by J. Nathan
Tristan
I unlocked Kresley’s door and tiptoed into her room with the intention of just checking if she was asleep. As soon as I neared her bed, she rolled over, tucking her hands under her pillow and staring at me.
“Go to sleep,” I said.
“Thank you for tonight, Tristan,” she said for the second time that night, still with a slight slur in her speech. On any other girl the slur would have been obnoxious, but it was kind of adorable on her, knowing what I knew about her.
I didn’t respond because I knew she was appreciative. She didn’t need to keep saying it.
“I know you didn’t want to be there,” she said, her voice growing quiet, like she was on the verge on falling asleep.
“I never said I didn’t want to be there.”
Her eyes absorbed the details of my face with droopy eyelids. “I know you better than you think,” she said softly.
I scoffed, knowing she had no idea who I was or what plagued my mind when I slept. “Did you get everything you wanted for your birthday?”
She shook her head. “You didn’t kiss me.”
I flinched, her words yanking the rug right out from under me. Did she really want me to kiss her? Or, was she more drunk than she seemed? I struggled to find the right words to respond. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but rule number one was a real thing. It didn’t matter, though. Because soft purrs of sleep escaped Kresley’s lips, leaving me to consider her words. All. Fucking. Night. Long.
Dammit.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Kresley
I was in a deep sleep when my phone began to ring on Saturday morning. The second I opened my eyes, I snapped them shut as the sun glared through the blinds. My mouth felt as if it were filled with cotton, so I smacked my lips to get rid of the feeling. But there was no getting rid of my slamming headache. I needed to rehydrate and pop some aspirin.
My phone was still ringing. I reached out for it and lifted it to my ear. “Hello?”
“Morning!” Elodie and Alice yelled at the same time.
“I think I’m dying,” I grumbled.
“Not with that hot bodyguard sleeping in your room you’re not,” Alice said.
I glanced around. “Nope. No bodyguard here.”
“We saw him go into your room,” Elodie said.
I gasped, the events of the night slowly coming back to me. “Oh no.”
“What?” they asked.
I cringed. “I think I asked him to kiss me.”
They screamed.
I held the phone away from my ear.
“Did he?” Alice calmed down long enough to ask.
“I don’t think so.” I wracked my hungover brain trying to remember. “No, I definitely would’ve remembered him kissing me.”
“You sure?” Elodie asked.
“I saw him staring at you in the rearview mirror the whole way home,” Alice said.
“He was not,” I said, though I had no idea if it was true or not; things were definitely a little foggy.
“I saw him too,” Elodie added.
I didn’t say anything, partially because I felt sick and partially because I didn’t know what to do with that information.
“You wanna grab breakfast?” Elodie asked.
“I think I may vomit if I put anything in my stomach.”
“Want us to bring you back a bagel and ginger ale?” Alice asked.
“Yeah. That would be good. Thanks.”
We hung up and I reached over to place my phone back on my desk. My hand bumped something. I cracked my eyes open enough to spot a tall glass of water with two aspirin next to it.
Tristan.
I popped the aspirin into my mouth and took small sips of the water. Then, I yanked the comforter over my head and prayed that when I woke up again, I’d be rid of my headache and less embarrassed that I’d actually asked Tristan to kiss me.
***
Unsure if it was minutes later or hours later, knocking on my door woke me up. I thought about ignoring it, hoping if it was the girls, they would just leave my food in the hallway and let me sleep. But they kept knocking. “Leave it in the hall,” I called.
The knocking continued.
Praying the room didn’t spin, I sat up in my bed. When everything remained still, I pushed myself to my feet and went to the door.
“Kresley?” It was Chris.
I closed my eyes, scared to see what I looked like after the drunken night I’d had. “Hold on.” I moved to the mirror and pulled my messy bed head into a knot on the top of my head. I licked my fingers and wiped the smeared mascara from beneath my eyes. Only then did I go open the door. “Hey.”
Just like on our date, Chris looked nice and showered as his gaze travelled over my wrinkled tank top and bed shorts. “Did I wake you?”
“The girls and I went out last night.” I pinched my fingers together. “I may have had a tiny bit too much to drink.”
“I can come back.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s fine. What’s up?”
“I was just visiting a friend upstairs and thought I’d see what you were up to, but I can see you’re in rough shape.”
“Tell me how you really feel,” I joked.
“No, I just meant—”
“I was kidding. I know how I look and more so, how I feel.”
He laughed. “There’s this movie on the quad tonight—”
Tristan’s door flew open and he stood there in just his boxers, glaring at us.
I cringed, knowing not only had he been up all night and was probably exhausted, but I’d also embarrassed myself in front of him big time. “Sorry. Did we wake you?”
“I had a long night,” he said, his eyes boring into mine.
A shudder rushed through me, both embarrassed about what I’d said to him, but also kind of turned on that he was using code words for ‘I had a long night because I was in your room all night.’
“Chris was just leaving,” I blurted, feeling rude as soon as I said it.
“I was?” Chris asked me.
“Oh, well, I was gonna go back to bed,” I explained, trying not to hurt his feelings.
“Want some company?” he joked.
Tristan growled low in his throat.
Nervously, I laughed a little too much for Chris’ not-so-funny line. “I think I can handle it.”
“Well, how ’bout I give you a call later?” Chris said. “You know, about that movie.”
“That would be great,” Tristan answered for me.
My brows pinched together, but I didn’t dare look to Tristan. I focused on Chris. “It would,” I agreed.
Chris looked from me to Tristan. “Aren’t you her driver?”
Tristan closed his eyes and he pinched the bridge of his nose, seemingly pained to be having this conversation as opposed to sleeping. “I’m a lot of things. A driver. A brother. A bowler. Take your pick.”
Chris looked back to me, thoroughly confused.
“Call me later,” I said, before closing my door in both their faces.
I stood with my back pressed to the door, my breathing labored and my thoughts haphazardly rushing through my brain. I didn’t want Chris to call me later.
I didn’t want Chris at all.
I wanted Tristan.
And if I was being honest with myself, I think I’d wanted Tristan all along.
But was it just one-sided? Because the jealousy I saw in his eyes couldn’t be my imagination. He had to feel something for me.
Maybe he just needed a little push to admit it to himself.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Kresley
There was loud banging at my door later that afternoon, and then I heard, “It’s Marco.”
I jumped off my bed and opened the door.
Marco’s hands gripped my doorjamb and his chest rose and fell like he’d just run a race. “My wife was rushed to the hospital.”
“That’s great! Go!” I urged.
He sho
ok his head. “Something’s wrong with the baby.”
My hands flew to my mouth. “Oh my God.”
Tristan’s door opened. “What’s wrong?”
“She’s having pain and that’s all I know,” Marco explained. “I called Briggs. He’s on his way. But…”
“Go Marco,” I said. “Go take care of your wife.”
He nodded, his eyes wild with fear as they looked from me to Tristan.
“I got this,” Tristan assured him.
“Thanks, man,” Marco said. He tore his eyes away from Tristan and rushed down the hallway to the stairwell, disappearing without a second look.
Tristan and I stood in the hall, both shaken by a frazzled Marco. It was strange to see such a big bad man terrified. Neither of us were prepared for that.
“I’ll stay in tonight,” I assured Tristan.
His eyes searched mine, questioning my statement.
“So, you don’t have to worry about getting extra security.”
“You’re to have at least two people available to you at all times,” he explained.
I looked down, understanding protocol but finding it difficult to maintain eye contact with him. After the run-in earlier and my embarrassment over what I’d asked him, things were beyond awkward.
“You’re gonna have to tell lover boy you can’t see him tonight,” Tristan said.
I glanced up at him. “What?”
“If you stay in, you won’t be able to go to that movie.”
Was he pushing me to be with Chris? Or, was he just curious to see my reaction? Game on, bodyguard. “That’s okay. There are a lot of other things Chris and I can do in my room.”
Tristan’s eyes grew stormy, anger brewing in them.
Aha! Is that jealousy I see? “You could hang out with us if you’d like.”
His face scrunched. “Why would I ever want to do that?”
I shrugged. “But, you’d obviously need to duck out if things…you know…heat up with Chris and me.”
The ticking in his jaw said all I needed to know. Tristan Stone was jealous. Over me.
“Or…” I mused, trying to decide how to play this. “You and I could just hang tonight.”
His eyes moved over my face, an internal war raging within him.
What’s it gonna be, Tristan? “There’s that movie on the quad Chris mentioned,” I suggested.
“Do you know how difficult it is to protect you in a quad filled with people?”
My eyes moved to my bare feet, my lips twisting regrettably. I enjoyed pushing Tristan’s buttons, but it suddenly wasn’t fun anymore. Reality always had a way of reminding me that my life wasn’t easy. “I’m sorry everything is so difficult when it comes to me.”
He huffed. “It’s not that.”
I met his eyes. “Then what is it?”
He stared at me for a long time, his teeth dragging across his bottom lip. I couldn’t tear my eyes from his. He stepped forward, moving toward my room. I stepped back. He brushed by me and walked inside.
I closed the door and turned to face him.
He continued to stare at me, his eyes moving over the cutoffs and T-shirt I now wore.
“What?” I asked, the silence and close proximity daunting.
“I didn’t get you a birthday gift.”
My brows knit together. “I don’t need anything.”
He stepped forward, causing me to step back. My back hit the door. I swallowed hard as Tristan’s chest pressed to mine, his hands flat against the door above my head. My heartbeat began to slam against my ribs. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his. They were so damn blue and hypnotic as he gazed down at me from mere inches away. We’d never been this close and time seemed to stall.
“You asked me for something last night,” he said, his voice low and gravelly.
I closed my eyes, embarrassed that my memory had been spot on.
“Do you remember?” he asked.
My eyes reopened and I nodded, embarrassment undoubtedly etched in my features.
His hands lowered from the door and cupped my cheeks. I stilled, stunned by his gentleness. His hands were soft on my skin as his eyes gazed down into mine.
“It was a request,” I explained, my voice shaking with the sudden nerves overtaking my body. “And you said requests don’t need to be—”
His lips crashed down on mine. His tongue pushed inside my mouth, not waiting to request access. I opened for him and his lips devoured mine in a frenzied race. The slide of his tongue sent my belly flipping over itself. Holy shit. Tristan was kissing me! My arms snaked over his shoulder as my heartbeat thrashed against my chest. My fingers tunneled through the back of his hair, pulling him closer. Now that I’d had a taste, I wasn’t letting him go. I whimpered as I arched into him, my breasts pressing to his hard chest as he consumed every inch of my mouth. Our lips moved in sync, everything feeling so right. He was no boy struggling through a first kiss. He was a man taking what he wanted.
But all too soon, he pulled back.
Our chests heaved in tandem as we stared across the space between us. Oh. My. God.
“Happy birthday,” Tristan said, before stepping around me and reaching for the doorknob.
I moved to the side, blocking his way, quite reminiscent of our first encounter. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“What?”
“You’re leaving?”
He said nothing, just stared at me.
“Let me guess. You’re trying to convince yourself that you were just doing what I asked.”
He shrugged, noncommittal.
“Bullshit.”
Darkness flashed in his expression. “Is this really what you wanna do right now? You wanna pick a fight with me?”
I threw my hands out to my sides. “You started it the minute you tried to play it off as if you were just doing me some kind of favor and not what you wanted to do.”
His eyes lifted to the ceiling as he dragged in a deep breath. “Whatever.”
“Be honest, Tristan. Up until now, you were the only person who has been.”
He cursed under his breath. “What do you wanna hear?”
“Oh, I don’t know. The truth?”
A humorless laugh escaped him. “Right.”
“What?” I persisted.
He shook his head, his exasperation palpable.
My heart wilted, hating the sudden turn of events. He just kissed me like he needed me in order to breathe, and now we were fighting. Par for the course with us.
“This is so fucked up,” he murmured.
“What is?”
He stared at me, looking as though he was trying to convey so many thoughts with a single look. “Us.”
The words tumbled out before I could stop them. “There’s an us?”
He tunneled his fingers through his hair, ready to bolt from my room.
“You need to talk to me.”
“What do you wanna hear? That I can’t stop thinking about you even when I’m with you?” he asked.
His words punched the air right out of my lungs.
“That I can’t fucking wait to come to your room every night even though I shouldn’t be in here because I love watching you sleep?”
I stood dumbfounded as butterflies swarmed in my belly.
“That I wanna punch the shit outta Chris and anyone else who tries to get close to you because, by God, I can’t be held responsible for my actions?”
I swallowed around the large lump that shot to my throat.
“Or, that it scares the hell out of me that people are out there who want to get to you?”
The ground beneath my feet shifted, both terrified by what he’d said but so damn happy that he’d said it. “I thought you hated me.”
“I hated the way that you were working your way in here.” He placed his hand over his chest. “And it’s insane because there’s absolutely no way this can work.”
I ignored his words and stepped to him, slipping my hands around th
e back of his neck. “Shut up, Tristan.” I drew his mouth to mine and our lips collided. I wasn’t letting him push me away. I walked forward causing him to back up until his legs hit my bed. I pulled out of the kiss and pressed my palms to his chest, forcing him down onto my bed. He sat, waiting for my next move. I climbed onto his lap and cupped his cheeks. “You make me feel safe, Tristan.”
His eyes drifted shut, as if pained by my words.
“You sat outside my room because you knew I needed you to.”
He opened his eyes and looked into mine.
“Then, you stayed in here because you knew I wasn’t sleeping and your presence soothed me when nothing else in this world could.”
His lips twisted, my candor unnerving him.
“You took me to a shooting range so I’d know how to protect myself if anything happened to you.”
His mouth opened like he had something to say before slamming shut.
“And if we’re being honest with each other, every time a girl looks at you, I want to shout from the rooftops that you sleep in my room so they’ll stop looking.”
The corners of his lips twitched.
“Every time you’re around, I feel this pull to you that I’ve never felt before,” I continued. “And I’ve tried to tell myself it wasn’t real because you and I can’t seem to get along for more than a few minutes at a time, but it is real, and I think you feel it too.”
He didn’t say anything, but the crinkle in his eyes told me he did.
“I’ve wanted you to kiss me since we ran into each other outside the men’s room in the club, Tristan. So, freaking kiss me.”
He smirked and I wanted to kiss it right off his face.
My hands slipped over his shoulders and to the back of his head. I ran my fingers through his hair, drawing his mouth to mine. He wasn’t some unwilling participant. He kissed me back with the passion of every truth he’d admitted to me. My heart was light and my body quivered with need for him. I yearned to be closer. Yearned to feel every inch of him. I arched into him, and his erection pressed between my thighs. I couldn’t stop myself from grinding against him as I kissed him with everything I had. Things were escalating, but I was not going to be the one to stop it—nor did I want to. But all too soon, Tristan pulled away. With both of us breathless, he shifted me off his lap and stood.