You’re such a prude.
Fine. What can I say? People don’t curse around me. They never really have. Kari drops the occasional bomb, but nothing major. The minute I find myself in Owen’s stratosphere, all I hear is foul language.
He smiles at my remark. “I think I like that you find me and my friends offensive. Maybe I can corrupt you.”
My entire body goes liquid at the promise in his voice. I wish he would corrupt me. Toss me on those red, red sheets and pull my clothes off until I lie there naked, pale against the dark, scared and trembling and excited when his hands finally, finally skate across my body …
“You’re avoiding the question,” I say, my voice shaky, and I lick my lips. When I glance up, I find him staring at my mouth.
My lips tingle as if he actually physically touched them.
“They think I’m going to try and …” He huffs out a breath, thrusts his hand in his hair, and tugs. Hard. “Let’s get out of here, Chels. You need to go home.”
I let him drop the subject. Let him steer me out of his room, down the hall, through the crowd in his house and outside to his car. All the while his hand is at the small of my back, his fingers branding me through the lace and the tank top I’m wearing. He doesn’t say much, though everyone calls out to him. Yelling his name, begging him to stay, offering him a drink, a smoke, a cup, a bottle, a bong.
This is not my scene. Owen is not my scene.
It doesn’t matter. Despite it all, I still want him.
And I find that incredibly frustrating.
Owen
The second we get into my car, I breathe a sigh of relief. Fuck, that had been an utter pain in the ass. All the people in my house, all the questions from Des and Wade, and then the finishing touch with the interrogation from Chelsea.
Shit. I barely survived it all.
It’s past one in the morning and I’m f**king exhausted. I have class later in the morning and for the first time in a while, I plan on going. Only to please the girl sitting next to me and to help get my grades up—but if I don’t get some sleep and soon, I’m gonna skip.
And that’s gonna suck.
She gives me directions to her apartment in this subdued voice that makes me nervous. Why, I’m not sure, but she’s scarily quiet, keeping her head bent, her fingers busy as they scrape across the tops of her thighs. Back and forth, back and forth in this rhythm I can f**king hear since she’s dragging her nails along the denim.
I check out her legs when I hit the brakes at a stoplight. She has slender thighs. Thighs I wouldn’t mind grasping hold of and spreading. Just for me. Just for her. I bet no guy has ever stepped between her thighs before. Placed his hands on them and pushed her wide open. I have a feeling I’d be her first.
For whatever strange reason, I like that. Makes me feel all possessive and shit.
The light turns green and I hit the gas extra hard, making the car jerk as it lurches forward. I can feel Chelsea’s eyes on me. She’s probably wondering what the f**k is wrong with me and I can’t give her an answer. I have no freaking clue what’s wrong with me.
Yeah, you do. She’s what’s wrong with you.
Within minutes I’m driving into the parking lot of her apartment building, pulling into an empty spot. She climbs out of the car without a word and I do the same, following her as she walks down the sidewalk, then cuts across the grass.
“I got this,” she calls over her shoulder. “Thanks for the ride.”
Now she’s dismissing me? Screw that noise. “I’m not going to let you walk into the darkness and disappear without at least making sure you get to your front door.”
She stops and turns on me, her expression downright ferocious. “So, what? You’re a gentleman now? Give me a break. Like you care. You won’t even answer me when I ask you a question.”
Jesus. So we’ve circled back to that again? I know exactly which question she’s talking about, too. “You don’t want the answer. Trust me.” I already told her what they thought she was to me.
An easy lay. A quick f**k. She’s not, though. Not at all.
“Actually, I do. I’d love the answer.” She marches toward me, her eyes blazing with indignation. She’s furious and beautiful and when she reaches out to shove at my chest, my entire body reacts at her touch.
“I already told you. They think I’m going to try and get into your panties,” I say, wincing the moment I blurt out the words. I’m putting it mildly. Wade’s been on me since he realized I didn’t f**k one of the tramps he brought over last weekend. I woke up Sunday to his endless shit. He thinks I’m hot for Chelsea.
His thinking would be correct.
She stills, her eyes going wide. “Are you?”
“No.” I’m halfway lying, shaking my head. I don’t know what I want from Chelsea exactly, but I do know one thing. “I don’t want to f**k this up.”
“Do you always have to use that word?”
“Yeah.” I grin. Fable still gets on me about my mouth. She’s actually cleaned hers up. Sort of. “I f**king love that word. Always have.”
A ghost of a smile appears, curving Chelsea’s delectable lips. “I think you say it just to irritate me.”
“I probably f**king do.” I glance around, the chill of the night air biting into my skin. She’s gotta be cold, too. “Where’s your apartment?”
“Are you avoiding our conversation again?”