Page 47

He apparently, did not feel the same. Awhile after my silent waitressing, he cornered me in the hallway when I was coming back from the bathrooms. Seeing him at the end of the hall, I considered hiding out in the backroom. I quickly dismissed that thought though, since the lock on the door was broken and if he really wanted to talk to me, and he appeared to want to do just that, then he would simply follow me. And being alone in a room with him was something I wanted to avoid. I tried to brush past him, but he roughly grabbed my elbow as I walked by.

"Kiera..."

With narrowed eyes, I looked up at his handsome face. That made my eyes narrow even more. That stupidly perfect face, with those startlingly-inhuman, deep blue eyes, that dropped panties everywhere... including mine. It pissed me off! I jerked my arm away from him and said nothing.

"We should talk..."

"Nothing to talk about, Kellan!" I snipped.

"I disagree," he said quietly, a slight frown on his lips.

"Well...you can apparently do whatever you want." I didn't even try to keep the sneer from my voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?" His eyes narrowed as his tone sharpened.

"It means, we have nothing to talk about," I said, finally brushing past him and storming off.

I ended up working later than I had expected to, and with my head in an angry, distracted fog all night, I hadn't bothered to line up a ride home. In fact, by the time I started thinking about it, almost everyone was already gone. Jenny had the night off. Kate got a ride with her boyfriend. Sam and Rita left not long after her, while I was distracted with calling a taxi for a drunken customer. Evan was currently strolling out with a cute blonde. Matt had left hours ago. And Kellan, not that I would allow him to be an option, was leaning against a table with an amused grin on his face, watching me look for a ride home. I could see the light rain splashing on the sidewalk when Evan walked out the door. This was not good. Maybe I should call Denny. It was so late though. Maybe one of the regulars?

I noticed Griffin was still here, and happened to be alone tonight. Maybe...ugh, that option really wasn't great either...but he was better than Kellan, and better than walking in the rain. Hopeful, I approached him. I could see Kellan's grin widen at my choice.

"Hi, Griffin," I tried casually.

He was suspicious. I usually was not nice or casual with him. "Yeah? What do you want?" Getting an idea that I probably didn't want to hear, he raised a pale eyebrow at me and smiled in a way that made my skin crawl.

Ignoring my instincts, I nicely said, "I was hoping, maybe you could give me a ride home."

He grinned. "Well, Kiera...I'd never thought you'd ask." He eyed me up and down. "I'd love to give you a ride...all the way home."

Smirking, I flatly said, "I literally meant a car ride to my house, Griffin."

He frowned. "No sex?"

Shaking my head vigorously, I said, "No."

He sniffed. "Well then...no. Get your no-sex ride with Kyle." And with that, he turned and left. Kellan was laughing softly now. I looked around, but everyone else had gone. Pete was still in his office, maybe he would...

"Would you like me to give you a ride?" Kellan asked softly.

Angrily shaking my head at his perfect face, I hurried to the front doors. I crossed my arms over my chest, bracing myself for the rain, and walked outside. He didn't follow me, which gave me an odd sort of angry-sad-relieved feeling. The rain wasn't heavy, but it was cold. In my hurry to get away from Kellan, I had forgotten to grab my bag and my jacket. I regretted that haste now, as a few steps through the empty parking lot found me shivering, droplets running down my face. I sighed and considered going back for my stuff, but then stubbornly decided I did not want to see Kellan anymore tonight. I was achingly furious over him and my sister - the bastard had promised!

I made it one block from the bar when mentally I was done with the rain that was starting to take a turn for the worst. I started wondering just how many blocks away our house was? It wasn't long in the car...but walking? Shivering uncontrollably, I thought maybe I should find a phone and call Denny. I was looking around for a phone booth or an open store, when I noticed a slow moving car approaching me. Panic flared slightly. This really wasn't the greatest neighborhood. Being alone out here in the middle of the night, getting soaked, I suddenly felt very vulnerable.

The car pulled up beside where I was walking on the sidewalk and matched my pace. I suddenly felt even more vulnerable, staring over at the familiar black Chevelle. Of course he would come find me. He leaned across his seat and rolled down the window. Looking at me incredulously, he shook his head.

"Get in the car, Kiera."

I glared over at him. "No, Kellan." Being alone in a small space was not a good idea after our intense moment at the club, especially with how angry I currently was with him.

He sighed and looked up at the ceiling of his car. Bringing his eyes to mine again, he said with forced patience, "It's pouring, get in the car."

Feeling stubborn, I glared at him again. "No."

"I'm just going to follow you like this all the way home." He raised his eyebrows and smirked at me.

I stopped walking. "Go home, Kellan. I'll be fine."

He stopped the car too. "You're not walking all the way home by yourself. It's not safe."

It's safer than a car ride with you, I thought irritably. "I'll be fine." I started walking again.

With an exasperated sigh, he took off and peeled around the corner. I thought that was the end of it, but he stopped right around the corner and I saw him getting out of the car. I stopped walking again. Damn it...why doesn't he just leave me alone?

He had his leather jacket on, but by the time he made it over to where I was still standing, he was quite wet. The rain was dripping through his hair, hanging down over his face and around his eyes, darkening the exposed portion of his light shirt. It suddenly reminded me of the fully clothed shower he had taken so long ago. My breath quickened at his attractiveness. This was definitely not good. My irritation grew. I did not need this right now.

"Get in the damn car, Kiera." He was getting irritated too.

"No!" I pushed him back, away from me.

He grabbed my arm and started dragging me to the car. "No, Kellan...stop it!" I tried to pull my arm free, but he was stronger. He pulled me over to the passenger's side. Watching the rain running down the back of his neck made me shiver more than the cold...which made me mad. I did not need this - I did not want to want him! Becoming enraged, I yanked my arm away, right as he opened the door. I started to walk off, but he reached around behind me and picked me up. I tried kicking and squirming, but he had me tight. He set me next to the opened door, trapping me there with his body.

"Stop it, Kiera - just get in the God damn car!"

His body, wet and pressing against mine, drove me over the edge. I was so angry at him for the club, for my sister, for Denny, for everything he made me feel - for simply existing at all. However, I was also more turned on than I had ever been in my life. I angrily threw both my hands into his wet hair and yanked him close to me, my lips stopping a hairsbreadth from his. My eyes glared daggers, my breath came in angry pants as I held our faces close together. Hungrily, I pressed against his lips, cool from the rain. Then angrily...I slapped him.

He roughly pushed me back onto the cold car; I barely felt the chill in my rage. Shock passed over his face for a second, then he matched my glare with his own. Good, he was mad too. I could hear the rain pound around us, splashing on the metal roof, the leather seats. I could feel him grab my waist and bending, force me into the seat. But all I could see were his angry, passionate eyes, so dark blue, they were almost black.

I felt the edge of the seat beneath me, but he scooted me up towards the middle, getting in behind me. He released his grip on my waist so he could turn around and slam the door. Freed from his intense glare, I started to scoot up the bench seat away from him, thinking I could get out the other side, wanting to flee again. He turned back around to me and pulling my legs, dragged me closer. Then he moved over me, forcing me to lie down on the seat. Angrily, I pushed against his chest, but he didn't move away.

"Get off me," I panted, while he stared down at me intently.

"No." His eyes looked furious, and confused.

I grabbed his neck and forcefully pulled him closer instead. "I hate you..." I seethed.

His hands forced my legs on either side of his hips and he pressed himself against me hard, before I could even react. Even through jeans, the intensity of the move, the feel of him, of how turned on he was as well, made me gasp, made my breath heavier.

"That's not hate you feel..." His voice had a hard edge to it. Enraged, I stared at him icily. He smiled wickedly, breathing heavier as well, his eyes showing no humor. "And that's not friendship either."

"Stop it..." I squirmed under him, trying to move away, but he grabbed my hips and held me in place. He did it again, pulling against my body for leverage. I groaned and started to drop my head back. He grabbed my cheek roughly and made me look back into his eyes.

"This was supposed to be innocent, Kellan!" I spat at him angrily.

"We were never innocent, Kiera. How naive are you?" he said in the same tone, moving against me again.

"God, I hate you..." I whispered, tears of rage stinging my eyes.

Equally enraged, he stared right back at me. "No, you don't..."

He did it again, not quite as slow this time, biting his lip and making a noise that sent electricity through me. I could barely catch my breath. Water was dripping from his hair onto my wet cheeks, the smell of the rain mixing with his scent intoxicatingly. A tear rolled down my cheek, merging with the rain dropping from his hair. "Yes I do...I hate you..." I whispered again between pants.

He pushed against me again and he groaned, cringing a bit at the intensity of it. Fire burned in his eyes. "No...you want me..." he panted back at me, his eyes narrowing. "I saw you. I felt you...at the club, you wanted me." He brought his mouth right over mine, almost touching, breathing heavy into me - it was maddening. All I could see, all I could feel, and now all I could breathe, was him. It excited me, it angered me.

"God, Kiera...you were undressing me." He smiled wickedly. "You wanted me, right there in front of everyone." He ran his tongue along my jaw to my ear. "God, I wanted you too..."

I tangled my fingers in his wet hair, yanking him away. He inhaled sharply, but only moved against me again. "No, I chose Denny." My eyes rolled back as he did it again. "I went home with him..." I snapped my eyes back to his, anger flashing through me. "Who did you choose?"

He stopped moving his hips for a moment and stared cruelly at me. "What," he said flatly.

"My sister, you asshole! How could you sleep with her? You promised me!" I smacked him in the chest, hard.

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You can't be mad at me for that. You left to go screw him! You left me there...ready, wanting you...with her." He smirked and ran his hands along my hips suggestively. "And she was all too willing. It was so easy to take her...to slip inside her," he whispered intensely.

I bristled at that and tried to smack him away, but he held me down tight. "You son of a bitch."

He grinned wickedly at me. "I know who I screwed, but tell me..." barely able to keep speaking through his anger, he lowered his head to my ear and panted breathlessly, "who did you fuck that night?" He pushed hard against me as he said that. The intensity of the movement, the crudeness of his question, electrified me, made me groan, suck in a quick breath through my teeth.

"Was he better...as me?" He looked back into my eyes, dropped his lips to just touching mine, and flicked his tongue along my lip. "There is no substitute for the real thing. I'll be even better..."

"I hate what you do to me." I hated that he knew what I had done to Denny. I hated that he was right - it had been the best I'd ever had with Denny. I really hated that I knew he was right - he would be so much better...