by A'zayler
“You stupid bastard.” East broke Jaylen’s grip on her arm and made her way to Killian.
She swung, she missed, and she got snatched up quicker than she could take her next breath. Now standing in the middle of the floor with East held tightly in his arms, Killian lowered his mouth to her ear.
“Listen here, li’l baby, if you don’t want me to fuck you up, you better care your ass on.”
East pulled and tugged, trying to get out of his hold. “Let me go.”
Killian wasted no time obliging her request. With a quick shove and a slap to her bottom, East went tumbling forward. She caught her footing before turning around and smacking him hard across the side of his face. Onyx and Jaylen both tried to stop what happened next but couldn’t.
Killian had East hemmed up against the wall by her throat with his body shielding hers. His face was inches away from hers. The bottom of his lip a breath away from brushing against hers. East’s chest moved unevenly as she glared at him through slanted eyes. Being that close to her, with her soft body in his hands, gave Killian the moment of rational thinking he needed.
She was a woman. One he knew nothing about and didn’t want to hurt for real, so he just held her. With her throat in the palm of his hand, East waited. Though, no fear was present, Killian was sure she anticipated what was to come, but it would be nothing.
“What you waiting on?” Her eyes danced with questions.
East shifted some, making her body push against his. She was tall like Jaylen, so Killian didn’t have to lean over very far to be in her face, another plus in his book. Her perfumed wafted up his nose, clouding the space between them.
“You really should stop all that showing out. You’re too pretty for that shit.” Killian let her throat go and went back to his seat.
East was still on the wall breathing like a dragon when Jaylen and Onyx fell into a fit of laughter. Before long, he was laughing with them. East, on the other hand, left the room.
“I knew this was going to happen,” Jaylen told Killian after plopping down on the sofa in front of him.
Killian stretched his legs out in front of him. “I just bet you did.”
“We did, that’s what we were laughing at in the car.” Onyx grabbed the two shot glasses from the table and filled them with liquor.
Killian took the one he had extended toward him and gulped it down quickly before motioning for another one. If he was about to chill at their house any longer, he would need some liquor in his system. East had already pulled him out of his element, and there was no telling what else the night had in store as long as her feisty behind stayed around.
2. Be Nice for What?
Song after song, each vibe different from the last, East sat in the corner of the sofa dancing and sipping from her cup. It was her fifth or sixth drink, and she was faded out of her mind. It was rare that she indulged in free drinking, as she was then, but at that moment it was much needed. Back in North Carolina, she was always so guarded. She wouldn’t dare pick up a drink, let alone get drunk.
On top of that, her old job and her old man kept her so stressed out, she didn’t even have time to think about doing anything other than working and crying. She’d been at that insurance firm and with that same man since graduation, and nothing had gotten any better with either. It got harder if anything. The long hours, messy coworkers, cheating scandals, and an insulting salary ruined her mood every time she thought about it, so she had to go. She’d been looking for jobs in the area for months. When she couldn’t find one that had what she needed, she began to look elsewhere.
After her initial call back from the middle school in Georgia, she’d declined, but after giving it some thought, she changed her mind, packed her bags, and left. There was nothing left in North Carolina for her. Career or relationship wise. So, to make her future days look brighter, she focused on the positives. Finally about to use her degrees in social work made her feel a bit more optimistic about her new start on life. All she had to do now was find her way in her new world, and everything would be good.
In North Carolina, all she’d done was slave and sulk. East was always so busy with her job or her man that she hadn’t found time to really make friends, so Jaylen was all she had. An only child, and unusually mean on most days, East didn’t have much of a social life unless she was with Jaylen. Imagine how hard life had been for her once Jaylen moved to the south and decided to stay. She’d thought she would die at first, but she’d found a way to make it. Now that they were together again, she was over the moon.
While packing her bags and the entire drive to Georgia, she’d been excited to get with the only sister she had, only for her night to be ruined. Thanks to the insanely intoxicating man seated across from her. Killian was slouched down comfortably in the large sofa chair with his legs stretched out in front of him. After a few drinks, he’d shed the jacket and was now showcasing tattooed forearms and neatly chiseled biceps. He wasn’t the finest thing she’d ever seen, but he had most definitely caught her attention and held it.
Everything about him made her feel immature, nervous, self-conscious even, and she had no idea why. Maybe it was the comfortable scowl that he wore so well or the “I don’t care” attitude that he possessed. East was a pretty girl and accustomed to being coddled or sought after by men, and he was doing neither. It was almost like he hated her, and she didn’t like that. The insecurity deep within her wanted him to see her and like her. She needed that.
All night, his quiet and easy persona had been making her feel bad about causing a scene. That was one thing she never did, and that was saying a lot since she acted a plum fool pretty much all the time. East wasn’t a friendly person, never had been, and was even worse since her break up, which was why she had been so bothered by Killian’s dismissal.
When he and Onyx had first come into the house, she’d actually tried to be nice, only for him to ignore her attempts. That had made her blood boil to no end, eventually causing her to lash out. Had he spoken and displayed any form of manners, they probably wouldn’t be in the situation they were in right then.
It was almost two o’clock in the morning, and Jaylen and Onyx were in the kitchen making cupcakes and brownies, while she and Killian were in the living room completely ignoring each other. Sheena had long ago left to go home, so they were left alone. The laughter and happiness that flowed from the kitchen only made East feel worse.
She’d been in love before, so she knew how good it could make you feel, but she remembered the pain that came along with it as well, and wanted to stay as far away from that as possible. Even if that meant spending her nights lonely with an asshole stranger.
“You must be ready to apologize?” Killian’s voice traveled down to her as he made himself comfortable on the sofa next to her.
East had been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn’t even noticed him walking to her until he was making himself comfortable on the big, burgundy cushions of the sofa. East’s eyes traveled down his long body. From his chocolate neck to the tips of his long feet. Killian had called her skinny earlier, but his body wasn’t the biggest either.
Well, compared to hers it was, but he was relatively slim to be a man. By no means was he skinny, the muscles in his arms proved that, but he was definitely an athletic looking little something. East shifted some, tucking her feet further beneath her body when he lay his head directly next to her shoulder.
Their faces were so close that if she turned her head too far to the left, she would be kissing his mouth. Not that she’d mind or anything, but still. His eyes were low, his cologne was strong, and his aura was suffocating. East was almost positive it was the liquor, but something in the back of her mind kept telling her to slide one leg over that nigga’s waist and sit her behind right on the center of his lap.
“You don’t have to be scared. You were wrong for showing out, but I don’t hold grudges.”
The brightness from his smile could have been used as an advertisement for a
Colgate commercial had they been in another setting, but they weren’t, so all it did right then was pull a smile from her as well.
“Go ahead and say sorry. I’ll forgive you.” Killian slowly coaxed.
East could tell he was just as intoxicated as she was, but it was definitely something she could appreciate. She was still smiling when she looked over at him. Too quickly at that because her mouth touched the side of his. Instead of jumping back like she did, he pulled his bottom lip into his mouth while rubbing the spot her lips had just touched with the pad of his thumb.
The dark eyes she’d been staring into earlier were back on hers and gazing deeply. He was still rubbing the side of his mouth when he released his lip. A very sexy lip at that. One that she could already feel trailing up the softness of her inner thighs.
“Say sorry, and I’ll give you one back.”
East could feel how low her eyes were, but they weren’t so low that she didn’t see him leaning closer to her face. She wanted so badly to remove herself from the unfolding situation, but she couldn’t. For one, Killian’s hand was on her leg and holding her in place, while the feeling in the pit of her stomach was too heavy to allow any movement.
“That wasn’t on purpose.”
“Yes, it was, but I’ll act like it wasn’t if you give me another one.”
East felt like a giddy child as she smiled, making her eyes close in the process.
“Your eyes close every time you smile?”
“Only if I smile too hard.”
His hand inched up her leg and stopped once his open palm found the front of her stomach. “I made you smile like that?”
East looked away and shrugged. His voice had her on the verge of trembling. He sounded so sexy and so serious that she could hardly keep still. The underlying emotion in his words magnified the movement of her heart, allowing her to feel just how fast it was beating at the moment.
“Why you making this so hard for me? I’m trying to be the bigger person right now.”
A fit of her giggles invaded their space. “Technically speaking, you are the bigger person, so…”
There was that Colgate commercial again. The way his neatly defined lips spread over his teeth made East want to live in his smile. It was so infectious and… real. His smile wasn’t a fake one. It didn’t look forced or forged. It was natural, almost like breathing.
“So, since I’m the biggest, I have to always be the bigger person when it comes to us?”
East’s eyes closed, and she swooned inwardly. That us part of his statement sent her heart into overdrive. It was so sexy and domineering that it almost took her breath away. When she was finally able to open her eyes again, she nodded.
“Bet. I can do that, but you have to do something for me too.”
“What I got to do?”
“You can start with my apology, then you can promise me a hug every time I see you.”
East frowned slightly in confusion. “A hug? Every time I see you? How much you plan on seeing me?” She was smiling by the end of her question.
“It’s not about how much I plan on seeing you, it’s about whether or not I’ma get a hug every time.”
There she was again, smiling like an idiot. Her eyes were sliding closed, and she wanted so badly to keep them open. She needed to look at Killian right then. His words and his smooth vibe were awakening the fun-loving person she missed being. The passionate, flirtatious side of her that she’d trapped deep inside of her.
“Man, go ahead and apologize so I can get me a hug. I don’t know how much more of this smile I can take.”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
Again, she shifted in her seat. The amount of pleasurable discomfort he gave her was crazy. “For being mean to you.”
“It’s okay, I forgive you.”
Soft snickers rolled easily from her lips as she fixed her hair around her earring. Killian’s eyes followed her movements and lingered on the gold hoop for a minute before returning to her eyes. He looked at her for a few seconds before turning away and rubbing his hand over the waves on his head. When he looked back at her, East was watching him. Waiting for him to ask for the hug that she so desperately wanted to give him.
“You got a man, East?”
“Not anymore.” Her voice dropped a few notches.
“You too pretty for that.”
For the second time that night he vocally appreciated her beauty. She loved it.
East fiddled with the body chain she was wearing. “Tell me about it.” Her eyes found his again. “You got a girlfriend?”
“Hell nah. Don’t nobody want my mean ass.”
The seriousness in his tone made East laugh. “You are pretty mean.”
“So are you.”
“I don’t like to be.”
Killian obviously heard the vulnerability in her voice just as clear as she’d heard it because he sat up some and grabbed her wrist. It didn’t take much force for him to pull her into his lap because she’d already been trying to get there.
She situated herself so that she was comfortable before making eye contact with him again. He was laid back casually with his head resting on the back of the sofa. His eyes were on her face while his hands circled her waist.
“I don’t like to be either, but people bring that shit up out you.”
“Don’t they, though.”
The two of them laughed momentarily but stopped when they heard Jaylen and Onyx laughing again. East’s eyes darted to them first, thinking they were laughing at her and Killian, but they weren’t. Jaylen was sitting on the countertop with Onyx standing between her legs. She had one finger out, and he was sucking something from it. East smiled hopelessly at them. They were way too cute and only made her miserable life that much worse.
“You like that kind of shit?”
Back eye to eye with Killian, East raised her eyebrows. “What you talking about?”
“That lovey dovey shit Onyx and Jaylen be on.”
East’s chest sank, and she grabbed it with both of her hands. “I used to.”
“Why you don’t no more?”
East shrugged and figured that was better left unsaid. She was already drunk, and if she started talking, she would surely end up telling Killian all her business. Especially if he continued rubbing her back the way he was.
“It’s alright. You don’t have to tell me right now, but you will.” He winked at her. “One day.”
On that, she could agree, so she winked back. “One day.”
The atmosphere between them was calm and comfortable. Neither of them said anything, just chilled. She was sitting on his lap like it was the most natural thing, and he was allowing her. Clearly feeling the same way. With one hand thrown over his head, and the other still around her waist, Killian pushed lightly against her back, urging her to come closer. She obliged.
East’s head was on his shoulder with her arms resting loosely around his body. Closed lids and relaxed limbs eventually led to a light slumber. East hadn’t even realized she’d been sleeping until she woke up. She didn’t move right off. Instead, she lay still trying to comprehend what was going on around her.
The room was dark, minus the small light coming from the kitchen. East went to sit up but was stopped. Killian’s arms tightened around her instinctively as he shifted some beneath her. She was still in his lap, and clearly, he’d been asleep as well because he still was then.
She observed the smooth skin of his face, the detailed outline of his lips, the bulging Adam’s apple in his neck, and the long eyelashes resting over his cheeks. The peacefulness that covered him while he slept was so relaxing that it made her want to go back to sleep as well, but she couldn’t. Not like that anyway. She needed to lie down.
“Killian,” she shook him awake.
His eyes opened and roamed the room the same way hers had before stopping on her. “Damn, I didn’t even know we was sleep.”
“Yeah, me either.” East wasn
’t sure what to say after that, so she remained quiet.
“And they left our ass too.”
“I know right.”
Silence again. East looked away from him and toward the hallway. Jaylen had shown her the room she would be sleeping in earlier, and she wanted to get there. Her head was spinning from all the drinks she’d consumed, and she needed a pillow to make it stop.
“You want to go get in the bed?”
East smiled guiltily and nodded.
“Cool.”
Killian stood from the sofa with her in his arms and walked her to the guest bedroom. The way he moved around her cousin’s house let her know that he too probably spent a lot of time there. Being that he was still holding her in his arms, with her legs secured around his waist, he had to push the door open with his shoulder. It felt so good being in his arms that East had laid her head back down on his shoulder, allowing her arms to fall loosely over his shoulders and back.
He moved slowly toward the bed and lay her down. The gentle way he handled her made East feel so special that when he pulled away to stand back to his feet, she applied a little pressure to the hold she already had on his neck.
“Where you sleeping?” she whispered as he looked down at her.
“I’m probably about to go home.”
“What? Why? It’s too late, and we’ve been drinking,” East blurted out a little too alarmed for a woman he’d just met hours prior.
He smiled at her. “I’m good. I can handle way more liquor than that.”
East looked away, trying to choose her words carefully. She didn’t want to sound too forward asking him to stay, but she didn’t want to say nothing and allow him to leave.
“Won’t you be lonely at home by yourself?”
East closed her eyes momentarily. She sounded so stupid saying that. He was a grown man who was probably alone all the time. Why would tonight be any different? Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. She scolded herself inwardly until she felt his fingertips on her bare stomach.