"Come on, Pres. It's much more fun over here," Mason grinned, tugging me down the quiet alleyway. I'd just downed my third vodka soda, the alcoholic haze helping me forget all my troubles.
We had escaped our double date a few minutes ago, much to my friends' amusement. After Mason's fingertips skimmed the side of my breast for the second time, sending shockwaves through my body, I stood up and announced to my friends that we were leaving.
I smiled at the memory of Enzo's annoyed expression. He was not a fan of Mason's—nor any of the Theta Chi brothers really—but he knew it was only a casual fling.
Mason would provide a nice distraction from the man who was currently sitting in my living room, oblivious to my feelings.
"I'm so glad you called," Mason husked, drawing me out of my thoughts. He cupped my face in his hands, his mouth softly brushing over mine. "I missed your lips."
I sighed uneasily. He'd always been too gentle for me, his touch too tender, and at this point I was drunk enough to vocalize it.
"Hey. Let's get a little naughty tonight," I whispered with a wicked grin. I grabbed his ass cheeks in my hands and squeezed.
"I thought that's what we were doing already," he smirked, pulling me closer and kissing down my jaw.
I leaned back against the wall and tried to lose myself in his touch.
My eyes squeezed shut as I inhaled his fragrance: peppermint gum, soap, and pretentious beer.
I tried to pretend he smelled of leather, whiskey, and cigarettes instead, hissing in frustration when it didn't work. I pulled away with a groan.
"What's wrong, babe?" His eyes narrowed on mine in confusion.
"Your eyes are just.. so blue," I sighed, my lips curling into a pout.
"Um.. I'm sorry, I guess?" Mason's forehead creased, his puzzled expression causing the guilt to wash over me.
"No, don't be. They're nice," I breathed, licking my lips. "Very pretty."
You want this, I reminded myself.
My eyes fluttered shut when he moved forward to kiss me again. His lips were warm and soft, his tongue lazily tracing my bottom lip. As his hands traveled up my side, teasing the skin that peeked out from the silver fabric, I gasped.
Warm brown eyes flashed behind my eyelids, Kol's full lips lingering in my brain.
I wrapped my arms around Mason's neck, running my fingers through his hair. It was too short, and I was unable to get a good grip.
The hair I longed to pull was thicker, fuller.. dark and soft.
It was no use pretending.
I was just about to push him away, when I felt someone behind me.
I spun around in surprise. It took a second for my drunken gaze to focus on the newcomer.
"Presley Williams? What a crazy coincidence," Kol smirked from the cover of his hoodie. He pulled out his ear buds and jogged closer.
"Kol," I said, shaking my head. "Crazy coincidence is right." I hiccuped, feeling my cheeks burn at Kol's responding grin.
"Mikaelson," Mason spat, his nose scrunching as he pulled me closer to his side. "Heard you got kicked out of Kappa. Sucks, man."
Kol arched an eyebrow, opening his mouth to speak. But when he caught a glimpse of the scowl I wore, he closed it again. "Thanks," he muttered.
"What are you doing here? I thought you had to study," I folded my arms across my chest and tilted my head, trying to ignore the erratic way my heart beat in his presence.
"Yeah, I finished early and decided to go for a jog," he shrugged. "Are you alright, love? You appear to be swaying a bit."
He moved forward to help me, but Mason drew me to his chest with a protective glower.
"She's fine. You can go on home. Oh wait.. I mean wherever it is you're living now," he chuckled.
My fists curled as I suddenly had the urge to punch something. I broke free of Mason's grip and stepped towards Kol.
"Actually, he's staying with me." I let Kol curl his arm around my waist, enjoying the way Mason's face contorted with anger. "And I don't appreciate your rude behavior towards my friend."
"What's going on, Presley? You call me to hook up, and then you take this guy home? His own brothers don't even want him," Mason scoffed. "Fraternity and biological."
A wave of rage flowed through me when I saw the sadness on Kol's face. "He's ten times the man you are, Mason. You know it too, which is why you're acting like such a dick."
"Whatever. The guy's a fuckin' mess. I heard Salvatore did a number on his pretty face, too."
My jaw dropped open in shock, and I turned to Kol. He avoided my glare, keeping his eyes locked on Mason.
"You're obviously into slumming now. Don't call me again, Presley," Mason called over his shoulder, before storming off down the street.
"Great guy," Kol grumbled, shaking his head.
"Salvatore? As in Damon?!" I growled as I pressed my palms to his chest, shoving him backwards until he hit the brick wall behind him.
Kol bit down on his bottom lip and feigned confusion. "Damon Salvatore? Uh, doesn't ring a bell."
"Tell me you didn't get in a fight with my shit head ex-boyfriend," I cried, feeling the dread roll over me. I cupped his jaw in my hand, tenderly tracing the bruise under his eye with my thumb. "Tell me this wasn't because of me."
Kol's whiskey brown eyes finally shifted to meet mine, his shoulders sagging in defeat. "You have the most atrocious taste in men, little Bookworm."
"You got me there," I admitted, bringing my other hand up to touch his lip. "I'm so sorry, Kol."
He gave me a shy half smile, the kind that made my heart skip a beat.
"I'd seen him around campus since the night I walked you home. He tried to goad me into fighting him a couple times, but I always refused. Then he jumped me in the alley the other night with some other guy. If I'd seen him coming he wouldn't have had a prayer, but I'm sure he knew that already."
"My God." The image of Damon and his friend taking shots at Kol in a dark alley had my stomach churning.
I moved closer to inspect his injuries, stumbling further into his chest. The scent of him was so warm and wonderful, I couldn't help but press my nose to his shirt. "Mm. That's what a man's supposed to smell like."
He chuckled and drew me closer, before dropping a kiss on the top of my head.
"You're an adorable drunk," he smirked, exhaling deeply. "Let's get you home."
"Can we make one tiny stop on the way?" I gave him my best puppy dog eyes.
"Of course, darling. Anything for you."
***
I was up on the kitchen counter clad in only an old t-shirt, which was riding up my thighs with every movement.
"Mmmm. This is heavenly," I moaned as the flavor exploded on my tongue. "Better than sex."
"Maybe better than sex with Mason Lockwood," Kol muttered.
"It's orgasmic."
Kol shook his head, his teeth sinking into his lower lip. "It's just pizza, love." He shifted his weight to his other leg.
"This is not just pizza. It's macaroni and cheese pizza from Sugartown, and it's the food of the gods," I corrected him, as I straightened my spine.
"I highly doubt the gods ate macaroni and cheese pizza," he teased, moving to the living room. He placed Audrey in her kennel with some sweet whispers of encouragement before strolling back to the kitchen.
"They did when they were drunk. I guarantee it." I threw him a wink as I licked the remnants of cheese from my lips.
I could swear his eyes darkened before they flicked away from me, but perhaps that was just the vodka talking.
"Come on, you gotta try it," I encouraged, reaching out for him from my perch on the counter.
"I'm fine, Pres. Really." He walked over to the coffeemaker to turn it on for me. "I'm making you some coffee to sober you up so you don't feel so dreadful in the morning."
"I don't want coffee," I pouted. "Come taste this. Pretty please?"
I kicked my legs out, wrapping them around him and effectively trapping him. A victorious chuckle slipped from my lips as I pulled him towards me with my thighs. "Eat."
Kol turned his head to face me, his dark eyes glimmering beneath the overhead light. He rolled them playfully before opening his mouth for pizza.
Maybe it was the liquid courage coursing through my veins, or maybe just the gratitude for defending my honor to Damon, but what happened next wasn't the smartest decision I'd ever made:
Instead of putting the pizza into his mouth, I drew his face to mine and kissed him.
He stiffened as my lips pressed against his, his mouth staying perfectly still. But I didn't stop; instead I drew my arms around his neck and carded my fingers through his perfect hair.
His lips finally softened, warm and inviting as they moved with mine. He let out a quiet groan when I slipped my tongue inside to glide against his, the sound making me shiver.
"Pres," he gasped. "You're drunk, sweetheart." His hands were shaking as they gripped my waist, which only made me want him more.
"I'm not drunk." I wrapped my legs tighter around him, his obvious bulge aligning with my warmth. I wrapped my tongue around his earlobe, drawing it into my mouth. "I want you, Kol. And I can feel how much you want me, too."
Before I could reconnect our lips, he broke free of my grip. He appeared torn, his eyebrows furrowed as he swiped his hand down his face.
"I'm sorry, Presley. You didn't deserve that," he stammered, backing away from me. "You are far too good for me to take advantage like that."
"You weren't taking advantage. I'm not drunk, Kol," I insisted, wishing he would come back.
Now that I knew the taste of his sweet kiss and the way it felt to be wrapped in his arms, I knew there was no use pretending I wouldn't do anything to kiss him again.
"You need to go to bed, love. Sleep all this off," he murmured, helping me down from the counter. "You don't even know what you're saying."
"Except I do! I've wanted this forever."
He stopped, turning to study me with curiosity.
"I've wanted to kiss you since the day we met, practically. That day in the cafe, when you sang that song about Lila.."
I trailed off when I saw his eyes widen, realizing I should have never brought up the one woman he did care about.
"Nevermind," I whispered, swallowing back the lump forming in my throat. "Goodnight."
I quickly spun around and rushed into my bedroom, feeling the humiliation rushing through me. Kol would never want me. It would always be Lila.
Under the covers where no one could see me, it was okay to cry.
***
The soft strumming of a guitar pulled me from the shadows of sleep. My mouth tasted like cotton and my head was aching, but I could see that it was still dark outside.
I sat up in my bed with a frown, my suspicions confirmed when I reached for the clock and saw that only a couple of hours had passed since our kisses in the kitchen.
I sighed at the memory. That man was a damn good kisser. I hadn't expected any less, but he lit my world on fire with those lips.
I crept slowly towards the door to listen to the music flowing from Kol's bedroom.
"Stood on the corner for a while
To wait for the wind to blow down on me
Hoping it takes with it my old ways
And brings some brand new luck upon me
And now I'm walking in the park
And all of the birds, they dance below me
Maybe when things turn green again
It will be good to say you know me
Oh, it's taken so long
I could be wrong, I could be ready
Oh, but if I take my heart's advice
I should assume it's still unsteady
I'm in repair
I'm not together, but I'm getting there"
As he wrapped up the last chorus, I felt the shadows curl around my heart. If only he saw himself the way I saw him, he would know how amazing he was already.
I wanted to be the one to show him.
I slipped out of my room and over to his door, which was part-way open. I didn't mean to spy, but there was something about watching him play that made me feel connected to him on some deeper level.
He was sat between some moving boxes, which meant he'd gone to Kappa after all. My heart hurt when I pictured him moving all his things out of his room, all alone. I let out a soft whimper.
Kol's eyes widened a bit when he spotted me, but remained locked on mine, and I felt an electric current travel straight to my core.
The hunger was overpowering my common sense, my entire body calling out for him. I pulled his door open and stepped inside.
"Presley, I'm so sorry. I just don't want you to regret anything.." he began, setting his guitar to the side.
I wanted so desperately to climb on top of him, but I wanted him to make the first move this time. "I meant everything I said. I want you."
When he remained still against the wall, I knew it was now or never.
I raised my arms and peeled my nightshirt from my body, watching as his eyes darkened with lust.
"Pres.." He stood slowly, moving towards me with uncertainty, until I reached for him.
"Please, Kol. I need you," I begged, and he took me in his arms.
With one last questioning glance, he crashed his lips against mine with a ferocity that took my breath away.
Then he shut off the light and carried me to his bed.
[To be continued..]