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“Why didn’t you close the door?” I’m standing on the threshold, fingers curled around the frame.
She gasps, hands on the button of her jeans as she spins around. “Shit. I didn’t realize—” Her tongue drags across her lips as her gaze rakes over my chest.
I’m shirtless. Her tank says QUEEN OF DREAMS. The irony is not lost on me.
“You saw me get in the elevator.” I’m all accusation and frustration.
Until this past year I’ve been on the fringe of her life. She’s always been my best friend’s daughter. Even last year after I messed up my knee, the boundaries were still there. But then I saw her in the Terror front office and recognized her as the woman she’s become. That day sealed my fate. And the truth of it is messing with my head. I want things I shouldn’t. Things I should erase from my brain, but I don’t. I can’t. Won’t.
“Why didn’t you close the door?” Her voice is soft as she moves toward me. “You could have closed it.”
She’s right. I could have. So why the hell didn’t I? Why am I standing here with my heart hammering in my chest and a riot in my head? Because I want what I can’t have.
“Does Roman know you’re up here?”
“No, I snuck up while he wasn’t paying attention because I want to stay with the girls tonight. I was leaving him a note.”
“What about that kid you were talking to? Where’s he now?” I try to keep my gaze above her neck.
“I don’t know. He went to the bathroom, and I came up here.” Her tongue drags across her bottom lip. “And now I’m here and you’re here, and you look like you’re about to blow a gasket. Why are you so upset?” Her hand rises, as if to touch me.
Which is a colossally bad idea.
I don’t know what the hell I’m thinking when I grab both of her hands and step into her room. The electric hum between us is almost unbearable. Touching her when we’re both half-dressed is dangerous. So is spinning her around and caging her against the wall, but I do it anyway—release her hands and crowd her space. She’s all I see.
“Why do you keep pushing my buttons, Princess?” I should give her some space. Get some perspective. Her eyes drop to my chest. If Roman walked in, this would look beyond bad. And yet I don’t seem capable of making the smart, logical choice. Which would be to walk away.
I grit my teeth as her warm fingers skim my forearm. That gentle caress lights a fucking fire in my veins. I should stop her, but God help me, I don’t want to.
“What’s happening, Hollis?” Her throat bobs with a thick swallow. “I don’t know what’s happening anymore.” Her fingertips drift along my arm, up my biceps. “This doesn’t feel like nothing.” As she lifts her head, our noses brush.
“What does it feel like, Princess?” This is a stupid, dangerous game to play. Wanting her is entirely selfish. Her star is rising, and mine is on the way down. She deserves better than me.
“I ache.” Her fingers skim my collarbones. “You could make it go away.”
I could give her that. Give in to the temptation. Take something for myself. Just one taste. One kiss.
She exhales a tremulous breath as she tips her head up. And that’s when the smell of tequila hits me. She’s been drinking. She’s not thinking clearly. Tomorrow, when she’s sober, she’ll regret this. Be embarrassed. We’ll have another awkward conversation.
Logic and desire battle in my head. I move a frustrated palm against the wall, and Peggy startles. “Go to bed, little girl.”
I push away from the wall, my chest caving at the way her shoulders curl in. But I can’t give her what she wants. It’s one thing to have opened Pandora’s box; it’s another entirely to dive in headfirst. Especially when we’ve both been drinking.
I step around her and disappear into my room, locking the adjoining door behind me. That was close. Too close. I don’t like how easy it is for me to lose my head around her. And I don’t know how to fix it anymore.
CHAPTER 10
HAMMER
It’s been four days since Hollis caged me against the wall. Four days since I felt the warmth of his breath on my lips. God, he was glorious. Frustrated and sexy and looking a lot like he wanted to devour me.
In my fantasies, he doesn’t tell me to go to bed. Instead, he takes my face in his hands and explores my mouth with his. Then he fucks me against the wall. I’ve had no less than ten orgasms to that particular fantasy. It’s getting out of hand. But then, everything about this is.
“Aurora? You okay?” Jameson taps me lightly on the shoulder.
“Huh?” We met after class to work on one of our group assignments. The other two members left about ten minutes ago, since it’s going on six thirty. I was close to finishing this section, so I decided to stay put. I’m also avoiding dinner with my dad and Hollis again.
His brows are pulled together, eyes concerned. “You’re really flushed. Are you feeling okay?”
