Ten minutes later and listening to Sophie ramble on about how she was getting with some guy called Greg, I was really ready to get out of the car. I was more than relieved when Kai’s detached, red brick house came into view.
I got out of the car literally as soon as Adam stopped. As much as I loved Sophie I couldn’t stick the cheer for much longer. Thankfully, Kai had something going on at his house almost every night, even if it was just a few friends over. We hung out when he finished work, too, so I was never home much anymore. Weekends were reserved for parties and tonight was going to be a drunken one.
The door was open as a few people trailed inside behind a guy carrying a big speaker. Kai was lucky his neighbour was a little way down the road, or the neighbour was. The motorbike that Kai made me scream over a few hours ago was safely tucked away in the garage. He usually left it out if it wasn’t meant to rain. My cheeks heated just by looking at the garage door, knowing it was behind.
I left Adam and Sophie talking to a couple of people by the front door and went to find Kai. The living room had a fair amount of almost drunk people already. I recognised a few but I didn’t really know them.
Kai wasn’t in the kitchen either and no one was outside. I couldn’t be bothered to wander upstairs so I decided to grab a drink first, since I was in the kitchen and all. I poured Southern Comfort in a plastic cup and added a little coke.
“Planning on getting drunk?” Kai said into my ear, pressing his chest against my back.
Looking over my shoulder, I gave him a shy smile. “Absolutely.”
“Hmm, I do enjoy a drunk Tegan.”
“I’ll bet,” I replied sarcastically.
He smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I prefer you sober, though.”
I didn’t.
“Sorry, no can do.” I took a sip. “This is a party and you’ve supplied a lot of alcohol.”
He raised an eyebrow. “So it’s my fault you’re going to get wasted?”
“Correct,” I replied, turning on the spot so we were chest to chest. “You just said you enjoy drunk Tegan, too.”
“I did. I do.” He was holding something back and the longer he looked into my eyes the more I worried he was seeing right through me, seeing the real, painfully unhappy, completely lost me. I held his gaze, refusing to back down. I didn’t want anyone to see that vulnerability. I would rather they thought I was a heartless cow.
“Good,” I said, taking a long sip of my drink.
Kai’s dark brown eyes continued to delve down to what seemed like my very core. Stop. Seeing. Me.
“Want to dance?” I asked.
With a small half-smile, he nodded, stepping back and holding his hand out. “Sure, princess.”
That was better. I’d rather him be normal and call me that stupid nickname. I was the furthest thing from a fucking princess, in any form.
I put my drink down and took his hand, walking back into the living room where a few people were dancing around the DJ. The addition of the third speaker made it a lot louder and the people that had been talking had moved outside.
Kai pulled me against his chest and I gripped his tattoo covered upper arm. I hadn’t been close enough to really see every part of the intricate tattoo yet. Well, I had been close enough but I was usually too distracted to check the ink out. I loved what I had seen though, all clouds and stars and a clock that I wasn’t sure what it meant. I needed to see it properly.
Kai was a good dancer, but I knew that already, and he did this sexy thing where he stared into my eyes, gripping my hips and holding me tight against him. It got me every time and made my blood simmer.
He was the best distraction. When I was with him I didn’t need to try to forget, I just did. We moved perfectly together, as if we’d practiced a thousand times over. I let him take everything away, take me away so there was no more running or hiding. I was free from the crippling need to make everything disappear.
Kai’s lips moved but I couldn’t hear what he said over the sound of Usher’s saying ‘yeah’ a million times. I pulled his head down, capturing his lip in a hot and heavy kiss. As good as he was at dancing he was even better with his mouth. Kai quickly took over the kiss, the way he usually did. I didn’t mind, it was too good to fight over who was in control.
His fingertips – still on my hips – pinched my flesh through my skin-tight dress. I loved it when lust started taking over. The foggy haze of all things Kai took over completely, and I wasn’t broken or drowning anymore.
“Kai,” I said over the music.
Nuzzling my neck, he replied, “Hmm?”
“Take me upstairs and make me forget my own name.”
His hand left my hip and wrapped around my wrist. I was practically dragged up to his bedroom.
Chapter Seven
Tegan
I woke up to a mildly thumping head. Light burned my eyes through the curtains. Shit, it’s morning!
I groaned.