by Karen Ferry
I can’t really think with all the noise in the pub, and the buzzing in my head seems to be intensifying. But I can’t exactly refuse, either.
“Okay.” I sit forward in my seat and put my hands on the table, palms facing him. He mimics my pose, leaning closer towards me, before he looks down. He reaches for my left hand, and my body tenses up as I feel the touch of his skin on mine. As he caresses my pulse point, I have to swallow, hard, when it skips. His touch is light, gentle, but the calluses on the pads of his fingers tell me that this is a bloke who’s used to work. He doesn’t shy away from it, and that only makes him more appealing in my eyes.
I bite my lower lip as he keeps prodding my wrist, and I feel more lightheaded than I did before.
Focus, Laura. He’s not trying to seduce you.
“Hmm,” Kristian murmurs before he turns his gaze to my right arm. I hold my breath as his fingers poke and prod, running over the faint, vertical scars, but I don’t offer an explanation. His gaze runs all the way up my arm, no doubt seeing all of them—seeing too much—until his eyes stop on mine. The look in them is no longer amused—it’s dark. And intense—oh, gosh, so intense.
I try to breathe, but it’s difficult when he keeps staring so hard at me. It feels as if he’s attempting to bend me to his will, drawing out every one of my secrets, but I remain silent. I have to. He mustn’t know them.
“I think your left wrist is best suited,” he says.
I nod, relieved that he doesn’t ask me any questions.
“Probably,” I squeak. I clear my throat as he finally releases my gaze, only to take my left hand in his. “I’m really looking forward to it,” I go on, blabbering like an idiot. “I’m a bit worried about the pain, though.”
His eyes lose some of their intensity when he grins at me.
“Me, too. Looking forward to it, that is. And don’t worry about the pain—if it gets to be too much, I’ll stop.” His voice drops a notch, and my heart speeds up at the low rumble. “You have my word.”
Somehow, I believe him. If I’m not careful, I’ll start believing every single word that comes out of his mouth, and then where will I be?
His fingers keep running over and over my skin in circles, making my tummy erupt with butterflies.
I should move. Move, Laura!
Yet, I can’t. It’s as if the feel of him has me rooted to the spot—as long as he keeps me there, I’m at his mercy.
Okay, definitely time to stop drinking. Even my thoughts don’t make sense anymore.
Kristian leans forward, no longer smiling. His gaze flits down to my mouth, and I wet my lips.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.”
No. No. No.
“Not a good idea,” I whisper.
His nostrils flare, sending small delicious shock waves straight down to my lady bits.
“Why not?”
“Because if I do, I break a promise I made to myself a long time ago.”
He purses his lips and nods slowly.
“Can’t have that, can we?” he mutters.
I shake my head slowly. The look in his eyes turns to disappointment, making me wish I could give in to what my body truly craves, but my mind refuses to yield. Finally, he lets go of my hands, and I breathe a small sigh of relief as he retreats. The tips of his fingers rest a bit longer on my wrist, and my pulse jumps again. He grimaces as he crosses his arms over his chest.
“I don’t know if I can do this friendship thing with you, after all.”
His words fill me with sadness. Why do I always bodge things up like this?
“Why not?” I whisper.
“Because everything you say…” he stops, seeming to gather his thoughts. As his tongue peeks out between his full lips, wetting them, it becomes difficult to breathe again. “Because everything you say seems to put me under a spell. The more you talk, the more I want to know who you are. The more I learn, the more I want…more.”
I swallow the lump in my throat.
“I’m sorry, don’t listen to me. I’m slightly tipsy, and everybody knows not to take anyone seriously when they’re drunk.”
The shutters fall over his eyes, and I hold my breath again, wondering if he’s going to leave.
All of a sudden, Trish bumps into his chair, and the heavy tension in the air drains away.
“Oh, my gosh, this place is packed,” she laughs as she sits down. She places my drink in front of me, but I don’t have a taste for it anymore. She puts a beer in front of Kristian who’s staring at Alex now. I frown at their silent conversation, wondering what’s going on. It’s as if a whole bunch of words are said between them, even though they aren’t talking aloud.
How odd.
Finally, Kristian picks up his beer and stands. I wince at the sound of the chair scraping against the floor. He avoids my eyes as he tips his glass at Trish.
“Ladies, it’s been great hanging out. But now, I must leave you, I’m afraid.”
I slump back in my seat as he only glances at me once. Then he walks up to the bar and starts to talk with the busty barmaid. Irritation at the way she bats her eyes at him—the way he smiles flirtatiously at her—grips my insides, and I feel tense.
“What’s up with him?” Trish mutters.
“He just has a lot on his mind,” Alex answers. The cautious smile he sends my way makes me feel even worse than I already do. Quickly, I take the drink in front of me and gulp it down until there’s nothing left. I hand Trish the empty glass, ignoring her gaping mouth.
“More, please,” I say, wiping a hand over my mouth.
“Are you sure?” Carefully, she looks me over, and I shrug as I smile at her. I hope she can’t tell how fake it is.
“Of course. We’re out to have fun, aren’t we?”
She narrows her eyes at me, but like the stubborn mule that I am, I keep the smile pasted on my lips.
“Don’t worry, lass, I’ll look after you,” Alex smirks at her. When she quirks her eyes at him, he smiles wider, before he turns to me. He takes my empty glass and stands up.
“Fantastic,” I beam at him.
As he leaves, I look around me. So many people. So many who are out having fun with friends. So many who don’t ruin everything, like I do.
Trish leans into my side.
“Laura, what’s going on? Did Kristian say something?”
“I’m fine, I promise,” I interrupt her. I’m starting to feel the unhappiness fading. My tongue is slightly numb, and my nose tingles. Good. The alcohol is working. I feel much more relaxed and carefree than usual.
I place an arm around my best friend’s shoulders and put a sound kiss on her cheek.
“Come on, let’s dance,” I tell her.
She laughs, shaking her head at me.
“Okay, then. Just don’t yell at me in the morning if you have the meanest hangover ever.”
“If I remember correctly,” I slur, “I don’t get hangovers.”
I swat her arm as we both get up from our chairs and turn to the small stage that’s been set up at the other end of the pub. Luckily, I won’t be able to watch Kristian flirting his way into that girl’s knickers while we dance.
I shouldn’t care, I really shouldn’t.
So why do I? It shouldn’t matter.
But it does. Already, it matters way too much.
11
Kristian
I can’t do the whole friendship thing with her. It’s just not possible.
I try to focus on Hannah, the sweet barmaid from earlier, but all I can think about is Laura.
Her voice.
Her smile.
Her eyes.
Those perky breasts hidden beneath her top, and her arse.
Fuck me, her arse.
I suppress a groan as I shift in my seat, blinking at Hannah. This is where my thoughts should be—on her, a sexy woman who’s all set on an easy hook-up—instead of someone who’s unattainable.
Her lips tip up at me, and emboldened by the alcoho
l in my blood, I take in her tits straining against her T-shirt, letting my eyes linger for a beat too long.
That should do the trick.
“What are you thinking about?” she says as she leans closer towards me.
I raise my eyes at her and lick my lips. Then I put the beer down and push up on the bar so I can whisper in her ear.
“Your tits,” I murmur. Her breath hitches as my breath fans over her skin, and I grin as I sit back. Her eyes turn darker, more lustful, and as she wets her lips, my smile widens.
So easy.
Hannah looks around her before she lifts her hand, her fingers trailing over my jaw.
My thoughts veer off in Laura’s direction, but I push them away. Not now. I need a release, and this girl will do just fine.
Hannah’s smile turns bolder as she nods once.
“Meet me outside the ladies’ room in ten minutes,” she whispers. I groan as she bites my ear lightly. At the touch of her teeth, my cock hardens automatically. It’s basic physics—a reflex.
“I thought you didn’t get off work until one?” I murmur.
As she leans away from me, I have to grin at the knowing look in her eyes.
“I don’t. But that doesn’t mean we have to wait until then.”
Well, well, well.
“You’ve got it,” I mutter.
She leaves the bar and I look at my phone to mark the time.
Ten minutes. I can be alone with my thoughts for that long, can’t I?
“Whatever you’re about to do, stop it,” Alex grumbles in my ear.
I scowl at him as his face and body come into view.
“Why?”
“Because fucking that girl isn’t going to solve your problems.” He places empty glasses on the bar and waves a bartender over.
“Alex, I’m fine,” I mutter after he’s given his order.
He shrugs, but his eyes flash with irritation.
“Suit yourself. I’ll go entertain Laura and Trish, and then I’m going to make sure they get home safe.”
Sighing, I run a hand through my hair.
“She’s got me all tied up in fucking knots,” I grumble. “She wants us to be friends, for fuck’s sake.”
Alex grins. The urge to wipe the floor with his mouth is at the forefront of my mind.
“Just ignore that. Keep working through her armour, and she’ll come around eventually. I guarantee it.”
I blink at him.
“That’s it? Those are your words of wisdom?”
He laughs at the sarcasm dripping from my voice.
“Aaah, the youth today.” He pays for his drinks and just as he’s about to leave me, he hesitates. “Kristian, trust me when I say that the women who make you stumble…they’re the ones you fight for. They’re the ones you fall for—and even if you shag that girl tonight? You’ll keep falling. Trust me on this—it’s bound to happen. You might as well enjoy the ride.”
I shake my head as I down the last of my lager. I stand up and check my phone.
It’s time.
I clap his shoulder once before I leave him.
“Well, maybe I’ll fall—but as long as she won’t be there to catch me, there’s no reason I shouldn’t keep busy until she comes around.”
“Don’t make a mistake, lad,” Alex calls after me, but I just keep walking. I know I’m already making one, but I need to do something to forget Laura.
Maybe I can still be her friend, but not tonight. Not when I’m drunk. Not when the need to sink my cock inside a warm and willing female is there, pulling at me to just do something about it.
I don’t have to think when I’m fucking someone.
I don’t have to feel.
And right now, that’s all I want. To cease thinking or feeling about a certain stubborn, scarred, sexy woman, whose eyes swim with secrets whenever they look into mine.
I frown as I pass Laura’s empty table, but then I push her away from my mind. I’m locking her away until morning. Instead, I smile at Hannah as I find her standing outside the ladies’ room, a deliciously turned-on look in her eyes.
I stop right in front of her and take a deep breath. When my chest expands, rubbing against her nipples, I grin at the way her eyes widen.
“Are you sure we won’t get interrupted?” I whisper in her ear, leaning down to run my nose against her hair.
She smells nice. Always a plus.
“We won’t. Come on, big guy—we need to hurry. My break only lasts fifteen minutes.”
I let her lead me inside and watch as she takes out a bunch of keys, locking the door.
“Then I guess we best make the most of it,” I mutter.
As she walks towards me, I unzip my jeans. Anticipation, lust, and alcohol course through me. When she stops in front of me, I take her hand and push it against the bulge in my pants.
“Mmm,” she sighs as she starts to rub my cock over my boxers. I hiss through my teeth as her mouth nips at my jaw.
“You like it rough, baby?” she asks me.
“Fucking love it,” I moan as she takes a firmer hold on me. I lean my head back and close my eyes for a moment, enjoying her touch.
“Good. Time to play a little, then.”
Thank fuck.
The loudness in my head clears. My eyes spring open as I hear the sound of her zipper, and I watch as she tugs at her black skirt. A lustful groan rumbles from my chest when she pushes it down, revealing black, skimpy underwear.
Quickly, I grab her by the hips and turn her to face the counter. I grin as I take in our reflection.
“Hold on,” I warn as I mould her arse in my hands. Her breaths come faster as she spreads her legs. She’s definitely no stranger to a quick tryst in a public place.
Good. That should make it easier to get this over and done with.
Impatient, I push her thong away, baring her arse, and I tease her pussy with a finger. When I run it down, she moans and her slick heat makes my cock twitch.
“Yeah, this is just what I need,” I whisper as I find a condom in my pocket. I free my cock with one hand as I keep finger fucking her. Her moans, and the glazed look in her eyes, make me swell with need.
“Got to make sure you’re ready, baby,” I whisper as I taste the skin of her neck. In one easy, practiced move, I tear the condom wrapper away, and quickly put it on.
“I’m ready,” Hannah pants as she leans over the sink, pushing her arse closer to me.
“Good.” I line up my cock at her entrance and slam inside her. “This will be as rough as you want it, Hannah,” I pant. Taking a chance, I slap her arse, and blood rushes to my cock when I feel her pussy clench around me.
Then we stop talking altogether as I fuck her. The harder I push inside her, the more I see Laura in my mind—and the more I imagine that it’s her I’m fucking instead. Just as my thrusts become quicker, harder, I even believe that she’s there, watching me, as I look up from Hannah’s arse. I frown, closing my eyes, but then brush it off as my imagination running wild, when I look back into the mirror, finding nothing except Hannah’s reflection staring back at me.
Hannah’s soft cries grow louder, urging me on, and as warmth runs through me, I throw my head back on a long moan, thrusting one final time as I come.
Breathing like mad, I give us both some time to come down from the high, before I pull out.
Now that my need is stilled, I feel like a fucking idiot.
We dress in silence, and I avoid the questions in Hannah’s eyes.
“Thanks,” I mutter as I walk to the door.
“Sure. Anytime.”
Her voice is breathy, confident, and I just nod. As she stops next to me and turns the key, she curses.
“Fuck! It’s broken.”
My heart stops beating and a sinking feeling fills my gut.
“What?” I frown.
“See?” She wiggles the handle as she turns the key again, and nothing happens. “I best tell Peter so he can sort it out.”
“Fuck,” I breathe.
Did Laura see me fucking Hannah?
Maybe it wasn’t my mind running wild when I thought I saw her reflection in the mirror.
Shit!
12
Laura
“Oh, my God,” I whisper, running the tips of my fingers over my lips. I’m leaning against the wall next to the door to the ladies’ room. My skin is tingling all over.
Did I just witness what I thought I did?
Did I just walk in on Kristian banging the crap out of that barmaid?
Crap.
It shouldn’t affect me. We agreed to be friends and Kristian is certainly free to do whatever he wants, with whomever he wants, and yet…a part of me is slightly disappointed.
I’m also feeling pretty turned on from watching his delectable arse as he took that girl from behind.
I fan my heated cheeks, trying to calm down.
“Get it together, Laura,” I mutter. On a long breath, I creep out of the shadows blocking me from view and go in search of Trish.
“Are you okay?” she asks me as I return to her on the dance floor. Alex is still with her, and I aim a small smile at them.
“Actually, I’m not feeling so good,” I mumble and rub my temple. “All those drinks must’ve caught up with me at last.”
Trish pulls a face as she takes my hand.
“Right, let’s get you home.”
“I’m sorry.” Ugh, my head. It’s really starting to pound. I offer Alex an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry for ruining your night.”
“Tsk, don’t worry,” Trish answers instead before she turns a megawatt smile in Alex’s direction. Even in my befuddled state, I can’t help but notice the warmth in his eyes as he grins back at her.
“Do you need me to drive you home?” he asks.
Trish shakes her head. “No need, but thanks. I’ve only had one drink, and it’s been hours. I think we’re good to go.”
I lean into her side and am just about to tell Alex goodbye when I feel a presence at my back.
“Laura? Are you okay?”
Kristian’s concerned voice above my right ear sends shivers through my body.