Chapter Thirty-Three: The Girl I'm Falling Hopelessly In Love With {Cole}
"Ha, Ellie, guess who asked Sebastian for your number?" Scarlet asks. I feel my own head snap up. Who the fuck asked for her number?
I turn my eyes to Sebastian, who just gives me a half-smile, a strange look in his eyes.
"Who?" Ellie repeats my unspoken question.
"Matthew, the bartender at the Rave that always talks to you. He asked if you were seeing anyone." Ellie frowns, making a slightly creeped-out face.
"Don't worry, I told him he'd have to just talk to you next time he saw you," Sebastian comforts her, laughing. "I wouldn't give your number out without your permission." She relaxes slightly, bending at the waist to take her shot.
I'll have to remember to tell him to back the fuck off next time we go to the club.
I try to keep my eyes away from her, I really do, but it's so hard to do when I see her like that. Happy, carefree, hair messy and flowing down her back. Her green eyes alight with a playfulness as they meet mine.
Oh, shit. She's looking at me.
It must be my turn..
Fuck, she caught me staring.
I stand, moving toward the table. Goddammit, which am I? Solids or stripes? I hesitate, aiming for a solid. Ellie frowns as she catches my eye again, but cracks a smile suddenly. I realize why as I feel burning across my cheeks and ears.
Quit laughing at me, blondie. And quit making me fucking blush.
"You're stripes," she mouths, biting her lip to keep from smiling wider. I nod, taking some random shitty shot. I don't want to win, I just want to watch her play, see her smile. I look her over as she studies the table.
She wears a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, ones that I've never seen her wear before. They're definitely shorter than normal, too, and dear god, I don't know how I didn't notice her long legs before this moment. Fuck, all I can think of is her dressed in my shirt that I gave her. All I can think about is how she might look with a bedhead and a sleepy smile in nothing but that shirt, those same long legs leading up to my girl waiting in my bed.
Shit! Cole, chill out before you get a fucking hard on.
Think about something else.
Fighting, blood, sweat...
Suddenly, Ellie's bent over almost directly in front of me, aiming for her shot. I force my eyes to the ceiling and keep them there, despite the desperation in my bones. Sitting up, she glances at me before moving around the table.
I watch her shoot this time, seeing her eyes focused as she aims for another ball. Her eyes flicker to mine as she sits up slightly, looking at me from beneath her lashes. She gives a small, sweet smile as I stare her down, trying with all my might not to steal her away and lock us in another closet.
"Damn, Ellie. Run the table on him!" Sebastian cheers, sitting up slightly and interrupting my thoughts. I look at the table.
Ellie's only got a few of her balls left to shoot, while I still have every single one of mine.
She comes to where I'm standing, moving behind me slightly. Peering over my shoulder, I almost piss myself when she places a hand on my bicep. I try not to flex it on instinct. Instead, I remain frozen, stilled completely by her touch.
Rising to her tiptoes, her lips near my skin, the hair on the back of my neck standing.
"Take your shot, Cole."
Fuck this game. I'll take my fucking shot alright.
I shove my thoughts down my own throat, moving toward the table as she releases me and playing some bullshit move that has Sebastian laughing at how much I suck. As I look to Ellie again, I'm surprised to find her eyes on Scarlet, shaking her head with a bashful smile.
Scarlet, on the other hand, gives her a look I can't decipher.
It's only when Ellie's eyes flicker to me that I realize what's really going on.
I should've known Scarlet was behind this. Ellie's never touched me on her own, never bent over in front of me like that, never looked at me like that... Scarlet's the fucking puppet-master behind this Ellie.
I don't fucking like it.
I want her to do something because she wants to, not because Scar tells her to.
I stay silent and lost in thought as the game ends, sitting on the couch after Scarlet and Sebastian both get up, playing the next round.
My mind burns with questions and accusations that don't leave my lips. Frustration brews higher and higher in my bones as I try desperately to keep from saying fuck it and tugging my girl into the nearest bedroom.
Ellie brushes toward me, aiming to sit on the cushion beside me, but I've had enough of my own thoughts and her sneaky games. She gasps as I pull her hard as she gets ready to sit, hard enough so that she lands in my lap. Going stiff immediately, I practically feel the nervousness eating her alive. Frozen, Ellie shakes softly.
I settle back into the couch, adjusting her on my lap, keeping her away from my steadily hardening dick just in case it makes her uncomfortable.
Her squirming doesn't help.
Her face is crimson with blush, making me smile. She was playing a game with me; it's only fair if I return the favor. I wait until everyone is distracted before I bring my lips close to her ear, her hair tickling my face slightly.
My entire body feels as if I'm being struck by lightning, but I force the words out anyways.
"You'd do well to remember I don't like playing mind games, sweetheart." I didn't think it was possible, but Ellie goes even stiffer, releasing a shaky breath. I smile.
I love how she reacts to me. How, despite being nervous, she leans ever so closer.
"If you wanted my attention, you could've just said so," I admit. It's true, anyone could see it. Sebastian's constantly giving me shit for not making a move on Ellie, and I'm sure Scarlet is just the same considering the little game they just tried to play.
Suddenly, Ellie stands from my lap. A horrible coldness replaces her, longing in my bones calling out for her in only a split second. She heads for the kitchen, so I follow.
Leaning against the counter with her head hanging and her eyes closed, Ellie faces out the window, taking deep breaths. I can't help myself; I'm tired of waiting.
I need to do something.
"You know, you do just fine getting my attention on your own. My eyes are always on you, Ellie, without Scarlet's help," I tell her, the truth in my words sending relieved tingles down my neck. That's a step in the right direction, keep going.
"It wasn't Scarlet." I freeze. "I mean, it was. She told me what to do, but I..." Ellie seems to search for the right words. "I just wanted to try to..." She trails off, sighing as she runs a hand over her face.
My girl is flustered.
"What makes you think you didn't already have my attention, Ellie?" I ask her. Staying still, she doesn't face me as she mutters a soft, 'I don't know,' beneath her breath.
I move behind her, placing both of my hands on the counter on either side of her. Caging her in, I make sure to keep my hips away from her, just in case the hardness between my legs scares her off, but I'm quickly thrown off when she turns her head to the side so she can get a glimpse of me out of the corner of her eye, her ass brushing against me as she moves.
It nearly sends me into a frenzy, but I stop myself.
I grip her hips softly, turning her so that she faces me. Ellie moves without resisting me, eyes staring directly into my own.
"You have my attention 24/7, Ellie. I can't keep my eyes off of you... I can't get you out of my fucking mind," I confess. "You're all I think about, all the time. I can't go to sleep without dreaming about you. I can't wake up without you being my first thought. I can't even take a fucking breath without thanking the gods above for letting me breathe the same air as you, Ellie."
Her lips part in shock, green eyes searching mine for any hints of lies or deception. I remain still, baring my soul to her before her eyes flicker to my lips. My jaw grinds as I let my eyes drift to her lips, desperate to kiss her by now.
I lean in slowly, giving her time to back out. Instead, Ellie tips her head upwards a little, telling me she's just as desperate for this kiss as I am.
Just as our lips brush, that damned phone rings again. Ellie's head turns to the side, glancing toward the screen, but in an act of urgency, I raise my hand, gripping her chin and forcing her eyes back to mine.
I don't waste another second, connecting our lips and claiming her lips in a kiss that burns me from my head to my toes. She gasps against my mouth, before pressing her lips back against mine softly. The feeling is like nothing I've ever imagined.
I deepen the kiss, pulling her even tighter against me as I try to restrain myself at least a little bit. Her hands cling to me, gripping my shirt in a tight hold. As I lower my other hand to her waist, I push her back against the counter, pinning her there with my own body. I shift the other to her cheek, palming and cradling her beautiful face in my hand as I tilt her head, kissing her even deeper.
Ellie doesn't fight or resist. In fact, she stands to her tip toes, stretching even further in an attempt to kiss me deeper. The action makes me even harder, my jeans suffocating me now to the point of being painful, but I don't dare break from her, utterly lost in my girl.
Fucking hell, nothing has ever felt this good.
Nothing.
Not a single fucking thing in the world is as good as kissing Ellie.
I want to do this for the rest of my life.
All too soon, we're breaking for air, her lips parted as she pants softly, eyes staring up into mine.
If the world were to end in this moment, I wouldn't give a shit. Hell, I wouldn't even notice. The only thing I see is the girl in front of me, the girl I want to be with for the rest of my life...
The girl I'm falling hopelessly in love with.
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