feel my heart hammer in my chest. I don’t know what he intends or what I’ll do with what he has planned. All I know is I’m tired as sin and I want to lie down. Alone.
“Thank you for seeing me home,” I tell him, toying with my key absently. I feel nervous and it’s strange.
He steps in closer to me, invading my space and backing me against the door. “You’re welcome, Adrian,” he says deeply, his voice scraping across every nerve in my body like a match head over flint, threatening to ignite.
I lean forward, my breath rebounding off his and coming back warm and wet against my lips. His fingers push my coat open and his hand slides hot against my side. My body responds immediately to his touch, going loose and sinewy, tightening and melting all at once.
His mouths claims mine the way it did in his office, as though he already owns it. As though it’s his for the taking, and I’m not arguing. I’m not fighting. I’m grabbing onto him, balling my fists in the arms of his coat and pulling his chest hard against mine. I want to feel pinned against this wall. I want to feel crushed and a crazy, small part of me wants to see Addy again. I want to breathe in her lungs, see through her eyes, and feel the world for one painful, shining moment with perfect glaring honesty, but it doesn’t come. The wall is too smooth, his pressure too light, his hands too busy on my body, and even as I heat up inside with his every touch, part of me has already walked away. It’s spiraling dizzy down to the street, to the ally, to the dark. It’s staring into intense, glowing eyes watching from the shadows and I feel warm in a different way. I suddenly realize I’m sweating inside my coat in this drafty hallway and my heart is hammering in my ears.
I push Tommy back, wincing and touching my head as the pain slams into me. “I think I’m going to be sick,” I whisper.
He steps back, his brow pinching and his hands taking hold of my elbows to hold me up, but also to keep me away from him. “Shit, you don’t look good.”
“I don’t feel good.” Something is wrong with me. So many things. Too many to sift through tonight.
“Give me your key, I’ll get your door open for you.”
“Thanks.”
He opens the door, then hands me back my key and gestures for me to step inside. I move slowly, afraid of the dizzy feeling that’s still haunting me. When I turn to smile wanly at him and wish him goodnight, he’s watching me carefully.
“You gonna be alright? Do you want me to come in?”
“No, I’ll be fine after I lie down. The girls are all here. They’ll take care of me.”
“Alright. Close the door. I’ll leave when I hear it lock.”
I nod my head, shutting it tight and immediately throwing the locks before resting my sweating forehead against it.
“Goodnight,” I whisper dramatically through the crack between door and frame, feeling so strange. Goofy almost. Drunk, though I only had one gin all night.
“Goodnight,” I hear him chuckle from outside. Then his footsteps slowly begin their descent, taking my pulse down with them.
“Adrian,” Rosaline whispers sharply.
I jump a mile in the air, nearly screaming from fright. “Rosaline, why?!” I exclaim angrily.
“Get in here. Now,” she demands, ignoring my indignation.
“What’s wrong?”
She steps into the light coming in from the window. It’s a small slanted, yellow shaft, but it shows me enough of her face for my heart to resume it’s pounding. She’s terrified and trembling.
“Alice is dead.”
Chapter Ten
I drop my clutch and keys loudly on the floor.
“What?” I ask shakily.
Rosaline shakes her head, her eyes wide as saucers. “She’s dead, Adrian.”
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know. I can’t go back in there.”
“Where’s Lucy?”
“In the bathroom throwing up. She checked on her a moment ago and… Oh God, Adrian. Her eyes.”
I push past a Rosaline to hurry into
“Thank you for seeing me home,” I tell him, toying with my key absently. I feel nervous and it’s strange.
He steps in closer to me, invading my space and backing me against the door. “You’re welcome, Adrian,” he says deeply, his voice scraping across every nerve in my body like a match head over flint, threatening to ignite.
I lean forward, my breath rebounding off his and coming back warm and wet against my lips. His fingers push my coat open and his hand slides hot against my side. My body responds immediately to his touch, going loose and sinewy, tightening and melting all at once.
His mouths claims mine the way it did in his office, as though he already owns it. As though it’s his for the taking, and I’m not arguing. I’m not fighting. I’m grabbing onto him, balling my fists in the arms of his coat and pulling his chest hard against mine. I want to feel pinned against this wall. I want to feel crushed and a crazy, small part of me wants to see Addy again. I want to breathe in her lungs, see through her eyes, and feel the world for one painful, shining moment with perfect glaring honesty, but it doesn’t come. The wall is too smooth, his pressure too light, his hands too busy on my body, and even as I heat up inside with his every touch, part of me has already walked away. It’s spiraling dizzy down to the street, to the ally, to the dark. It’s staring into intense, glowing eyes watching from the shadows and I feel warm in a different way. I suddenly realize I’m sweating inside my coat in this drafty hallway and my heart is hammering in my ears.
I push Tommy back, wincing and touching my head as the pain slams into me. “I think I’m going to be sick,” I whisper.
He steps back, his brow pinching and his hands taking hold of my elbows to hold me up, but also to keep me away from him. “Shit, you don’t look good.”
“I don’t feel good.” Something is wrong with me. So many things. Too many to sift through tonight.
“Give me your key, I’ll get your door open for you.”
“Thanks.”
He opens the door, then hands me back my key and gestures for me to step inside. I move slowly, afraid of the dizzy feeling that’s still haunting me. When I turn to smile wanly at him and wish him goodnight, he’s watching me carefully.
“You gonna be alright? Do you want me to come in?”
“No, I’ll be fine after I lie down. The girls are all here. They’ll take care of me.”
“Alright. Close the door. I’ll leave when I hear it lock.”
I nod my head, shutting it tight and immediately throwing the locks before resting my sweating forehead against it.
“Goodnight,” I whisper dramatically through the crack between door and frame, feeling so strange. Goofy almost. Drunk, though I only had one gin all night.
“Goodnight,” I hear him chuckle from outside. Then his footsteps slowly begin their descent, taking my pulse down with them.
“Adrian,” Rosaline whispers sharply.
I jump a mile in the air, nearly screaming from fright. “Rosaline, why?!” I exclaim angrily.
“Get in here. Now,” she demands, ignoring my indignation.
“What’s wrong?”
She steps into the light coming in from the window. It’s a small slanted, yellow shaft, but it shows me enough of her face for my heart to resume it’s pounding. She’s terrified and trembling.
“Alice is dead.”
Chapter Ten
I drop my clutch and keys loudly on the floor.
“What?” I ask shakily.
Rosaline shakes her head, her eyes wide as saucers. “She’s dead, Adrian.”
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know. I can’t go back in there.”
“Where’s Lucy?”
“In the bathroom throwing up. She checked on her a moment ago and… Oh God, Adrian. Her eyes.”
I push past a Rosaline to hurry into
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