The Lies We Tell (The Four 1)

“Chin up. Why don’t you go and find your friends? Last I saw of them, they were in the study.” He pointed down the hallway to another door off to the left.

“Okay. Thanks.” I gave him a small smile, and he winked at me, then walked around me into the room I’d been peering into and closed the door behind him.

I headed down the corridor, still upset and angry. Fuck staying sober for the night. I needed a drink.

Bursting through the door that Zayde’s dad had indicated, I came to a sudden stop, almost running into Weston, who gave me a muttered “hi” before he slipped out of the room.

“What’s the matter with him?” I asked myself, making a beeline for the crystal decanter standing on a polished walnut sideboard straight in front of me. Yanking out the stopper, I poured a generous measure into one of the glasses on the silver tray next to the decanter. I threw the drink down my throat, gasping at the burn and shuddering at the taste. Whiskey. Ugh.

I poured another. And downed it.

As the fire warmed me from within, I turned around to survey my surroundings. Through a haze of smoke, I saw Cassius reclining on a brown leather chesterfield sofa, a bottle of clear liquid dangling from his hand. He watched me with a mixture of amusement and concern. A beautiful brunette sat on the arm of the sofa next to him, and his hand lazily trailed up and down her thigh. Directly opposite him on an identical sofa was Caiden, glaring at me. A-fucking-gain.

My blood was boiling, I was all riled up from the dog fighting, and the alcohol was kicking in. I wanted to pick a fight.

I stormed over to Caiden, ripping the joint from his mouth and taking a deep drag, then throwing it into the ashtray on the side table next to the sofa. “What exactly is your fucking problem?” I stood right in front of him, hands on my hips, glaring right back at him.

He blinked slowly. “What the fuck? Did you just take my joint?”

Ignoring his question, I stepped closer, leaning down and prodding a finger into his hard chest, so angry I wasn’t thinking straight.

I was sick of this. Sick of his hostility towards me; the way he treated me 90 percent of the time; the way he clearly thought I was beneath him.

I directed all of my wrath at him as our eyes met, and his darkened, his brows pulling together. “What. Is. Your. Pro—”

His arms shot out, and he yanked me onto his lap. Before I could process what the actual fuck was happening, I was straddling him, he had one arm tightly around my back, the other gripping the back of my head, and his lips were on mine, hard and furious.

It was like fireworks.

Explosions of sensation that I felt all over my body as his mouth attacked mine. I kissed him back just as savagely, channelling all my rage into the kiss, biting his bottom lip, hard. I tasted blood and my tongue darted out to swipe at his lip.

He growled low in his throat, pulling me closer.

I never wanted this kiss to end.

His tongue swiped at mine, and I opened my mouth for him, the kiss turning from savage and punishing, to more… Fuck. I couldn’t even describe it. I shifted against him, freeing my arms from where they’d been trapped between us when he pulled me onto him, winding them around his strong shoulders, stroking my hands over the short hairs at the back of his neck.

He shivered and bit my lower lip, more gently than I’d bitten his, and I moaned, moving my hands up to thread my fingers through his hair. He responded by sliding his tongue into my mouth, sending shock waves of pleasure through me, and I lost myself in his kiss.

“About fucking time.” The amused voice came from behind me, and Caiden and I broke apart, dazed, the mixture of lust and confusion whirling through me reflected in his eyes. What the fuck had just happened?

I brought a trembling hand to my lips, staring at him, wide-eyed. His eyes were heavy-lidded, his lashes sweeping down to hide his expression from me as I studied him. My mind was scrambled, I was buzzed from the alcohol and the weed, and now, after that mind-blowing kiss, I was horny as fuck. For him.

Choosing to ignore Cassius, I rolled my hips, moving against Caiden. Fuck, he was hard.

This felt so good. I needed more. I rolled my hips again, and he groaned, moving his hands to cup my waist, his head falling back against the sofa.

“Get a room.”

This time round, Cassius’ voice seemed to snap Caiden out of the lust-induced bubble we’d been in. “No.” He shook his head. “No,” he repeated, lifting me off him and depositing me on the sofa. He staggered to his feet and stormed out of the door, slightly unsteady.

“What just happened? And why did you have to ruin it?” I looked over at Cassius, who, in the time I’d been…occupied…with Caiden, had managed to lose the girl he’d been sitting with, and he was reclining against the sofa, every now and then lifting the bottle to his lips and taking a swig.

“C’mere, babe.” He patted the sofa next to him. Obediently I stumbled over to him and collapsed onto the seat, scrubbing my hand over my face.

“What’s going on, Cass?”

“Drink.” He handed me the bottle, and I took a large swig, coughing and spluttering as the vodka went down my throat. The next swig went down more smoothly, and I sighed, leaning into his arm.