MAGIC
SATURDAY * 9:33 PM
“This night sucks balls—big fat furry ones,” Evie muttered miserably into her cup staring down at the three cherries bobbing in the top. Lifting her drink, she took a hefty swig, holding it in her mouth until it started to burn and then she finally swallowed.
After her huge trek around the entire lawn, she finally made it back to the drink station. Of course, by the time she managed to get back, both Heather and the mysterious guy with the tattoo were gone. She had looked for over an hour and didn’t see anyone who even remotely looked like the guy she met the evening before…except for the one Heather took and disappeared with. Now she would never know if the guy was him or not. So, as a conciliation prize she got herself a loaded drink. She almost went back and grabbed a second when she spotted Colton with Kingston and Barnaby walking towards the drink station chasing down a girl. Turns out, it was the cool one, with the freakishly awesome body and shaved hair that still managed to look incredible even though she was half-bald.
“Stupid party,” she complained in full mope mode now. She was slipping further and further down into a pit of depression. Dipping her fingers into her drink, she pulled out a fat red cherry, debating for a minute if she should take the plunge to lala land and eat it.
“Why the hell not?” It was more exciting than standing under a stupid tree…alone. She popped the cherry into her mouth. Again the fiery liquid spurted inside, making her cough, just like the night before. She pushed past it and swallowed anyway. When she reopened her eyes, she nearly fell over. She suddenly loved Barnaby and his loaded cherries—they were making her see great things. She reached out and poked the winged man in front of her. “Just checking,” she said, lifting her eyes to his, giving him a sheepish smile.
He smiled back. “I don’t mind,” he said, and reached down and placed his hand over hers.
“You came back,” she said, smiling warmly up at him, the act nearly splitting her face apart. She was so happy suddenly.
“Yeah, I came back,” he said. “Did you miss me?” he asked, an amused look crossing his face.
Yes! “Maybe,” she said, giving him a little payback for leaving her.
His brow creased.
“I was worried about you,” she said. Actually, that was an understatement.
“Yeah, about that…” he trailed off awkwardly, Not knowing what else to say.
“I guess you had someplace to be.” She filled in the rest for him.
“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” He shrugged.
That was it? That was all he was going to say? “Oh.” She brushed her hair away from her face and looked down at her feet. She exhaled. “That’s cool.”
“So where have you been hiding?” he asked.
“Hiding?” she asked confused.
“Yeah, I’ve been looking for you,” he said, his deep voice coming out soft, velvety.
“You were!” she squeaked excitedly, her eyes flying back up to his face. Then she wanted to kick herself. She sounded like a moron.
“Yes,” he said simply.
“Why?” she asked in a breathy gust, trying to sound sophisticated, sexy, like the character Natasha Fatale from an old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon.
He gave her a curious look. “You okay?”
“Yeah why?” she said, clearing her throat, feeling stupid.
“You sound…strange.” He shrugged.
“Something in my throat,” she lied, completely embarrassed. “So you were saying?”
“You want the truth?”
“Yes, of course.” She reached back and pressed her hand up against the trunk of the tree for balance feeling unsteady on her feet suddenly.
“I wanted to finish what we started last night.”
A surge of joy zipped through her; maybe ole Natasha had done the trick after all. “What we started,” she repeated, her eyes wide.
“Yeah,” he said. His brows drew together and he gave her an uneasy look. “Is that okay?”
“Sure, of course,” she said, taking another quick sip of her drink. The wind picked up pushing her hair forward. Before she had a chance to move it from her face he lifted his hand and pushed it over her shoulder, his fingers lingering. “So…um,” she croaked and then cleared her throat twice to get rid of the frog sound. “What would you like to ah…?” Her eyes fell to his mouth, remembering a little too vividly how they felt against her own while hoping…no, wishing that he would lean forward and kiss her once more.
He gazed down at her, an intense moment passing between them. It was as if time had no meaning for either of them. Then he lifted his hand and placed his fingertips under her chin. “Evie…”
She lifted her eyes to his. “Yes…”
“I am going to kiss you…,” he breathed, answering her unspoken wish.
Her eyes widened in shock. “How…”
“Does it matter,” he breathed, his face inches from hers.
A rush of heat flamed her face. She stared at his lips and every thought she had turned to mush. “Ah…no…”
“Good,” he breathed, and then he kissed her.
It was slow and gentle at first…almost tentative, but then he deepened the kiss. His tongue delved deeper, twining with hers. A rush of pleasure shot through her body, as he continued his silent assault on her senses. Teasing, tasting…tormenting, with his every kiss, his every touch. He slid his hand over her side, kneading her hip, pulling her closer.
Evie clung to him, kissing him back, feeling so many things suddenly she thought she would burst. She didn’t feel anything close to this with Colton and she had pined for him forever…and yet, here she was with a complete stranger and she didn’t even know his name but she felt like she had known him forever. Every fiber of her being was in overload, screaming for him to keep touching her with his body, for his lips to keep kissing hers and for his arms, never to let her go. She didn’t understand it, but right now, right this very moment…she didn’t care either, because as long as she was with him she felt complete.
IDLEWILD
SATURDAY * 9:37 PM
Kingston rocked back on his heels, and shoved his hands into his front pockets. Two girls were dancing with one another in front of him, their short skirts riding up exposing an ample amount of their bare asses. He idly watched, wondering if they were even wearing panties. As soon as that thought formed in his mind, he thought of Moriah. He had no idea why he wasn’t with her. Instead, he was hanging out with Barnaby and Colton’s lame ass. As if on cue Colton began to sing, making Kingston seriously regret not being with Moriah.
Colton shoved his drink into Barnaby’s hand singing, “I am perfect…” changing the words to the song “U can be perfect.” He bobbed his head to the music, singing even louder, “I can be perfect—I am perfect,” and bounced forward swinging his hips, dancing behind the girls, switching back and forth between them both.
Kingston chuckled lightly, watching. He wanted to go and find Moriah, but he was trying to prove something to himself, to see if he could in fact survive without her around. He was falling hard for her, harder than he had ever fallen before. Even when he was completely into Heather, he never felt like this. He had thought he was going to marry Heather straight after college. That was of course, until he met Moriah. Then all thoughts of Heather had disintegrated from his mind. And that had actually started to scare the shit out of him. He thought of Moriah all the time now. Granted, he still checked some chicks out, he was human after all, but he completely found them lacking. He sighed loudly and ran his hands over his face.
***
Barnaby took another swig of his drink, almost spitting it out as Colton tried to pull one of the girl’s skirts higher while he danced behind her. He laughed at Colton’s antics. He was an ass, but he was a funny ass. It amazed him how anyone could be so self-absorbed. But whatever Colton was, girls seemed to like the way he acted, because they would normally fall all over him. It made Barnaby wonder what girls
actually wanted. Maybe if he acted like an ass, chicks would dig him too.
Right—he wished. At least Evie didn’t seem to be that way. That was one of the reasons he liked her. She didn’t seem to be mesmerized by Colton, at least not any longer. He did have to wonder where her fascination with gargoyles had come from suddenly. Coming alive and all. He wondered what that was all about and why his own mother seemed so interested when he asked her about them for Evie.
***
Colton came stumbling back when the song ended. He held out his hand. “Where’s my drink man?”
Barnaby picked it up off the ground and handed it to Colton.
Colton jerked it from his hand. “Dude, don’t put my shit on the ground, some loser might knock it over.”
“Well they didn’t, so calm down.”
“Good thing,” Colton snapped. Lifting the cup and taking a long drink, swaying on his feet.
Barnaby shook his head. “Whatever man, I’m not your bitch.”
Colton lowered his drink, smirking smugly. “Yeah you are.”
“Screw you dude.”
Colton ignored him and lifted his drink in the direction of the girls. They laughed and smiled back at him lifting their own drinks in the air. “Damn man, those chicks are totally hot. I wonder if they would be interested in a threesome.”
Barnaby snorted into his drink. “Yeah right, you wish. They look like they are into each other, not you.”
“Whatever man, you’ll see,” Colton promised. He took a gulp of his drink then immediately spit it out, barking out a loud obnoxious laugh. He lifted his hand and smacked Kingston in the arm hard.
“What the hell asshole!” Kingston reflexively pulled his fist back.
Colton put up his hand to block his face. “Whoa, sorry man, just trying to get your attention.”
It took a moment but Kingston finally lowered his fist. “How bout using my name next time,” he snapped, jerking his shirt back in place. “And don’t touch me again,” he warned, his jaw clenching in irritation.
“Whoa man, calm down.” Colton stepped back and nearly fell over a body lying on the ground. Once he righted himself, he lifted his arm and pointed.
Kingston glared at him in annoyance. “What?”
Colton just kept pointing until Kingston finally followed his line of vision. The crowd had parted and Kingston could see the front of the mansion. His girl was practically sitting on some dudes lap. Rage tore through him. Kingston shoved past Colton and took off running, nearly knocking Barnaby over in the process.
“Where’s he going in such a hurry?”
Colton didn’t answer. He merely lifted his brows, bugging his eyes and pointed at the stairs.
Barnaby looked at the front of the mansion. “Damn.”
“You got that right man. Damn,” Colton agreed.
ATTRACTION
SATURDAY * 9:43 PM
Moriah felt herself leaning closer to the boy named Simon even though she knew it was wrong…she couldn’t seem to stop. Shakily she lifted her hand to touch his perfectly flawless face, her fingers tracing over the subtle cleft in the middle of chin. His eyes were trained on her, locking them both in a breathless moment. She squirmed trying to get even closer…she desperately wanted to kiss him. It was crazy…irrational and yet she couldn’t seem to tear her gaze from his…she could feel the heat building between them…making her burn. He lifted his hand and moved her hair away from her shoulder, his fingers leaving a burning trail where they barely touched her exposed flesh. Her body shivered in delight. Expectantly she wet her lips, wanting, no needing him to touch her just a bit more. And then he did. He placed his hand on her bare thigh, his hand moving slowly over the exposed flesh, making her wiggle in her seat. She bit her lip, spreading her legs slightly. The tips of his fingers were driving her crazy as he slid them even higher. She knew what she was doing was wrong—completely wrong. But she couldn’t stop, she couldn’t think. She was beyond herself, beyond anything she had ever felt before. The attraction to him was so strong she couldn’t fight against it any longer. Moving closer, the warmth of his sweet breath wafted over her face. Leaning up, she tried to get closer but he kept pulling back—not completely—but just enough so her mouth could not touch his. “I want…,” she said breathlessly…eagerly…
“Yes dove…” he coaxed her to say the words he wanted to hear. He felt her need. He could feel her heat. And yes, he was aroused as well but he wanted to savor the moment… it had been so long. His body rippled just beneath the surface, his pheromones emanating from him. “May I…” he breathed, “kiss you… little dove?” he asked, bringing his mouth closer, his lips nearly touching hers.
Moriah clenched her hand at her side, trying to fight the urge as he stroked his hand gently back up her bare leg—silently making promises with his fingers of what was to come. She couldn’t take it anymore. She was beyond caring.
“Yes, yes, please,” she begged breathily and began to lift herself off the stair to get even closer to his elusive fingers…
The distinct sound of heavy footfalls drawing nearer gave Simon pause…he backed off a bit and let out an audible sigh. Stupid human.
Kingston stopped in front of the stairs. His breath coming in rushed hitches, his hands fisted. “MORIAH!” he yelled, his face reddened in anger.
Simon broke his gaze with the girl, relinquishing his grasp. Well so much for that.
Moriah’s mind came crashing back. She felt woozy, disoriented, and focused her eyes on the guy sitting next to her and almost fell over. “Oh Shit!” She scrambled to get away, the rough stone scrapping the underside of her leg.
“My sentiments exactly,” Simon muttered.
Moriah jerked her gaze to his face. His head was turned but she could swear she saw a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“Ohmigod,” she groaned coming back to her senses. Was she about to kiss those lips? Why yes, yes she was…. not believing how carried away she had gotten. Turning, she looked directly at Kingston and her stomach dropped. His gorgeous face twisted with disgust and shock all at the same time. Fear seized her. Oh no! What have I done? Her heart nearly burst. She shook her head trying to right her brain… “Kingston…it’s not what it looks like,” she weakly defended. “I didn’t mean…”
“You didn’t mean what?” he scathed, his obvious disgust resonating in his deep voice.
She flinched like he just struck her.
Simon picked up his drink, his brows raised; watching as he always did, anticipating the chaos that would soon ensue. It was not that he didn’t care—well, yes it was actually… he had his answer, and obviously he still had it.
“What the hell were you doing with my girl?” Kingston gritted out, trying to control his rage.
Simon lifted his brow and sat his drink down gingerly on the step at his side. He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, lifting his hand to stroke his chin in a thoughtful gesture. “Hmmm, what was I doing?” Simon glanced over at the girl. He could see her confusion, her fear, and started to feel a little bad he had used his charms on her, well, one of his many charms. It wouldn’t have worked unless she had been interested, but he decided to take pity on her. She looked pretty pathetic wringing her hands together in her lap.
“Well?” Kingston raged.
Simon leaned back casually against the stair, eyeing the dude with an overload of testosterone emanating from his body. He wrinkled his nose, not liking his scent at all. “Actually…”he paused, and then finally added, “Nothing,” he gave him a look of innocence, cloaking his face, even though he was biting back a laugh that was just below the surface.
“It didn’t look like nothing,” Kingston accused, balling his hands tighter at his sides, taking a step forward.
Simon leaned forward, watching him with disinterest. Oh, it would be so easy to destroy the fool; he wouldn’t even see it coming. But where was the sport in that? He sighed and instead he pulled back. Young, fresh love…it was a
rare treat. And who was he, Simon to interfere with that. Besides, he had bigger fish to fry this night and he needed all his strength to battle what was coming. “Well,” he paused. “I did have something in my eye,” he supplied finally. “And your girl…” he stressed the word as he quickly glanced at the girl. “ She was nice enough to help me get it out. Is that what you are talking about?” he offered a little too innocently.
Moriah jerked her face to Simon in shock.
“What?” Kingston asked, looking suddenly unsure. “It didn’t look like that to me.”
“Well,” he breathed. “I can’t help what you thought,” he countered, lifting his cup up and taking a long pull. He lowered it just a bit. “I have to ask though, you know to satisfy my curiosity, of course,” he needled. “What did it look like… to you?”
“Ah…” Kingston shifted uneasily on his feet. “I thought you were… um, you know, trying to get with my girl.”
Simon pretended to contemplate that for a moment. “I think I understand.”
“Understand what?” Kingston asked, completely thrown off guard by his lackadaisical attitude.
Simon was good at diffusing situations. He was a master at it, if he were so inclined. This looked like an opportunity to do just that but then he decided against it. He didn’t like his tone, or his brusque demeanor. “Hmmm, if she is your girl why was she sitting all alone?” Simon asked, stirring the pot.
Kingston’s face fell and again he shifted, growing uncomfortable by the way the conversation was headed. His eyes guiltily fell to the ground.
Moriah stared directly at Kingston, waiting to hear what he would say. She was so mad at him, for leaving her all alone. Not to mention how he had been gawking at Heather and every other girl floating around.
“I was talking with friends,” Kingston muttered, keeping his gaze downcast.
Gargoyle: A Reawakening (Briarcliff Series, #2) Page 9
