by Goode, Ella
“Are you not excited for the party anymore?” I shrug, still not turning towards him. “Is this the silent treatment I hear that women give?”
“I’m not giving you the silent treatment. I’m fine.”
“Fine? I heard that’s worse than the silent treatment.”
A small laugh escapes me.
“Did I do something wrong?” He reaches over, taking my hand. His fingers intertwine with mine. I can’t help but notice how small and delicate my own hand looks next to his.
“No. I don’t think you did anything wrong.” I finally look over at him.
“But something is bothering you?” Oh God. He’s going to make me say it. I’m going to look like a crazy jealous girlfriend. I’m not even his girlfriend! He’s going to think that I’m a complete nutcase. I’ve known him for all of an hour and I’m acting as though we’ve been dating for years.
“She was hitting on you,” I finally admit. He glances over at me, looking adorably confused. “The cashier,” I say because he can’t be that oblivious to it.
“The one who wants to come to the party?”
“Yes. She was checking you out and then she got your address from your driver’s license like a crazy person.” Okay, I might be the crazy person getting jealous, but he asked and now it’s all vomiting out of my mouth.
“She will not be coming. She was only making conversation.” For someone that seems so sure of himself, he doesn’t pick up on social cues very well. How the heck did he miss her throwing herself at him?
“Trust me. She’s coming.” I try and pull my hand from his, but he doesn't let go.
“That isn’t my address on my driver’s license. I never updated it when I moved.”
“Oh.” Is all I can think to say. He lifts my hand, kissing the back of it and making my insides melt.
“The only person I care to have coming is you.” He sends me a wicked smile that heats my entire body. This time I squeeze his hand tighter, turning to look out the window so he doesn't see me blush. I’m thinking maybe parties aren't so bad after all.
Chapter Nine
Daman
I’m really proud of myself. I didn’t pull off at any point and attack her even though her sexy bare legs taunted me at every stoplight. I also didn’t come in my pants although my dick is hard enough to punch a hole through the door. I spend most of the drive thinking of gruesome things (and I have plenty of source material) so by the time we reach my apartment building, I don’t have a log in my borrowed jeans. The wind bites at my exposed knees when I climb out of the car. I don’t know why anyone purposely buys clothes with rips in them.
I grab all the booze. Twenty bottles is kind of heavy but I refuse help from both Quinn and her friend, Trin.
“I wish you’d let me carry something,” Quinn says for the fifth time as we step off the elevator. “I’m super strong.” She curls her arm up.
Cute, I think a bit miserably. I’m about to bring the girl of my dreams into my apartment and it is full of strangers. I didn’t think this through. Am I dumb or what?
“Okay. You can carry everything if you feel that strongly about it,” she says.
I realize I’m frowning. I quickly rearrange my face so that I don’t look pissed. “I’d have to shoot my arm off if I let you carry anything heavier than a Kleenex. Come on. It sounds like they are tearing my place apart. I need to check out the damage.”
The three of us troop down the hall toward my noisy apartment. The door is wide open and the moment I step in, Flip comes running toward me. “Tell me you bought a keg.”
“Holy shit,” declares Trin. “This is lit!” She grabs Quinn’s hand and drags my girl into the crowd, leaving me standing at the entry with two heavy bags of liquor. Flip takes one and peaks inside.
He lets out a low whistle. “Shit, this is some premium stuff. Let’s stash this in my apartment and order a couple of kegs.”
He starts for the door and I have to grab his collar—on the turtleneck that used to be mine—and drag him back. I’m not stepping foot outside my apartment until I have Quinn.
“You said to get liquor and I got liquor.” I muscle my way through the crowd to the kitchen where two girls are standing on the concrete counters dancing. I can see their underwear. I think one might not be wearing underwear. This was a mistake. I dump the booze into the sink and turn around to grab Quinn. We can go to a hotel or sit in my truck until the place clears out. Instead of my girl, I find Flip.
“You definitely bought got some quality booze here but I don’t think it’s enough. We need a keg.”
“I have no idea what that is.”
Flip’s jaw drops. “You don’t know what a keg is? Like I knew you were old, but I didn’t know you were that old.”
“Leave him alone,” chirps Quinn.
I find her right at my elbow with her chin out and her eyes flashing. She’s like a small terrier, ready to fight on my behalf. If I wasn’t in love with her before, I would be now. “Yeah, leave me alone.”
Flip makes a face. “I can’t serve top shelf booze to all these people. We’ll run out after one round of shots.”
“Then get a keg.” I pull out my credit card. “Buy whatever you want.” Flip reaches up to snatch the card out of my hand, but I pull it away. “First, you have to promise to watch over Trin.” I dip my head toward Quinn’s roommate. “No one spikes her drink. No one touches her without her permission. She gets as drunk as she wants and she spends the night alone. If I hear that she was made unhappy in any way, it will be your fault and I will come back and kill you slowly and painfully.”
Flip stares at me for a long silent moment and then busts out laughing. “Fuck. You can be scary when you want.” He takes the card. “No problem. I got it covered. What’s my limit?”
“No limit as long as you follow the rules.” I clasp Quinn’s hand in mine. “Let’s go.” I don’t wait for her to agree; I just start moving and I don’t stop until I reach the elevator.
“I’m trying to figure out why you hosted a party at your apartment when you hate them,” Quinn says in a low voice as I jab the down button with unnecessary force.
“Because I didn’t want you to go to the frat party.” The elevator doors slide open and I drag Quinn inside. Once the doors shut and the noise recedes, I allow myself to relax against the wall of the cab.
Quinn tilts her head to the side as she studies me. “Do you really not know what a keg is or were you pulling Flip’s leg?”
“I don’t know. This is my first year of college.”
“Oh. A non-trad?” She doesn’t say it with any judgment.
I nod. “Yeah. I had a job before and decided it wasn’t for me so I quit and enrolled.”
“I’m a junior.”
I don’t say I know because she might find that creepy.
“I think it’s cool you’re coming back to school. How old are you?”
“Twenty-five.” I feel eighty sometimes. Killing wears you down. Or maybe it’s more like killing erases all your ideals. Everyone is dirty; no one really lives a worthy life. You get up; you eat; you die. That’s what life boils down to. Except Quinn here makes me want to rethink things. There’s something in her face, something beyond just prettiness, that makes me want to unravel her until I can see the inside. She’s got something I need, something alive.
“Why are you staring at me?” she asks.
“Because you’re so fucking beautiful, why else?”
She averts her face in embarrassment. “I’m pretty at best but definitely not beautiful.”
I shoot forward and slap my hand across the red button, bringing the elevator to a screeching halt. “Who told you that?” I demand, towering over her. Someone’s going to die. I just need a name.
“Told me what?” Her eyes dart to the elevator button.
“Who told you that you weren’t beautiful?”
“I’m just not.” She seems confused.
“Then you’re blind.” I put my fi
st under her chin. “You’re the most beautiful thing walking on this earth. Pretty sure if you weren’t here, there wouldn’t be any reason for any other living thing to exist.”
Her mouth parts and maybe she was going to say something but I can’t stop my head from descending. I can’t stop myself from sealing my lips across hers. I can’t stop my tongue from diving between her lips. I can’t stop kissing her. All my life, I chased death but now I want to live.
Chapter Ten
Quinn
I gasp into his mouth as he lifts me off my feet. His mouth remains on mine. This doesn’t feel as though it’s a normal kiss but a claiming of sorts. Not that I would really know. I’ve never had anyone kiss me this way before. I can’t put into words what it feels like. I know that I feel it way down to my soul as his mouth continues to move over mine.
I wrap my arms around him, kissing him back with everything I have. I had no idea when tonight started that this is where it was headed or where I would end up. It’s also hard for me to believe this is the same guy Trin called a dick. He’s gone out of his way at every turn to make me happy. I should have known that I was a goner the first time those blue eyes locked with mine.
I push my chest into him. A small moan comes from my mouth. He matches mine with a groan that rumbles throughout my body. His hand digs into my hair. I wiggle against him, needing friction. My whole body throbs with a need that I’ve never felt before. I want more of him. Scratch that, I want all of him. The urgency to have him is something I don’t quite understand yet, but I’m not willing to deny either.
“Daman.” I moan his name as I pull back from the kiss. His face remains the same. Unreadable.
“Not here. I’m sorry.” He sets me back on my feet. I lick my lips, suddenly feeling shy again. Is he having second thoughts? He reaches down, pulling my bunched-up skirt down little by little.
It’s not like it’s going to take him long based on how tiny it is. Realization hits me that my panties have been on full display during our kissing session. My face heats as I watch him finish fixing my skirt until it’s in its right place.
“Did you want to go back to your party?” Did I maul him so much that he is willing to run back into the party he was trying to escape a moment ago?
“No.” His answer is definitive. He hits the red button, causing the elevator to descend. “I want to spend more time with you.”
I smile up at him. “I want that, too.” I reach for his arm, locking mine around it. I see couples on campus do it all the time. “Can we go to my place? I’d love to get out of these clothes.” I pull at my shirt. Wouldn’t mind washing my face off either. I just want to be myself around him. Nothing between us. Not even a layer of makeup. There aren't many people who get to see the real me. For some reason, I want to make sure that he’s one of them.
“You look beautiful but I’m not going to lie, I hate your outfit.”
“Really?” I laugh. “I thought I saw you staring at my legs.”
He pulls his arm closer into himself, making me rub into his side. “I only like looking at your legs.” I have to smirk as he opens the car door for me, liking his jealousy. Now I don’t feel so bad about my own. He slides into the driver's seat, taking off toward my place.
“You sure you’re okay leaving all those people in your place?” I feel bad. He invited all of those people there to try to give me a party in a safe environment and now we’ve ditched it. All of those strangers are now occupying his apartment. What if they trash the place or even worse, rob it?
“I’ve got it locked down. Don’t worry.” He acts so casual about it that I let it go for now. A lot of things feel relaxed about him. Things that would worry me don’t seem to bother him in the least. Yet other times I feel him stiffen up over the strangest things. I can’t get any kind of read on him. He’s mysterious and it makes me want to know more about him.
“Oh, I’m glad you’re going the right way,” I tell him as we head closer to campus. “I’m in the Twin Peaks.” He nods, finding it without me giving him directions. He pulls straight into Trin’s normal parking spot. How lucky is that? All the parking spots here and he picked the right one on the first try.
“Let me.” He squeezes my leg before hopping out and opening the door for me. He holds his hand out to help me to my feet. It’s been awhile since I’ve worn heels and they are starting to hurt.
I lean into him, trying to get some kind of relief for my feet. This time I rest the side of my face on his arm as we head toward my door. I reach into my small purse, pulling out my phone first. Daman takes it from my hand so I can keep digging for my keys.
“You need more light here,” Daman comments, looking up and down my hallway. I finally find my keys and open our apartment door. I can’t remember if we left it a mess or not. Luckily, when I open the door the place doesn't look a total mess. I hang my purse up, slipping out of my heels. Daman turns, locking the door behind me.
“There are doors that will auto lock for you. I will look into it for you.” He nods as if the conversation is over. I truly don’t think he’s trying to be rude. I almost feel like a kindred spirit with him sometimes, neither one of us coming off the right way at times.
“Trin would love that. She’s always on me about locking it.” He stands there watching me. I’m not really sure what to do next. I want to jump right back into what we were doing in the elevator. “I’m going to change. Make yourself at home.”
I slip down the hallway into my room. The first thing I do is pull the freaking uncomfortable skirt and panties off. Next I go for my top and bra that feel like torture devices. Whose boobs actually need to be pushed up that high?
I snag my normal yoga pants from out of my dresser and my favorite knitted sweater, pulling it over my head. Last but not least, I put my socks on. I always have to wear socks when I’m home. My toes are always getting cold. When I finally make it to the bathroom, I wash off all the makeup that Trin put on my face. I pull my hair up on top of my head and sigh, feeling like myself once again.
I stare in the mirror. I have a man out in my living room waiting for me. While I feel shy, I’m also excited. I smile. I am going to be bold. You’re so fucking beautiful he’d said to me. The idea of someone else not thinking it had baffled him. With every word he said I felt not only beautiful but sexy. I’m feeling things I’ve never felt in my whole life.
I flip off the bathroom light heading straight for the living room. Daman starts to stand but I hold my hand out to stop him.
“I should offer you a drink.” My hand meets his chest. He lets me push him back. I fall into his lap, my legs spreading wide to straddle his thick thighs. “But I really want to do this instead.” I lean forward, digging my fingers into his hair and kiss him the same way he’d kissed me earlier.
Chapter Eleven
Daman
I pulled off my first hit perfectly. My trainer said it was beginner’s luck and that I would have problems in the future. Don't get cocky, he warned me. There are some things that you have an affinity for, something that you're better at than anyone else just because the universe has said this is how it’s going to be.
I feel that way now. With the freshly scrubbed Quinn planted in my lap, her fingers scraping across my scalp, her lips fused to mine, I feel like I can make her happy, make her laugh, make her come better than anyone else in the world.
I grab her hips and drag her closer until my jean-covered dick is notched into her cloth-covered pussy. There are so many damn things separating us. I tug at her sweater and then the waistband of her pants. I can’t make up my mind what I want to touch the most. Her ass is ripe. Her tits are juicy. Even stroking the back of her neck makes me wild.
She pulls her mouth away and I hear a needy plea, only to realize that’s me.
“Babe—”
“Shhh,” she says, her finger at my mouth. And then her sweater comes off and her tits are bouncing free and every lucid thought zips right out of my head. I’m capable
of three words now. Tit. Now. Mouth.
I guess I say them out loud because she lifts one plump peach and directs it right to my face. I latch on, sucking hard on the nipple. It’s her turn to moan. Her fingers reattach themselves to the side of my skull and pull me closer. I suck harder, drawing deep as if I could pull her orgasm from her with just my tongue wrapped around her fat nipple.
“Daman, I—“ She cuts herself off and pushes me backward.
Yeah, exactly. Neither of us know what to say but we know what we want. I move lower, kissing a trail down the center of her abdomen. We tug, pull, and tear at her pants until she’s free of everything but her fuzzy socks. The socks can stay on. What do I care now that my mouth is level with her sweet pussy? I suck in a deep breath and attack her. Her little clit is pert and hard but her cunt is soft and wet. I dive into it, hardening my tongue so I can fuck her with my mouth. She reaches down to rub her clit but I move her hand away.
“Mine,” I growl. She had years to play with herself. It’s my turn now. I rub her little clit, scissor a pair of fingers into her hot pussy and eat her until she creams all over my tongue.
My dick is so hard it hurts. I need inside of her. I’m going to die if I don’t get inside of her. Ironic that my last kill is my own.
“You ready for some cock, babe?”
“Yes. Yes. Give it to me.”
I fumble with my zipper but manage to get my dick out before breaking it in two. I’d have kept my jeans on but Quinn keeps pulling at them. I kick them and test her readiness.
She hisses at the penetration of my fingers.
“Ready?” I ask again.
She gives me a small nod. I fit the head of my aching cock to her small entrance and ease in, but she’s tight. Almost too tight. I freeze and my eyes fly to meet hers. “Babe?”