Hand of Thorns

by Ashley Beale

  Biting down on my cheek nervously, I debate if I want to interrupt or watch this unfold. I've never had anyone become protective over me the way Leon currently is. The fact it's to the guy who broke my heart in an unbelievable way last year makes it all the better, so I stop myself from making introductions.

  "Dustin, who uh... who are you?"

  Leon cocks an eyebrow. "Leon Owens. Not what I was asking though. Why are you talking to my girl?"

  My girl? Did he just say that? Out loud? To... Dustin?

  I'd probably faint if I wasn't so enthralled by everything. I've never been a damsel in distress. I can hopelessly admit, I absolutely love it.

  "Your girl? Oh, I... I didn't know Monica was taken. She didn't say anything to me." Dustin is nervous, he is easily intimidated as is, then you add in someone towering over you, looking at you the way Leon is staring at him, and you know without a doubt he is seconds away from pissing himself. "I'm sorry. I was just saying hey. We're old friends."

  Leon doesn't move anything except his eyes, to look straight into mine. "You know this punk?"

  I nod slowly. "Yeah, he's someone I knew in high school." Somehow calling him my ex-boyfriend doesn't seem justifiable. I still have hatred towards him, maybe even a little bit of love, but only because he was the first and only relationship out of elementary school I've had.

  "I think we were a little more than acquaintances," Dustin mocks. "Or a lot more."

  The testosterone spreads as Dustin grows cocky. Rather than saying anything to Dustin, Leon reaches forward to lace his fingers with mine, giving me a small tug to be by his side. "Come on beautiful, we have more plans for the night."

  I peek over my shoulder as we walk away. Dustin gawks at us for all of a second before his jaw starts to tick. I look up to Leon, shocked at everything that just unfolded a second ago. "What was that about?"

  He doesn't say anything, in fact, he kind of looks upset as he continues through the restaurant. My hand still intact.

  When we get outside into the fresh cooling air, I pull my hand from his. "Can you talk with me?" I ask.

  He stops but doesn't turn to face me. "Let's get you back to the hotel."

  "Can you look at me?"

  I watch as his shoulders lift then fall as he takes an inhale of breath. "You should get back. You need your rest. You've had an eventful day."

  "Leon?"

  He starts towards the car once more, and when I realize he isn't giving in, I rush after him. Maybe the dominance of Leon isn't so wonderful after all, because I don't do well with tantrums. He doesn't say anything while getting in the car, and the ride back is silent again, except this time it's extremely uncomfortable.

  As he pulls up in front of the hotel, I realize he is dropping me off and leaving. I don't have a car here, and quite frankly, I don't want to be left here pondering over even more confusion. Twisting my body to face Leon, I look him over, but he doesn't look back at me. His hands are gripping onto the steering wheel to the point I wouldn't be surprised to see him break it.

  "Why are you acting like such an asshole?" I ask, feeling guilty for calling him that right after I say it. He has treated me like a princess up until this point, it really was uncalled for on my part for insulting him that way. Anger will do that to a person though.

  He finally looks at me but I almost wish he wouldn't. His normally gorgeous eyes are hard and cold. "You think I'm being an asshole?" he scoffs. "Why? Because I didn't knock that dudes teeth in?"

  "What did he even do to you?"

  "Who was he?"

  "His name is Dustin," I tell him. "I went to high school with him. He was only saying hi." I don't even know why I'm defending Dustin, but at this rate, I don't understand anything happening here.

  He laughs bitterly. "Yeah, so you said."

  "What is your problem?" My voice rises. Not that I'm yelling, but I'm increasingly becoming more pissed off. This doesn't make sense.

  "Nothing. You need to go. You should really get some sleep."

  "Don't tell me what to do."

  "Monica, I'm going to tell you again, and this time you need to listen. Get out of my car. Go get some sleep."

  I stare for a few minutes, waiting for him to burst into laughter and tell me this is all a joke- but he doesn't. He doesn't give me an inch. So I open the door slowly, giving him one last chance, and when nothing changes between us I step out of the car. Peeking down in at him, I have to give him the last word, being as that is the kind of person I am. "You think I'm going to sleep now? I came here to relax and for no damn reason you started this bullshit between us. Thanks."

  Slamming the door I make my way into the hotel, bypassing the door greeter without a smile or a thanks. When I get up into my room, I slam the door there too, mainly to get some aggression out. My bag sits on my bed, so I open it up to grab a pair of pajama shorts. I change out the jeans I'm wearing, so I can at least be comfortable while I sit here and sulk in self-misery. I chuck the bag towards the wall and let out a small, frustrated scream.

  I crawl into bed, ignoring the buzzing of my cellphone in my jeans pocket on the floor. I don't care who it is right now, because it seems apparent I don't really have anyone in my life any more. It starts to buzz again, so I reach over for the TV remote, turning it on to hopefully occupy my mind for a while.

  Closing my eyes, I focus on the sound of the television. It's an old episode of my favorite show, and I can picture in my head what is happening on the screen. It helps me breathe, it helps me seek comfort within this bed, and slowly but surely I relax my shoulders along with all the tension in my body.

  I'm startled when a loud pounding bangs against the door. I pull the comforter up to my chin and peek over, like somehow it's protecting me against whoever is slamming their fists against it. Since only one person knows I'm here, I shouldn't fear the fact someone is knocking, but I do- because I don't want my heart to feel any more heartache than it already has tonight.

  The door suddenly swings opens without me getting out of bed. Leon stands there crowding the doorway. My entire body starts to heat up from trepidation. "How did you get in?"

  "I paid for the room." He flashes me a key card before he slides it into his pocket.

  I swallow audibly, unable to say anything more. I want to ask why he is here, but I'm scared of the answer.

  "I'm sorry," he whispers. He runs his hand through his dismantled hair, gripping the ends with his fingers. He lets out a rough breath of air. "I'm sorry, Monica. I didn't mean to treat you that way."

  I sit up in bed, still holding the comforter to me. My heart remains pounding hard in my chest, the blood in my veins scorching hot, but I attempt not to give him any signs of that. "Then why did you?"

  "I shouldn't be here." Going against his words, he takes a few steps closer to me. The door latching shut behind as he no longer is standing in front of it.

  "Then why are you?" I'm waiting for answers... any answer.

  "Because for some God forsaken reason..." he pauses his words, stepping closer to me. I'm unable to speak this time. I'm fairly certain I'm unable to breath. The air between us thickens and it's getting harder to focus. Somehow his presence is cutting off my air supply. "For some fucking reason, Monica..." He steps forward once more, his body less than a foot from me. He shakes his head slowly, watching me like a hawk. Everything else around us blurs from existence.

  When he still doesn't say anything more, I finally whimper, "What?"

  He swallows hard. I watch as his throat moves. I notice everything about him. The way his fists clench then unclench, the way his nostrils flare while he tries to fight against whatever it is he needs to tell me, the way his jaw rocks as he grinds his teeth, and the way he looks at me like he's about to attack me in the absolute best way imaginable.

  "For some reason, I got extremely fucking jealous." He words come out calm, despite everything that happened in the moments before this. He closes in on me, leaning down to press his lips against mine. The
force he has with his mouth only adds to the spark I feel when our mouths collide. I'm taken to another place, a place where there are no consequences to my actions. I pull his body closer to mine, and he willingly follows through.

  His body slides over me, holding me beneath him. His hand runs along my body until it reaches my face, the same spot where Mom scolded me earlier. He touches me tenderly, soft like a rose, while his mouth moves against mine. If I hadn't fallen for him before, I'm certainly falling for him now.

  My leg reaches around, bringing him closer to me. His body grinds into mine for a few seconds, while he furthers our kiss. I didn't know I could love making out with someone so much, but the intensity is unlike anything I've ever known before.

  Then it all ends far too soon.

  Leon pulls from me, his body sitting at the end of the bed while he brushes his hands against his face frustratingly.

  I know what we did was a mistake. More than that, I know Leon is regretting his actions. I can tell by the way he refuses to look over at me, while I sit up, panting breathlessly from the kiss.

  After a few minutes of staring at the man who refuses to look in my direction, I say, "I'm sorry."

  He continuously runs his hands over his face, still facing the door. I don't believe he is actually staring at anything, I'm pretty certain he's lost in some kind of daze, probably hating himself for betraying Ellie that way.

  Oh... Shit. Ellie. I didn't think about her. I didn't think about the baby. I didn't think about anyone or anything except myself. And how incredible his lips felt against mine. And how much I didn't want it to end. How I wanted to go much, much further than we did.

  I need to stop thinking that. I close my eyes, once again unable to focus. My life is quickly turning into a mess.

  When the bed moves, I peek through my lids. Leon is facing towards me, his eyes reading over my body. "I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have kissed you."

  Slowly I nod my head in agreement. "Yeah, I know..."

  "I could kiss you forever," he starts to say.

  My head spins at his inconsistent actions. "But you-"

  "Can I kiss you again?"

  I'm at a complete loss. The war between my heart and brain is fierce, growing with each second. I want to tell him no, I want to tell him he needs to think about Ellie and his future, but I don't have the willpower to push him away. This is probably my one and only chance to have Leon.

  Plus, when did a kiss ever really hurt someone, my heart starts to argue. Ellie will never know, it continues.

  Before I can even say anything, his soft yet needy lips are back crashing into mine. This time there is no end in sight, especially when Leon slides his hand under my shirt to hold onto my breast, which is covered in a thin bra. The tenderness of my boob unearths a sensation inside of me, which causes me to moan against his kiss.

  My body starts to grind against him, needing more of him. Leon pulls my shirt up, breaking our kiss for less than a second while he throws it to the floor. He rolls us around so I'm on top, then he reaches behind to unclasp my bra. My nipples harden at the sudden change in temperature, but they're almost instantly pressed against his body.

  His hands explore my body, paying extra attention to the cheeks of my butt that hang from under my shorts. I can sense a need inside of me that has more of an intensity than I've known possible. Leon has a control over every aspect of my body, which includes my heart. He is going to destroy me one day, he is going to be the death of me, but until that day comes, I want him any way I can have it.

  When he rolls us back so that I'm now laying against the mattress once more, Leon leans away from me enough to stare day at my face. He watches me for some kind of reaction, but I'm not sure I can give him anything more than a breathless grin and flushed cheeks.

  "I need one more taste," he whispers. I expect him to kiss me again- and he does, but not on my lips. He presses his lips against the curve of my neck, lightly making his way down to my exposed breasts, paying incredible attention to each one. When he uses his teeth against one of my nipples, I suck in a quick gasp of air, the sensation turning me on immensely. Not that I wasn't already needy.

  "You like that?" he whispers against my skin.

  I nod my head, too euphoric to answer. He bites down again, causing me to scream out in need.

  "Fuck," he whispers. Caressing my other boob with his hand, he starts to add pressure to my nipple with his mouth. He bites gently before sucking on it, then gives it a light kiss before doing it again. My body can't help its motions, while it moves against Leon's body. My legs are parted, rubbing against his torso with a painful urge to release the building sensation.

  "Leon," I moan. I don't mean to, it's all unexpected, but he is making my body feel so unbelievably amazing.

  He pulls at the other nipple, causing me to moan again. "You like that?" he breathes against my skin. The warm air from his breathe runs over my skin where he's been kissing and it gives me a tingling feeling all over.

  "Yes," I scream in answer. "God, yes."

  His hand leaves my breast to go lower on my body. "Please," I beg Leon.

  "Please... what?" he asks, his voice has a rougher edge to it. I think he's enjoying it almost as much as I am. Sadly, I don't know what I'm begging for... just more. More of everything. More pleasure, more teasing, more of him.

  When his fingers dip into my shorts, I know exactly what I want, and I know what he wants to do to me. I don't say anything, instead I push my body against his fingers, but he stops.

  "Monica." I peek an eye open to him, questioning why he stopped. He is grinning ear to ear, and for the first time I want to yell at him for smiling. My body is far too on edge for games. "Tell me what you want," he orders seductively.

  "You."

  I collapse back onto the bed while he repositions himself. A million thoughts race through my mind, every single one of them ending with Leon inside of me.

  Pulling my shorts from my body, he leaves my underwear in place. They're nothing sexy, but at least I'm prepared for the occasion down there. He runs a finger over my underwear where my slit is, staring at it in wonder. "You're so wet," he whispers. "Even your underwear are soaked."

  "Leon... please..."

  "What? What do you want, Monica? Tell me what you want me to do."

  "I want you inside of me." I hate how breathless my voice is. My body is running on a high unlike ever before. I haven't figured out how to handle it yet.

  My body arches, waiting for his touch. Needing it desperately.

  When his fingers hook into my underwear, I move my body accordingly so he can strip my naked. I almost don't dare to watch him watch me, but I have to. I need to see his reaction to my body. Using both hands, he touches my knees then slides his hands casually towards my center, spreading my legs further apart as he goes. Instead of getting naked with me, he brings his mouth down to between my legs... and he licks.

  I scream again, not anticipating that sensation but loving each second of it. It doesn't take long at all for my body to erupt, and as it does, I scream out Leon's name... over and over again. He doesn't stop, and I don't care. Even with the occasional twitching of my body, I continue to lay there, allowing him to freely pleasure me in any way he deems fit.

  All too soon he moves his head, crawling towards me, positioning himself between me. Except... he's still dressed. I can see his erection pushing against his jeans, and when he leans against my leg, I can feel the hardness of it. He kisses the nape of my neck, and he smells like... me.

  As I'm about to ask him what he's doing, he presses his fingers into me. I can't speak once again. "Fuck, you're so damn tight," he whispers in my ear while kissing the underneath of it. His thumb presses against my bud, and he pleasures my body until once more, I'm coming apart.

  He stops after my orgasm, and my body sinks into the mattress underneath me. I'm ready for sleep, even if I'm still naked.

  Leon presses his lips against my temple, before climbin
g from the bed.

  "What are you doing?" I ask, eyeing him curiously.

  He peeks over at me before heading into the bathroom. "I have business to attend to in the morning, I can't stay."

  And just like that, I feel my heart break once more. It's my own fault though. I knew the consequences.

  Before leaving, Leon gives me another tender kiss goodbye, but it isn't like before. There isn't that spark or passion.

  "I'll see you in four days though, right?" I ask in alarm before he leaves.

  He lifts his mouth into a small grin, but it isn't as appealing as before, mainly because he doesn't seem like he means anything by it. "Yes, I'll be here. Get some rest, you look like you need it." With a wink, he opens the door, leaving me for a tortuous four days alone.

  Chapter Eight

  August 25th

  When I checked out of the hotel there was no one there waiting. I had waited around with an empty inbox and no missed calls, so I went to the front desk, where the clerk handed me the keys to my car. It was waiting nearby outside, and everything that I enjoyed from the previous four days went out the window in an instant. Maybe if I had some explanation as to why he couldn't meet me, such as him having to work or a family emergency, anything to ease my heartache. Truth is, I know why he wasn't there- he regretted everything that happened that night spent together.

  I haven't fret on it too much. In fact, I think I've done pretty well considering. Mom wasn't home when I arrived that evening, so I quickly showered and gathered another bag of belongings, then I headed straight to Penelope's. We talked for a few hours, and I skipped over the details of what happened after going out to dinner with Leon, which she already thought was crossing a line. Then we went out apartment hunting.

  Within a week I found a place of my own. It was the day I was moving out of my mom's house that she finally spoke with me, and told me not to be ridiculous. Apologized for our argument and said she wanted to speak with me about everything. We still haven't, but it was the thought that counted. We've talked, but not about much. Mainly about how I need to move back home. I told her not to worry, I'd help with house payments until she got it under control, but now with paying rent and for college, I'm not sure that is much of a possibility for long.