Hate To Love You

All those girls downstairs, or most of them, would’ve traded places with me. He was mine. This was my place in his bed. Hell, it was half my bed by now.

He looked back up, his eyes dark and hungry. “Are you with me?” he rasped out.

I nodded. I was moving with him, but I sat up again, and he readjusted. My legs went over his and I was riding him, my breasts brushing up and down against his chest. He reached up, caught one in his hand, the other flexing into my hip, and his lips were on mine again. We rode each other until we both climaxed together.

“Fuck,” he grunted into my ear, holding me clasped to him. He pressed a kiss to my naked shoulder, then stood, still holding me.

I squeaked, but he carried me to the bathroom and stepped into the shower after waiting for the water to warm. Once both of us were wet, he let me slide down him so I was on my own feet, but we still pressed against each other. We cleaned the other, our hands sliding over the other’s body, and more stolen kisses. He leaned over me, shielding me completely from the shower spray for a moment, and his eyes found mine. “Am I ever going to get used to this?” He was asking himself, his eyes roaming all over me, and he didn’t wait for an answer. He caught my lips in his again before standing away. He gave me a half-grin. “If I keep touching you, we’re never getting downstairs.”

I finished rinsing off, ducking around him and out of the shower. I reached for a towel, then handed him one as he was right behind me.

I said, “They’re going to know what we did up here.”

He ran his towel through his hair a few times before looping it and tossing it around me. He held both ends in his hands and reined me in, his lips finding mine again before he said, “Good. Because if they don’t know by now, you’re mine.”

Those words stayed with me. I must’ve been glowing. I was feeling it. There wasn’t a part of my body Shay hadn’t worshipped. I was sated, all of me. When we headed down, I trailed behind him. I liked to let him lead the way into the party. I kept my hand tucked in the back of his jeans until he opened that door. The music was suddenly louder. The people were everywhere, huddled in every corner of the room, most holding their drinks in hand. Two guys let out another cheer when Shay entered the room, and he was torn from me. He glanced back to make sure I was okay as one guy threw his arm around his shoulders.

I nodded, evading another guy as he was dead set on heading right to Shay’s side. I stepped back, and he passed right in front of me. I gave Shay a reassuring smile, trying to let him know I’d be fine, then I headed through the house in search of my friends.

They were standing in the corner by the kitchen. A card game was being played on the kitchen table and they seemed to be watching. Gage had his arm wrapped around Casey. He was whispering something into her ear, making her laugh. Kristina was watching next to them and listening to Sarah. I glanced around for Laura, but couldn’t—nope. She was in the kitchen, a guy’s arm around her, making her laugh, too. I started for them, but felt someone tap my arm.

Missy was there, and the other three girls behind her. They were looking around with wide eyes.

“Hey.” I frowned slightly, moving closer so Missy could hear me. “What are you doing here?”

She flushed. “I hope it’s okay we came. We heard about the party and told the guys in the front we knew you.”

I stared at her. What was she talking about? “Guys in the front?”

She pointed over her shoulder. “Yeah. There are guys out front. They’re not letting everyone inside. You haven’t seen the front yard?”

I shook my head.

“It’s full of people waiting to get in.”

“Are you serious?”

She nodded.

Holly edged in closer to join the conversation. She half-yelled, half-spoke over the music, “Can we be here?”

“Yeah. Yeah!” I waved my hand inside, even though they were already in the house. I leaned closer to Missy and said to her, tucking some of my wet hair behind my ear, “It isn’t even really my party. I didn’t know it was happening till we got here.”

Missy’s smile had been strained, but a few of those lines disappeared. Her grin became easier and she grasped my arm, yelling into my ear, “I know it’s probably the beer I’ve had, but I wanted to tell you that I’m going to miss you next semester. I’m glad you were my roommate, if only for a semester.”

I nodded, giving a smile.

I didn’t want to start divulging my secrets with her because she was a little inebriated, and I had moved out. No matter how things seemed, the truth was that Missy treated me like I was beneath her since the beginning. Little comments added up, and a part of me wondered if she really did care or if some of this was because of whom I was dating.

I was tempted to ask, just to see her reaction, but someone put a hand on my shoulder, saying, “Excuse me.”

Missy’s and Holly’s eyes grew in size.

It was Linde.

He wasn’t looking our way, but trying to get past us into the kitchen.

I hit his arm, and he frowned, lifting his head to see who hit him. Recognition flooded his face when he saw me.

“Oh!” He wrapped an arm around me instead. “It’s Clarke.” He swung his head to Missy and frowned a little.

I gestured to her. “This was my roommate this past semester.”

His arm came around her shoulder, too, holding his cup so it didn’t spill. He laughed. “You must’ve enjoyed having a single room.”

“Hey.” I poked him in the chest.

He gave me a grin, his eyes twinkling. He was a little faded, but not that much. “You know what I mean. You’ve slept here every night for the last month and a half.”

He was right. I ducked my head down, feeling a small bit of heat coming to my cheeks.

Missy’s eyes were still so wide, as if she couldn’t believe who was talking to her. Her gaze kept going from Linde’s face to his hand on her shoulder and back to me, then him, and repeating the cycle.

Holly straightened, her chin rising, and she shuffled to close out our circle. She wanted to be a part of the conversation.

Linde gestured to her with his glass. “Who are you?”

“I’m a friend of Clarke’s.”

He frowned to me, and I explained, “She’s high school best friends with her.” I nodded toward Missy before pointing to the cousin and their fourth friend. Both were still on the outskirts of our little bubble. “This is her posse.”

Linde tipped his head back, a hearty laugh coming out. He lifted his arm from around Missy and bobbed his head up and down. “I get it. My girl’s got some hooks in her.”

“Your girl?”

“You know what I mean.” He shrugged, still grinning. “My friend, but Shay’s girl.” He leaned closer to me, standing so his back was toward the others. “Watch out how many hooks sink in you, okay? It’s never good to get ripped apart.”

He was telling me? He was football royalty.