The Hidden (The Hidden Trilogy) (26 page)

I gestured to the mess all over my stomach. “I didn’t mind this either.” In fact, it was kinda hot… Kinda totally,
ridiculously
hot. I only wished I’d been able to see his face as he climaxed. I bet he had an amazing “O” face.

“Are you sure?” he asked, handing me more tissue. “ ’Cause I didn’t mean for it to be so…” He gestured to my stomach as I cleaned it off. I wasn’t sure if he was trying apologize for how much came out, or how far it’d shot up my chest–both of which were impressive.

“Babe, it’s fine, I promise.” I balled up the tissues in my hand and tossed them in the trash. After giving him a quick peck on the cheek, I climbed off the bed.

Now that the heat of the moment had passed, I was acutely aware of my nudity as I stood in front of him. I’d never been naked in front of anyone before. It was horrifying.

I wanted to pick my shirt up off the floor and cover myself. The only thing that stopped me was my desire to get used to it. I
wanted
us to be comfortable together, in every sense. What kind of sex life would we have if I freaked out about being naked in front of him?

So instead of putting my clothes back on, I stood in front of him, fidgeting with my hands because I suddenly didn’t know what to do with them.

“I’ll be right back,” I mumbled, turning and heading into the bathroom. I felt his stare on me the whole way, and I absently wondered how far your blush spread when you were naked.

I felt better once behind the safety of the door. That is, until I saw my giant nude reflection in the mirror.
God
, my hair was a mess and my face was all pink.

Running my fingers through my hair, I stuck it up in loose bun, then went into the tiny room in the corner that housed the toilet. I grabbed some toilet paper and wiped the remaining wetness from between my legs.

Jesus, it’s frickin’ Niagara Falls down there.

My torso was still sticky, so I took a quick shower for good measure. I inspected myself in the mirror after I finished, and took a deep breath before opening the bathroom door.

Thomas was in bed, under the covers. I crossed the small space as quickly as I could, climbing in next to him. He turned off the light and I rolled onto my side, away from him. The bed moved as he scooted behind me, wrapping his arm around me as he pulled me to him. It felt odd, yet
unbelievable
to have our naked bodies cuddled together.

For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why we hadn’t been naked cuddling this whole time. It was
so
much better.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Saturday, October 10
th

Emily sighed in her sleep, a little crease forming between her brows. Her dark eyelashes fluttered against her pale skin as she dreamed.

I hoped she dreamed of me.

Inky strands of her hair were scattered across her pillow, a few locks draping across her forehead. Very carefully, I reached down and brushed the hair away from her face. She murmured unintelligibly and nuzzled against the pillow.

I loved the sight of her in my bed, wrapped up in my sheets. Her scent was all over them now, and I loved that, too.

I also loved the feel of her naked body pressed up against me all night long, but that probably went without saying…

Up until last night, I’d never shared my bed with anyone. It’s an amazing thing to sleep next to someone, to have them in your arms all night. Only…it wouldn’t have been amazing with just anyone.
Emily
made it amazing, because I cared about her, because I–

Love her.

My heart sputtered as the realization sank in, my eyes growing wide.

How had I not seen it before? It seemed so obvious now. I cared about her more than I cared about myself. I cared about her more than
anything
.

The room gradually lightened as the familiar glow of the rising sun turned the sky from purple to orange. I’d been watching her sleep for a couple hours now. I could do it forever.

But I had other things to do. Namely, cook her breakfast.

I slid out of bed, careful not to wake her, and pulled the covers up so she wouldn’t get cold in my absence. Leaning down, I kissed her hair, breathing in her scent. It’d mixed with mine, creating its own blend. I wanted her to smell like that all the time.

I breathed, “I love you,” into her hair, then slipped out of the room.

Bacon sizzled in the skillet in front of me as the pancake on the next burner bubbled, signaling its readiness to be flipped. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs as I grabbed some plates from the cupboard.

“Morning,” I said to Emily, smiling at the sight of her. She had on an oversized sweatshirt and a pair of skintight black pants. Her hair was up in a messy bun atop her head, her face freshly scrubbed. Her eyes were still a little puffy from sleep.

She was fucking beautiful. I
still
couldn’t believe she was mine.

She smiled as she looked me over. “Do you always cook in your underwear?”

I shrugged as I made our plates, then carried them over to the table. “I could cook in the nude, if you prefer.” She blushed, fighting a smile as I kissed her forehead and set her plate down.

She sat down and picked up her fork. “That’s okay. I don’t think I could handle bacon
and
sausage. That’s too much meat for me.” She smirked and glanced at my crotch.

“We’ll see about that,” I said, returning her smirk.

We will
definitely
see about that.

Chapter Forty

Wednesday, October 14
th

EMILY

My key slid into my dorm room’s lock as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist from behind. A huge smile spread across my face as Thomas kissed my neck.

“So, I was thinking…maybe we could go to Kappa Psi’s party this Friday,” he murmured into my ear. “What do you think?”

I glanced at one of the thousands of neon posters plastered around campus for their upcoming eighties-themed party.

Crap
. I forgot he could read.

My nose wrinkled. “Seriously?” I asked as I turned to face him. “You wanna go to that?” I tended to avoid anything that promised to be “totally tubular.”

“Yeah, why not?” He smirked. “It’ll be rad.”

I rolled my eyes, but relented. “Fine. Are we gonna dress up, too?” I’d meant it as a joke, but by the look on Thomas’s face, he was anything but kidding.

“Of course,” he said, like there was no other option and I was silly for even having to ask.

“Awesome,” I mumbled.

He nudged me with his elbow. “Now you’re getting it.”

When we got to the courtyard, Mel and Matt were already waiting in our usual spot, under the giant oak tree in front of the science building, away from most of the hustle and bustle of the courtyard. We started eating lunch with them a couple weeks ago, at Mel’s insistence, and it’d turned into a regular thing on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Her creepiness seemed to dwindle the more I was around her. Or maybe I was just getting used to it, I don’t know.

“Guess who keeps calling me?” Mel said as we sat down.

Thomas frowned. “I know. She’s been calling me, too.”

I twisted the cap off my bottled water and took a sip. “Who are you talking about?”

Mel smirked. “Our mother. Thomas, here,” –she slapped him on the back– “has been dodging her calls.”

My eyes narrowed on him. “Why?”

“Yeah, Thomas, why?” Mel asked.

He shot her a look, then turned back to me and shrugged. “I have nothing to say to her.”

Damn. He’d told me he wasn’t close with his parents, but that seemed kind of harsh. Then again, Thomas wouldn’t
not
like someone without good cause.

Mel rolled her eyes. “Do me a favor and tell that to our mother so she’ll stop calling me.”

Thomas took out a sandwich from his brown paper sack and took a bite. He pulled out a granny smith apple and held it out for me, raising his brows as if to say, 
You want it?

“Thanks.” I took it from him, but didn’t eat it right away.

Thomas swallowed and took a swig from my bottled water. “Em and I are going to Kappa Psi’s party this Friday night. It’s eighties-themed.”

Mel squealed and clapped her hands together. “I
loved
the–”

She cut herself off abruptly, furrowing her brows as she looked down to her lap, picking off a piece of lint from her jeans. She cleared her throat and mumbled something about the music from the eighties, her earlier fervor gone as quickly as it had appeared.

I cocked an eyebrow at her odd behavior and glanced at Thomas, who just shrugged. I’d never seen Mel excited about
anything
before, but something seemed to have spooked her.
What
, though, I couldn’t possibly begin to guess.

“You guys should come with us,” Thomas said, breaking up the tension. “We could go as a foursome. It’ll be fun.”

Matt and Mel looked at each other dubiously, almost seeming to have an unspoken conversation as their stares lingered.

I peeled off the little produce sticker on the apple, preparing to take a bite. “We’re dressing up and everything.”

Mel squealed again and smiled so wide I thought her cheeks might split. She put her hand on Matt’s arm and said, “We
have
to go.”

Matt shrugged, but didn’t say anything. I guess that was the only answer Mel was going to get.

Chapter Forty-One

Friday, October 16
th

EMILY

I’d agreed to let Mel dress me for the party, since she claimed to have some awesome vintage clothes that would look “just perfect.” As I checked myself out in the floor-length mirror of her gigantic closet, I had to admit, she’d done an excellent job. Mel’s white lace bustier looked
amazing
on me, and did wonderful things for my cleavage. 

The rest of my outfit consisted of everything white, from my fingerless lace gloves, tiered tulle skirt, knee-length leggings, to my frilly socks and kitten heels. Lots of necklaces and bracelets topped off my ensemble, along with big dangly earrings, heavy makeup, teased hair pulled off to one shoulder, and a “beauty mark” Mel drew on with brown eyeliner, just above my lip.

All in all, it looked like Madonna’s closet had thrown up on me.

I came out of Mel’s closet to see her slipping on a pair of white heels. A strapless teal dress clung to her curves, falling mid-thigh. The dress was made of some kind of shiny material, and there were a few ruffles around the waist. Her blond hair exploded in teased curls, her lips were a frosted pink, and teal lined her eyes. 

She hadn’t noticed when I came in, so I cleared my throat. “I guess I’m ready.”

Turning, her face instantly lit up. “You look great! Thomas is gonna love it.”

That was the nicest thing Mel had ever said to me. I looked down, toying with my many bracelets, and mumbled, “Thanks.”

I followed Mel into the foyer, where she said Matt and Thomas were waiting for us. Rounding the corner, Matt came into view first. He had on a white blazer with a teal shirt underneath, and white pants. The sleeves of his blazer were pushed up to his elbows, Miami Vice-style, and his hair was gelled back in a decidedly eighties fashion. He lifted up his Ray-Bans, setting them atop his head, and whistled appreciatively at me.

“Well, look at you,” he said, a slow grin spreading across his face.

My face flushed, and I said, “Thanks,” just as Thomas elbowed Matt in the ribs. I looked at Thomas for the first time since entering the foyer, and smiled as our eyes met, recognizing the unmistakable heat in them. I guess Mel was right. Thomas
did
love it.

Thomas had gone for the preppy look this evening. He’d popped the collar of his pink polo shirt, which was tucked neatly into his belted khaki pants. I cocked an eyebrow at his penny loafers, but didn’t say anything. His hair was gelled into a similar style as Matt’s, and Thomas had his own pair of Ray-Bans sitting atop his head. The only other accessory besides the sunglasses was the big gold watch on his wrist.

“Ready?” Thomas asked, looping his arm around me. There was a huge grin on his face, and I couldn’t help but be affected by it.

I smiled and nodded, thinking tonight could actually be a lot of fun.

*          *          *

Kappa Psi Beta’s house was packed. Nearly everyone wore some shade of neon, and a few bold people wore acid wash jeans. I spotted several girls wearing leg warmers, and several people wearing ripped jeans. I even saw a guy walking around with a boom box on his shoulder. Pretty rad, huh?

Thomas and Matt went to the kitchen to get drinks, while Mel and I made our way to the makeshift dance floor in the living room, where the music pumping into the rest of the house was apparently about some guy who was hungry like a wolf…or something. I didn’t really know what eighties dancing consisted of, so I watched Mel and everyone else around me first. It looked pretty easy (and pretty silly), so I wasn’t too intimidated that I couldn’t do it.

I’d just gotten the hang of it when Thomas and Matt came back with our drinks. I took the red plastic cup Thomas held out to me, and sniffed it.

“What is it?” I yelled over the loud music, heavy with synthesizers.

“Vodka Red Bull,” he shouted back. “Try it, it’s good.”

I took a sip, finding it surprisingly good. I downed my drink in record time, which earned me a raised eyebrow from Thomas. I rolled my eyes and set the empty cup down among many others on a desk next to us, then took Thomas’s hand, leading him further into the dancing crowd.

I got buzzed pretty fast and before I knew it, Mel and I were dancing together, singing (very off-key) along with Pat Benatar about how we belonged together. Pretty soon, between the alcohol and the crowd, I became overheated and told Thomas I needed to take a breather. He took me to the edge of crowd, telling me to go outside and get some fresh air, and that he’d be out with some water in a second. I meant to follow his instructions, but without Thomas’s hand for support, the floor spun in a way I didn’t quite think was normal.