Finding Me (9 page)

“I’ll take care of you,” I whispered as I clutched the back of her neck. “I’m a demi-god, remember?” Bella laughed as I brought my lips back to hers.

“Hey, OT!” My teeth clenched at Richie’s voice behind me. “Thor and Black Widow. That’s . . . cute. Although
cute
is not how I’d describe that costume, Bella. I wish I was a bad guy so you could beat me into submission.” Richie was in a Bruins jersey with his name printed across the back. Being the tool he was, he wore the damn thing all the time telling us that was his “future.” My blood boiled as he openly raked his eyes over Bella’s body.

I glared at him as I pulled Bella closer. I’d gladly beat the fucker into submission myself, and was three seconds away from doing just that.

“Hey.” Bella pulled me away but my gaze was still fixed on Richie. “Dance with me,” she whispered in my ear.

A throwback from Maroon 5 boomed from the speakers. I pulled back and raised my eyebrows at her. “You want to dance?”

Her lips curved up in a tense smile. She shrugged as she drifted her hands up and down my arms, trying to calm me down.

“Yeah.” She took my hands and laced our fingers together, swaying her hips to the beat. I was hypnotized as I took one of her arms and draped it around my neck. I pulled her to me by the waist with my other hand and moved with her. I let my hands drift down her back and along her thigh. Pressed up so close to Bella, I forgot about everyone and everything else.

“Better?” She whispered in my ear and pressed a kiss to my neck. “Thor is my favorite. Or maybe Chris Hemsworth is. Either way, I have to admit this costume is pretty hot.”

I pinched her side and she giggled. Our kiss started as a sweet peck, but once her tongue darted out and slid across the seam of my lips, we both forgot about anything sweet. She grabbed a handful of my hair and whimpered as my tongue tangled with hers. It was dark, so I wasn’t worried about putting on a show, but I needed to get her alone. I stopped kissing her and led her down the empty hallway, where I backed her against the wall and crashed my lips to hers. I leaned against the wall with one hand and hooked her leg over my hip with the other. I rubbed my throbbing hard-on against her core as a groan escaped my throat. It didn’t matter we were in the middle of a crowded party. All I saw—all I wanted—was Bella. She consumed me that much.
What the hell was happening to me?
My need for her was primal, blinding, and frightening as hell. Ethan was right, I was never like this with anyone else.

And it was starting to terrify me.

“Wait,” Bella panted as she pulled away. She leaned her forehead against mine. “I want you, but not like this.”

I nodded and kissed her forehead. “I know, and I’m sorry. I got carried away. You’re just so . . .” I cradled her face in my hands. “You’ve got me. All of me. You know that, right?”

Bella smiled and gave me a soft kiss as she reached up to grab the back of my wrists. “Right back at you.” She ran her thumb along my bottom lip and offered a quiet chuckle. “There is red lipstick
all
over your face. You look like you’re coming from a superhero drag show.”

“Your fault. You know once I start kissing you, I can’t stop. I’ll go clean up. Meet you back here in a couple of minutes?”

Bella nodded and squeezed my hand. Our fingers drifted over each other before pulling apart.

I popped into the bathroom to wash my face and came right back out. Leaving her looking like that, even for just a few minutes, made me uneasy as hell.

“Wow. I never thought I’d see the day. Owen Thompson falling all over himself for some freshman piece of trash.”

I cringed and turned around to find a very pissed off Amber in a devil’s costume. How appropriate. I couldn’t even call her an ex-girlfriend because we never really dated. We hooked up with no strings attached—or so I thought—in freshman and sophomore years until I noticed she was getting possessive and clingy. I didn’t do monogamy until recently. She was just this side of crazy, but I took most of the blame for creating that monster.

“Amber, don’t call my girlfriend trash. We’ve been done for a while, and we weren’t much of anything to begin with.” Mean was the only thing that got through to her. Any courtesy I showed Amber was taken as an invitation.

Amber scoffed as she moved closer. “You’re pathetic. You follow her like a little puppy and she goes to games wearing your jersey. Is her pussy made of gold or some—”

“Stop,” I growled. She really had turned into Satan. I took a step forward and narrowed my eyes. “Just stop. Leave Bella alone. Leave me alone.”

“Owen? Is everything okay?” Bella kissed my cheek, rubbing my arm as she looked between Amber and me. It was a small but clear act of possession, and the flaring of Amber’s nostrils were proof it worked like a charm. “Hi, Amber.”

Amber let out a humorless laugh and glowered at Bella before storming away.

“I don’t think she likes me very much. I guess she thinks I took you away from her.”

My gaze jerked to Bella’s. “You . . . know?”

Bella nodded. “At the last game, her friend Christine warned me that I was wasting my time since you always went back to Amber anyway.” She pursed her lips as she looked at me.

I let out a long sigh as I tore the stupid crown off my head. “That’s not true. I would never—” Bella held up her hand and shook her head.

“I know what it’s like to have rumors go around about you that are only half-truths because people are resentful and evil. Maybe I’m naïve, but I . . . trust you. I mean, you worked pretty hard to get close to me. If you wanted the easy hookup I think you would have just gone that route instead, right? But you dealt with my moody New York attitude and asked for more.” Bella smirked as she wrapped her arms around my waist and planted a kiss on my chin. “That should count for something.”

I chuckled and pecked her lips. My brave girl. She dropped hints here and there as to why she chose a college all the way up here instead of one of the top schools in the city, but I wouldn’t press for the full story. She would tell me when she was ready.

“Yeah, you were pretty tough to take sometimes. Still are.” She grinned and cuddled into my chest. “But I don’t want to be anywhere else,” I whispered into her hair.

“Good.” Bella beamed at me and kissed my lips. “Neither do I.”

Bella

“HEY, BELLA! OWEN'S UPSTAIRS. YOU
can go right up.” Ethan nodded toward the staircase that led to their apartment. He was a nice, easy going guy, and the only one of Owen’s friends not on the hockey team. He had chocolate brown hair, hazel eyes and a killer smile, and was never without a girl at his side. Owen’s other roommate, Andy, wasn’t bad either, but not the most social guy. Owen said he was good people, albeit an acquired taste.

I couldn’t quite make eye contact with Ethan since the last time I came back to the apartment with Owen before Thanksgiving break. We caught Ethan naked in the hallway—on a date and thinking they had the place to themselves for a night. I was no prude, but seeing junk not belonging to my boyfriend turned me three shades of red. I hadn't even seen Owen's, but I . . .
felt
it . . . a lot. On my leg, against my stomach, sometimes rubbing my back if he was holding me from behind. Why I was so bashful I couldn't say, especially since I didn’t have a cherry to pop. But it was only one guy and only one time, shortly before he shredded my heart and then stomped all over it. Even though I couldn't make my virginity grow back, I wasn’t quite ready to go there again. However, not being ready for sex had absolutely nothing to do with wanting it. Our time together always ended with a scorching kiss and groping against the nearest wall. Owen’s Southern gentility was probably wearing thin these past few weeks.

“Owen? The movie starts in a half hour!” I called as I strolled down the hallway.

“Hey, City. Give me a minute, practice ran late.” Owen had just stepped out of the shower and was dripping freaking wet. The V on his hips disappeared into a towel cinched around his tapered waist. Water traveled from the stray tangled locks at his neck and trickled down over his ripped chest and his abs before disappearing into the bunched up material at his waist. I licked my parched lips and tried to remember how to speak. How many damn abs did he have? Six? Eight? I was gaping at a wet, half naked Owen while the corner of the bastard's mouth turned up in a smirk. I didn't have the faculties to scowl back. My tongue didn't want to work unless it was tracing the water trails across Owen's body.

“Keep looking at me like that, baby. We won't be going anywhere tonight.”

“What? I’m not . . . it's just . . .” Words stumbled awkwardly out of my mouth as Owen's chest shook with laughter. I craned my neck around to make sure we were still alone, then narrowed my eyes at him before I pushed him against the sink and attacked his lips. A moan escaped my throat as his tongue plunged inside my greedy mouth. His lips trailed down my neck and across my collarbone. Owen shut the door behind me and turned the lock with one hand as the other grabbed my ass to pull my body flush to his. His towel was getting loose, and sliding low. I may have been a little scared of his package ten minutes ago, but I was on board with saying a big hello now—from my knees. I dragged my nails down Owen’s chest and pulled at the pesky terrycloth knot at his waist until the towel drooped, snagging on his bulging hard-on . . . waiting at attention.

My hands drifted back up Owen’s torso and his racing heart hammered against my fingertips. Inhibitions, modesty, and whatever else was holding me back faded away as I dragged open-mouthed kisses across his chest and up to his neck. The vibration of his throaty groan against my lips made me giggle.

“Mmm, you should greet me like this more often. In fact, I think—”

“Owen,” I panted as I took my mouth off his body and gazed up at him.

“Yeah, Bella?” His eyes were molten and hooded as he traced the seam of my lips with his index finger. The desperate rasp of his voice as he said my name almost made my knees buckle.

“Shut up.” I grabbed a fistful of his drenched hair and went back to devouring his lips.

Owen broke the kiss long enough to yank my jacket off my shoulders and pull my shirt over my head. He let out a growl as he kissed his way down my shoulder and across the swell of my breasts.

“You’re getting me wet.” I glanced down at my now transparent white bra clinging to Owen’s damp chest.

Owen brushed his lips against mine. “I should hope so,” he whispered as his index finger grazed inside the waistband of my jeans. He inched the zipper down and eased his hand inside my panties. His eyes fluttered as he let out a sharp hiss. “Bella . . . baby, you’re soaked . . . you feel so
good
.” The delicious strokes of his fingers as they glided between my legs brought noises out of me I’d never heard before. The pad of his thumb made light circles while his middle finger dipped inside me. I was dizzy as he locked his heated gaze with mine. I could tell he was holding back, and I was done making him.

“Touch me, Owen. Please . . . deeper . . .”

Owen slid another finger deep inside and my entire body jerked. “Come on, Bella.” His husky voice made me shake even more. “Let go for me, baby.”

I gripped his damp hair and licked the fleshy pad of his bottom lip. My hands shook as the buildup grew in my core. Owen’s towel slackened even more, and the thought of him replacing his fingers with the rock hardness between us tipped me over the edge. Tremors ripped through my body as I dropped my head to his chest.

Boneless and sated, I gazed back up at Owen and pulled his towel the rest of the way down. Shyness overtook me for a moment, my eyes darted everywhere but where I really wanted to look. I wrapped my hand around him and inched it up and down the length of him. He was silky smooth and throbbing in my hand. I kept my gaze locked on his. A strangled moan escaped his throat.

“That’s it, just like that.” Owen’s chest heaved as I picked up the pace. “Bella, you’re so . . .” He reached for the towel and held it between us. His body stiffened as he found his release. He slid his hand around my waist and buried his head in the crook of my neck until he stopped shaking. Owen’s quivering hands cradled my face. His eyes widened as they fixed on me, his mouth slack as he tried to control his breathing.