I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should lie. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Rowan casually reaching for his drink. I raised my bottle to my lips, followed by Louise and Jackie. I glanced around the circle, searching faces for any form of reaction, but thankfully everyone was distracted by how cute it was that both Louise and Jackie had taken a drink for one another.
Next it was Annabelle’s turn. I smirked, wondering what shehadn’tdone.
“I’ve never fooled around in a toilet or toilet cubicle.” She grinned. I found it hard to believe that she hadn’t, but this time, Rowan and I were the only two who took a drink.
“Rowan! You dark horse,” Trisha teased, nudging him playfully. He gave her an uncomfortable smile before glancing at me briefly. I held his gaze for only a second, but that was enough.
The game continued for the next hour or so, until Trisha decided to get herself home. Shortly after, Oliver came back up to the flat and both he and Becca disappeared into his room. I tried not to think too hard about what they were getting up to and concentrated on drinking.
“I’ve never been on a bus,” Louise giggled, our game having long since grown sillier in the effort to get increasingly drunk. I raised my bottle to my lips, only to discover it was empty once again.
“Hang on, I need more,” I mumbled, stumbling as I got to my feet.
Stood still for a moment in the kitchen, I came to realise just how drunk I had become. The room was moving, despite me leaning against the counters to keep myself standing straight.
“Fuck,” I grumbled, rubbing my eyes. It was definitely time to call it a night. I wandered out into the living room without my drink and headed straight for my bedroom.
“Where are you going?” Louise slurred, throwing a playing card at me. It didn’t get anywhere near hitting me of course, just fluttered and danced in the air a few feet from where she’d thrown it.
“Toilet,” I replied, not keen to admit that I was too drunk. I felt my way to my room through the darkness. If I had been more aware of my surroundings, I probably would have noticed my bedroom light was already on and might have composed myself a little better before bursting in. As it was, I didn’t.
“Oh!” I exclaimed, opening the door with so much enthusiasm that I ended up bouncing back and bumping my shoulder gracelessly into the doorframe.
“Sorry, I hope you don’t mind.” Rowan smiled at me. He was sitting on the edge of my bed, looking at the photo frames I had jumbled on top of my chest of drawers. They were old ones – mostly me and Louise when we were in school, various nights out and a few of my old rugby team.
“How did you know this was my room?” I asked.
He grinned and pointed at my work uniform hanging on the door of my wardrobe. “It was a bit of a giveaway.”
“Ah, yeah,” I replied dumbly. I loitered in the doorway for a moment before stepping inside and closing the door behind me. “How long have you been in here?”
“You didn’t notice me leave?” he asked. I ran my hand through my hair, feeling foolish to have gotten so drunk. Rowan had been the focus of my attention all night and I honestly hadn’t seen him get up at all.
“I’ve had too much to drink,” I admitted.
“Hm, should I be upset that you didn’t notice?” Rowan teased, leaning back against my bed on his elbows. I took that as an invitation and crossed the room towards him.
“I’ll make it up to you,” I grated, leaning in to kiss him with the sort of easy confidence that only came with excessive alcohol consumption. My weight rested in my arms either side of him, making the mattress creak.
“Take this off,” Rowan instructed quietly, sliding his hand beneath my t-shirt. I stood up and silently complied, dragging the material over my head and throwing it haphazardly into the room behind me. Feeling uncharacteristically bashful as Rowan raked his eyes over my chest, I moved in again to kiss him roughly.
As we kissed, I pushed against Rowan. He took the hint, shuffling back on to the bed until we were both lying on it properly.
I felt that familiar frantic desire overwhelm me again as I opened my mouth to Rowan. He groaned, running his hands over my skin, before pulling away to breathlessly whisper, “Have you got a lock on your door?”
I nodded, trailing a few wet kisses down Rowan’s neck before heaving myself back up onto my feet. I strode to the door and pulled the bolt across. I turned and watched Rowan pulling his own t-shirt off over his head.
“Fuck, you’re hot.” The words were out of my mouth before I’d realised. I ran my eyes over Rowan’s body. He looked like he had stepped straight out of a magazine, all muscle. He had vastly downplayed how often he was in the gym – he must practically live in the place. I knew first-hand how much hard work and dedication it took to look as good as he did. It seemed unusual to me that a guy with a family found the time. I pushed the thoughts away quickly.
Rowan wasn’t hairy by any stretch of the imagination, but I eyed the smattering of fine, light hair across his stomach that led below his navel. I licked my lips. I watched his chest rise and fall – he was breathing hard. I wondered if he was nervous.
I joined him back on the bed, evading his kiss and instead dipping my head to press my mouth to his throat. I sucked and licked at the hollow beside his Adam’s apple, enjoying the needy huff I drew from him.
Rowan’s hands dropped to my jeans, and he fumbled to unbuckle my belt. I continued to kiss him, but just as he finished unbuttoning my fly, I shuffled further down the bed and attached my mouth to the delicate skin beneath his collar bone.
I kissed lower; down the centre of his chest, over his breastbone before moving my mouth to latch onto a nipple. Rowan lay back, leaning all his weight into his elbows, and I teased him with my tongue. I ran a hand up his leg, and taking a breath to steady myself, over the hard flesh beneath the denim. I switched nipples and stroked firmly with my palm in one fluid motion. Rowan groaned, his voice low and gravelly, and I felt the bulge twitch beneath my hand.
I stroked insistently, deliberately keeping a torturously slow pace whilst I sucked and nipped at the skin on Rowan’s torso. As his breathing accelerated, I moved lower and lower, until my mouth was at his navel and glanced up at him. He was watching me, biting into his bottom lip, his cheeks flushed and hot.
