Page 18 of With a Broken Wing
“But you’re angry,” I said, looking down to avoid meeting his gaze.
He turned two glasses over and poured generously into both. “Please. Stay. Have a drink with me.” When I hesitated, he continued, “Please.”
With a sigh, I sat back down on the couch, crossing my almost bare legs. The pajama shorts I wore barely covered my ass, and when I sat, they rode up my thighs. Demetri flicked his eyes to my crossed legs before dragging them back to my face. He carried over two glasses of bourbon and sat in the armchair.
“I’m sorry,” I said, swirling the golden liquid around the glass.
He raised an eyebrow, taking a long gulp. “Sorry for what?”
“The happy-go-lucky bullshit…” I couldn’t help the soft scoff that fell from my lips when I said it. It wasn’t the first time someone had gotten after me for my positive attitude, but most people didn’t know that if I didn’t have it, I’d spiral out of control again. Only Auston and my parents knew about that side of me, and only Auston cared.
He cringed and lowered his glass in his lap. “Andy, I should be the one to apologize. That was uncalled for.”
I was surprised. He didn’t seem like the type to apologize, especially to me, and he had snapped at me more than once. Silently, I nodded and took a drink of the bourbon. The liquor burned my throat lightly, and I coughed to clear it. “Ugh, I hate bourbon.”
Demetri laughed, a low rumble. “It’s an acquired taste. You’ll get used to it.”
“I would prefer not to. I’m a tequila girl.”
He rolled his eyes, his gaze landing back on my bare legs. “Nobodylikestequila.”
I shrugged and pulled my legs up to my chest, tossing back the last of the bourbon in my glass and wincing. Resting my head on my knee, I tried to resist yawning and failed. “Maybe I should call it a night,” I said.
Demetri stared at me, slowly trailing his eyes down my chest and torso and to my legs. His breathing didn’t speed up, but the breaths he took were heavier. The silence was thick enough you could taste it, and I rolled my lips together. My throat felt dry, even having just finished the drink, and I struggled to swallow my nerves.
My thighs threatened to quiver, and a damp rush soaked my panties. The way his eyes bored into mine was enough to make me shiver, and I desperately fought to come up with the ability to move off the couch. I counted to three in my head, telling myself that on three I would stand up and walk to my room.
One, two, three.
“Well, good night,” I blurted, practically leaping to my feet. I stumbled, almost tripping over the small coffee table.
He stood up as well, as if planning to catch me, silently following behind me and turning off the sitting room light before stepping into the hall. I stood in front of the closed bedroom door, staring at him in the dim hallway lighting. My conscience screamed for me to hurry into my room, lock myself in, and force myself to sleep off the temptation.
Before I could move, Demetri stepped forward, pinning me between him and the door to my room. He crashed his lips into mine, and I was overcome with the smell of mint and oak. He nipped my bottom lip, and when I opened my mouth, he took over and brushed his tongue against mine.
My head spun, and I ran my hands up his chest, wrapping them around his neck and pulling him closer to me. A moan slipped out, caught by his mouth, and a feral growl rolled from his chest.
As quickly as it had started, Demetri wrenched his lips from mine and stepped backwards. “Fuck!Go to bed, Andy.”
He turned and opened the door to his bedroom, rushing inside and slamming it behind him. When the click of the lock sounded, my stomach sank. I stepped into my room, slowly closing the door behind me but not locking it in case he changed his mind. As I crawled into bed and tugged the blankets up around me, my lips continued to tingle, but rejection soured my stomach. He would regret having done that by morning.
Waking up,I swore I could almost feel Demetri breathing in his room. The way he’d kissed me, completely taking control of my mouth and causing me to lose all feeling in my legs was intense. Then he shoved me away and cursed, instant regret turning his look of desire to one of near disgust.
I should’ve known I’d never be on his level. A man like Demetri Carlisle was always going to go for theproperwoman, probably successful, most likely rich, and definitely not dependent on drugs and alcohol to exist while simultaneously hiding every emotion behind a mask of bright colors and big smiles. The fact he’d felt the urge and kissed me at all shocked me enough.
The door across the hall closed abruptly, signaling he was out in the shared area of the suite. My throat felt like it was closing, choking me with the nerves that swelled in my stomach. I was going to have to face him, whether I wanted to or not.
Taking a deep breath, I slipped from under the covers and towards the door. The T-shirt I wore was constricting around my neck, and it felt like there were visible beads of sweat on my forehead threatening to paint their way down my face. I opened the door and stepped into the hallway, my breath catching in my throat when I turned to find Demetri leaning against the counter and staring at me.
“Morning,” he said before pursing his lips to blow across the mug in his hand and taking a sip.
“Good morning.” My voice was stuck in my throat. We stood and looked at each other, the silence falling heavy in the room. When we spoke again, it was at the same time.
“Coffee?”
“Is there more of that?”
I giggled before sucking my lip into mouth, and I lightly cleared my throat when he didn’t smile. Taking his offer to mean there was indeed more coffee, I walked towards where he stood against the counter. The scent of his cologne, the oaky smell with a hint of mint, grew stronger as I got closer. It made my lips tingle, desperate to feel his mouth on mine again. I loved the taste of coffee, but I wanted another taste of his mouth more.
