--------------Chapter 9

A/N: Hey guys! This chapter wrote itself a bit quicker than usual. Thanks for all the reviews! I appreciate them all and keep them coming! I love hearing what you have to say and what you liked/ disliked.

Enjoy!!

----------------------

Mina was on her way back to Andrew's room, where she walked in. He looked up, slightly startled and smiled at her, pulling her into his arms. Holding her close to him was one thing that he couldn't get enough of.

"Come back for a replay of last night?" he said, grinning as he looked down at her. She rolled her eyes and giggled at him. She leaned up and kissed him, holding on a little longer so that she could really taste his lips before pulling away from him.

"Not now, but definitely later." She said, a mischievous grin on her face. She walked away from him and lay on his bed, shaking her head.

"What's up?"

"Your best friend and my best friend are absolutely perfect for each other, and neither of them have the balls to make a move!"

Andrew laughed, as he lay in front of her, playing with her blonde hair. "Darien over-thinks these kinds of things. He cares about her more than he even realizes, but he's stubborn and I don't think he'll listen to any of us."

"Well he better, because I just finished talking to him. Well, I talked, he just stood there. But I'm pretty sure he got the message." She said thinking back to the goofy grin Darien had had on his face when she had spoken to him.

"Let's hope he does. Oh, and can we please make things easier for him by not mentioning Serena's boyfriend?"

"Ugh, I'm sorry! I totally didn't mean to, it sort of just slipped." She said, burying her face in his neck.

"Do you forgive me?" she asked, planting one kiss at the base of his throat. He smiled.

"Maybe."

Mina planted more kisses along his neck, rolling on top of him.

"How about now?" she whispered. Andrew shuddered as he grabbed her waist and pulled her onto him.

"I won't forgive you if you give me blue balls." He said, quite honestly. Mina giggled and got off of him.

"I didn't say stop." He groaned, as he let himself be helped onto his feet so they could leave. Mina grinned and pulled him through the door. They waited at the end of Serena and Darien's hallway so that they could leave.

Serena emerged from her room first, in a much better mood than she had been a couple of minutes ago. The blue in her eyes was shining and she couldn't have looked any more gorgeous. As she joined Mina and Andrew, she called out for Darien.

"Darien! Come on slow poke, we're waiting! Let's go snorkeling!" she said as Darien came out of his room, also smiling.

"Alright, alright, alright! Let's go." He said, catching up with them.

They left the house and drove down to the building where they would meet their instructor and guide. The four were in such good moods, that it was hard to think that they had just been silently feuding. The instructor taught them the basics about snorkeling, then they were let out to meet their guide. They got their equipment and went and enjoyed themselves in the water, watching all kinds of different fish and aquatic wildlife. They stayed out there for two hours just swimming and watching the beauty.

-----------

The four were lying on the beach, talking and tanning at the same time (Mina's idea). They were relaxing after spending such a long time swimming. Darien had been admiring Serena since they had gotten out of the house. Her blue bikini couldn't have made her look anymore sexy. The way it brought out her eyes made him even more positive that he had to do something in the near future, or risk losing her. The day went by exceptionally fast, with nothing truly exciting, or further devastating, happening. It felt so peaceful being out on their own part of the beach, with company that made them all happy and excited about various things.

At seven thirty, the group got up to get dinner started. Since Darien had released David for the weekend, they were going to all cook together. It seemed as if Serena and Mina would be the ones doing all the cooking, but the two guys had a bunch of tricks up their sleeves. They each showered then came back downstairs, ready to begin. Serena, of course, was the last one down.

"Took you long enough!" Andrew said as he held Mina in his arms.

"I can't help it! I love showers, they're just so relaxing." She said as she closed her eyes and smiled. Darien couldn't pull his gaze away from her, as she walked up to him. She smiled at him, and took his hand.

"Let's get to cooking!" she said, happily dragging Darien behind her. As they all reached the kitchen, they stood around; nobody could decide what to make. Each of them was arguing about what dish to make and how to prepare it. With all four of them running around the kitchen, it took them twice as long to have their meal cooked and ready to eat. After they had eaten their fill, they cleaned up the kitchen and went into the huge t.v. room. Serena lay down on one of the biggest couches and curled up. Darien sat at the end of the couch by her feet and smiled at her.

"What?" she asked; he was looking at her in that way, the one that made her insides churn and get all nervous.

"You're just so… lame." He laughed. Serena sat up and gave him an angry look, crossing her arms over her chest and sitting Indian style, staring at him.

"Am not!"

"It's what? 9:30? And you're already curled up getting ready for bed. That's what I would call lame." He replied, nonchalantly leaning back against the couch, turning the t.v. on and ignoring Serena's angry looks.

"Well, I don't see you doing anything better!"

"I'm not the one who claims to know 'how to have fun,' remember?"

Mina laughed from the other side of the room, but was silenced as Serena glared at her as well. She shook her head at the two of them.

"Then why don't we go out?" Mina suggested. Serena immediately perked up, while both Andrew and Darien looked unenthused.

"No." they both said.

"Oh, come on! It'll be fun!" Serena whined to Darien, who was very intent on sitting on the couch watching t.v.

"Nope." He said, simply. Meanwhile, Mina was putting the moves on Andrew, trying to coax him into going out. She was seductively whispering in his ear, as he shuddered. It was working, whatever she was saying was getting to him.

"Alright, I'll go." He said, pulling Mina closer to him. It was truly unfair the hold she had on him, but he was slowly getting used to it.

"Drew!" Darien yelled, looking over at him. His friend was supposed to be on his side! Darien had no intention of going out to a sweaty club, and having various girls attack him. He wasn't too fond of the idea.

"Yes! Now you have to go! You don't want to be the only one staying!" Serena said, a smile on her face that meant she knew she was getting what she wanted. Darien groaned in frustration, it was not looking good for him.

"Fine, but I get to decide when to leave." Darien said, looking into Serena's excited blue eyes.

"Deal!" she said, jumping out of her seat. "Let's get ready!" she said, grabbing Mina's hand. Mina wasn't expecting to be pulled out of Andrew's arms, but quickly kissed him before being dragged up the stairs. The two girls ran up the stairs giggling, excited about the night that lay ahead of them.

On the other side, Darien and Andrew remained in their seats. Darien sighed and ran a hand over his face. This was not going to be a good night.

"Those girls are going to kill us." Andrew said, laughing to himself as he got up from his chair. Darien stood up, and walked behind him.

"This is going to be a disaster."

"Nah, you never know. It might be a good thing, maybe a bit of alcohol will loosen you up. You need to stop being a pessimist all the time D." Andrew said, as he entered his room. Darien thought about it and he was right, being pessimistic wasn't the best idea at this point. He walked into his room and started looking for something to wear.

The two girls were getting ready together in Mina's room; they usually mismatched each other's clothes anyway, so it made no difference to them. They were both applying make-up at the large vanity mirror, and were quickly gossiping about the night that could happen. Mina was convinced that something would happen when they got to the club, wherever it was.

"Nothing is going to happen! Did you see his face? He hates the idea of going out to a club!" Serena said, as she applied her mascara.

"So that's why you need to make it a good experience! Take advantage of this, please!" Mina begged her friend. "God, things would be so much better if you two would just get together!"

Serena giggled at her friend and rolled her eyes. They both continued getting ready, all dolled up. It was times like these when she appreciated Mina, and the way that it felt to get really made up and be flirtatious. Serena was wearing a cute pink dress that was too short to wear during the day, but perfect to go out in. Mina was wearing an orange dress that brought out the tan that she had just gotten. Serena had thrown her hair half up, with various pieces of hair curled around her face while Mina had straightened her long blonde hair, preferring to let it hang past the middle of her back.

Mina ran down the hall and knocked on both Darien and Andrew's doors, giving them a five minute warning before they had to be downstairs and ready. Mina giggled as she walked back into her room, sitting back down at the mirror.

"Alright, it's time to go. Touch up and let's go!" she said, excited. They both touched up their lip gloss and walked out of the room happy and excited. The guys were sitting downstairs, looking incredibly bored with their predicament.

"Come on! Let's go!" Serena said, reaching the bottom of the steps and looking at the guys. Darien looked up and couldn't help but smile at the petite goddess that had just walked down the steps. The dress she wore clung to her body which emphasized the way her hips moved as she walked. Darien and Andrew stood up and were both mesmerized by the two gorgeous ladies.

"Baby, you look gorgeous." Andrew said, as he pulled Mina towards him. She smiled, and quickly pecked him.

"Lip gloss, don't mess with it." She said, laughing at Andrew's expression.

"Serena, you look amazing as well." Darien said smiling at her, as her cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink.

"Thanks." She said, smiling at him. She turned to Mina and Andrew and motioned for them to get going.

"Let's go!" Mina said, grabbing Andrew's arm and running towards the door. The four of them left and got into the car. After a little bit, they got to the club. Serena and Mina got out of the car excited and happy to be inches away from a great night. Each of them grabbed a hand and pulled the man behind them towards the entrance.

After waiting in the line for a good half an hour, they were in the club. Both blondes were at the bar getting drinks for themselves. Andrew and Darien watched as the two girls were able to weasel a guy into buying them drinks. The two girls flipped their hair and flashed smiles at the guy as they turned around and headed back towards them, giggling. They seemed to be doing a lot of that tonight.

"Are you guys not going to have drinks?" Serena asked as she sipped the last of her second one. Mina had also finished her second drink. Andrew and Darien had yet to have anything. Darien was not a huge fan of alcohol, but the way Serena's cheeks were turning pink, made him feel a bit better.

"I'm fine." He said, smiling at her. Mina suddenly jumped out of her seat with a huge smile on her face.

"Let's go dance!" she said, grabbing Andrew's arm and pulling him out of his seat.

"No, no, no. Baby, no." Andrew said as he pulled her back towards him, and sitting back in his seat. She pouted at him as she moved her body between his legs and pressed her body against him.

"Please, please, please?" she whined, whispering into his ear. Andrew never really had a chance against her, she had learned all his spots.

"Fine." He said, letting her drag him to the dance floor. Serena turned towards Darien, and smiled.

"No! I don't dance." He said, already picking up on the question that was forming in her mind. Serena pouted at him.

"Please!? You're not going to let me sit here drinking all night, are you?" she asked, looking into his dark blue eyes. She couldn't stop staring into them; they were making her feel so warm, and comfortable.

"No way, not happening." He said, pulling away from her gaze before she could drag him out to the dance floor, where more sweaty people could rub up against him. He turned to quickly look at Serena who was still pouting. He shook his head at her one more time and she sighed, finally giving up on him.

"Ugh, fine! I guess I'll just have to ask some other guy to dance with me." She said as she got up from her seat and headed towards the bar.

Darien could have kicked himself, he hadn't thought that far. He watched as Serena managed to have a guy on the dance floor within three minutes. He followed her with his eyes to the dance floor where she began to move her body in the most sexual way, swinging her hips back and forth, enchanting him.

Serena could tell he was watching her, so she wanted to make sure he regretted not agreeing to dance with her. The guy whom she was dancing with put his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. She felt grossed out as he started sliding his hands up and down her waist. She gave a quick glance at the bar where Darien sat. He was staring directly at her and her dance partner, with an uninviting scowl on his face. Even with the angry expression he wore, girls around him were trying hard to get his attention. Serena turned back to the guy she was dancing with and gave a seductive sway of her hips, making sure that Darien's attention remained focused on her, not the other girls sitting around him.

Darien couldn't help but feel the anger flow through his veins as the guy continued to press his body against Serena's. The only thing he wanted to do was go over and rip his hands off his body, that way he could never touch Serena again. He was so consumed by his anger that he didn't even notice the girl trying to talk to him on his other side; he only had eyes for Serena. His anger surged as the guy she danced with began to slide his hands up and down her body; it was certain, the hands had to come off. A friendly pat on the back brought his attention back to the bar.

"You should have just danced with her." Andrew said as he sat down next to him, pulling a giggling Mina into his lap.

"She can do what she wants." He said simply. Mina scoffed and rolled her eyes at Darien's stupidity.

"And she wants you." Mina said, forcing her brown eyes to look directly into Darien's. As soon as he was about to reply, Serena came bouncing over to them.

"I love this place! It's so much fun!" she said, breathless.

"Where's your little friend?" Darien asked, looking at her. She turned bright pink, but managed to compose herself fairly quickly.

"You didn't want to dance, so I had no other choice." She said, looking at him directly in his dark blue eyes.

"Fine, I'll dance with you." He said, in a grumpy tone. She laughed triumphantly, and pulled his arm towards her and towards the dance floor. Mina and Andrew came following after them, as they entered the group of people who were throwing their bodies against their partner's.

Serena pulled Darien towards her and pressed her body against his and started moving in rhythm to the music. She closed her eyes as she felt his hands run down her body, gripping at her waist, pulling her closer to his own hard body. The power behind his hands was something she had never experienced before as she felt excitement erupt in her veins. Darien moved his body with hers as he took control of the way their bodies were moving. Serena couldn't help but let her mind wander to the unforbidden things that she wanted so badly from this powerful man. She couldn't help but want to know how he would treat her if he took her to bed. Serena bit down on her bottom lip as she imagined how amazing he would feel.

Darien had never liked dancing, but this he would gladly do anytime. The way Serena's body was moving and pressing against his was so sexy. He took advantage of his opportunity to feel his way down her body. She pulled onto him tighter as he grabbed her waist. His thoughts were going in every direction, but they all focused on Serena's body remaining underneath his. Darien was looking down at Serena's face as she bit down on her lip. He couldn't help but want to taste the lips that she was biting on. Serena looked up into his eyes and held his gaze. Darien couldn't help it, he moved closer towards those pink lips of hers. It was like he was magnetized towards them, he needed to have them.

Serena was leaning up towards him as well, she wanted him, and finally she was going to get it. She put her arms around his neck and pressed her body closer to his, wanting to feel every part of him. As soon as they were about to finally touch lips, somebody bumped into Darien, throwing him off his balance.

Serena slipped, and before she even had a chance to hit the floor, Darien had caught her. Amidst all the commotion, he steadied her and turned towards the man who had bumped into him. There in front of him stood the guy Serena had been dancing with earlier in the night.

"What the hell are you doing?" he growled at the man, who happened to be half a foot shorter than Darien was.

"I think she wanted to dance with me." The brown haired man said. Darien laughed in his face.

"Did she say that?"

"No, but I'm sure if we ask her, she'd rather be with a real man." He said, smirking up at Darien. The anger in his eyes flashed dangerously at him, nobody could question the fact that Darien was a real man.

"Excuse me?" Darien asked in a viciously low tone. Serena saw the way his eyes were turning to an even darker shade of blue. She had to intervene before these two men got into it. She stepped in front of Darien.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to stay with him." Serena said putting her arms around Darien's waist. He looked down at the blonde who was pressing her head against his chest. He put his arm around her, and smiled.

"Hey, sweetheart when you realize you need a real guy to take care of you, come find me." The man said, walking away from them, with his smirk still plastered on his face. The nerve of some men really never made sense to Serena, but then again, men were impossible.

Darien pulled Serena closer to him. "Let's get out of here, okay?"

Serena smiled up at him and nodded. Andrew and Mina had already joined the two; Andrew had come to back Darien up in case a fight had started, he knew Darien had a very quick temper. He and Mina smiled as they watched their best friends walk arm in arm out of the club.

----------

The four of them walked into the house, still in good spirits, even after the incident. Serena and Mina were exhausted from the night, and were heading to bed.

"Well, we might as well all get to bed, and get up early tomorrow? That way we can have more adventures?" Darien suggested to Serena, as she smiled.

"Yes!" she said, excited. He rolled his eyes, and began to walk up the stairs after her. They climbed the steps and went down the hallways to their rooms. Serena walked past Darien's door and on towards hers. Darien reached his room, and turned to Serena who had just gotten to hers.

"Hey, Serena?" he said, as he walked towards her. He was determined to get what he wanted. She turned to him and smiled.

"Yea?"

"Thanks, for dragging me out tonight." He said, stopping in front of her. She smiled and looked into his eyes as he closed the distance between their lips.

He stopped his advance an inch from her lips, as he looked down at them. He smiled as she did her nervous habit of biting on her bottom lip.

"Do you want me to kiss you?" Darien whispered, his voice low and seductive. Serena closed her eyes and felt his warm breath brush against her lips. She wanted nothing more than to feel his lips against hers. His scent was flowing into her nostrils and was taking over her entire body. She couldn't even speak. She quickly nodded her head.

Darien brushed the hair out of her face, touching her soft skin and smiled down at her. He finally placed his lips over hers, as the tingle went through both of their bodies. Darien's lips began working magic over Serena's; the way his lips parted hers so he could taste her was working Serena into a frenzy. She had never been kissed like this, he was so gentle, yet she could feel the power behind his kisses. Serena slid her hands around Darien's neck, pulling her body closer to his while losing her fingers in his hair. He smiled into the kiss as he put his hands around her waist and held her tight.

Darien couldn't believe that he had gone this long without kissing Serena. She was so perfect in his arms, and she tasted so sweet. He didn't want to let her go, not now or ever. She was doing things that no other girl had done to him while kissing; the way she grabbed and played with his hair at the base of his neck had shudders going down his spine. Her aroma was swallowing him whole and if he didn't know any better, he was turning to putty in her small, delicate hands. At this point, he was beginning to lose himself. His body wanted to continue on this track, to continue kissing her, holding her, just to see what it would lead to. But he knew that he couldn't let it go that far, he wanted to do this right, he wanted to do her right. She deserved the best.

Serena was lost in the kiss, and couldn't wait to see where it would lead them. Her previous thoughts about being taken to bed by Darien were getting stronger and stronger. Serena wasn't usually so keen to have sex, but she knew with him it would be something entirely different. Serena was getting breathless, and she had no intention of pulling away to breathe, this was much better than oxygen. As much as she didn't want to pull away, Darien began to. She whimpered a bit as she followed his lips, but unfortunately couldn't hold on since he was so much taller than her.

As they pulled away, Serena blushed and Darien laughed lightly at her. He brushed the hairs out of her face, and smiled at her. He had never seen Serena's eyes as bright as they were now as she smiled back.

"Time for bed." He said as he looked back at her, a grin on his face. "I'll see you in the morning."

"You bet your ass you will." Serena said, turning on the spot and entering her room. Darien smiled at her closed door, and went to his own room. This girl was going to keep him on his toes, that much was for sure. He walked into his room and got undressed, then pulled his pajama pants on. As he was getting into bed, he heard a light tap on his door, which Darien knew could only be from one person. He smiled as he got out of bed, and opened his door. Darien was about to say something, when Serena threw her body into his arms and on tip toe, kissed him. He slipped his arms back around her waist, which was covered by a simple pink nightgown, and pulled her to him. After a few seconds of kissing, Serena pulled away from him and smiled, half due to the kiss, the other half because of his shirtless chest. She looked up into his eyes, and waved a finger at him, as if he had been a naughty boy (which his thoughts were).

"You didn't kiss me goodnight." She said, matter-of-factly.

"Well, forgive me?" he said, laughing.

She smiled again, shrugged her shoulders and simply said, "Maybe."

She turned away from him and walked out of his room closing the door. He laughed to himself and got into bed. His last thoughts were of the beautiful blonde he had finally gotten. It was everything he had thought of and more, and he didn't think he could ever get enough of it. Darien was hooked on the vivacious girl that had kissed him in a way that made him happy.