“I am really trying to not be an arsehole, but you know we weren’t in a relationship. We had sex one time and it was a long time ago. I’ve politely said nothing about you hanging around the band, but this needs to stop.” He pleads with her.
I take another peek around the desk and see he’s turned his attention to the bookcase, running his finger across the rows like he’s looking for something.
“I think you need someone to explain to you how dating works. Like I said, you never complained.”
The slap of his palms to his face jolts me, thankfully covering my grunt as my head skims the underside of the desk. “You’re going to do a fullPsychoshower scene on me aren’t you?” His voice is muffled by his hands, but I hear the disbelief.
“Are you calling me a psycho?” She balks.
“No! It’s a film, Wil. I would never.” His voice suddenly drops and becomes softer. “I wouldn’t ever call someone a psycho, you know that.” Silence follows for a beat and I find myself leaning forward, desperate to know if they’ve both left the room.
“Don’t fucking call me Wil!” Her voice is so shrill I jerk, causing my phone to fall from its perch against my thighs. It silently hits the carpet, landing in full view of where they both last stood when I had the nerve to watch. I want the ground to swallow me up, because shining brightly facing upwards, is the photo of Wren standing on the dunes.
I’m unable to draw in a breath, but the library door finally slams shut. Just as I’m about to uncurl my legs, I hear soft footsteps pad across the carpet; tattooed fingers picking up my phone, and I hold in a squeak.
How can I explain why I’m under a desk, looking at a photograph of him?
Wren moves closer to the desk and when I think he’s going to crouch down to peer at me, he leans his hip against it instead. The silence stretches on and I feel moisture start gathering on my brow once again. I watch in horror as a hand comes down, his fingers reach out, finding the side of my face, running his fingertip along my jaw. The touch is electric, the shock of it rocks every nerve ending in my body. His finger moves up to my bottom lip, and the only thing I can think to do is take it between my front teeth and bite.Hard.
Chapter five
Wren
Iknow from finding the phone, who is under the desk, but is it weird to admit I know it’s her, from how her bite reminds me of a tiny feral rabbit? Jerking back, I rip my finger from her mouth before slamming my palm on the desk directly above her head. I kneel down, unable to hide the growing grin from my face as I find Robin curled in on herself, eyes wide like she’s shocked at what she just did.
“You little shit! Did you just bite me?” I tease, marveling at this woman who already has me on my toes. I can't believe I fought so hard to not meet her for fifteen years, and I regret it immensely. She lets out a weird noise, pushing past me to scramble out from her hiding spot. “You’re going to give the household something to gossip about if you don't stop following me around.” I joke, landing the response I want because her brows furrow before she scowls at me.
Riling her up is going to be so fun.
“That doesn’t even make sense. I’m not following you.” Both hands find her hips as she glowers down at me, because I’m still crouched where she left me.
“That’s what they all say.” Casually shrugging, I finally stand.
“Yeah, I’m sure all the delusional ones do.”
“They definitely don’t bite me, Lovely.” I purr, taking a step forward which makes her take a step back. Trying not to analyse that too much, I don’t continue forward, wanting her to have space so she can feel comfortable around me. Her cheeks become rosy, but she tilts up her chin and defiance sparkles in her irises.
“I’m not sorry about that. I am sorry about eavesdropping. I was in here first, I just didn’t want to interrupt.”
“No, it’s ok. Trust me you weren’t interrupting anything. Sorry,” I scratch the back of my head, words tumbling out of my mouth before I can stop myself. “I didn’t know she was going to be here this weekend, so I just freaked out a little. I don’t want to see her.”
She’s nodding before I’m even finished. “I feel sorry for you.”
Feigning shock, I place my palms over my heart, unable to stop showing her an easy smile, because it’s only for her. She makes me unable to stop myself from beaming. “Oh Robin, Love, words every man wants to hear.”I really like saying her name.
She just shrugs, walking over to the corner of the library where a snuggly love seat and two leather arm chairs sit. “I just know what she’s like. Also, not every woman's sole purpose is to whisper nice words to men with fragile egos.”
I should stop flirting and change the subject, so I do because there's something I really need to know. “Are you friends with Lily?”
Her eyebrows shoot up, the word yes slips from her mouth automatically, but then her lips purse into a thin line. I feel like I’m soaking in every little reaction, staring too intensely as I try to work her out. Moving to be close to her, I sit in a chair angled to face where she sits in one of the wingbacks. I'm trying so hard to not roam over each part of her body, but I can't explain how itphysically hurts to stop myself. Have I ever felt this natural pull to another being? I haven't. Before I know what I'm doing I’m staring at the light tan of her legs.
Just keep looking at her eyes only, you silly fuck.
“We grew up together, now we live next door to each other, in York. I don’t exactly hang out with her crowd.” I nod, breaking out of the spell she surely has cast over me. “I really like Mavis though, she’s so nice but I don’t want to rely on her as a buffer if I do go out. So I just don’t. Not my scene.” She shrugs casually like it’s no big deal, causing a smirk to prowl back onto his lips. The idea she’s not into the types of people I actively avoid makes me happy, for so many reasons.
“You don’t go out with Phoenix or Merle?”
She sits a little straighter. “I do. We do more meaningful things, instead of just getting sloshed. Things we like to do together, but never in London.”
