Grape Juice

"I'm guessing you have a better idea?" Casey huffed indignantly, smoothing her skirt down. Emily was trailing behind, laughing hysterically.

"I'm not walking three miles in the cold," Derek said determinedly.

"Hello! I'm in a skirt." She gestured to her rather revealing attire with irritation.

"I noticed," he muttered, his eyes unconsciously wandering the length of her body.

"And I have heels!" she added as if realizing for the first time. "So stop complaining."

"We wouldn't have this problem if you had just kept watch on Emily," he retorted, hitting his forehead on the windowpane of the locked car.

"What, keep her from drinking?" She leaned against the car beside him. "That would have been impossible."

"Then why didn't you take the keys?" he whined exasperatedly.

"It slipped my mind, alright. And when I did remember, she wouldn't give them to me," she cried in defense.

Derek looked back at Emily who was singing a much butchered rendition of 'I will survive', a bottle in hand, and groaned again. Casey sighed.

"Look, let's just go. There's no point in trying to get through that." She pointed towards Emily in aggravation. Casey was afraid she was going to lose feeling in her legs soon.

Derek scowled but agreed. He watched as she took the bottle out of Emily's hands, despite the inebriated girl's protests, and dragged her forwards.

"Why you gotta be such a party pooper, Case," Emily slurred, unable to fight Casey's grasp. Casey shook her head.

"Unbelievable. She calls me a party pooper," she mumbled, more to herself that anyone else, earning a hearty laugh from Derek.

"I'm gonna go with you on this one, Case. She's the one ruining it tonight." Derek said, a smirk forming on his lips. "Times are changing." Clearly, he was suggesting someone else usually was.

"Shut up." Casey let go of Emily once she was sure the girl was respectfully keeping in line with them.

"As long as you're not denying it," he teased with a twinkle in his eyes.

"You weren't complaining the other night," she said boldly. Derek raised his eyebrows, his grin spreading further.

"Do you really wanna go there?"

Casey rolled her eyes. "There's nowhere to go, you smug bastard."

He could visibly see her trying to keep the corners of her mouth from quirking upwards. Not wanting to let an opportunity pass by, Derek wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Are you sure about that?" he whispered huskily, his mouth close to her ear. He smiled triumphantly when she shivered. She shoved him off.

"Jackass."

"Yet…" he said, purposefully letting his sentence trail. Casey narrowed her eyes.

"Are we almost there?" Emily complained, breaking the tension-charged silence. Her head fell back on Casey's shoulder.

"Almost," she exhaled, glad for the change of subject. Her intense encounter with Derek the other night had turned everything upside down. For days, all she would think about was his touch, his lips, his skin.

The next ten minutes were spent in silence with the occasional wary glances between Casey and Derek. Emily was practically asleep. When they reached the house, Derek pulled out his key.

"I'm so tempted to leave her on her front porch," Casey admitted half-heartedly, effectively waking Emily up.

"Why is it so cold," she mumbled sleepily. "Let's take the car." She slowly dug in her pockets and revealed her car keys. Lucky for her, she was too intoxicated to notice Derek and Casey's identical death glares.

"Your idea looks really inviting now that you mention it," Derek said, but proceeded to open the door.

"Tell me about it." She dragged Emily after her and moved up the stairs as quietly as possible. When she got her friend perfectly settled and tucked into her bed, she went back downstairs. She found Derek in the kitchen emptying the rest of the grape juice in a cup. She took it before he was able to take a sip.

She finished it in a single gulp, watching him gap at her stupidly.

"My juice!" he whispered indignantly. She moved around the counter and grinned mischievously. She wrapped her arms around his waist.

He shook his head, trying to get out her grasp.

"You can probably still get a taste…" she suggested impishly, tightening her grasp.

"Oh, now you wanna touch me," Derek said playfully, bringing his lips softly to hers anyway.

"Emily was there," she explained in between kisses.

"Yeah like she would have noticed," he laughed, his hands roaming her back. They tangled in her hair as he pulled her into a deeper kiss.

She moaned quietly, giving herself completely to Derek's invigorating ministrations. He moved his lips to her neck.

"Teasing me with that skirt," he said against the smooth surface of her collar. "And that shirt."

His right hand traveled dangerously up her thigh. She exhaled contently. "You love it," she murmured roguishly. Suddenly taking charge, Casey pushed him back, pressing him into the counter.

"Fuck," he grunted when she bit his earlobe. She roved her hands up his chest and into his hair. She pressed herself closer so that every part of her body was touching his.

"So I was thinking…," she managed to say as Derek explored every crevice of her mouth. "Since my bed…is busy… maybe…" She was cut short by Derek's bold hands reaching her inner thigh. His fervor and persistence always took her by surprise.

"Maybe what?" he asked knowingly, his lips still hovering close to hers. He scattered kisses along her jaw. She could practically feel his smile as he blissfully tortured her.

"You can give me that extra blanket from your room," she joked, trying to sound serious as she pulled away reluctantly. He frowned in mock-reflection and started rubbing soothing circles on her exposed hip.

"I do believe it's in the laundry," he declared in an apologetic voice, even if he was anything but. "But I don't mind sharing mine." Casey laughed quietly.

"Of course you wouldn't."

She felt her heart flutter when an incredibly boyish smile appeared on his face. Before she knew it, he grabbed her hand and led them upstairs to his room. He softly kicked the door shut so as to not wake anyone up.

It wasn't long before they completely forgot about Emily.