Chapter 26

"Do you want another shot?" Emily yelled over the thump of music and Darcy's melodic voice.

I shook my head, keeping my body moving with the beat. "No, I'm good."

"You sure?" Sascha chimed in, leaning in to my ear. "You look a little nervous."

I rolled my eyes at her assumption, even though it was completely accurate. "I'm good," I repeated, a blush rising to my cheeks. Maybe I shouldn't have told her.

Sascha giggled and ignored Emily's curious look as they squeezed through the crowd and off the dance floor.

Alone in a sea of sweaty bodies, the weight of his gaze felt heavier. An intentional wiggle of the hips and glance over the shoulder was all it took for that blush to turn into a full body tingle.

Justin didn't miss a beat. The way he looked in his black, low cut shirt, with his tattoo peeking out, only added to my nerves. And when he licked his lips after looking me up and down, I thought maybe I could do with another shot after all.

Sascha knew me so well. When she and Emily returned to the dance floor, drinks in hand, she handed me a third glass. I took it and downed the vodka concoction in two gulps. Emily cheered me on and Sascha raised her brows knowingly.

"Shut up," I mumbled, unheard over the music. Sascha caught it though, and laughed again.

That's how the night went. Dancing and drinking, although I did refrain from more alcohol. It was Dream of Darcy's last show and the atmosphere was wilder than I'd ever seen it. Uni Bar was at capacity and there was no sign of it slowing down, not even when Darcy thanked the crowd for their support over the years and all band members stood up front for a never-ending applause.

The after party seemed to go on forever. I watched keenly as Justin mingled with his friends and his fans. His smile was contagious as he spent time with classmates he would probably never see again after graduation. I hung back with Emily and Sascha, letting the band do their thing.

Eventually, people moved on from congratulating Dream of Darcy and flocked to the bar and dance floor. When the questions and praises stopped flowing, Justin made his way over to me.

He slipped passed the red rope separating our booth from the rest of the crowd and slid into the seat beside me, trapping me in the corner.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, placing a hand on his arm.

Justin sighed, putting his nearly empty beer on the table. "I don't know, really. Can you feel exhilarated and sad at the same time?"

My fingers fiddled with a loose thread on the hem of my dress. I wasn't one for understanding emotions, but you could definitely feel more than one thing at once. "Absolutely."

He nodded with a smile. "Then that's how I feel. Exhilarated and sad." I had little doubt that the melancholy would take over soon. He puckered his lips, looking down at his beer and then up at the stage.

"You'll miss it." There was no question about it. Justin enjoyed playing the drums and performing with his friends.

His attention back on me, he spoke in a low voice. "I will miss it. But I guess it's time for a new chapter."

I let him have his moment before I turned my body to face him. We were alone in the booth and I was mostly blocked from view. Knowing that wandering eyes wouldn't see, I felt the bravery bubble.

Reaching out for his hand, I linked our fingers and asked quietly, "Are you tired?"

Justin turned, giving me his full attention and matching my tone. "Exhausted. Why do you ask?"

The bravery was mounting, and so was my heart rate. Slowly but deliberately, I led our interlocked hands to the hem of my skirt. Letting go, Justin's fingers splayed over my stocking-clad thigh and gave a gentle squeeze.

"So exhausted that it's time to go home?" I whispered, guiding his hand further under my skirt until it reached the clip of my suspenders. I'd put them on with confidence earlier, but that confidence had rescinded to anxiety. Would they have the desired affect? Did he want this? Did he want me?

Justin's eyes widened with realisation. Before he could react further or say anything, I lent forward to press my lips to his, making my intentions clear.

His fingers gripped my upper thigh a little tighter as he kissed me back. Exhausted would not be how I described his energy in this moment.

When we pulled away, only a breath apart, his eyes glistened. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

I pressed my lips together, holding in a giggle. "Do you need me to show you again?"

"I'm just making sure."

I kissed him again, this time giving him a sweet peck on the lips. "I am suggesting what you think I'm suggesting."

His eyes darted from mine, to his hand under my skirt and back again. Clearing his throat, he let me go. "I just have to make the rounds and say goodbye."

"Okay."

He leaned back in to give me another kiss. "But then you and me, we are out of here."

"Sounds good to me."

"I won't be long," he said in a reluctant tone, sliding back out of the booth.

When he was out of the VIP section and no longer looking me over with that dangerous glint in his eyes, I scanned the room around me. No one was paying attention.

While in the moment, I hadn't thought about what others might have seen. I'd been bold, more so than I had ever been in public, but it seemed I didn't have anything to worry about to begin with. Not a single person had been looking our way.

~

It took another half hour before we waltzed out of Uni Bar, Justin's arm wrapped around my shoulders. We hadn't even made it inside his car before he kissed me again. He pushed me up against the passenger-side door, enclosing me in his warmth. Reaching up to pull him closer, I kissed him back with an eagerness that had been bubbling for weeks.

Completely lost in our own world, it took a wolf-whistle from a stranger to break us apart. Blushing, I reached behind me to the door handle. "We should probably take this somewhere more private."

"Definitely," Justin agreed, letting his hands drop.

The car sizzled with tension and the drive back to his place seemed to take twice as long as it should. His hand rested on my thigh for most of the ride, and every so often he'd snap my suspenders.

When we finally made it back to his place, his hands were on my hips before the front door closed. Our lips found each other without a word and danced with an intense fervour, one we'd never tapped into for fear of going too far. Now all inhibitions were off the table and there was no room for holding back.

Between kisses, Justin backed me through the foyer towards the staircase. When my ankles bumped into the wood and our lips broke apart, he caught me around the waist. His breath was heavy when he spoke.

"Not to spoil the moment," he said in a low tone, "but I really need to shower before we..." He trailed off, his light eyes travelling the length of my body, or as much of it as they could see with him holding me so close. It was more than enough to show exactly what we would be doing. "I get pretty gross when I play."

He didn't seem gross to me. In fact, he smelled amazing. "Okay," I smiled, taking him by the hand and leading the way up the stairs to his bedroom.

Justin flicked the light on and swung me around. "I'll be two minutes, promise," he murmured, pressing a sweet kiss to my lips. He let go reluctantly and strode across his room to another door. He turned back to me, concern spreading across his face. "Two minutes," he confirmed before disappearing into the en suite.

I closed his bedroom door before going to sit on the edge of his bed. The shower was already running, but his brief absence was already enough time for the nerves to creep back in.

Should I undress and position my self on the bed? Should I sneak into the bathroom and surprise him in the shower? Should I just sit here? My heart was pounding.

To distract myself, I stood up and approached the bookshelf. Besides the first morning I woke up alone in his bedroom after a drunken night out, I'd been in here a few times. I'd seen it all before, but focusing on the mixture of textbooks, novels and trinkets helped steady my mind.

I'd barely made it through reading the titles on the top shelf when the en suite door opened. True to his word, Justin had only needed two minutes. In my periphery I could see he wore nothing but a navy towel, hanging loosely on his hips.

My body tingled, each nerve burning with anticipation before his hands even found me. Approaching from behind, Justin gently wrapped his arms around my waist, his touch so light it set my skin alight even with the fabric of my dress keeping us from truly connecting.

"Snooping?" he teased, hands splaying across my navel.

With his chest pressing into my back and his lips on my shoulder, my heart lost control again. I reached up and pointed to a wooden box in the middle of the bookshelf. "What's in this?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

Justin feathered kisses along my neck, mouth resting just beneath my ear. "I'll show you later." His breath was warm and tickled my neck, actions speaking louder than words. He had other things on his mind. "Do you still want to?" he asked, hope and worry both lacing his tone.

Turning in his arms, I planned on telling him exactly what I wanted, but when I came face to face with his bare chest, my voice vanished. My hands found their own way to his abdomen and he shivered under their initial touch. Shirtless Justin was nothing new, but each time he quivered like that, it sent a thrill through me.

My fingers traced curves up to his chest. Applying pressure, I aimed to lead him backwards. Taking the hint, Justin backed up until we reached his computer chair and sat down, trying to drag me with him.

I let him go and took a step back. Slowly, and fully aware of his wandering gaze, I reached for the hem of my dress. He watched intently, wiping his hands on his towel as I pulled it carefully over my head.

I'd spent ages choosing the matching lingerie set and it seemed to achieve it's purpose. Justin sucked in a breath before reaching for me. He pulled me eagerly into his lap without a word.

Knowing exactly where to find the most comfortable spot atop the thin fabric of his towel, I straddled him and wasted no time in bringing our lips together. Our earlier fervour returning, Justin deepened the kiss and squeezed my hips, pulling me closer.

"This feels familiar," he murmured between heated kisses along my jaw.

I smiled. "Maybe we won't get interrupted this time." It was a frequent occurrence and seemed inevitable, no matter where we were.

"Hold on," he said, tightening his grip on my waist before pushing backwards. I nearly lost balance as he rolled the chair over the floorboards to the bedroom door. He turned the lock before redirecting his attention to me. "Shouldn't be a problem now."

He might not have noticed, but I certainly did when the movement caused the corner of his towel to break loose and slide beneath me. His thigh was bare and only a small corner of terry cloth and the thin lace of my panties separated us.

Justin reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "You didn't answer before," he said in a low tone. "Do you want to? I just need to make sure."

To prove to him that I was in this, I pushed my hips firmly into his and placed my lips against his ear to tell him exactly what I wanted to happen here tonight.

Brows raised and eyes glistening, Justin licked his lips as I pulled back to gauge his reaction.

Seemingly speechless and potentially surprised that such words had come from me, he breathed deeply. "Yes Ma'am," he smirked, hands moving to cup the back of by thighs.

He stood up with me wrapped around him and moved towards the bed, the towel finally falling to the floor.