Zoey POV

Everyone was mingling and having a good time when I arrived back downstairs.

Upbeat pop music had started playing from a high speaker tower pushed over against a far wall in the giangantic living room and was turned up pretty loud. In the middle of the room, many guests danced and I noticed off to the left a long table full of refreshments had been set up. The refreshments ranged from finger sandwhiches, chips and dip, cookies, pretzels, and even calviar, which I must point out, was not my favorite thing to eat. At the end of the table, sat a large punch bowl full of what I assumed from it's delicious aroma, was strawberry punch.

"Zoey! My gosh you look amazing." Her familiar voice was a friendly sound to my ears as I spotted Rosette Hendricks. It had been at least a month or two since I'd seen the strawberry blonde, but not much had changed about her. She still had that same friendly smile and happy grey eyes I had always known.

"Thanks, Rose. Bri, as always, insisted on picking out my outfit." I giggled as we embraced into a friendly hug. "You look amazing too, if I do say so myself."

She wore a knee-length dress, teal in color, low v-neck, and that showed off her natural curves. On her feet she wore a pair of strappie stiletto heels in the same color of her dress and her strawberry blonde hair was braided into a French braid onto the left side of her head. The only makeup she wore was dark eyeliner that accented her grey eyes and made them appear enchanting and peach lip gloss that made her lips look very kissable.

"Well, I guess you could say I fell victim to Brinene Vanderbil's hands of fashion. When she told me about this party and I agreed to come, she whisked me away on a shopping trip."

"Ah, finally someone to feel my pain!" I giggled again and soon we began catching up on everything that had happened since we'd last seen each other.

Turned out, during the last month Rose had been modeling all over the world and had become quite successful. Even more than our ex friend Vidia, which apparently made mentioned ex friend highly jealous.

"So, you're working with Dan now?" Rose questioned after I told her about the job offer.

"Yeah. It's a little strange. When Ian found out, he was pretty pissed." I frowned, remembering the tension that occured between them only a few days ago. "They really don't like each other."

"Typical males." Scoffed Rose. "What's it like, though? Dating Ian, I mean. Is it weird?"

"It's. . . different. I mean, I've been in love with him since we were kids, but everything is new." I admitted, about to elaborate when I felt two hands cover my eyes.

"Guess who!" Sing-songed a familiar, deep male voice.

Rose rolled her eyes, her annoyance very evident on her face.

"John, come on. Enough with the guess who games. Every time you see her or Bri you do it." She groaned at her stepbrother who was two years older.

It been almost two years since I'd seen him and as I spun around, I barely recognized him.

Where he once had buzzed blonde hair, he now had shaggy curls that fell into his eyes. Where he used to keep his face immaculately shaved, he had a slowly growing beard on his chin and a mustache above his lips. His once serious baby blue eyes were now playful and friendly and his body was more muscular than I'd remembered. He looked all the part a professional surfer, which he had left two years ago to become.

"Oh my gosh, Johnny. Look how much you've changed. You almost look hot." I joked, letting out yet another giggle that night. With all the giggling I was doing, you'd probably think I was drunk, but I hadn't even lay a hand on alcohol since that night with Ian at the club.

"And you're almost gorgeous." He shot back, chuckling that deep laugh that rumbled his muscular chest.

"Hey, watch the flirting with my girl, Hannson." Ian's voice called and I looked over to see him standing a few feet away, smiling. He must have changed out of the suit he wore earlier, for now he was dressed in dark jeans, black cowboy boots, and a dark polo shirt that made him look very sexy and ignited that familiar inferno inside me.

"Ian! Where have you been, bestie?" Johnny rushed forward and pulled him into a big bear hug.

Johnny and Ian had been best friends nearly as long as Bri and I had been, which was practically since we were in diapers, and was how Bri and I met Rose.

"Man, it's been months since I've seen you! Where have you been?" Johnny whined.

Ian rolled his eyes at his friend's childish complaining.

"I was working, dude. And my mind was pretty occupied with. . . things." He said the last part looking over at me.

I frowned, knowing several months ago, I'd been the cause of his agonzing and him the cause of mine.

"So, you two are together now?" Johnny asked me as they walked over to Rose and I.

"Yeah. A little over a month or so now." I replied, in a daze as Ian wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, a heat starting between my legs.

"You look delecatable in that outfit. . . The first chance I get, that dress is coming off and I'm ravishing your body with all I have. . ." Ian whispered seductively into my ear, causing a deep blush to appear on my cheeks.

"Hmm. . . Well, you'll have to get me away from all these party guests first." I purred back and nearly gasped as his lips brushed against my neck.

"Wow, Ian! It seems only a few months ago you were with me at the bar, drinking away all thoughts of Zoey, but now you can't seem to keep your hands off her." Johnny stated and I was brought out of my lust-filled daze.

"Wait, you guys saw each other a few months ago?" I was honestly dumbfounded. "I thought you still were in Hawaii surfing?"

"I had a few days where I was able to come home. I called Ian up and he insisted we go out to a bar. He was complaining about you being out with Dan Franklyn and wanted to forget about it and have a good time." Johnny was always blunt and to the point and this time was no different.

I couldn't help but feel saddened by his words, though. Back then, I'd been so focussed on getting wild and seeing Dan, I never even realized the man who was always in front of my eyes, in love with me.

"That's all in the past." Ian announced, noticing my silence and trying to change the subject.

"Why didn't you tell me you were back home then?" Rose frowned at Johnny, her expression one of irritation. "Dad would have wanted to see you! And your mother too! They've both been worried sick about you."

"Aww, that's lovely and all, but they never showed any interest in seeing me when I lived with them. They were so focussed on you and your upcoming modeling career." Johnny frowned, shoving his hands into his jean pockets. "They've always liked you better. Especially my mother. She adores you."

Rose's biological mother, Helena, died when she was 3 years old and her father married Johnny's mother, Colleen, a year later. Colleen loved Rose as her own from the day they were introduced and over the years, had grown a close bond with the strawberry blonde. Johnny became jealous of this and thus, a sibling-like rivalry started between Rose and him. As the years passed, this rivalry disappated slowly and now they somewhat got along.

"John, that's not true! She's been very proud of you and watches every broadcast of your surfing contests." I was brought out of my thoughts as Rose went into a speech about how much Colleen adored her son.

"Really?"

"Yes. You should come by soon and visit. They'd both appreciate it." Rose remarked kindly, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, I'm going to go talk to Bri. See you all later. Happy birthday, Zoey. I'm really glad you're out of the hospital."

She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and off she went.

"I'm going to go raid the liquor cabinet in your dad's study, Zoey. Still in the same place?"

"Yes. Right beside the book shelf and behind the desk." I giggled. Same old Johnny.

"See you! Happy birthday, Zo." He ran off to the left.

"So, what would the birthday girl like to do now?" Ian whispered into my ear, his arms still around my waist and his lips brushing against my neck, causing heat to start inbetween my legs again.

"Mmm. . . Maybe go upstairs." I replied in a husky voice, turning around in his arms and kissing him on the lips.

He responded and deepened the kiss by forcing his tongue into my mouth. My tongue danced in rhythm with his, things quickly getting heated.

"Upstairs it is." He broke the kiss and winked, leading the way up the staircase and into my bedroom.

As soon as the door was shut behind us, Ian grabbed my sides and pulled me close to him.

His body was hard and muscular, his erection already pressing against my thigh as he lowered his lips to mine.

His kiss was like a spark, igniting that familiar fire inside my body and making me crave all of him.

"You look so sexy in this. . ." He muttered, running his hands down the sides of my dress, stopping at the end of it and hiking it up. "Mmm. . . And you wore the lacey red underwear."

"Ian!" I let out a gasp as his fingers ran across my pelvic and down to my clit.

"Ooh. Already screaming my name and I haven't even begun to start yet." He looked down at me with a mischievious glint in his blue green eyes. "When I'm done with you, the only name you'll remember is mine."

Without hesitation, he pushed the lace aside and plunged his fingers deep inside, making me squirm and arch my back.