53

Danced to death, exhausted and carrying their shoes; the girls staggered out of the hall in the small hours. The night had carried on uneventfully and it was now moving into the early morning. Many of the party goers had dwindled away, leaving only the hardcore drinkers behind in the hall. Streamers clinging in their hair and smelling strongly of the alcohol stench that was mainly coming from Abby, they were trying to work their way out to the main sweeping stair.

Her parents had left hours ago in a taxi back to their hotel, their age getting the better of them. Hamish, on the other hand, had out danced them all and was still in there leading the remaining party animals to a Runrig song.

Despite swearing she wouldn’t drink more, Rose had ended up drinking a decent amount. Fueled by her high adrenaline, willingness to drown out the memory of Rob’s body against hers and her better mood, she was more than a little tipsy.

Morag had not even managed to lower the tone in her short brief appearances. She had another verbal tiff with Rob in a dark corner of the room, seemingly unimpressed with something he was or wasn’t doing and left in a blaze of drama just before one am. They had been too far away to really hear anything said but the heated expressions and arm waving made it clear that it was another ‘domestic’. She hated the way Rob and Morag looked like a blazing couple having another lovers tiff. Hated the way the woman monopolised his attention at every chance she got and felt she had the right to fight with him this way in public. It just highlighted why she had ended things and it broke her heart.

Abby had one arm draped around her friend’s shoulders, obviously unable to walk without assistance but Rose was bearing her weight. The girl kept falling over nothing and could no longer string a coherent sentence together.

‘I am putting you to bed miss!’ Rose was struggling to keep her upright.

‘Jus aswerl I live in here then innit!’ Abby drunkenly slurred, gesturing towards a bathroom door off to the side.

‘You actually live up there!’ Rose pointed to the sweeping stair. ‘And I somehow have to get you up there.’ She glanced around for some help, spotting Duncan asleep and propped by a door. He was in a far worse state than Abby and would be useless in assisting them. Rose half dragged her to the stair and attempted to climb. More of a two up, three backwards kind of motion and kept having to swoop lower to pull her back onto her shoulder every few seconds. Abby’s grip as loose and uncoordinated as the girl herself.

‘Have I told yuhhh...? Really cos arrr mean it babe... Have I told yurrr...? Rosy, I lurve you.’

‘I love you too Abby.’ Rose laughed once again, finding them stepping backwards down two steps and making little progress. Abby was a terrible drunk. ‘I would love you more if you could walk though, or maybe climb stairs.’ Her own tipsy mind finding the motion they were creating was not helping her own state.

‘Here. I’ve got her!’ Rob cut in from behind, lifting Abby easily up in his arms as though she were a mere child and heading up the stair with Rose in tow to the girl’s bedroom.

She helped him get the now unconscious girl up along the hall to Abby’s room and into bed, pulling off her shoes and jewellery in the darkened space, noting that he was swaying slightly even in the dimness. Not his usual full ‘compos mentos’ self either but hiding it well.

He was almost as drunk as Abby, yet being a seasoned pro meant he was still functioning in the land of the living. His strong form in the darkness and the mix of alcohol and aftershave making him seem more manly and sexual than normal. Rose had to move away from him, aware she was losing her resolve and the longing to touch him was killing her as he tended to his motionless sister, so gentle and caring as he tucked her into bed. He turned, satisfied that Abby was asleep and bumped into Rose behind him awkwardly as she tried to figure out where to stand.

His hands immediately went to her waist as he steadied her against him, but he didn’t release her, instead, he pulled her forward, so their bodies met softly, her breasts against his torso; the heat from his body surging through the thin cotton of his dark shirt. She was too drunk for this and did not have any defenses left at all to fight him off, not that she wanted too.

His hot hands on her body just served to remind her of how much she wanted his touch, his closeness and instead focused on his eyes and the way they were devouring her. He walked forward, moving her back until the cool smooth wall of Abby’s room came up against her back unexpectedly, giving her no escape. His body pressed to hers and moving in closely to her face. The closeness and intimacy of his actions causing her breath to evade her.

‘Rob?’ There was no conviction in her breathy whisper. It sounded more like an invitation, sensing that he wasn’t going to just let her go anytime soon, her heart rate elevated, and her legs turned to jelly.

‘Tell me NO and I’ll stop. I’ll let you go and walk away.’ He was breathing so close to her, his hands now on her naked thighs below her short dress, moving up under her dress slowly, erotically. He had decided this was not going to stay platonic or safe and she was mesmerised by him, her mind racing and unable to focus on anything but the heat of those flat palms moving up under the hem of her dress and setting her skin a light.

‘Your drunk. I’m drunk. This would be...’ She could not even formulate any form of rejection, her brain wildly clutching at straws as her eyes tore at his mouth, her own mouth practically begging him to kiss her. She knew she was lost and this resisting was futile, all night her body had been aching for him after the dancefloor and now she was finally getting her heart’s desire.

‘Tell me you don’t want to, that you don’t miss me as much as I miss you!’ It was almost as though he was begging her to stop him, aware that he no longer had the control to stop himself. She couldn’t formulate a response, her mind a chaos of contradicting thoughts and emotions. She wanted him. Her body on fire with desire and longing. His closeness blocking out any rational thought and the burning ache and longing from lack of his body against hers. The slow build of tension between them all day building to this very moment. His mouth was close enough to almost feel, his eyes locked with hers, full of lust and disregard for the consequences. Her mind still scrambling to be logical, to get some control of herself.

‘We’re in Abby’s room, she might see us.’ Was the only reason she could find to object, but it fell on deaf ears. He had given her enough opportunity to push him away, his lust taking over, assured by the fact she wanted this too. He lifted her up against the wall, pushing against her so she stayed balanced while he pulled her legs around his waist slowly and surely, taking the time to stare deeply into her eyes. Her body was reacting like it always did when he was against her. Opening like a flower to envelope him in her warmth, surging heat emanating from her need. Giving into him, she arched her back, hands sliding along that jawline, her lips finding his mouth and hungrily plunging straight in. Crushing and purposeful, the desire and need in him making it almost animal as he responded to her instantly.

His hands moved under the thin fabric of her lace panties, looking for her and she groaned as he found the source of his intent, falling against him weakly. Pleasure sweeping through every cell of her being and only pushing her to kiss him more vehemently, biting his lip and savouring the way he teased her tongue with his.