Page 77 of Nodus Tollens
“I’m sorry.” I quickly retracted my hand and tried to escape from his hold.
“Hey, you’re fine.” He tugged me in closer with the arm he had slung over my shoulder. “You’re allowed to touch me, Blue.”
My skin tingled from his words.
“Wherever you want.” He added with what sounded like a groan.
That’s what I was afraid of, having free range of his body when I knew I would only bore him with my lack of experience. I thought of ways I could please him. I even asked Kate for some tips on how I could bring him to his knees, but to say her advice was a little advanced for me would be an understatement. Even at night, I dreamed of what his body might look like naked and to have him hovering over me. Would he take me slow and deep? Or perhaps have me on top? I had no way of knowing what he liked, and deep down, it bothered me that I didn’t know.
“You good, baby? You look a little flushed.” He awoke my senses with a nibble to the base of my throat, causing a moan to rip from my mouth. My eyes broadened at the unexpected reaction. Now I was blushing even more.
“I don’t mind you looking at me like that. In fact, I encourage it. But if you keep it up, I’ll have my gentleman card revoked by the end of the night, and I can promise you, I won’t care if I get it back or not.”
He continued his thigh-clenching nibbles across my neck and shoulders as my whole body became doused in desire. I was stunned, to say the least, at his seductive words and lips, but like he didn’t just create a whirlwind of yearning inside me, he pulled away and grinned.
“I have someone I want you to meet.” He dropped the arm he had over my shoulder and entwined our fingers together. My body was buzzing so uncontrollably that I didn’t care where he was taking me as long as he was by my side. But before we went to find his friend, he brought his mouth back to mine briefly and spoke over my sensitive lips. “Have I told you that you look beautiful tonight? You always do, but like this, you look like my Blue.”
His Blue.
If a heart could triple in size, mine just had.
Then, with a quick peck to the lips, he pulled away and started to walk me toward the pool tables in the back. A satisfied smile materialized as my stare latched onto our tangled hands. His hand felt perfect in mine. Almost too perfect. I felt like it was too good to be true to have this amazing, kind, handsome man tripping over himself to make me happy. I didn’t deserve him by any means, but I couldn’t let him go. Not when it was like this. Not when there was a whole world of people out there, and somehow, someway, our hearts had found each other. I wanted to be selfish for as long as I could, for as long as my heart would let me, and I only prayed that Hayes would let me.
As we continued our jagged path, he gave me a tight, reassuring squeeze as we bypassed a group of men. He even peered over his shoulder at me with a tilt of his mouth.
“Took you fucking long enough… did you find…” A deep, gruff voice emitted from the shadows in front of us, and for a moment, my whole body shook from the harshness in his tone. But before he could finish, Hayes quickly cut in.
“Mal, I want you to meet Blue.”
The next thing I knew, I was being pulled by the hand until my back was smashed to his front, and his arms snaked around my middle. At first, I couldn’t even focus my eyes because of the sudden tugging movement. I grasped his arms to steady myself, then once my eyes could refocus, I slowly peered up.
“Blue, this the infamous Mal.” Hayes said in my ear as my gaze latched onto the big, burly man in front of me. It hit me instantly. Like a punch to the gut. Like a blow to the heart. My world went crashing when I met the eyes of the man I thought I had buried far into the back of my thoughts, where he would never resurface. I couldn’t find air. I couldn’t formulate words or a single thought. Instead, all I could do was stare in utter shock and horror as the man I adored held me and the man I had forced myself to forget stood in front of me.
It was obvious he noticed who I was immediately. The revelation struck him just as hard as me as his vigorous stare never wavered from mine. My throat clogged, but I knew one of us had to speak before Hayes caught onto whatever strange connection was passing between us.
“Hi.” My voice came out more like a breath than anything, but it was the flaring of his nostrils that sent a shiver down my spine.
What was he thinking? Was he mad?
“It’s nice to meet you.” The words flew out without a single thought or worry of consequence. Instead, I had straight-up lied, which only seemed to have aggravated Mal even more.
Mal.
His name was Mal, and he still looked just as terrifyingly beautiful as he did when I caught him shaking that vending machine. His dark waves were hidden underneath a backward hat, while a hoodie the size of my whole body and sweats covered his tall frame. I found my eyes subconsciously searching the area of his eyebrow where he had the bandage at the hospital. Now mostly healed, a jagged scar ran down his brow, where it stopped shy of the corner of his eye. He looked menacing. Even more so now as his eyes raged war within himself.
“Blue.” He grunted in more of a question than a statement.
Hayes then unknowingly added more gasoline to the fire as he snuggled his head into my neck. Of course, my heart started to do flips. It was inevitable when every part of me belonged to Hayes, and even though I may have felt something in those short, few minutes I had seen Mal, nothing would ever change my mind about the boy who stole my heart.
It wasn’t meant to be with Mal. We were a moment. A fleeting moment, an exchange of eyes at most, and as he openly stared at my small frame wrapped in his best friend, I feared the worst.
What if he told Hayes he had already met me? What would I say then? Like a bomb went off in my head, worry began to flood my system, but I didn’t know exactly why.
“It’s nice to meet you too.” Mal’s low grumble surprised me as he nodded his head in my direction before flicking his eyes up to Hayes. “I need another drink, ya’ll want anything?” He shot off his chair, towering over the both of us, with an unfazed look across his face. If anything, he looked bored now.
“Want one?” Hayes’ profile caught my attention from the side, but I shook my head no in response.
“Nah, we’re good, man.”
