Infinity Chronicles Book Two, page 14
Ollie looks down at me then, he bites his bottom lip but he can’t hide the little grin pulling at his mouth. Reaching forward he snags me under my arms and lifts me up, tossing me on the bed. “Stop being so dramatic,” he accuses, mock indignation in his tone.
“Oliver,” I snap as I push up on my elbows with my eyes narrowed on him. He chuckles unrepentantly and flips over so he’s crawling toward me. When he’s above me I let my head fall back to the bed. His eyes roam over my face, lingering on my lips. I think he’s going to kiss me and my stomach tightens in anticipation.
Ollie lowers his body to the bed, bringing his face closer to mine. With a slowness designed to make me comfortable, he brushes his lips against mine then pulls back to look at me. I lick my lips, hoping he’s not done. His eyes fall closed as he leans back in and this time he doesn’t pull away after one peck. He tilts his head to the side so he can push his pillow soft lips against mine with more pressure. I sigh, my lips joining his as he lets his mouth open more. Ollie kisses like he behaves, all teasing and sweetness. Every time I think he’s going to take the kiss a little further he pulls back, making me chase him.
The tip of his tongue finally touches my lip and I let out an embarrassing moan of appreciation. His traces my bottom lip then flicks up to the top. I reach out grabbing his shirt at the side of his waist. Ollie never seals his mouth to mine, but his tongue dips inside, coaxing my tongue out to meet his. His breathing grows heavy.
I feel his hand land on my lower stomach, his palm not moving but putting a tiny bit of pressure right under my belly button. I curl my legs up and it takes everything in me not to lift my hips off the bed so his hand would slide one way or the other.
“Hey, you guys almost ready?” Milo’s muffled voice floats through the door.
“Coming,” Ollie singsongs then snickers, not stopping the kiss.
“I have to be downstairs in twenty minutes,” Milo adds. I let my head fall back to the bed. Ollie bangs his forehead on the mattress beside me a few times before he reaches down and shifts his lower body, a slightly pained expression on his face. Lifting back up, I watch his hand leave his groin. My eyes dart up to the ceiling pretending I didn’t see him.
“I gotta go, I promised I’d go with him when he got the tickets.”
“I don’t mind Ollie, I’m glad you’ll be with him. We’ll be here when you get back,” I assure him.
He stands up, making a big ordeal out of it, groaning and grumping like an old man. With his hand extended to me he helps me from the bed, smoothing his hands over the back of my hair with a twinkle in his eye. “I can’t wait to give you a full pillow perm.” He sighs wistfully.
“A what?” I swat his hand away.
“A pillow perm, you know, get you all hot and sweaty so your hair goes all crazy and wild. A pillow perm.” I groan rolling my eyes. He just laughs while towing me to the door.
Ares glances up from the laptop on his knees, his eyes taking in my hand tucked into Ollie’s, and the boyish grin on his face. Without a word he focuses back on his computer.
Dante isn’t anywhere in sight. Milo is facing a large mirror near the main door, wiggling a maroon tie around his neck. His white button-down shirt is tucked into a very fitted black pair of pants. I gape a little at his bubble butt. Half the time he’s in gym shorts or loose sweats, and they don’t do his backside a bit of justice, because holy hell he’s got an ass.
Ollie’s finger wipes at the corner of my mouth, alerting me that I’ve been caught staring. I make a face and push his hand away, wiping under my lip just in case. Milo turns and he has a scowl on his face. He looks so handsome; his hair is styled away from his face, showing off his killer jaw and his navy eyes. Either ignoring or unaware of my gawking, he shoves his thumb into the waistband of his pants while bending his knees. “I can barely fucking breathe.” He yanks his dress shirt out of his pants. As soon as it’s all the way out, he undoes the buttons and loosens the tie at his neck, keeping it tied while slipping it over his head. The shirt and tie get tossed to the back of the couch, leaving him in the sinful pants and a skintight white undershirt. Milo’s arms are corded with thick ropy muscles and veins. His wide shoulders bunch up as he pulls off his last shirt. My eyes travel down his chest to a thin line of hair just below his belly button. His stomach is ripped, his abs standing out, and I finally get the term six pack.
As my gaze continues down, I see a definite bulge in the front of his pants they’re that tight. I look away then, feeling like I’ve violated him somehow. “Please tell me someone has slacks I can wear,” Milo’s voice is gruff. Ares sets his laptop on the coffee table and stands as he notices Milo’s state of undress. “I wore these fucking things three weeks ago.” Milo makes the statement into an accusation. His eyes shoot to Ollie like he thinks this is part of some prank.
Ollie lifts his hands, one still joined with mine, in surrender. “I didn’t take your pants.” He doesn’t hide the laughter in his voice. Milo’s eyes narrow.
“You can try mine, but they’ll probably be too big,” Ares offers, already pulling open his belt. My mouth goes dry, they’re going to strip standing right here.
“Anything is better than these nut huggers,” Milo mumbles acerbically. He’s not wearing a belt, so he sucks in his rock hard stomach, going almost to his tiptoes to unbutton his pants. His face is red by the time he lets out a huge breath of relief when he opens them.
My fingers cover my lips but a giggle escapes. Milo tries pushing his pants down his hips, but they get stuck at his thighs. The open fly showcasing his privates indecently. I release Ollie’s hand and cover my eyes as I spin around so I’ll stop ogling him. And hopefully he won’t notice my shoulders shaking, because I can’t stop the laughter from bubbling up. I hear a loud, long ripping sound seconds later, coming full circle I look back at Milo holding his black pants high in the air with a satisfied sneer on his lips. He tore them off.
“Dude, you’ve been working out.” Ollie grins.
That comment has Milo’s lips thinning. He drops the pants on the floor, straightening to his full height. I let my eyes travel from his black socks and up. My eyes get stuck on his thighs—how could I have not known what Milo was hiding under all those baggy clothes? I’ve been staring so long I missed Ares taking his pants off. He leans over, kinda tossing Milo his pants. My eyes are volleying back and forth between the two of them now. Ares’s shirt is just a little shorter than his boxers. He’s not as cut as Milo, but everything is thicker, no less powerful. I don’t even know where to look.
Milo steps into Ares’s pants, and he has to stick his leg straight out so his foot comes out of the bottom. When he places his foot back on the ground the fabric pools over his foot a bit. Widening his legs so the pants won’t fall, he tucks his undershirt over his boxers. “Thanks man,” Milo mutters shaking out his shirt and sliding his arms in the sleeves. Ares crosses his arms over his chest, completely fine standing there in his shirt and underwear.
“Shit, fuck.” Milo pinches the side of the waist after tucking in his shirt and buttoning the pants to hold them up. They aren’t clown big, but they’re definitely oversized. “Can I get your belt?” His eyes are wide, his movements rushed.
Ares hands him his belt without a word. Milo slides it on, cinching it at his waist to hold the pants in place. His arms drop to the side and he shakes his head. “This shit blows.”
I walk over to him, feeling more confident now that he’s dressed. Placing my hand on his forearm I look up at him. “You look really beautif… handsome,” I correct at the last second. Milo’s eyes soften as his shoulder sag.
“Thank you.” His voice is pitched low and his cheeks are a little pink. Did I embarrass him? “You coming?” Milo asks Ollie over my head.
“Yep, ready when you are.”
I step back as Milo makes his way over to the sofa to put his shoes on. When he rises, he shakes out his leg, letting the pants fall. The shoes keep them from hitting the floor and he sighs. “Thanks again, Coach would have chewed me out if I had to wear jeans.” Ares nods before sitting back down on the couch. I hadn’t realized he wouldn’t have anything to put on.
Ollie walks over and gives me a gentle peck on my lips before meeting Milo at the door. He’s distracted, not even looking back in my direction. “Bye.” I wave. “Have fun, and congratulations,” I call quickly as Milo opens the door.
I get a short, “Thanks,” as he exits.
Chapter 13
“Where’s Dante?”
Ares lifts his head from his computer. “Not sure. He said he was going for a walk.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal. My thoughts immediately go to the girls on the third floor, but I shake the idea away, he wouldn’t do that. I hope.
“I thought you weren’t working today?” I take a seat on the couch with him, but not too close.
“I’m not.”
“You’ve been on the computer every spare second since this morning, if you’re not working what are you doing?” I lean over peeking at the screen.
Ares raises a single brow. “Feeling neglected?”
I roll my eyes, if he’s asked me that a few days ago I might have gotten self-conscious, but I hear the teasing tone in his voice. Ares pushes his laptop back on the table and relaxes into the corner of the sofa his arm going over the back. I take in his bare thighs. “Did you want me to go grab your bag from the truck?” We all packed a change of clothes, it hadn’t been decided when we left if we were staying overnight or not.
“One of the guys will later. What did you and Oliver talk about?” The quick topic change jars me. I raise my fingers up to my lips wondering if he knows the conversation ended in kisses. When I don’t offer an immediate answer, he prompts, “He seemed pretty upset when he went in there.”
“How much do we tell each other?” Ares tilts his head to the side at my question. “I mean is everything open between all of us?”
He pinches his lip, his eyes going unfocused. “I don’t keep things from them, but I don’t tell them everything either,” he answers cryptically. That doesn’t give me very much information. Ares lifts and scoots closer to me on the couch, his eyes going hooded. “Is there something you want to tell me?” His voice is gravely, changing the atmosphere.
He doesn’t even need to come any closer and I already feel his pull, the pull to be crawl onto his lap, to touch him. My hand goes to the cushion between us, inching nearer. “I’m just trying to figure out how much we share?” Where did that husky tone come from? Certainly not me.
Ares licks his lips, his chin dipping down so he’s looking at me from under his inky lashes. “My time with you Cara, when we are alone, is only ours.” He trails his fingers over my arm, inching higher until his fingertips are dancing over my collarbones. This conversation is taking a different turn. I swallow, my mouth feeling dry. I look away from his lips, because if I don’t, I won’t be able to concentrate long enough to talk to him.
“What about other stuff?” My cheeks heat under his gaze. “Like if I talk to you about something, should I assume everyone would know?”
Ares’s fingers continue with feather light touches over my chest, making his way up my neck, and stopping when the tip of his finger strokes my bottom lip. His eyes meet mine. “That depends on what it is. If I think it’s something they need to know, something they should know, I wouldn’t keep it from them.” I nod, incapable of speech as finger traces over my lips.
Ares leans in then, and sliding his palm around to the back of my neck, he angles my face up, his lips hovering over mine. “You said always, that I could always kiss you.” I don’t answer, instead I lean across the cushion between us and steal the kiss he was keeping from me. He makes a clicking noise with his tongue, admonishing me. Ares jerks the arm I was leaning on out from under me and my side hits the cushion, causing my breath to whoosh out of my lungs. I look up at him, my eyes wide with surprise.
He leans down, his nose near my chin, and kisses my lips softly. The stubble on his chin tickles my nose as he continues to plant open mouth kisses on me. The tip of his tongue slides past my lips, and I shiver when I feel the smoothness of the underside of his tongue tease mine. He retreats, but I snap my hands to the back of his neck, keeping him there while I twist my tongue around his.
I feel the couch shift as Ares moves to stand, his mouth locked against mine as he turns so our noses brush. Kneeling next to the couch, Ares presses his chest against mine, pushing me into the couch. I pant out a heavy breath when his lips leave mine to trail little nips and kisses across my jaw. I push him away when he moves down to my neck. “Makeup.” I can’t imagine the concealer I used on my hickies would taste good.
He growls, moving up right behind my ear and sucks hard enough that I know I’ll have another spot to cover. My back arches off the couch, spurring him on. Ares’s hand skims up my side, his thumb going for my breast. He finds my hardened peak even through my bra. Making a circle around my nipple, he mimics the same movement with his tongue in my mouth. Something low in my stomach clenches when he pinches my nipple between his fingers and sucks on the tip of my tongue.
My heartbeat thrums against my chest, skipping a beat every now and then. I lift my hand to Ares’s chest to see if I can feel his and as soon as my palm lands over his heart, I feel it racing almost as fast as my own. “Goddamn,” he mumbles against my lips. I have no idea why he’s cursing, but I really don’t care either. Breaking way from his kiss, my breath comes in choppy pants near his ear. Needing air, but not wanting to stop, I take his lobe into my mouth and bite down. Ares makes a deep sound in the back of his throat and his hands pull me in tighter against his body. Heat flushes across my skin as I get the same tugging sensation I felt with Ares when we bonded. Opening my eyes, I see him leaning over me with his jaw clenched tight. Reaching up I stroke my finger just under his eye, all traces of white obscured with blackness. “What do you see?”
He inhales deeply, his nostrils flaring. “Right now, I see the heat rising off your skin.” His hand grazes over my body, stopping at the apex of my thighs. “I can see the thrum of your pulse fluttering here.” His hand moves back up, caressing the hollow at the base of my throat. “The way your pupils blow wide when you’re looking at me, the way your lips tremble when I get close.” Ares leans in again, stopping just before our lips touch. His eyes close on a slow blink. “But that’s nothing compared to what I can feel.”
A quick set of raps against the door has me shooting upright. I straighten my sweater and run my hand over my hair in an attempt to smooth it. Ares drops his forehead to my thigh, rocking back and forth. “If this is anyone but Dante, I’m going to kill them.”
Heaving himself off the floor, Ares stalks to the door of the hotel room. I can’t help but admire the way he moves. Snapping the door open, he looms in the threshold for a long second before finally stepping back to let Dante enter.
Dante looks around, his eyes a little narrowed until they fall on me. He shoves both hands down deep in his pockets, and his shoulders round down as he lingers a few feet away.
Aggravation curls my lip. I’m disappointed with him, but mostly I’m frustrated with myself for my behavior. Ares lets the door fall closed and makes his way over to the side of the room. He opens a small wooden cabinet and I see several rows of mini bottles of alcohol, a few bottles of water, and assorted nuts and juices. Ares nabs two tiny bottles. Not bothering with any of the glasses, he twists off the cap and downs the first bottle's contents.
“Milo and Oliver already down at the banquet?” Dante questions. The answer is obvious.
“Where have you been?” I don’t mean to sound accusatory, but that’s the way it comes out.
Dante lowers his eyes to the floor. “Just walking around.” I can’t tell if he’s lying or not. The way he’s avoiding eye contact makes me think he might be. I tuck my hair behind my ear, watching him. When I don’t ask any other questions, Dante comes over to the sofa, sitting on the other end away from me. The silence that falls is heavy and awkward. I don’t know what to say, should I apologize for the way I acted in the elevator, or expect him to for not getting himself out of the situation?
Ares returns and he takes a seat on the arm of the sofa right next to me. The differences between them are so glaringly obvious. Dante has always been a little out of reach, while Ares has inserted himself into my life from the first moment we met. Even when I think I’m finally beginning to understand him, something happens that threatens that idea. I fidget, my hands and legs restless as the silence grows between us.
“How long is this thing supposed to last?” Ares asks, leaning his elbow on the back of the couch.
Dante shrugs. “A few hours I think.”
“If we’re going back to the house tonight, I need to make a few calls to get dinner squared away. I was thinking since Linda and the guys know, it won’t be long before our parents and Oliver’s know. We should get ahead of the ball on this one and make sure we’re the ones to tell them. I know Mom will have a stroke if she finds out from someone else,” Ares says sounding resigned.
“You know she’ll be on the next flight out as soon as we tell her.”
“I know she’ll want to.” Ares looks down at me, biting his bottom lip. “If we do a video call, she might not chew me out too bad if you’re there.” His eyes plead with me.
“Now?” I gasp. I had to meet Milo’s parents today, now theirs?
“It’s just a video and it won’t be as awkward. She can’t even attack you,” Ares offers, his voice sweet.
“Attack me?” I seem to be incapable of more than questions at this point.
