by Lisa Simmons
“I just wanna say that I called that forever ago,” I said smugly, pointing at myself as I turned to glance at him on my bed. He had a wide grin on his face as he watched me.
“You did. Good job,” he congratulated. “Finally, god.”
“I wonder when that actually started,” I wondered aloud.
“Who knows. I’m just glad they finally fucked and got it over with,” he said, scooting up on my bed so his head rested on my pillows as he folded his arms behind his head. I tried not to notice the way his muscles bulged when he did that, but it was difficult. I refocused my attention on unpacking.
“Reece,” I scolded lightly.
“I’m just saying,” he laughed. “Besides, that’s how we started, right? Maybe they’ll actually get together soon and Luke can stop making fun of me.”“He makes fun of you?” I asked as I stuffed my dirty clothes into the hamper.
“All the time,” Reece said. I could practically see him rolling his eyes. “This is so amazing. Now he can’t say shit!”
That explained why he’d been so ridiculously happy at our discovery. Luke could no longer hold it over Reece that he’d fallen in love if he was potentially on the way to it happening to him. “I dunno if they’ll make it after getting busted like that,” I laughed. “Pretty traumatic.”
“Luke’s already over it,” Reece laughed. “Dunno about Emily, though...”
I chuckled, picturing her horror-stricken face at being caught. “She’ll get over it, too.”
I returned the rest of my clothing to its proper place and stuffed the duffle bag into my closet before turning to look at Reece. He raised a hand and bent his finger, beckoning me forward. I grinned and obliged, climbing onto my bed and letting my knees settle on either side of his waist. I rested my weight on his hips as he tangled his hands with mine, intertwining our fingers midway between us. “Don’t tease him too bad,” I suggested, grinning down at him.
“Oh no, he’s never gonna forget this,” he said, shaking his head gleefully. I laughed and pursed my lips in amusement. “Sorry you had to see that, by the way.”“See what?” I laughed.
“Luke naked. Horrifying,” he said, shuddering below me. I grinned conspiratorially at him.
“Maybe I liked what I saw,” I said, winking.
“Oh yeah?” he challenged, cocking an eyebrow at me. I pulled the corners of my lips down and pouted out my bottom lip while I nodded nonchalantly.
“Yeah, Luke’s packing heat, I see,” I teased.
“If that’s what you want, have him. Your roommate was looking pretty good, too...” he trailed off suggestively as he raised his eyebrows.
“Oh really?” I replied, my mouth falling open in mock offense.
“Mmhmm,” he nodded. “Maybe we should just trade for a bit.”
I smacked his chest lightly but still hard enough to give off a solid thump. He burst out laughing and tried to pull me down to him. I resisted and pretended to pout, leaning further away from him.
“Nope, you said it! You can’t take it back,” I said. I tried to hold off my laughter but it was difficult as Reece continued to try and pull me down to him.
“Come on baby, I didn’t mean it,” he teased. He laughed again as I resisted further before finally giving up trying to pull me down and just flipping me so I was on my back suddenly. I huffed out a laugh as he landed on top of me, his hips falling between my thighs and his chest colliding heavily with my own.
“Ow,” I teased, squirming beneath him. “Get off me.”
“No,” he said, dropping his voice lower. My laughter was cut off when he dropped his lips to my neck, parting them enough to let his tongue dart out against my skin. My smile faded as I felt the heat of his mouth on my neck, the warmth of it quickly sobering up my giddy thoughts.
“You can’t just suck up, now,” I replied weakly as his lips moved over my skin. His teeth nipped lightly at my throat.
“Sure I can,” he murmured, his voice stifled slightly.
“No way,” I muttered, letting my eyes drift shut as my head tilted to the side to allow him more access.
“Yes, baby. Besides,” he breathed. “You know your body is the only one that drives me up a fucking wall.”
I sucked in a breath as his lips traveled down my collarbone, his tongue darting out lazily to wet my skin.
“And the things you do...” he trailed off. He moved back up my neck, his teeth grazing lightly along the way.
“Get me all sorts of fucked up, baby,” he finished, dragging his lips along my jaw before letting the find my own. His lips melted into mine, parting them easily to allow his tongue to push against mine. My body reacted as my hands dragged up his shoulders before tangling into his hair. My knees, which were bent around his hips, squeezed together as he kissed me deeply. A shiver ran down my spine thanks to the heat of his words and the way he’d just seduced me so flawlessly. I gasped for air when he ripped his lips from mine suddenly, dropping his mouth to the space between my neck and my shoulder before blowing a sloppy raspberry into my skin. I squealed instantly and squirmed away from him, laughing maniacally at the tickling sensation. He chuckled deeply as he held me still but retreated from my neck to grin down at me triumphantly.
“That was not nice,” I complained, still feeling the flush he’d given me.
“That’s what you get for starting it,” he replied cockily. “Talking about Luke like that. Ew, Abby.”
It was my turn to chuckle as he hovered over me. Our lighthearted moment was interrupted by a tentative knock at my door.
“Yeah,” I called, signaling whomever it was to come in. The door pushed open and Emily’s sheepish face appeared through the crack, taking in Reece and I tangled together on my bed. “Hey, um-“
“Hey you’re dressed!” Reece pointed out cheekily, grinning widely in amusement as he craned his neck sideways to look at her. He didn’t move from above me and I didn’t bother removing my hands from where they remained tangled in his hair. “Shut it, Reece,” she replied, a dark red tinge to her cheeks. “We, uh, you guys can come out now.”
“Is Luke still here?” Reece asked, a hint of mischief lighting his beautiful jade eyes.
“Yeah,” she answered, glancing at me as if begging me to save her from my pestering boyfriend. I watched in amusement, giving no such aide.
“Excellent,” Reece said, detaching himself from me as he pulled himself off my bed. He extended a hand to me and tugged lightly, helping me to join him. “What are you guys doing tonight? Wanna have a few drinks or something?” I asked. My good mood was too amazing to waste and I felt like having a good night with friends. It seemed like it had been forever and a night in with a few drinks sounded absolutely perfect.
“Yeah, let’s,” Reece agreed, tugging me out of the room to join Emily in the hall. “I have a few things to say to Luke.”
I rolled my eyes and grinned at Emily as Reece dragged me past her. She looked slightly scared as she followed where we were greeted with a slightly embarrassed but satisfied looking Luke in the living room. I burst into laughter all over again as he shot me a smug look, clearly more pleased with himself than anything. “Hey Luke,” I greeted.
“Abigail,” he returned, nodding.
“Well, well, well,” Reece said, plopping down on the chair. He tugged me down to his lap. He nudged me conspiratorially and I couldn’t miss the wide grin on his face. “Stay away from the couch, Abby. I’m afraid it’s been tainted.”Luke shook his head with a wide grin while Emily covered her face with her palms in embarrassment. This was going to be a good night.
"I wanted something more... I wanted this right here."
Chapter 83
Music throbbed through the small apartment as Emily and I busied ourselves in the kitchen, attempting to make drinks out of the meager supplies we had present in our apartment. We’d managed to find a few beers for the boys and were currently adding an alarming amount of alcohol to a mixture of j
uice, soda, and, most frighteningly, water from the sink. We didn’t seem to have any full bottles of alcohol, so the liquor being added to our already scary mix was little bits of whatever we had: vodka, rum, and whiskey. “You go first,” I said with a grin, staring at the dark liquid in Emily’s cup. She frowned deeply before raising the glass to her nose to sniff it bravely.
“I don’t wanna,” she whined. She appeared very uncertain about the liquid she was about to drink. Rightfully so, I thought.
“Fine, same time,” I said, laughing. She nodded before agreeing.
“Deal. One, two, three!”
We raised our glasses to our lips, wincing already before we even tasted their contents. I was surprised when I managed to swallow the ‘drink’ without much effort. There were so many things poured into it that it was hard to pick out any one flavor. Emily looked surprised as she swallowed hers, her eyes widening happily.
“It’s not terrible,” she said, shrugging and taking another drink.
“It’s not good, either,” I laughed.
“Guys, enjoy your beers while they last because soon you’ll have to resort to this,” Emily said, raising her glass to Luke and Reece in the living room. Luke wrinkled up his nose in distaste.
“I’d rather drink it straight,” he called. He glanced at Reece in amusement before muttering quietly. “Don’t trust you women...”
“I’m sorry, what?” Emily called loudly, making it clear she’d heard him. She smirked at him while he grinned at her innocently. I smiled at their exchange, still shocked but thrilled at the discovery that they were getting along nicely. I didn’t know if there was more to them than just hooking up, but it was pretty obvious to me that they at least enjoyed each others’ company. We exited the kitchen, leaving our supplies out on the counter for the rounds of drinks that would surely come later. Emily settled on the couch next to Luke, sitting closer to him than before but not actually touching him. Reece watched me draw nearer, reaching his hand out to snake around my thigh when I got close enough and pull me into his lap again. He kissed my shoulder lightly before I settled back against his chest happily. “I’m so glad we’re staying in tonight,” I said. I didn’t feel much like braving the raucous crowd tonight and was looking forward to letting loose with our small group. Emily and I used to spend random evenings drinking cheap wine and just hanging out. It felt like years since we’d done that. Tonight was much like that, only with the added bonus of having Reece with me. “I feel like an old man,” Luke complained. “If you guys make me play some kind of board game I’m out of here.”
I grinned as I was reminded of the night Reece and I had just spent with his family, drinking and playing games just as Luke had mentioned. I took a sip of my strange drink as I felt Reece’s hand land beside my thigh, the tips of his fingers tracing lazily back and forth across my leg. “I don’t think we even have board games so you’re safe,” I told Luke.
“You’re telling me you don’t enjoy a rousing game of Candy Land?” Emily teased, drawing Luke’s attention.
Reece’s hand continued to tickle lightly over the outside of my thigh, and I could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest against my back. I twisted a bit on his lap so I was nearly sideways, my legs draping off the side of the chair and my shoulder pressing into his chest. “Wanna try it?” I asked, raising my glass in front of him. He looked at it as if it might burst into flames at any moment.
“No, I’d like to remain alive,” he said, grinning at me widely. I pouted out my lower lip in mock offense.
“It’s not that bad. I made it myself!”
“Even more reason not to try it,” he laughed, taking a long drink of his beer.
“That’s just mean,” I chided, giggling in his lap. His hand that had been on my thigh had curled to run lightly back and forth across the expanse of my shoulders now that I was sitting sideways. His touch was light and it sent chills down my spine with every swipe of his hand. “Sorry Abby. I love you, but I don’t trust you in the kitchen,” he said, eyes glinting in amusement.
“You’re one to talk,” I laughed. “If I recall correctly, you once put pancake batter in the microwave.”
“Heyyyy,” he said, drawing out the word. “See if I ever make you breakfast again.”
“You never have in the first place,” I laughed.
“I tried,” he said, frowning deeply and pulling his brows together like a puppy. He looked so cute that I couldn’t stop myself from leaning forward to press my lips to his quickly. I pulled back to see him pouting even more, drawing a giggle from my lips.
“You did try and that’s what counts, right?” I said. He was so endearing it was difficult to tear the smile from my lips.
“Right,” he agreed, stopping his pouting to take another drink from his beer.
I took the moment to take a long drink from my glass, ignoring the burn at the back of my throat as I finished it. It appeared as thought the mixture of alcohol had sunk to the bottom, making for an unpleasant end to the drink. My face scrunched up in repulsion as I fought off the quick wave of uneasiness rolling through my stomach. “I almost told you I loved you that day,” he mused aloud, dropping his voice a bit as Emily and Luke carried on obliviously feet away from us. My heart fluttered a bit at his words.
“You did?”
“Yeah. I was trying to tell you when I burned the pancakes,” he said, chuckling to himself.
“I knew it!” I said excitedly, grinning widely at him.
“Oh did you?” he laughed, cocking an eyebrow at me.
“I did! I was disappointed you didn’t say it,” I admitted. A flash of a frown crossed his face before I quickly continued. “But you said it soon after which was perfect.”He looked reassured as he nodded, pleased.
“Will it help if I say it now?” he asked lightly.
“Oh yes, I definitely think so,” I grinned. He leaned closer, pinning his forehead to mine as his arm pushed lightly on my back to bring me closer.
“I love you,” he whispered. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
“Ahh, it sounds so pretty coming out of those lips of yours,” I said happily. He chuckled before pushing lightly on my back again, pressing me forward until my lips landed on his. I heard a small catcall from Emily as they apparently noticed Reece and I very much lost in our own world, but I ignored it. His lips melded slowly with mine, not really deepening the kiss but putting enough into it to really feel it seeping through my body. “Hey, sluts!” Luke shouted suddenly. Our kiss broke as I burst into laughter, my lips parting into a wide smile against Reece’s while his did the same. “Let’s keep the PDA to a minimum so I don’t have to throw up.”My body shook with quiet laughter as I resigned from the kiss completely to glance over my shoulder at Luke and Emily.
“Wait, does fucking on the couch count as PDA? Because I hardly think you have room to talk,” Reece teased, a smirk written across his features.
“No, because you assholes weren’t supposed to barge in and interrupt,” Luke shot back, his features contorted with amusement.
“Oh god, make it stop,” Emily said, covering her face with her hand briefly before laughing good-naturedly. She’d gotten over the incident fairly quickly, finding the amusement in it just as the boys did. They were lucky she was such a good sport about it.
The laughter that drifted around the room was cut off sharply by a sudden knock at the front door. I froze on Reece’s lap, uncertain as to whom it could be. “That’s probably our neighbors,” Emily said, rolling her eyes. “They like to complain about the music.”
I was about to get up to answer the door when Reece’s arm wound tightly around my waist, stilling me and preventing me from standing.
“No, let me get it,” he said, his voice slightly on edge. I watched his features, any signs of a smile or laughter wiped away. My stomach twisted anxiously when a second round of knocking echoed through the room, barely audible over the music before Emily reache
d for the remote to turn it down. Reece squeezed my side lightly before pulling me to stand up with him, kissing the top of my head distractedly as he moved by me to answer the door. I sucked in a nervous breath as he turned the handle and pulled it open. His jaw tensed when he saw whoever was standing behind the door, and I could see the muscles in his arm physically contract anxiously.
“What are you doing here?” he spit, his face settling into a glare. My heart seemed to drop in my chest as Reece confirmed it was not someone welcome in my apartment. My feet started moving toward Reece, desperate to see who it was before he raised his hand to me, holding his palm out behind the door to signal me to stop even though he didn’t remove his gaze from the mystery guest. “I need to have a few words with you. And you,” he called, his second sentence louder as if directing it at me even though he couldn’t see me. My blood seemed to turn to ice in my veins as I recognized the voice. I ignored Reece’s warning and walked stiffly toward the door, moving to stand behind Reece as he came into view. Ice blue eyes met mine, framed by dirty blonde hair that seemed a bit longer than the last time I’d seen him. His skin was just as pale as I remembered, and it appeared taut around his potentially handsome face. He watched me closely, peering at me over Reece’s shoulder with a curious expression on his features.
Liam.
Reece shifted between us, cutting off Liam’s gaze from me.
“You can talk to me. You don’t get to talk to her,” Reece said sharply. I stepped forward until I was right behind Reece, placing my hand gently on his back to keep him calm. His hand twitched involuntarily toward me at the touch before he refocused on Liam. “No, I’ll talk to both of you,” Liam said coolly, using the same oddly calm voice I’d heard him use before. Memories of that terrifying night flashed back to me as imagines of white powder formed into lines, the dirty house, and the seemingly endless number of people snorting the drug into their nose flared through my mind. Liam had been there, participating in all of it, but had been the only one to stop Jack from making me take part in the consumption of the drugs. “Reece, it’s okay,” I said, surprising myself. I peeked over his shoulder to find Liam’s icy stare fixed on me again.
