Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Kei
I stare at the call for a long moment, trying to process what the fuck just happened. That’s when it hits me all at once; Sookie is going out tonight and he wants me to come find him.
I scramble out of my chair, throwing my bedroom door open. “Rin! Rodney! I need your help!”
Turning back to my room, I dart over to my closet. I toss my shirt off and then my sweats. That’s how Rin and Rodney find me, staring at my closet in nothing but my boxers.
“What the fuck is going on?” Rin asks.
“Are you having some sort of breakdown?”
Just the mention of that word sets fire to my skin.
I look over at my best friends with wide eyes.
“I’m going out,” I say. “Rodney, I need you to help me get dressed.” Then I point at Rin.
“I need you to do me a huge favor. Look up that game we went to together and look up who the head ref was. I need a face.”
They both continue to stare at me.
“Guys,” I say with a growl. “Now.”
Rodney comes into my room, starting to dig through my closet with a sigh. Rin on the other hand puts his hands on his hips.
“Explain yourself or I’m not doing shit.”
“I hate you,” I tell him through gritted teeth. “I’m going out. Sookie invited me out.”
“Sookie? Really? He wants to meet up?”
Meet up. Hook up. Same thing, right?
“Something like that,” I say instead of explaining myself fully.
How would I even explain what’s happening?
Hey guys, Sookie and I have been dancing around each other.
I’ve caught some sort of feelings that I don’t understand and he’s said he’s getting laid tonight and I really can’t handle the thought of it being anyone but me so help me get dressed so I can go find him.
Right. That sounds super normal.
Rin pulls out his phone and gets to work. Rodney hands me a tight black shirt from the back of my closet and I immediately put it on. Then he gives me a pair of black jeans. I didn’t even know I had these. Where the fuck did he even find them?
“Perfect,” Rodney says, nodding his head. “Now wear this over the shirt,” he says, handing me a green plaid shirt. He rolls up the sleeves for me and leaves it open in the front.
Once I’m dressed, I grab my phone and order myself an Uber, needing to get to the club as quickly as I can. Rodney is messing with my hair, styling it for me. I look over at Rin, hoping he’s found what I need.
“I think I’ve found him,” Rin finally says, passing me the phone. He’s gone through the team’s social media account, pulling up the video and skimming through until there’s a shot of the ref.
“Fuck,” I breathe out without meaning to.
If Sookie wasn’t lying, which I really don’t think he was, this is what he looks like.
He’s wearing the dark blue polo of the official referee uniform.
His eyes are narrowed as he looks down at a player that’s arguing with him.
His hair is dark and messy yet somehow falling perfectly around his ears and forehead.
He’s got piercings in both of his ears, a bar across the helix of his left ear.
Jesus fucking Christ. Sookie is gorgeous.
“That’s him?” Rodney asks, leaning over my shoulder to take a peek.
“Yeah,” I breathe out. “That’s him.”
“Shit. He’s hot as fuck. And he puts up with your grumpy ass? You better go get your man.”
My man. The words are said playfully but they light something up inside my chest. Something ugly and possessive. My inner alpha is showing his fangs, wanting to ruin this man for anyone but me. I want him carnally. I want him in a way that should be terrifying but only seems to make my dick hard.
Fuck.
“He’s not my man,” I force myself to say but the looks that Rin and Rodney throw in my direction tell me it wasn’t very convincing. “He’s not! I don’t even know what’s happening between us.”
“Okay,” Rin says slowly. “And in a perfect world, what would you want to happen?”
I cross my arms over my chest and stare up at the ceiling for a moment, really thinking about his question. He’s not trying to tease me, Rin genuinely wants to know so I want to give him an earnest answer.
“Honestly? I don’t fucking know. We’ve been getting to know each other lately, playing this stupid question game.
As long as the question is interesting, he answers honestly and I feel like a starved dog inhaling scraps any time I learn just a little bit more about him.
He’s a barista sometimes. Sometimes he models for the university.
Today I learned he was the head ref during that match we attended.
Every little thing I learn makes something light up inside my chest that I don’t have a name for.
He drives me up the fucking wall but he can keep up with my banter and hand it out just as quickly.
I don’t fucking know, you guys. I was fine just having this fun banter with him but then he sent that stupid care package and now everything is all wonky!
Now he’s telling me he’s going to the club and to come find him!
What does that even mean? What the fuck does he want from me? ”
By the time the words are done pouring from my mouth I’m practically panting. It feels like I’ve just run a marathon instead of confiding in my friends. I look down at the ground, groaning in frustration, grabbing at my freshly styled hair.
“Okay,” Rin says slowly, putting a hand on my shoulder. “First of all, take a breath. You’re okay.”
I suck in a sharp breath and do my best to let it out slowly.
“I think that’s the most I’ve heard you talk in one go ever,” Rodney says with a smile. “Thanks for trusting us with your feelings, Kei.”
“If you want to hear my thoughts, I think you should go get your man,” Rin says with a grin. “This is the first time you’ve felt like this about someone. I know your usual relationship only lasts for a night, but I think this could be special, whatever it is happening between you and Sookie.”
“I agree,” Rodney says with a nod. “It’s not often you find someone who can dig themselves under your skin. Take a chance. Chase after him if he wants a chase. Have fun with him and see what happens.”
“And if it’s a worse case, at least you’ll have one night of fun. You said it yourself, Kei. Being stuck in the ‘what if’ is hell. Go and then you’ll know one way or another.”
I take their words to heart, letting them settle inside my chest. “You’re right,” I finally say, nodding my head. “Thank you for the pep talk. I love you guys.” They wait a moment and I pout. “Oh my gods, say it back before I lose it.”
They chuckle and pull me into an awkward group hug. They tell me they love me before shoving me through the house towards the front door. My Uber just arrived so I double check I have my phone, wallet, and keys, before leaving the house.
The drive to Breakdown doesn’t take long and before I know it, I’m stepping inside. It’s a Thursday night so it’s not too crowded but even so, the smell hits me all at once.
I have to stop for a moment, doing my best to keep my composure. It’s so fucking much. It’s too much but I can’t leave now. I’m too close to getting exactly what I want.
Putting a hand over my nose and my mouth, I breathe through my mouth, trying to settle into something that I can handle. My head is swimming and my sinuses feel like they’re going through the very pits of hell.
I look around the club, trying to find Sookie. As much as I wish I would have taken my pills, the ones that mute my sense of smell, I couldn’t. I need to be able to smell Sookie. I need to use his scent to find him just as much as I need my eyes.
I walk through the club, keeping my eyes on a swivel. I scent the air until I find that scent I’ve come to crave. The hoodie back home still has his scent on it. I’ve put it into a plastic bag to keep the scent fresh for as long as possible.
Raspberry tea.
I follow it onto the dance floor. When my eyes finally land on him, everything inside of me locks up. My feet are stuck to the floor as I watch him dance. There’s a man behind him, with his hands on Sookie’s hips. The two of them sway back and forth.
Jealousy seethes inside of me. My alpha is throwing a fit, growling about how Sookie is ours. I want him. I want him more than I’ve ever wanted someone before.
I swallow thickly before moving again, stepping into Sookie’s space. I growl softly, just barely audible over the thumping music. Sookie’s eyes snap open before they widen, taking me in.
Then, a pleased smile stretches across his lips. That’s all I need to see before I’m grabbing him by the belt loops and tugging him forward, away from the guy behind him.
Sookie’s hands wrap around my neck, tugging on the strands of hair he finds there. My entire body is synced with his, burning so hot I’m worried the two of us might combust. Everything around us seems to fall away, fading into the background until it’s just me and him.
Sookie is even more beautiful in person, his scent better which I didn’t think was possible. I just barely keep myself from burying my face against his throat just so I can scent him straight from the source. Instead, I keep my eyes locked on his face, just taking him in.
He’s a bit shorter than me, probably standing at about six foot. His hair is a beautiful chocolate color, swooping perfectly around his ears and forehead. The perfect length to bury my hands in and pull.
Sookie’s eyes are brown, staring at me, taking me in the same way I’m taking him in.
His body is toned against my own. He’s strong and beautiful and everything I’ve ever thought about when I think about a future partner.
Not that I’ve thought about a future with someone before but when it comes to him I feel weirdly hopeful.
I feel so many things I’ve never felt before.
“Kei,” Sookie says and my name from his lips threatens to bring me to my knees. I don’t even know what I’m feeling anymore. I feel more alpha than man, instincts rising up inside of me until they’re as loud as the music around us.
“Gods,” I say, unable to find any other words. Sookie just smirks at me before stepping even closer. Our fronts collide and my hands move away from his belt loops to hold his hips properly. One hand slides up his back, feeling his toned muscles, feeling the heat radiating from under his shirt.
I’m so hard that it hurts. I’m so turned on it’s hard to think of anything but Sookie, Sookie, Sookie.
Sookie runs his nose over my jaw until his mouth is right at my ear. Despite the heat all around us, I can’t help but shiver.
“I’m glad you found me, Kei,” Sookie says, right against my ear. I bite my bottom lip to keep myself from doing something ridiculous like moaning while we’re in public. “None of these other guys would have been as good.”
I growl, unable to stop myself. “If you’re taking someone home, it better be me.”
“You gonna make it worth my time?”
Instead of answering, I rub our necks together where our scents are the strongest. It’s such an intimate thing yet I’m brazenly doing it right here, in front of everyone. I hear Sookie take a shaky breath, his hands tightening against the back of my neck.
I pull back and look down at him. Our eyes lock onto each other. “Take me home and find out.”
Sookie takes my hand and starts dragging me out of the club.