DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING.
CHAPTER NINE
"Try this one," Troy pushed a glass towards me, then he began to work on his next concoction. I took a sip, then a larger drink of it.
"Red Headed Slut," I stated, "I'd know this one anywhere."
"So I'm not being original?" he asked, and I shook my head 'no.' "Okay, well… you guessed that one, so you don't have to remove anything."
"That's not fair!" I squeaked. "I don't know the first thing about mixing drinks!"
"Well, if it's not fair then you would have to take off an article of clothing regardless, now wouldn't you?"
"And what if I guess them all?" I asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Then," he said as he handed me the next sample, this one in a small shot glass, "I will have succeeded at getting you drunk enough to take advantage of you."
Raising an eyebrow at him I said, "Wait… if I guess these, then you have to take an article of clothing off."
"Fair enough," he agreed, slipping one shoe off. "Go ahead, try it."
"One shoe?" I asked, and instead of answering he instead pointed at the shot glass in my hand. "Oh, fine." I took a sip, absolutely loved it, and tossed back the rest of the shot.
"Okay, lush, name it."
"Lush? You're the one that's feeding the alcohol to me," I pointed out. "And… I have no idea."
"One article," he said, and I sighed. I kicked off one of my boots, just as he had done, and grinned at him.
"Are you gonna tell me?" I asked.
"That was a One Night Stand," he teased, and added "Hey!" when I swatted him.
"Who's being cheeky now?" I said with a laugh, and he looked at me curiously.
"Who said anything about being cheeky?"
Oh, crap…see? I should never, ever drink. It was something he had said to me all right, he just didn't know it.
"Troy…"
"Wait a minute," he cut me off, handing me another beautifully colorful drink. "Try that one."
"Troy, this…"
"Please?" How could I resist? I took a sip, letting the liquid glide down the back of my throat.
"Mmmmm, this… this is Heaven," I said, and his smile could have lit up a stadium.
"That's mine," he explained. "I call it The Cookie."
"It tastes like a cookie!" I exclaimed taking another sip. He leaned down placing his elbows on his makeshift bar, resting his chin in his hands.
"Hence the name," he said with a smile. "Gabriella…"
"What?" I asked, the tone of his voice causing a blush to rise to my cheeks.
"One article… give it up." I kicked my second boot off, and wiggled my toes, which seemed grateful to be free. Troy was walking around the makeshift bar towards me, tousling his hair.
"Are you happy now?" I asked.
"Not entirely…this is taking too long." His voice was lower, a rasp to it that hadn't been there before. Now was the time…I had to tell him, I had to…
"Troy,"
"Shut up," he whispered as he cupped my face in his hands. For just a brief moment I thought I should stop him, then all thoughts were chased from my mind as he softly teased my lips with his. His kisses were feather-soft, sweet, searching for intent as he lightly tangled his fingers in my hair. I sighed against his mouth, and as if he sensed an invitation he deepened the kiss, taking his time exploring me, touching me as if I was so fragile I may shatter in his hands.
My hands moved of their own volition, traveling up the front of his shirt to his neck as our kisses began to build with an intensity I wasn't prepared for. All these weeks of wanting to be with my mystery caller, his hands roaming the length of my body just as they were doing now, paled in comparison to reality. I wanted him to know it was me, he had to know, but I found myself unable to speak as his trail of kisses led down my neck, lightly biting just the right spots. My knees were going weak, and when his hands found their way under the hem of my shirt, coming in contact with my skin beneath, I felt as if every nerve ending was on fire.
I was fumbling with the buttons on the front of his shirt when his lips found mine again, our breathing coming in short, heavy gasps. "Is this what you want? Are you sure?" he asked between kisses as he was slowly pushing my top up, again kissing along my neck.
"Yes," I breathed, unable to say much more with his lips on my skin. He pulled back slightly, his eyes troubled as he looked at me. He was studying my face, drinking in every detail as he struggled to get his breathing slowed.
"I'm… I'm sorry," he said softly, removing his hands so slowly I could have sworn he was reluctant to. "I can't…There's just…" He closed his eyes tight and rubbed his temple before he continued. "There's…"
"Someone else?" I asked, trying my damndest to get my heart to stop slamming into my ribcage. He opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again and lowered his head.
"It's… complicated," he finally said, "and I shouldn't have done this to you, or with you, or…" he paused as he took a deep breath. " I don't even know…I'm sorry, it's nothing."
Oh, that was real clear. And I, being the Queen of Denial, never once thought he was speaking about anyone other than a girlfriend, someone he was obviously serious, or somewhat so, with. I felt the heat creep up to my face and almost angrily demanded to know why he had been calling me for the past five weeks, but thought better of it. What the hell difference would it make, now?
"Don't beat yourself up over it," I said instead, with the best smile I could conjure up. "It must be hell being on the road so much."
"You have no idea," he said softly, still looking at the ground, messing with the back of his hair.
'Bet me,' I was screaming in my head. I reached out and took his hand in mine instead, and when he looked up at me I could see the telltale reddening in the corners of his eyes. All traces of anger left my body and I found myself pulling him into a warm, comforting embrace, softly playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. I felt his arms envelop me and his hands were trembling ever so slightly as he returned the embrace, rubbing my back softly. My heart was splintering as he inhaled sharply and squeezed just a little harder before stepping back.
"A little awkward?" he asked.
"You know…I dunno," I admitted. He looked a little sheepish, his shirt half undone, the most adorable grin on his face.
"I wish…" he sighed, his smile fading as he watched me pull the hem of my shirt down. "Something black, it will be perfect," he muttered softly, reaching out to help me.
Why else would he say that if he didn't know? He had to know, and here he was telling me there was someone else…
I grabbed his hands to stop him, his fingers inadvertently brushing against my skin, and again my body betrayed me, the chills spreading all over. Instead of pulling away as perhaps he should have, he released the hem of my shirt, his hands opening wide as he caressed my skin, sliding his fingertips along the small of my back. His eyes filled with hunger as he watched his hands until they disappeared behind me, then slowly…so slow it seemed to last an eternity, his eyes traveled upwards. His breathing became more shallow as his gaze watched my chest rise and fall with each breath I took. He seemed fixated on a spot at the base of my neck where I'm sure my pulse was visible…it had to be, with as hard as my heart was beating.
I closed my eyes briefly wanting to cherish this moment forever. I knew in my heart I would never be the same having known him, having shared so much with him not just this evening in person, but over the weeks. He had brought so much light, so much happiness into my life. If this was it, if this was all I was going to have, if he was going to disappear, I at least had to tell him what he had done for me.
When I opened my eyes, there he was…his intense stare shooting straight through me just as he had done all evening. I opened my mouth to try to say something, but the words failed to come as I gazed into those unimaginably hypnotic eyes. Unable to hold his gaze any longer, I looked slightly lower… oh, bad move, Gabriella. His mouth- his perfect, full, soft lips…the skill he used them with…
I swear we moved at the same time, no pretenses as he pulled me in, my hands holding onto his shirt as our lips met, hearts pounding, tension building to a near-fever pitch when his hands gripped my hips. I whimpered softly, my hands losing themselves in his soft hair, and he responded by pulling me closer, the kiss building to what was sure to be a crescendo…
…Then that damn phone rang.
He growled his frustration, low in his throat, as he ended our kiss and glared in the direction of his cell. "Fuuuuck, I better get this," he said, still breathing heavily. I laughed nervously as I unwrapped myself from his embrace and he held up one finger as if to say 'hold that thought' before he jogged quickly across the room to answer his phone.
I wasn't at all surprised to find that my legs were a little shaky as I walked over to the couch, sinking down into the comfortable cushions. Troy's brow was furrowed in concentration, and he told the person on the other end, "Hold on, just a sec, ok?" He covered the mouthpiece and looked at me. "I have to get this, I'll be right back."
"Okay," I said with a smile. Troy walked quickly back to the bedroom area of the suite, and I lay back on the couch to relax and let everything sink in.
What the hell was I doing?
Okay, obviously I knew what I was doing, but how the holy hell did this happen? Especially when I had been so, so sure that he wouldn't want anything to do with me. And he had said there was someone else! What..the hell… was I doing?
My phone vibrating in my pocket interrupted my thoughts. I giggled softly thinking to myself what that would have been like if Troy were still out here, pressed up against me. I glanced at the unrecognizable number, but seeing that it wasn't a blocked call and not knowing if it was one of the newly transplanted doctors at the hospital where I worked, I answered.
"Hello?" The other end of the phone was completely silent. "Helloooooooo?" I heard a 'click' as the person on the other end of the phone hung up and shrugged. 'Wrong number,' I thought, then giggled in spite of myself.
I heard the door to the bedroom open as Troy walked out slowly. He placed his phone on a random table as he walked towards me where I laid on the couch, his face unreadable. I sat up slowly watching the way he moved towards me, slowly, meticulously, every step causing my pulse to quicken. He reached down, removing my cell phone from my hand, not even glancing as it as he lightly tossed it to the other end of the couch. My breath caught in my throat as I looked up at him, the light illuminating from behind him casting his face in shadows. 'He looks like an angel,' I thought as he moved in closer. 'Just like an angel…with the devil in his eyes.'
He stopped beside me, his expression taut, his eyes shimmering. I noticed a muscle in his jaw twitching and I wondered how long it would take him to tell me it was time for me to leave. 'That had to have been her, the someone else,' I thought, wishing I had left after he'd told me about her the first time. He watched silently as I stood and looked slightly up at him. He looked so troubled, part of me wanted to comfort him, the other part thinking selfishly he should suffer for leading me on.
"I should go," I said, holding my chin up defiantly. His eyes slid shut as I spoke, and when he opened them I could almost swear they were filling with tears.
"Why?" His voice was barely above a whisper, causing my anger to rise.
"Is that a rhetorical question, or do you really want an answer?"
"Oh…alright…" What the hell? How could he act as if I was wounding him when here he was trying to get into my pants, when there was someone else? My eyes blazed with anger, but I decided against having a full-blown argument. I moved to walk past him to get my shoes and phone, but he gently touched my arm, his fingers like five small suns burning into me. I looked back up at him, telling myself over and over 'Don't fall for it, don't fall for it.'
"Gabriella, I just…" he shrugged. "Are you gonna say goodbye?"
That hit me like a sucker punch, and I felt as if all the air had escaped the room. Troy never said goodbye to me. It was always good night, or until later…never goodbye. Damn him, damn him straight to hell for bringing those tears to my eyes…
No…I couldn't say it. I opened my mouth willing the words to come, screaming them from my brain, but..silence. Silence and two large tears that spilled over my lashes. He reached up as if instinctively, cupping my face with his palms, brushing the tears away with his thumbs. I tried willing the tears to stop, but the effort was futile as I looked into his eyes. I didn't want to walk away, I didn't want to lose my confidante, I hadn't wanted to admit how much I had come to depend on him.
"Why the tears, then?" His question seemed so out of place, but I didn't have time to answer as he leaned in to gently kiss my lips. This was meant to be his goodbye, it had to be…
Our bodies decided otherwise as all friendliness fled from our touches and piece by piece our clothing was discarded across the floor. He threw that black tank top that had worked so well for me across the room and made short work of my bra as we fell back into the couch touching, kissing every where that we could. He shrugged out of this shirt that I had finally managed to unbutton as we turned and I ended on top of him, straddling him precariously as I nipped at his neck while unbuttoning his jeans. He moaned softly when I reached down into the fabric, touching him intimately for the first of many times that night. Turning as one, cushions coming with us, we were on the floor as he finished kicking off the remainder of his clothing and urgently began to undo my jeans. I gasped as he yanked them down, tossing them to the side, and stared at me like a hunter studying his prey.
Watching him kiss his way up the inner part of my thigh, then slowly pull down my black lace panties with his teeth, was my complete undoing. I could feel my back arch as he left no mistake exactly how trite that Minnesota law was, and as I whimpered softly afterwards he kissed his way up my body, to the base of my neck, latching onto that sensitive spot where my pulse was still throbbing.
He was pressed up against me, our legs entwined, a thin sheen of sweat covering us both when I heard his voice, his words spoken up against my lips. "Open your eyes." It was an effort, they felt so heavy…but I did as he asked, wondering if mine were as bright as his at that moment. He reached up and held my hand, never losing eye contact, and with one swift movement I was in pure ecstasy.
Time had no meaning for either of us; phones had been discarded, couches in disarray, tables were toppled over…all that mattered was each other, the pleasure being given and received, the intimacy that it seemed we both craved. As the early morning rays of sunrise began to peak through the heavy curtains, we finally drifted off to sleep, and I damned my heart for allowing me to fall in love with him.
