His hands touched my face.
I wanted his hands to touch somewhere else.
He could touch my face later.
This felt like sneaking around and being bad.
Very bad.
Kissing the guy that I was going to make cry. Kissing the guy that I was going to break his heart.
It drove me wild…
I touched the button of his shirt.
He always wore a nice button-down shirt but never tucked it in.
That, too, was sexy to me.
I touched the top of his pants, wondering where to go from there…
His mouth tasted like alcohol.
I wasn’t sure what kind it was and I didn’t really care. I just wanted more of it.
I wanted all of it.
I could get drunk just from kissing him. And he could get drunk off of me. Then, when I was done with satisfying myself, I could ditch him, hurt him, and laugh my ass off.
“Is this the dress?” I heard Easton’s voice ask.
I turned my head mid-kiss.
Noah’s lips grazed my cheek and he groaned.
His hands fell to his sides.
I closed my legs and nudged at him to get him away.
“You can’t see the dress yet!” I called out.
I put my hands to Noah’s chest and shoved him back.
He purposely stumbled back and I jumped from the edge of the sink.
I licked my lips and smiled.
His stare was beautifully dark and dangerous.
When he didn’t smile back, my face began to burn hot.
I ran from the kitchen just in time to see Easton with my secret dress on the bed, ready to unzip the covering to expose that I hadn’t chosen one of their dresses.
He started to unzip it as I slammed my hands into his shoulder to knock him out of the way.
“Whoa!” Easton cried out.
“Damn, Winter,” Xavier said.
“You’re not allowed to see it,” I said. “It’s my dress. My choice. You’ll see it tomorrow night. Got it?”
“Okay,” Easton said. “You could have just said something. No need to attack me.”
“Are you whining?” I asked Easton.
“No,” he said.
Xavier started to chuckle.
“Who the fuck cares about a dress?” Noah asked.
I turned my head and lifted my eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“Nobody is going to see it,” he said. “Nobody is going to see you. You’ll be invisible to their hedge funds and market accounts and sinister ideas… right?”
“Noah, go take a shower or something,” Easton said.
“I’m not washing Winter off of me,” Noah said.
My cheeks turned red.
“What?” Xavier asked.
“He doesn’t know what he’s saying,” I said.
“I don’t?” Noah asked. “What were we just doing in the kitchen?”
“Nothing,” I said.
“Smell her breath,” Noah said with a laugh.
“She had a drink?” Easton asked. “Big deal.”
“He’s just running his mouth,” Xavier said.
“She didn’t have a drink and she smells like booze,” Noah said.
He kissed the air and stutter stepped back into the kitchen.
I felt Easton and Xavier staring at me.
My heart slammed inside my chest.
I finally just shook my head.
“So what?” I asked. “It’s not like I never kissed you two.”
Easton looked down.
Xavier looked pissed.
They both didn’t speak.
So I kept rambling.
“It happened quick,” I said. “He’s upset about his parents. That’s obvious. So whatever. Okay? I’m going to do whatever I want. Get used to it.”
They still didn’t say a word.
I opened my mouth again but stopped.
I grabbed the dress off the bed and walked it to the wall where I found a place to hook it from.
When I turned, I surveyed the entire room.
The apartment sized room.
No… the house sized room.
“Better get ready, Winter,” Xavier said. “It’s getting dark.”
“Did you get her the mask yet?” Easton asked with a devilish grin.
Xavier shook his head.
His eyes burned at mine.
I swallowed hard.
“What mask?”
“Is this a joke?” I asked.
“No,” Easton said.
“Yes it is,” I said. “You’re going to convince me to wear this so I go downstairs and walk around and look like an idiot. I’ll be the only one wearing one and you’ll get a good laugh at my expense. Is that why you brought me here? Just to-”
“Winter,” Noah called out from behind me.
“Noah,” I said without looking back at him.
“Just listen to him,” he said, his words slurring.
“Shit,” Easton said.
Xavier nodded to Easton. “Go. He’s got to take a break.”
I slowly turned and watched as Easton hurried to Noah. He guided him back into the kitchen, telling Noah it was time to drink some water and cool down on the drinking.
“Does he get like that a lot?” I asked.
“Sometimes,” Xavier said.
“All because of his parents?”
“It’s way more than that, Winter,” Xavier said. “I don’t think you’re fully aware of what some of these people are capable of.”
I set my sights on Xavier.
Oh? I don’t? I know that you are Gia’s brother. That you came from Gia’s mother. You were then taken to be raised by your parents. Which, by the way, your parents are now divorced. I bet it was because of that, right?
“So what do we do about Noah?” I asked.
“Nothing,” Xavier said. “He’ll work it out. Unless, of course, you want to go back in there and fool around with him some more.”
“I didn’t fool around with anyone,” I said. “A little harmless kissing… that’s not so bad, right?”
Xavier moved closer to me. His right hand slid around to the small of my back.
“You tell me, Winter,” he said.
I watched Xavier inch closer to kiss me.
“I’m not wearing that mask,” I said right before he had the chance to kiss me.
“Yes, you are,” he said.
“No. That’s stupid.”
“It’s tradition.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Why would I lie to you about it?” Xavier asked.
Because you’re lying to me right now. Acting like nothing happened between us. Like you didn’t try to kill me.
“I’m just… no.”
I turned my head and looked at the coffee table.
We were in the living room area with the fireplace, the leather couches and chairs. On the table was a black mask. It was some elegant looking mask too. Of course it was elegant looking. It fit the shape of my face, covering my forehead, my cheeks, and my nose. If I put the mask on, I would be able to see, breathe through my nose, and my mouth would be exposed.
It was just… weird.
“If you don’t wear the mask, you can’t come to the gathering tonight,” Xavier said.
“Fine. I can have a night to myself here. I’ll make some popcorn, find a chick flick, and just waste away in that big bed.”