The Hidden (The Hidden Trilogy) (9 page)

“I wanted to see you. And based on your expression, you want to see me, too.” From the illuminated half of his face, I saw the corner of his lip turn up into a smirk.

Smug bastard.

And just like that, the spell was broken and my thoughts barraged back to me. “
You nearly gave me a heart attack!
” I cocked my arm back and chucked the bottle at him. He sidestepped the damned thing and it crashed into the wall before falling to the floor.

I grabbed the sheets and wrapped them around me, trying to conceal that I was
also
half-naked, in just a pair of panties and a tank-top. Climbing off the bed, I went to stand in front of him. “What are you doing here? You can’t just–”

My head tilted as something occurred to me. “Did you climb through my window? We’re on the third–”

“
Shh
.” He put his finger against my lips, silencing me. “Don’t think, just feel.”

His fingertips brushed up and down my arms, giving me goose bumps. I shivered as my nipples hardened, feeling an onslaught of desire that left the muscles between my legs aching.

He brought his hand up and traced along my jaw. “So beautiful,” he murmured.

I broke away, my face growing hot from his touch and his words as I moved back onto the bed. My head spun. 

What was he doing here? How did he even get in? And most importantly,
why
hadn’t I kicked him out?

The bed dipped, and I looked up, seeing him crawl towards me with lithe movements. Like a predator stalking its prey. His knee nudged my legs apart and they fell open rather willingly, the traitors. He hovered over me, parting the sheets until I was exposed. His hips pressed into mine as he settled on top of me.

Holy shit, was I
really
going to let this happen?

Yes. Holy mother of fuck,
yes
.

My heart beat frantically, making it the only other sound I heard besides my shallow breathing. He nuzzled his face against the hollow of my neck, his stubble grazing my skin. Tentatively, I placed my hands on his biceps, feeling their warmth and hardness in my palms.

“I want to taste you,” his deep voice murmured into my ear, washing his hot breath over my skin. He nipped my earlobe as his hips rocked against me slowly, his straining erection rubbing against the thin cotton covering my sex.

Oh, God…

My mouth was suddenly bone-dry. I swallowed and closed my eyes, feeling my panties grow wet. I sought out his hair, running my fingers through the strands. It felt just as I’d imagined–soft and smooth.

Knotting my fingers in it, I pulled him closer and writhed underneath him, trying to rub my clit against the hard bulge in his pants. Holy hell, I was about to combust.

His nose brushed my jaw. “Will you let me taste you?”

“
Yes
,” I breathed.

His lips met my neck in open-mouthed kisses, his tongue snaking out to lick and tease me. He grabbed the back of my thigh, spreading me wider as his hips ground against me in a slow, steady rhythm.

I just about came undone. I moaned into his hair and gripped him harder. He ran his hand up my side and skimmed his thumb over my nipple. I gasped, easily feeling the warmth of his finger through my tank-top.

“You like that?”

Incapable of speech, I nodded.

His mouth moved lower, trailing kisses down my chest until he put my fabric-covered nipple in his mouth. Goose bumps broke out all over my body, covering me from head to toe, and I tightened my fingers in his hair, mildly surprised that I hadn’t pulled fistfuls of it out yet.

God, this wasn’t enough. I needed
more
. More friction, more skin on skin contact. I wanted no barriers between us. “
More
,” I said between shallow pants. “I need more.”

He removed my nipple from his mouth and clutched my tank-top, ripping it off me like tissue paper. His warm, wet mouth enveloped my sensitive flesh again, and my breathing hitched. The light stubble on his chin grazed the surrounding skin of my breast as he worked, flicking the tip of my nipple with his tongue and lightly nipping it with his teeth. His hair hung down, tickling my chest as he moved. I reveled in the different sensations, feeling my walls clench as an impossible amount of moisture pooled between my legs.

“You taste so good,” he breathed.

He moved to my other nipple, suckling it as he did the first. His hand trailed down my stomach, playing with the edge of my panties. A choked sound escaped me as I realized what he was about to do, and I couldn’t
wait
for him to do it. His fingers trailed lower, rubbing my sex through my panties. I bit my lip to keep from calling out.

A low rumbling vibrated against me, and it took me a second to realize it came from Thomas. He was growling, the vibrations coming from its low, reverberating sound.

His forehead rested against my neck. “You’re soaked.” His voice was hoarse as he thrust against me.

I bit my lip harder and nodded. Shit, I’d never wanted
anyone
the way I wanted Thomas. It wasn’t even close. And it felt like I might die if I didn’t have him.

He growled again, causing me to shiver from the vibrations. He crushed his mouth to mine, our lips parting as our tongues danced back and forth.
Fuck
, he tasted good.

His hand moved to the elastic waistband of my panties again, this time dipping his fingers underneath to meet my eager flesh. I moaned into his mouth as he found my clit, gliding soft, slippery circles over it. He slipped a finger inside me, my head tilting back as I gasped and broke our kiss.

He moved within me as his thumb continually caressed me in tantalizing strokes. Taking my nipple in his mouth, he inserted a second finger, the tips grazing my front wall with a slight bit of pressure. My hips bucked in response, my eyes squeezing shut as my mouth dropped open. His hands and mouth felt like heaven on my body. Pure fucking ecstasy.

Withdrawing himself from me, he took his hand out of my panties. I was about to cry from the loss of contact when I saw the faint outlines of his smile.

“You said I could taste you…” Bringing his hand up, he stuck his fingers in his mouth. “Mmm.” His eyes slid closed as he sucked my arousal off his fingers.

I watched him with rapt eyes, on the verge of coming just from the sight. That was
so
fucking hot.

He opened his eyes, a smile playing on his lips, and leaned down until we were inches apart. “Do you want to know what you taste like?”

I stared at his perfect mouth, his bottom lip still shiny, and nodded. His lips melded against me as flavor exploded across my tongue. He tasted sweet, with a little hint of tang.

Our hands skimmed over exposed skin as we kissed, our tongues caressing one another as our bodies lay entwined. I was the one to break the kiss, my breathing shallow as my heart raced. He looked down at me in the dim light, and I smiled.

“Now it’s my turn to taste you.” With lightning-fast speed, I flipped him over and straddled him, sinking my teeth into his neck and ripping off a huge chunk of bloody–

The horrific image jerked me awake, and I gasped for air as my heart thundered. The sheets had tangled around my legs, and I was slick with sweat, my hair clinging to my face in wet clumps. My panties were soaked and my clit throbbed, like I’d just had a really good orgasm.

“
What the fuck?
” I clutched my chest and tried to even out my breathing.

What the hell
was
that? Clearly it had all been a dream–thank
God
–but it was an incredibly lucid one. It’d seemed so real, so vivid.

I flipped my pillow to the side that wasn’t drenched and lay back down. It felt cool against my cheek, and I kicked off the remaining covers. A welcome breeze blew over my heated skin, and I rolled over, staring out my open window.

Chapter Thirteen

Matt and I slowed as we neared his house in the woods. We’d taken a late night run after I’d had a tour of the new place. Apparently Matt and Mel would be staying for a while. I was not the least bit happy about this, but there was little I could do, short of packing up and leaving town.

However, I didn’t like the thought of leaving Emily and never seeing her again. I at least wanted the chance to know the grown-up version of my one-time friend. 

We reached Matt’s front porch, and he leaned against the railing. “You coming in?”

I sat down on the porch swing and shook my head. “I think I’m gonna call it a night.”

He nodded and reached for the door, only to have it opened for him by Cassandra, his twin sister. She stood in the doorway, looking back and forth between Matt and I, eyeing us like we were up to something. 

Matt looked at me, then her, cocked an eyebrow and said, “Later,” as he stepped around her and shut the door behind him.

Cass smiled as she sat next to me. “What was that about?”

I shrugged. “Got me.” 

She yawned and rested her head on my shoulder, her long brown hair tickling my arm. “What time is it?”

I checked my phone. “A little past two.” She lifted her head and I took the opportunity to stand and stretch. “I’m gonna head out, so…”

She stood. “Can you give me a ride home?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” I turned away and started walking to my car so she wouldn’t see my scowl.

We drove a majority of the way in silence. I always felt uneasy being alone with Cassandra. Unrequited romantic feelings would do that.

My headlights illuminated her dark single-story house as I put the car in park. 

“Do you want to come inside?” she asked.

“I don’t know…it’s late, and I’m kind of tired…” I looked away, hoping she’d get the message.

“Come on, it’s not that late.” 

I opened my mouth, trying to find some excuse, but she cut me off. 

“Please?” she asked. “It’s been forever since we’ve spent any time together.”

I felt like a dick because…well, because I was being a dick. I didn’t
like
avoiding Cassandra, but she kept trying to put the moves on me, no matter how many times I told her I wasn’t interested. 

I sighed, trying not to make a sour face. “Fine, but I can’t stay long.”

She led me into her house, into her immaculate living room. Decorated in earth tones, the furniture appeared brand new. As I sat down on her stiff brown sofa, she disappeared into the kitchen. 

“Do you want a beer?” she called out.

“No thanks, I’m fine.”

“That’s right, I forgot you don’t like beer. How about something else? I’ve got vodka, tequila… I think I’ve got some whiskey around here somewhere,” she said, rummaging through her cabinets. 

Jesus, was she trying to get me drunk? “No thank you, I’m fine,” I said again, not bothering to mask the annoyance in my voice.

She came out into the living room, holding a glass of vodka. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. 

She set her glass on the coffee table and plopped down next to me, a bit too close for my comfort. Turning so her breasts brushed against my arm, she grazed her fingers over the ends of my hair. “I like your hair longer like this,” she murmured.

I tensed. “Cassandra…”

She started tracing lazy circles along my thigh. “Hmm?”

I carefully extricated myself from her and stood. “I thought we talked about this.”

Her face instantly soured. “No,
you
talked, and all you said was that you didn’t think it’d be a good idea.” 

She stood up and walked over to me. I backed up until I was against the wall. Leaning into me, her hands wandered under my shirt, rubbing my stomach and chest as she kissed my neck. “It doesn’t have to change anything,” she whispered. 

“Cassandra,
stop
.” I wrapped my hands around her arms and gently pushed her away from me.

She looked up at me, confused. “I thought you were afraid I’d try to force you into a mating. I’m telling you I won’t. This can just be about sex, okay?”

I stepped several feet away. “It’s not about that, Cass. I’m just not–” I paused and stepped back a few more feet, just to be safe. Cass had a tendency to start swinging when she got mad. “I’m just not into you like that.” She was like a carbon copy of Matt–same green eyes, same shade of brown hair, only a little shorter and less bulky. Sleeping with her would be like sleeping with Matt. So thank you, but hell fucking no.

She looked at me like I was trying to explain quantum physics in a foreign language. “Excuse me?” 

“Don’t get me wrong, we’re friends, but…that’s all we’ll ever be.”

“You don’t want me?” Her eyes grew wide as understanding finally crossed her face. “
Oh
… I am such an idiot.”

I stepped closer and put my hand on her shoulder. “No, you’re not.” Thank God she finally got it. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. “I should’ve been honest with you from the beginning. I’m sorry.”

She smiled ruefully and shook her head. “It all makes sense now… You’re gay.”

“Yeah, well–” My eyes bulged as I froze. “
What?
”

“It’s okay, Thomas. I get it now.”

“I– I’m not
gay
, I just like someone else.”

Wait–I
do
?

It hit me then with absolute clarity. All the dreams, the obsessing–I
liked
Emily. It took me this long to figure it out because I’d never really liked a girl before. Well, not like
this
, anyway.

Cassandra’s big green eyes narrowed on me. “Who?”

“You don’t know her,” I mumbled, realizing this wasn’t helping my case.

She put her hand on my arm again. “Thomas, it’s okay–”

“I should go.” I shrugged out of her touch and left the living room, heading in the direction of the foyer.

She trailed after me through her house. “Really, Thomas, it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.” I flung the front door open and dug my keys out of my pocket, walking briskly to my car. 

It’s really, really not.

Chapter Fourteen