Page 61 of Where the Dark Knelt
Slick juices pooled even more at my core, and the small strip of material between my legs was drenched. I was so turned on by his attention, I didn’t trust myself to speak.
Mandy interjected again, asking for the dates of the gigs Alfie had mentioned to her. I broke his gaze and walked past him.Suddenly, before I was out of earshot, he was giving an open invite to his house for drinks.
Saffyand Holly were keen to go. Alfie was a charmer. Will had some split loyalties and wondered how I felt about it, given Alfie’s previous treatment of me.
Initially, I complained that I was tired and was going to head home, but from the response from our group, I didn’t feel I could object anymore, so I went along with it.
Sitting quietly in Will’s car on the way over, I was dreading having to spend time in the same space and not touch him. When we got to Alfie’s place, Will squeezed my hand in support, because he kind of knew I didn’t want to be there. “Are you okay with this?” I nodded, albeit too quickly, as a reassurance to him, while I still tried to convince myself that I was okay. I had to keep reminding myself to act as if I hadn’t been in his house before.
Strange, hurt feelings and a rush of memories hit me as I walked through the door that Alfie had pressed me into soplayfully.Glancing at the stairs, heat stirred in my core again and my folds pulsed, as I became overwhelmed by the memory of him carrying me up to his bedroom. Remembering all the things we did together in his room directly above this one, I longed to have that with him again.
Blushing, still affected by those memories, I caught him smirking into his beer bottle, when his eyes caught mine for a second. His eyes flicked to the stairs and rolled up toward the ceiling, as if he was reading my mind again.
Alfie didn’t pay attention to me. Well, that’s not entirely true, his attention was demanded by everyone else in the group, once they arrived. Especially when they found out how popular his band was becoming, as they supported major artists in the States.
When I was listening to him, I was genuinely pleased, because he was extremely talented from what I’d heard. Alfie was an exceptional singer, so I could only imagine how great he’d be with a band backing him.
Already a fan of his lyric writing, I’d since heard a few more of his songs, and they stacked up. As a fellow musician, I couldn’t deny that he was truly gifted.
Will brought mea white wine spritzer, but my quirk had always been to have crushed ice in it.
“Sorry, is there any ice?” Still holding his beer bottle, Alfie motioned toward the kitchen with his index finger.
“Sure, there’s a dispenser in the fridge.”
I blushed again because this was a pretense and I knew that.
I wandered into the kitchen. It was beyond weird, being here, being familiar with all his things and pretending not to know anything. I just had to keep telling myself over and over that I could do this.
This was a normal gathering ofa group of friends, nothingcrazy about it. We would just drink, chat, and go home. What made it different was that I had been here before. No one else in the room was aware that we knew each other intimately or that we had a history of mind-blowing sex together. Wild sex with the amazing-looking guy who hosted this little get-together, and he was acting as if he didn’t really know me.
Myconcentration was gone again, lost in reflections of those times, when the crushed ice spattered out of the dispenser, spilling over my blouse at breast level and missing my glass.Shit!The ice immediately melted, leaving a see-though area in the front, with my lacy bra showing through.
Chapter Twenty-Five
MIND GAMES
Leaning over the counter to get some paper towel, I felt his calloused fingertips slide around my waist. Strong hands pulled me back into an erect male body. His scent told me that it was Alfie.
My breath hitched, and I held it. My eyes fluttered closed as I indulged momentarily in his touch. My beating heart stuttered for a second and pounded rapidly in my chest, but I didn’t move.
He sweptmy hair to the side, exposing the nape of my neck. His fingers left a tingling, burning sensation on my skin. Familiar bumps appeared in the wake of the trail like a rash. I could feel his hot breath on my neck as he moved his head forward, bending to kiss the soft spot behind my ear.
I felt his lips curl into a smile on my neck and that felt so right. His breath became hotter and more ragged as it dispersed on my skin in short pants. White heat shot through my body, resulting in a flushed effect. I became so aroused, I had to fight with everything I had, not to turn into him.
Feeling his hands on mewas so amazingly perfect. Hisarms wrapped around my waist, and as fast as he held me, he was gone. I had never even caught sight of him during the whole interaction.
Alfieleft me standing breathless and shaken. I tried to steady myself—my legs were weak, my heart was beating so wildly I could feel it in my mouth. White fingertips clung to the countertop, as I tried to gather my thoughts.
I heard him talking in the living room again as if nothing had happened, while I stood where he left me. My heartbeat continued to pound hard with the breathless effect he’d had on me.
I must have stayed there longer than I should have, because when I managed to go back to the group, Will mouthed, “Are you okay?”
Plastering on my best smile, I mouthed back, “Sure.” I placed my glass to my lips and sipped the wine, minus the ice I’d gone to get, while trying to avoid eye contact with Alfie.
I think Will would have noticed more going on, had it not been for Saffy. She was hanging on his neck, and I think he had his own distractions with her.
Stealing a glance, Alfie was looking directly at me. “Lily, what’s been the hardest part of today for you?” I blushed at his double meaning, and as the focus was on me, I knew exactly what he was doing.
