Hard to Resist

by Shanora Williams

  He chuckles again while holding his hands out innocently. “I’m not doing anything!” he pleads. “I’m just being myself.”

  “Yourself?”

  “Myself,” he says coolly, smirking. “Would you like another drink?”

  “Sure,” I nod. He stands from the silver sofa quickly.

  “I’ll be back. It will literally take me like two seconds. Please, just don’t leave.” His face grows serious and his eyes harden just a bit. He thinks I’m going to bail on him? Maybe he really is into me. But I don’t need him to be into me right now. I don’t need him to feel anything towards me. I just want a one-night-stand. I don’t want any feelings involved. I prepare my lips to speak on it but he’s already making his way towards the bar, his hips swinging in a manly, seductive way. Sighing, I slouch back against the leather sofa.

  What have I gotten myself into?

  Chapter Four

  As soon as Nolan unlocks the door to his apartment, our lips lock and we barge in, not giving a damn about who sees. He groans, slamming the door shut behind us. He stumbles over a few things on the floor while reaching to pull my shirt over my head. Reaching to yank his up, I allow our lips to fall apart for only a few seconds before devouring them again as soon as his shirt is off. He stops abruptly as his body is forced to fall down and land on the sofa behind him. I climb on top of him, raking my fingers through his hair as he presses his fingers against my bare skin.

  “Hey,” he breathes as I begin to kiss his neck.

  I ignore him. Right now, I’ve never been so turned on. Outside of us making out, I really can’t think about anything else and that’s exactly how I want it to be. He switches rolls by picking my body up effortlessly to lay me down on his sofa. He dips down, placing his lips against mine before dragging feathery touches to my cheek, my ear, my neck. I moan, grazing my fingernails through the creases of his muscular back. I reach to unbutton his pants but he reaches down to stop my hand.

  “Hey,” he says again, this time through a soft chuckle. “Are you sure about this?”

  “Yes,” I whisper, nodding my head and still trying to unbutton his pants. His hand remains gripped around mine. I pull away and place my hands against his warm skin, deciding to breathe his fresh scent in instead. I pull him down against me and he grunts as he chuckles again. His lips hover above mine and I lean up, wanting to let our lips touch again, but he pulls back. “What are you doing?” I snap impatiently.

  His face shines from the thick slits of moonlight coming in through the blinds of his balcony window. He smiles, his teeth flashing and causing my skin to melt against my bones. “I can’t, Natalie.”

  What the hell? Just seconds ago we were making out. He was enjoying this—every part of it. What man wouldn’t want to have sex with a drunk girl? Isn’t that what he kept buying me drinks for? I sit up quickly to pull away from him. “Why not?” I ask defensively. Am I really that hideous that he wanted to change his mind? Does my breath smell bad? Am I not perfect enough for him? I thought I had him in the bag.

  “Don’t take it that way.” He perks himself up to sit down beside me. “I just feel something for you that I haven’t felt for anyone before.”

  Oh no. “What do you mean? You’ve literally just met me.” I inch away from him a bit, my face in a tight grimace.

  “Exactly, I’ve just met you and, yet, I know nothing about you,” he says, shaking his head. “Look, if I sleep with you tonight, I know you will consider it a one-night-stand and never answer my calls in the future. You will regret meeting me. When I call, you will only think that all that I want is sex and I don’t want you thinking like that.”

  What? But that’s exactly what I was aiming for. No feelings, just sex. “So what are you saying?” I ask. “Because that’s kind of what I was going for.”

  He tilts his head as his eyes narrow. “You only wanted sex from me?”

  “Yeah,” I say through a forced, breathy laugh.

  “You think that’s all that I wanted from you?”

  “I was hoping that it was.”

  Nodding his head, he sighs as he leans against the sofa. He folds his arms across his broad chest and faces forward, not bothering to look at me. I sit back with him, confused on what else to say. Why would he expect more from me? I don’t need more right now. I just need to be myself—to be free.

  “I take it that someone has hurt you before. That’s the only reason that a girl would want “just sex”. If she’s been hurt or if she’s a prostitute.” He turns to look at me, his mystic eyes sparkling from the streaks of moonlight again. “Which one are you, Natalie?”

  My heart pounds heavily as I look away from him. I squeeze my hands together, feeling the tears that are begging to be shed. But I won’t release them. I won’t let the memories of Bryson take over me and my emotions and ruin my night. I turn to face Nolan again whose eyes are soft and begging for an answer. “I shouldn’t have come here,” I mumble quickly before standing to snatch my shirt from the floor.

  “Whoa—what?” Nolan stands from the sofa quickly to get to me. “What do you mean? You don’t have to leave, Natalie.”

  “I know but you want more and I can’t give you more—” I break off as I tug my shirt over my head. I stare into Nolan’s eyes and a swarm of guilt overwhelms me. “Nolan, I can’t give you more right now. To be honest, all I wanted tonight was to forget about my problems—to just have fun with someone else for a change.”

  “You can still have fun with me,” he pleads. “I can provide those feelings. You don’t have to leave.”

  “But with that, there comes a price. If I give you more right now, I’ll possibly have to give you my heart and when I do, I won’t feel free anymore.”

  His mouth opens again, as if he wants to speak, but after a moment it snaps shut. Although Nolan and I did hit it off tonight, I can’t do that to myself. He’s a great person, inside and out. Before we had ended up coming to his apartment, we went for a walk on the beach. Harper had ditched me for the really hot guy that had come with Nolan so we bailed from the club as well. I know I said things that I shouldn’t have that probably led to why he wants more with me but now I regret being so drunk and stupid. Now I regret chasing after him.

  I grab for my shoes then head for the door. “You’re not from here, Natalie.” Sighing, he reaches for his keys that he’d tossed on the coffee table. “At least, let me take you home.”

  I turn to face him with a slight nod.

  He marches through the living room, still shirtless as he steps past and opens the door without eyeing me. He makes his way down the hall with his head down, raking his fingers through his hair before he meets the stairs. With a groan, I clutch my keys in my hand before shutting the door behind me.

  Chapter Five

  A banging noise startles me and I’m not sure if it’s my throbbing head or something else entirely. The banging thuds again and I groan, removing the white sheets from over my face. The sun blazes through the window, blinding me at first sight. I can’t believe I’d gotten that drunk last night. I can hardly remember a thing—well except the part where I’d pretty much destroyed Nolan’s heart.

  I still can’t believe that happened.

  The banging is louder this time and along with it is the sound of Harper’s voice. “Nat! Let me in! I lost my key!”

  Perking myself up, I shield my eyes from the sun as I swing my legs around and drop my feet on the floor. My bare feet drag along the carpet before pressing against the hardwood floorboards that lead me to the door. I unlock it, swing it open, and my hangover subsides as my eyes broaden at the sight of Harper.

  My mouth gapes, disbelieving how matted her hair is. A pair of dark, bug-eyed sunglasses are covering her eyes but I’m sure her makeup is ruined. She looks like she could pass for Lady Gaga. “What in the hell happened to you?” I ask as she steps past me.

  A low, aggravated groan is her response. She tosses her clutch on the sofa then heads for the balcony window to shu
t the blinds. “There’s too much sun today. My fucking head hurts,” she growls.

  “Someone’s grumpy.” I make my way to the sofa to slump down.

  “Beyond it,” she mutters before sitting down with me. She snatches her sunglasses off and I was right. Her eye makeup is completely ruined.

  “Want some coffee?”

  “That would be amazing,” she breathes.

  I nod, pressing my lips together before hopping from the couch to get to the kitchen. I’ll wait until later for her to spill the beans. Harper usually tells me when something is wrong with her without the need to ask. The only time that she won’t tell me something right away is if she’s ashamed of something she’s done. I figure she’s done something terrible. Harper is beyond a party animal and when she’s drunk, it’s worse.

  “Nat, what do you say we go to the beach today? I need some sun,” she calls from the living room.

  The beach? I’m not really up for that today. “I haven’t unpacked, Harper.”

  “Screw unpacking, Natalie.” Her voice sounds closer and it isn’t too long before she’s prancing her way into the kitchen. “You’re going to be with me for months—plus you don’t even have that much to unpack. Why are you making excuses for yourself?” Her eyes thin into slits as she folds her arm. “You should be more than ready to get out.”

  I shake my head, forcing myself to keep my eyes from her as I start the coffee machine. I search through all of the cabinets to look for the ground coffee but she steps past me, reaching up to pull a can down. “Nat,” she says sternly. I hate when she gets serious. But I can’t say that I wasn’t expecting it. She told me before I’d even arrived that she would come up with a million ways to get me to stop thinking about Bryson. I guess taking me out is her strategy. “Talk to me,” she begs as her eyes soften but it’s hard to fall for it this time around because her smeared makeup makes her look like a night-demon.

  I snort a laugh as I peel the top from the coffee can.

  “What in the hell is so funny? I’m being serious.”

  “No—it’s not that,” I say, still sneering. “It’s just . . . well . . . you look like shit, Harp.”

  Her face depresses while she reaches to smooth her matted hair. “I know. Don’t remind me,” she groans.

  “What happened to you?”

  She thinks on it, her glass-blue eyes zoning out. “I won’t tell you unless you promise to go to the beach with me.”

  “Oh, we’re bargaining now?” I raise an eyebrow, placing the lid down to cross my arms.

  “If it will bring some life into you.” She studies my eyes as she presses her dry lips together. “Nat, I know you’re still hurt. I know that you want to forget about him but you never will if you’re stuck inside every day.” I look away from her, forcing myself to hold back on the tears that are threatening to spill. My throat lacks with moisture and my hands turn into fists beneath the pit of my arms before I turn away from her. “Natalie, please. I’ll beg you if I have to.” I take a peek at her and now her eyebrow is raised, letting me know that she will beg without holding back.

  “Damn it. Fine,” I groan.

  “Yes,” she breathes victoriously. “Trust me, I will get that fucker off of your mind one way or another.” Clutching my wrists, she turns to make her way out of the kitchen. “Come on. We have to freshen up. We can catch some Frappuccino’s from Starbucks on the way.”

  “Oh—that reminds me, Harp.”

  She continues to drag me along and doesn’t stop until she’s in her room. “What?”

  “I don’t have a bathing suit.”

  Her lips stretch to reveal all of her pearly white teeth. “Stay here,” she says before rushing away from me to get to her closet. She steps back out within a second with a teal and white two-piece bikini on a hanger. The tags are still on it and it seems a size too big for her. “It’s for you. Your favorite color!”

  “What?” I shake my head. “You bought me a bathing suit?”

  “Hell yeah. I knew you weren’t going to bring one or buy one so I picked one out for you. Grace told me you weren’t planning on wearing one. I swear I love that girl,” she sighs. “I have to tell you, though, I’m glad that you’re still the same size.” She rolls her eyes slightly.

  “Harper, that’s a bit too much.”

  “That may be so,” she quips. “But at least I was thinking of you. Consider it a gift for your arrival.” She grins then steps toward me to hand me the bathing suit. “I’m sure it looks better on. Go try it.”

  Groaning, I clutch the hanger in my hand as I turn to head for my bedroom. “Right after a shower,” I mutter while stomping away like an overgrown child.

  ***

  “Harper, what in the hell is this?” I hiss as soon as our feet touch the sand. Loud music flows with the wind along with millions of colorful beach balls that are being tossed in the air.

  She glances over her shoulder slightly, giving me her famous pleading eyes again. “I knew that if I said it was a beach party, you wouldn’t have come.”

  “Harp—”

  “Nat!” She turns to look at me, her pleading eyes now scolding. “You’re going to have fun with me. Screw Bryson and screw your self-wallowing. The old Natalie is still in there somewhere. All she needs is a few drinks and she’s as good as new.” I press my lips together, scowling at her with demented eyes. She shrugs. “Give me the devil eyes all you want but you know it’s true.”

  She grabs my hand then leads the way towards the crowd. I guess Harper is right. I need fun. I need to forget. I still feel guilty about last night—about Nolan. I know he’ll never forgive me but my only hope is that I never see him again. I guess that’s why I’m so bothered about being at this beach party. Because I know that he may be around. He seemed like he would be the type to know about every party or event that was going down.

  The music grows louder as we hit the edge of the crowd. Harper releases my hand and I step to her side as we stick together while pushing through to get to the center. I’ve been to a beach party once before and it was the best party ever. It was during spring break of my senior year. So many people were there, the bands were great, and the drinks were fantastic. Of course we were under age and the police came as soon as they heard the noise but it was amazing. But that’s one of the memories that I have to bury because when the police showed up, I was with Bryson and we ran away together. We made love that night, too.

  The memory attacks my heart, wrapping around it and squeezing like the grip of an anaconda. I force myself to think of something else and luckily I can because we’ve stopped in the center of the whole crowd. Everyone rocks together heavily, jumping up and down, rocking side to side to the band that is on stage.

  “We should get some drinks,” Harper shouts while standing on her toes to find the nearest bar. She spots one, points at it, and then grabs my hand again before pushing through the sea of bodies until we’re clear. The bar is small and set in a tiki hut theme. The bartender happens to be a beautiful guy with a firm, tanned chest, sandy-blonde hair, and a pair of blue swimming trunks on. He flashes a smile at us as we reach the counter of the bar.

  “Hi,” Harper breathes as she studies him. She bats her eyelashes as his lips hint at a small smile.

  “Hi, ladies. What can I help you with?” he asks, pulling the rag away from the counters that he has just wiped.

  “We’d like a few shots, if possible,” Harper says.

  With a flirtatious tone, he asks, “How many, exactly?”

  Harper looks from him to me. I sigh, sitting on the stool as I hold up two fingers. “Two for me.”

  “Two for me, too,” Harper mumbles.

  “What kind of vodka?”

  “Um . . . how about you choose for us,” Harper says, her eyes brightening against her newly applied makeup. She looks at me for reassurance.

  I nod as the bartender reaches for four shot glasses from under the counter. He turns to grab a bottle of clear liquid, pours so
me into each glass, and then slides them towards us. “All yours, ladies.” He winks, screwing the cap on the bottle again. A few more customers step up to the counter, forcing him leave us for them.

  “He’s hot, huh?” Harper turns to look at me as soon as he’s out of ear shot.

  “Very,” I nod. The guy really is hot. His body is sculpted perfectly, his smile is dazzling. He has the charm that any girl would love—but who knows what his background story may be. He could be a player, a cheater, or even just a natural born heart breaker. I shake my head, reaching for a glass quickly. Ever since Bryson has cheated on me, I have a bad habit of believing that every guy on earth is a low-down dirty dick. I chuck my drink back and my face pinches as it burns the heart of my throat. I ignore the burning as I reach for my second one, knock it down, but this time it isn’t as rough.

  “Natalie, slow down,” Harper complains, her eyes narrowing at me before she takes a look at my empty shot glasses.

  “Why? Isn’t this what you wanted? The party Natalie?”

  “Yes, but—” Her eyes widen as she looks over my shoulder. Her mouth gapes and her face turns pale, as if she’s just seen a ghost. Studying the horror in her eyes, I frown before turning around to see who she may be looking at.

  At first I don’t see anyone, but when I spot the molded tan chest, the soft grey eyes, and his hair that is slick from what is most likely sea water, my heart fails to beat. He is talking to another girl (a girl that he most likely doesn’t know) but I’m honestly not paying attention to that. He looks un-fucking-believable. With a shirt, he was already hot, but without one . . . all I can think is the word damn. His abs are glistening, shining from tanning oils. His white swimming trunks hug against his hips and the bulge between his legs that I had a feel of last night seems extremely large. He flashes a sparkling smile at the girl he’s talking to and she grins, most likely melting to the core because I’m melting just by looking at him.