MAD LOVE

Chapter 21

In one smooth motion, he gathered me in his arms, taking me with him as he lifted himself onto his feet again. We hung there, nose to nose, motionless in a breathless moment, before he sank his teeth into the wedge of lime I had clenched between mine.

Oh, what a position we were in! It must have seemed like we were already making love. I still sat on the table, with our hips together and my legs wrapped around his torso. Arousal washed over me like a tsunami, and not even the sour aftertaste of the lime could curb my excitement. The entire world faded away, leaving only our lips lightly brushing against each other, and my heart pounded more intently with each passing second...

"You're not playing by the rules, Mr. Norton," I said, as the piece of citrus disappeared from view, but his grip didn't loosen.

"And who said I would?" he said in a whisper, leaning back lower and closer to my face.

I didn't resist. Yes, I wanted that kiss at that moment; I was already knee-deep in liquid courage. My body was relaxed, and my negative thoughts got hidden under a thick layer of strong drink. Hopefully, this will continue...

At that moment, someone behind his back shouted, "Bottle!" The magical moment was ruined, and it was as if I had sobered up. Lord, what am I doing? If my parents could see me now...

I put my palms on his chest and pushed him away slightly, looking for his reaction...

"... he'll never do anything against your will in his life, believe me," Amanda's voice suddenly appeared in my head, followed by Jessica's.

"This person won't bring heartache, but on the contrary, will make you the happiest. Trust me, and trust him."

Mike froze in place, and I could see every muscle in his body tense up. He glared at me from beneath his furrowed brow, clenching his jaw with such force that his features took on an angular shape. His reaction was frightening, but he did nothing more. Norton closed his eyes and, sighing heavily, stepped back. I can't believe my eyes... At this point, I realized one thing:

I really can trust him with my heart...

Grabbing an outstretched hand, we moved to the next room, where the waiting players were already seated in a circle. There were many people there, getting ready to play 'truth or dare'. On either side of me were Jessica, Alex and Norton, and at the last moment, my lifelong nightmare slid onto the seat across from me.

I was about to get up and leave when Jess grabbed my arm, shaking her head slightly, as if to convince me to behave more naturally. Without letting go of her hand, I sat back down.

Mark didn't take his eyes off me for a second, studying every millimeter of my body. It was as if I was an exhibit at an exhibition, to which all his attention was riveted. Yes, I was prettier, and it would have been a sin to hide it. Finding solace in dancing, I've noticeably tightened my body and healed my soul. I learned to take care of myself and learned to love myself again: I lightened my hair and gained skill in applying light makeup. My face also changed: my cheekbones became more pronounced and gave my lips a slightly pouty look. It was a complex recovery process, where, against the background of stress, I had lost a lot of weight.

Turn away already!

His gaze made me feel sick. It was like I was being stripped by his eyes. Though... A few minutes ago, things in the kitchen were much hotter. I covered my eyes and mentally groaned in despair. Jess pulled me out of my thoughts, nodding worriedly at the bottle pointing at me. I looked at who had spun it. Of course! Who else could it be...

"Mouse, truth or dare?" Wood asked, keeping his eyes on me.

"Truth," I replied, a little hesitant. I thought it's unlikely he would ask anything about the past. How wrong I was...

"How many sexual partners have you had in your life?"

I couldn't believe it... Did he really ask that?

Lord, I recognize that look! He looked at me like that throughout the Christmas school ball. Now his eyes flashed lightning, jumping from me to Mike and back again. Jealousy? No way...

"One," I replied quietly, raising my eyes to him as moisture accumulated in them.

He smiled and passed the bottle to the next player. He's clearly planned something, the sick bastard.

"Couldn't you have asked anything smarter?" my friend with contempt, looking into the eyes of this freak. "Go on without us... We're leaving," the blonde said and grabbed my arm, dragging me towards the pool.

On the way, we knocked back a couple more cocktails to calm my nerves. After this second run-in with Wood, all the alcohol instantly disappeared from my system. Along the way, we were stopped several times, and to be honest, I already thought that we would never reach our destination.

It was an incredible sight! The light played with multi-colored shades, famous tracks played aloud, and there was a lot of foam everywhere! Young people danced and sang along to their favorite performers, some swam in the pool on huge inflatable flamingoes and unicorns, some drank or argued about something. Life was in full swing!

Apparently, I was prudent in applying waterproof mascara, because as soon as we went in, some guys hit us with a foam cannon. My head buzzed, everything swam in front of my eyes, and I felt like I was knee deep in the sea. Feeling ready for anything, I realized the fun was just starting.

Jess and I danced around the bar for a while, but later I was dragged out of there. Coming face to face with someone who dared to encroach on my personal space, I realized it was Mike Norton, my own person.

We moved slowly, as if inhibited, out of rhythm with the music. I rubbed against him, uninhibited by hesitation, and he allowed it, looking at me with longing.

His hands rested on my buttocks and squeezed them tightly, mixing my languid exhalation with a moan. One hand rose slowly upward, rising past my chest toward my face. Pulling the sticky hair back, he brushed his lips against my neck.

This last action caused me to fall into bliss, relaxing all my muscles. My legs completely refused to hold me. And it wasn't even a kiss! Norton just slid his lips from my collarbone upwards, moving to the bottom of my face, biting my chin lightly and circling the outline of my lips with his tongue. But as soon as we touched in a weightless kiss, the brunette abruptly broke away from me.

The last thing I noticed was a splash of water from the pool. Someone pushed him, clearly not wanting our intimacy. I laughed.

Yes, Norton, apparently this is not our fate. So many signs in one evening...

Turning around, I went to look for a restroom to wash my face, but I never got there. I found suddenly dragged into some dark closet. Fear. Nothing sobers a person up like fear. The lights came on and I was met with that sly look.