Chapter Four
I followed him back into the dimly lit hallway in cordoned off area of the house. We still heard the music blaring from where the party was still in full swing but it really seemed like they'd gone to great lengths to make sure no one trespassed. I crossed two doors with huge padlocks on them and Kyler noticed my gaze.
"That's my parents' room and the second on is Mason's and they're both pretty protective about their all the shit they've accumulated over the years."
"Not you?"
He shrugged, "I don't really have a lot of my things here. I travel so much, sometimes I think I could fit all my belongings in a single suitcase."
I opened my mouth to ask him what exactly it was that he did which required him to travel so much but thought better of it. Even though as the evening wore on and I started feeling much more comfortable around him it still didn't mean that I could intrude. He seemed a little closed off, always making sure to turn the conversation back to me and I got the hint that personal questions about his life weren't welcome. I decided to ease my way into getting to know him a little better.
"So, you never wanted to go to college?"
He stopped in front of a door right down the hall and unlocked it with a key in his back pocket. I hesitated as he walked inside but as turned the lights on, he beckoned me to come inside.
"I was supposed to go last year after I got my diploma but it didn't work out." His shoulders tensed and I felt terrible for asking. I was grateful for the opportunity to share my burdens with a stranger but maybe he didn't feel the same. He was extremely picky about his words and seemed to force them out rather than wanting to tell me. Still, at least I knew he was around nineteen and that my initial estimation had been correct. I took my time with the next question, studying the utterly feminine room that was all white with accents of pink all around it. It had a massive king sized four poster canopy bed placed in the middle and was completely covered by throw pillows. The bed stood atop a massive faux fur white rug that I was hesitant to even look at, incase that caused it to get dirty. The princess room was wide and airy and with large windows and the most perfect reading nook. Pieces of art, that I knew must have cost an arm and a leg were placed on the walls save for one which had the portrait of a gorgeous blonde looking at the camera over her shoulder, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Those eyes looked familiar and I bet she was the sister he'd mentioned earlier.
Kyler came to stand next to me as I stared at the photograph, "That's my older sister Isabelle, she's currently living in New York."
"Why do you all look like you should be on the cover of Vogue or something?" I tilted my head, trying to find a flaw but wow, every member of this family I'd come across until know was absolutely stunning. I didn't even want to know what their parents looked like.
Next to me Kyler stiffened, making me wonder if I'd said the wrong thing. But then his face broke out into a big smile. "Are you trying to tell me that you think I'm good looking?"
I rolled my eyes, but on the inside my body sagged with relief that I hadn't upset him. "Please, it's not like you need another testimonial. Surely, you'd know that..."
"That what?" He cut me off and walked closer, "I don't care about the others. I'd like to hear your opinion?"
I felt a little breathless, maybe a lot but the thing with guys as good looking as Kyler Blackwell was that you shoulder never feed their ego. Of course they know they're handsome but if you give them the slightest impression that they made you weak kneed and a little crazy, they wouldn't give you the time of the day. But I wasn't interested in games or playing hard to get and had a troublesome tendency to be annoyingly honest most of the time.
"My opinion? I'd say you look like an intelligent young man, wait how old are you again? I want to do this right."
He was biting his lip, trying hard not to laugh. "I'm nineteen."
"Great, so you look like you have a decent sized brain on you so obviously when you look at your reflection in the mirror you'd notice that you're better looking than most men. Correct?"
He shrugged, "I don't think about it much."
"Oh but you do. Every time you come on to a girl, flirt with her, try to take her home or you know, get her to spill her secrets you're taking advantage of your good looks. It's your biggest weapon so obviously you have some awareness."
He shook his head. "You're something else you know that? I don't think I've ever received a compliment like that. That was compliment right?"
"Of course it was. I can appreciate a good looking human being without being coy about it. Like that girl who was grinding against your brother back there, I'd tell her she has great boobs."
"Ah, Ella Grace, what am I going to do with you."
***
We'd come into his sister's room to find a bathing suit for me and I'd chosen a modest looking one piece as opposed to the numerous stringy bikinis that looked like dental floss. I'd thought that because I was wearing something that covered more skin than my other options, I'd be less nervous meeting Kyler by the hot tub but I still had monstrous butterflies in my stomach and I felt nervous without really knowing why. Not that I had a lot of experience when it came to hanging out with ridiculously hot guys in hot tubs found in million dollar mansions but I wasn't one to get intimidated by the idea of it. I was comfortable enough in my skin for that not to be an issue, if they wanted perfection they could get in touch with an Instagram model. I guessed the hesitation came from actually liking Kyler, absurd as the thought was. I barely knew him, our realties were worlds apart and it was very likely that come tomorrow I'd never see him again but still something unexplainable drew me to him.
It led me to the deck where he was fiddling on his phone, clad only in a pair of blue swim trunks and Oh My God.
I might have said that out loud because he looked up from his phone and had the devilish look back in his eyes as he perused me from head to toe. It didn't really make me blush because I was too busy picking my jaw off the floor. Holy protein powder, the man was ripped. Not in the beefy, bulky gym rat kind of way but in an athletic, tall and lean kind of way. He had some seriously defined muscles, that I was able to assess. His biceps clenched as he walked, the muscles of his stomach rippled, the six pack becoming more prominent as he sucked in a breath and boy, he looked like he never skipped out on leg day.
But it was the mythical V by his hipbones, barely visible over his swim trunks that nearly gave me heart failure. Guys his age did not look like that around here, heck the only workouts they were into was running to the corner 7/11 and buying an extra large bag of Hot Cheetos.
He was insane and he was looking at me like he wanted to eat me up.
The red swimsuit definitely had a Baywatch vibe to it but my boobs didn't fill it up as much as what was required for the intended effect. Still, momentarily I stopped breathing as he walked right into my space and placed his hand on my hip. Perhaps we'd come to an agreement without even realising it, that this was okay. He could touch me if he liked, with some boundaries of course. But as he caressed my hip and looked at me with that intense gaze of his I realised that perhaps I'd let him get away with more than I'd originally thought.
"You're insanely beautiful, has someone ever told you that?"
"Once or twice, mostly when I'm listening to a James Blunt song." I shrugged and he dropped his hand with a quiet laugh. "I never know what's going to come out of your mouth next."
"That's good, it'll keep you guessing and the mystery of it all will make me utterly irresistible." I joked but his face looked oddly serious. Still he didn't respond, simply grabbed my hand and led me to our original destination. But the hot tub, previously occupied by Ree and Carter was empty, which meant that we'd be getting in there alone.
I gulped.
"Where'd they go?"
"Your friend's kind of strange, did you know that?"
"Ever since she told me she likes to put orange juice in her cereal."
Kyler made a retching sound, "That's disgusting."
"I agree. But what does that have to do with this?" I gestured around the entirely empty space around us.
"She told me to make it worth your while because God knows you haven't seen any action for ages."
"Excuse me?" I nearly shouted, "She did not say that!"
Kyler held up his hands. "Okay, maybe not the last part but she did say she was giving us some privacy to get to know each other better. Then she did something with her eyebrows I didn't get."
I was going to kill her. No, first I'd circulate pages from her sixth grade all around school and then I'd kill her.
"You're growling, it's cute." Kyler was grinning as I balled up my fists. "I'm not some kind of prude and I'm not a total looser. I just...I don't have time to date right now and Ree doesn't understand why I don't stick my tongue down someone's throat every time I get a chance."
She was really into boys at the moment and I on the other hand barely had time to eat let alone date.
Kyler's face became somber pretty quickly. "Hey, look at me." He tipped my chin up to meet his eyes. "I get it and I respect your choices. You're working hard right now and don't have time for a relationship. Trust me, I get it."
"You don't think it's weird that just thinking about going on a date makes me exhausted?"
"No, I'm right there with you. But..."
"But what?" I tilted my head, wondering what he was going to say that made him hesitate just that much.
"But we can make each other feel good tonight, just tonight with no strings attached. No dates, no commitments, just two people who're obviously attracted to each other."
A knot the size of a tennis ball got stuck in my throat at his proposition. I hadn't expected him to be so forward. Of course, I'd gotten hints that he might be interested and i'd flirted back but this was entirely new territory for me. I'd heard of friends with benefits and I knew what one night stands were but I also knew that sometimes the repercussions of the choices you make can follow you forever. So I didn't really choose my words carefully when I told him, "I'm not sleeping with you."
He sputtered, actually looked like he was about to choke on something and then shook his head vehemently. "I would never expect you to...Jesus, Ella what kind of a guy do you take me for?"
"The kind that has a lot of one night stands? Not that there's a problem with that but I'm just not...I don't do that kind of thing."
"And I'd never ask that of you if I knew you weren't consenting. I just want to talk to you more, get to know what makes Ella Grace tick and just see where the night goes.
"That I can work with."
***
I blamed the hot tub and my traitorous best friend for what happened next. I said that because I knew I was more than capable of keeping my hands to myself even when a cute guy was involved, especially a cute guy I knew nothing about. Still, there was something about the water that made me move closer and closer to Kyler as we talked. I could sworn the man was a snake charmer in a past life, the way he got me to open up and I lapped up the attention like I'd been starved of it.
"Sometimes I worry about Mom you know? I think she's so lonely but she'll never admit it."
It was at this time that I accepted the beer he offered me because in the moment it made sense that we'd get an Uber home and pick up Ree's car in the morning. I should've been more cautious knowing I was a lightweight and a clingy drunk, still as we shared a drink I found myself talking more and more while moving closer to Kyler.
"Your dad..." he left off and it had to be the beer that nearly made me spill my guts. "He isn't in the picture, not for the last year and a half. He did something...unforgivable and I'm glad he's gone." I shook my head, "But what about you? What's your family like?"
Kyler smiled as he brought his drink to his mouth. I'd stopped counting the number of beers he'd had but he still seemed alert and in control of his senses so he must have a higher alcohol tolerance. "You've met Mason, he's the youngest, I'm the middle child and then there's Izzy and we're okay I guess. My parents are still ridiculously in love with each other, like the day they first met so we're lucky in that sense."
"Yeah, that sounds nice." I mused, thinking about my own parents' tumultuous marriage which was always so full of highs and lows. They loved one another but not enough to get past their own demons. As usual whenever my thoughts veered in that directions I'd get the most horrible of flashbacks which dampened my mood. We hadn't had the easiest time after things had gone south but I tried my best to not think about it, to get over it and move on with my life but a single reminder felt like it took me right back to that night.
"There's that sadness in your eyes again Ella. How do I make it go away?" Kyler's warm eyes looked at me and made me feel special, like he'd actually do anything I asked of him right now crazy as it might be.
Two words, liquid courage. As I looked into his eyes and felt his knuckles gently skim across my face, I eliminated the last bit of space between us and pressed my lips to his. He froze the moment we made contact, his lips unmoving beneath mine but I was relentless. I kissed and bit his bottom lip, tried to coerce his mouth into opened with my tongue, moved in so close that our chests skimmed on another. And it was when my tongue darted out to lick his top lip that his control snapped and he gave as good as he got, only ten times better.
I think both of us moaned together as our mouths opened and tongues entangled. The attractions we had been fighting the entire night was finally unleashed and it felt like any self restraint Kyler had been practicing went to all hell as his arms came around me and pressed me against his body. There was something so decadent about being in the water, about the warm wet skin and roaming hands. It gave us a kind of freedom that we might not have had outside, so of course I explored his body like I had been dying to do all night. My hands splayed across his chest as he kneaded my back and when we broke apart to get some air, he leaned his forehead against mine and gave me another quick kiss.
"You're absolutely magical Ella."
I bet my grin was as wide as my face and I realised that I'd shed my inhibitions with him right when I kissed him. "I could say the same about you. That...that was something." I touched my swollen lips that were still pulsating.
He kissed me again, long and deep and hard and I felt his arousal against my stomach. It would have scared me but I trusted him, I trusted him to listen to me and my body.
Entwining my arms around his neck, I erased any visible space between us and let him kiss the life out of me. The heady, weightless feeling of it made me forget about everything, erased every worry and bad memory from my mind and all I was at that point was a sensation, a feeling of lips pressed together, curious hands and burning skin. I knew he must have felt something similar because his muscles tensed beneath my hands as I touch his skin and he growled in my mouth, sounding like both satisfaction and desire. He slipped his hands down the sides of my abdomen, the low cut swimsuit giving him easy access and I shivered as his hands came to rest just beneath my breasts. He rubbed tiny circles on my skin and I struggled to breathe.
"This okay?"
"Yeah, it's absolutely okay." He chuckled at my obvious enthusiasm and ducked his head to kiss me senseless some more. He didn't try anything more, didn't try to coerce me into touching him or moving his hands downwards. Who needs extended foreplay when a man could kiss like that?
I could have kissed him for hours on end had it not been for someone clearing his throat.
I hide my face in the crook of his neck and was glad to be half submerged in water when Kyler turned to look at the intruder.
"Sorry bro," It was Mason, "Dad just called. We need to get the next flight out."
"What's wrong?" Kyler's voice was thick, raspy with desire and it didn't help when I pressed a tiny kiss to his skin that made him shudder.
"It's Mom."
Apparently that was the magic word because Kyler's entire body froze and his arms left me, giving me no choice but to move away. It helped my mortification that Mason didn't acknowledge me and was completely focused on his brother. Still, I moved away from Kyler to the other end of the tub.
"When do we have to leave?"
"The next flight leaves in an hour and a half, we need to get to the airport as soon as possible."
Kyler nodded and Mason left. He then remembered that I was still there and his face softened. His entire posture had changed in the space of two minutes, from being warm and inviting, he'd gone cold and hard. But there was something tender about his expression as he waded towards me and cupped my face.
"I have to go."
"I know."
"I...I don't know what to say. I thought we'd have at least the night together." I shivered at the insinuation of it.
"Is your mom okay?" His expression shuttered and I realised I'd once again made the mistake of probing into his personal life. He nodded but dropped his hand.
"My driver will drop you and Ree back home whenever you like. I suggest leaving now since Dan, the caretaker here will be shutting it all down once we leave. I'll also have your car dropped to your house tomorrow."
"Kyler that's fine, I can drive..."
"You had a drink, please just...let me do this for you Ella."
He didn't look at me as he got out and not even when I followed him out and wrapped a towel around myself. Quietly I followed him back inside and to his sister's room where I'd kept my clothes and handbag. He stood at the door as I clutched my things.
"I'll leave you to change." This was all he said before he disappeared down the hall.
The past ten minutes had been absolutely bizarre and an out of body experience. One minute we were all hot and heavy and the next minute he couldn't get away fast enough. Something was obviously wrong with his mother and he was concerned but that didn't explain how distant he'd gotten so quickly. Trying not to think about it and feeling idiotic for overanalysing it so much, I dried myself in the bathroom and splashed my face with some cold water.I quickly put my clothes and shoes back, finger combing my hair to try to tame the frizz. Grabbing my bag, I headed out hoping to find Kyler waiting for me but the only person I found was a fully dressed Ree.
"Hey, have you seen Kyler?"
She seemed a little sad herself, "He just left. He found me and told me that we should head home."
"So he just...he left?"
"They seemed to be in a hurry. Carter didn't know much but he said it's some kind of family emergency."
"His mom, that's what Mason said." I said, still feeling a little bewildered at being blown off like this. He couldn't have spared a second to say goodbye? Wow.
Ree must have seen the expression on my face, realised that I'd made the stupid mistake of developing feelings for someone I'd only just met. "Come on." She nudged my shoulder with hers. "Let's go back to your house, put on some Buffy and you can tell me all about your heartbreak over our old friend Rocky Road."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm going to thank you all again for so much amazing feedback on the previous chapter! It makes me so happy reading all the comments and hearing that you're liking the book so far <3 Please continue to do so and show support however you like, by comment/following or voting! I'm so excited to take this story forward, yay for all that's to come!
Also do we have a ship name yet??
Follow me on social media!
Twitter: BlairHoldenx
Instagram: JessGirl93
Facebook: Blair Holden
Love,
Blair