He grinned. “I don’t have a key.”
I laughed. “Come in before your toes freeze and fall off.” I opened the door wider so he could pass through. He walked to the door and brushed by me into the house. His body rubbed against me, his eyes locking with mine. I sucked in a breath. My insides sizzled from his touch.
“So,” I cleared my throat. “Who’s our mystery guest?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s Rod tonight.”
“Hmm.” I fiddled with the hem of my T-shirt. The silence stretched between us.
“Well…” Chay’s eyebrows knitted above his eyes.
“Yeah.” I had no idea what to say.
The silence in the room crackled. I stood next to the door, my hand on the knob. He stood just far enough away that we weren’t touching, but close enough that I could smell him and feel his body heat. It was seriously doing things to my body, making places tingle, my heart skip beats, my breathing quicken.
The room was dark but for the faint dusting of light the streetlights gave—just enough for me to make out his features. The silence in the house gave the illusion we were alone, the darkness the illusion we were invisible to everyone but each other.
“He’s gone,” Chay whispered. “I guess I should go.”
“Okay.” I dropped my hand from the doorknob just as Chay reached for it. Our hands brushed.
It happened in a split second. We were standing in the quiet room not knowing what to say to each other, and then our hands brushed, Chay grabbed my hand and threaded his fingers through mine. He took a step forward, pushing me backward against the door. His free hand moved to the back of my neck, pulling my face to his. His lips took mine in a rough, demanding kiss.
Chay let go of my hand and slid his arm around my waist, moving under my T-shirt, skimming the bare skin at the base of my back. I sucked in a breath.
His mouth moved from mine, kissing along the length of my jaw, down the side of my neck, and across the skin above the collar of my V-neck T-shirt. I threaded my fingers through his silky hair before letting my hands flutter down. Lifting the hem of his sweatshirt, I glided my nails over the skin beneath. He groaned low in his throat.
His hands moved slowly down my body. Gripping my thighs, he lifted me, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. Pressing into me harder, he held me between him and the wall. His hands squeezed my thighs, while his tongue and mouth trailed kisses over my neck and chest. The muscles in his back flexed beneath my hands.
“Chay…” I moaned.
I pushed his sweatshirt up as far as I was able. I needed to touch him, the real him. Not what was covering him—I needed to touch his skin, feel his warmth. I ran my hands up his chest, running my nails down his naked sides. He ground out a curse between clenched teeth and kissed me hard. I moved my hands down and gripped the edges of my T-shirt, lifting it slowly, letting our bare skin touch.
He groaned. “Are you trying to kill me, Milayna?”
The sound of our heavy breathing and low moans were the only sounds in the stillness of the room. Until we heard the small creak of a floor board upstairs. Chay dropped his hands, put me down softly, and took a large step backward, his rapid breathing causing his chest to rise and fall quickly.
“I need to go,” he murmured. Looking down at his feet, he reached for the doorknob.
“Chay…”
He turned his head to me. I reached out and touched his lips with my fingers, tracing their shape, memorizing the feel of them—still wet from our kisses.
“Don’t go.”
“I need to leave before someone comes downstairs.”
I shook my head. “That’s not what I meant.”
He looked at me, confusion in his eyes. “Then what?”
“Don’t leave me. Don’t close off. This break up isn’t what either of us wants—”
“I’m sorry. This was a mistake.” He opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him with a small click.
I watched him jog back to his house until he disappeared into the inky blackness. I fingered the gold band I wore on a chain around my neck. I’d worn it since the day he gave it back to me.
***
“It’s been a long time, Milayna,” I heard someone say behind me.
I looked over my shoulder and rolled my eyes. “Hello, Edward. I’d say it was good to see you again, but we’d both know I was lying.”
He laughed. An ugly sound. It amazed me how someone so good looking on the outside could be so repulsive on the inside. The ugliness seemed to seep through his pores. But that was a demi-demon for you. Ugly. In their case, the saying ‘beauty is only skin deep’ was so, so true.
Paying the cashier for my yogurt and water, I turned toward my usual table in the cafeteria when he called after me. “I heard you had some bad luck at your house. Nasty business.”
I didn’t answer.
“Keep looking over your shoulder, Milayna. There’s more to come.”
“Whatever.” I walked away.
“See ya tonight.” Fear slithered up my spine.