with a loud laugh from Rey.

"That's good. You've got to trust him, ya know?" She adjusts the ring in her nose before taking another long slurp of her beer. I narrow my eyes at her, hating how she acts like she knows Beau better than I do.

"I know." I mutter as Beau and his brother finally return to our table. Beck slides in beside Rey as Beau sits beside me, pulling my legs over his lap and drumming his fingers over my thighs. Rey watches his fingers until she feels my gaze and diverts her attention to the bottom of her beer bottle.

Beau shifts our bodies so that our legs are covered by the tablecloth and trails his index finger higher up my thigh, to the very edge of my skirt, and then back down to my knee. Repeating the motion again and again, he brings goosebumps to my skin. I shiver, feeling my heart thumping in my chest, but try to maintain focus on the conversation at hand.

"Beau says you're a serious workin' woman," Rey grins her toothy smile as she signals the waiter for another drink. As her lazy gaze falls on me, she raises her brows in question.

"Publishing," I reply, biting my lip as Beau's hand creeps higher up my thigh. He keeps his eyes trained on the other club-goers, but I see the slight upturn of his Cheshire Cat grin from the corner of my eye.

"You modeled though," Rey points out, pouting her full lips and shoving a band mate off of her shoulder. Scott, was it? "Why'd you stop?" She has to shout to be heard over the thunderous music now shaking the entire club.

"Um," I rack my brain for words but can't get over the tingles under my skin as Beau gently caresses the edge of my underwear. "I, um, I always wanted to go to school actually. Modeling just kind of happened."

I press my legs together firmly and hear Beau mutter under his breath. "No fun,"

After a couple of minutes, his hand is back where it was and heat begins to build in my belly. I flush, sure that everyone must know what we're up to.

"Is that how you met Beau?" Beck asks and Beau's hand stills at the apex of my thighs. I shiver again, the teasing too much for me to bear.

I shake my head. "No, modeling was after." Beau resumes his tantalizing torture of just barely making it under my underwear before pulling his hand away again. I grit my teeth together and turn to Beck. "What about you? What do you do?"

"In between gigs right now," Beck shrugs, a gesture that makes him seem more like his younger brother. "But I'm a mechanic,"

Beau stiffens beneath me momentarily - never fully relaxed around Beck - before easing back into the booth. Pushing my hair from my neck, he plants a gentle kiss just above my shoulder. I bite my lip, quickly losing my ability to focus.

I dig my nails into the rough fabric of his jeans as the feeling intensifies. Unable to take it any more, I leap from Beau's lap, abruptly announcing that I have to use the restroom. I don't let myself look back, hoping he has the good sense to follow.

I enter the bathroom just as two women are leaving, a heavy cloud of perfume and alcohol following behind them. Slightly out of breath, I lean my head back against the wall, thoughts of Beau clouding my senses. My chest rises and falls rapidly and my cotton tee sticks to my skin, lust pulsing through my veins.

Moments later, the restroom door bursts open loudly. Beau barges into the bathroom stall, eyes fixed hungrily on my face. Smirking slightly, he locks the door and then crushes his body to mine, pinning me to the wall, and holds my wrists above my head with one of his hands. As the other finds it's place between my legs, I trail my tongue up his neck, nibbling at the soft skin just below his ear. Beau groans into my hair and I feel pressure building in my belly.

"Do you think you can be quiet?" His voice is husky, dripping with want, and all I can think of is his lips back on mine.

Will it matter? The music is so loud and everyone else is so drunk. I knot my fingers through his hair and pull his face to mine.

Nodding frantically anyways, I ultimately can't help myself from whimpering loudly when he brings his mouth down to my neck.

"Shh, baby," Beau chuckles to himself, placing a large hand over my mouth and reaching for the button of his jeans. Pulling away slightly, his green eyes meet mine, full of desire. He licks his bottom lip slowly and every coherent thought leaves my brain.

God, I love him. A smile forms under his long, tattooed fingers.

There's a knock on the door, but Beau only smirks, never taking his eyes off mine until we're both completely finished.

Thanks so much for reading! A shorter chapter this time, but some steamy Bemma content for us all! Let me know what you think in the comments ❤️