Chapter 11
Skylar
His lips are firm, warm on mine. With his body pressed to me I feel the hardness of his strength, and smell the sweat and blood that are splattered on him. The sounds of the crowd cheering, and of lewd comments being thrown out, fill my head. I can’t help but push them back and embrace the feeling that consumes me.
Heat.
Arousal.
Needing him now.
He pulls away and I look into Adrian’s eyes. His pupils are slightly dilated, his breathing haggard, and the expression he wears shows a mixture of lust and intensity.
“What’s happening?” I find myself whispering. He doesn’t speak, doesn’t even move for long seconds.
“Kiss her again,” someone shouts.
“Lucky bitch,” a girl cries out.
“Take me instead.”
“Fuck me, Adrian.”
All the comments slam into me, surround me, and make me feel dizzy. This is not the moment I want to have in this situation. I feel exposed, bared in front of all these strangers. They stare at us as if we are a specimen on display for their enjoyment.
“I—” I say softly, and look around. “I can’t be here.” I turn and push my way through the people. My lungs seize, and I feel like I can’t grasp reality. This feels like the world is weighing down on me, like everything is spinning out of my control.
I rest my hands on my knees and breathe in and out. I feel someone touch my shoulder, and I spin around. But Adrian is there, his expression concerned.
“Hey,” he says softly.
I look at him, at his sweaty, bloody body, at the fact his eyes hold so much emotion. He holds his arms out and I find myself going into them. I let him embrace me, and just absorb the feeling of his presence and touch that makes everything feel … right.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”
“It’s not your fault, and you have nothing to be sorry about.” He strokes my back and I feel myself calm further. “I shouldn’t have brought you here tonight. I wasn’t thinking.” He pulls back and cups my cheeks, and for the longest time he just stares in my eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Adrian
I feel like shit.
I am shit for bringing her here.
I pull her in for a hug again and just hold her. I want to make this right, to make her see that I’m not this heartless bastard that would throw her into a pack of ravenous wolves.
I should have known better. I should have taken it slow.
But I’d just wanted her to break free a little, to let her know the world is still going, and no matter what I’ll still be here.
“Come on,” I say and lead her further away from the crowd. I’ll take her to my place, buy something to eat for us on the way, and then we can just chill. She can talk to me, unload if she wants to.
I’ll be there to listen to her.
The flash of headlights momentarily blinds me, and I pull her behind me as the car comes to a stop.
“What the fuck?”
I hear the enraged voice before the passenger side door is even closed.
“Holden?” Skylar says, and moves away from me. “What are you doing here?”
I know.
Shit is about to hit the fan.