Chapter Four
Colette
This must be a sin, I thought. It felt too good not to be. Xander’s arms were around me and his hands covered mine as he continued to play the game. I could feel his chest at my back and his breath at my ear, making me feel small and feminine.
I knew coming to the arcade was a bad idea. Any more time in Xander’s presence would make me weaker to his charms. I tried to stop it, but then he took my hand and all protests flew out of my head. His touch had been startling yet soothing, like my skin had been yearning for the feel of his. In that moment, I would have agreed to anything.
Even now, being surrounded by him, I was in a daze and frozen to the spot. He continued to move my hands to the buttons, but I wasn’t trying anymore. All I could think about was how he would touch me if we were alone. Xander had been a gentleman so far, but my body wanted him to be the villain I’d always imagined. I wanted his mouth on my neck and his hands to wander up my arms and over my chest. I wanted him to take liberties. Much to my shame, the image was causing wetness to pool between my legs.
Before I knew it, the screen was flashing ‘GAME OVER’ again.
“That’s too bad,” Xander said, his voice’s timbre sending chills through my overly heated limbs. His hands were still on mine, but now he was cupping them so his fingers pressed into my palms and his thumbs brushed against my knuckles.
“You look a little flushed, why don’t we get some air?” he said softly.
I could only nod. He stepped away, keeping a hold of my right hand to lead me toward the back door.
The back patio had a few picnic tables and one was occupied by a group of young guys. They all looked at us when we came out, but quickly looked away as they stood up and went inside. I knew immediately they were leaving because of Xander. They were obviously scared of him. As I should be.
Before I could think that through, Xander led me to one of the tables and tugged me down to sit next to him. I let him pull me into his body so our thighs aligned and my shoulder rested against his chest.
He looked down at me, his dark eyes seeming warm, but yearning. I thought for a moment he was going to kiss me, but instead he said, “Why are you here, Grady girl?”
I felt my mouth drop open in surprise before I corrected myself. “Is it so obvious that I am from Grady?”
He smirked. “Yes,” he said, his eyes glancing down my body.
“We just came out for dinner.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Another town over?”
I bit my lip. “Grady doesn’t have a lot of restaurants and this was the closest place with pizza.”
He didn’t say anything, but I could tell he was suspicious.
There was a moment of silence as the song changed on the speakers and then a man started singing about making a woman his and that he had “hungry eyes.” I couldn’t help but smile since that was the exact same thought I had about Xander.
“What’s that smile?” Xander asked.
“I was just listening to the song,” I said. “I’ve never heard it before.”
“Really?” He looked genuinely surprised. “You’ve never seen Dirty Dancing?”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a movie from the eighties. This song was made famous by it. It’s a story about two people that fall in love that aren’t supposed to.” He licked his lips as his eyes studied my face.
“Like Romeo and Juliet?” I asked. Shakespeare was one of the few romantic authors allowed in the Grady library. Romeo and Juliet was my favorite. So much love and passion in so little time.
Xander smirked. “Sort of. But it has a lot more dancing and music. And it has a happy ending.”
“Sounds like a good movie.”
“We could watch it some time,” he said.
I looked down, disappointment flooding me. “I don’t think that will be possible.”
He was silent for a moment and I could see the dissatisfaction in his face before he nodded. “I suppose not.”
The song ended a few minutes later and I felt a little sadder for it.
“Do you ever think about leaving?” Xander asked.
I looked down at my lap. “Sometimes,” I said softly, as if God might not be able to hear me. “But it would mean never seeing my family again.” And I don’t have anywhere else to go.
He stopped holding my hand so he could push a tendril of hair behind my ear. “It seems like you want more, Letty.”
“Letty?” I asked.
He gave me a smirk. “Yeah, it’s my new name for you. Colette is just too … restrained.”
“Restrained?” I asked with a smile.
“Yeah, like it’s a box you’ve been forced into. But Letty. I don’t know. It just seems to fit you better.”
I felt myself blush again. “I think you are making assumptions. You don’t know me at all. Perhaps I like the box.”
He studied my face for a moment, his gaze lingering on my eyes and mouth, and then shook his head. “You want more. I can see it.” His voice dropped slightly, becoming a little rougher.
“What do you mean?” I whispered.
He cupped my face gently. “It’s in your eyes. You have a way of looking at the things you want but can’t have. You have hungry eyes.”
I laughed at the song reference and bit my lip. But I didn’t know what to say, I could hardly deny it.
I looked up at him and I could see the same hungry look in his eyes.
“Can I kiss you, Letty?” he asked.
My mouth dropped open in surprise. Before I could answer he leaned down and claimed my lips with his.
I’d read about kissing, and everything else about sex, in my grandmother’s old romance novels, but I was completely unprepared for the real thing. My body tingled all over as our mouths met and we tasted each other. Xander was gentle and coaxing as his lips encouraged mine to open and kiss him back. It made the heat under my skin go from warm to sizzling in an instant. While his slow kiss was making me melt against him, I could feel him holding back. His shoulders were tense under my hands even as his tongue swept into my mouth, making me gasp and then moan. His hand was around my neck, using it to angle my face the way he wanted it. The other was around my waist, pulling me against him so hard that I was having a hard time breathing between the pressure and his kiss.
Xander growled against my lips. “I want more, Letty,” he said.
Suddenly, he was lifting me by my waist and settling me onto his lap so I was straddling him. One hand speared my hair and he brought my face to his so he could take my mouth in a voracious and demanding kiss. His other hand pulled my hips into his, making my core spasm as my legs were spread. For the first time in my life, I felt on fire with need. I finally knew what all those romance novels were talking about as my pussy started to weep with want.
Xander was literally making me wet as he jerked his hips against mine all while devouring my mouth. I felt something hard press against the seam of my jeans and it put pressure right where I wanted it. I moaned and started moving with him, keeping my arms wrapped around his neck so I could still taste his mouth while I rode his hips. I wanted more of those delicious feelings that came with every thrust and kiss.
Xander’s hand left my hair and trailed down to cup my breast through my shirt. I should have been shocked, but his hand only seemed to increase the pleasure. And yet, it wasn’t good enough; I wanted more. I took his hand and led it under my shirt. Xander didn’t need any help as he pushed my top and bra up my chest until my nipple was exposed to the night air, then he took it into his mouth. I gasped and my head flew back.
He teased my flesh, sending even more bliss through my veins. He used his mouth on one breast while his hand plucked at the other. I gripped his hair, holding him to me while my hips still pushed against his.
“Damn.”
I froze at the sound of someone speaking and Xander raised his head from my chest. I looked behind me to see Ajax standing a few feet away with a smile on his face.
I quickly lowered my shirt and climbed off Xander’s lap. A blush exploded over my face all the way to my roots. What is wrong with me? How could I become so wanton so quickly?
“Your friend was looking for you,” Ajax said with a chuckle.
I immediately marched past Ajax and back into the arcade without a glance at Xander.
“Letty,” he said, but I wasn’t brave enough to look at him again.
I found Emily near the front.
“I am so ready to go,” she said.
“Me, too,” I replied.