Landon's hands roam my body, coming to a stop at the edge of my shorts. His fingers hook under the band slowly, teasing me. I groan, lifting my hips off the bed and closer to him. His eyes darken. He pulls the shorts off, leaving me in my underwear. He lowers his head, bringing his lips to my arousal over the thin fabric. He trails light kisses over my sex and I can't help but moan. He grins, satisfied with my need. He pulls the panties off gently, and takes a hold of my legs, separating them. I breath heavily, waiting eagerly.
"So impatient," he laughs, then goes down on me. His tongue moves skillfully and I gasp, already close to the edge. He lightly sucks on my nub, and I tremble. Oh god, I'm—
Beep beep beep beep. The alarm clock invades my dream and I wake up gasping, feeling hot and bothered. I drag a palm across my sweaty face, waiting for my heartbeat to slow down back to normal. Crap. Not again.
It's New Year's Eve, over a week since Landon fucked me, and I've been having... sexy dreams about him almost every night since. It's becoming really annoying, not to mention distracting.
I'm just not used to being without sex for over a week, I try to convince myself. That's all this is. I'm frustrated and he just happens to be there all the time, I see him everyday, so obviously he's the one who keeps infiltrating my dreams. Simple as that.
I get out of bed and put on my running clothes, thinking maybe a good run will help release some of the tension in my body.
"Wait up!" Landon's voice comes from behind me.
I freeze on the landing and turn around. He's hurrying toward me in his training clothes, and I can't help but remember the dream as I look at his face. A faint blush creeps up my neck and I turn back around hastily before he notices.
"What's up with you this morning?"
"Nothing," I quip and run down the stairs, him following me.
"You look oddly flustered," he remarks, inspecting my face as I hold open the door for him.
"Uh, weird dreams," I mumble, closing the door behind me. He raises his brow questioningly and I just shrug. I'm not going to discuss my sex dreams with him. Especially with him. Then a spark lights up in his eyes and he looks at me funnily.
"Dirty dreams, huh?" He grins, wiggling his eyebrows. I ignore him and start jogging, hoping he will go the other way. No such luck. "So, who's the lucky man?" He asks, clearly trying not to laugh. I don't answer and pick up the speed.
"Oh, wait a minute!" a very pleased expression fills his face. "It's me, isn't it?" He doesn't wait for me to answer, my red face already shouting it to the world. "So, what did we do in this dream of yours, exactly? Don't spare any details."
"Nothing. You couldn't get it up," I say with a big smirk. He looks like he's been hit in the head. Then his eyes narrow.
"I don't believe you," he says. "I've never had a problem getting it up," he says proudly.
"Well, there's a first time for everything," I say and try to run away from him but he catches me easily.
"It must have been great if you're lying about it," he points out, still on the subject. I groan, but don't answer. "If you tell me what it is you fantasized about me doing, I can bring it to life," he winks.
I grimace, gritting my teeth together. "No need. I'm good, thanks."
"Suit yourself," he laughs. "But let me tell you, the real deal is way better than any dream can ever be."
And don't I know it. I scowl and look ahead, concentrating on my breathing as he picks up the speed again. He doesn't say anything else after that, and we finish the run in silence.
---
Riley and Stella came back into town yesterday, so we're helping each other get ready for the biggest party of the year. Miranda would've been here but since she's hosting with Brett, she had to get ready hours ago.
This is the first time in years that I haven't attended the Annual New Years' party our parents' business associates hold every year, but I can't bring myself to go. It holds too many awful memories I don't want to relive. So instead, we're going to a party at Brett's parents' enormous mansion, since they won't be home. He's invited over fifty people, and those are bound to bring their friends, so it's going to be pretty big. And since it's the change of a year, we're going to dress appropriately. No jeans and crop tops, but dazzling dresses.
Mine is kind of champagne colored with a V-neck and see-through sleeves that widen out at the wrist, and the whole thing is decorated with sparkly golden rhinestones and whatnot. It hugs my narrow waits and then flares out, short enough to show off my toned legs. I've also slipped my feet in golden heels and curled my hair.
Stella is wearing a deep purple one sleeve piece that hugs her slender body, her curly hair left untamed, while Riley's is up on a chic up-do with a braided crown. Her brown eyes are piercing through a dark make-up, and her thin figure is wrapped in a silver sequined mini dress. My friends are some hot tamales.
"You ready, bitches?" I ask, striking a pose.
"You know it" Stella grins and we grab our purses and coats before heading outside. Since Brett's house is only a few blocks away, we walk. Nate and Landon already left an hour ago, bored while waiting for us to get ready.
As we reach the street of the Durham residence, I hear my friends gasp. It's an enormous mansion with three stories and a garden at the back, and it's all decorated in bright lights that make it stand out against the dark night.
"Whoa" Riley says, her mouth hanging open. "And here I thought your house is huge," she nudges me. I grin and we step onto the stone path leading up to the door.
"Come on," I lead them to the porch. "It's even more magnificent inside." I ring the doorbell and it opens instantly.
"Hey guys" Brett greets and moves aside so we can step inside. "Party is in full swing already."
"I can see that," I say, peeking farther inside. Music is blasting and the house is filled with people, all in different stages of drunk.
"The others are in the billiard room," he tells us as we scan the grand foyer. "And Avery, uh, Nick's there too." He looks a little uncomfortable saying it. And this is why you should never date your friends.
"I figured," I smile. "I've got no problem with it." And it's true, I don't. I hate how things ended between us, but I actually feel quite freed. I don't have to to worry about hurting him all the time, and I'm not accountable to anyone, which feels great. I love being single.
We walk through the house to the billiard room, where we find Nick, Gabriel, and Miranda watching Liam and Jonah play. Jonah is clearly having the upper hand.
"Hey girl," I hug Miranda and then step back to take her in. She's wearing a black long-sleeve dress that flares out at the waist below a silver belt, reaching just above knee, and silver pumps. Her hair is wavy and descends around her shoulders in a red halo.
"Pret-ty," I twirl her around and grin. She laughs and gives Stella and Riley a hug, as well, while my eyes find Nick's. We haven't seen each other since that night, nor have we texted or talked on the phone. I've pretty much blocked him from my mind this past week.
He nods toward an empty corner away from the others, asking a silent question, and I follow him there.
"So..." he starts, playing with the beer bottle in his hands, clearly uncomfortable.
"So..." I echo, not really knowing what to say.
"I'm sorry," he blurts out. I look at him questioningly. What does he have to be sorry about? I'm the one who kept hurting him.
"For uh, what you saw," he explains, going red in the face. Ah, right. That.
"Yeah, that was a pretty shitty move," I agree. Sure, we'd broken up, but still, sleeping with someone else not an hour later... "But I can't really be mad at you about that, because I kind of slept with someone too after leaving the party."
Hurt flashes in his eyes. "Oh."
"Yeah."
"Who?" Is that jealousy I detect in his voice? It can't be, he's the one who left me. I just give him a look. "Right," he mumbles. "None of my business anymore."
I don't know what to say, so we just stand there quietly, looking at each other. From the corner of my eye I notice our friends each peeping looks at us, waiting to see what happens. Which reminds me...
"I want to be able to be friends," I say. "I don't want things be all weird between us and affect the others. Us breaking up shouldn't break the group apart."
"You're right," he gives me a sad smile. "So, friends?" He thrusts out his hand.
I take it and smile, "Friends." We go back to the others after that, and the awkward tension between us disappears. I think this might actually work, I think to myself as I joke around with him. We're going to be alright.
---
"Okay, who's going to kiss me?" Gabriel puckers his lips as the clock signals eleven fifty-five.
"Excuse us?" Stella raises her brow.
"Well, everybody's gotta kiss someone at midnight, right" he explains, as if it's obvious. "And since those two," he points at Brett and Miranda, who're glued together by the hip, "are the only ones with a girlfriend or boyfriend, we should each pick one of the group to kiss."
"But there's one too many guys" Riley points out, doing the math quickly.
"Except that Liam has just solved that problem " Gabriel points at Liam canoodling some girl on the loveseat.
"Alright," I bite back a smile. "So who's going to kiss who?"
"Uh, I for one would feel really weird kissing a friend's ex, so..." Riley leaves the sentence hanging, looking from me to Nick.
"Ditto" Stella chimes in, shooting me an apologetic smile. I try not to grimace as I turn to Nick, who's looking at me warily.
"You cool with that? It's just a kiss," I say. I pray to god he doesn't read anything into it.
"Well, you have to be" Gabriel says. "You can't not kiss anyone. That would be blasphemy."
Nick shoves him playfully and shrugs, coming to stand by me, brushing my shoulder with his. I shoot him a thankful smile which he returns. Stella then sacrifices herself to kiss the ladies' man, leaving sweet Jonah to Riley.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, ONE!" the crowd chants in unison, and we each turn to kiss our partner.
Nick's lips feel nice against mine, safe and familiar. We keep the kiss short, not wanting to complicate matters. I smile at him and he gives me a friendly hug. I look over his shoulder and my heart plummets. Landon is leaning against a wall on the other side of the room, holding a bottle of beer as he glowers at me. That face says it all; he saw my kiss with Nick, and now he thinks there's something going on with us again.