A soft breeze rifled through the house, bringing in the scent of the trees and the ocean and the coolness of the water a mile away from me. My pen scratched at my paper as I wrote, divulging my feelings about my father, how I knew there was something wrong with me and I should take care of it, but I had too much pride.
I gritted my teeth, tossing the book on the coffee table. The leather marked letters mocked me, edging me on to call Eros because for fucks sake, that's all I wanted to do in the world. I wanted to talk to someone, someone who understood me.
And he was the only one that did.
The room was silent and still, unexpectedly a safe haven for me. I had been here for a week, and I was still unsure of when I'd go to my father's house. I knew I had to, I knew I owed Angelica an explanation and I had to face my father but I was taking every single excuse to avoid it.
"Ryder!"
The front door slammed and I jumped, neck craning to the intruder that just entered the house. There was a soft shuffle and the clink of a bottle as Eros came into the room, eyes landing on me.
"Oh, well isn't this lovely? It's the exact girl I'm trying to avoid, where's Ryder Alice?" In his hand held a brandy bottle and took a swig from it, eyes on everything but me. He was anxious as he took up a crystal glass on the liquor table, pouring two glasses of the sloshing, dark liquid.
"He and Luna went to go pick up some food," I mumbled, frozen in my spot on the couch as Eros sat beside me and handed me one of the glasses. "Brandy?"
The boy beside me laughed. "If we're going to be in each other's presence I think it's necessary that we're both wasted," he washed away his words with a healthy gulp from his glass.
I took a tentative sip of the brandy. I agreed with his words, being alone with him had the prospect of awful consequences, consequences he nor I wanted to deal with.
Already I felt the effects of the liquor, my head starting to get moderately fuzzy, movements requiring more energy than usual. I leaned back and took another gulp, eyeing Eros without distraction.
He was, for all accounts, rugged. The black attire was not unusual, the leather jacket sealing in his danger with the silver charm that hung just above his heart. I never got the chance to ask him about it, and I don't think I ever would.
"Why are you here Alice?" He was leaning on his knees, chin propped up, resting on the flesh of his palm.
"This is my temporary residence Eros."
He laughed sarcastically. "You should eventually go home Alice. Before your father calls the cops and they force you back home."
I bristled, and took this opportunity to leave, standing and slamming the stupid glass on the hardwood table, not really caring as the alcohol spilled over it's surface. I sidestepped the coffee table and turned to the staircase that would take me away from him.
The boy on the couch groaned. "Alice! Come back!" From the sound of his feet hitting the floor, I knew he was following me.
And I wasn't sure if I wanted him to or not.
"Eros!" I spun on the stairs and stared at his body at the bottom of them. "I don't want to keep doing this with you! Why can't we just be normal friends, why does there have to be," my arms were flailing as I struggled to find words, "this insane awkward sexual tension whenever we're in the same room!"
He started slowly up the stairs, a devious glint reflecting in his sapphire eyes. "You think there's awkward sexual tension whenever we're in the same room?" By the time he ran out of words, he stood at the step right below me, and still his shoulders were level with my head.
I swallowed and took two stairs up, clearing the air between us. "Eros the last time we were alone you admitted to me you had a desire to rip my fucking skirt off and have your way with me."
He laughed and took another step up. "I'll admit that was a bit dramatic but.." He trailed off, his eyes softening upon my face. "You make me want to do things I shouldn't."
I felt heat pump into my cheeks. "You think you're alone in that battle? For fucks sake Eros!" I pivoted on my foot and stormed up the remainder of the stairs, pushing the door to my room open and slamming the door closed, panting.
The door flung open, and Eros leaned across the doorway, casually. "For fucks sake, what Alice?" He smirked and crossed his arms across his chest.
I stared back at him in disbelief. "I have to distract myself with Henry for fucks sake Eros because you drive me insane."
He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him softly and I suddenly became aware of everything we could do in the time it would take for Ryder and Luna to come back.
And I wanted to do all of it.
I stepped away from him, the angel on my shoulder pleading with me to stay away from him.
But the devil on the other shoulder reminded me of what it felt like to have Eros' lips against my skin and holy hell did I want his lips on me in that very moment.
"You fool around with Henry now hmm?" His behavior seemed off, dangerous as he closed the distance between us.
I was between a rock and a hard place.
If a rock were a wall and a hard place was Eros mother-fucking Zane.
His breath, tinged with cigarettes and too much hard liquor surrounded me, and though I hated to admit it, it aroused the crap out of me. "So what Alice? You've been a bad girl? You've been fucking with Henry Davidson. You think that makes me mad missy?"
He repeated the stupid name Claire had used with me only days prior. I swallowed. To say I was turned on was the understatement of the century. His hands rested on either side of my head as he leaned closer to me, faces inches apart.
"Does it?" My voice was hoarse and I cursed myself for it, he knew how he affected me.
He smirked. "No. You know why? Because I know who has your heart. And it sure as hell isn't that pretty boy Henry."
"You don't know that!" I countered angrily, fists pushed against his chest, but he wouldn't budge. In fact, he took this as an opportunity to get closer to me, pressing his body up against mine where I felt his hard place.
And God, did I want to sin with this boy so badly. A moan involuntarily rose in my throat, gargled, and came up, head tilting back against the wall.
Eros laughed, one hand pulled my chin so we made direct eye contact. His eyes were blinded by a raging lust that had been pent up for too long. The other hand gripped my ass tightly, his cock grinding into me ever so slightly.
I wanted to jump his fucking bones, forget about us deciding to end things between us.
"Yes I do Alice. Look at you. I barely touched you and already you're a writhing, horny mess under me. Henry could never affect you like this." Eros chortled. "He wishes!"
Another moan left my lips, and breathily my voice came out in a squeak, in defeat. "Won't you kiss me already?"
And so he did, smashing our lips together, lips hot and messy, eliciting a fire within my skin that wouldn't be doused until our clothes were off and we were taking part in too many sins. His fingers groped the bottom of my dress, lifting it to my waist so he could get to work on the heat between my thighs.
My hips bucked toward him, I needed him to touch me there, my hands un-balling from fists and rising to tug his hair, so we were closer together, breaths mixing as we gave into the lust that existed between us always.
Long, ringed fingers dipped into my panties, two fingers lightly pinching my clitoris and my knees gave way as I came apart from the kiss, a loud moan rising from my lips, head jerking backwards against the wall.
I felt his smirk against my neck.
"No one can touch you like I can missy."
â¦
Flesh against flesh.
His fingers gently combed through my hair as we settled into a comfortable silence, our legs tangled together, the sheets underneath our bodies messy, the comforter a forgotten item on the floor. The sea breeze circulated the room, carrying the scent of sex, Eros' cologne and my perfume.
Sex was... okay.
I admit, I enjoyed everything that came before a lot more than the actual act. But doing this with Eros, nothing had ever felt more right. I wanted him and he wanted me, what else did we need to know? Other than to have the sense to use a condom?
"We have to make a pact Eros," I broke our silence and he shifted to look at me.
"Hm?"
"We have to be civil with one another. Just practice the motions of being best friends. I think we're mature enough that we can handle each other without getting riled up."
He held me tighter. " Okay," he agreed. "Some Alice is better than no Alice."
I smiled and shut my eyes, basking in his touch, but still, something nagged at me. I knew this was wrong. I wasn't exclusive with Henry, but I know Claire would be beyond herself with fury if she knew Eros and I had sex.
"We can't do this again."
I lifted my head from his chest to make direct eye-contact with him, with the sapphire eyes I so often lost myself in.
His eyes remained playful as one hand gathered the flesh of my ass in one hand and squeezed. "We can't do what again Alice? Fuck?"
"Yes Eros," I shot back angrily, "we're both involved in other people that were meant to do these things for us so we didn't have to do them together!"
He gritted his teeth and was about to speak, his words cut off.
"Alice! We got the goods!"
I panicked, and lunged out of Eros' arms, adrenaline now pumping in my veins, scrambling to grab my clothes and tug them on as I heard the solid thump of Ryder's feet on the staircase.
We were so screwed, figuratively.
"Get up!" I tossed an extremely amused Eros his clothes. "Go in the fucking bathroom!" I was bent over, tugging my unfortunately soiled panties up my hips, uncomfortable.
His chuckle followed him as he gathered his clothes in his hands, picking up the remainder on the floor and sauntered into my ensuite, butt-ass naked. The door behind him clicked as I tugged on my dress, eyes widening on the unmade bed.
Hastily, I folded the sheets and smoothed the bedspread, hoping like hell it didn't smell like sex in here because I didn't have enough time to clear the air before Ryder got inside my room.
"Hey!" Ryder opened the door and immediately paused as he looked me over, cocking his head. He spoke again, carefully this time. "We got your favorite, tofu fried rice and stir fried veggies!"
Luna followed him and she looked confusedly around the room. "I didn't know you were vegetarian Alice!"
I shrugged, nonchalantly. They knew, and I hoped to God Eros wouldn't walk out of my bathroom anytime soon and have them put two and two together. "Never really had a taste for meat, besides it's better for the environment!"
"Where's Eros, I saw his shoes and keys by the door?" Ryder asked, unloading the Chinese food on the desk in the room, his other hand grabbing the remote for the television on the wall, flicking it on.
As if he heard his name, Eros walked out of the room looking remarkably refreshed and not as though he had been in my bed four minutes ago. "Had to take a massive shit," he yawned, launching himself onto the bed that certainly reeked of sex.
I glared at him.
He smirked.
Luna's eyes widened and my face deadpanned into a permanent frown. Well, there goes my hopes to keep my sex life private. She recovered quickly and pulled the paper plates out of the Chinese takeout bag, speaking to Ryder loudly, "What are we watching?"
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."
Even the frown fell off my face.
Things couldn't get possibly more unbearable could they?
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