Drunken Secrets
Prologue pt. 1
Okay, she'd admit it: she wasn't much of a drinker.
In fact, she rarely drank at all.
Unlike her master, who drowned herself in sake to avoid her leadership duties, Sakura never found a particular interest in alcohol. Sure she was like her master in more ways then one, but drinking….yeah. That wasn't her thing.
So why then, would you ask, was she sitting at a bar downing a glass of alcohol?
Maybe it was because she needed to relax.
Maybe her constant work load and medic duties were stressing her out.
Or maybe it was simply because she wanted to forget her overly attractive spikey haired teammate who had never left her heart and was currently sitting in a booth across the bar from her.
Yeah, it was defiantly the stress from work…NOT.
Sakura picked up the shot glass and stared vacantly into the bronze colored liquid.
Pathetic, she thought with disdain. You are such a pitiful mess right now, you're only solace is a glass of bourbon that is strong enough to knock out a horse…
She cast a dreading look down at herself and hung her head in shame. Unlike all of the attractive girls in the bar who were dressed to make men fall to their feet, Sakura was in a pair of pale blue hospital scrubs, worn out sneakers and had her hair tied back into an unkempt ponytail.
Aren't you just the text book definition of classy?
So coming to a bar right after completing a grueling surgery probably wasn't the best way to pick up guys, but it wasn't like she was trying to pick any up or that any guy would look at her in the current state she was in. She knew for a fact that guys didn't find hospital scrubs all that appealing. They liked generic appealing things, like the woman scant of clothing who just walked past her.
Sakura glanced over her shoulder to snort in disbelief at the woman as she walked towards the washroom, only to let her gaze fall on the far booth where her teammate was sitting. She happened to notice finally that he wasn't alone; most of their male friends were with him, clearly out on one of their many 'bachelors night out' events.
That particular evening, Sasuke was accompanied by Naruto( of course), Kiba( a no brainer), Shikamaru( mildly surprising) and Neji ( a total shocker). Naruto as usual was piss drunk, and trying out his flawless moves on a bottle of sake— since you know, his track record for picking up girls was just as good as Sasuke's (only in his dreams)— and Kiba, his right hand man, had managed in his drunken stupor to gain the attention of several girls. Sasuke and Shikamaru were having no problem keeping the flock of girls around them entertained and Neji…..Neji…well, Neji looked bored. Although mildly surprised, Sakura couldn't really blame him. It wasn't like there were a lot of girls there up to his standards. Of course he was a man, and he probably didn't really care too much about what the girls were like when all he cared about was bedding one…but Neji had standards- and Sakura really admired that.
Okay sure, every guy has standards to some degree. But Neji….maybe it wasn't his standards she admired maybe it was just his principles. He obviously was a very traditional guy and the fact that he stuck to his principles was admirable. There that was what she had meant.
Thinking about Neji all of a sudden, felt weird to her. Normally the only man she ever thought about was Sasuke (not to the point of obsession like how she had been as a young girl, but in a more mature and affectionate way); it was probably the work of the alcohol.
But as she started to think about it, Sakura started to realize she never really took time to notice Neji much. So it was only natural he never occupied her thoughts until now. They weren't even that close, in fact they were barely acquaintances. The only reason they ever interacted was because of work…or to exchange pleasantries in an attempt to be polite. Therefore, she couldn't be at fault for not noticing him and it wasn't like he would notice her. Obviously she was nowhere near up to his standards and it wasn't like she went out of her way to try and gain his attention either. So there was that.
Neji in general puzzled her. She wasn't exactly sure as to why he puzzled her, which was even more puzzling, but he did. She barely knew anything about him maybe that was part of the reason he puzzled her. But the most puzzling thing was why he wasn't with someone. That must be it.
Surely his family had set him up with several suitable candidates over the years, and there was clearly a long line of women just waiting for the chance to talk to him. So why wasn't he with someone? He had the looks—his looks alone were more than enough— and as far as she could tell, he had the personality (If you didn't focus on the fact that like Sasuke, he was a total block of ice when it came to emotion). The whole concept just made her brain hurt.
Letting out a discontented sigh, Sakura set down her shot glass and rubbed her temples.
Wasn't the alcohol supposed to make her not think? If that was the case why was she busy focusing on Neji's relationship status? It clearly was none of her business—but she was s-o-o curious.
No! Sakura shook her head in a reprimanding fashion, stay out of it!
Her emerald eyes settled on her shot glass in mild confusion,
"Maybe I'm not drinking enough?" she murmured.
"If I drink more," she said with false certainty, "I will forget all about this, and everything will be fine!"
Sakura stared at the glass for a few more moments before letting her head drop, "God I'm a mess!"
Her gaze shifted on the Hyuga Heir once again. Her eyes skimmed over the parts of his body that weren't obscured by the table and released a small sigh. He really was good looking.
'Good' wasn't even a strong enough word to describe how attractive he was. He was g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s and alluring. No that wasn't right either; he was so undeniably sexy that it hurt to look at him. There, that was better.
Sakura was pretty sure that if she stared at him any longer she might go blind because he was that ridiculously radiant. At least she wasn't alone, the increased gathering of girls surrounding him were clear proof of that. She watched them swoon with a faint smile, remembering how she did the same thing as a child whenever Sasuke walked by.
I was such a naïve little girl back then, to think he would actually love me back….oh well. At least I've grown out of my swooning stages. This way I won't fall of my bar stool anytime soon…..She thought wryly.
He had felt a pair of eyes on him almost instantaneously.
Yes Neji was very perceptive, he didn't need to activate his byakugan to tell you that, but, this perception was geared towards something different.
Different as in, the gaze of a woman, kind of different…and not as in a sexual kind of way…but more of an amused and intrigued sort of way….and as for how his perception was geared…well….
How to put this, he could feel the gaze of the woman on him. He could literally feel her gaze centered on him. It wasn't like any of the lustful stares that the segregation of girls around him were sending his way and it wasn't the feeling he got in the throes of danger either. This feeling was just different.
Neji couldn't really find words to describe it, which perplexed him; he was all about analyzing things and strategically working on a way to solve them. So when he couldn't figure out how to describe something, he couldn't really analyze it and if he couldn't analyze it he damn well couldn't strategize either. So yes, he had encountered a problem.
Annoyed, Neji started to scan the room with pin point precision, trying to locate the source of the strong gaze. His search had been unsuccessful until his eyes had settled on the bar, where he had coincidently spotted the pink haired medic who also happened to be looking his way….looking at him more like.
He stared at her for a while, expecting her to turn away embarrassed, but she continued staring at him, so lost in her thoughts she hadn't realized he was staring directly at her.
Why is she looking at me? Why indeed?
It was a good question. It wasn't because they were friends…they weren't clearly; they were barely acquaintances and had let alone been on a total of like what 3 missions together? So that wasn't it. It couldn't be because of a medical reason, he hadn't been anywhere near the hospital in months ( he took a moment to note with pride that it was because of his practically flawless skill) so he could check that reason off the list too.
So what was it? Neji looked away from her to focus his attention on his companions, figuring the only other reason would be because her two teammates were there. He looked at Naruto first, and after watching the blond collapse in a drooling, overly boozed up heap across Shikamaru's lap, noted with distaste that it wasn't the blond. This left Sasuke.
It had to be Sasuke; Neji mentally hit himself for his stupidity for not realizing it sooner. He knew all about the pinkette's never ending infatuation on the Uchiha prodigy. Who didn't? So of course she would be looking at him…but…Sasuke was across the booth from him and more to the left of her stare… which was odd.
Very odd.
His eyebrows knit together in a mix of irritation and confusion. Wasn't Sasuke the one she would be looking at? It made perfect sense and was the only reasonable explanation he could give himself. If she was still into Sasuke, she clearly wouldn't be staring at him-so that was OBVIOUSLY a no. But if it wasn't Sasuke, what reason would she have to stare at him?
Could it be someone else? Neji turned slightly in the booth to send an analytical stare across the rest of the bar. He couldn't find any men at the moment who would spark her taste….wait, he didn't know her taste, why would he? So what was it?
He was so confused that it made him angry and disoriented. Neji sent the medic a glare, becoming even surlier after seeing she was still looking his way. He continued to glare at her for some time until he watched her turn her attention back to the bar and shortly after drop her head in a defeated manor.
Did she finally give up? Neji thought with mild disappointment; he had secretly hoped she would continue to stare at him so he could further analyze her. Partially because he wanted to find an answer to the question that had been perplexing him to no end, and also (though he didn't want to admit it) he wanted to look at her a little bit longer; it wasn't like he was attracted to her or anything. I mean EVIDENTLY he had no reason to be attracted to her. All the evidence was right there: her overly wrinkled scrubs were not appealing in the slightest and the bagginess concealed her body, so he didn't know if there was anything to really look at or not. Her shoes were tattered and her pulled back hair was a complete mess. So why exactly did he want to look at her longer?
He didn't really know, but the more he thought about, the more he realized he didn't actually mind her disheveled appearance. In fact it was quite refreshing. He was used to all of the carelessly dressed women in the bar who over amplified everything just to get someone's attention. All of them dressed up so neat and made up to try and appear absolutely perfect. He was used to that, so maybe that was why she was suddenly becoming mildly appealing in his eyes. In fact, he particularly liked her messy ponytail, it was quite attractive in that weird and wildly sexy- morning after- kinda' thing.
Neji mentally punched himself in an attempt to stop his mind from going places it shouldn't. Places like…what she would actually look like the morning after sex, how the afterglow would look on her, but more importantly what she was like in bed.
She was a medic, so she knew human anatomy…particularly the male anatomy… like the back of her hand, so wouldn't that make her ten times better than all the other girls he'd been with?
His mind lingered on that fact for a while longer before he forced the thoughts to the back corners of his mind once again. Knowing information was one thing, but knowing how to utilize that information was another thing entirely. He was starting to have doubts.
Hoping for a distraction, Neji decided to let the issue of her skills in bed dissipate and focus on Shikamaru who was trying to peel Naruto off him. Although the shadow manipulators failed attempts were amusing, Neji could feel his eyes subconsciously migrating back in Sakura's direction. Before he knew it, he was staring at her again.
Why the hell am I looking at her again? It shouldn't matter to me what she's doing or how good she is in bed… Fuck!
Neji scolded himself repeatedly; frustrated with himself. This was not how someone of his status or skill should be acting.
She was looking at him again, with a kind of faraway look in her eye. The gaze had a different feel this time too.
It was almost as if she was…admiring him. After a few more seconds of methodical thinking, he reconfirmed that she was indeed admiring him. His ego started to subconsciously inflate; he could feel pride swelling up in his chest until she let out a sigh. The bubble of pride suddenly popped.
The boisterous smirk that had been spreading across his lips fell into a sudden frown. He couldn't tell if the sigh was a good thing or a bad thing and it made the irritation return all over again. It seemed like a bad thing, which made absolutely no sense to him. What was there that shouldn't be admired? Everything about him was admirable.
He ground his back teeth together in annoyance.
This was all her fault. If she hadn't been staring in the first place none of this would have happened!
He sat there, watching her watch him for what seemed like an eternity until he had enough. Neji pulled himself from the booth and moved towards her, a predatory look gleaming in his eyes.
Sakura had started staring off to space in Neji's overall direction without realizing it. She was starting to slowly realize that the alcohol was defiantly not doing what it was supposed to and was making her feel rather lethargic instead.
There is definitely something wrong with me, she thought out loud. Sakura sent a bored look in the direction of Neji's booth. Her eyes fell on the spot where Neji had previously been sitting, it took her a moment to realize that he was missing and as she started to scan the bar she found him.
An instant feeling of dread washed over her. He was walking right towards her; their situation was just like a lion and a gazelle. Whereas he was the hungry lion and she was the gazelle about to be eaten.
Her face drained of color, shit! Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. He noticed I was staring at him! Damn it! You've totally made yourself look like a fucking fool! This is JUST what I need!
Sakura turned around to face the bar fully and kept her gaze glued to her half empty shot glass. Her heart was starting to drum in her chest, creating a nervous tempo.
She could feel his presence as he stopped to the right of her and she could most defiantly feel his gaze focused on her face.
He. Is. Going. To. Kill. Me.
She kept waiting for him to say something, but he remained silent.
Is he trying to scare me or something?! I'm freaked out and embarrassed enough as it is, I don't need any more awkward silence!
Neji was silent for several more seconds before he bothered to speak.
"Haruno," he said. "Is there a PARTICULAR reason why you have been staring at me for the last half hour?"
Had it really only been a half hour? It felt longer than that…and as to his question….
Well obviously there was a reason why she was staring at him, she wouldn't just stare at someone without one…..then again alcohol can do that to a person. She couldn't count how many times she'd see Tsunade stare off into space after drinking her weight in sake.
But what was she supposed to say? ' I was just really curious as to why you are still single?' so I decided to stare at you like a creep for the last thirty minutes. That reply wouldn't make the situation any more awkward. She was probably already creepy enough in his mind already without her having to say that.
"Well?" he inquired more persistently.
Sakura licked her lips nervously-what the hell was she supposed to tell him? Her emerald eyes came to rest on the glass before her.
As she saw it, there were really only two options left.
Option 1: Sprint out of the bar like a bat out of hell. Though she could almost guarantee the Hyuga wouldn't let her live the next time he saw her if she tried that.
Which left her second option.
Option 2: Down the shot like there was no tomorrow, and blame her actions on the alcohol. It seemed like the more reasonable and cowardly thing to do.
Then again, running still looked pretty tempting….
Neji watched her with mild interest as she took the shot and downed the rest of what she had in her glass before turning to him and saying,
"I was curious—Hey, can I get another glass?!" So much for taking it easy on the alcohol; but it wasn't like she could give him a satisfying explanation without it.
"You were…curious?" he asked appearing to be thrown for a loop, "about what pray tell?"
Sakura thanked the bartender for the refill and picked up the glass; managing to blurt out a response without thinking shortly after.
"I was wondering why you are still single."
Sakura's entire body became rigid after realizing what she had just said.
Had she seriously just said that.
Oh my god she had.
Omigod. Omigod. Omigod! You dumbass! How could you say that?! Damn it alcohol!
Sakura was so embarrassed she wanted to go jump of a cliff. Her eyes darted to the door; she could still make a run for it.
She mentally face-palmed herself then hung her head in despair.
You can't leave now; then he really would kill you!
Sakura grabbed her shot glass, squeezed her eyes shut and gulped down the liquid just to avoid having to speak again.
Peeking open one eye, she glanced in the man's direction. The byakugan expert appeared to be taking in what she had just said and was apparently thrown for another loop.
Way to go Sakura! You just fried his brain! How are you going to explain that now?!
Sakura lowered her head in agony and was too afraid to look at him. But something didn't feel quite right.
Daring herself to look at him once again, Sakura managed to peek at him and what she saw made her groan inwardly.
The corners of his lips were quirked up into a titillating smirk, and his pale eyes had a spark of interest to them.
Why was it, Sakura wondered, that even though he was merely smirking at her, it made her body suddenly feel hot.
It wasn't a good sign.
In fact, it was a very, very bad sign. The last thing she needed was to start having sexual feelings towards him. Because once the feelings started, she had a sinking feeling she wouldn't be able to get rid of him. The last thing she needed right now was to become horny right in front of him. That would be very bad.
The alcohol was to blame for this. It was most defiantly to blame.
"Why exactly, Haruno, do you want to know the reason behind my relationship status?" His question brought her back to reality.
Sakura looked away from him momentarily to wave down the bartender before looking back at him quizzically.
"Why exactly would you care if I was curious? It's not like my input would make any difference in any of your decision making." Good, she could at least keep her tone confident. Thank god, she didn't stutter.
Neji's smirk broadened just a tad; she was becoming quite interesting to talk to.
"You make a valid point," he answered. "But then again, most people who are curious just ask, they don't stare at the person for thirty minutes."
Her cheeks suddenly became the color of her hair; he watched her head droop in shame and he couldn't hide the amused look spreading across his face. She was becoming rather fun to mess with as well; maybe he would find a source of entertainment after all.
Sakura looked up to see the bartender come over just in the nick of time, giving her more time to think of an answer.
"Could you just leave the bottle?" she muttered, fearing that without alcohol this conversation would get a lot worse and a lot more awkward.
It was bad enough that he wouldn't leave.
The bartender smiled at her, "Sure thing. Would your companion like a glass as well?"
Sakura shook her head as she slumped over the countertop, "No. He was about leave."
Neji focused his attention on the bartender, "I would thank you."
The bartender continued to smile as he turned around to go fetch another glass.
Sakura gave him a glower out of the corner of her eye.
"Glaring at me won't make me leave any faster," he said with a trace of humor in his voice. Something Sakura didn't expect him to have.
She picked up the bottle and poured herself another shot. She set the bottle down and tapped it with her forefinger.
"This," she grumbled. "Is the reason why I was as you put it 'staring', when in reality I was just merely observing you."
"Is that what you were doing?" he inquired intrigued. "What did you hope to gain from 'observing' me then?"
She took the glass in her hand and raised it to her lips; he watched her tilt her head back and couldn't help but settle his eyes on her exposed neck. Her skin looked impeccably soft and he wondered what it would taste like. From where he was standing, he could faintly smell the fragrance of soap and as his eyes traveled up the slope of her neck, they ran across her jawline- she had quite a beautiful jawline- and lastly his eyes settled on her lips.
Her lips were pretty damn perfect. Which surprised him; those full, slightly pouty, pearl pink toned lips of hers looked as soft as a rose peddle. He could only imagine how they must taste or how they would feel against his and the only flaw he could find with them was that there was no flaw.
They were that perfect.
Neji closed his eyes momentarily to scold himself, kissing her was not why he had come over, and if he stared at her mouth any longer, she might actually kiss him with it.….though at the moment it wasn't like he would push her off it she tried to.
Damn it, he swore under his breath. This confrontation was not going as he had planned.
Sakura heard the barstool beside her screech as it was pulled out, she watched Neji sit down and down his shot of alcohol in one drink.
He clearly had something to get off his mind as well and he was more than welcome to join the 'drown our sorrows in alcohol' club.
For the first time that night, her brain had started to tingle- 'FINALLY!' she had wanted to scream. The buzz was starting to irrevocably set in, and that meant the damned alcohol was working. Who knew she had such a high tolerance for alcohol!
Sakura briefly thanked Neji for pouring her another glass and stared at the liquid for a moment before deciding she might at as well answer his question before she became so drunk she wouldn't be able to talk.
"You know," she murmured resting her cheek on her fist and tilting her head to the side so she could get a good look at him. "You're very attractive; in fact, you're one of the most attractive people I know."
Neji nearly spit out his shot when she had said that. How could she say that so straight forward and confidently?! Hadn't she JUST been a bundle of nerves a second ago? He swallowed sharply and couldn't help but look at her agape.
"Y-You find me attractive?" Great, now he was the one fucking stuttering.
Sakura's head moved a short distance in a nod; she was looking straight in his eyes, as if she were reading his soul and it was making him uncomfortable for the first time in his life.
Managing to gain back his composure in an attempt to hid his discomfort, Neji poured himself a another glass and asked tartly,
"Is THAT why you were observing me, Haruno?"
"Kinda'," she traced the rim of her glass with a finger. "I just honestly couldn't believe you weren't engaged already with some suitor your family had found for you."
His family wasn't a topic he was overly keen on discussing, in fact he wanted to avoid it completely. Neji drank the glass and set the shot glass back down on the counter loudly. If she kept asking him questions like that, he'd be drunk before her. And that was MOST definitely not appropriate for his image or his family's image.
Her voice made the ringing in his ears vanish suddenly. He refocused his attention on her and watched her down a shot for the umpteenth time that night.
"I don't know what it is, but there is something wrong with me."
He couldn't agree more. How could her wits still be perfectly intact after all that alcohol? She should be keeled over on the floor right now like her blond teammate. Though, Neji had to give her credit, he hadn't met another woman before who could hold as much alcohol as he could and still seem fine.
"What makes you say that?"
She was looking at him again, a somber look in her green eyes this time. " I keep finding guys with absolutely no emotional expression like you and Sasuke attractive…and eventually devote myself body and soul to them. God I'm a fucking idiot!"
She pounded her fists lightly against her head a few times and then punched the counter top- effectively leaving a small crater worthy of her reputation in the formerly pristine marble. Neji waited for her miniscule tantrum to cease before filling his glass again and hers- afraid she might break the bottle too and then they would both be at a loss.
The small smile curling her lips upward almost made him drop his shot glass. Why the hell was she smiling at him like that, so sincere and…and…looking so fucking pretty she stole the air from his lungs. He hadn't done anything in his life to deserve such a smile….he could feel his heart pitter pattering against his rib cage (which was a first in his life) and he swore a blue streak in his mind.
"I like your temperament much better than Sasuke's though, Neji. You not only are complete gentlemen but you also express your gratitude without needing someone to twist your arm. Plus you stick to your principles and I really admire that."
Neji felt his face heat up, when had it gotten so damn hot in this building?
"T-this…this is unnecessary."
His ears reddened when she laughed at him; he broke into a scowl. He wasn't supposed to be ridiculed like this.
"What never been complimented before? That's another thing I like about you Neji, you're humble. If only Sasuke could be more like you; instead of a soulless man who spent his entire life seeking nothing but vengeance and now that he completed that, he has nothing left."
"He has you doesn't he?" the words tasted bitter as they left his mouth. Why was he suddenly feeling angry and annoyed with that fact?
It's because you're jealous, said a small voice in the back of his head. Neji wanted to scoff out loud at how ridiculous that sounded. No way in hell was he jealous.
The scoff that Sakura made was acerbic enough for them both. "At this point, I'm nothing more than a teammate who clung to him with foolish romantic hopes all these years. If anything I am just a friend now, which I guess in hindsight isn't too bad."
Another shot of alcohol disappeared in a matter of seconds; she slammed her glass down with such force, Neji was surprised it didn't shatter before his eyes.
"Don't you still harbor love for him?"
Sakura let out a long sigh and once again returned her eyes to him with a dry smile,
"I always will, but it won't be like what it used to be, I'm tired of gluing my shattered heart back together. I hope one day I can meet a man like you, who's strong and kind and admirable."
Neji looked away to hide that his cheeks had flared up in color again.
"You deserve much better than me," he couldn't really believe he had just said that. But, he meant it with sincerity and from the newfound twinkle in her eyes; he could tell she knew he meant every word.
"No I don't," she whispered setting down her glass. "You are exactly what I could wish for and what I would like in a man. You have all these things that I'm starting to like, that I never knew you had. But maybe that's because I don't really know you that well."
He didn't know her that well either, but he was starting to really want to get to know her.
Neji couldn't wrap his mind around what was happening between them. He had never thought in his twenty years of life, that he could have such an intimate conversation with someone and not be married to them. The alcohol could be the only reason behind it. She, as he believed it, would never be this open with him if they were both sober.
"There's not much to like," he muttered trying to squash the intimacy appearing between them, but he was struggling to do so. He actually didn't mind it, and the longer he stared at her, the more he realized he actually was welcoming it.
"Liar," she teased light heartily. "There's a lot to like."
"Like what?" he grumbled pouring himself one more glass than he needed. With the rate they were going, one bottle of alcohol wouldn't be enough. He took care of his newly poured shot rather quickly in order to see her musing over what he asked her.
His pastel colored eyes watched her raise her hand towards him and followed her finger until he became cross-eyed when she gingerly tapped his forehead protector.
"Like that mark of yours," she whispered. "I find it beautiful. It's nothing like this abnormal pink hair of mine."
She tugged on the end of her ponytail briefly for emphasis.
Neji barely registered what she was doing, her last few words were echoing around in his head like a ping pong ball. No one had ever called the mark he kept hidden under his headband beautiful. In fact beautiful was not a word he thought could ever be associated with it. So why had she?
He guessed it was just because that was who she was. Neji had heard through bits and pieces of conversation over the years that Sakura had always been a kind and compassionate person. That she didn't judge people on the physical things, or by how strong or weak they were. She based her opinion on them after she had gotten to know them. She gave everyone the benfit of the doubt and put her trust in people who often didn't deserve it. These qualities of hers, were what made her so well liked among others. Neji for the longest time had always considered such a sympathetic and caring temperament to be a weakness. Now though, in unexpected moment of clarity, he no longer thought so. Instead he was looking at her in a newfound light.
And the need to kiss her then, had never been stronger in his life.
Neji cupped his hand over her full glass and brought it down from her face to the counter top and as she turned to look at him in surprise, his spare hand cupped the back of her head and yanked her forward making her lose her balance. She managed to catch herself on his leg before he pulled her into a searing kiss.
Nobody had ever kissed her like that before, with such urgency and passion before. In fact, Sakura had only been kissed a few times and none of those times had been as unexpected or as toe-curling as this one. Maybe that was why she was still frozen in shock, with her body bent over in a weird position.
She had just said what was on her mind, but it had obviously meant a lot more to him than she had realized. And the longer she spent trying to rack her brain as to the reason why this extremely sexy ANBU captain was kissing her, she realized that it meant the chances of him stopping were much greater as well. That would be a disaster all on its own.
She may be new to the whole passion and spur of the moment thing, but in her alcohol influenced mind, she knew enough to know that she didn't want to let an opportunity like this pass by.
So she kissed him back with such reckless abandon that it made her head whirl.
This man really knew how to kiss a girl.
Like seriously, his tongue wasn't even in her mouth yet and already she felt on fire. Her entire body was bursting with newfound energy and as soon as he slipped his tongue through her lips, her entire brain turned to mush.
Neji released her shot glass and knocked it out of her hand as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her from her stool into his lap in a single heartbeat. He turned them so they were facing the bar and the small of her back crashed against the edge of the countertop just as the shot glass shattered on the floor.
A bubble of hot air swallowed them as their kissing became more frantic and fervent; both of them forgetting that they were in public.
His clan would be mortified if they were to see what he was doing. And even if they were all standing five feet away from him, in that moment he wouldn't give a fuck. This pink haired medic who he really barely knew was doing things to his body he didn't think were possible. And he was loving it.
Principles huh? What a joke. It was because of her that one of his most fundamental ones was now nothing but mere dust under his feet.
His pride was gone. She had taken it along with his sanity and now he wanted nothing more than to have her underneath him naked.
In the moment they broke for air, Sakura managed to slip herself from the confinement he had her in while being pressed between him and the counter.
"I have to go to the bathroom," she explained and before she left she gave his leg a gentle squeeze.
The hint was subtle but it was all he needed.
Sex in the bathroom? He was down for that.
To be continued…