by R.S. Grey
"He and I aren't together,” I clarified, trying to conceal the annoyance in my tone.
Cole nodded. "Don't worry, we know. The guy needs to move on."
I sighed and nodded, wanting to change the subject.
"Where are you guys from?" I asked.
"Kansas," Cole answered, just as I felt a hand touch the base of my back. The smell of liquor stung my nostrils as I glanced up to find Josh standing behind me.
"I've been looking for you everywhere, Kinsley," Josh commented with a slur.
Cole and the guys shuffled awkwardly.
“I've just been hanging out, Josh," I answered with a tight smile. His attention was veering toward uncomfortable territory and I wasn't sure how much more I could handle before I snapped.
His hand snaked around the side of my dress so that he could pull me closer toward him. The movement jerked my body so that my drink sloshed over the rim of the cup onto the floor.
"Josh, seriously, cut it out," I demanded, putting my empty hand up to his chest to try and push him away from me.
"Kinsley, relax. Let's have some fun." He started to tug at the base of my dress and the guys stirred around us. Aggression filled the air and I knew they were itching to get involved.
"No, Josh. Enough." I pushed him away again, harder this time, and his brown eyes clouded over in hate. In a matter of seconds his entire demeanor changed.
"You're such a fucking ice queen, Kinsley," he spat, finally releasing me with a shove. My drink spilled out over the front of my dress, but I couldn’t break my eye contact with Josh. "I never loved you, bitch. I just wanted to get in your pants—"
Liam’s fist connected with Josh's jaw midsentence, and I gasped and stumbled back. Liam was standing directly in front of me, blocking me from Josh.
"Don't you ever fucking talk to her again. Do you hear me?" Liam grabbed Josh's shirt and pulled him close again. Their sharp features clashed against one another. Josh’s boyish handsomeness was muted next to Liam’s sheer dominance.
Josh struggled out of Liam’s hold and then lunged forward and punched Liam in the side. It was a weak hit, he was too drunk to get a good shot in, but it was enough to get the entire group of men involved. They sprung into action and the entire scene was a blur of punches and groans. I watched in shocked horror as Liam landed a solid punch to Josh’s face right before the guys pried them off one another.
"Don't kid yourself, Wilder,” Josh said as his dilated eyes connected with mine. There was so much hate sitting behind them. “She won't love you either. She's incapable of love. She's fucking cold-hearted."
Josh’s words were like sharp, poisoned arrows. He was clearly speaking thoughts that had been swirling in his head for weeks.
"Maybe she didn't love you because you were too busy fucking girls behind her back, asshole. Don't ever fucking touch her again or so help me—"
Penn's voice broke in. "Guys. Enough. This is a party, not an underground fight club. Josh, get out of here and go clean yourself up."
Cole stepped forward and grabbed Josh by the back of the neck. "I'll take him home. Let's go, rookie." Cole pushed Josh forward and he stumbled a bit, trying to stay standing. He was shitfaced, no one would have argued that fact, but that was still no excuse for the things he’d said.
“That kid needs to learn some respect," Oliver mumbled gruffly as he let go of Liam and stepped away.
Liam was still riled up; he shook his arms out and exhaled sharply as he watched Josh head toward the front door. I could feel the energy burning off of him and I was stuck between wanting to move closer and wanting to run away. Everything had happened so fast and the only thing my brain could process was the fact that Liam had stood up for me. He'd put himself between me and Josh, his teammate.
He slowly spun around to face me. He surveyed my expression and then dragged his eyes down my body to assess the damage. His shoulders dropped and his hands unclenched. His brows unfurled ever so slightly and he swallowed down the last of his anger.
I wanted to reach out and touch him, to feel the residual warmth on his skin and feel where Josh had mistakenly attempted to fight back. Was Liam injured?
I stepped forward a microstep just as Becca propped herself in front of me and blocked my view of him with her golden hair and concerned eyes.
"Kinsley, are you okay? Did Josh hurt you?" she asked, pulling my arms away from my sides so she could inspect them. My body was fine; it was my nerves and pride that were frayed.
I shook my head as if realizing for the first time that I was still standing in the middle of a party. Every single person in the room had heard Josh shouting about me being an ice queen. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, and suddenly I wanted to be anywhere but there.
“Becca, can we get out of here?”
Before I knew it, she was pulling me away from the living room.
"This is one of Penn's guest rooms," Becca said as she pushed open one of the doors down the hall. It was decorated sparingly, but the bed looked comfortable and there was a photo of the Los Angeles skyline framed on one wall.
"Thanks. I just needed some air for a second." I sat on the edge of the bed and ran my hands up and down my arms.
Becca sat next to me, angled so that she could inspect my body for any remnants of Josh's grabby hands. "I can't believe he said that stuff. But he was drunk, Kinsley, he didn't mean any of it."
I held up my hand to stop her. "It doesn't matter. Josh sucks ass. He was fun to have around as a friend, but he's a truly terrible boyfriend."
"And a lousy drunk," Becca added.
I nodded and sighed. "Do I look like crap? Should we just cut our losses and leave?"
Becca's face fell. She pushed a few strands of her golden hair behind her ear and furrowed her brows. "Not yet. Seriously, Josh is gone and no one else will bother you."
"I know, but everyone heard that fight. There were so many people out there."
She set her mouth in a thin line and her hazel eyes locked onto me. "You shouldn't feel embarrassed because Josh is an asshole. No one will judge you. Besides, they’re probably too busy talking about how cute me and Penn are. The Liam, Josh, and Kinsley love triangle is so 20 minutes ago.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. I hoped she was right, but I still frowned thinking about having to resurface in a few minutes. For someone who hates having their personal life in the public eye, that was about as bad as it could get. One hundred strangers looking on as my ex-boyfriend verbally assaulted me and then having two men grapple over me. The latter sounded semi-romantic, but it actually made my skin crawl. I felt like I was on display and I could just hear everyone buzzing about the fight for the rest of the party.
I groaned and pushed off the bed to investigate the damage. My bright blue eyes stared back at me in the bathroom mirror as I tried to piece myself back together. It could have been worse, I told myself. Liam was relatively unscathed and Josh was the same ol’ jerk. Nothing new to report there.
Becca came to stand next to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.
"I'm glad I curled your hair. It still looks really good," she complimented, trying to turn my mind toward something else.
I smiled at her in the mirror. "Let's go ruin it in the pool. No one was outside earlier, and that way we can stay at the party but avoid having to listen to the gossip."
Becca grinned and then spun around to grab two towels from a rack behind her.
"Let's do it!"
We linked arms and left the guest room. People could talk all they wanted, but I wasn't going to let them ruin my night. When we headed back into the living room, I was surprised to find the party was starting to dwindle. There were still a few people there, milling about, but the bartender was breaking down his setup and the music wasn't streaming through the speakers anymore.
"Isn't it kinda early still?" I asked Becca as we passed through the living room. I didn't see Liam anywhere, but I felt the hair rise on the back of my neck thinking about th
e fact that he was still in the house somewhere.
Becca shrugged and we kept heading out toward the pool. Just as I’d hoped, there was no one outside.
The view of the house hadn’t done the pool justice. It was actually made up of three separate pools, each at varying levels. Where we stood, level with the back of the house, there was a long lap pool. To the left there was a set of stairs that Becca and I followed until we found another pool that was much larger and shaped like a kidney bean. Palm trees rimmed the edge, concealing it from the house and beyond.
We followed the stairs as they continued to slope down around the edge of the pool. They led us to a round Jacuzzi at the very bottom that was almost level with the beach so that you could step from the last stair onto the warm sand. The light from Penn's house illuminated the shoreline so that you could still see the rolling waves crashing against the sand. It really was a spectacular house.
"I guess one pool wasn't enough?" Becca laughed as she and I started to head back toward the top, satisfied with our search.
"Penn is a greedy bastard, but I’m not complaining. Should we go to the middle pool?”
"Yeah, I liked that one best."
We dropped our towels and cover-ups on the small lounge chairs surrounding the pool. I adjusted my blue triangle string bikini, and without a second thought, I ran and jumped into the water.
When I surfaced, Becca was standing at the edge and smiling.
"Remember when Tara was hazing us and I told you that it'd be worth it because you'd look killer in a bikini? I was totally right."
I cracked up. "Revenge is best served skimpy," I joked before lying back to float on the surface. It was impossible to see the stars with the light pollution and smog from LA, but I imagined that they were overhead and it was still nice to stare up into the blackness.
I heard two pair of footsteps descending the stairs and glanced behind me to find Liam walking beside Penn. My heart kicked into overtime and I realized that it’d be really nice if my body would become habituated to seeing him. I swear every time he stepped into a room, or in this case a pool, my body had to come to terms with his existence in the world all over again.
"The party is officially over," Penn said as they came into full view.
Becca shrugged. "It looked like it was heading that way. I can't believe Josh ruined it for everyone.”
Penn smiled as he walked up to her. "Y'know, I think it might have been a good thing. I was wanting to kick everyone out the moment I realized you'd brought your swimsuit."
Even I blushed at his comment, so I wasn't surprised when Becca bit down on her lip and averted eye contact. She looked irresistible in her dark blue bikini and I knew she had Penn wrapped around her finger.
“Hey Liam, can I borrow your phone?” Penn asked as they stepped closer to the pool.
“Oh, I left it inside,” he answered, patting his swim trunk pockets to confirm. Not two seconds later, Penn reached out and shoved him into the pool before he could realize his fatal mistake.
“Asshole!” Liam yelled between laughs after he surfaced.
“I can’t believe you actually fell for that. We learned that when we were like twelve!”
“I was distracted,” Liam shrugged with an adorable grin.
“Yeah, whatever. Let the record show, Penn: 1, Liam: 0,” he gloated before spinning toward Becca’s direction. "Want to walk down to the beach with me, y’know, since we’re the only dry ones now?" Penn asked, extending his hand out to her.
The longer I watched their interaction, the more I became aware of the fact that I was avoiding Liam's gaze. He was still standing near the far edge of the pool, and I could see him watching me out of the corner of my eye. I let my body sink back into the pool, suddenly appreciating the veil of the water surrounding me. I never heard Becca's response, but a moment later she and Penn were both heading down the stairs toward the beach, and I knew Liam and I were alone.
No more hiding.
The silence settled between us. The light from the bottom of the pool cast his handsome features into shadows and I tried to swallow past a lump in my throat.
His predatory eyes were a warning of dark, wild things to come.
I didn't realize I was backing up against the edge of the pool until he stood in front of me, trapping me against the wall. His hands gripped the edge on either side of my body just as his hips touched mine beneath the surface of the water. It was liquid seduction, the way my smooth legs entwined between his as if we were taking a bath together.
"Are you upset with me?" he asked, bending forward and nuzzling my neck with his pouty lips.
I bit my bottom lip to keep from moaning. "No."
He dragged his lips up to my ear.
"He doesn't get to touch you anymore. I've listened to him talk about you around the house for the past month and I've had enough. I know you aren't leading him on, he needs to realize that it's over."
I shivered against him, but nodded. His words sounded like the law and I was all too willing to comply.
"I'm sorry I did the article with him," I murmured, needing to get it off my chest.
He shook his head and I closed my eyes to gather my wits. "You didn't know."
He bent his elbows, leaning in dangerously close, but not touching me with his hips and chest yet.
"I’m sorry I’ve been distant the past few days. I just had to get my bearings, but… I want you. I don’t want this to end," I whispered.
I ran my hands down his sopping wet t-shirt and then began to collect the material at the bottom. I pushed it up over the toned ridges of his abs, revealing more and more of his skin as I went. He reached to the back of his neck and helped me pull the shirt over his head before tossing it out of the pool.
I sighed as my eyes scored down his bare chest. My hands drifted from the base of his arms, up over his broad shoulders and neck. My eyes met his and I smiled seductively, challenging him to kiss me.
His body pressed closer to mine and the water parted to accommodate his movements. I anticipated his touch as if his skin would shock me, but instead, when his hard stomach pressed against mine, I felt like he was setting my skin on fire.
"Then be with me. Be mine." He kissed my neck, just below my jaw, and I tilted my head back slightly to give him better access. His fingers traced a valentine heart against my neck, as if emphasizing his request.
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into. I'm jealous and untrusting. The last two boyfriends I had were scumbags."
"So you've traded up. I'm not a scumbag."
I laughed. "I bet your ex-girlfriends would beg to differ."
He pulled back to look me in the eye and gently cupped my chin.
"Yes, I have a past that you wouldn’t care to hear about, but my parents have a marriage that has survived thirty years. I know what it means to value the person you're with."
When I appeared to be absorbing his words, he started to let his hands drift down the back of my neck, just over the knot on my bikini top. I could feel the strings starting to loosen and I flashed him an amused grin.
"Is that you valuing me?" I teased.
His eyes danced with desire. "One of the ways."
He looked devious as he bent to kiss the swell of my breast. It's not as if my small bikini was really keeping us separated, but it gave me the illusion that there was still a barrier between us. As his fingers released the strings and the small triangles fell away, I felt desire overtake my entire body. It was slow and seductive, but it had all the makings of a wildfire.
His hands followed the strings as they tumbled down the front of my body, and then he brushed them aside and cupped my breasts in his firm hands. I moaned and tilted my head back just as his mouth pressed against mine. He kissed me and sucked on my bottom lip until I was whimpering for more. His fingers caressed the skin around my breasts, memorizing their form, and then his lips left mine and he strung kisses down the front of my body. I let him, tugging my hands through
his damp hair and encouraging his exploration.
Just as his lips found my nipple, his hand found my bikini bottom and I trembled. I was trapped against the pool's wall, but the feel of concrete gently scraping against my back spurred on my desire. I liked knowing I couldn't get away. Not when it was Liam ensuring my imprisonment.
He didn't try to untie the strings on my bikini bottom. As his tongue teased my nipples, he pushed my bikini aside and pressed two long fingers inside of me. My moans filled the air, encouraging his movements.
"You're so sexy, baby. Let me feel you come," he encouraged, moving his fingers in and out while rubbing me with his thumb. Oh boy, was he good at that. He played my body like it was his own creation and I lapped it up willingly.
When I came a few moments later, I had one leg wrapped around his hip and my mouth was biting down on his earlobe so that my soft moans fell right into him. He didn't stop fingering me until I'd felt my orgasm wane into sweet aftershocks, and even then it felt as if he wanted to stay connected to me forever.
When he finally pulled back and looked down at me, his gaze dragged over my skin, slowing taking in my heaving chest and full breasts.
"It's a pity Becca and Penn are walking up those stairs," Liam teased with a wicked look in his eyes.
I flew into motion, trying to conceal our foul play, but it was Liam that stepped forward and deftly retied my bikini top. He bent down and gave me a soul stealing kiss before wrapping an arm around me and picking me up, away from the wall.
I squealed as he spun me around, splashing water up around us. I liked the playful side of him, and it was the perfect cover for when Becca and Penn crested the top of the stairs.
"How was your walk, you two?" I asked, noticing Becca’s tousled hair. Hmm, was it from the ocean air or was Penn to blame? I didn’t get time to call her out on it before Liam spun me around then tossed me across the pool. It took me by surprise, but I held my breath just in time. When I pushed back to the surface, I shot him an evil stare.
"I will so get you back for that," I threatened, already swimming toward him.
"Oh really?" he cocked a brow and dove under the water. He swam closer to me and then picked me up just as I was starting to swim away. He threw me through the air again and this time when I came up, I held my hands in surrender.