Part 6 (1/2)

Lachlan is standing in front of me, and dammit if his gaze hasn't moved from the low drop in the front of my dress. I clear my throat and his eyes rise to mine, not one indication he is sorry for staring. d.a.m.n him and his lock-picking abilities. He used to pick every lock in the d.a.m.ned school so we could have a room to ourselves. We weren't very academically motivated back then; our hormones ran everything.

I'm so anxious and it is eating me alive. I have no idea why he is standing in front of me, breathing hard, eyes glued to me. Swallowing, he reaches over and locks the bathroom door.

That anxious feeling just turned into torment. I won't-no, I can't. ”What are you doing in here?” I finally choke out.

He doesn't answer at first, only gazes over me, head to toe. ”I-I saw you come in here. I was following you.”

Following me? Why? Had he seen Aiden try to kiss me? Had he seen me dumping my drinks? ”Why?”

His powerful chest is rising and falling hard. The fabric of his dark gray T-s.h.i.+rt is pressed as tightly as possible to his chest. Jesus. ”I-” he steps closer, the woodsy smell of his soap nearly brings me to my knees, ”-we need to talk, Lane. I-we haven't talked since it happened. I want-I need you to talk to me, please.”

”I can't. Not here. Not now. I have-I have to get back out there.” I try to move past him but he doesn't budge. ”Move, Lachlan. Now.”

He shakes his head slowly, not taking his eyes off of me. I feel dizzy, my senses not allowing me to think clearly. They're focused on him...on Lachlan.

I'm trembling from his closeness, yet I can't make myself turn away. He had always been there for me. Through it all. I tore him into pieces and he is still standing in front of me...wanting to work it out...wanting to talk to me.

Startling me, his arms come out, tangling rough fingers into my hair. He pulls, yanking my head back, to look up at him. The spot in-between my legs is burning for him. His touch...there is nothing like it. He knows exactly where to touch to drive me to my knees. Inhaling, he presses his mouth to my ear, a small growl erupting from his throat.

A strong arm wraps around my waist, and his tongue slides out to kiss my neck. I moan, not able to control myself.

”Luv, I can almost see your knickers in that dress.” G.o.d, if his accent didn't light me on fire, his fingers brus.h.i.+ng the edge of my dress does.

Arching my back, I press my chest against his, feeling how hard he is against my stomach. ”Can I kiss you, luv? You know you want me to,” he whispers, touching his lips to my jaw.

I don't answer, just keep my head pressed against his chest. I don't trust myself to look at him. I'm sure I'd be beneath him breathing hard in two point five seconds. A hungry groan leaves his throat, and he swings me around until my back presses against the bathroom wall. Grabbing my face with his hardened hands, he drags his tongue from my neck to the corner of my mouth.

I ache. Everywhere. He dampens my lips before opening me with his tongue, grazing my bottom lip with his teeth. A helpless sigh escapes my lips, which causes him to crash his tongue into me.

And I talk about Heather and Bethany and their lack of self-control. I can't help but let myself go with him. After four years of being separated in torment, I feel him against me. It's so perfectly wrong. I feel like I'm drowning in his warmth, in his want for me.

It's all happening again...that night. The day I did it. I broke his heart. I broke my own. Trying to pull my mouth away, Lachlan grips my hair tighter, keeping me in place so I can't move. ”Please, luv. Just a bit longer. I want to remember your taste. Let me taste you.”

Frustration is building in my chest, I want him too badly to describe, but I know I can't. I can't do this to him. I can't do this to me. I'm here with someone else, pretend or not. Pressing against his chest, he stops cold. No more.

He steps back away from me, eyes wide with hunger. ”Lane, I'm sorry. I couldn't help it.”

I shake my head, trying to calm myself down. My entire body is still flaming. ”You can't just come in here and kiss me, Lachlan. I'm here with someone else.”

It feels foreign on my tongue. I hadn't been with anyone else since him. It had always been him. Always.

Anger runs over his face, and he clenches his fists tight at his sides. Part of his dark hair has fallen into his eye. ”That f.u.c.king twit downstairs? You're better than him, Laney. You f.u.c.king know it. He hasn't stopped staring at your chest since you walked through the b.l.o.o.d.y door.”

I scoff. ”As opposed to you, who stares at it in the bathroom?”

Lachlan growls, pus.h.i.+ng his fingers through his hair. ”You're mine! I had you first. I deserve to have you now. You're being ridiculous...” he walks toward me, glaring. ”And you f.u.c.king liked it, luv.”

Half of my body is cowering in a l.u.s.tful fear, and the other half, the logical half, is mad as h.e.l.l. ”Get out of the way.”

He sidesteps me and holds his hands up. ”Gladly.”

Slinging the door open, I slam into a few people scattered through the hallway. I'm raging and I can't wait to get out of here. I make it to the bottom of the stairs and run right into Aiden.

He grabs my shoulders and bends his knees to get a better look at me. ”Wow, Laney. Are you okay? You're pale...” He gazes over me and it makes me nervous. I hope I don't look as hot as I feel.

”Yeah,” I scratch my forehead. ”Actually, can we head out of here? I'm feeling a little sick to my stomach.”

”Sure, let me get our coats.”

Aiden doesn't say much on the way home. He holds my hands between his, rubbing over my fingers lightly. The gesture surprises me but I don't stop him.

When we get to my dorm, he opens the double doors for me and walks me up the stairs. My hormones are just now calming down, and the thought of him kissing me goodnight is alive on my mind. I listen when we get to our door, just in case Heather and Bethany are listening on the other side. I'm sure they are.

Aiden clears his throat and tugs on his sleeve. ”I'm sorry you weren't feeling too great. Are you feeling better?” he asks, pus.h.i.+ng his blond hair from his eyes.

I nod. ”Yeah, I think the smoke and alcohol started to get to me.”

Aiden licks his lips, eyes darting over my face. I haven't given him any reason not to kiss me, so it shocks me when he asks. ”Laney, I really like you. I don't want to push you away, so I'm asking, can I kiss you goodnight?”

I hear a loud gasp from the other side of the door. Aiden's brows pull together and he jabs a thumb toward my room. Panicking, I grip his face between my hands, holding him an inch away until he is really nervous. Leaning forward, I press my lips to his. He takes a long breath in, then reaches for my waist and pulls me toward him. He is solid, his lips soft, and Bethany wasn't lying. He is a pretty good kisser. But, not Lachlan great.

Pulling back, he groans and presses his forehead to mine. ”G.o.d ...I think that's the best first kiss I've ever had.”

Smiling, I reach for the door and slide it open. ”See you later, Aiden.”

He is smirking when I close the door.

”Holy s.h.i.+t, Laney. Get your a.s.s over here. Why aren't you melted into a puddle right now?” Heather screeches.

I lift an eyebrow, then it comes to me. They saw and heard everything in the bathroom too. Blood rushes to my cheeks, and I feel warm. Bethany is sitting on her s.h.i.+ns, her hands pressed underneath her chin as if in prayer.

”Who the h.e.l.l is Lachlan? And you just had two totally hot guys kiss you. What is going on?” Bethany yells.

Sighing, I slip out of my shoe and dress. ”I told you both, Lachlan is an ex-boyfriend. He...kissed me in the bathroom. There. That's it.”

Heather laughs, bends over and really laughs. ”Right, because that in the bathroom was just a kiss. He f.u.c.ked your mouth, Laney. That was the hottest kiss ever. 'Please, luv. Just a bit longer. I want to remember your taste. Let me taste you,'” she says in a fake Australian accent.

I roll my eyes to keep from drawing attention to my blush. It was the best kiss ever, though. My panties are still soaked. Shrugging, I crawl into bed beside Bethany. ”Jesus...it was so good.”

Heather claps her hands together and jumps onto her bed. ”Are you going to tell us what happened?”

I shake my head. ”I'm tired. I just want to go to sleep. I mean-I just got tongue raped by two guys. Well, sort of.”

Bethany smirks and plays with the end of her hair. ”He...he just kissed you. He didn't try and come inside or jump you.”

Tears are building in her eyes. I wrap my arm around her shoulder and pull her toward me. ”You want to stop? I can easily break it off now.”