Then she's kissing me back.
No holds barred, her teeth knocking against mine as she pushes into me. Tongue rolling over mine, lips soft but insistent. I drop a hand to her waist, grip it for a moment, then start dragging the material of her skirt up her leg. Blood is roaring through my head and I feel dizzy from lust and beer and the taste of Vale.
Suddenly, Vale's hand is clamped onto my wrist, stilling the motion of me pulling her skirt up. She pulls her mouth free of mine and desperately pleads, "Don't."
That's unacceptable to me. I'm too far gone.
My mouth goes back to her neck, and I do this because it's Vale's weakness. It's where she's most sensitive, and there was a time in our lives where she could deny me nothing if I was kissing her there. The minute my lips slide along her soft flesh, I feel her body relax, although her grip on my wrist remains firm.
"Come on, Vale," I whisper against her neck, and my cock thumps in my pants when she shivers. "Let me in."
"I can't...Todd," she murmurs, but her grip loosens on my wrist. Her mind and body are warring, so I'm going to take advantage of her body's weakness, not giving a fuck about her boyfriend.
I inchworm my fingers, pulling the material up by the handfuls until finally I feel the silky, smooth skin of her outer thigh. I nip at her neck with my teeth before leaning away from her. I have to see this.
Tilting my head to the side and down, I see that Vale's creamy skin is bared to midthigh, her skirt bunched up in the palm of my hand. It's overwhelming seeing her like this. I want to touch her, taste her...I want to go down on her until she forgets Todd's name and she's coming on my tongue.
But apparently, without my lips against her neck holding her hostage, some semblance of sanity returns to Vale and she pushes against my hand again. "Don't," she says firmly.
Unacceptable.
Absolutely, unequivocally not accepting that.
"Vale," I cajole as I lean in toward the sweet spot just beneath her ear. "Let me touch you."
Her fingers tighten on my wrist. "No, Hawke...I'm with Todd."
Unacceptable.
"Not at this moment," I tease her just before licking against her skin. I pull against her hold, trying to get her skirt higher. My fingers skim against the inner part of her thigh and she lets out another tiny moan.
"That's it," I praise her, layering my words in between kisses against her neck. "Just a little more."
Vale tenses, relaxes, then tenses again. She's conflicted but I'm winning.
"Come on, baby," I murmur. Kiss...nip, then a lick. "Let me see that tattoo. Just a peek and I'll let you go."
She tenses again and my fingers brush against that spot on her inner thigh that I need to see. That area where she branded my name on her skin when she was eighteen.
"Hawke," Vale says softly, and it's not a plea this time. It sounds like a warning, but I choose not to heed it.
I have to see. I need to see that spot on the softest part of her body, right on her inner left thigh just a mere four or five inches from her pussy.
"Let me see it, Vale," I say harshly.
See it. Lick it. Bite at it.
My head spins faster.
"No," she says as she shakes her head.
I pull my face up and glare down at her. "What does your boyfriend think every time he goes down on you and sees my name staring at him? Does it piss him off? Has it dissuaded him from putting his face between those beautiful legs?"
Vale goes rock solid in my arms, her nails digging down into the skin of my wrist viciously. I know I've crossed the line as fury blazes from those fern-colored eyes and she hisses at me, "You want to see it?"
Her voice is so venomous I'm not sure that I do anymore, but I go ahead and nod. "Yeah...I want to see it."
I need to see that tiny part of me that she was forced to keep after she abandoned me. It will be a victory of sorts, I tell myself.
"Fine," she seethes, and wrenches her skirt out of my grasp, pulling it right up to her hips. I catch a flash of pale pink underwear as she tilts her leg, giving me the inside of her thigh. Her eyes are shooting daggers at me and she taunts me, "Go ahead, Hawke. You want to know what Todd thinks when he sees my tattoo? Go ahead...get your precious look."
Dread fills me and now I most certainly don't want to look. But I can't fucking help myself. I'm a glutton for punishment.
My eyes slowly drag downward, barely heeding those pink panties made of flimsy lace, right down to where I should be seeing the word Hawke in capital Gothic lettering.
Instead, I'm greeted with a massive array of red roses and green leaves woven into latticework that curls around her leg. It's stunning...darkly beautiful, and completely concealing. My name is simply...gone.
My head jerks up as I step back from Vale. "You covered it up?"
Her face flushes red and she looks at me with scorn. "Of course I did. What did you expect?"
I sure as fuck didn't expect that.
Dragging a hand through my hair, I take two wobbly steps back and sit my ass on the edge of the sink counter. My gaze lowers to the floor and from my periphery, I see Vale drop her skirt, covering the offensive-to-me roses.
"I know you think I was disloyal to you, because of the way I--"
"Vale," I say tiredly, my head pounding as my buzz starts to fade.
I don't want to hear this. I thought I wanted answers, but now is not the time. Knowing she obliterated me from her body tears open old wounds that I'd rather she not pour salt into.
"And I was...no doubt," she says, continuing. "I know the way I handled it, it was wrong."
I want to clap my hands over my ears. I want to reverse time to just five minutes ago when I showed her the bathroom. Because that Hawke, the one that doesn't want to hear this, would have hauled his ass down the stairs and rejoined his party, being none the wiser.
"But just know this," she says softly. "I did it because I was being loyal to myself."
Vale then scurries out of the bathroom, and in a flash, she's gone.
I let out a pent-up breath of frustration and push off the counter.
I was being loyal to myself.
Now what the fuck did that mean?
Just a mere moment ago, I was tired of the conversation and didn't want to know a damn thing anymore. But she can't just leave that little tidbit there unresolved and think I'm not going to demand an explanation. I stride with purpose out of the bathroom, down the hall, and take the stairs two at a time. I head straight out to the back deck, instinctively knowing Vale is in flight mode and will be in the pro
cess of collecting her father and boyfriend for a hasty escape.
I spot her quickly, leaning up on tiptoe to whisper something into Todd's ear. He looks irritated, glances around, and then nods curtly at her. She takes him by the hand and starts leading him toward her father.
I push through the crowd, and in four well-placed steps, I'm in front of her. She looks up at me with surprise and drops Todd's hand.
"You're going to have to explain that one to me, Vale," I tell her, referring to her parting shot.
Her face becomes panicked and she glances up at Todd. I don't bother doing the same, instead keeping my gaze pinned on my quarry. She turns back to me and says, "Not now, Hawke."
"Yes, now," I say, widening my stance and crossing my arms over my chest. "What did you mean you were being loyal to yourself?"
"Hawke," Vale whispers pleadingly. "We can talk about it later."
"Fuck that," I say with quiet menace as I lean forward. Keeping my voice low so only she and Todd can hear me--because I don't intend to embarrass Vale in front of my guests--I tell her, "You can talk about it now because seven years is fucking long enough. We can go back up to my room if you want privacy, but it's time you came clean with me."
"Vale," Todd says as he takes a step closer to her. "What's going on?"
Vale cuts Todd a sharp look. "I'll explain later."
She then turns to look at me and in a pleading voice, she says, "Hawke...please, let's talk about this later."
A low burning in my gut wants me to push her, but the tone of her voice gives me some pause. I have a houseful of guests and I truly don't want my business aired in front of them.
So I reluctantly give her a curt nod of acceptance.
But then, I can't help myself. I need to lash out, just a bit, so I add, "You might as well tell Todd the entire truth since you're going to be explaining things to him. Make sure he knows exactly how close we were all those years ago."
I turn away from them both, but not before I see Vale's shoulders sag in defeat.