The Line Between

by Tamsyn Bester

  “You just can’t resist it can you?” I asked. My tone was unnecessarily harsh, and it was hard to differentiate between my sudden agitation towards myself, or towards her. I’d come to her rescue yet again like some fucking Prince Charming, and I had no clue as to why I felt the need to do that.

  “Resist what?” Her brows puckered, and she folded her arms across her chest. The movement drew attention to her cleavage, and I had to force my eyes from moving down. Last thing I needed was for her to catch me getting an eye full of those perfect tits.

  “Getting yourself into trouble, and having me come save you.” I wasn’t exactly being fair, but I didn’t really care. I was in a piss ass mood, and taking it out on her came naturally to me. It always had.

  “Newsflash dickhead, I was just fine before you arrived.” She glared at me, vexation flashing brightly in her eyes.

  She tried to step past me, but I wrapped my hand around her wrist, and pulled her into the room I’d been hiding only minutes ago.

  I shut the door, ignoring her protests. She had no reason to fear me, but I didn’t want to argue with her – because let’s face it, we always argue – out in the open.

  “You can’t just drag me into an empty room with you, Dane. In case you didn’t notice, your buddy already tried that.”

  I let go of her hand, and stepped back, the moonlight cascading through the windows giving me a better view of her face.

  “Stay away from Gavin. He’s bad news,” I warned.

  “You think I sought him out?” Her voice came out in a slight shriek. “Unbelievable!” She threw her hands up, looking affronted.

  “You seem to have a penchant for the players on my team,” I ground out. “So far your judgment hasn’t been the best.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Well, first it was Chase, and now Gavin. At this rate you’d have run through the entire team before finals. If you’re not careful, you’ll get a reputation, and then every guy on campus will want a piece.”

  God, I was a being a dick. She didn’t deserve it, but somewhere deep inside I’d always believed she deserved everything I did to her.

  She was quiet for a while, those eyes, wide and angry and so full of depth, seemed to see so much more than anyone else.

  “You’re hurting, Dane. I know that -”

  My indignation prickled at that, and my body stiffened with a simmering rage, the look on my face stopping her from continuing.

  “You don’t know anything,” I lied. If there was anyone who understood me, and my hurt, it was Kennedy. She’d suffered through it right along with me while I’d been so focused on making her life a nightmare.

  Her face softened, and again, her eyes probed mine. I hated the raw intensity of it, the way it made me feel like I was cracked wide open for her scrutiny.

  I didn’t want her to say anything, so I broke the silence. “I think it’s time for you to leave. Go back to your boyfriend.”

  I’d seen them together earlier, his arm around her waist, her smile as she looked up at him. I hated that, even more than I wished I hated her. I was a mess, a walking clusterfuck of contradictions. Beneath the surface I was seething, but one look at Kennedy had my blood boiling for another reason. It drove me fucking crazy, and I couldn’t tell which of the two emotions – aversion or raunchiness – was going to win. With my luck, the two would collide, and the result would be devastating for both Kennedy and me.

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” she replied, leaning against the door.

  “The way he was touching you earlier said otherwise.”

  “Why do you care? Are you jealous? Is that why you’re acting like this?”

  I leaned in, narrowing the space between us until I was sharing her breath. “I’ve already tasted you, remember? And I’m pretty sure you’d let me do it again too.”

  She sucked in a ragged gust of air, thick with tension that hovered over us like a thick cloud. It rumbled, giving away the incoming storm.

  “In fact,” I continued, “Seeing as you mentioned my birthday, why don’t you climb onto that desk,” I pointed my thumb over my shoulder, “and give me a show. You’re really good at that.”

  I leaned closer, closer, and lowered my voice. “Does Chase know you like to finger-fuck yourself while thinking about me? Does he know how wet I make you, how your pussy aches for my touch?”

  I’m getting so turned on, my mind replaying that first night in her room that I don’t notice her raised hand until it’s in the air, coming towards me, making contact with my skin with a resounding slap that echoes through the empty space around us.

  We stare at each other, her furious expression mixed with unbridled lust – she’d never admit what my talking dirty does to her, but her body won’t lie. Even now, after she’d slapped me, her body swayed towards mine.

  “You asshole,” she said. “I hate you!”

  “The feelings mutual,” I replied softly, encroaching on her personal space.

  I could hear her breath. Feel her body goading me to come closer. I should have been smarter, and shoved her out the door before we got to this point. But I wasn’t smart.

  This moment? The one where we stare, and stare, and stare until we suffocate underneath the weight of everything – good and ugly and hot – between us? It was inescapable. Fated. Predetermined. And fuck if I was going to do a damn thing to stop it.

  Three…

  Two…

  One…

  We lunged at the same time, our bodies crashing together with violent, arduous force. Our mouths melded together, mine slanting to suck on her plush lips, and hers wielding until we were a perfect set. I caged her in against the door, my fingers circling her wrists and lifting her arms above her head.

  I nipped her lip, inhaling her startled gasp. Her chest rubbed against mine as she writhed, and pulled at the hold I had on her wrists. I wanted more. God, I needed more.

  Kennedy took charge then, and I released her wrists to take hold of her hips, pulling her into me. Her hands fisted my shirt, and her hips rolled against mine. I was going wild, like I was trying to crawl out of my too-hot skin. It was sensory overload, my body strung tight and coiled with want. I lifted her up, my fingers digging into her delectable ass cheeks. Her long legs wrapped around my waist, the feel of the scorching heat between her legs eliciting a guttural moan from us both.

  “Dane.” She sighed into my mouth, and I shivered.

  Our heavy breathing, and her soft whimpers pierced the quiet. I wanted her, to get inside her, to fuck her to exhaustion. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice tried to tell me to stop, that we shouldn’t be doing this, but I silenced it quickly. Nothing would stop me tonight. Not even me.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Kennedy

  HE. WAS. EVERYWHERE.

  His hands, his fingers, his mouth, his body. Everywhere.

  I had no idea what I was doing, what we were doing, but I couldn’t stop. My brain was sending messages to my body to stop! And my body simply responded with a resounding fuck off!

  No matter how many times I tried to push way, I always ended up pulling him closer, rubbing my body against his like an animal marking its’ mate. It was such a primal response, one that he coaxed from my body with no effort at all. His body called, and mine answered. He stepped away from the door, holding me as if I was as light as a feather, and slowly dropped his knees to the floor instead of the bed. He lowered himself onto me, and the weight was so magnificent I sighed into his mouth.

  “God, Kennedy,” he exhaled in a rush. “You have no idea how many times I’ve thought about this.”

  His lips moved down my neck, and I felt his hands unbuttoning my shirt just below my breasts. He flicked his thumbs over my nipples, sending an electrical current straight between my legs.

  “If this is how you hate me,” – I sucked in a jagged breath when he squeezed a breast – “You should have…Ohhh…” The roll of his hips against mine stopped whatever thought w
as in my head, and scrambled it. I’d wanted to tell him…I couldn’t remember anymore. I was gone, and thinking rationally wasn’t possible, what with all his hardness holding me down.

  He chuckled, and the sound tickled my exposed skin. Everything inside me contracted and my hold on him tightened.

  “You like that?” He asked huskily, barely above a coarse whisper. “Those little sounds you make, fucking hell, they have me so hard for you.”

  His dirty talk? It was turning me on in ways I never could have imagined. Hearing him say words like ‘pussy’, and phrases like ‘hard for you’ had my hormones in a savage-like frenzy, my body crying out for him to do all kinds of dirty things to mine.

  “I like it when you say fuck,” I whispered into his ear. Then I licked it, and gently bit his lobe.

  He looked up at me, his blue eyes tinged with silver from the moonlight, and he reminded me of a predator, ready to prey on its’ next meal. Take me, I willed him silently. Just fucking take me.

  “Anything else you like?” His raspy timbre told me he was struggling, that he was going as crazy as what I was. My cheeks warmed, and I ducked my face, a swift shyness coming over me. It was frightening, the way he made me say things I wouldn’t dare say otherwise. He tilted my chin with his knuckle. “Tell me,” he prompted. “I want to know.”

  I licked my lips, trying to dispel of the dryness his gaze left in my mouth. “I like it when you tell me you’re hard for me.”

  “And?”

  I swallowed audibly.

  I was aware of what was happening. I was the idiot in the romance novel who had sex – or was about to have sex – with the villain, knowing it would end in one of two ways. One: It’s a one-night stand, and the girl regrets it the next day, and can’t even look the evil bastard in the face. Or 2: It keeps happening, because the way said evil bastard makes her feel is addictive, and then he gets tired of it and leaves. Either way, I should put a stop to this before it goes too far, but how he feels about me - his hatred and vexation - aren’t deterring me like they should.

  To hell with it.

  “When you say ‘pussy’.” I tried rubbed my thighs together in the hopes that the friction would ease the ache, right where I wanted him most, and ended up rubbing against him instead.

  Dane leaned over me, and pressed his mouth to my ear. “The thought of burying myself deep inside that sweet, wet pussy of yours makes me hard as fuck. Does that work for you, Kennedy? Is that what you like to hear?”

  “Yes,” I moaned, dragging it out. I racked my nails down his neck, and brought us closer so that our chests were touching again. “Now, stop teasing, and - ”

  “Kennedy? Are you up here?”

  We froze.

  Shit.

  Jade.

  Worst. Timing. Ever.

  “Dammit.” Dane cursed, and with deft fingers he righted my bra, and buttoned up my shirt. Leaning back on his haunches, I could see the length of his erection beneath the zipper of his jeans. Impressive.

  “Keep staring like that, and I’ll - ”

  “Kennedy?”

  Seriously, Jade?

  “I’d better go,” I said in a panic, an overwhelming sense of disappointment and frustration cloaking me. I didn’t want to leave, not really. I’d been so caught up in Dane, and his kisses, and his dirty mouth that I’d forgotten about everything else.

  “Wait.” Dane put his finger on my mouth, and we listened for any more noises outside.

  “Have you checked outside?”

  Reid.

  Dane had his arms around me in a flash, and moved us next to the door where we’d be hidden if someone, namely our two ill-timed best friends, walked in.

  Their voices disappeared, but Dane didn’t let go. Our breathing was rushed, and I could feel his heart beating beneath my palm.

  I looked up at the same time he looked down, and our mouths were only inches apart.

  “We’re not done here.” His lips brushed mine. “I’ll leave here in an hour. Be ready for me.”

  His commands had my body quivering inside, and all I could do was nod. Was it the smart thing to do? Absolutely not. Did I care? Not at all. I wanted him, and I was going to have him, even if I only got this once chance.

  I stepped out of Dane’s arms, and checked the hallway. It was clear, so I crept back towards the staircase. Jade rounded the corner, and my feet faltered before I plastered a smile on my face. I had no idea what I must’ve looked like, but I prayed it wasn’t like someone who was about to be banged fifty ways from Sunday. If Jade knew what I’d been up to, or even suspected it, I’d be in for an inquisition of epic proportions, and that conversation wouldn’t have ended well.

  “There you are!” Jade smiled when she saw me, although I could tell her overenthusiasm was a direct result of her alcohol consumption.

  “Sorry, I went to the bathroom.”

  Reid came up behind her, and I tried not to look so nervous. He narrowed his eyes, but didn’t say anything.

  “Are you ready to go?” I asked Jade, deliberately avoiding Reid’s stare. If I looked at him he’d know. I just hoped Dane had a better poker face.

  “Yes! Grady is staying with Chase, so you’ll have to drive me home. Are you okay to drive?”

  I held out my hand for her keys. “I’ve had one beer, and that was hours ago. Let’s get out of here.”

  THE DRIVE HOME was uneventful, and Jade had passed out as soon as I’d put her to bed. The hour that followed was the longest of my life, and after showering, and changing into my sleepwear, there wasn’t anything more I could do to pass the time. I checked the clock next to my bed, exhaling when it read 01:30am. Dane should have been here forty-five minutes ago, and I was left wondering if he’d changed his mind. Did he realize we were making a mistake? Did he regret everything that had already happened? What if it was just a stupid game like last time?

  Oh God.

  I rolled over, kicking the covers off, and tucked my head into my pillow. I’ll just have to forget about it. Maybe even pretend it never happened.

  As if.

  No one gets to dry hump, and make out with Dane Winters only to expel it from their memory.

  I squeezed my eyes shut, and tried to ignore how stupid I felt. Why had I been so reckless? Never mind so damn easy.

  Not your finest moment.

  The worst part (or maybe the best part, I was still deciding) was that he seemed totally into it too, like he wanted me.

  I groaned. Again.

  “Fuck Dane Winters,” I murmured to myself. He was leading me straight down Mind Fuck Lane and I didn’t need the hassle.

  “I’m hoping you will.”

  His voice halted my internal monologue, and I sat up straight in bed. “Jesus, Dane. Warn a girl when you’re about to sneak up on her will ya? You scared me!”

  He chuckled, and I watched as his shadowed form moved closer.

  “That would defeat the purpose, now wouldn’t it?”

  “I didn’t even hear you come in. How long have you been standing there like a creeper?”

  He stood next to my bed, looming. Villainous. “Long enough to see you squirm beneath your covers. Is that because you’ve been waiting for me? Because you’re still thinking about my hands on you?”

  Sweet baby Jesus, he had that bedroom voice, the one that could turn a woman into a mindless, wanton, disastrous mess.

  “Maybe,” I replied. My pulse was racing as I tried to figure out what he was going to do next.

  “I’m sorry it took me so long,” he said. He gripped the collar of his shirt, and lifted it over his head. “Reid was acting weird, so I stayed until I could sneak out the back.”

  Next came his jeans, and all I could do was stare like a dumbfounded moron because hell, his body was ridiculous. And I wanted to touch it. Lick it. Bite it.

  His jeans hit the floor with a thud, followed by his boxer briefs. I gaped a little (okay maybe a lot) when his erection reached his navel, the barbell in the head glintin
g in the moonlight.

  Um…

  “See this?” My eyes snapped up, and he started fisting his cock. “It’s all for you, Kennedy.” His chest moved up and down, in time with his hand. “Now strip.”

  It took a few seconds for my mind to return to some semblance of functionality, and to respond.

  “What are you going to do?” I asked with a shaky inhalation.

  His mouth tipped into a wolfish grin, and the shadows playing across the features of his face made him look so much more feral.

  “I’m going to do what I want, and fuck you like I hate you.”

  Did I want that?

  My answer was an irrevocable YES!

  He lunged at the same time I ripped my shirt over my head, and attacked me with his mouth. We became an entanglement of hands, legs, arms, and mouths, and he made quick work of riling me up all over again. My mind had checked out, and my body became acutely aware of his, of every point our skin made contact, of every flick of his tongue. It was insanity at its finest, and I couldn’t get enough.

  He lifted me from the bed, and the way he gently laid me down was such a contradiction to the way I knew he was going to take me. It left me panting, impatient and achy.

  I leaned up on my elbows, and held his cock in my hand, his flesh hot in my palm. My thumb skimmed the tip, and I wondered what having that piercing through the head would feel like. Dane hissed, and with tender fingers removed my hand from his shaft.

  His eyes roamed my face, and the hesitancy I saw made me stop. “What’s wrong?”

  “Tell me you’re not a virgin,” he replied. His tone hardened, but before I could think about why, I shook my head.

  Without breaking eye contact, he reached for his jeans, and took a condom from the back pocket. I bit my lip when he rolled it on, writhing in anticipation at the thought of having him inside me.

  “Lay down. Tilt your hips.”

  I obeyed, shifting closer so that my thighs perched on his.

  “This isn’t going to be soft, and gentle,” he said with hunger in his eyes.

  “Shut up, and fuck me, Dane.”