“If you really want me,” he said, eyes locked on hers, “come to me tomorrow. Sober. Naked. Ready.”
Then he turned and walked out, calm and casual, as if he hadn’t just completely disarmed her and left her body burning with need.
Lily stood there for several long seconds, rooted to the spot.
Her legs felt weak. Her heart was pounding.
Her skin tingled everywhere he had touched her. And her mind—normally so sharp and careful—was spinning out of control.
She sank against the counter slowly, her back pressing into the cold edge as she tried to catch her breath.
Her fingers touched her lips, still tender from his kiss.
Her whole body still felt the echo of his touch.
What just happened?
She wasn’t supposed to fall for guys like Ross. He was dangerous. Irresponsible.
A walking scandal waiting to happen.
And yet… he had just turned her inside out and walked away like a gentleman.
That threw her off more than anything.
No sweet-talking. No pushing her to go further. Just… confidence. Patience. Power.
And now he had planted a seed in her mind—something she couldn’t stop thinking about.
Tomorrow.
Sober.
Naked.
Ready.
The words replayed again and again in her mind like a dare, a promise, and a challenge all at once.
As she stood there alone in the kitchen, her thighs pressed together and her breath still uneven, Lily realized something.
She would go to him tomorrow.
And she’d make damn sure she was ready.
Lily returned to the group shortly after, acting like nothing had happened.
She laughed, ate, and drank a little more, even joining in a few conversations.
But no matter how hard she tried to blend in, her eyes kept drifting toward Ross.
There were love teams forming in the house, alliances, flirtations, and playful drama.
Most of the other girls were already pairing off, giggling over who was crushing on who.
But Lily didn’t care about any of that. Not tonight.
All she could think about was him—Ross—and that kiss they’d shared in the kitchen.
Her lips still tingled with the memory, and her heart would beat just a little faster every time their eyes met, even briefly.
It didn’t help that Ross acted like nothing unusual had happened, just flashing his usual confident smirk, cool as ever.
What made it worse—or better, depending on how she looked at it—was that it had been her first kiss. Ever.
A moment she’d always imagined would be soft, sweet, and romantic… shared under starlight with a man who loved only her.
Instead, it had been passionate, reckless, and spontaneous.
And with Ross, of all people.
“I’ll get you tomorrow, Big D,” Lily thought defiantly as she lay in bed that night.
Her cheeks were warm, but a smile played at her lips.
Embarrassed or not, she drifted off into sleep quickly, dreaming of kisses, warmth, and promises she couldn’t shake.
But morning came—far less romantic.
Her eyes blinked open, sunlight pouring through the window and assaulting her senses.
And then, the memories came rushing in all at once.
The kiss.
Her moans.
What she said. What she did.
“Nooooo!” Lily groaned, burying her face in her pillow.
Her cheeks flamed red as she kicked her legs against the bed in frustration.
“I can’t believe I did that… with him.”
Ross.
The house’s most notorious womanizer.
The guy who was already sleeping with two girls here.
The last person she ever expected to fall for—let alone kiss like that.
It was supposed to be different.
Her ideal romance had always involved someone gentle, faithful, maybe even a little shy.
Someone who’d treat her like she was the only girl in the world.
But last night had been anything but that.
“This isn’t how it was supposed to happen,” she muttered, groaning as the throbbing pain in her head made itself known.
The hangover had arrived, cruel and unforgiving.
She forced herself to get up and start her routine anyway.
She had to act normal—no matter how mortified she felt inside.
If Ross could pretend like nothing happened, then so could she.
“I hope he forgets about it… Just act natural,” she whispered to herself as she stripped out of her clothes and stepped into the bathroom.
The warm water of the shower helped a little, but it couldn’t wash away the thoughts in her head.
As she massaged her scalp and let the water run down her back, she sighed.
“I only drank that much because I was sad… being nominated sucks…”
But deep down, even she knew the truth.
The alcohol may have been the excuse, but Ross was the reason.
The morning in the house rolled on like any other, filled with the clatter of breakfast being made, groggy voices murmuring greetings, and the lingering scent of alcohol and grilled meat from the night before.
A few housemates dragged themselves out of bed with obvious hangovers, while others lounged lazily on the couches, rewatching clips from the previous night on their phones and laughing at the chaos.
But as always, there was one thing everyone noticed:
Ross, Heaven, and Tianna still hadn’t come out of their room.
It wasn’t unusual by this point. In fact, it had practically become part of the house routine—wake up, eat, gossip, wait for the royal trio to emerge from their chambers like they owned the place.
What made it even worse, or funnier depending on who you asked, was what happened after the party ended the night before.
While most people had stumbled to bed around midnight, trying to sleep off the alcohol and noise, Ross and his two girls had not gone quietly into the night.
The unmistakable sounds of lovemaking had started just minutes after their door closed.
At first, some had tried to ignore it, rolling their eyes or putting on headphones.
But as the minutes turned into hours, the volume only increased.
There were moans—loud ones—occasional thumps against the walls, and Tianna’s voice at one point clearly yelling something like…
“Harder!”