Chapter 4:
The week had been a long one, longer than usual, each day dragging on as he sat through class, trying his best to keep a focused mind. Of course, being honest with himself, the only thing he could focus on was waking up in Addison Warner's bed five days prior. Since then they had barely spoken.
It wasn't for lack of trying on both of their parts, neither one had been available for anything aside from a few phone calls here and there. They had both had a busy week what with his projects and research. Neither had much time to breathe let alone to set up lunch in the midst of their busy schedules. But that didn't stop him from wondering what was going through her head right now.
The night he'd showed up on her doorstep and all but pleaded with her to stay, he was sure he'd made a complete arse out of himself. But she had been understanding and held him in her small arms. Hardly any words had passed between them that night but she seemed to comprehend without him having to delve into all the details that had caused him to drive three hours in the middle of the night to end up at her flat instead of his own. Whatever had made him do it, waking up to her by his side, her dark hair covering her pillow, had been a sight that he wasn't expecting when he opened his eyes. But it was nice all the same.
Harry was barely aware when his class ended, his professor stopping him momentarily to ask him if everything was okay. Dr. Sharpe was Harry's favorite professor in the MBA program and he was normally pretty outspoken in class. He and Sharpe would debate certain ideas and come up with solutions. But today, he honestly wasn't paying much attention. Harry apologized and assured Dr. Sharpe that he was fine, just a little tired from the previous night's exam studying. Dr. Sharpe didn't press the matter and only said he'd catch up with him on Monday.
Harry made his way down the steps, out towards the main street, his solitary book in hand. As he glanced up, he spotted Addie in a simple black dress and heels, holding two coffees in hand and wearing a large smile on her face. Her hair was down, an unusual sight one a work day, falling gently over her shoulders and down her back. Harry couldn't hold back the smile that was tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Finally, five more minutes and I would have drunken your coffee and mine," she joked as he approached her and she leaned in to kiss is cheek casually. The smell of her hair lingered between them as she handed him a cup with a Starbucks label on it and grinned. "I thought you might have had a long day," she told him.
"I did thanks, so thanks for this," he told her holding up his coffee. "Did you walk all the way here?" he asked her, looking at his watch and noting that it was only 5:30, she would have had to run to make it this quickly.
"God no!" she laughed as they started walking. "I took the underground. I wouldn't have made it halfway in these shoes," she told him, pointing down at her black pumps which explained the reason she seemed slightly taller than usual. He was still looking down at her, her light eyes shining in the sun. She bit her lip gently and reached into her bag. "Okay so I have to admit this is kind of a bribe," she told him, referring to the coffee and couldn't help but feel amused at her announcement.
"You know, you don't have to bribe me to be your friend Addie, I already accept you and your quirkiness," he said, receiving a look that said 'really?' as she continued to rummage through her purse. She said 'Ah-Ha!' when she finally found what she was searching for and Harry did his best not to make fun of the elated expression on her face.
"Okay, so here's the thing," she started and Harry couldn't contain his ability to pick fun at her.
"Tell me the thing Addie," he pressed in mock excitement and she gave him a pout on her face that couldn't have been cuter on anyone but her. Harry sipped his coffee, trying to mask his snarkiness with a cue for her continue.
"The thing is Harry, I've got a slight dilemma and I know you didn't want to be involved, but my plans changed at the last second so I really don't have much of a choice anyways, not that you are a last resort of course…" she said rather quickly and Harry grabbed her hand.
"Whoa there slow down," he chuckled. She took a deep breath before continuing.
"Harry will you please go to my benefit with me tomorrow night?" she asked holding two tickets in her hand. Harry was always amused when she got worked up for the silliest things, especially if it had to do with work. In this particular case he wasn't sure why she'd felt the need to bribe him in order to attend. "I know you said you didn't think it was a good idea, but plans fell through with Liam and to be honest, you look like you need a night to distract you from everything that's been going on. Speaking of which, you have still yet to explain to me the purpose of your current lack of enthusiasm for the fact that it is…5:38 on a Friday."
It was true, he hadn't mentioned anything about his trip to Leeds to Addie and she had been patiently waiting to be there for him in needed. He hadn't found the right time to really discuss it in depth since they'd both been swamped all week, but he'd promised himself that he'd talk about it this weekend, because he needed to talk about it with someone.
"All in due time Miss. Warner," he told her. "But as for your benefit, I can't very well leave you dateless."
"So you'll come?" she said with a hopeful smile. He was happy seeing her like this, the smile on her lips that had been brought about because of his answer. He had found out over the past month that he very much liked pleasing Addie in any way he could. He had never seen someone so grateful when people did things for her. It was precisely why people liked doing things for her, to make her smile. Harry had never seen someone so enchanted with new experiences.
"Of course I will," he told her and she squealed with excitement before hugging him, careful not to bump his coffee, or hers for that matter, over his blazer.
"Don't tell me he's proposed already?" Harry heard from nearby, the deep male voice clearly that of Liam's as they both looked up to find him standing there with a lazy smile. Harry rolled his eyes in mock frustration before responding.
"Well now that you ruined it," Harry responding, causing Addie to swat him playfully.
"I can't take you two anywhere," she told them, sipping the rest of her coffee before tossing it in the nearby rubbish bin. "What are you doing coming this way anyways?" she asked reaching over to hug him as he kissed her cheek. "Aren't you supposed to be picking up Annelie?" Harry glanced at them both in confusion, not understanding who they were talking about but recognizing the name. He felt slightly uncomfortable as he watched Liam's hand linger on her lower back as they spoke, their distance more intimate than Harry would have liked.
"She called to say she had a few things to do first and so I walked over to see if Harry wanted to grab an early dinner, but I see he's already occupied," he said, finally stepping away and glancing over at Harry who snapped his eyes up from Liam's hand and Addie's back and found both pairs of eyes glancing at him curiously.
"I can be occupied by more than one person at a time mates," Harry replied. "And unless Addie here brought us some dinner in her relatively small purse, I say you can drag me along anywhere." Addie looked through her purse humorously.
"Nope, sorry, I already gave out my last pasta dish," she teased. "So we're close by a few things, what do you feel like?" Harry glanced at Liam, knowing they both had the same thing in mind. It was often that they'd get a bite after their classes and one of their favorite places was only a few blocks away.
"Ali Baba's?" Harry suggested and Liam nodded with a smile. Addie looked up at both of them curiously.
"What is that?"
"Best Egyptian food around," Liam replied. Addie's face looked skeptical but Harry knew she'd be up for trying it, if he suggested it. "Actually it might be the only Egyptian food round here now that I think of it."
"It'll be grand love, don't worry," he told her and watched her contemplate it for a few moments before nodding.
"Oh all right," she agreed. "I can't hate it until I try it right."
"That's what I've been trying to tell you," Harry said in a sing-song voice, referring to all their previous cuisine endeavors.
The three of them made their way towards the restaurant, walking only a few blocks before Ali Baba was in sight. They were nearly towards the entrance when Harry felt a pull on his arm and realized that Addie had stopped walking. He and Liam both stopped alongside her, watching her eyes widened and the color drained slightly from her olive skin. Harry followed her gaze to see only a group of people, a family maybe consisting of a woman, her husband and what looked to be her two teenage children. If anyone should have been worried, he thought, it should have been Liam and Harry.
"What's wrong," he asked her and she shook her head, trying to step behind him before they heard a loud feminine voice.
"Addison?" Harry looked back up to see the woman in the group with excited eyes only ten feet away. "Addison is that you?" Addie took a deep breath from behind Harry's back and placed a smile on her lips.
"Mrs. Bradley," she said slowly. "Hi, how are you?" Harry tried to figure out what was going on, how this family knew Addie and why Addie wanted to avoid them just moments before.
"Well we got in last weekend for our family vacation, staying until Tuesday and then we're off to Paris," the woman replied, pulling Addie into a tight hug. "You look fantastic, absolutely glowing. Nathan said you were in London for an internship this summer, so I was hoping we'd bump into you at some point." Harry saw, who he assumed was this woman's husband, move in and hug Addie as well.
"Oh my gosh!" Harry heard, this time from a younger female voice, and all of them turned to see the small blond standing there with her hand over her mouth. "Oh my gosh, you guys are both part of One Direction aren't you!" she said, her voice getting more high pitched by the second.
"Uh yeah, well we were. Only we're just grad students now," Harry told her, smiling as she stepped forward.
"My friends are never going to believe me!" she said jumping up and down. Now that Harry looked at her, she couldn't have been older than 15 with way too much makeup on. "Addie how do you know One Direction?" she asked eagerly and Addie's head snapped up as if she'd been in some kind of trance. Addie retold the story with slightly less detail, leaving out the bits about Kyle and the drunken night at the bar and Harry watched as the girl's eyes lit up. Harry however took this time to glance over at the remaining figure, a guy with light hair, dark eyes, and a clear fascination with Addie.
Then it hit him. This guy must have been the Nathan…Addie's ex-boyfriend Nathan.
"Harry," he heard, bringing him back from this revelation and he turned to see Liam standing with the smaller girl by his side. "She asked for a picture."
"Oh right," Harry said as Addie stepped away and Harry smiled towards the woman with the camera finding the situation suddenly as awkward as it must have been for Addie.
"We have to catch up honey," the woman said to Addie, touching her shoulder with a nurturing smile. "Why don't you join us for dinner, you can bring your friends if you'd like. Of course if they're too busy…"
"We're not busy at all," Harry found himself saying and then suddenly wishing he hadn't. Addie's face fell as she sighed and nodded.
"Sure Mrs. Bradley, we'd love to," she said softly.
"Great! Well let's grab a table. Hank will you tell them we're seating seven instead of four please?" she asked and her husband nodded as he walked in. Harry tried to catch Addie's eye as they walked in but her eyes were on the floor, not looking at anyone. The younger girl, Claire, was on her mobile, chatting away with a friend about how she was about to have lunch with Harry Styles and Liam Payne. They sat down at the table, Addie in between Liam and Harry while Claire sat on Harry's right and Nathan next to his sister.
It was slightly awkward, thought he Bradleys were fairly nice people. Harry could tell they came from money even before Hank Bradley told them he was a lawyer. He and Liam got on well, discussing various topics that allowed Hank to relive his glory years in college and fraternities. Harry learned that Nathan had just graduated from Berkeley, Addie's school, as was now at Yale for law school. There were numerous questions involving One Direction and what it was like to travel the country. Harry admitted that he enjoyed the tours and the fans and that the boys were still his best mates. But Harry's passion wasn't just singing and traveling. He wanted to be behind the scenes, running record companies and finding great talent. Liam too explained how he'd always fancied law, and One Direction had been fun while it lasted.
Claire kept asking questions, but Harry had a difficult time paying much attention, choosing instead to watch as Addie barely ate what he'd helped her pick out, and she usually wasn't one to not finish a meal. He placed his hand under the table and grabbed her hand, squeezing it in his. She looked at him for only a moment, a tired smile upon her lips before she squeezed back.
"So Addison, do you still think you'll be graduating early?" Hank asked and Addie perked up slightly.
"Yes, everything seems to be on track. I've gotten pretty far along in my major and next month I'll start applying to schools. They're really sticklers about not applying until July, so it's hard to hold back," she told them.
"That's fantastic, you always were a hard worker, always on top of things," Helen, Hank's wife, praised. "What schools are you looking at? Last time I heard from Nathan, he said you wanted to apply to Yale? He really loves it there. I don't know if I'll ever convince him to come home at this rate."
"Uh, yes I am still looking at Yale. But I've also been speaking with advisors and professors from Harvard, Georgetown and most recently University College London," she told them and both Harry and Liam looked up. This was news to Harry. He had no idea she had planned on applying out of the country.
"London? Really?" was Nathan's response and Harry finally heard his voice for the first time. Addie glanced at him and nodded.
"Well yeah I talked to Gran and she said she would be looking to move back to the UK in a matter of a couple years. Peter, Stephen, Ben and Jake are all getting settled down. And besides, I really love it here. My mentors at the museum told me about some wonderful programs that they think I'd really enjoy," Addie explained. Harry had learned quite a bit about Addie's Gran and four older brothers, all of whom seemed like great people. Then again it was Addie describing them and she hardly had a bad word for anyone, even Riannon.
"You've always had your eyes set on Yale though," Nathan cut in and Harry raised an eyebrow. "You said the Smithsonian wouldn't look at you otherwise."
"Actually I said a Master's from Yale would look good on almost any job application, but ULC over here would look just as good. And to be honest, I love working internationally. I get to keep up with my French and Spanish more than I would at the Smith, and I'd really love to be close to Gran when she comes back."
"Lillian never mentioned she was thinking of moving back here," Helen said, confused.
"Well Peter and Steven have really got the firm taken care of back in Florida and Ben and Jake are doing their own thing. She'll want to stay until Jake's wedding of course but she's ready to come back."
"Well, I'm sure everyone will know what to do when the time comes," Hank said. "You never know where you might end up."
It was over an hour and a half before they finished eating and before Claire had exhausted her bank of questions for Liam and Harry. Hank had picked up the check, insisting that he pay for the lot of them, something Harry felt slightly uncomfortable with. He preferred to pay for his own meals but Hank insisted so Harry humored him, anything to get Addie out of this situation as quickly as he could.
They stepped out giving out hugs and a few more pictures for Claire before they all started to part ways. But they weren't completely off the hook just yet fore when the Bradleys started in the opposite direction of Harry, Liam and Addie, Nathan hung back and announced that he'd meet them back at the hotel. He stood there, waiting until his parents and sister were out of sight before he even spoke.
"I can see now why you were so eager to get rid of me the other night, why you're so willing to stay," Nathan said causing Addie to roll her eyes. Harry wasn't sure what 'the other night' meant or how it had involved Nathan but he was sure it had something to do with why Addie was so uncomfortable at dinner.
"I was so eager to get rid of you Nate because I had nothing to say to you," she replied firmly. "You showed up at my door and I didn't want to see you. And anyways, there is no reason to bring this up again since I thought we put this to rest. I have no interest in discussing it further," she told him turning away. Nate grabbed her wrist, causing both Harry and Liam to step forward.
"I'd let go of her if I were you mate," Harry warned as Addie attempted to pry her hand from Nate's grasp.
"Nate what are you doing? Let go!" she said and Nate let go of her slowly, eyeing both guys curiously.
"So, which one of you is it then?" he asked.
"Which one of us what?" Liam asked, sounding just about as annoyed as Harry was at the moment. He'd had enough of this guy.
"Which one of you is she fucking?" Nate asked, the word escaped his mouth with disgust as he glanced down at her.
"Nate," she said, that tone Harry recognized that she used when she was starting to get legitimately upset. It wasn't a tone he heard very often, so he recognized it clearly when it came up. Nathan looked from Harry to Liam and then back to Harry before scoffing.
"My bet would be you," he said with a smirk, pointing at Harry. "You two looked a little too cozy earlier. So Addie, you're into washed up boyband guys now? I'm not rich enough for you? Do you actually think that either one of these guys is going to want to be in a serious relationship with you? You already had enough trust issues dating me and I'm just a normal guy not a guy who is famous for making teen girls fall at their feet."
"Oh give it a rest will you?" she said, holding her head. "You sound like a jealous boyfriend. But you're a little late for that."
"You are something else aren't you? All the crap you gave me and here you are screwing around like a little whore," Nate sneered and Harry didn't give him time to laugh before he introduced Nate's face to his fist.
"Harry!" Addie shouted as Nate doubled over in pain. "Damn it Harry! Liam, don't!" she said pushing Liam back who was attempting to take his own swing next.
"Shit!" Nate yelled, holding his face. His lip was bleeding but all Harry could think was he should have punched him harder. "What the fuck dude!" Harry moved past Addie, making sure that she was closer to Liam before he pushed Nate up against the wall.
"Listen to me you arrogant twat!" he said in a harsh whisper. "If I ever hear you speak like that about her again, a lot more than your lip will be bleedin' do you hear me?" Nate glared at him. "I said…do you hear me?" Harry could feel all his anger welling up in every inch of his body and part of him wished this wanker would do something to make hitting him again okay. But he just nodded and Harry let him go. "Now run along and don't even think about bothering her again," Harry told him and Nate looked once at Addie before grabbing his face and walking away.
Addie sighed, as if a weight had been lifted of her shoulder as she walked over towards the building and leaned up against it. Harry and Liam walked over to either side of her and watched as she stayed there, her breaths heavy and her eyes closed.
"You okay?" Liam asked as she let her head rest against the wall. She shrugged.
"I'm so embarrassed. I'm sorry you guys had to be part of that," she whispered in a strained voice. Harry pushed her hair from her face and she opened her eyes at the contact of skin.
"It's my fault Addie," he told her. "I'm the one that volunteered us." She shook her head.
"I should have told them we were busy. His mom is just so damn pushy about everything. She really wanted Nate and I to stay together. Even after we broke up she was calling me inviting me over for teas and fundraisers."
"They all seemed to really like you," Liam told her. "At least that counts for something."
"Yeah I guess," she replied.
"So what did he have to say to you the other night?" Harry asked her and he saw her eyes fall from his to her hands.
"I was wondering the same thing myself? Was this the night of my benefit?" Liam asked and she nodded.
"I was on my way back from your place," she said and Harry tried not to imagine what had taken place at Liam's then, though he was fairly sure he had an idea. She sighed before continuing. "And when I got home he was waiting outside my apartment door. I didn't realize he was here with family; that he'd be here today. I thought he came to try and get me back again, he's been trying for months to get a hold of me. But I am sick of his lies and excuses. I know I probably sound like a horrible person for just sending him away, but…he doesn't deserve a second chance."
"What'd he do?" Harry asked seriously. She looked up, her bright eyes sparkling slightly under the streetlamp and he wondered what thoughts were going through her mind.
"He slept with another girl, a friend of mine," she told him slowly and Harry nodded. He couldn't believe that someone, that some idiot, would ever do that to her. "I was distant with him; that was his excuse. He said he was angry and drunk and that it was a mistake. Maybe I was a little distant, but I like to think I deserve better than a guy who deals with his anger by fucking someone else."
"You do," both Harry and Liam said in unison. But Addie didn't look to Liam, her eyes were only on Harry.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I've put it in the past for so long that I didn't think bringing it up again would be any help at all. That's why I was so tired when you showed up that night."
"That was the night I came from Leeds?"
"Yeah, I was awake all night trying to figure out how to ignore it all again, you showing up helped," she admitted and suddenly it all made sense to Harry. Why she'd been so quiet, so exhausted, so frail. He had seen the look in her eyes even behind her glasses. But neither had been in any place to talk about much that night. He looked to Liam who was watching them with great interest. "Listen, can we just go?" she whispered. "I'm tired and Liam, Annelie is probably going to think you cancelled on her."
Harry agreed to drive her home and Liam thought it best to catch a cab. Addie didn't speak on the drive, just rested against the leather seats and looked out the window. He walked her up to her flat, passing an extremely loud couple arguing in the hallway before they reached her door. When she stopped to unlock it Harry turned to leave but she placed her hand on his to stop him. He looked down at her small hand on his and then up into her eyes.
"Harry," she whispered, his name coming off her lips so easily. "Thank you, for what you did." He didn't say anything only nodded. "I hate that you had to see me that way, so weak and pathetic."
"Hey, don't say that," he told her. "That guy is a prick. He shouldn't have put his hands on you."
"Yeah, he's never gotten that upset before, I suppose it was you and Liam that really got him riled up," she said. "Either way, I appreciate you standing up for me. It means a lot. You've been an amazing friend to me."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," he whispered, pulling her hand towards him and resting it on his chest. "You feel that?" he asked, referring to his fast-paced heart and she nodded slowly. "Only you do that to me."
"Harry," she whispered, diverting her eyes. She tried to pull her hand away but he held it in his and only pulled her closer.
"Addie there is something there, between us, don't tell me I'm the only one that's felt it," he said, his heart racing faster as he finally pushed out the words that had been on his mind all day. Addie was inches away, her breaths increased in the silence of the hallway and her eyes were searching his.
"I can't, you can't," she told him shaking her head. "You and Jules…"
"Jules and I are done, I thought you'd gathered that from last weekend," he told her. He'd been upset that night, driving all the way out to Leeds after Jules had blown up on him for taking Addie shopping. So he went up to try and salvage what they had but it was no use. The only thing left between them was anger and tension. He didn't feel the same when he looked at her, when he saw her out with friends. Everything had changed and the only person he wanted to see was Addie. So he'd ended up there in the middle of the night instead of his own flat, ignoring pleading phone calls from Jules on the other end.
"But why?" she asked, surprised. "You two love each other."
"I don't even know what love is anymore Addie," he admitted. It was true. He had spent so many of his younger years singing about love, dating women and feeling as if he were in love. But now he wasn't so sure. Now things felt different. Love was supposed to be one of the greatest feelings on earth but all he felt when he was with Jules was inconvenience. He didn't even feel lust around her anymore. Then again, there was only one girl he currently lusted after.
"I hope it wasn't on account of me," she said apologetically. Harry shook his head.
"No, she and I had been growing apart for a while. I was tired of the jealousy and the threats to leave me. It's like you said, I felt like I deserved someone who treated me better than that. I've always done my best to be good to Jules, but I'm never good enough for her. There are so many conditions and ultimatums. The day at the shops she told me she was going to leave me if I didn't come visit her. I'm sick of her pressuring me so I went up to see her, to tell her and we had a huge row. I was tired of it…all of it."
"So you broke it off?" she asked hesitantly. He nodded. "Harry listen, I know you think you feel something for me, and it's partially my fault. I've been known to be overly friendly…"
"Don't," he said, dropping her hand.
"Don't what?"
"Don't try to write this off as my imagination," he told her.
"I'm not looking for a relationship Harry, what I was doing with Liam…"
"I'm not talking about Liam," he said seriously. "I don't care what you two were doing. In fact it kills me to even think about you two together."
"Then think about reality," she said, her voice louder. "I'm going to be gone in just over two months time. I'll be back at school and you'll be here. You and I have two completely separate lives. I just don't see the practicality of…"
"Practicality? Addie do you hear yourself right now? We're not shopping for a car, I'm not asking you to marry me…I'm simply asking for you to just…" but he couldn't fill in the sentence himself. Because when it came down to it, what was he asking her for? Did he even know? He wasn't looking for a rebound, for anything in particular but he knew that he didn't like seeing her with Liam, or with anyone else for that matter.
"You see, you don't even know what you want Harry. You're confused and you are on the rebound. Of course you're going to be lonely," she said.
"The only thing I'm confused about is what's going on between us," was his reply, motioning between them.
"Nothing is going on, we're friends," she said but her voice trembled slightly.
"I don't feel this way about my other friends. I don't have the constant urge to be around them, to hear their voice to see their smile…Addie I haven't been able to think of anything but you for the past week since I zipped up your dress, since I woke up next to you and saw how beautiful you were, hell since I met you." She didn't speak at first, unsure of what to say maybe but he could see that his words were surprising to her. "Tell me something…if I kissed you right now, would you push me away?"
"Don't," she said quickly. "Don't do that," she whispered, referring to his question.
"Why?" he asked her, taking a step closer to her so her body was flush against his, her back pressed up against the door. She closed her eyes, putting her hands against his chest to keep them separated and he slid his hands onto her hips. "Why can't I kiss you?"
"Because if you did," she started, her voice low as she kept her eyes closed, concentrating on something else, most likely something besides him standing there. Her eyes fluttered open slowly as she pushed her hands over his abs and up his chest until her they were on either side of her face. "If I let you kiss me Harry, I wouldn't be able to stop." The words cased everything inside of him to shift. The second her eyes met his he could no longer control himself as he pushed his lips against hers. The feeling inside of him growing like she was fuel to the fire within him. She didn't pull away so he knew there was truth in her answer, that she wanted him every bit as badly as he wanted her. He could tell by the way that she pushed her hips into his and slid her fingers up into his curls.
His tongue beckoned her to let him deepen the kiss and she didn't refuse, only a soft moan escaped her throat and Harry began to fiddle with the keys in her hand. He broke away from her only once to be sure he had the right key, placing it in the doorknob and unlocking it.
They were clumsy, too impatient for the slow and sensual kiss as Harry crashed his lips back against hers, closing the door behind them as he lifted her into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist. He tossed the keys on her counter and carried her easily towards the couch, only to be redirected towards her bedroom instead. Harry let his hands slide under dress, feeling the soft skin of her thighs against his fingers. Her heels fell to the ground as she flicked her feet and he placed her on the bed gently.
Her body wriggled underneath him, causing his desire to grow for her along with the ache in his pants. His hands found the lace barrier that teased his fingertips, the small panties that reminded him so much of the pair he'd seen beneath her green dress that day in the shops. That day that it had taken everything inside of him to keep from taking her right then and there.
She moaned as his mouth traveled down from her lips to her neck, seeking out every bit of soft flesh he could find as he tried to find a way to get her dress off her without breaking away. She seemed to solve the problem much quicker than him, her impatience nearly as high as his. She rolled them so she was straddling him, undoing her belt and then pulling her dress over her head, revealing a matching lace bra, both a nude color that blended in with her sunkissed skin. He took in the sight of her, her disheveled hair, her perfect breasts, the curve of her hips that his hands were currently gripping.
She began unbuttoning his shirt, expertly releasing the buttons as quickly as possible before pulling him up so she could slip it off his shoulders. Next came his undershirt. Her small hands touched his chest, trailing kisses from his neck down to his abs until she reached his belt. She met his eyes, her hair falling in her face slightly and she smiled. Harry could have died and gone to heaven with the way her eyes sparkled, asking for permission and he barely nodded before she started undoing it, then unbuttoning his pants torturously slow. He wondered if the painfully slow action of unzipping had been equally as agonizing for her.
Soon enough she was sitting on his lap, her legs on either side and smiling as she rolled her hips against his groin and this time it was him who moaned into her mouth. He unhooked her bra and then rolled her onto her back once more, savouring the taste of her mouth, sweet like peppermint and sticky sweet. He broke away to catch his breath, and she nipped his shoulder then his earlobe.
"I want you so badly love," he whispered heavily into her ear. Her shallow breaths in his ear were causing his strain to become unbearable as he laid there, on top of her begging her for permission to make love to her all night long. He pulled his head back, watching her features as she placed her fingers in his hair, twirling a few curls before dragging a finger down towards his lips. He remembered the first night they met when she'd spent more than a few moments infatuated with his lips. It wasn't the only time he'd caught her gaze lingering and right now was no different. She leaned in, letting her lips graze his, this kiss much softer than the previous ones, and then she pulled back.
"If you want me so bad…then I'm yours," she whispered. "But only for tonight," she added and Harry went to speak but she put her finger over his lips. "I don't want to ruin what we have Harry. You mean a lot to me and if this will help you, if this will make you feel more comfortable around me…I want to do this for you."
Cold water. That's what it felt like when the words came out of her mouth, washing over him like he had fallen in a pit of ice and he rolled off of her, shaking his head.
"What?" she asked, propping herself up on her elbows. Harry decided against looking towards her, her bare chest only making it more difficult to keep himself sitting there.
"I'm sorry but I can't do this, not like this," he told her honestly. There was no way he was going to make love to this woman next to him, the woman that all his thoughts seemed to be drawn towards lately, after those words came out of her mouth. 'Only for tonight,' she'd said. He'd heard her clearly. But was that worth it? One night with Addison Warner. God one kiss with her wasn't enough there was no bloody way he was going to shag this girl and never touch her delicious body every again.
"Harry I didn't mean…"
"No, it's fine really," he said turning towards her. His lips pulled upwards into a smile as he watched her cross her arms across her chest. He stood and looked down at her. "I'm not Liam..." he started.
"I never said you were…" she interrupted but he placed his hand up to signal he wasn't through.
"I'm not like Liam. I can't just have sex with you and go on a date with another girl all in the same night. I'm not that easily put off."
"I'm not sure I understand," she said with confusion. "I told you he and I…we made an arrangement, not a relationship."
"I heard you, but like I said, I'm not like him and if it takes me the rest of the summer to convince you that you want me as badly as I want you…then I'm willing to wait for that. But I'm not so sure about you sweetheart. I can wait forever for you…how long can you wait?"
And with that he made his way towards her bathroom, because for all his confidence in that speech, he was still very aware of the pain in his boxers and how badly he needed a cold shower. He closed the door behind him, leaving Addie on the bed with a baffled expression and his smug prediction to deal with. He was left in the icy water, the painful chill stinging his skin as the water poured out. He wanted release, but he wanted all of her more than just a simple one night stand. He'd told her the night they'd met…he liked his sexual partners consenting. She may have been willing to let him make love to her only moments ago, but she and him weren't on the same page. He didn't want her for just one night, and even so, even if he could have only had her for one night, he wanted her to be the one feeling that intense need for him as he felt for her.
It was only a matter of time. The attraction was there, the chemistry was there. Their bodies moved in sync…everything was right. The only thing missing was her desire. Right now she desired sex, someone…anyone to give her the pleasure that Harry so desperately wanted to give her. But Harry wanted her to want him. And until then…he was going to show her exactly what she was missing.
And he had a feeling she wouldn't be tough to crack.
