❝WHISKEY KISSES.❞
Archer slips his hand under his suit jacket, resting it on the small of my back. Slowly, inch by torturous inch, he skims his hand upward and trails his fingers lightly over my shoulder.
I'm struck speechless by the gentleness of his touch against my skin. His fingers reach my face and he places a soft touch on my jaw, looking at me with a longing I'm sure was reflected in my own eyes. After a quick brush of his thumb on my cheekbone, he tucks my hair to the back of my ear, revealing the scar on my temple and I tense.
"Mr Kane," it barely comes out as a whisper, I'm not sure he heard it at all. I reach out, wanting to cover the evidence of the worst night of my life but he stops me with a gentle hand.
And then I feel the warmth of his lips against my skin. His lips linger on the scar and my throat constricts. Having someone treat the part of me I hated most with such endearment was the cause of my undoing. My eyes squeeze shut at the sudden sting of tears.
I took in a deep breath, not understanding the situation but also not wanting the gentleness of his touch to stop.
His lips start moving as he begins to place soft kisses along my cheeks. As his kisses travel lower, I tilt my head back, wanting to feel his mouth on every inch of me. His lips feather against my neck. The hand gripping my waist conveys urgency and desperation but the softness of his kiss was the opposite. Each kiss was precise and slow, like he was savouring the taste of me.
He brushes his nose against my jaw, sighing deeply as I breathe in, stealing his breath, becoming so in tune with him. He stops himself mere inches away from my lips.
He pulls onto his suit jacket so that my body is flushed against his. His shoulders curl forward as he bends lower, meeting me at my height and his forehead rests on mine. His chest is pressed against my breasts, rising and falling with heavy breaths full of need.
I grabbed a fistful of his shirt in my hands as I stood there, completely still. The only thought in my head was, 'this isn't right', yet I didn't budge.
His hand released the jacket and one of his hands rests at the curve of my waist while the other cupped my cheek. My knees felt weak and even though I haven't had a drop of liquor, my body sways like I'm intoxicated.
His grip on my waist tightens as he holds me to him and then he hooks his finger under my chin, lifting my head and angling my lips perfectly for him.
Archer's eyes searched mine and I couldn't tell what he was seeing because he frowns like he's fickle but that vanishes when he leans in.
I've stopped breathing, anticipation building up within me, and finally I feel the brush of his lips against mine. It's soft, as though he's contemplating and fighting a battle against himself. "Archer," I breathe out and it's like that undoes him. As soon as he hears his name from my lips, he kisses me.
He pressed his lips onto mine and it's warm and soft and it curls my toes. He kisses me like he's trying to savour me and he's gentle, treating me how you would things precious to you. It gets my insides all warm. I've never been kissed this way. Every movement of his lips was slow and purposeful, familiarising himself with me.
As his hands made it's way to the back of my neck, he tugs lightly at my hair, tilting my head in a way to deepen the kiss. The taste of the bitter alcohol still lingered on his lips as he kissed me and then it hits me. He isn't thinking straight.
I try to pull away from his kiss because he's drunk and he doesn't want this. Not like how I want it and I can't allow him to go further but he pushes himself further onto me, refusing to pull away from the kiss. A part of me aches and I don't know if it's because this kiss is going to end or if it's because this kiss probably doesn't mean anything to him.
"Mr Kane." I breathed out as I placed the palm of my hands onto his chest, slowly pushing him away. I felt a dull tug onto my heart the moment I move away from him.
His eyes flicker open, his hands still on me and then a pained look crosses his face. One that causes my heart to sink.
He already regrets this.
Archer's thumb touches the scar on my head gently as his voice drops into a low whisper. "I'm so sorry," he apologises as his face crumples.
I'm too out of it to react. What was he apologising for? The kiss? Because if it was the kiss, why did it feel like so much more?
Before I have a chance to react, he collapses onto me and his limbs go limp. "Shit," I cussed as I tried holding onto his semi-conscious form.
His head nuzzled into the crook of my neck as his entire body rested on mine. I groan as I tried walking to his car. He was heavy and I was two seconds away from dropping to the ground. Thankfully, he parked close to the building.
I fished up the keys from his suit jacket that was still draped onto me and unlocked the doors of his car. I opened the door to the back seat and pushed him in, his head smacking onto the seat harshly. "Sorry." I scrunched my face as he groaned.
I got in the car and after I've calmed myself, I start to drive. "Red." His voice reverberated through the silent atmosphere of the car as I drove but that wasn't what I needed. I needed silence to think, to make sense of what just happened.
"Shut up."
"I'm sorry." His voice going soft, almost timid.
I reached a red traffic light and came to a halt, my fingers tapping the steering wheel impatiently as thoughts gnawed its way into my brain. I turn around and took a quick glance at him. His lips are still red and swollen from kissing me.
My professor just kissed me.
"Oh my God!" I gasped as realisation hit me.
"Oh my God." Were the only words I repeated under my breath the entire ride home.
I came to an abrupt halt right in front of our apartment complex and I heard a loud thud from the backseat, followed by a groan.
I turned around only to see Archer cramped on the ground. "Shit, I'm sorry." I apologised, almost breathless.
For some reason, I was feeling a rush of anxiousness. Would it be weird between us now? He probably wouldn't even remember the kiss. He's passed out drunk at the back of his car.
But what if I wanted him to remember the kiss?
I simply sigh as I slump further into the car seat, massaging the temples of my forehead in hopes to relieve the tension. My thoughts were going back and forth in a painful game of ping-pong. One side of me wanted him to remember the kiss while the other desperately hoped that it's wiped from his memory.
With a huff of breath, I got out of the car and opened the door, trying to pull him out but he was too heavy for me.
An exasperated sigh leaves me as I leaned against the car, giving up. I shut the door and went up to his apartment and started knocking. A few seconds later, the door opened.
"Elreda?" Jace asked, his voice raspy and his hair all ruffled up.
"I'm sorry but could you help me?" I asked. He straightens his posture as his expression morphed into a serious one.
"Are you okay?" He looked at me and then behind me at my apartment door that was closed.
"I'm fine." I shook my head. "It's Mr Kane."
• • •
"I'm sorry you had to deal with this." Jace laughed as he plopped Archer onto his bed.
"It's okay." I smiled, trying my best not to freak out in front of Jace. I didn't need him getting suspicious.
"I keep telling him to go easy on the alcohol, he's such a bad drinker." He shook his head in disapproval. He stared at Archer for a bit then looked up at me with curiosity.
"Did something happen?" Jace asked and I gulp unintentionally. "Between the two of you?" He continued as his brows furrow.
Was I that horrible at hiding my emotions?
"No, why would you think that?" I shook my head a little too fast.
He pointed at Archer, "I'm pretty sure he wasn't wearing red lipstick when he left." He said, a smirk plastered onto his face.
My eyes bug out at his words. My gaze snaps to Archer and then I noticed lipstick smudged onto his lips. My body freezes as I try to think a way out of this mess but nothing comes to mind.
"Shit." I cussed under my breath and covered my mouth. "Could you keep this between us, please?" I looked at him with pleading eyes. I don't know if what I'm asking is absurd or not. He may be my neighbour but he was a professor at my university too.
His hands raised to his lips where he pretended to zip it.
A rush of relief sweeps through me and Jace chuckles slightly. "I better call in sick for him and cancel his class," he said as he walked me to the door.
I simply nod in response, "well, I'll get going." I say, showing myself out.
I entered my apartment and leaned against the door as I closed it behind me. I pressed my forehead on it, hitting my head a few times, replaying what happened in my head. "What the heck just happened?"
Then I hear a noise from behind me. I spin around instantly and slam my back into the door as I see a figure standing in the darkness of my living room. A scream tears through my lips and I drop everything in my hands when I feel a hand clamp my mouth shut.
• • •