Chapter 30 #2
“I love your brother, he’s the love of my life…”
Everyone makes cute aww’s and smiles at them, thinking this was going to be something cute and loving.
“And he makes me fold like a lawn chair when he does this thing with his tongue on my…”
Yep, that didn’t go where I thought it was going.
Ria thankfully shoots up out of her seat, and covers Ali’s mouth with her hand, takes the glass of wine from her.
“Okay, that’s enough sharing and wine for you today.” Ria chuckles.
Ali pouts like a small child who’s had their candy taken away, and Harry sits there grinning like the cat that got the cream.
“No, please let her continue,” he says.
Ali whispers something into Harry’s ear, and then he stands, lifting her with him.
“Night, everyone. I’m off to pleasure my wife.”
Ali waves excitedly, and we all wave back, laughing.
“You know, I think I could have gone through life just fine without knowing that information,” Tori says,
Jack stares blankly into space with a horrified look on his face. “I think we all could have.”
He shudders. “Ugh, now all I can think about is Harry’s damn tongue.”
He stands, taking Ria’s hand. “Where are we going?” she asks.
“To get that thought out of my head.” Knowing what he’s implying, Ria stands and wiggles her brows at Tori.
“Bye, everyone.”
I look at Jack deadpan, and he shrugs.
Tori leans over and whispers. “Sucks being the single sibling, doesn’t it?”
“Sure does,” I agree, tossing back the last of my drink.
Kate and Harley make their way over, looking like they too have had a few too many shots.
“Tori, Felix says he finishes in twenty minutes and invited us to the club next door, you coming?”
Tori glances at me and then back to Harley, and I feel my body tighten. Is she going to go out with him?
“No, thanks though, I think I’m going to head up to my room.”
“Please,” Kate whines. “He asked for you. I think he likes you.”
I side eye Kate, but when I catch Brad narrowing his eyes at me suspiciously, I put my head down and pretend to scroll on my phone.
A hand smooths over my back and up the back of my neck. Harley leans in, a little too closely, “What about you, Noah? Wanna come?”
I’m taken aback and cough, drawing attention to myself. I can’t help but look at Tori, who has a stern expression on her face. Is she jealous? And the thought gives me a fuzzy feeling.
“No thanks, it’s been a long day for me too. I’ve been traveling for what feels like days.”
“Oh, of course. You’ve been busy saving lives,” she says, her tone flirtatious. She’s pretty, but there’s only one woman I have my eye on.
“You girls go have fun. Be safe,” Tori says, which makes Harley take a step back.
Kate and Harley say their goodbyes and leave.
“I think we are going to call it a night too.” Brad says.
“We are?” Gabby asks, looking at him. He says something only she can hear, and she giggles.
“Yeah, it’s been a long day,” she agrees with a smirk.
“Sounds like it’s going to be a long night too,” I say, giving them both a knowing look.
Brad winks at me. “It will be if I get my way. Make sure Tori gets back to her room safely, yeah?”
I look over at Tori, who is busy texting on her phone.
“Of course, have a good night,” I say.
They leave, and Tori and I sit in silence for what feels like an eternity. Not able to stand the silence any longer, I say, “Let me know when you want to go back to your room, and I’ll walk you.”
“Do you want me to go?” Tori asks.
I straighten my spine, “No, God no, you said it had been a long day, so I figured you wanted to.”
She shakes her head. “No, I just didn’t want to go out with them.”
I don’t push for more. “But if you want to go back to your room, we can, I ugh, mean you can.” She says nervously, stumbling over her words.
I’d love to take you back to my room.
“We can go back to my room, I have a suite, free mini bar, Harry’s paying.” I chuckle.
She stands up, “Well, let’s get going then.”
“Why does alcohol taste better when it’s free?” Tori slurs.
I laugh, holding up my bottle of beer. “I don’t know, but cheers to Harry.”
“Cheers.” Tori giggles, waving her champagne glass in the air. “Okay, show me your hand, Jones.”
I lay out my cards and reveal four aces. We have been playing poker with the cards he always carries, and I have been beating her ass.
“Hand over those poker chips.” I grin, revealing my cards.
Her mouth falls open, and she scoffs. “Cheater.”
I hold my hands up in surrender. “Hate the game, not the player, darlin’.”
She narrows her eyes and then tries to stand up from the opposite end of the couch.
“I don’t know how you did it, but you cheated,” she accuses with her pointer finger.
“Oh yeah. How are you going to prove that?” Not a bit of me cheated. I just got a good hand, but I can’t help but laugh at the accusatory look she’s giving me.
She stumbles, and I catch her before she hits the table. She lands in my lap, and we fall into a fit of drunken laughter.
When the laughter subsides, it becomes clear how close we are. How easy it would be to kiss her. Our breaths are matched, chests heaving, and she doesn’t move, straddling my lap as my hands drift to her exposed thighs.
“I, erm, should go,” Tori stutters.
“You could stay,” I offer.
Her throat works as she swallows, and I think about wrapping my hand around it to feel her pulse beneath my touch.
“I could,” she says, but she says it like a question, not a statement.
Suddenly, the music playing in the suite seems louder, the room feels warmer, and my fingertips squeeze her bare flesh.
Her eyes flutter shut and her hips grind against my growing erection very slowly, no doubt trying to ease the throb between her thighs.
Fuck, I want her so badly, but I also can’t handle another rejection. If she woke up and regretted us again, I don’t think I could go through that again, and knowing we are going to spend a lot more time together over the next month or so, I need to be sure before I walk that path again with her.
“Tori,” is all I manage to say. I squeeze my eyes shut because looking at her is too much. If I look into those midnight blue eyes too long, I’ll break. I’ll close that distance she put between us, and I can’t do that until she’s absolutely sure. “Tell me what you want, Tor.”
She adjusts her body, causing her center to rub against my erection, and I grit my teeth.
“Tori, unless you want me to fuck you, I need you to get off my lap, darlin’, because I am a man on the edge here.”
She doesn’t move, hands planted on my shoulders, forehead pressed against mine. The thick tension that swirls around us is close to suffocating me.
“Tell me what you want, Tor,” I repeat, blood thundering through my veins as I wait for her response. For the green light to take her and claim her.
She stays silent, and I open my eyes to find hers closed, a pained expression written all over her face. She’s still, unmoving, and I know I have my answer. In a move I may live to regret, I lift her and place her on the couch beside me.
“Noah, I’m—”
I cut her off. “We are good, Tor.. Okay?” She nods her head slowly, and I hold out my hand for her. “Come on, let me walk you back to your room.”