His blonde hair is sexily mussed at the top where he keeps it a little longer.
I look behind him and I see the Ducati bike responsible for that infernal noise.
“Hey ...”
His eyes leave mine and skim down my body in a slow, purposeful perusal and then they return their intense gaze to my own eyes, after he’s satisfied with his appraisal.
This is the thing with Teague: he doesn't always tell you what he's thinking, he lets his eyes do a lot of the talking and what his gaze is saying right now, makes my stomach fill with instant butterflies.
“I was thinking about you and I decided to come to ask you if you wanted to have brunch with me?”
I don't answer him straight away and he feels the need to explain further.
“I’m sorry for not calling you or texting you beforehand but it was a spontaneous thing.”
He smiles again, but this time it’s not that little provocative smile, it's actually open and it reaches his eyes illuminating his whole face.
“I like spontaneous.”
His smile widens.
“Let’s go then.”
He takes my hand and I ask him to wait a sec, slipping into a pair of flip flops that are by the front door and then following him to his bike.
The thing looks powerful and a little scary, a very appropriate look for Teague.
He takes a bright red helmet from a compartment attached to the back seat and offers it to me.
I won't lie, I’m nervous and excited at the same time.
“I’ve never been on a bike.”
He takes the helmet from me and places it on my head, his fingers brushing against the delicate skin of my neck when he fastens the helmet under my chin.
What is it with him and Knox?
They're really different guys but they have the same dizzying effect on me.
Every touch, every gaze, every whispered word make my body react with immediate and embarrassing excitement.
Like now, he isn't touching me anywhere remotely erotic and yet my nipples have begun to harden, straining against the cotton of my sundress.
“If you’ve never ridden a bike, just make sure you hold on tight to me.”
So we climb on and I surround his waist with my arms.
And I think I'm really sold on bikes: I love the speed, the sense of freedom and danger.
I love the way Teague's firm stomach muscles harden and twitch with each movement, especially when leaning into a turn.
I also love the feeling of sheer power that the bike gives with its rumbling noise and its vibration.
And by the time he stops by a quaint little cafe on a hill with an amazing view of the ocean, that excitement I started feeling earlier has turned into a full blown situation, with every nerve ending of my body feeling sensitive and a throbbing wetness between my legs.
I tell myself that it was the vibration of the bike but flashbacks of that dream I had last week, tell me that it's not just that.
That being with Teague is obviously having an effect on me.
We sit down outside at a wrought iron table under a tree that provides some shade and relief from the stifling heat.
We order eggs benedict and a side of fresh fruit and ice tea to drink with our brunch.
As soon as the waitress leaves, Teague takes my hand in his and gives me another one of those knee weakening smiles.
“Finally! I’ve wanted to have you all to myself since the first day of school almost two weeks ago. But you're really hard to get ahold of, Aubrey Richmond. Every time I’ve tried to ask you out, Knox or Landon were glued to your side. Please tell me that I’m not too late and you’ve made your choice?”
“Choice? What choice?”
Teague narrows his eyes, a little knowing smirk appearing on his full lips
“It’s quite obvious that those two motherfuckers are into you, princess. But so am I! And I don't want you to choose one without exploring all your options.”
“My options?”
He nods.
“Yeah. I want to date you too. So please give me a chance before you make up your mind.”
It's my turn to look at him through narrowed eyes.
“Are you sure, Teague? Look, I heard things about you and Knox. If this is one of your challenges on who sleeps with me first—”
“No, it's not. That was last year, Aubrey. And yeah, I totally admit it, we spent our junior year trying to sleep our way through all the hot girls in our class. But to be honest, by Prom we were both bored with it. So I don't know about him, but I'm not looking for a challenge. Truth be told, since I saw you in that wet shirt, I can't think of anything else.”
I know exactly how he feels because since I had that hot dream about him last week and then we kissed on Friday morning, he's been in my thoughts a lot.
But I don't tell him that and I try to take my mind out of the gutter, which isn't easy because Teague is absolutely perfect, at least on the outside.
“So, what is it that you're looking for, if it's not a competition with Knox?”
He takes my hand and turns it palm up, starting to trace the lines on it and not helping my situation because his touch reignites the heat between my legs, just when it was beginning to subside.
“I wanna get to know you, Aubrey. See if this could be more than physical attraction. Because make no mistake, I’m extremely attracted to you. And before you say anything, I know you're gonna go out with Knox and possibly Landon but I don't want you to choose until you get to know me too.”
Choose?
Right now I couldn't possibly choose: Knox is so hot and mysterious, Landon’s good looking and sweet and easy to talk to and Teague is so fucking sexy and I noticed how smart he is too during class.
We get our food and if I thought that the conversation would come to a stop while we ate, I was wrong.
Teague must be in a playful mood because he starts firing rapid questions at me in a sort of twenty questions kinda game.
“Cats or dogs?”
“Dogs, you?”
“Same. Rock or pop?”
“Pop. What about you?”
“Sorry, rock. Meat or fish?”
“Meat. You?”
“Same. Rain or sunshine?”
“Both. It depends on my mood. You?”
“Same. Sweet or savoury?”
“Savoury. And you?”
“Sweet. Like you ...”
And he touches my lips with his.
At first it's just a soft, feather like brush but then, when I don't move away, he kisses me by putting more pressure on my lips and moving his lips against mine, as if he were trying to really taste me.
7.
A Dream Come True
Aubrey
WHEN OUR BRUNCH IS over, he pays and then takes me on a scenic ride down the hill and by the beach.
By the time we get back to Chaz's house and he walks me to the front door, the bright blue sky of this morning is just a distant memory and ominous, dark grey clouds are obscuring the sun.
Teague takes one of my hands in his and brings it to his chest, resting it there.
I can feel his heart beat fast and when I lift my gaze up to his dark blue eyes, what I see in them makes my heart pick up its pace too.
It's not the bike ride, not even his nearness, it's the pure, raw desire I see in his eyes that makes it so hard to breathe.
I know that if he doesn't kiss me now, I’ll close the distance between us.
“Aubrey, can you feel what you do to me? It's not just that you make me fucking hard, because you do, it's how you make me feel.
You make my heart beat faster, you make me wanna move mountains and cross deserts and ... shit, I don't even know what I’m saying, princess. But since that first day of school, I can't stop thinking about you. I’ve been dreaming about you. And every new thing I learn about you, makes me wanna know more. Fuck all this talking, I need to kiss you!”
He pulls me closer, crushing his lip
s on mine and taking my breath away with a hot, consuming kiss.
Our chests are touching and he’s exploring my mouth as if with every stroke of his tongue against mine, he could know something new about me.
As if with every taste of me, he could see deeper into my soul.
I feel his kiss everywhere, my body’s on fire and I don't even know if I pushed myself closer to him or if he pulled me tighter into his embrace but it doesn't matter because I never want this kiss to end.
And it doesn't end for a long time, not even when lightning lacerates the soft grey clouds above us and rain starts pouring down on us.
We keep kissing, because right now nothing else exists but the taste of each other.
The only thing that eventually interrupts our kiss is a loud, scary flash of lightning followed by the loud, rumbling noise of thunder.
We’re already soaking wet but the rain starts falling more violently.
Teague tries to shelter me from the worst of the rain.
“Get inside, princess. I’ll see that you're safe in your house and then go home.”
He starts walking to my front door holding his leather jacket over my head.
“You can't ride your bike in this storm. Come inside until it stops raining or it eases off. It's way too dangerous to ride a bike in this weather.”
I offer thinking about his safety first of all, but the fact that we’ll be alone in an empty house isn't lost on me.
“Wow! We’re drenched.”
He laughs, hanging his jacket on the coat rack by the door and running a hand through his wet, blonde hair.
My sundress is sticking to my body but thankfully this time it isn't white, so I’m not flashing him again.
He must be thinking the same thing because a slow smile spreads on his face and his dark blue eyes are bright with amusement as he takes in my wet dress and hair.
I slip out of my flip flops that make that hideous squelching sound when I walk in them and my feet leave a few prints on the wooden floors as I lead Teague into the living room.
He follows me quietly, looking around and taking in the black furniture and the decor all in tones of grey and black with white and light grey as softening hues that create a sharp contrast.
There's the biggest home cinema screen I’ve ever seen and two huge black leather couches.
In further contrast with the modern and edgy decor, the art hanging on the walls depicts the beach, the sea and my favourite one with a lighthouse perched on a cliff.
“Your house looks different than what I expected. It's very ... I don't know.”
I smile.
“Like the furniture was picked by a teen boy with a penchant for rock and roll?”
He nods.
“Exactly like that.”
I giggle.
“Maybe because it's exactly the case.”
I explain that I moved into Chaz's house after I had a falling out with my parents.
“Ah, I’m sorry about it. So are you and Chaz Atwood close?”
He says it with a wary note in his deep voice and I smile at the fact that he seems jealous.
“Yeah. I’ve had a huge crush on Chaz since I was thirteen but obviously he’s so in love with Abi, that I’d have had no chance. But yeah, we’re close. He, Reece, Pryce and Max treat me like a little sister.”
Teague nods at my explanation.
“They're cool guys. I’ve never believed those rumours about sexual assault.”
I feel the need to defend them, even though I know that Teague wasn't trying to imply anything.
“It was a huge misunderstanding. That Emily girl lied about the whole thing.”
Teague
SHE INVITES ME IN WHEN the rain starts falling vehemently, pounding on everything with the fury that only a late summer storm can have.
When she tells me that she lives alone in this huge house, I look at her differently.
No, I’m lying.
Aubrey can look soft and a little klutzy, with that bright smile always bubbling under the surface but I felt her underlying strength from the very first moment we met.
I can see the steely resolve she applies to things when she wants something, her determination.
Like when Devon teased her about not being cheerleader material and she went on to prove to him how wrong he was by making the team.
I can't blame Knox for going after her, she caught my eye immediately when I kept her from being run over by Devon’s corvette.
Now we’re in her living room and she looks so sexy with that dress sticking to her body and her wet, dark brown hair.
We’re looking at each other, both lost in our own thoughts when she shivers and I see goosebumps dotting her arms and chest.
I close the distance between us with two strides and place one hand on each of her biceps.
“Princess, you feel so cold ... if we don't towel you off, you'll get sick. Come on, if you show me to a bathroom, I’ll help.”
She takes my hand in hers and guides me to a large bathroom on the ground floor.
I’m surprised about how small and delicate her hand feels in mine but I like the feeling of holding onto it.
She opens a cabinet under one of the double sinks that occupy most of one wall and extracts two fluffy grey towels and hands me one, starting to rub the towel over her dripping wet hair.
I smile and start to use my own towel on her arms.
“Teague, I appreciate your help but I gave you the towel for yourself.”
I shrug.
“I’m all right. I just wanna make sure that you don't catch a chill.”
Fuck!
I sound like my grandma right now!
Her eyes travel down my body, as if she's evaluating something and then she says:
“Your clothes are soaked, I think you should change into dry clothes and I can put your wet ones in the dryer. I’m sure there's something of Pryces that will fit you.”
She looks serious and I find her concern for me very sweet but I can't help from provoking her.
I take my wet t-shirt off, dropping it on the floor with my most confident smile: I know I look hella good when shirtless.
“Aubrey Richmond, are you asking me to take my clothes off?”
She rolls her eyes.
“You're impossible, you know that?”
“Well, forgive me for noticing that once again, we’re soaking wet, in a bathroom. And if memory serves, last time I was able to convince you to take your shirt off ...”
I say it with an exaggerated wiggle of my eyebrows and she can't stifle a smile.
“You make it sound so dirty! It was only my shirt!”
I chuckle.
“Yeah, right, only your shirt. You had a white bra that was also wet and practically see through. Have you any idea how fucking hot you looked? Prime spank bank material!”
For a second, I fear that I’ve said too much because Aubrey gasps in surprise at my bold statement.
“You didn't!”
She looks surprised but not mad, so I admit the truth.
“Of course I did! You’ve been the star of all my ‘private time’ for the last two weeks. I couldn't believe how lucky I was that you’re my rally girl. That's why I asked you for a kiss on Friday. If I had to wait another minute to kiss you, I’d have gone insane.”
She looks straight into my eyes and her voice is low, just a little more than a whisper.
“I like your kisses too.”
That makes me lose the precarious control I had on my urges and I lift her, depositing her on the bathroom counter and crush my lips on hers in a hot, demanding kiss.
I’m standing between her thighs when my tongue invades her mouth and I kiss her until we’re both breathless.
Her hands explore the plains and valleys of my chest and abs and she isn't shy about showing me that she wants my kiss as much as I want hers.
When I torment her bottom lip with my teeth, she moans and scoots closer to me, bringing my cr
otch closer to hers.
I’m so fucking hard that I know she must feel it and the softness of her body against mine doesn't help me calm down.
I stop kissing her lips to begin dragging my own lips down her neck and when I get at the base of it, I bite softly on her shoulder, eliciting another moan from her.
“Teague ...”
The way she says my name is thick with the same desire I feel for her, so I dare and lift her sundress off her hips and all the way over her head, revealing black lace panties and nothing else.
She isn't wearing a bra and her tits are the most perfect thing I’ve ever seen.
For a second I don't touch her, even if that costs me all my self control, I look into her blue eyes, to see her reaction, to make sure that she wants this.
And she gives me permission in the sexiest possible way, by taking one of my hands and placing it on the swell of her breast.
Her skin there is the most soft and velvety I’ve ever touched and for a moment, I just revel in the feeling of the weight of her breast in my hand, never taking my eyes off of hers.
But when my fingers move and come into contact with her nipple, already hard under my touch, I feel as if my restraint is about to leave me all at once.
So before this goes any further, I need to know that this is something she wants and that I’m not taking advantage of her, when she offered me shelter from the storm that's still raging outside.
“Aubrey, I want you so fucking much ... if this is where you wanna stop, I need to know—”
Her response is a soft bite to my bottom lip and a breathy declaration that makes me instantly harder than I already was.
“I want you too, Teague.”
All of a sudden, the bathroom seems too constricting for what I have in mind, so I lift her off the counter placing my hands under her thighs and she wraps them around my hips while I walk us back to the living room and its oversized couch.
I set her down on the couch as gently as I can, taking in her beautiful body, clad only in see-through black lace panties.
Before I can lower myself down between her legs, Aubrey opens my belt buckle and helps me get out of my jeans by dragging them down and off my hips.
The Retribution: A High School Light Bully Romance (Beverly Hills Prep Academy Book 3) Page 9
