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“Why do you stare at her like that?” Tracey moans, clinging to my arm as we move through Ellie’s party.
Damon threw her one, and there are way too many fuckin’ people here for my liking.
But, I wasn’t goin’ to not be here. Lincoln is working, at least, I think he’s fuckin’ working, so somebody had to make sure this party didn’t get too wild. And that lucky someone is me. Tracey showed up, and I literally had no excuse to get rid of her, so she’s been clinging to me like a damned leech ever since.
It’s time to give her the flick, she’s getting too clingy.
And she’s right, my eyes are on one thing, and one thing only.
Ellie.
She looks fuckin’ beautiful tonight, in her skin-tight jeans and tank that is glued to her chest, showing her gorgeous curves on that petite little body. Her hair is flowing down her back and around her shoulders, in loose curls. And every now and then, her laughter rings out through the yard, making me stop and turn, my eyes seeking her out. She’s so fucking perfect. It’s hard to stay away. Especially now I know I can have her.
“It’s her party, and she’s at my house,” I mutter, throwing back another beer.
I’m drunk, and yet even that isn’t drowning out Tracey’s moaning in my ear.
“You have a thing for her?”
“I’m goin’ to toss you out on your ass in a fuckin’ minute,” I growl, sitting down on a chair.
Tracey throws herself onto my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck and grinding herself against me. I’m a man, and she’s fuckin’ hot, so she knows that she’s going to get a rise out of me, literally. I also can’t stand her right now, but when I try to toss her off, she hangs on tighter.
“Don’t be an asshole to me Slater, or I won’t ride you later, just how you like.”
Her mouth connects with my neck, and I squeeze her hip, not in pleasure, in warning.
“Startin’ to piss me way the fuck off, Tracey. Get off my lap.”
“Bro, if you’re goin’ to fuck her, do it inside yeah!” Damon yells, laughing.
I glance over and see him standing with Finn, about ten other people, and Ellie. They’re all watching me, and all getting the wrong fuckin’ idea.
“He loves it in public, don’t you honey,” Tracey says loudly, laughing.
My eyes meet Ellie’s and I could fuckin’ swear I see a flash of hurt cross them. I could be reading it wrong, but I’m sure, fuck, I’m so damned sure, that’s what it looks like. I hold her stare for a minute, and then she turns and walks off. I toss Tracey and her loud mouth off my lap, and growl, “Go home, you’re pissin’ me off.”
“Don’t be like that, honey,” she croons.
I ignore her and walk off, in Ellie’s general direction. I look around for a bit, but I can’t find her. As I turn to go back to the party, I notice a flash of blond hair disappearing across the road to the park. Ellie. I turn and follow her, walking until I hit the cool grass, and see her sitting on it, knees up to her chest, staring at the playground. I walk over, sitting beside her, crossing my ankles and leaning back on my hands.
“Runnin’ from your own party...”
She turns and looks to me, her eyes sad. “Is she what you really want?”
I stare at her, confused. “Who? Fuckin’ Tracey?”
“Yeah.”
“Fuck no. Tracey is where you go to have a bit of fun, but you don’t respect her. She knows it, but she allows it. Why are you askin’ that kind of shit, Ellie?”
She shrugs and stares straight ahead. “I...I don’t know. I felt...”
It clicks.
She’s jealous.
She was jealous of Tracey sitting on my lap.
My heart races. And fuck, I should get up and leave, right now, this is the moment, but I can’t. I don’t even fuckin’ want to.
“You’re jealous.”
Her head whips to the side, and she cries out, “You’re too old for me!”
I grin at her. “Not what I said, darlin’.”
She bites her lip, and then drops her head and exhales. The thing about Ellie, is she doesn’t play games. She doesn’t dance around how she feels. She doesn’t hold back what she wants to say. That’s one of the things I love most about her. She is straight forward. That’s not always an easy thing, especially when you’re forced to say something you don’t want to, but that doesn’t stop her.
She’s as honest as they come.
“Yeah,” she murmurs. “And I know I shouldn’t be. I don’t even know why I am. I just know...I just know...you make me feel different. Nobody has ever given me the funny feeling you do, the one right in the pit of my stomach that flutters up to my chest. There’s something about you, Slater Knight, and I know I shouldn’t...but...well...I want to know what that something is.”
She turns to stare at me, eyes wide, almost as if she’s shocked herself that she said that. Her gaze meets mine, and I hold it for a second.
“Been forcin’ myself to stay away from you for this while time, Ellie. Because fuck, feel the same thing when I’m around you. But you’re young, you have your whole life ahead of you, no point in wastin’ it on me...”
Before I can say anymore she lunges at me. Completely taking me off guard. She knocks me backwards and her tiny body falls over top of mine. I have to lift my hand and place it on her ass to stop her rolling off me.
“Don’t tell me what I do, and do not want for my life, Slater Knight. There’s something about you, and I want to know what that something is. And trust me, once I get my eye on something...”
She stares at my lips.
And fuck me if I don’t ache.
“Too old for you, darlin’.”
She snorts, “You’re not that much older than me, hell, it isn’t even close to eight years, which is the cut off, right?”
I raise my brows. “Who told you that?”
She shrugs. “I just said it so you’d disagree, and then my point was made.”
I grin at her. She grins back down at me.
“You just turned eighteen...still feel like a kid...”
She reels backwards, almost horrified. “Now just you wait a minute, Slater Knight, you have to work a whole lot harder than this for my sexual affections. I’m simply telling you I like you, and maybe, I don’t know, you can go ahead and take me out. You just keep it in your pants.”
And fuck.
In that moment.
I know I could absolutely fall in love with her.
“Well, now we’ve gotten that out of the way. Goin’ to let me kiss you, because I’ve been dreamin’ about it for a fuckin’ long time?”
She leans down, so close her warm breath puffs against my lips. And I brace, waiting for the moment I finally get to taste her, but just before her lips touch mine, she jumps off and stands, extending an arm down to help me up. “You have to work a little harder than that. I know you can have any girl you want, at the drop of a hat, but not me, Slater Knight. For me, you’ll have to work.”
I take her hand, and tug her so she comes crashing back down on top of me. I roll us so my body pins hers to the grass. Then I put my forearms either side of her head and lean down. She’s panting, lips parted, and it takes a whole lot of fucking control not to take her right here.
“And work I will, darlin’. Work I will.”
She smiles.
Big and bright.
And I know in that moment...
I’d turn the world upside down to have Ellie.