Distraction: The Distraction Trilogy #1 (34 page)

Fuck. “Elle’s dad is fixing it up, turning it into some kind of leisure centre.”

“That’s the one.”

I grit my teeth when I hear her laugh again, not Susanna, but Elle. I’m jealous. I can’t help it. I fucking hate this. I just want to leave, but I don’t think I can while she’s here with that arsehole.

“You look lost in thought.”

I look up at my date and shake my head. “No, I’m just hoping they add an ice skating rink.”

“Oh my gosh, you totally read my mind.” I did? “I love ice skating.”

Eloise

I push my plate away, my stomach stuffed with delicious foods.

“At least you still eat like you used to. I was worried you’d become one of those salad junkies.”

I laugh. I’ve been doing that a lot tonight. It’s probably the wine going straight to my head. “Food is one of the best pleasures of life. As long as you don’t abuse it, there’s no reason to not indulge on occasion.”

He brings my hand to his mouth and kisses my knuckles. “You really haven’t changed that much. You look older and you’re definitely more mature but… you’re still so quirky.”

“You got taller.” I sip my drink, winking at him playfully.

“I got taller… is that it?” He pouts, putting on the puppy dog look, still holding my hand in his. “Just taller?”

“You grew a beard?”

Now he laughs hard. “Quirky.”

I feel Isaac’s eyes on me again but I can’t be bothered to feel bad about it. Not tonight. I’m having too much fun.

“Do you want to go?” I ask.

“Where do you want to go? The night is still young.”

Isaac’s eyes burn into my profile. How can he do that while he’s clearly with someone else? It’s unfair. I’ve left him alone all night. I have hardly looked his way.

Of course it has hurt when he’s laughed and made Susanna laugh. Of course it has hurt when he’s held her hand. It is fucking killing me, but there’s nothing we can do about it anymore.

He made the choice to move on and now so am I.

“I don’t mind. I’ll just use the restroom first.” Then I get a thought. “The corner?”

His eyes light, “The corner huh?”

“Yeah. We can go to the garage on the way and you can try and get served again.”

His laughter is even louder than before. “I think this time I’ll succeed.”

Smiling widely I stand and smooth my dress down before looking around me to locate the toilets. I see the sign pointing to a space behind the crowded bar and quickly weave through the crowd of lovers.

The toilets are located down a narrow hall. I skip into the disabled after giving the lock a twist with my house key, a trick I learned from Hayley. The queue of women and men lining up on either side was unreal; no way was I waiting in that.

“Holy fuck!” I’m about to scream when a hand slams over my mouth and the door is kicked shut. Isaac’s startling eyes come to mine. “What are you doing?” My voice is muffled.

He removes his hand and runs it through his hair. “I don’t know.”

Blink. “You… how can you not know?”

“The corner? Elle…” He takes a step back and leans against the door. “What’s so special about the corner?”

I blush and look away, but still catch his reaction out of the corner of my eye. He looks pained, his body seeming to sag.

“Oh.” Is all he says for a short while and I feel how defeated he sounds. “He was your first.”

“Isaac.” My brows pull in as embarrassment and irritation sparks within me. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

His eyes, still defeated and sad, roam up and down my body. “It’s not.” Shaking his head, he turns and pulls on the handle. “It’s not.”

“Enjoy your evening.” I say stupidly and his shoulders sag even more.

“You too.”

And then he leaves.

I lock the door once more and calm my frantic lungs before doing what I came here to do in the first place.

We sit in Justin’s car and sip the bottle of cheap fizzy wine we tried to buy so long ago.

“I’m going to have to leave the car here if I keep drinking.” He doesn’t sound annoyed by this admission and his lips are tilted up into a smile. I feel giddy, tipsy and still heartbroken, but the tipsy takes the edge off the latter feeling. “My mum killed me that night, you know? She knew exactly what we’d done.”

I wince and cringe straight after. “That’s so gross.”

“I didn’t think so. I admired that stain for months afterwards.”

I slap his arm. “You’re disgusting.”

“I’m kidding. She just knew because of the condom missing from my wallet.”

My mouth falls open. “She checked your wallet? Your mum was worse than my dad is.”

“He still got you on a short leash?”

“That is the biggest understatement of the century.”

He turns to face me as his fingers stroke up my bare arm. “I’m sorry I didn’t call.”

“Me too,” I admit, because I am. We were young and stupid and thought we were in love. In reality we were just two frustrated teens who connected.

His eyes flicker from mine to my lips and back again. I pull my lower lip into my mouth, but his hand trailing up my arm moves and his thumb caresses my chin before pulling it free.

I wait for him to move closer, knowing what’s coming but not actually wanting it. It’s not his lips I need to taste, but I can’t stop myself from letting him. Isaac and Susanna come to mind and I wonder if they’re doing what we’re doing right now in the safety of his flat.

The area around us is empty. There’s an old building behind us and trees in front. No one can see but I’m still nervous.

It feels wrong, yet right. I’m not sure if it feels right for the right reasons, rather than just feeling right because I’m lonely and because we have a history.

His lips move against mine softly. He kisses different to how he used to. I remember the washing machine effect and thinking it was cool. Now he kisses like a man who has kissed many times.

It tingles and burns and the way his hand caresses my side as his tongue seeks entrance is wonderful, but it’s not… no… I’m not thinking about Isaac. Not tonight. Tonight is for me.

Tonight is the night I finally put him behind me.

“You taste just like you used to, so sweet,” he murmurs against my lips as his hand unfastens my seatbelt.

My own hands move to his hair and while his tongue plunges into my mouth with just enough pressure, I’m not sure how but my seat begins to slide back and lie flat.

I inhale sharply when he slides over the console and somehow manages to fit between myself and the dashboard. His hand slides up my thigh and I part my legs, needing to be touched whatever the reason.

That’s when I hear a crack, a really loud crack that shakes the entire car and startles me into sitting up.

Justin does the same and we both stare at the driver’s side door window.

“What the actual fuck?” He booms, pushing off me and moving back to his side.

“Don’t.” I place my hand on his arm when he reaches for the handle. “They might still be out there.”

“Fuck… what the fuck?” He ignores me and climbs from the car. I fold my arms over myself to guard me from the chill and watch as he bends and scoops a broken brick from the ground. “Fucking PUSSY!” He bellows, throwing the brick into the darkness. “Get out here and face me!”

I know they won’t and I have a very strong feeling that I know who it is.

He wouldn’t.

He couldn’t.

He’s a teacher and he’s against violence. I’m stupid for even thinking it. Isaac wouldn’t do this. It’s probably some dumb kid trying to ruin a couple’s night.

“Shit.” Justin climbs back into the car and turns to me. “Are you okay? You look a little shaken up.”

I take a swig of the wine and screw the lid back on. “That didn’t shake you up?”

Justin rubs his eyes with his hands. “Any ideas who might have done this?”

Isaac flashes through my mind again. “None at all. Maybe it fell off the building.”

“And landed twenty feet away?”

Good point. “I’m so sorry.”

He shrugs. “It’s okay, I can fix it. It’s just annoying.” He leans over and kisses me again. “I’ll take you home. I’m sorry I took things so far… I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.”

“I was enjoying myself. I’m sorry I took things as far as you did.”

He smiles but I see the frustration about the window in his eyes. “Buckle up, let’s go.”

As he turns on the lights and the engine, he brings my fingers to his lips and kisses them softly before reversing.

Isaac

I sit alone in my living room, my head in my hands as I stare at the smashed coffee table.

What the fuck have I done?

What the fuck did I do?

I lost it like a psycho. It hurts… I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think… I saw red and I reacted with a fucking brick.

What the hell is wrong with me?

She’ll never forgive me. She’ll know. Immediately.

He was on her. There wasn’t much light but I could see everything. I saw his hand on her leg. I saw her hands in his hair.

“FUCK!” I scream and launch my phone across the room. It slides across the floor and vanishes into my bedroom.

I need to get her out of my head.

I left Susanna… I fucking left her at the restaurant. I just walked out, climbed into my car and followed them.

I’m a shit person.

I’m the worst kind of arsehole and yet I sit here and say to myself that I’m just defending Eloise from arseholes. The only arsehole she needs defending from is me.

A warm hand rests on the back of my neck, startling me from my thoughts. I didn’t hear the door open.

“My dad will make you pay for that.” She says, pointing at the table.

I stare at her shoes, her gorgeous black heels that must be so uncomfortable. They make her legs look even longer than normal, which should be impossible but I swear they go on forever.

“I don’t care.” I don’t look up. I daren’t. “Why are you here?”

“I don’t know.” She stands in front of me, her hips slightly higher than my face. Her fingers tangle in my hair before tugging and dragging my head back. Her eyes sparkle in the dim light that comes from the moon pouring its reflected rays through the window. “Tell me it wasn’t you.”

Her hand leaves my hair and my head lolls forward until my forehead connects just above her groin.

“Isaac?” Her voice is a whisper this time. “Tell me it wasn’t you.”

I shake my head, no. I can’t lie to her.

“Isaac…” The way she says my name sounds so sad and disappointed. “It’s not fair. You can’t keep doing this to me. It’s not fair.”

“I know,” I breathe and place my hands on the back of her knees.

“I should go.”

“I want to have you.” I hear her breath catch at my words. “Let me have you tonight. Just for tonight.”

She tries to step away but my hands and arms tighten, stopping her from going anywhere. “I need to go.”

“Please.” I keep my forehead against her stomach. “I need you. Just for tonight.”

“You’re fucking insane!” A sob escapes her and my heart breaks. I want to hold her and ease the pain that I’m causing. “How could you ask me for that?”

“Because I’m selfish, insane and I need you.”

“No.” She tries to pull away again, but it’s not very forceful. “Don’t ask that of me. I can’t give it to you. I’m moving on. I’m finally laughing again, smiling again… we’ve come this far.”

“Then let me have you.” I slide my hands up the back of her thighs, digging my fingers in as I go. Her legs shake and that sweet, sweet whimper that escapes her when she feels good comes forth. My hands stop beneath the hem of her dress. “Let me make you feel good.”

“No.” Her voice is a breathy whisper. I hear her longing, her need, her lust and I feel it all in the air around her. I can smell her musky, sweet scent as my words arouse her body. “Don’t do this.”

“Let me love you, Elle.” My hands flip the bottom of her dress up to rest on her hips, revealing a black lace thong that has my mouth watering in a second. I press my lips to her mound over the lace and dip my tongue into the tight space between her thighs, touching only the soft skin of her legs and the material of her underwear.

The cry she lets out is the loudest I’ve ever heard from her and it gives me the encouragement I need.

I cup her generous behind, loving how soft it is in my hands as my mouth kisses and scrapes between her thighs. Hands grip my hair and hold me tight. I know what she wants. She wants me to expose her and explore her with my mouth.

I remember how nervous she was in the beginning of our affair and then how badly she begged for me to go down there until it became the first thing I did before I took her.