Disclaimer: Not my stuff...blah blah blah you know the routine, please, review if you like it or if you have constructive criticism. Enjoy!
Slowly, my heartbeat calms and the bed seems much more comfortable. I scoop up my nightgown and pull it over my head before I settle into the covers. I sigh and look to the window, only to notice that its been opened. But when?
That's when I see him, sitting in the corner next to the dressing screen, grinning like the devil he is.
"Having fun, Miss Doyle?"
I sit up suddenly, and in my panic, I forget about the low ceiling and collide, full-force with it. Stars shoot in front of my eyes and the room spins. I feel faint, but I can't be sure if its because I've given myself a concussion or because Kartik witnessed a very private and improper moment. Ladies are not to give into their pleasures.
The room feels like its sliding into an impossible angle and I slide to the floor causing a loud 'thump' as my shoulder crashes into the hardwood. I see two things right before the world goes black: Ann sitting up with a frightened look on her face out of a dead sleep, and Kartik at my side with a strained expression on his face.
There's a sharp throbbing in my head. I can't believe I slept with it, but the pain isn't great enough to stop me from reaching a hand up to touch it.
"OW!"
"Miss Doyle? Are you awake?" It was Miss Nightwing.
Slowly I open my eyes and groan at the brightness of the light. The sun is up, I've slept through the night. I blink several times to adjust to the light, and try to sit up. Apparently, this wasn't a good idea because the room took another violent spin and my head lurched in pain. Miss Nightwing is on me quicker than lightning, pushing me back into the bed and scolding me for trying to sit up.
"What…what happened…last night?" I can barely string the words into a question for the throbbing pain.
Miss Nightwing coolly looks down at me, "You were having a fit in your sleep, a nightmare perhaps. Miss Bradshaw woke when you cracked your head on the ceiling and came to find me after you'd fainted. Lucky for you, you did not fall out of bed and cause further injury. However, you will be spending the day in bed, and I shall return in a few hours with your lunch. I suggest you try to rest, Miss Doyle. And please, try to control your fits, my nerves are on edge today enough as it is."
With that she exits my room, shutting the door behind her.
Ann lied. I can hardly believe it. She left out the bit where Kartik was in our room.
Oh god. I can remember more now. Kartik was watching me. My head gives an unwanted throb at this thought. What am I to say to him now? Should I explain myself? Does he know that it was…him…I was thinking about?
It is too horrible a notion for me to consider.
But how long had he, in fact, been in my room? The breeze. I remember feeling a chill and it hadn't registered. I just passed it off as a minor annoyance when I was trying to get to sleep. He had to have crawled in the window then.
If that was the case, why hadn't he spoken to me then, let his presence be known?
So many questions, yet I do not want to be alone with him because of what he must think of me now.
I curl on my side, lost in the ever growing pile of questions, when I feel the chill again. I start to sit up quickly, but am quickly reminded of what happened last time I did this and stop.
I hear him chuckle from somewhere near the window, "Did you finally learn your lesson last night?"
"Do you always need to laugh at my expense?" I turn to glare at him. I am annoyed that he can get into my room so easily. I am annoyed that he thinks that my pain is comical. Mostly, I am annoyed because I am very certain that he saw every second of last night's incident and I do not want him to hold that moment of weakness over me.
"My apologies. I came to make sure that you were well."
"Well? I am not well, I have the worst headache and you think its amusing!" I am not going to let this go. "And, if it weren't for you, I would have no headache and would be going about my daily life as usual!" My voice was taking on a high-pitched edge, near hysteria. He was going to laugh again, I could feel it.
His eyes adopt a strange look to them. An almost hungry look. "Miss Doyle," he says as he walks to my bedside, "If you were not engaging in…such activities last night, I wouldn't have startled you so."
Yes. I am indeed angry. I can feel a slight blush creeping across my skin. He has no right to discuss what I do in my bedroom. "It is my bedroom and you've no right to be in here. In fact, you are not welcome!" Yes, I sound hysterical. I am embarrassed, but I don't want Kartik to know this, so he gets my anger.
He is sitting next to me on my bed now, and is too close. I can feel the heat of his body through my blankets. I can see the shadow of stubble along his chin. His shirt has a small rip at the seam. I glare up into his eyes. Dark and trapping, but at the moment, alight with a devilish grin that I imagined last night.
He leans in close and I add a scowl to my glare. "You know, you are maddeningly gorgeous when you're angry." Right now, I am hoping that my eyes will burn his flesh off. I hate the way he's looking at me. "You have this adorable little pout," he continues, "and the blush in your cheeks reminds me of last night."
My anger reaches a breaking point at his last comment and I raise my hand to slap him, but Kartik is quicker and catches my wrist easily. He laughs, and before I realize what I am doing, I've got my free hand tangled in the hair at the back of his head and our lips are crushed together. His eyes go wide in surprise, but he quickly closes them and parts his lips, brushing his tongue along my lip.
I pull back panting, and noticing that he still holds on to my wrist, yank myself free.
"Well that was unexpect-" he begins, but I hold a finger to his lips to quiet him while I gently push him back into my bed, so that his head is at the foot of it.
I sling one leg over him so that I am completely on top, staring down at him. He stares back at me and we sit like this for a few moments. A hand reaches for my thigh, fingers graze the skin, dragging my nightgown higher up my leg. I lean down and press my lips to his again; his arms reach around me, holding me tighter. I part my lips and deepen the kiss. He lets me have control of his mouth for a few moments, but then, his hungry tongue pushes into my mouth, exploring and tasting. I moan slightly into his mouth and he presses me closer to him, grinding his hips against mine. He smells of spices and the scent fills me up. I sit up and toss my head back, rocking against his pelvis slowly. His hands come to a rest on my hips and he watches me moving above him.
I glance down at him and give him a wicked smile, "I take it you like to watch."
Kartik growls in the back of his throat and shoves me on to my back. In a single, swift motion, he's caught both my wrists in one hand above my head and trapped me beneath him with his weight. "Participating is more fun, but only when I am invited, of course."
His voice is gruffer than usual and I can feel his need growing between my legs. I smile up at him, empowered with the knowledge that I can make him react this way. To add to the effect, I wiggle my hips at him, brushing his erection. "Oh, you think you're clever do you?"
"I am told that I am very clever, for a girl."
"We'll see about that." And he dips his head and I can feel his lips close around the pressure point on my neck, just at the pulse. His tongue flicks out, licking and sucking gently until I moan. A familiar tingling sensation begins between my legs, and his free hand finds it way there.
"Kartik!" I gasp as his fingers just brush by my lower lips. He chuckles softly as he brings his hand back into sight.
"I guess we have the same effect on each other."
Noises from the hall nearly startle me into smashing my head again, if it hadn't been for Kartik pinning me down. In a flash he's off me and at the window. "I'll be back later to, er, make sure you're still alright." And with a devilish look in his eyes, he's out the window and gone.
Quickly I crawl under my blankets and straighten them out, just as Felicity comes bursting into the room followed by a harassed looking Ann.
"Gemma! Are you alright? Ann told me you had a nasty head bang last night, but the blasted teachers wouldn't let me up to see you, so we had to sneak before classes." Felicity looked a little more closely, "Gemma, dear, do you have a fever as well? You're all flush."
"No, Fee, I was just beginning to doze and you startled me, is all," I reply, hoping to death she bought my lie.
"Oh, alright then. We'll let you rest, but please do try to be careful."
"We brought you some cakes from this morning, in case you got hungry," says Ann.
"Thank you."
"And we'll be back later."
"Alight, but hurry, you're going to be late," I chide.
Finally, they leave, the door closes with a snap behind them and I'm left in the room with a plate of cakes and a horrid sense of dissatisfaction.
There was no bloody way I was going to get sleep now…
A/N: AHHHH! Cliffhanger…lol