Page 33 of On Thin Ice

Her head snaps up, eyes wide with horror. “Woah, steady on there Captain.”

I huff a laugh, lifting her hand to my mouth and leaving an lingering kiss on her soft skin, tasting her perfume on my tongue. She stands up, straightening her dress and raking a hand through her hair before swishing away, looking at me once over her shoulder as she goes.

“Any pizza left man, or did you inhale it all already?” Nick bumps my shoulder when he stands up from his seat next to me.

I nod and point to the kitchen. “Left one slice just for you.” I smile, mouth crammed with pizza again.

I watch over my shoulder as Nick makes his way to the kitchen counter. Callie is grabbing something too, another drink I think or maybe two, I don’t know. I'm distracted again by her smooth skin, the way her spine curves and leads down to that perky ass that I want to grab. Nick says something to her, gesturing towards the lemonade bottle that sits next to her arm on the other side of the counter. I see her emerald eyes flash up to his for a moment, then they roll in that sassy way they always do and her face twists in disgust. She takes a drink in each hand, flicking her head and causing her curls to fall down her back before she brushes past Nick and leaves him with a face creased with confusion. I let my chin fall to my chest, stifling my laugh as Nick falls back down beside me on the couch. “Your girl's in a mood,” He mutters, shoving a slice of cheese pizza into his mouth and wiping the sauce off his lips with the back of his hand. The guy eats like a fucking animal.

I look over at my baby, she’s laughing with Lois, her hand on her shoulder as she hands her another drink.

“Nah,” I say, pointing at my girl. “She’s good, she just doesn’t like you.” I’m trying not to laugh, honestly I am, but watching a tiny girl like Callie put Nick in his place is just too fucking funny. He could do with someone taking him down a peg or two, the man’s ego is almost as big as mine… almost.

He huffs again and takes another bite. “Why, what did I do?” “You’re a fuck boy.”

“So were you before you met her and she likes you.” He scoffs and folds his crust, cramming it into his mouth and chewing hard.

My laugh slips out before I can stop it, the couch dipping as Kyle lands beside me. “Yeah, she likes me now, but trust me, I fucking knew about it when she didn’t.”

“Who are you kidding?” Kyle pipes up from my left side. “She still doesn’t like you.”

I nudge his shoulder with mine, his drink lapping up the side of his glass and wetting his hand.

“You’re probably right, I think she just puts up with me at this point.” I chuckle, hauling myself up from the couch and heading to the bathroom for a piss.

I know what I just said isn’t true, I know Callie likes me, she told me last night that she likes me as much as I like her. I remember distinctly because my heart tried to burst through my rib cage when she said it.

Chapter 27

Callie

I’m pretty drunk right now and I know it’s my own fault but I needed the alcohol tonight. I have a busy couple of weeks coming up with competitions and other shit that I'm less than prepared for and I was fully planning to ease the pain with as many drinks as I could pour down my throat tonight. It's been about an hour since I last talked to Sean but I’ve felt his eyes following me around the room most of the night. I love that he watches me, I’ve never had anyone want me as badly as he does and it makes my heart flutter uncontrollably every time I accidentally catch his eye.

I decide to ditch my heels on my way to my favourite room in the house, the one with the alcohol.

Ok maybe it’s my second favourite, after Sean's bedroom of course. I see him get to his feet as I pass him, his bright eyes fix on my ass as I move across the floor, his footsteps covering mine as he follows me to the kitchen. My bare feet pad across the kitchen floor before I reach for the vodka, pouring a generous amount into my now empty glass. I feel Sean's presence behind me, his tall, looming frame shadowing over me and making me feel tiny as usual.

His warm breath hits my neck. “Put that down.”

I spin around to face him and hit his dimpled face with a scowl. “Don’t tell me what to do Taylor.” I’m feeling extra sassy tonight, the vodka sloshing through my bloodstream and creating a wave of attitude that I suddenly want to drown him with.

“I think you’ve had enough now Cal.” He sighs, warm eyes melting into mine. “I know you’re just trying to numb your anxiety about your competitions next week but you need to stop now, it’s enough.” His voice is velvety in my ears, soft and gentle.

I love when he’s like that with me, pulling out his warm, fuzzy side and giving me all of it on a plate. I just want to pounce on him like a tiger, devouring every inch of him when he treats me this way, like he’s afraid of breaking me with his words alone.

What comes out of my mouth doesn’t reflect that though.

“Sorry, are you my dad?” I spit, lifting the glass to my lips and letting the burn run down my throat.

Sean runs his hand down his face, scratching at his jaw for a moment before I lift the glass to my mouth again. His eyes darken and before the devil’s nectar can touch my lips he whisks my glass away, tipping the contents down the plughole. The red I see behind my eyes can’t be normal and I'm going to blame the alcohol for the way I behave towards Sean right now. I know he cares about me, but how dare he read me like a fucking book and then take my drink away like I'm a child? Forget pouncing on him, devouring every inch of him. I’m going to fucking tear him to pieces. “You’re drunk baby, no more.” He coos, bracketing my jaw with his cold hands and I smash my palms against his chest, barely moving him but it felt good all the same.

I shake his hands off my face. “Go and fuck yourself Sean!”

I march past him, arms across my chest but he doesn’t let me get far. He snakes his arm around my middle and yanks me back to him, holding me tight against his body, his comforting warmth coupled with his familiar smell making me forget why I'm so mad at him.

“Don’t.” He warns, the usual bright, caramel flecks in his eyes darkening to an espresso.

I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and fight not to let my gaze slip to his lips. But I fail miserably and his face instantly softens, melting as he stares at my mouth.

---