Possess (22 page)

Interlude

Neither Nolan nor myself said anything further after walking out to his car. I watched his fingers twist the radio knob on to mask the growing silence as he turned on to Main Street.

“I didn’t
know
that
you
didn’t know,” I finally spoke, looking over at him. He peered over at me from the corner of his eye as he drove.

“Ya don’t have ta go if ya don’t want ta.”

“No, I want to go. I just didn’t want you to feel like you
had
to take me if you didn’t want to.”

“I want ta.” Nolan’s tone remained quiet as he chewed at his bottom lip thoughtfully. Both of us fell silent for the remainder of the drive, unsure of what to say to the other that wouldn’t create more awkwardness. Ten minutes later we were parked in a field next to the university. The whole concert took place on the large multi-purpose fields next to the stadium. The loud booming bass could be heard as soon as we got out of the car. I followed Nolan towards the gates, his stride quicker than mine. He stopped to let me catch up and lightly placed his hand on my lower back as he guided me toward the entrance. I couldn’t help looking around in amazement at the various stages and tents as we walked through the gates. I’d been to a few local shows back home, but nothing like this. There was one large stage where the main acts played, then several smaller stages scattered amongst vendors selling band merchandise, food, and beverages. I glanced back at Nolan who seemed to be amused as he watched me with curiosity. He grew up with all of this, so it wasn't anything new to him.

“C'mere. Why don't we get something ta warm us up a little?” He nodded towards a tent where they were serving hot chocolate. His nose was a little red from the cold. I followed him, even being warmly dressed I couldn't turn down hot chocolate. He paid for two cups then handed me one. I held it under my nose, inhaling the warm sweetness and the hint of Irish cream. I took a small sip, licking my lips as the heat radiated through my body. I opened my eyes to find Nolan watching me. “I felt my cheeks growing warm as well and turned my attention toward the larger stage. “Who's playing?”

“Not sure,” Nolan answered. “Want ta get closer?” I nodded and after we finished the hot chocolate as he led me toward the stage. Every few seconds he peeked back at me to make sure I was still close as we mixed into the throng of concert-goers. The crowd grew denser the closer we got and as I stumbled I lost sight of him.

“Nolan?” I looked around for his curly hair as I pushed through a group of drunken cheerleader types, but couldn't find him. 
Maybe he came back this way looking for me?
 I turned back in the direction of the hot chocolate stand but stopped as I saw two bright green eyes in the distance. A figure stood there in the growing shadow of the woods just past the field's edge. His head tilted at me and a loose piece of black hair fell in his face. 
Brody?

“There ya are.” Nolan's hand grabbed my wrist and caused me to let out shriek.

“Sorry, you startled me.” I apologized as he promptly let go of me.

“Ya look like ya saw a ghost. Ya okay?”

I glanced back toward the woods once more. He was gone. “Yes, I'm fine.”

“I found a good spot over this way,” Nolan pointed back towards the side of the stage and held his hand out to me. With one last look toward the woods, I grabbed his hand and followed him to an area with an old farm style wooden fence. He steadied me as I settled myself on the fence, giving me a clear view of the stage. 

“This 
is 
a great spot!” I shouted over the music. Nolan stood behind the fence and leaned over the back next to me, a pleased grin on his face when I smiled at him.

“I’m going ta go grab another hot chocolate. Did ya want one too?” He leaned close to me, trying not to shout in my ear. I nodded to him and he disappeared back into the throng. I watched him until he reached the tent then looked back toward the stage. I'd never listened to the type of music playing but it was quickly beginning to grow on me as the Irish punk band whirled into their next song. I could just imagine Aggie jumping around in the mosh pit with the other concert-goers. I wondered if all three of them used to do that at one time. Nolan, Aggie, and Brody. I watched the crowd jumping around with wreckless abandon to the music and smiled to myself – until the hairs on the back of my neck pricked up. 
Someone is watching me.

My heart doubled in beat as my eyes searched the crowd. Nobody was even looking in my direction, everyone was watching the stage.
Everyone except Brody.
He was there, standing in the middle of the crowd, watching me with a blank stare as everyone else moved around him. His eyes darted toward the back of the crowd and I tried to follow, but didn't see anyone. I looked back to Brody but he had vanished. The uneasy feeling had not.

“Harley. Harley?” Nolan stepped in front of me and pulled my attention back from the crowd. He held up a cup as he watched me, concern etched around his eyes.  “Ya sure yer alright?”

“I’m fine,” I let out a laugh, doing my best to hide the shaking in my voice. “I just felt a little lightheaded. Think I drank the first cup of hot chocolate a little too fast.” I smiled at him

“I forget, ya and yer penchant for head injuries. Maybe I shouldn’t have sat ya up there after all,” he mused with a playful grin. “Come on then, let’s get ya down.”

Nolan placed the cups on the ground by our feet then tentatively put his hands on either side of my waist. I slid down from the fence in a rather ungraceful manner, smacking my forehead against Nolan’s chin.

“Christ woman, talk about hard-headed!” He rubbed his jaw, staring down at me in amazement. “That might leave a mark ya know.”

“On what? You chin or my forehead?” I stifled a giggle, rubbing my head.

“Probably both,” Nolan laughed. “Now I can see how that skull of yers protected ya from that damn cue ball.” He leaned forward, tilting my head up to him with his index finger. “Doesn’t look too bad, just a little red.” Nolan winked as his eyes looked into mine.

His expression was infectious and I found myself smiling back. The uneasy feeling seemed to have dissipated, replaced with that strange calming energy that I’d felt the first night we kissed. I knew he felt it too. His breathing grew clipped as his gaze drifted to my lips and his finger traced its way down the side of my neck. In one swift motion, Nolan’s lips pressed against mine as he backed me against the fence. My pulse quickened, reverberating the hurried tempo that blared through the speakers and over the crowd. I could still taste chocolate and Bailey’s on his lips as I pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. His fingers gripped my hips as he moaned against my mouth, both of us no longer aware of the crowd or music, or even the few spectators we had attracted.

“I’m sorry, Harley,” he gasped as he pulled away a minute later, “I know what ya said the other night. I just can’t help myself around ya.” His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths as he stared at me through glassy eyes. I wanted to tell him he was right.
He shouldn’t. We couldn’t let this happen. Not now.

I started to speak, but something caught my eye. Someone watching us. In the fading twilight, I couldn’t make out their face. It was a tall muscular figure with the collar of his jacket obscuring his features. The stage lights caught his eyes for just a second and a dreadful sense of familiarity hit me in the gut. I couldn’t make the connection, but I knew that I knew him – and he was definitely watching me.

I looked back toward Nolan. His rueful blue eyes told me he had interpreted my silence and my wandering gaze as rejection. He started to take a step back, but I grabbed the front of his jacket, pulling him back to me.

“Don’t go anywhere, please.” My voice was urgent, panic just beneath the surface as Nolan’s lips collided with mine. His fingers tangled into my hair as he cupped my face, tilting it with his as his mouth moved over mine, his tongue stroking mine in a fervent manner. The calmness washed over me again as I gave into his embrace. I opened one eye just enough, peering in the direction of the man that had been watching me, but he was nowhere to be seen. I pushed him from my mind. I didn’t want to feel scared. I didn’t want to think about what might happen to me soon. I only wanted to feel what Nolan was making me feel. The tingling sparks of energy shooting through my body as he pressed against me.

“Let’s go, let’s get away from here.” I said as my lips brushed against his ear. No sooner had the words left my lips than Nolan was pulling me toward the gates, his fingers tightly intertwined with mine. I didn’t look back again to see if Brody or anyone else was watching us. I just wanted to escape.

As we rounded the passenger side of his car, he tugged my arm and pulled me to him, backing me against the car door. His mouth found mine and his tongue slid past my lips, brushing against mine in a slow, lustful stroke as his body moved against mine in a similar fashion. Moments later he pulled away, leaving both of us disheveled and breathless as he opened my door then hurried to the driver’s side. I watched in amusement as he hastily fumbled with his seatbelt and car keys before putting the Honda into drive and taking off out of the festival area.

“Nolan, I think the speed limit is thirty-five.” I said, watching the needle of the speedometer steadily rise as we zipped down a crowded street. He glanced at me then eased off the gas slightly. I suppressed a smile as he concentrated on the road, no doubt calculating the fastest route back to Finley’s. Despite the traffic, we seemed to arrive back behind the pub in record time. Nolan looked to the back door then to me, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he pursed his lips.

“I'll check fer any sign of Aggie before we go inside.” He spoke as if giving instructions for some sort of black ops re-con mission. I followed along, not in any rush to reenact the other night. As he shut off the car he pulled me to him. Another wave of calm and want rushed over me as his mouth pulled hungrily at mine.

“C’mon. Otherwise, I may not be able ta make it upstairs.” Nolan’s heavy breath caressed my neck and it took everything in me to pull away from him. Finally we both got out and snuck toward the back door. Nolan looked back at me as he put his hand on the door, holding a finger up to his mouth as his lips curled into a grin. I clamped my hand over my mouth to hold back a giggle and watched as he pushed the door open about a centimeter, straining to peer inside. He reached a hand back, closing it around mine. “Okay, go!”

Like a couple of infatuated teenagers drunk on our own lust, we darted the short distance from the back door to the stairs, the only witness to this being Eli, the cook. I jumped as the door slammed behind Nolan, spinning around on the balls of my feet.

“And
you’re
shushing
me
?”

“Well, so much fer stealth,” he latched the lock in place then turned to me with a devilish flicker in his eyes as he pulled me to him. I pushed myself off the first step and sent him back into the door with a loud thud as I kissed him. He let out a playful growl and pushed me against the other side of the staircase as he buried his face against my neck. I shivered, letting out a quiet moan as his teeth nipped at the tender skin on my neck.

“Mmmm, Harley.” His breath tickled over my skin as he managed his way up the stairs, pulling me with him. After several minutes we reached the top step, tripping and giggling a few times as we stumbled over each other's feet. Our lips parted long enough for him to open the door and pull me inside.

After a long, heated kiss, his lips pulled away from mine and we stared into each other’s eyes. Giddiness replaced with nervousness in the quiet of his apartment. I felt a small wave of panic rise within me as I watched Nolan take off his jacket and toss it over the couch. I knew this wouldn't be like last time, I knew it wouldn't be anything like it was with Jackson, but I still felt myself hesitating. Nolan seemed intuitive as he stepped toward me. His eyes softened though his want was still evident. His lips pulled at mine with a tenderness that made me yearn for him. Whatever fears or inhibitions clouded my mind, there was something about Nolan that wiped them away whenever he was near me.
How could I have ever thought he was some sort of killer?
He had never done anything to even hint to something so sadistic in his nature. Quite the opposite. He cared for me when I had injured myself. He comforted me after I found Alannah. Even now, he was restraining his desires for my sake.

“We don't have ta if this is too fast fer ya.” Nolan said in a low husky voice as his palm cradled my cheek. I nodded as I placed his hand on the zipper of my jacket, and pressed my mouth to his once more. He smiled against my lips as his fingers pulled down the zipper and he moved closer to me. I shrugged off my jacket, discarding it on the floor as his arms wrapped around my waist and his mouth found its way back to my neck. His stubble scraping against my skin sent a shiver of pleasure down my spine and his hands slid over my backside, squeezing it firmly as he pressed his hips into mine.

“I can’t stop thinking about ya,” Nolan's voice came out in a ragged groan as his eyes met mine, “I want ya, Harley. So bad.” I felt heat rush through me with his words, my own breath caught as I lost myself in his intoxicating gaze.

“I want you too.” The words left my lips before I could stop them and Nolan's whole body shuddered in response. His lips returned to mine as he pulled my body hard against his. He let out another throaty sigh, his tongue brushing against mine with increased need as he backed me towards the darkened bedroom, barely illuminated by the light from the living room.