Chapter 14
Elle
My mind was beginning to blur as I stood in the middle of the tumult, drinks being downed around me. It had been a long week at college and I was exhausted after coming back from dance class. A party as wild as this one wasn't exactly what I needed right now, but who could say no to Tess?
Alice was now taken with Kyle, and I got the impression that Tess was now latching onto me as her substitute. She was impossibly persistent, and wouldn't take no for an answer when all I wanted to do was crash out on my bed and watch a film on my laptop.
“Oh come on babe, it's only downstairs. A couple of hours at least. Come on!”
I didn't know why she cared so much. I mean, it wasn't like she was lacking in friends. Then again, it felt pretty nice that she was so keen for me to be there. I'd really fallen on my feet with my new group of friends roundhere.
I'd been there for a couple of hours now, though, and thoughts of my warm bed were beginning to dominate my mind. Kyle was there with Alice, so I knew they'd go back to his after. That meant I'd have the entire room to myself for the night.
Bliss.
I managed to duck away from Tess' eyes as I sneaked through the crowd towards the door. As I came out into the hall I saw Kyle just rounding the bottom of the stairs and moving in to kiss Alice. He had this glowing smile on his face, his step so light, like a weight had just been thrown from his shoulders.
I smiled as they kissed. They'd seemed so glum every time I'd seen them recently, so it was nice to see them happy for once.
I passed by them, their passion blinding them to everything else in the hall, and climbed wearily up the stairs. There was a lot of activity on my floor outside my room. But I didn't care. No amount of noise could stop me from sleeping tonight.
I stopped as I reached my door. There was a voice coming from inside, a guys voice.
What the f*ck.
I listened closely. It was a one way conversation, some guy on the phone. I couldn't work out who it was through the door, the voice muffled.
Seriously, Alice needs to start locking the door. Probably some random guy looking for some privacy to make a call.
Well, he'll have to shift it. I need my bed.
I turned the handle and opened the door quickly, ready to reprimand the guy with some choice words.
My heart literally stopped.
Standing right there next to my bed was Crash, sliding his phone into his pocket. His face crinkled into that same expression I'd last seen on him as he saw me - one of shock, one of surprise - as he saw me.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I kinda shouted it. I didn't mean to be rude, but what the f*ck?!
His face as stuck in a frown. He seemed equally as shocked to see me as I was to see him.
“Do you live with Alice?” he asked. “Shit that makes so much sense now.”
The door hung open to my back and I heard a drunken voice shouting from behind me.
“Hey Elle, is that your new guy?” It was Tom, some football jock, surrounded by his jock friends. The guy was a sleaze.
I didn't deign to answer him, but just turned and shut the door.
“Who was that?”
I swiveled back around to see a look of interest on Crash's face. Or was it jealousy. I was too tired to know right now.
Maybe being tired and not giving a shit was a good thing. Frankly after what happened when I last saw him I might have just died on the spot had I been fully awake and sober. Right now I didn't care.
“Just a random guy from round here. He's friends with Alice.”
“Alice?”
“That's what I said.” Wow, that was frosty.
“Well what does Kyle think about them being friends?”
“I don't know. What does it matter? Can a girl not have guy friends just because she's got a boyfriend?”
He had this look on this face. I couldn't place it.
“So, you haven't really answered my question,” I said again. “Why exactly are you in my room?”
His face loosened. “I came to see Kyle and we needed some privacy to talk. Alice said we could use the room. Is that not OK?”
“It's fine, I guess.” I couldn't remember the last time I had been this defensive and downright snappy. It wasn't usually my personality.
Whatever they'd spoken about, though, it was obviously good news for Kyle the way he'd looked when coming down the stairs.
There was a weird awkwardness hanging in the air as I stood there, still next to the door, my eyes refusing to meet his for more than a few moments. I didn't quite know how to feel, or what to say. Why did he, of all people, have to be in my room!
It had only been about a week since I'd humiliated myself in front of the entire square outside the museum. A week since Crash had looked at me like I was a lunatic when I rushed in to kiss him.
Then Alice had gone on to ward me off him, insinuate that he might have been involved in murder. I had no idea whether to believe her or not. But why would she lie?
His voice broke me from my thoughts, his tone deep and his words slow, each of them clear and cutting the air.
“I'm sorry for what happened in the square,” he said.
I met his eyes briefly but couldn't hold them. “Why,” I said, averting my eyes, “it should be me apologizing.”
He moved in towards me, closing the gap between us. His frame loomed above me, his suit snugly fitted to his athletic frame.
I didn't know where to look. He continued in closer, his scent filling my nose. He reached for my face, sliding his fingers over my cheek.
“Look at me,” he said, his words soft but commanding.
I did as ordered, my eyes moving up his body to meet his own. He held a smile on his face, his teeth masked my his lips. They moved slowly, opening to release more words as my eyes lingered on them.
“I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to kiss you back.”
The words made my heart miss a beat or two, my body going warm all over with anticipation. I looked at his deep hazel eyes as he leaned in closer, his tongue lightly sliding over his lips.
My breath was lost for a moment as his lips met mine. They were soft, his tongue gently massaging my bottom lip before moving deeper into my mouth. His hand lingered on the side of my face, gliding slowly down to my neck and upthrough my hair.
I couldn't stop it. I didn't want to.
I could hear Alice's warnings in my head but I didn't care. They were quickly drowned out by Crash's touch, his hand sliding over my shoulder and inching towards the small of my back, his fingers feeling at my skin, their tipswarm and sensual.
Every touch was like a light bolt of electricity rushing through my body. He was like an artist with his fingers, drawing patterns across my back, up my neck. My body grew hotter as his hands began exploring further, his left sliding down my back and to the top of my ass.
I felt a surge rush through me as it drew lower, his fingers gripping at the fabric of my skirt and pulling it up. I felt his hand meet my bare ass, his fingers sliding beneath my underwear.
I could hear his breathing rise as his lips slid down to my neck, his hands growing more intense as the passion between us grew.
This was only going one way, but there was no stopping it. Did I want to stop it?
The guy was beyond beautiful, the sort of man I thought would never be interested in a girl like me. It made me hot to think that he wanted me, but nervous as well.
He was rich and powerful, the sort of guy who knew what he wanted and didn't stop until he got it.
He's probably slept with hundreds of women. He'd probably be demanding in bed. Maybe he'd want things I'd never done.
The thoughts made me retract slightly, my mind crashing out of the moment. I barely had any experience at all. What if I couldn't satisfy him?
I made a move to pull away, but his passion had grown, his lips and hands in full flow. I felt locked in his embrace, the cogs now in motion. I couldn't stop it, I still wasn't sure if I wanted to.
I pushed at him slightly harder and moved back, his hands sliding off me.
He looked down at me with a slightly confused look on his face just as a the door knocked loudly behind me.
“Crash?” It sounded like Kyle.
Crash looked up immediately. He looked like he'd just been suddenly woken from a dream now, his eyes slightly wide, trying to catch up with what was going on.
“Crash, I thought you were coming to drink? Are you still on the phone?”
The door opened slowly and Kyle's face appeared around it. His eyes washed over the scene. Crash, hands floating awkwardly, eyes slightly wide. Me, panting slightly, skirt unnaturally hitched up around my waist.
“Oh f*ck, I see. You're busy. Bro, sorry.”
He averted his eyes from the scene, although only after double taking on my ass, and made a motion to shut the door.
“Wait.” It was Crash.
Kyle stopped in his tracks, his eyes moving back to his brother.
“I'm done here,” he continued. The words cut at me. They were callous.
He slid past me towards the door and walked straight past Kyle and through it. Kyle glanced back at me quickly, not quite knowing what was going on, before saying 'see ya' and shutting the door behind him.
He didn't know what was going on? Neither the f*ck did I.