I watch the balls rattle against each other, and I can’t tell if what I did was good or not. The rules of this really mess me up and he’s giving no indication if what I’m doing is even right.
Until his hands leave mine and they suddenly feel empty. The sensation is instantly eased by the weight of his hands on my shoulders instead and I stand up straighter. I’m so caught up with lust and his proximity that I don’t even have the energy to tell him to stop. He gently massages my shoulder, not speaking for a few beats until he leans his head closer to my neck, his hot breath setting my body on fire.
“That was a good shot, sweetheart,” he whispers into my neck. For a second I thought he was about to kiss me there or something, but he didn't, his lips only a few inches away from my neck. “You’re doing such a good job.”
I don’t say anything. He pushes into me again, slightly urging me to go further so I can aim better, and I do, his bodyweight still behind me and his hands return back to their position over my hands.
I’m sure he’s talking to me now, but all I can hear is the steady beat of my heart gradually getting faster. I swear to God, I hope he can’t hear my heart beating right now.
Evan
I want to breathe her in.
No.
I want to only breathe the air that she’s breathing. Just be hers and hers only. God, I’d give her all of me if she gave me the chance. I can feel her pulse racing all throughout her body, beating against my hands, against her neck and the way her back arches into mine slightly as she takes in deep breaths.
It can’t just be me that wants this. I had to get her back for teasing me the way she did the other day, knowing that it drove me up the wall. Still, I’m trying to see how far it would take her to finally do something to ease the sexual tension between us.
I let my body weight fall onto her slightly, loving the feel of the way her hands flinch beneath mine. God, they’re fucking tiny compared to mine. I don’t get a second to instruct her further before her friend’s voice makes her flinch.
“Hey, Scar,” Kennedy calls. “We’re getting into teams now.”
Scarlett clears her throat. “Okay, I’ll be there in a sec,” she replies. She turns back to me slowly, trying to twist out my grip but I keep her there. She sits halfway on the end of the pool table as I tower over her, setting my hands on both sides of her. She crosses her arms against her chest. It’s the first time I’ve really seen her face since I came over here and it’s redder than I thought it would be. She never blushes and now her face is a deep red. Some girls get embarrassed if they blush a lot, when she does it, I think it’s hot.
“Do you always get this close to the girls you teach pool?”
I know this is a trap, but I don’t care anymore. “No,” I say. “Just you.”
She smiles, holding her hand to her chest, feigning surprise. “Awh. Am I that special, Branson?”
“You’d be extraordinary, Scarlett,” I admit, leaning further into her. She leans back a little, her eyes flickering to my lips and then back to my eyes. “If your ego wasn’t so big.”
She snorts. “Iamextraordinary, Branson. Hearing you say that shit only makes me realise that I’m evenmoreamazing.”
I shake my head at her. “Only you would take an insult as a compliment.”
“Because it’s not an insult,” she says, pouting slightly. She’s cockier than half the guys I know. I just wish it wasn’t so fucking attractive.
I take a step back from her. “You’re ridiculous.”
“No,” she says, sighing as she jumps off the pool table, the horns on her head bobbing. “You’reridiculous.”
Then she walks past me, shoving her shoulder into mine on purpose. I turn and watch her walk away, her ass swaying side to side as she greets Wren, Kennedy, and Michelle in one corner.
She’s going to ruin my life. And I think I’m going to let her.
* * *
We play beer pong first. I’m on a team with Miles and Xavier against Wren, Kennedy, and Scarlett. We’ve been drawing up until this point. I’m competitive at any game. If it involves Scarlett, I want to win. I don’t go easy on her just because she’s got a pretty face. I play to win, no matter what.
The last shot is down to Miles.
If he gets it in, we win and if he misses we lose. Xavier stands behind him, rubbing on his shoulders as if he’s about to run a marathon. I give the basic advice, telling him to focus and stay calm so we can win this round. The cups are covered in fake cobwebs, the ball with tiny black spiders’ hand-drawn across it.
It doesn’t help that he’s a lovesick puppy and his girlfriend is on the other side of the table, purposefully stretching her hands above her head so she can distract him.
Miles is an idiot, so he gets distracted easily.
