Now Trev smiled. “I knew you had good taste.”
“Oh, whatever, just admit that you were jealous. And I’m not saying you were jealous in the romantic sense. I’m saying you were jealous in the possessive sense. You don’t like the idea of me dating someone, because it’d mean I wouldn’t be available at your beck and call like I am now. You might not admit it, but you need me, Trev. You’ve become accustomed to having me around.”
I finished speaking and he stared at me for a long moment, a slow, lazy smile gracing his lips. It did something weird to the pit of my stomach. “Fine, you’re right. I like having you around, and I don’t like anyone taking you away. You’re my BFF. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Ha! I knew it.”
He ran a hand down his face. “You’ve turned me into one of those psycho girls who get jealous when their bestie starts spending all their time with a new boyfriend.”
“That just about sums up your personality to a T. And I don’t even have a boyfriend yet.”
“Exactly. I’m gonna go full-on bunny boiler when you start seeing someone. I’ll probably even hire a private investigator to make sure he’s on the level, like Jennifer Anniston did when she first started seeing Brad.”
I let out a surprised chuckle. “How do you even know that?”
“I read TMZ,” he replied humorously.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you did.”
“I’m not lying. Now come on, drink up. We need to get a move on if we want to make it to our next destination.”
Part II
Even though it was only one cocktail, I felt decidedly tipsy as we made our way to the rave. I knew the whole thing wasn’t technically legal when Trev began helping me climb over a railing that blocked the entrance to the old tube station. He bent to give me a leg up and let out a weird grunting sound. Instead of getting embarrassed, I decided to find humour in the situation.
“I’m not the lightest piece of timber in the crate,” I said, chuckling as Trev made a concerted effort to lift me.
“Yeah, but it’s all in the boobs and arse,” he threw back cheekily. I made it to the top of the railing, but my dress got caught in a section of pointed metal. As I swung my leg over, it shifted, revealing my black cotton underwear for all the world to see. And when I say all the world, I mean Trevor Cross. He waggled his brows as I hurried to pull my dress back down.
“Nice undies,” he said, grinning.
I tried for casual, even though my pulse was racing at the way his gaze traced the line of my underwear. “You should see the ones I wear on special occasions. They put these everyday knickers to shame.”
Now his grin transformed into a smirk. “You mean the red lacy pair with the garter belt? Already seen ‘em.”
I froze, because I did have a red lace underwear set with a garter belt, but I never showed them to Trev. “What?”
His blue eyes sparkled in the dark. “What’s a boy to do when he’s waiting around for you to be done in the shower? I had to entertain myself somehow.”
“Oh my God! If I wasn’t currently stranded on top of a fence, I’d kill you right now.”
“I’m nosy, Reya. You shouldn’t leave your underwear drawer unlocked around nosy boys,” he tutted.
I stabbed my finger through the air at him. “You shouldn’t be looking in drawers that don’t belong to you, underwear or otherwise.”
“Now where’s the fun in that?”
I shot him a scowl and turned to jump down the other side. “I can’t even with you sometimes.” Bracing myself, I made a move but Trev’s voice halted me.
“Wait! I’ll help you.”
Quick as a flash he leapt up the railing and over to the other side. It was decidedly graceful compared to the disaster I was making of the job. Trev reached up and grabbed my hips. I trembled all over at the simple touch and glanced down at him. A moment passed between us and his gaze darkened.
“Jump. I’ll catch you,” he said, his voice unusually gruff.
I felt like making a comment on how if I was a virgin this fence would’ve already robbed me of my maidenhood, but I was too caught up in his stare. I pushed off the fence and just like he promised, Trev caught me. His strong arms gripped my waist and my chest pressed flush to his. My breathing quickened as my attention fell to his mouth. I watched as his tongue dipped out to wet his lips and a small sound escaped me. It was somewhere between a moan and a yelp, and it seemed to do something to Trev.
Before I knew it he had me backed up against the fence and our entire bodies were moulded together. I could smell him again, and this time it was intoxicating.
All I could hear were the faint sounds of the city and our heavy breathing. I didn’t know what to do, didn’t know what he was doing, and my head was fuzzy from the cocktail of death I just drank. Finally, I bent my neck to look up at him and was astounded by what I saw.
Lust.
Pure, heavy, unadulterated lust.
Trevor Cross wanted me.
What alternate universe was this?
I opened my mouth to speak. “What are you…”
“We should fuck,” he said and I startled.
“E-excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“Trev, were you drinking before you came to see me today? Because you’ve been acting strange since the moment you showed up and—”
“I just want to see what it’d be like,” he said on an exhale.
“Trevor,” I muttered, my voice shaky with warning.
“Come on, you have to admit you’ve thought about it.”
I didn’t say anything, and for once I was thankful for my caramel complexion, because right then I was blushing down to my toes.
“I know that look. You’re embarrassed, but you don’t need to be. Obviously, you’ve thought about it. I’m male, you’re female, we’re both single and we’re not blood related. I’ve thought about it a few times. Actually, more than a few.”
I knew if it were possible for a human being to turn into a strawberry, I’d be one. I was at once enthralled by the topic of conversation and extremely uncomfortable. Because although Trev might have thought about the act, I was certain he didn’t think about the emotion. But I did. I found him attractive, yes, but I also had feelings for him. Feelings I thought I’d managed to stifle, but tonight they were all floating right back up to the surface.
I levelled my hands on his chest in an effort to put some space between us, but he held firm. “You’re a bloke. Of course you’ve thought about it. Women are different. We’re far more emotional than physical.”
“That’s bullshit. I’ve known women who like sex just as much as I do.”
“Yes well, I’m not one of them. Sex for me has always involved feelings.”
His gaze flickered over my face and I grew self-conscious at how closely he was studying me. “So, what you’re saying is, you don’t have sex with men you don’t have feelings for.”
I nodded. “Yes, exactly.”
“So it’s perfect. You have feelings for me, therefore, we can have sex.”
“I do not—”
“You’re misunderstanding. If I died tomorrow, would you cry at my funeral?”