stomach.
I refill my glass and begin pottering to keep my thoughts from rendering me incapable of being in their presence. I turn the TV off and put away the controllers for the Xbox.
“Hey, I can do that.” I startle at Jasper’s voice and giggle. Crap, the wine is making me giddy. His face beams down at me, his perfect teeth on display. I go sit at the table, pouring more wine. Derek comes to join me and Jasper follows suit.
“ S o, tell me about this ex-boyfriend of yours. Der knows, but I’m curious, did you end on bad terms?” I want to know why she would think he would send her a note or be stalking her. Der was vague when sharing details. I watch her eyes dart between Derek and me before she answers.
“My mom and dad are church going folk. They believe I should marry before enjoying the… fruits of life, so to speak.” Her cheeks redden; she’s so fucking cute.
“So to speak? You mean… before having sex?” I know what she meant, but watching her bite that plump bottom lip and shift in her seat has to be done.
She nods her head. “My high school boyfriend didn’t think the same way. He said we would be getting married, so he didn’t see why we shouldn’t be doing it. The sex.” She gestures towards me and I can’t help the grin that breaks across my face. She tugs a loose strand of hair behind her ear and looks to Derek; he smiles at her, the warmth in his eyes telling me he has feelings for her. I can’t decipher what I feel about that. His eyes turn to me and my head automatically nods. Yes, she is something special.
“I’m not a prude or anything, but I just had a… sixth sense if you like, about him. I stayed with him for my parents. They were friends with his and we grew up together, but he changed a lot and I didn’t really feel that way about him. He sought sexual satisfaction from a friend of mine, giving me the excuse I needed to end things.” She shrugs her shoulders and sips the wine Derek poured for her. “He didn’t take it well and bombarded me with letters; love letters that then became hostile. He turned my friends against me and living there was unbearable in the end, so I moved.” She downs the remains of her wine and holds her glass out to Derek to refill.
My fists clench. “Hostile?”
She shrugs again. “He got a bit hands-on one night, cornering me when I was coming from the studio I trained at. That was the final straw for me. My mom and dad wanted me to stay, but I always planned to leave, anyway. I heard he married said friend he cheated on me with, but they spilt. She was having an affair with his friend. Karma.” She grins and I have to bite my lips. Fuck, she’s gorgeous.
“So you think it was him who sent the note?”
She taps her glass with her finger, “He sent them before, I just assumed…”
“What about after him? Other boyfriends?”
She chokes on the wine she just tipped into her mouth.
Derek leans over to pat her back. “Thank you,” she splutters. I hand her a napkin and smile. “I haven’t really dated anyone else.” She manages to answer without making eye contact. God, I knew she was innocent, but not that innocent. I change the subject to something lighter and watch her blossom; the wine has taken over and makes her giggle every time Derek or I say anything slightly amusing. I watch Derek watch her and I can’t sort through the feelings I’m having. It’s want mixed with contentment being with them.
“I need to use the ladies room,” Kyra announces in a fake, poor English accent. Her footing is unsteady. Derek jumps up to steady her, guiding her to the bathroom; I hear her giggling to him, saying she drank too much. I move some of the cushions as she stumbles back in, closely followed by Derek. I pat the seat and hold my hands out to her. She smiles, making me inhale sharply. I want her so fucking bad. “You’re so beautiful,” she murmurs, reaching out to stroke my cheek.
“You’re drunk,” I
I refill my glass and begin pottering to keep my thoughts from rendering me incapable of being in their presence. I turn the TV off and put away the controllers for the Xbox.
“Hey, I can do that.” I startle at Jasper’s voice and giggle. Crap, the wine is making me giddy. His face beams down at me, his perfect teeth on display. I go sit at the table, pouring more wine. Derek comes to join me and Jasper follows suit.
“ S o, tell me about this ex-boyfriend of yours. Der knows, but I’m curious, did you end on bad terms?” I want to know why she would think he would send her a note or be stalking her. Der was vague when sharing details. I watch her eyes dart between Derek and me before she answers.
“My mom and dad are church going folk. They believe I should marry before enjoying the… fruits of life, so to speak.” Her cheeks redden; she’s so fucking cute.
“So to speak? You mean… before having sex?” I know what she meant, but watching her bite that plump bottom lip and shift in her seat has to be done.
She nods her head. “My high school boyfriend didn’t think the same way. He said we would be getting married, so he didn’t see why we shouldn’t be doing it. The sex.” She gestures towards me and I can’t help the grin that breaks across my face. She tugs a loose strand of hair behind her ear and looks to Derek; he smiles at her, the warmth in his eyes telling me he has feelings for her. I can’t decipher what I feel about that. His eyes turn to me and my head automatically nods. Yes, she is something special.
“I’m not a prude or anything, but I just had a… sixth sense if you like, about him. I stayed with him for my parents. They were friends with his and we grew up together, but he changed a lot and I didn’t really feel that way about him. He sought sexual satisfaction from a friend of mine, giving me the excuse I needed to end things.” She shrugs her shoulders and sips the wine Derek poured for her. “He didn’t take it well and bombarded me with letters; love letters that then became hostile. He turned my friends against me and living there was unbearable in the end, so I moved.” She downs the remains of her wine and holds her glass out to Derek to refill.
My fists clench. “Hostile?”
She shrugs again. “He got a bit hands-on one night, cornering me when I was coming from the studio I trained at. That was the final straw for me. My mom and dad wanted me to stay, but I always planned to leave, anyway. I heard he married said friend he cheated on me with, but they spilt. She was having an affair with his friend. Karma.” She grins and I have to bite my lips. Fuck, she’s gorgeous.
“So you think it was him who sent the note?”
She taps her glass with her finger, “He sent them before, I just assumed…”
“What about after him? Other boyfriends?”
She chokes on the wine she just tipped into her mouth.
Derek leans over to pat her back. “Thank you,” she splutters. I hand her a napkin and smile. “I haven’t really dated anyone else.” She manages to answer without making eye contact. God, I knew she was innocent, but not that innocent. I change the subject to something lighter and watch her blossom; the wine has taken over and makes her giggle every time Derek or I say anything slightly amusing. I watch Derek watch her and I can’t sort through the feelings I’m having. It’s want mixed with contentment being with them.
“I need to use the ladies room,” Kyra announces in a fake, poor English accent. Her footing is unsteady. Derek jumps up to steady her, guiding her to the bathroom; I hear her giggling to him, saying she drank too much. I move some of the cushions as she stumbles back in, closely followed by Derek. I pat the seat and hold my hands out to her. She smiles, making me inhale sharply. I want her so fucking bad. “You’re so beautiful,” she murmurs, reaching out to stroke my cheek.
“You’re drunk,” I
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