“Then, you’ll get her number, but someone else will take her into that big old walk-in closet of Becca’s. Is that what you want?”
Oliver looked nauseous at the thought.
Round one of Spin the Bottle did not go well. At least not for Oliver and I. Emma’s spin landed on a guy dressed in scrubs, and they shared a brief kiss. “Don’t worry,” I whispered to Oliver, “She didn’t look like she enjoyed it.” I was gratified to see that after kissing the doctor, Emma wiped her mouth and looked over to my friend with an embarrassed “I’m sorry” shrug.
Oliver’s spin landed him on the blond who came in with Emma and Katie. He leaned forward to give her a similar brief peck, only to have her grab the back of his neck and practically shove her tongue down his throat.
I turned to see Katie, who looked both angry and disgusted at her friend’s actions. Next to her, Emma looked down at her lap, and for a minute, I thought that she was going to cry.
Katie’s turn wasn’t for a few rounds, but she landed on a greasy looking guy wearing a large pink bunny suit that looked like it was straight out of a mall’s Easter display. They pecked each other on the lips, and he looked like he won the lottery.
When it was my turn, I landed on Becca, and I was not happy about it. Becca had been interested in me since college. I knew it, and she knew I knew it. I also was never going to forget last year, no matter how good her cookies were, and there was something else wrong there. She was cute, so it wasn’t that. Just something off about the way we interacted. I could never quite put my finger on it.
I leaned in to kiss her, and it felt like I was kissing my cousin or something. Not great. But, she was smiling when we sat back down, so I figured I must have done something right.
Finally, Becca finished the game, taking the last spin, which landed on the same sweaty bunny Katie had gotten. “Break time,” she said after they swapped spit. “Then come right back for round two!”
“Great plan, Liam,” Oliver said. “Now, Emma won’t look at me, and her friend is eyeing me up and down like she wants to take me home with her.”
“Ignore the friend,” I said. “Go over and take your shot now. I was wrong before. You should have asked her for her number right away.”
Oliver nodded and walked over to Emma and Katie. “Uh, Emma,” he started. “I don’t know if this game is really my thing, or if it will go, you know, the way I want it to.”
Emma finally looked up at him, hopefully. Oliver shuffled his feet, “So, ah, I wondered whether I could just get your number now? And maybe take you out to dinner sometime?”
The blond in the huntress costume huffed and walked away, mumbling something about needing another drink, but Emma’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Sure,” she said. “Let’s trade phones. You can add me to yours, and I’ll add you to mine.”
Standing behind them, Katie looked my way and flashed me a thumbs up sign. I wanted to be as bold as Oliver, and I made a promise to myself. Boyfriend or not, girlfriend or not, I swore I was going to get Katie’s number by the end of the night.
Oliver came bounding back over to me, grinning, and we took our spots for Seven Minutes in Heaven. I felt like a stupid kid, hoping that the bottle would land on my eighth-grade crush.
When my turn came, I looked over at Katie, only to see her staring at the bottle with an intensity I wouldn’t have thought possible. She ran her tongue over her lips, and I knew she was thinking the same thing I was. I closed my eyes and spun. At last, it stopped, pointing directly to Katie. What a miracle.
“Okay, you two. You know the drill,” Becca shouted, and the rest of the crowd hooted and hollered as we made our way over to the closet.
I grabbed Katie’s hand and pulled her in, slamming the door behind us. A “Woo!” went up from the crowd outside.
“She’s even got this place decorated,” Katie said, looking at the fluffy cotton ball clouds surrounding us.
“Yeah. Becca goes all out,” I said.
“Hey!” A knock sounded on the door. “We can’t hear what you’re saying, but we know you’re talking. Clock doesn’t start until we hear you guys making out, so get down to it,” Becca yelled.
She flipped the light switch outside, and we were plunged into darkness.
I leaned down to Katie’s ear. “I know you have a boyfriend,” I whispered. “We’re not stupid teenagers, Katie, we don’t have too—”
She stopped my mouth with a kiss.
Katie
The lights were out, but I thought I could control myself. I planned on telling Liam, “Hey, you’re good looking. Sexy, even. I’ll admit it. But I have a live-in boyfriend, so everything’s off the table.” I thought we could bang around in the closet for a minute or two to make it seem like we were doing something, and then pretend we’d been fooling around when the lights came back up.
I was not prepared for his soft lips tickling my ear. “We’re not stupid teenagers, Katie,” Liam whispered. His breath was hot on my neck, and I couldn’t stop myself. I pressed my lips to his.
As soon as our lips touched, a jolt of electricity shot through my body. Liam’s mouth smashed against mine, hungrily. Liam must have been eating one of Becca’s delicious treats because he tasted like strawberries, and I wanted more. I opened my mouth, and his tongue slipped inside, searching until he found mine. Our tongues danced together until I couldn’t tell where his ended and mine started.
I raked my hands down his muscled back, and he grabbed my ass, hoisting me up and slamming me up against the wall. I could feel his hardness press against me, and I wanted to reach down to touch it, but didn’t dare. I couldn’t in any case because my legs were wrapped around his waist, and my arms around his neck.
Holding me now with one strong arm, Liam moved his other down to my breast. I moaned into his mouth. My nipples were already hard, and he teased and pinched the left one through the thin fabric of my suit.
Pulling my mouth from his, I moaned again, trying to keep quiet because I didn’t want to hear about this from Amber or Emma later. “Liam,” I whimpered.
His hand moved to my right breast, teasing the nipple the way he had with the left. “Say my name again,” he rasped into my ear, kissing his way down my neck.
“Liam. Liam,” I whispered over and over as his lips traveled their way down from my ear to my collarbone and back.
My legs went weak, and slipped from his waist. He caught me easily, and set me back on the ground, lips never leaving my hot skin.
I wanted to tell him there was probably enough time. For all Becca’s orderliness, she didn’t use a watch. Last year, a couple stayed in the closet for twenty minutes before they came out. Another pair had been in for only four minutes.
“There’s no clock,” I found the strength to say.
“What?” Liam’s mouth had been hovering above my breast.
“There’s no clock,” I whispered. “We might have time to…” I trailed off. What was I suggesting? Taking this all the way? Cheating on our partners in a closet like we were in high school?
“Oh, Katie,” Liam threaded his fingers through my hair and pulled me in for another kiss. Our tongues danced again, and I felt him pulling at my suit, trying to pull it down. I fumbled for the zipper and pulled it down, exposing my breasts to him in the dark.
He felt around for my bra straps, then realized they weren’t there. My breasts were perky enough, and the suit was tight. I hadn’t worn any bra.
This time, it was Liam’s turn to moan. His soft, strong hands played with my breasts, pinching the nipples again, until I thought I was going to explode. I reached down to feel his hard cock, but he moved back and dipped his head to my chest, lips playing over my nipples. He lightly nibbled at one, then the other. Then, he moved his mouth away and blew on each one.
The alternating sensations of heat and cool drove me mad. Juices spilled from my pussy, coating my thighs. Every other thought seemed to leave my brain. I had to have him. Now.
Li
am felt me reaching for him again and moved back a second time. “Katie, much as I’d like to…”
“Right,” I said, my breath ragged. “Nicole.”
“Nicole?” he almost sounded shocked. “Yes. No. Well, not entirely. We only have a few minutes. And, if I were to do this, you don’t seem like a quickie kind of girl. You deserve to be savored.”
I nearly hopped on him again, but Liam put a hand out. It was meant to stop me, but it pressed into my bare breast, and he groaned as if not kissing me there again was killing him. Instead of kneading my breasts again, he reached down. For a second, I thought he was going to touch me between my legs, and my heart skipped a beat.
Instead, he got hold of my zipper and gently pulled it up. “Take a breath,” he said. “Take a breath. Walk out like nothing happened. I’ll put my number in your phone. And if you want to talk to me again tomorrow or the next day, after the alcohol and everything else has worn off, you call me. If not, then tonight never happened, and you can go back to your boyfriend without a guilty conscience.”
I was going to object, but while taking the well-suggested breath to cool down, we heard a commotion outside the door.
“What the hell?” Liam said.
“We better get out there and see what’s going on.” I said. Then paused, considering. “Are you okay, though?”
“I’ll be fine,” he promised. “Not the first time I’ve been left unsatisfied.”
With that, I smoothed my hair, straightened my cat ears, and opened the door.
Liam
I could not believe I turned Katie down. It took everything I had in me to do it, too. Her mouth was warm, her skin was smooth, and her breasts were spectacular. Even if I could barely see them in the dim light coming from under the closet door, I knew it. I tried for the straps anyway and was pleased to discover the truth. No bra. Probably no panties either. I wondered if Katie’s skin was as smooth downstairs as it was up top.
If I could have ripped that stupid jumpsuit off her, I would have come in two minutes. Guaranteed.
But no matter how frustrated I felt with Nicole, with my attraction to this girl, with being away from real physical contact for four months, with everything…I just couldn’t go through with it. To begin with, I wasn’t a wham-bam-thank you ma’am kind of guy. Normally, I liked to take my time.
And Katie was not a McDonald’s Happy Meal. She was more like a sumptuous buffet—something I wanted to sample from all night long. “You deserve to be savored,” I told her, trying to be honest, but sounding like some cheesy line from a movie. As if all I wanted to do was eat her… which was only half true.
We pulled apart, breathing heavily, and I reached over to zip up her costume. I wanted to shoot myself for it.
My legs were shaking, something I hadn’t experienced since my first mile run when Jim started training me. Every fiber of my body was humming with desire. I reached out and brushed my fingers against her hair. I was about to grab her for another kiss when we heard someone yelling just outside the door.
“What the hell?” I said.
“We better get out there and see what’s going on. Are you okay, though?” Katie whispered, sounding genuinely concerned.
I reassured her I was as she pushed open the door. Even though the light was dim, I had to squint to see what was going on.
“Fuck you,” a male voice yelled. It was coming from some guy in glasses dressed like Luigi from the Mario Brothers’ game. The guy pushed Oliver’s shoulder, and Oliver nearly toppled over.
“He should have taken off that stupid helmet,” I said to Katie. “I told him it was too heavy.” Before she could reply, I pushed my way through the crowd.
“Ethan, why are you even here?” Emma shouted, looking distressed.
“She gave me the address,” the guy said, pointing to the blond huntress who’d come in with Katie. “I thought I’d come as Luigi, you know, a perfect partner for Mario. Then I walk in and find this asshole with his paws all over you.”
“We were holding hands, Ethan,” Emma said. “And I’ve told you before. There’s nothing going on between you and I. And nothing is ever going to happen. Ever.”
“Yeah,” Oliver added in. “So, stop stalking her already, man. The lady said she’s not interested.”
Oh, Oliver, I thought. You idiot. Ethan gave an angry roar and rushed forward, head-butting Oliver into a small table. A plate of cookies went flying, and this time, Becca gave out an angry scream. “You’re ruining everything!” she yelled.
I reached the two just as they were rolling around on her floor, sure to break something else, and pulled Ethan off my friend. “Okay, guys. Cool off,” I said. “Either break if up, or take it outside.”
“Outside,” they both said at once.
I dragged Ethan to the door and shoved him out, then put an arm out to stop Oliver. “You don’t have to do this, you know,” I told him. “You don’t have to prove anything to Emma or anyone else.”
“Shut up, Liam.” Oliver ducked under my arm.
As all the partygoers watched, Oliver walked up to Ethan, and before Luigi could react, Oliver punched him square in the face.
Even from where I was standing, I could hear the crack, and was pretty sure Ethan’s nose was broken.
Emma pushed past me and ran outside. “What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded.
“Breaking my nose,” Ethan cried, cupping his hands around his face, which was now clearly pooling with blood.
“Defending your honor,” Oliver said.
“Did I ask you to?” Emma shouted. “I barely even know you. Now, I have to take this jackass to the hospital, and I was hoping to never see him again.”
“You don’t have to—” Oliver started.
“Of course, I do,” she yelled. “He only came here for me, and now you’ve not only humiliated him, but ruined his face as well!”
Ethan groaned in pain. Katie put her hand on my back. “Glad we didn’t,” she whispered before slipping out the door and running to help her friend.
Soft moonlight danced across Katie’s shining hair. She looked less like a cat and more like a superhero, running to save the day. I realized that at least part of that impression was the fact she’d lost her tail. It must have come off in the closet when I slammed her against the wall and ground my hips into her like an impatient schoolboy.
Only I was transfixed by her. Sensing the fight was over, the rest of the crowd retreated back into the house. I could hear Becca asking someone to pick up the fallen treats while someone else asked whether the games were going to continue.
Outside, Katie was still comforting her friend. “I called the Uber,” Katie told Emma. “He can take us to the hospital.” She looked up at me. “Liam, can you get Amber for me? She’s the blond—”
“In the huntress costume?” I asked. “Yeah. I can get her for you.” I ducked inside, hoping that Oliver was okay for the moment.
Heading first into the dining room, I called for Katie’s friend. “Amber?”
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the sexy fireman,” a voice cooed behind me. “I heard you’ve got a long hose. Why are you looking for me? Going to put out my fire?”
Not even if I wanted to, I thought. “I have a girlfriend,” I said automatically.
“So I heard,” she tilted her head. “And yet, you were in the closet with my friend for nearly fifteen minutes, and I can guess you were doing a lot more than talking about the weather in there.”
She had me on that one, but I ignored the fact that she was both mocking me and flirting with me at the same time. “Katie called a car. Ethan’s hurt. She and Emma are taking him to the hospital.”
Amber flipped her blond hair in a practiced move that clearly said, “I don’t care.”
I said it for her. “You don’t care?”
“I’m having fun, and I have a cowboy to ride,” she said, moving for the living room. “Besides, they don’t need three girls to take one silly boy to the ER
. Tell Katie you couldn’t find me.” She left, but not before slapping me on the ass, like she owned me along with her cowboy.
I went back outside. Oliver was sitting in my truck while Emma and Ethan were sitting on the curb together. Emma held a rag to Ethan’s nose, and after a second, I realized it was Oliver’s t-shirt.
Katie was looking at her phone impatiently. I walked up and put a hand on her shoulder. “I couldn’t find Amber,” I lied.
Katie heaved a tired sigh. “You mean you found her, she couldn’t care less, and she made some sexual innuendo about getting it on with someone else at the party?”
“Lucky guess.” I tapped her on her cute, freckled nose.
She smiled sadly and moved away from me, causing my hand to drop back down to my side. “Yup. That’s Amber. Take your friend home, if you can. I know you’re drunk, so—”
“I’m not drunk,” I whispered. “I don’t want you to think what happened between us happened because I was drunk. I had one—”
“Well, maybe I am.” She turned her green eyes on me with all the intensity she’d used when staring at the bottle only an hour before. “Maybe that’s why I lost my head, forgot about my boyfriend who I very much like, and,” she dropped her voice, “and let you kiss me.”
“You know you kissed me,” I said, lowering my voice and leaning into her, as if inviting her to do it again. “All I did was kiss you back.” And cup your perfect breasts in my hands, and make you moan my name I wanted to add, but didn’t.
I reached out and ran a finger down her neck and across her collarbone. One bead of perspiration appeared on her pale skin, but it was enough to let me know she still wanted me. “Liam,” Katie started.
“Katie,” I returned.
“I’m sorry. The car’s here. I… I have to run.” She sprinted away, looking back only once as she climbed into the back of the Uber alongside Emma and Ethan. Then, she stared straight ahead as the car pulled away.
I trudged over to my truck and got in the passenger’s seat. “You better hope that Ethan guy doesn’t find out who you are,” I said. “He might try to sue the pants off you.”
Hot & Heavy Halloween (Hot Holidays Book 1) Page 5