Talia's pov.

After school, my friends came home with us, but we told them we would be busy until dinner. They said they didn't mind and could just hang out with my brothers and their friends.

So, me and my guys headed up to the music room to go over the songs we are going to sing, practicing them and making a few changes here and there. When Charlie said it was time for dinner, we all headed down and joined the rest of the group.

My friends find it very amusing how everyone always wants to hug me, fight to have me on their lap, or even fight for my leftovers. Today, I ended up on my friend Luke's lap, and Santiago managed to snag my leftovers.

After dinner, we went to the cinema room. While the others watched movies, I decided to focus on my homework.

"Guess we are seriously slacking academically—no wonder she is an A+ student!" Evan whispered, but not low enough. I just looked at him with a smile and shook my head. I pointed at my brain, gave a thumbs up, then pointed at him and made a zero with my hand.

"Wow, did I just get roasted?" Evan asked, shocked, and everyone laughed so hard. I just smirked at him and looked back at my book while sitting on Ezra's lap. I was doing math, and I never needed a calculator.

"How in the world are you able to do these equations without a calculator?" Ezra asked, sounding stunned. Again, I just pointed at my brain. Just then, Dina and Michelle walked into the room to join us.

"I don't know if you guys know this, but Tia has a hella high IQ. She does it all in her head," Dina said proudly, and Michelle just smiled and nodded happily. The rest of the people in the room just looked at me in shock, and I simply shrugged my shoulders.

"Love, what is your IQ, if you don't mind me asking?" Kai asked me with a soft smile. I looked at him, put my book and pen down, then showed first 2, then 1, then 5 fingers. Everyone's jaw dropped to the floor.

My dad, grandpa, Jacob, Linda, Victor, Stuart, Olivia, Santiago, Alejandro, Caleb, my guards, ALL my brothers, all our friends, the ladies, and my guys—everyone looked at me in shock. I just shrugged again and continued my homework.

"Yeah, we took an IQ test for her when she worked at our ranch. We understood quickly she was smart and wanted to figure out just how smart. When we got the result, to say we were shocked would be an understatement," Michelle explained, and I just smiled up at her.

"She also has a photographic memory. She only needs to hear, read, or see something once and it’s stuck in her mind," Dina added. I nodded.

"Guess that explains how you remembered all of us when you got home?" Dad asked, still in shock, and I nodded my head.

After that, they focused back on the movie, and I started to get drowsy. My dad mentioned they had made a few rooms ready for my friends to stay the night and said I could go to bed if I were tired.

I nodded, so me and my guys went up to the bedroom. As Elaine and Emma promised, they had moved Kayden, Kai, Carter, Levi, and Ezra's things into my room and their clothes into my closets.

When I got into my room, I sat down by the vanity mirror, removed my makeup, and put my hair in a bun to take a quick shower before bed. I walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth first.

Just as I put down my toothbrush, Carter lifted me up onto the bathroom counter, standing between my legs. He leaned down and started to kiss me deeply, a heated, passionate kiss that made my head spin.

I felt the warmth of his body pressing against mine, one of his arms around my waist pulling me close, while the other supported the back of my neck. The air between us felt thick with tension and a deep, mutual need.

"Baby, you have been driving me crazy all day," he whispered against my lips. I looked into his sea-blue eyes and saw nothing but love, affection, and intense desire.

"I want you too, my love," I whispered, sliding my hands into his hair and pulling him back down to me. Our lips met again, hungrier this time.

"Do you want to take a shower with me today? I promise I will be gentle," he whispered, his breath hot against my jaw as he peppered kisses along my neckline.

"I would love to, Carter," I said, my voice barely a breath.

He began to help me out of my clothes until I was left in just my lace lingerie. He took a small step back, his eyes roaming over me with so much sincerity and adoration. "Baby, you look perfect," he said softly.

I reached for the buttons of his shirt, my fingers trembling slightly as I undid them one by one. Once the shirt was gone, I placed my hands on his warm, muscular chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heart. I bit my lower lip, tracing the lines of his body, and I could hear his breath hitch.

"You have no idea what you do to me when you look at me like that," he groaned, his hands finding my waist and pulling me to the very edge of the counter.

He leaned in, his lips finding the sensitive skin of my neck, sending shivers down my spine. The world outside the bathroom faded away until it was just the two of us, the heat between us rising as we lost ourselves in each other's touch. Every kiss and every caress was a silent promise of the night to come, a night filled with a deep, consuming passion that we had both been waiting for.