His grip on my arm tightens and he leans in close to me, glancing at a couple nearby, who toss us dirty looks before moving to another spot a few feet away. The bartender is mixing a drink, but I have the sneaking suspicion he’s also listening. Caulter whispers in my ear. “That was not what you fucking think, and I will explain.”
I shake him off. “I don’t want an explanation, Caulter. It’s none of my business.” But I do want to get the hell out of here. I weave and wind through the people outside, and cut through the back entrance of the house. I know Caulter is somewhere behind me, but I don’t care. I want out from under the scrutiny of all those people, and I feel a little buzzed from the champagne.
“Kate.” Caulter says my name loudly, then quieter, as I dart around one of the caterers in the kitchen and through the side door into the dining room, where it’s empty.
I whirl around, and look at him. “What, Caulter?” I ask. “What could you possibly have to say that I would want to hear?”
“This is not the place for this conversation, Kate.” He nods toward the swinging door that separates the rooms, the door that barely provides any cover for the kind of heated argument this is bound to be.
“Maybe we should have this conversation in the library, then. Would that be a more suitable place?"
"I already told you, that was not what it looked like." He speaks low, looking over his shoulder toward the kitchen, and even though the last thing I want is for anyone to hear this conversation, I'm somehow made even more irritated by his concern.
I know we're hiding this -- whatever the fuck this is -- but the fact that we're skirting around just makes the whole thing seem shady.
"You're right," I whisper. "I was probably just confused by the naked ass and tits. I wasn't really clear about what was happening."
I'm done with this conversation, and I'm done with him.
I storm out of the room, taking the stairs as quickly as I can in my stupid heels. He follows me, and when I reach the door to my room, he's behind me, his body dangerously close to mine.
"Hurry up and open the fucking door," he says, his voice a low growl.
I pause with my hand on the doorknob. "Go to your room. I don't want to talk to you."
"Open the fucking door before someone looks up here and sees us," he says. "Because you have about two seconds before I drop my pants." His hand slides up my thigh, and I slap it away.
"Don't touch me," I say. "You're disgusting." But I open the door anyway. He's right that someone could walk down the hall and see us.
He shuts the door behind him, hard, and I walk to the other side of the room and draw the curtains, shutting out the partygoers outside before I spin around. "You're pissed off," he says.
"I'm not pissed off. I don't give a shit what you do."
Caulter crosses his arms over his chest, smirking at me. The problem is, standing there in the tuxedo like that, he looks damn near irresistible. "You really think I fucked that redhead in the library?"
"How can you even ask me that question, Caulter? Of course I think you fucked her. Your reputation precedes you."
He looks disappointed. "Despite what you might think," he says. "I'm not an asshole."
I laugh. "You must think I'm a complete idiot," I say. "Or that just because I was a virgin when you did the deed, that I'm totally naive."
"I don't think you're stupid or naive," he says. "Which is why you know I didn't fuck her." He looks sincere, and I want to believe him, but I can't be sure he's not lying.
"You had a naked girl in the library, and you were holding her clothes," I say. "You fucked her."
"I'm not an asshole, Kate," he says. I'm distracted by the way his mouth looks as he speaks. I want to feel the heat of his breath on my skin. "She was repulsive."
"She was hot," I say. "And naked."
"How long had it been since I walked out of the party?" he asks. "Ten minutes? Fifteen? Enough time for me to have a drink in the library."
"Enough time for you to screw her," I say.
"You've fucked me, Kate," he says, his eyes boring into me. "You tell me if you think fifteen minutes is long enough for me."
"What about when we were in the library before?" I remind him. "How long was that?"
"The ladder broke. That's not exactly my fault."
"You were coming before it broke."
"Only because you were coming on my cock."
"So? What does that have to do with it?"
He reaches up with his other hand and traces his finger down the front of my dress, hooking it under the necklace on my chest. "So...I can't hold out when it comes to you, Kate."
I laugh. "I'm sure that's what you tell all the girls."
The edges of his eyes wrinkle when he looks at me. "There are no other girls."
"I don't believe you."
"Yes you do," he says, moving his finger up to my face. He traces the outline of my jaw, pulls my face up toward his. "Because you know it's true. Since you, there's been no one else."
My heart thumps in my chest. "But the redhead..."
"I don't know her. She walked in and stripped off her clothes." He leans in close and kisses me, barely brushing my lips with his, the movement light as a feather.
I push him back, unable to contain my laugh. "Women don't just walk in a room and take off their clothes."
"They do for me."
"That's ridiculous."
"I'm a celebrity," he says. "It's not the first time."
"And it won't be the last, either." I'm irritated with him again. I'm irritated with the idea that women walk into a room and throw themselves at him. I'm irritated with the fact that the insistent throbbing between my legs is making me stupid. It's making me want to lose my mind and beg him to bury his cock inside me.
"I like this jealous streak," he says. "It's adorable."
"I'm not jealous," I insist, lying, to him or myself, I'm not sure which. "I'm making sure you're not riddled with STDs."
"Jealous," he says, his mouth close to mine. He licks my lower lip with the tip of his tongue, and I inhale sharply, my thoughts clouded by lust.
"You're the jealous one. You were jealous when you saw me outside with Chase."
He grabs a handful of hair at the base of my neck and pulls me to him, covering my mouth with his. A twinge of pain shoots through me as he presses his mouth hard against my mouth, his tongue warring with mine. My body is on fire, and I long for him to run his hands over my skin. I long to feel him inside me.
When he finally pulls away, he keeps a firm grasp on my hair, holding my head steady so I can't help but look at him. "You're damn right I was jealous," he says. "Don't even think about talking to him again."
"Says the guy who had a naked girl in the library. That's ironic."
"I didn't touch her. I threw her out," he says. "She was repulsive."
"She was hot. And you could have touched her," I say. "You and I aren't anything."
"That lacrosse player doesn't lay a finger on you," he says. "You belong to me."
"What the hell is this, Caulter?" I ask. "You're the one who says you're just having a little fun. You're nobody's happy ever after, remember?"
He grips my hair harder, pulls me against him, his hardness pressing into my thigh. "And you're not some frail little princess who needs swept off her feet," he says, running his hand up the side of my leg and cupping my ass, the tips of his fingers touching my * lips. I'm wet, practically dripping, and when he realizes it, he pulls me against him, crushing my mouth with his again.
"Then what am I?" I ask, when I come up for air.
"You're the most irritating girl I've ever met," he says, his grip still tight on my hair. He covers my breast with his hand, warm through the fabric of the dress, and my nipples harden immediately to his touch.
"And you're the --"
"You don't ever stop interrupting," he says.
I laugh. "You're a caveman, with your --"
He squeezes my breast hard, sending a jolt of pain through my body. "Keep talking, and I'll give you something to put in your mouth."
I can't help it; Caulter has done something to me. He flipped a switch in me the first time he had me. That was really the night he claimed me.
The thought of his hand on my hair, forcing his cock inside my mouth, makes my legs quiver. "Is that supposed to be a threat?"