Tear (Seaside 1)

Just as I was getting brave enough to go knock on his door and beg to sleep on the floor, the thunder rattled the windows. With a yelp I jumped into bed and threw the covers over my head like a little kid.

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, something was chasing me. I was running toward Demetri. His face was filled with so much fear, and then I looked behind me and a car was coming around the corner.

Demetri screamed. I screamed and everything went black.

“No! No!” I jolted awake.

“Nat! Nat, wake up, Sweet. Wake up.” Alec tenderly took me into his arms and rocked me gently. “It was just a dream.”

My hands shook as he tried to pull me to a sitting position in his lap. I buried my head in his chest. His smell was such a comfort to me. I felt stupid for trembling, but I couldn’t help but feel like my dream was somehow prophetic.

No matter how I looked at it.

I was going to hurt Demetri.

“Nat? Talk to me, Nat.” Alec’s voice shook.

I shivered. “It was so real.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” He caressed my head, keeping it firmly tucked under his chin.

“No.” My body convulsed again.

“Come on.” Alec lifted me into his arms. I noticed his chest was bare as I completely wrapped my arms around his neck. He was warm and comforting. The outline of his tattoos was dark in the moonlight. He brought me into his room and hit the door closed with his foot.

“What are you doing?” I asked, suddenly fearful that my dream was hitting too close to home. I couldn’t be with Alec. I was with Demetri. I couldn’t hurt him like this.

“Relax.” Alec placed me on his bed and very carefully pulled back the covers. Exhausted, I snuggled into his pillow, savoring his scent.

He kissed my forehead and crawled in beside me. “Sleep, Nat.”

I wanted to sleep. But how does a person sleep when she’s emotionally cheating on her boyfriend with his brother? I shivered again, hating myself almost as much as I hated the nightmare.

“Come here.” Alec draped an arm around me and tucked me into the curve of his body. My head fit perfectly beneath his chin. His breathing was so calm, so even. How was that possible when my heart was actually ready to take flight? The material of his pajama bottoms tickled my legs. I had stolen a pair of running shorts and a T-shirt from Demetri’s dresser, and again the guilt stabbed me in the heart.

I wasn’t sure if it was Alec reading my mind or just being really perceptive, but he grunted, “Nat, I’m exhausted and most of all I’m a good guy. Close your eyes, and stop worrying. Demetri would understand.”

“Okay,” I said in a small voice then my eyes fluttered closed.

The heat of the sun woke me up. Groggily I moved just slightly trying to stretch, but I couldn’t move.

My body was pinned beneath Alec’s. Our legs entangled with each other in such an intimate way that I’m sure I was blushing to the roots of my hair. I tried to pull out from underneath him, but if anything his arms tightened around me. Dang his eyelashes were long. Black against tan skin and his constant five o’clock shadow. I didn’t notice before, but there was a small tattoo near the back of his ear that trailed down his neck onto his back. I leaned in closer, trying not to laugh as his lips parted slightly and then his eyebrows furrowed as if he was having a dream.

He was gorgeous.

Not yours, Nat. Not your gorgeous, I reminded myself as I pushed up on my elbow and peeked at his tattoo.

“Stop inspecting me, it’s creepy,” Alec said in a hoarse voice that I found so dead sexy, I was paralyzed. His eyes fluttered open, vibrant green pools of beauty stared back at me. “Did I mention I haven’t slept that good in years?”

“I’m the best bed partner ever.” I joked trying to nudge him, instead, my nudge made it so I fell back onto the bed rather forcefully. I had forgotten our legs were intertwined. The action made it so that our bodies fell together.

Alec closed his eyes and cursed. When he opened them again, they were full of steely resolve. Man, this guy was good. Not that I thought I was any kind of prize, but if he truly was trying to keep his hands off, he deserved to be sainted.

“Nat, we should, um, go for a run.”

“Okay.”

Neither of us moved.

My breathing grew faster as his eyes fell to my lips and then, in a flash, those same green eyes darkened.

I couldn’t stop him, even if I wanted to.

His head descended, and I didn’t care that I was alone with him, that Demetri was gone, that this was wrong. I was lost in him, and I never wanted to come back.

His lips touched mine. I wanted to cry out in frustration when he pulled back. I reached up and tugged his head down.

With a groan he pinned my hands to the bed and threw his other leg over my body, straddling me with his weight. He tasted so good, so warm. His kiss was so different than Demetri’s, it was the only kiss I could compare it to. Where Demetri was playful, Alec was aggressive. Where Demetri had nipped teasingly, Alec possessed.

He wrapped his hands around me, pulling me against him as his tongue pushed deeper into my mouth. This was a guy that was experienced, that much was certain. I wrapped my legs tighter around him, making his body one with mine as I gave into the kiss with everything in me. It didn’t matter that it was morning, that I was cheating, that it was so horribly wrong. All I could taste was him, and all I wanted was him.

He sucked my lower lip, then bit it and with a curse pushed away, his eyes closed as he lifted himself from me and cursed. “I’m sorry, Nat.”