*Disclaimer* I do not own any of the Percy Jackson genius written by Rick Riordan J
The cold feel of the black leather on her back. Her own blonde hair splayed around her. The heat of his skin on hers. The pressure of his lips on hers. The smell of his cologne, blanketing her in a musky air. The taste of delicious alcohol mingling in her own mouth. The dull thrum of music pulsing from the floor below her. And darkness.
Annabeth was aware of all these things. All at different moments. Her mind couldn't focus on anything for more than a fraction of a second because then Luke's lips were demanding her full attention again. All she could do was return the eagerness he gave her.
From her position, laid back on the sofa in the small alcove, Annabeth could hardly stand the heat that bled through Luke's clothes. His shirt. Her dress. Then her bra. It was all that separated them. It was all that kept them from doing something that one of them might regret. But at that particular moment, with the tiniest bit of drink fogging her mind and passion sparking pleasure in her veins, Annabeth didn't care about consequences. She wanted to forget consequences.
She wanted to live.
Annabeth felt Luke's feverish lips against her neck, and she arched it so he could have easier access. A trail of fire lit its way from her jaw to her shoulder, each kiss achingly soft and slow. Annabeth reached a hand just beneath the hem of Luke's shirt, enjoying the feel of his skin. His breath fanned out against her shoulder; he moved a hand to one of her legs, which rested around his body, connecting together behind his back. As his hand smoothed up and down her thigh Annabeth froze. She bit her lip, refusing to make a sound. Luke's fingers neared the hem of her dress and stopped. He pulled away from Annabeth to stare her in the eyes.
The look of him made Annabeth's heart stop. Hair that was now a sexy tousle on his head, the blonde glinting under the slight light above them. His shirt now unbuttoned just a tad more showing hints of tanned muscle. His eyes, usually full and blue, held lust shown by the dilation of his pupils. Annabeth reached for him once again but he grabbed her hand before it could make contact.
"Annabeth," Luke's voice was husky; she could see him struggling to remain under control in the current situation. She smiled slightly. "Do you-I mean-should we-"Annabeth put a finger to his lips, silencing his stutters.
"You," she replied, "I want you." And then he was over her again with her shaking hands unbuttoning the rest of his shirt. This was what she wanted. Luke. She wanted Luke. His hands were grasping for the zipper of her dress and she sighed leading them to where the metal contraption started. He smiled at her before smoothly pulling it down leaving her back exposed. Luke's hands roamed over her skin, pausing by the straps of her bra. To distract him, Annabeth ripped open his shirt, leaving a muscled chest staring back at her. She trailed her hands lightly across the ridges of every hard muscle. She had seen it plenty of times but this time, it was hers.
Luke's mouth crashed back to hers once more, this time hungrier, more passionate. One hand was knotted in his hair, clinging to his locks for dear life, while the other trailed down the fine white line of his scar. She earned a shudder from him. Annabeth remembered the moment when he got that scar. To her it only made him more attractive.
As one hand lingered on her back, another reached down to the hem of her dress. Annabeth swallowed nervously, gasping as he slid a centimeter underneath. His fingers were wisps of air along the sensitive skin and as he distracted her there, Luke expertly unclasped Annabeth's bra. She didn't have time to realize the rest of their clothes were going because Luke's hand lightly squeezed her inner thigh, eliciting a moan from Annabeth.
"Luke…"
And that's when the curtain to their little alcove was ripped wide open. The couple sprang apart. A deep flush was spreading across Annabeth's face as she realized the intruder was Thalia. Her hair was a tangled mess, her dress rumpled and Thalia held both heels in her hands. Despite most likely being drunk, her vibrant blue eyes were alert. She didn't seem to care that Luke and Annabeth were in the middle of an intense make-out session, instead she was more worried about Annabeth.
"They're here."
"Who?"
"Paparazzi, you idiot!"
Annabeth glanced at Luke, who was pulling his dress shirt back on and buttoning it up quickly. He then reached for Annabeth, clasping her bra and zipping up the dress in one quick motion. Annabeth was still foggy from Luke's kisses but when she looked at him, all she could see was alertness. When he looked her in the eye though, she saw the still strong passion in his eyes.
"Is she drunk?" Thalia asked Luke. His attention snapped to her. Then he glanced at Annabeth who shook her head.
"Maybe slightly…"Annabeth groaned. She stood up, pushing her blonde hair away from her face.
"I am not," she muttered before peeking her head out the entrance to the alcove. The party was still raging downstairs but it was slightly interrupted by and oncoming of new people. They were all underdressed, in jeans and t-shirts. Each newcomer seemed to be holding something. Cameras, she decided. "Is there another way out?" Annabeth was unfamiliar with Touch, she had only been a few times and her exploration had never made it past the second floor.
"The roof. It's shared with the restaurant next door," Luke answered. He pulled Annabeth back in the shadows. "I can take you both home." Before she could respond, Thalia nodded in agreement and pulled Annabeth out.
"Meet us up there in a few minutes," Thalia told Luke then they were off. Thalia was pulling Annabeth up a set of stairs that were hidden in a corner by the bathrooms. They emerged from the stairs on the roof.
Here and there, purple lights illuminated the area. A small bar sat in one corner, empty. A few people were gathered by the large bonfire that was placed in the middle of the roof. Off to the side, just as Luke had said, was a suspended hallway that led to the fancy restaurant next door. The moon was centered directly above the two girls, whining through the smog of New York.
"Come on," Thalia groaned after a few seconds of Annabeth staring at everything in a daze. Okay, maybe she was a little drunk, Annabeth admitted to herself. They rushed to the glass hallway on the other side of the room not waiting for Luke before going into the restaurant. It was too late for anyone to be eating dinner but there was one couple seated at the far corner of the elaborate room. By the looks of annoyance on their faces, Thalia and Annabeth could tell they interrupted something. Thalia rolled her eyes and turned back to the direction of the club's exit to watch for Luke while Annabeth sheepishly smiled. She examined the room with a drunken curiosity. Plush crimson carpet, ornate golden walls, crystal chandeliers and expensive dining furniture all winked back at her. It was almost a complete opposite of the modern club next door.
"Shit," Thalia hissed. Annabeth rushed to the glass to see what was going on. Luke hadn't come up the stairs. Instead, a group of three men with cameras emerged two of them went to the bonfire while the other one glanced around the bare rooftop. Before he could notice the two girls behind the glass, they pressed themselves against the walls. Annabeth scanned the room looking for an exit.
"There," Annabeth said, nodding to a pair of golden elevator doors. They rushed over to them and Thalia jammed the down arrow. It didn't light up. She kept pressing it while Annabeth glanced at the entrance to the roof. The three had regrouped and were heading over.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Thalia hissed. The elevator wasn't working. Annabeth looked at the panel. Underneath the button was a slot just big enough for a key.
"You need a key, Thalia!" Annabeth shouted at her growing irritated.
"I can see that now, Annabeth!" Thalia shouted back. The two looked at all the walls for another entrance but found none. "Under the table!"
Thalia and Annabeth crawled under the cream tablecloth of a round table a few feet away from the elevator. Just as the girls pulled their long legs under, they heard the door open and the gruff voices of the three men.
"This is a private dinner!" A woman's voice shrieked. Probably the woman dining with her partner. For a moment, the girls thought that she would say something about them but all they heard were muttered apologies from the paparazzi. Then they heard the opening and closing of the door and they were gone. Annabeth reached for the tablecloth but Thalia stopped her.
"Where's your cellphone?" she demanded.
"In my bag…" then Annabeth groaned.
"Which is in the club." Thalia finished. "Just wait until we hear Luke before you run out there."
They waited several minutes not hearing anything new. Then the door. Then the woman exclaiming again how there was no privacy. Annabeth started again but Thalia yanked her back.
"Wait," she mouthed. Annabeth almost groaned. And then the tablecloth was flipped back and Thalia started swearing. She stopped short when she noticed it was Luke standing above them.
"Nice job hiding, I could see your knee." He smirked. He offered his hands and pulled the two ladies out from under the table. While Annabeth smoothed her hair down, Thalia hit Luke.
"What took you so fucking long?" she growled
"I was busy picking up everything that fell out of this," Luke explained, holding Annabeth's purse.
"Thank god," she muttered, taking it from him. "Thank you." Luke grinned.
"Well while you were picking up tampons and lip gloss, we were stuck in the restaurant you sent us in with no key to the damn elevator!" Thalia snapped. Luke sighed. He pulled out a key from his back pocket and slipped it into the elevator's slot.
"I wasn't planning on getting caught up there," he snapped. Thalia rolled her eyes. Annabeth sighed. Whenever the two were around each other they always seemed to fight. Annabeth suspected it had something to do with an old relationship but she never had the courage to ask. Just as Thalia opened her mouth to say something else, the doors dinged open. Annabeth pushed Thalia inside and clamped a hand over her mouth.
"I have a headache and you two bickering isn't helping," she hissed.
"Sorry," they both muttered. The descent took a mere 10 seconds and Thalia stalked off the minute the doors opened. There restaurant was dark except for the kitchen, which had a stream of light which showed from under the door. Annabeth and Luke watched as she stormed out the doors. Annabeth sighed. Not only was she going to have a killer headache tomorrow during the first day at camp but she would have to deal with a pissy Thalia too.
Luke wound his arm around Annabeth's waist pulling her closer. They stopped in front of the large wooden doors that served as the entrance.
Annabeth looked up at him.
"I…" She was at a loss for words. Luke smiled.
"I'll see you tomorrow. And all summer." Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows. She didn't remember telling him about her mandatory attendance at camp. He laughed. "Thalia told some people then some people told me," he explained, answering her unspoken question.
"Well at least I'll have you," she said, smiling slightly.
"And Thalia."
"And Thalia," she repeated in a little less enthusiastic tone. Luke chuckled. He pressed a soft kiss on her lips. Just that was enough to make her knees weak.
"Now I need to take you and the she-devil home," Luke stated, and the two walked out, meeting Thalia on a bench outside the restaurant. The paparazzo's vans were still parked near the club. Luke steered the girls in the opposite direction, behind the fancy restaurant. There, he loaded them into his silver Mercedes and drove them back to Annabeth's apartment. There, Annabeth set her alarm for an early start before throwing herself into bed alongside Thalia.