Your Makeup Stains My Pillowcase
By Katie
Chapter One
"She says she's no good with words but I'm worse"
"Oh, I don't know about this, Peyton."
The blonde cast her eyes towards her friend and let out a small chuckle, wrapping an arm around the shorter girl's shoulders. "Haley, come on, it's going to be fun," the curly haired girl promised.
"You know that's what I've been trying to convince myself of this whole evening and I had almost done it until we walked in," Haley told her, her hands fiddling around nervously with each other.
Sticking her tongue in her cheek, Peyton sighed, squeezing Haley's shoulder lightly. "Alright, so he's here, so what? I mean we can't let that ruin our night, right?"
Haley was quiet for a minute, her lips pursed, before nodding and giving her friend a slight shrug. "You're right," she reluctantly agreed. "Yes, you're absolutely right. Besides," she continued in a murmur. "The night can't be ruined if he doesn't know I'm here."
"Exactly right. Way to get back on that horse, cowgirl," Peyton cheered in her best western accent. "Now let's get this thing started." Sending Haley a wink and a playful slap on the butt, the blonde gripped her hand and pulled her onward.
"Barely stuttered out
"A joke of a romantic" or just stuck to my tongue
Weighed down with words too over-dramatic"
But as Haley let herself be tugged through the scatter of people, she couldn't seem to take her eyes off of him. The same him that she had gone out that night to forget about. The him that she hadn't planned on seeing. The him that she had been doing her best to stay away from...the same him that was her husband.
Her gaze wandered over his relaxed stance, watching as he threw his head back and laughed at something one of the guys around him had said and she felt an unwanted blow of hurt hit her right in the gut. Forcing her head forward, she blinked away the image of his smiling face and followed her friend, determined not to let it bother her.
After all it wasn't like he couldn't have fun...wasn't that the objective of her night anyways? So what if he had gone out to do the same and had already accomplished it. And who was she to frown upon it anyways? Not that she was frowning upon it, she had no problem with him laughing it up with the guys, having a grand old time. In fact she was relieved that he seemed to be so at ease, she'd been worried that he would wallow in self-pity as she'd been doing. Good thing that wasn't a problem for him.
And, thanks to him, she was now determined to have fun too. She was done wallowing. In fact she was done thinking about him all together. If he could go out and have fun, well then she could too. And just because he could, she'd have more fun. She'd have so much fun that she wouldn't know what to do with it all. It would be coming out of her ears for gods sake. She'd socialize, she'd dance...hell she might even have a drink or two. Wasn't that what clubs were for anyways?
She'd never been too much of a fan of clubs, they were loud and crowded and reeking of alcohol and sweat. And in fact, she still wasn't much of a fan. But her do-gooder friend Peyton insisted that she come and have fun. Fun. Haley could have laughed at the word. After all, when was the last time she had had fun anyways? She was sure that she could remember if she tried, but it was all in the distant past, so far that her head ached just thinking about it.
So she'd smiled like her polite self always did and reluctantly agreed. She now wished that she wasn't always so polite and that she told Peyton what she really thought of her idea. But her parents raised her better than that. So she'd gone over to the said blonde girl's house, let herself be polished and slutted-up, as she liked to call it, and here she was.
Now her life has always been one, big, confusing mess, but her current situation probably tops it all. After all, here she was, in the middle of some nameless club, saying her prayers and wishing that her husband doesn't see her so that an ugly confrontation can be avoided.
She also knows that that probably won't happen.
The long story is going to have to be cut down to the shorter version of; girl meets boy, girl tutors boy, girl marries boy, girl goes on tour to be a famous singer, boy hates girl, girl comes back...blah, blah, blah. And let's just say that it didn't exactly turn out the way that she had hoped. And that was just wishful thinking on her part.
She had shown up on his door step at the start of the summer, leaving the tour and all of her faded dreams behind, only to have the door slammed back in her face...okay that might be an exaggeration. He hadn't slam the door on her face, but with the words that had been said she kind of wished that he had.
And ever since that night a few weeks ago, the two have simply made each others lives hell.
He was currently living with his lunatic of a mother, while she had taken up their vacated apartment. Since school was over, the two weren't obliged to see each other in any way, however, since they had the same friends, they were constantly finding themselves in the same places at the same time...only to result in more animosity.
Basically every problem that they'd had at any and all points of their relationship were resurfaced and thrown back in each other's faces. Then one of them would think of something really big, yell it at the other one and cause the them to storm off in an angry huff, solving nothing. It was kind of like a cycle and they switched off being the one to storm off. A system, if you will, that Haley had learned to depend on.
Weeks had gone by, and after numerous, angry arguments and bitter words, their frustrated friends had practically forced them together to come up with an answer, insisting that things couldn't go on the way that they were.
So the sniping couple had their first semi-conversation and decided that they'd give each other space and work something out later...whether it was to get back together or divorce. Something that Haley shuddered about every time the thought crossed her mind.
After that final conversation, the realization of them taking a break and even possibly breaking up for good had hit Haley hard and she'd buried herself in her own wallowing, pity. Spending her days deep inside her bed with the Kleenex box and watching re-runs of Sex and the City...which did absolutely nothing for her.
"Tonight it's "it can't get much worse"
Vs. "no one should ever feel like.." "
Finally after a week of 'my-life-is-over' mode, Peyton had shown up with lunch and comforting words, promising Haley that things will eventually work out between them. Haley had just nodded tearfully, her thoughts always going back to the thought of them getting a divorce and resulting in even more tears.
So after she had practically drown Peyton in her tears, the blonde had slyly convinced her into a night out, just the two of them, to have fun and forget about all the drama that is Haley's marriage.
And that leaves her to where she is now, getting dragged over to the bar and pretending that her eyes are not trained on Nathan Scott.
Let the fun begin.
~*~
"I'm two quarters and a heart down
And I don't want to forget how your voice sounds"
"Wow," Peyton commented, with a laugh as she leaned over to Haley nudged her teasingly with her elbow. "You certainly sucked that down."
Haley eyed the now empty cocktail glass and let out a nervous laugh, nodding back and forcing on a smile. "Well you know me," she joked back, nudging the blonde back and wishing that she had another drink to occupy her time.
It seemed as if Peyton had purposely picked the table that was in exact view of Nathan's just to torture her. And she had done a pretty good job considering that Haley hadn't stopped fidgeting since they sat down. Peyton, however, as Haley had noticed, appeared to be completely unaffected by this. The blonde would just smile at her occasionally, looking around, sipping her drink, having a stupendous time. And wasn't that fantastic.
Another thing that Haley had noticed, since her table was in direct view of him, was that Nathan also seemed to be having a great time. Along with his obviously hilarious basketball buddies, he was now sitting with a handful of sluts. And Haley had no doubt that those girls were sluts, given that they were all half-dressed and pawing at her husband. Some girls just have no respect for married people.
And the girls weren't the only ones flirting shamelessly, oh no, from the looks of it, Nathan definitely had his hand in there too. Which, besides making her ridiculously angry, hurt in ways that she hadn't even imagined. Had he moved on? Was he seeing other people? The idea to Haley seemed absolutely ridiculous, she couldn't even imagine herself dating other people, never mind moving on at this point in time. They had just broken up barely a week ago! And it wasn't even a break-up! It was just a little tiny break so that they both had time. That certainly didn't entitle either of them to seeing other people.
Especially slutty blonde girls.
Haley tore her eyes away, feeling the anger and the sting of hurt rising with each second that she watched them. He wasn't theirs, didn't they know that? He was hers, and she'd be damned if he didn't know that.
The thought that crossed her mind next had her frowning even more, nearly bringing the tears back to her eyes. He isn't yours anymore. Oh, shut up you stupid, reasoning voice in my head that knows nothing, she thought back angrily and went for her drink again, feeling even more defeated when she remembered that it was empty.
She picked up the empty glass, peering inside and blowing out a defeated breath. "I need a drink."
"These words are all I have so I'll write them
So you need them just to get by"
~*~
"Dance, Dance
We're falling apart to half time"
Nathan smiled absently at the girl who had dutifully placed herself next to him so close that he couldn't breathe anymore without inhaling her over-perfuminated self, looking around distractedly while she relentlessly continued on about something he had forgotten about the minute that she had opened her mouth. He scanned the club mindlessly, wondering how in the hell his friend's had convinced him to come here.
When his eyes stopped and fell on the smiling face that was directly across from him, a frown played his lips. He had known that she was there. She had come with Peyton and he had seen them when they had first arrived, not that she had seen him seeing her, that is. No, he made sure that he was very covert about it, being extra careful that he wasn't looking at her for long periods of time, just in case she had happened to look his way...he couldn't have her thinking that he was staring at her or anything.
So he'd focused on his friends, putting on a smile and laughing at their lame jokes. And, if by chance she had happened to look over at him at any point in time, he'd made sure that it appeared that he was having the time of his life. After all, it certainly looked like she was. Smiling and laughing and drinking with Peyton. Oh, what fun.
Well. That was just absolutely fantastic for her. Really. He was glad that she was getting kicks out of their breaking up time. He sure was.
The near idea had him almost laughing. Ever since that day when they had blindly decided that they could take no more, he had checked himself into his room and had only come out for food, a shower and other uses of the bathroom. Oh, and he briefly remembered walking out in search of the TV guide.
But he was just overflowing with gladness that Haley hadn't subjected herself to the same. In fact she probably went out every night with Peyton, laughing it up and living the single life. All her dreams. And, unlike him, who had to be dragged out of his room to get here, she probably was thrilled by the idea of them taking a break. Because after all, their marriage always held her back from the things that she really wanted to do.
He also tended to exaggerate things because he was currently brooding and living in his own pity. Boo-hoo.
But anyways, back to his current situation of sitting at a table with half the basketball team and a growing number of girls that had come from God knows where. He did seriously wonder how he always manages to get himself into things like this, because it isn't like he enjoys sitting around and listening to a bunch of drunk guys tell bad jokes and then fall over chairs laughing at them. He used to. But that was before Haley.
And he just now decided that he's going to blame that on her too.
He looked at his half gone beer and sighed, wishing that he had something stronger. The main reason why he had even decided to go out was to get away from the huge Haley-headache that he had been stuck with for the past week. But clearly it was just following him around like the pill it was. And apparently, so was she. He couldn't go out anywhere anymore. God forbid he sees his wife.
"Dance, Dance
And these are the lives you'd love to lead"
And is this girl still talking to him?
He turned his head and looked at her, blinking away the glazed look that had formulated in his eyes from lack of interest. She was pretty he supposed, if you liked that kind of thing. Blonde hair, big boobs, IQ matching that of a farm animal. And it was something that he had used to like. He'd blame that on Haley too. The girl would never cease to kill his joy.
"You want to dance?" she asked him, breaking off from the 10 minute life story that she had been giving him before. A giggle escaped her lips and he fought the urge to cringe.
"Uh, no, that's okay," Nathan responded back, picking up his beer and taking another sip.
"No?" blonde bimbo repeated, as if she had to play it back in her head to get the right meaning. She blinked her big, blue eyes at him, obviously confused by his answer. Figures.
"No, you know, I'm just going to hang here and finish my beer. Thanks though." Moving his gaze, he caught Tim's attention and motioned to the blonde. His friend immediately caught on, licking his lips and pushing himself from his chair. Nathan fought the urge to roll his eyes.
"It'll still be here when you come back," blondie promised him, both of her hands rubbing back and forth on his thigh. She giggled again and it was all he could do not to shake her until her little blonde head bobbled up and down.
"I'm sure it would," he murmured, bringing the drink back up to his lips.
"Hey baby, want to dance with The Tim?"
"The what?" Giggle. "Okay."
At least he was good for something.
Leaning back against his chair, Nathan let out a long breath, flicking his wrist to get a glimpse of his watch. The night had barely begun, yet he didn't think a half hour had felt so long before.
Moving his eyes casually, ahem, around the room, they settled back on his wife's grinning face, watching as she chatted cheerfully to Peyton. They then shifted to the handful of guys that stood beside them, who were shamelessly checking her out. Um, hello. She's married.
But then again that was probably the idea of her outfit, to get guys to check her out. Yes, that definitely sounded like Haley, his vamp of a wife. Why else had she decided to wear an incredibly black, tight and short dress? Hmm? Why else was she wearing a ridiculously large amount of make-up that probably took hours to apply?
For the guys of course. For the single life. When had she ever done that for him? Uhm, never.
His eyes scanned her again, a frown setting deeper on his lips. Okay. So he thought she looked hot...maybe more than that. Yes, definitely better than hot. But as the whirlwind of flattering adjectives that could easily describe her flashed in his mind, he just became more angry. It might have been because all of these guys were staring at her, but a bigger part of him thought that it might have been because tonight, he wouldn't be going home with that.
Her eyes flickered upwards and met his.
Quickly blinking at the realization that she saw him seeing her, he turned his head away hastily, pretending to be fascinated but the bubbles in his beer. Wow. It's going to be a long night.
"Dance, this is the way they'd love
If they knew how misery loved me"
Chapter 2
"You always fold just before you're found out"
"You want to dance?" Haley asked Peyton, tapping her finger, panicked, on her cocktail glass.
He saw her. He looked right up, saw her, and then looked away. Way to be a man, Nathan. Of course, she had also quickly turned her head away...he was just faster. But more importantly, he knows that she's there.
On and jagged breath, she slid out of her seat and looked expectantly at her friend. Peyton eyed the three empty cocktail glasses that sat in front of Haley's seat and let out a laugh, rolling her eyes and pushing her own self from the seat. "Let's dance."
They made their way onto the dance floor, which was cluttered with hordes of vibrating bodies, moving along with the music. Finding a spot in the sea of wild dancers.
The music was loud, the lights were bright and Haley was tipsy.
Moving around happily to the music, she pushed all her bothering thoughts away and just let herself feel.
"Drink up its last call
Last resort
But only the first mistake and I..."
~*~
"I'm two quarters and a heart down"
Could he be anymore of a loser? It was a question that he asked himself, yet he had no doubt that others would be thinking it as well. There he sat, all alone, drinking his beer and frowning upon himself, all while his friends were out on the dance floor.
For one thing, he was glad that those girls had left, although he thought that there might be something wrong with him for having that thought. But now he was left all by himself at this huge table with no one around.
Hell, even Haley had gone out to dance.
But if she hadn't, he was sure that she'd think he was a loser too.
Tapping his fingers lazily on his glass, he watched her move along with the crowd to the music. She was smiling as she danced and he couldn't help but to smile along with her. There was something about her smile that had always made his own lips twitch, even now, when everything between them was a mess.
"And I don't want to forget how your voice sounds"
And as he watched her dance, hips shaking, hair swaying, arms going above her head for a moment as she laughed with Peyton, he was hit with a full on burning ball of desire.
It hit him unexpectedly, making him grip his beer harder and swallow with a new taste in his mouth. God, he wanted her. His eyes memorized every curve of her body through that tight, little dress, making his mouth water and his senses buzz. The hem would ride up, giving him flashes of her neatly tanned thighs. And by then he had to grip the table, in fear that he'd break the glass of his beer.
She was amazing. And there was a time when he could have had her anytime and anyway he wanted her. It wasn't the same now, but just the thought of all the things that she could do made him want her even more.
He imagined touching her, the feel of her skin beneath his hands, his mouth. He had known all the places where she liked to be touched. He still did. And he knew what he could do to her, all the things that she could do to him, which made the fact that she wouldn't be going home with him tonight much harder to come to terms with.
But oh how he wanted her now. A flaming fist of lust balled heatedly in the pit of his stomach, making him squirm in his seat, his eyes never leaving her vibrating body.
And then the taste in his mouth got sour.
"These words are all I have so I'll write them
So you need them just to get by"
Whoa. Hold on, what the...The frown on his face grew, his eyes narrowing. Who the hell was this guy? Nathan wanted to know. Going right up to his wife and placing his hands on her hips. Did he even ask her if he could? Probably not. Rude, arrogant jerk. And what the hell is she smiling about? Doesn't she know that she's practically getting mauled by some impolite stranger? Oh, Haley, you poor naive girl.
Nathan watched, tense, as she turned around and said something to the guy, watching then as the guy smiled back and they continued to dance. Well. That didn't go the way it was supposed to. But it's okay, he mused, she'd probably get bored with him after one song.
One song.
Two songs.
Three songs. They were on the third song and some guy was still grinding his wife! She was still letting him!
Nathan felt anger bubbling within him. Is this what she did every night? Huh? Go out and grind with other guys? Does she smile and flirt with them? His frown increased. Because he didn't think that this little 'break' for them entitled any kind of flirting or smiling. He sure as hell wasn't participating in either.
His eyes were glued to them now, his brows knit and his jaw set. That guy better watch where he's putting his hands, that was Nathan's wife that he was touching. Oh yeah buddy, you just leave them where they are right now, no need to take it any lower. Or better yet, why don't they just come all the way off. Who said you always had to touch during dancing anyways? Some morons, he was sure.
"Just go." Nathan looked up at Tim as he slid into the booth and picked up his own beer, rolling his eyes at the sulking guy and following his gaze. "Go," Tim repeated.
"What hell are you talking about?" Nathan murmured back. As if he didn't already know.
Tim just blew out a laugh, shaking his head. "Go dance with her."
"Who?"
"Haley. Idiot," Tim muttered and sighed. "And you better go now before you burn that guy down with your eyes. You're lookin' pretty dangerous."
"Well then you better mind your business. Huh?" But he seriously considered Tim's idea.
"Why don't you show me the little bit of spine
You've been saving for his mattress,
love"
~*~
"Dance, Dance"
The music rang out loudly in Haley's head, blocking out all of the thoughts and distresses that had been plaguing her all night. It beat out from the speakers and pounded, addictive and arousing as it swirled and smothered the air around her. She allowed her body to let loose with the sounds, feeling the beats seep into her and give her a kick.
The energy flowed through her, giving her lift and a sense of carelessness.. She moved to the music, occasionally catching Peyton's eye and sharing a knowing laugh. It felt so good to just let go of everything, even if only for the moment. Out on the dance floor Haley felt herself forgetting about the constant irks in her life. She forgot about the events that had made up her summer, she forgot her heartache and the many days spent sobbing relentlessly.
And it just felt so good.
"We're falling apart to half time"
Somewhere along the moment she had felt someone move into her space, touching her hips lightly and bumping along with the music with her. Startled at first, she had turned to see a handsome and grinning face. Then, blinking back at him, she stiffened in his grasp and listened as he introduced himself as 'Brad' and had asked her if she'd like to dance with him.
Her first thought had been to decline his offer, considering that she was a married woman and had no particular interest in socializing with anyone else of the male specie. But watching him smile and coax her lightly, she couldn't help but think of how harmless it would be. Plus her deciding factor had been the image of Nathan and those girls. But that was besides the point. So she'd agreed to dance with him and felt him swing her back into the beat.
"Dance, Dance"
Part of her regretfully wished that Nathan could see her right now, she wished that he felt something. Anything. Preferably the jealously and hurt that she had felt seeing him with those girls. But she wasn't here to be picky.
She thought about looking over to see if he was still at his table, but quickly vetoed that idea, knowing that if they happened to lock eyes again, he would know that she was looking at him. And that was just no good.
She was past the third song with Brad and couldn't help but to let her mind wander away from her. She allowed herself to wish that Brad was someone else entirely. Maybe someone with blue eyes, black hair and plays basketball. But she'd keep that thought to herself, knowing that it could only cause trouble. Because obviously her husband didn't want her anymore.
Suddenly she was jolted out of her thoughts when she felt Brad's hands shift from their place on her hips. Slowing her movements, she felt him take his hands completely off of her and sensed him leaving all together. Frowning now, she turned to see what the deal was when she felt another pair of hands slide onto her waist, his body blocking hers from making other further movements to turn around and she felt her breath catch.
Her body jumped into alert now, feeling his hands slide lower on her hips and she willed herself to breathe evenly. His presence surrounded her like it always had before, overpowering and completely addictive. She could smell the cologne on him, the familiar sent that was just so him.
"And these are the lives you'd love to lead"
His hard chest was pressed to her back and she found herself biting hard on her lip, fully aware of the feeling of his body pressed tightly against hers. His hands moved over the thin material of her dress enticingly, the skin beneath it tingling with the sensation. She could feel his breath against the side of her face and had to suck in a breath to keep herself from letting out some pretty embarrassing sounds.
God.
He moved his head down, his lips just a breath away from her ear. "Fancy seeing you here. Couldn't bother to come over and say hello?"
"Because that would have gone over so well," Haley responded, their bodies still moving along with the music.
"I hope you don't mind," he went on say, gripping her hand suddenly and whirling her around until the front of her body collided with his own. Her breathing was haggard and he couldn't keep the smirk off of his face. "I thought that we could dance."
She stared up at him, her deep and wide brown eyes burning back into his own cool blue ones. Her heart beat sped up, pounding unyieldingly against her chest as she fumbled for a catty reply. But she came up with nothing, only able to move her parted lips slightly in her efforts.
"Good." His smirk widened and his eyes turned dark, never leaving her own wild ones. "Then let's dance."
Pressing a hand against the small of her back, he crushed her against him. Their bodies molding together heatedly.
The music hammered down, controlling and taking over the room completely. But all Haley could hear, all she could feel, was Nathan.
"Dance, this is the way they'd love
If they knew how misery loved me"
Her breathing fell into pace with his own but she found it to be jagged, almost desperate. His body moved against hers, enticingly, bewitching. She found herself to be helpless against him, reveling in the feeling of his body.
His hard, muscular chest pressed tightly against her heaving one. She felt his heart beating wildly beneath his rib cage and couldn't resist the pleasure that she felt, knowing that it was her who was causing him this high strung feeling.
The deep blue of his eyes burned down into hers, summoning her, enchanting her. She found herself lost inside them, unable to look away. She saw through them now, almost as if she was looking straight into his thoughts, the pure emotion that he was feeling, they seemed to mirror own.
Their bodies moved and worked against each other, vibrating and sliding against all of the right places, sending both of them into pure oblivion. Her head clouded with the burning desires and teasing pleasures that had taken over her. She couldn't stop the barely familiar, but never forgotten, feelings that flooded her, making her weak and nearly weeping. A hot ball of fire launched its way into her stomach, making her long for the secret pleasures that she had once shared with him.
His hands slid over her, the warmth of his palms felt through the material of the black dress that clung to her. She nearly moaned aloud. Her feelings were stronger now, his presence making her more aware of everything. Every breath, every feeling, every touch was felt now, swimming around in her mind, intoxicating her.
The music bore on and she wasn't even sure how long it had been. She was blinded of everything but him and could barely stand the temptation that was nearly laid before her. She felt all of him, hard and warm, pressed up against her, the contours of his body fitting scorchingly against hers.
"Why don't you show me the little bit of spine
You've been saving for his mattress"
Finally, before she could take it anymore, she felt his body slow and felt him take her hand in his, holding it tightly. Her breathing was still erratic and before she could even formulate the words to ask him what was going on, she felt herself being pulled away from the dance floor.
Mindlessly, she followed him away from the crowd and down a nearly secluded hall. The hall was dim and much quieter than the noise on the dance floor. She felt her nerves sharpen and her head pound. They walked the short distance down the hallway and then she found her back pressed up against it.
His hands came up beside her, one next to her head and the other down by her stomach, sandwiching her in. His own breathing was hard and wild, just like her own and his eyes darkened as they stared down into her own wide ones. She saw the desire and the want as it clouded them, making her breath catch in her throat. He hadn't looked at her like that in a long time. And now she felt both emotions bubbling through her, ready to explode.
Her mind numbed and she searched hopelessly for words to question him. She felt her heart beating furiously and her arms pressed into the wall, her fingers curling. Her lips parted but before she could formulate any words, his own lips were pressed hotly against them.
A strangled noise was all she could manage when she felt his mouth crushed onto hers, silencing all thoughts. Her eyes drifted closed and she immediately brought her hands to his chest, her palms laying flat against it.
The kiss was hot and demanding, neither gentle nor unwanted, but rough and needed as they rushed mindlessly into it. His mouth worked hers in a way that was desperate and full of frustration. Head spinning and heart pounding, Haley let out a moan, his tongue thrusting into her slightly parted lips and diving into the sweet, familiar taste.
Angling his head, he pried her lips open wider, unable to get enough of her. Her fingers fisted into the material of his shirt, her nails biting at the flesh beneath but both were too lost to notice. Their tongues worked against each other, battling relentlessly in a frenzy that had both of their minds pinwheeling away from them.
Lips rubbed, teeth nipped and breaths mingled as the two quickly became lost in their own desires.
His hands were all over her, touching what was once his for the taking, remembering each and every place that had her panting and moaning for more. His need for her sliced through his body like a knife and had him forcing himself against her harder. Her strangled cry only had him pressing harder, unable to control the feelings that were rushing back into him like fire.
She slid her hands up from his chest, wrapping around his neck, her fingers curling into his hair, pulling his head down more so that their mouth were fisted together tightly. Her body arched against him, wanting his hands to touch more, to explore deeper. Her skin felt as if it were aflame, needing to be touched by his scorching hands.
He sleeked his hands up her stomach, sending hot arrows to the covered skin. She gasped as they found their way to her breasts, grasping them possessively and molding them enticingly.
Her breaths were desperate cries now as his mouth left hers and found it's way to the nape of her neck. His lips searched for a particularly sensitive spot and then devoured it, listening to her pleasured moans. He sucked and bit, making sure that his mark was made before he moved back to her lips, taking them over again.
"Nathan," she breathed against his lips and slid her fingers into his hair. "I want you."
He pulled his head back slightly, watching as her eyes reluctantly opened, clouded with lust and want. He searched them with his own hazy eyes before pulling back all together.
"I only want sympathy in the form of you crawling into bed with me"
The loss of contact made her shiver and she blinked the daze away, her eyes filling with confusion. But as she stared back into his she knew and just watched him nod before turning his back to her.
Pushing herself from the wall, she followed him back down the hall and into the crowded main room. Turning his head slightly, he met her gaze before turning back and disappearing from her sight.
Letting on a ragged breath, Haley turned in the opposite direction and started towards the dance floor. Crossing it, she spotted her abandoned table and let out a breath of relief when she saw Peyton sitting there, her fingers drumming impatiently on the table.
When she reached the table the blonde looked up and let out an exasperating huff. "Where did you go?" Peyton queried and sent Haley a disapproving look.
Swallowing hard, Haley grasped her purse from her vacated chair and brought it tightly to her stomach. "I'm going to go," she told Peyton weakly, her breathing still uneven.
"What? Haley..."
"I don't need a ride, I'm all set. I'm...I'm just going. Um, thanks for taking me out tonight," she stumbled over the words and her eyes shot towards the exit, eager to be off the hook and out of there.
"Hales...are you sure?" Peyton asked her, figuring the situation and looking at Haley unsure.
"Yeah--yes, I mean...I'm sure. I have to go. Good night." And with that she was rushing away, pushing through the crowds and finally making her way to the exit.
When she was out of the club, she let out an unsteady breath, her hand reaching up to push away at her disheveled hair. Her eyes skimmed the curbside and she felt her heart skip a beat when she spotted the car.
It looked the same as it always had, old and ugly. But the sight of it had her almost smiling because despite it's awkward appearance, she loved that wreck of a car. Always had, since the day he had brought it home. Her lips twitched as she remembered that day, the day when he had surprised her with it from work and then had somehow coaxed her into 'christening' the car, which in his mind was to have sex in the front and back seats. She nearly chuckled right then at the thought but quickly swallowed it, reminding herself that a lot had changed since that blissful day.
On shaky legs, she walked over to the car and swung the door open, her eyes glancing at Nathan's face as she slid in and closed the door behind her. He was staring straight ahead, his eyes never prying themselves from the road as she climbed in. His hands gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles and Haley felt her heart beat speed up. Taking her eyes away from his stoic face, she stared out the window as he drove away from the curb.
The drive from the club was done in silence, the tension in the car deathly aware to both of them and nearly suffocating. He had been sure to keep his eyes on the road and she'd been certain to keep her head turned away from him. It would seem to anyone that the two of them either hated each other or were just plain uncomfortable within the other's presence.
"Dance, Dance
We're falling apart to half time
Dance, Dance
And these are the lives you'd love to lead"
But running through both of them were thoughts of uncertainty, clouded by the overpowering lust. Their heads and bodies swirled with needs and desires, they yearned for the feelings that hadn't been felt in so long. And they didn't think that they had ever wanted the other so fiercely.
So when Nathan had pulled into the apartment complex that had once been theirs and was now hers, they were both eager to get upstairs. Quickly pushing at the car doors and escaping the car, the two hastily walked up the stairs and down the hall, in complete silence.
"Dance this is the way they'd love"
As soon as the door was opened their mouths were fused together and they were all but hurled against the now closed door.
Panting and unable to keep herself from kissing him, Haley moved her hands to the collar of his shirt, her lips leaving his only to quickly be pressed back against them. Her fingers fumbled with the tiny buttons of his shirt and she let out a frustrated moan as the buttons fought with her.
Unable to be steady himself, Nathan was all but crushing her into the door and kissing her wildly. His hands fisted in her hair, bringing her head up so that his mouth could devour hers. Her panting moans only encouraged him on and he found himself yanking urgently on her hair, slamming her head back against the wood and getting pleasure out of the stunned gasp that left her lips.
He remembered vividly what it had been like to be with her. So many lonely nights he had longed for her to be next to him. More for her to be beneath him bucking wildly as he drove her into madness. He could picture the look on her face as he pleasured her, it consumed him. And right now it was a driving force that had taken him over.
"Dance this is the way they'd love
If they knew how misery loved me"
Madly spinning her away from the door, Nathan started them down the hall, discarding his opened shirt on the way. His hand came behind her head, fisting tighter in her hair and training her mouth back to his, leaving them both breathless. His other hand grasped at her leg. Moving upwards on her thigh and sliding over the hot, smooth skin.
She whimpered loudly as his hand fleeted upwards, sending her skin into flames and begging to be touched. They stumbled back noisily into another wall, her back hitting harshly, but both too caught up to notice. He used the solidity to hoist her up, groaning when her thin, limber legs twined around his waist and she ground into him.
Her now swollen lips left his to attack his neck and jaw line, nipping and sucking and sending him into shudders of bliss. Both of his hands sleeked up her legs now, coming to the hem of her dress and pushing it up impatiently. He threw his head back at the sensation she was giving him and his palms cupped her ass. Kneading it, he backed them away from the wall.
Stumbling down the hallway and hitting the walls a few more times, Nathan finally maneuvered them into the bedroom. Her panting breaths filled the room as she worked her mouth down his chest, wiggling when she could go no more because of her position. Frustrated and high off of her nerves, Haley unwrapped her legs from his waist and let them hit the ground.
Finally able to get better access to him, her lips went back to his chest. Groaning loudly, he used his fingers to locate the zipper on the back of her dress and struggled to pull it downwards. Gritting his teeth and hissing out an impatient breath, he tugged harder at the zipper when it refused to budge.
"Jesus," he bit out, his large hands fumbling with the small object that refused to move.
Sensing his frustration, Haley halted her own movements to pull away from him. Gasping for air, she pushed from his arms and opened her eyes to him. Her chest was heaving and her eyes were wide with myriads of desires and emotions.
Then, taking them both off guard, she proceeded, pushing him down hard onto the bed. She was immediately on top of him, straddling his waist and leaning above him, her dress sliding up further with the position. Teasing. Taunting. Sitting upright now, she reached behind her to slide down the zipper of her dress.
His hand reached up to help hers, slipping down the smooth, bare skin that was newly uncovered. Their eyes never leaving one another's. This moment lasted not even a minute, neither speaking, her hair curtaining her face, his fingers matching up with hers.
And then she blinked and all serenity had vanished. The night turned back into a feisty game of desire and greed, of love and hate.
Her dress was soon discarded and she worked furiously on the belt buckled on his pants, forgetting all about the slow, tantalizing love making that they used to do. She now forgot about the gentle touches and long, languid kisses in the dark. There was no more spooning, no more giggling. Now there was just the needy, animal lust that had taken over the both of them, their inner desires that had been held in for so long.
So now she concentrated on the feeling of his lips on hers and the way that his body slid heatedly against her own, the friction sending sparks through the air. She screamed when his hands found their way between her legs and when his fingers drove her over the edge of oblivion. She bucked wildly when his body moved on top of her.
And later, she cried bitterly when she laid alone in the bed that they had once shared.
"Dance, Dance
Dance, Dance
Dance, Dance
Dance, Dance"
Chapter 3
There was a furious and unyielding pounding in her head when Haley woke up, making her temples ache and her ears burn. She squinted her eyes tightly and groaned, wishing that the pounding would cease. God, was it loud. And it seemed to only get louder and faster with each passing second.
Taking a severe risk, Haley allowed her eyes to open the slightest bit, looking up at the ceiling through her eye lashes. Then, when she decided that it might be safe, her eyes drifted all the way open and took a quick survey of the room. Widening and then closing again tightly, she covered them and let out a restless whimper.
It could now be determined that last night was in no way a dream, illusion or mirage. With clothes strewn recklessly on the floor and the sheets twisted half around her and half off of the bed, she now had prove that she had in fact slept with her husband. Oh, the horror.
And when would the pounding stop?
She thought that it must be her karma that was doing this to her. Originally she hadn't been too much of a believer in all of that kind of thing, but lately she found herself blaming just about everything on it. Why not, right? I mean it made sense, 'you get what you deserve' and all of that kind of thing. And she definitely deserved all that she got, it's just that she was sick to death of it all. When would everything just get better?
...Like this insistent banging in her head. Ow. Annoying.
"Haley."
Oh, god, now she was going crazy and her head was calling out to her. She thought that maybe she should take a trip to the crazy doctor to get some kind of medicine for this kind of thing, it probably wasn't normal.
And why was the sun so bright today? Just happily shining through her window in the earliest hours of the morning when any sane person would be snoozing and dreaming and not having thoughts of lunacy and questioning their own stability. Karma. Had to be the karma. It was like the sun just knew how screwed up she was and it was mocking her. Mocking her. She could barely believe it.
"Haley!
And now it was yelling! Yelling! At her! Now this was just ridiculous.
"Haley, open the door!"
Open the...oh for Pete's sake. Blinking her eyes completely awake, she jolted upright and groaned loudly. The Gods hated her today.
Sliding her legs off of the bed and pushing herself completely off, she walked from the room and stumbled with tired feet to the front door. Then, swinging the door open, she was met with a frowning face and was nearly hit with a raised fist that had obviously been intended for the wood at her back.
And the pounding ceased.
"Where have you been? Why didn't you answer the door?"
Why so many questions? Haley wondered but decided to keep her mouth shut.
"I didn't hear you, I was sleeping. And what the hell are you doing here so early? I mean, don't the same rules apply for here that you laid out to me that time I arrived at your house before 9?" Haley wondered and rambled on accusingly.
Peyton gave her a wry smile and rolled her eyes, pushing her way past Haley into the apartment. "Yeah, they do. It's one in the afternoon, sunshine. Where've you been?"
"One?!" Haley shrieked and whirled around to the clock on the stove. "In the afternoon?" Pushing the door closed behind her, she then covered her cheeks with her hands and stumbled forward. "Where I have been?"
"Apparently you were sleeping." And then Peyton let out a snort. "Late night?"
"Uhh." Her hand went to her head. "I guess I was just really tired." She let out a shaky breath. "I haven't been sleeping well."
"Yeah, you must have been real worn out," the blonde said snidely and watched Haley frown.
"Bug crawl up your butt this morning, Peyt?" Haley bit out sweetly, walking over to the refrigerator where she took out a bottle of water.
"I'm just trying to get the facts straight...I mean I am safe to assume that he didn't just drive you home to be the good Samaritan that he is. He must've gotten something out of it." She smirked grimly.
With her eyes trained on Peyton's frowning expression over the water bottle, Haley simply shrugged.
"What? I take you out to forget about him, you ditch me and then I don't get all the messy details?" The blonde placed her hands on her hips and leaned against the counter across from Haley.
Bringing the water bottle from her lips and capping it slowly, Haley let her gaze lock with Peyton's and sighed. "No messy details," she promised and opened the fridge to return her bottle.
"Right." Her lips thinned. "And I'm supposed to believe that he pulled up to the curb, let you out and drove away without anything in between."
"You can believe whatever you want," Haley assured her simply. "But I'm still not dishing out the details."
"Fine." Peyton blew out a breath of mild frustration. "But I was just wondering if anything was resolved for your sake."
Closing her eyes briefly and turning so that her back was to her friend, Haley rested her palms flat on the counter top and spoke again, quieter and shakier this time. "Do you see him here?"
Sticking her tongue in her cheek, Peyton shook her head at Haley's back. "No. So I guess that that's my answer...and from that tone I can also guess that you're not too happy with that."
"I don't know what I am...but it doesn't matter. He left and made his choice...and I guess it's mine too."
"Because that's what you want? Or because that's what he already choose?"
"Because that's my only choice." Turning to face Peyton now, Haley's lips formed a ghost of a smile and she could only shrug. "I messed up my life Peyton...now I'm just living with the consequences."
~*~
"Good morning, sunshine!"
The loud and obnoxious voice had Nathan groaning and mumbling into the pillow he was currently laying upon, wishing that he could just sink into the mattress and sneak in a few more barely peaceful hours of the slumber that he had just been woken out of. Lifting up a hand to his face, he rubbed it tiredly down from his forehead to his chin and then back up again, still muttering incoherent thoughts.
Squinting into the light of the room, he took a chance and rolled from his stomach to his back and took a heady fall onto the floor, taking his sheets with him. Now fully awake and blinking the tiredness away from his eyes, he stared up at the grinning figure that remained at the foot of his bed.
"Luke, that was the gayest thing I have ever heard, don't ever say it again," Nathan blew out to him and a frown set on his face as he struggled with the sheets to get up off of the floor. Flopping back down on the bed, he listened to his brother's easy chuckle and rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here anyways?"
Lucas sent Nathan an amused stare and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Getting you out of bed for starters," he told the darker hair boy, who simply snorted at that. "It's mid afternoon and your mom was getting worried."
Nathan's eyes shot back to his brothers and he let out a sigh. "And she couldn't come in here herself?"
"I think she figured that I'd be a better match for you when you try and take off my head for breaking you away from your Haley-filled dreams," Lucas teased and watched Nathan's eyes darken.
"Well now I'm certainly thinking about it," Nathan muttered.
"The other reason was to get you up for the game at the Rivercourt this afternoon." Smirking to himself, Lucas leaned back against Nathan's dresser and eyed his younger brother. "Just want to make sure you're fully awake when my team kicks your team's ass."
Rolling his eyes and pushing himself up to his elbows, Nathan met Lucas's cocky stare with his own disbelieving one and scoffed. "Oh, please. You only wish."
"That right little brother?" Lucas challenged him. "Then why don't you get some clothes on and we'll deal this out on the court."
After Lucas had gone and left him to get ready, Nathan dropped back down onto the bed and covered his face with his hands, sighing outwardly. It had been a full week since he had snuck out of Haley's bed and into the dark and lonely night, and in that entire week he couldn't seem to take his mind off of it. Although he hadn't seen or heard from her within the long seven days, she had somehow found a way to take up his thoughts.
That night after the club had turned into something that neither had expected, but both had equally wanted. And then, as soon as it had happened, it was over...and he was gone. He knew that leaving was a cowardly move. He knew that he was just running away from the reality. But at the time...and even now he supposed, it was the only thing he could think to do.
If he had stayed...well that would just mean that they both would have had to deal with the morning after, and that was something he was sure that neither wanted to do. So to avoid the awkward and uncomfortable day after, he had simply left...which would technically make it a one night stand...but he was going to let that pass since they were married...and that just shows how screwed up they really were.
And now he was just living on his last nerve with it all, grateful for the distractions of basketball which had kept him busy for the most part of the week. And still...He just couldn't seem to shake her from his mind. From the moment that he had approached her in the club he had been completely intoxicated by her. The rush of wants and desires had slammed into him like a fist and he had vividly remembered what it had been like.
Even now, just thinking about it made him grit his teeth and wish that he had time for a cold shower. And just that fact seemed to rub him the wrong way. After all that had happened and all that she had put him through, he was supposed to hate her. He wanted to hate her...he needed to hate her. And as much as he tried he still couldn't seem to brush her off of his skin. She was everywhere; his thoughts, his dreams, under his skin.
And everything was just too confusing for him to deal with. He didn't know what the meaning of that night had been. Alll he knew was that it was a mistake. And he was sure that she would agree to that. They had let their jumbled feelings and active hormones get the best of them and had completely lost all of their sense. And that, he was sure, would not happen again.
So as he got dressed and tried to push these thoughts from his mind, he chalked their night up to their deprived and raging sex drives. Because as much as he silently wished, he knew that things were far from resolved with him and Haley...and he knew that he wasn't ready for them to be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Knock knock, anyone home?" Snorting a giggling laugh to herself, Brooke proceeded to push the door open and allowed herself to walk in. Stepping into the quiet apartment and closing the door behind her, she looked around quizzically and blinked, confused, when she didn't see anyone. "Hello?"
Taking the silence as an invitation, she continued further in and tapped lightly on the bedroom door, sticking her head in when it slid open.
"Tutorwife," she sing-songed and frowned when she found the room empty. Hearing a noise from the connecting bathroom, her lips pursed and she listened to the sound of the shower running. Rolling her eyes and letting out a miffed sigh, she turned the door knob and opened the door, the steam from the shower hitting her face. "Geez, is that water up hot enough?" Letting out a feigned cough, she waved her hand at the steam.
From inside the shower Haley let out a shriek and swung the shower door open, her eyes wide and alarmed as she stared at the less amused intruder. "Brooke!" She immediately swung the door closed again and let out a gasping breath. "You're in my bathroom! And I'm taking a shower! I--I'm naked!"
"So I saw when you just gave me that free show," Brooke replied back, leaning back against the sink and looking down at her manicure, deciding that it was time to give the salon another visit sometime soon. "Thanks for that, by the way. The guys at our school will be very jealous." She chuckled in spite of herself.
"That is not funny!" Haley blew out, spitting a mouthful of water out. "What are you doing here?"
"Um, hello? We're supposed to be going shopping today," the brunette pointed out, rolling her eyes again.
"So?! I don't like--like, walk in when you're taking a shower!"
"Hmm, are you mad that I saw you first?" Brooke wondered, perplexed. "Because if you want a look, I'd be happy to let you know I take my showers between 9 and 9:15 everyday--"
"Brooke!"
At Haley's frustrated and angered yell, she couldn't stifle the laugh that bubbled up from her throat and sighed thoughtfully, pleased with herself. "Fine, fine, if I had known that you were such a nazi on nakedness, I would have knocked. But since I'm already here, and you're late, mind you, let me just tell you that we're not going shopping anymore."
"I'm not late," Haley bit back at her, scrubbing the shampoo out of her hair furiously. "I have at least 15 minutes before we were supposed to meet."
"Well, whatever," Brooke decided easily. "I'm here and you're not ready so that makes you late."
Rolling her eyes, Haley gave up and reached for the conditioner. "Well if we're not going shopping then where are we going?"
Lips pursed and fingers drumming on the porcelain of the sink, Brooke paused thoughtfully and debated on how she should go about telling Haley. Finally after a longer pause than anticipated, the brunette cleared her throat. "Well as you know, the guys have been having like this mini-tournament at the Rivercourt--"
"No, I didn't know that," Haley interrupted and didn't get to see Brooke frown.
"Oh." She tapped her manicured nail against her lip. "Well they are. You know how it goes," she rambled on. "Boys get bored when they're deprived of sex and have no place to be during the summer. So naturally their alternative of choice is basketball. They have this competition going on, like there are teams and they all play each other and blah, blah, blah eventually someone wins the competition."
"That's just wonderful, Brooke," Haley deadpanned. "I'm glad you interrupted my shower to tell me that."
Scoffing, Brooke made a face directed towards the shower and took a deep breath. "As it happens, today is the final game and whoever's team wins is the winner of the whole thingie."
"Alright?"
"And it just so happens that Lucas's team made it into the finals and is playing today..."
"And it probably also happens that you told him you'd be there to cheer him on," she guessed as she rinsed her hair.
"Yes...it does...and, I did--but that's why I'm here," Brooke quickly put in. "I'm taking you with me, we can both cheer him on! After all, I'm sure Lucas could use all the support he can get," she teased.
"You know you're probably right Brooke, but I'd rather not spend my day sweltering under the sun and watching a bunch of boys put a ball through a hoop."
"It's a wonder how you could have managed to marry the team's star player," Brooke murmured to herself and then let out an audible sigh. "But Haley," she whined.
"Brooke really, like it's cool that you want to ditch me for Lucas. I know that you two have the whole sexual tension/ barely resistible chemistry thing going on."
"Oh ew, I don't like the way you put that at all," the darker haired girl decided and scowled.
From inside the shower, Haley let out a laugh and rolled her eyes, turning behind her to switch the water off. "Look," she started as she reached her hand out to snatch a towel. "It's cool, really. Go watch Lucas get all hot and sweaty and pretend like you really just came to support his team. We can shop another time." She appeared from the shower now, wrapped tightly in a towel and pushed a smile on her face for Brooke.
"And we will," Brooke immediately agreed, following Haley as she padded out of the bathroom and into the adjoining bedroom. "But the thing is Haley, I want to hang out with you today, even if we're not going shopping."
"Mmm, I know." Haley walked over to her dresser, opening up the top drawer and pulling out some clothes. "But the thing is, Brooke," she mocked, turning her head to meet the other girl's gaze. "You're going to be at the game and I'm probably just going to be here, so it'll be a little bit difficult to hang out with me today."
"Hales, you're always at home. You never go anywhere or do anything...and it's the summer! We have no school and are free to do whatever we want, yet, you spend all of your time sitting on front of the tv watching Dawson's Creek."
"I don't watch it all of the time," she murmured and didn't miss Brooke's frown.
"Yes, you do."
"No I don't."
"Well, whatever." The brunette groaned loudly. "You have to come today, it'll be fun."
"I don't want to"
"You don't want to hang out with me?" Brooke whined, knowing that she'd corner Haley into agreeing.
"Of course, I want to hang out with you, Brooke," Haley told her friend, her face softening and a smile playing her lips.
"Then you'll come."
"No."
"But..." Her eyebrows sharpened into a frown and she blew out an exasperating breath. Okay, it was time to bring out the real stuff. She was done trying to nicely persuade Haley, the girl was just too damn stubborn. And who could resist some good and dark guilt? "You know you haven't really been around much lately," Brooke tried and watched the smile disappear from Haley's face and she inwardly cheered herself on. "In fact, I recall a certain incident where you left without a trace...remember?" Her lips curved into a dirty grin.
"Brooke."
"You didn't even bother to say goodbye," she recalled pointedly. When Haley stayed silent she only continued, "That really hurt me, Hales. Is that what our friendship means to you?"
When the silence wore on, Brooke knew that she had her. Stifling her cheer of victory, she watched as Haley lifted a brow and shook her head. "You're a nasty, dirty bitch, Davis."
"So you'll go?"
Sending her friend a suffocating glare, Haley turned on her heel and stalked off to the bathroom, the slam of the door stifling Brooke's snicker of triumph.
~*~
The Rivercourt was hot. No, it wasn't just hot, it was like sweltering, burn-an-egg-on-a-sidewalk hot...which, in case you didn't know is like the worst form of hot there is. And it just so happens that there is little to no shade at this fine recreational area. So when Haley got out of Brooke's car and was hit with the bright and boiling sun, she thought that she might cry...or just murder Brooke for taking her there.
Lucky for her, the bubbly brunette thought to throw in some icy water bottles and some lawn chairs to set up beneath the one and only tree that shaded the court. (She also was sure to bring some tanning oil and some sparkly markers to make a sign for Lucas, but Haley didn't see herself needing either.)
So after their spot was set up, complete with the chairs, the shade and the water bottles, Haley sat back and let out the breath that she had been holding, deciding that it wasn't going to be as bad as she had originally thought. And then all of her peace was spitefully shattered when the familiar gray car pulled up, out stepping her husband, fully dressed in his basketball clothes.
Apparently Brooke had forgotten to mention that Nathan's team was playing too.
His eyes flickered up and caught sight of her, they didn't even linger a moment before he went over to slap the hands of the guys. Rolling her eyes in spite of everything, Haley grumbled to herself and picked up a water bottle. Let the games begin.
~*~
No, no, no...no! Damn! Haley's lips turned downward as she watched the orange ball slide through the hoop, hitting the ground with a bounce and sending it's team mates cheering. One more point for Luke's team, she mused bitterly to herself. Couldn't they just stop scoring?
Not that she had a problem with them scoring or anything, it wasn't like she was cheering for Nathan's team. No, oh no that definitely wasn't it. It was just simply that she wanted this ridiculously long game to end. The two teams had been battling it out for two hours! Now the score was too close to call anyone the winner and both teams just kept scoring and evening out the points. It was getting a bit frustrating. Especially since it was clear that Nathan's team was better, hands down. Not that she was rooting for them...or watching them for that matter.
No, her eyes were definitely set on Lucas's team and all of their glorious skills. But would it kill them to just hand the ball off once and a while? Because if so, then maybe she wouldn't still be here sweating her ass off in this heat. And so much for Brooke's water bottles, those were gone within the first half hour because it turns out that Brooke had actually brought them to share...meaning with Lucas, who had finished his own before the game had even begun...and then he had proceeded on and had two of Brooke's.
So now, she was probably dehydrated and had sun stroke. She'd probably just keel over right now in her tiny little lawn chair.
But, trying to keep her mind off of her current health state, Haley kept her eyes focused on the game before her, further blocking out Brooke's cheers of triumph for Luke's team. And how did this girl have so much energy anyways? It was like 200 degrees out!
Of course, she seemed to be the only one who was complaining about it...not that she had anyone to complain to...but inwardly she was practically screaming at the heat. Everyone else was having just a grand old time in this weather, whether they were cheering or playing, they were all just ecstatic.
Well...maybe not Nathan, he looked a little tense. Okay, he looked a lot tense, like he wanted to kill the ball...or kill someone who was playing with the ball, you could never really tell with him. In fact, he'd looked like this throughout the entire game, like someone had kicked his dog before hand or something. It was kind of scary actually, the way he was so intently into the game. And it was also kind of...well, hot.
Hot. He was hot. And hot wasn't exactly the word that she should be labeling him right now, considering...well, everything, but she really couldn't help it. Because honestly, the guy was hot. He was sexy, he was fine, he was a myriad of adjectives in her head. And she really just couldn't take her eyes off of him.
In fact, she was probably drooling as she watched him move about the court, dribbling and jogging...sweating and panting. Oh, all the bad thoughts that raced through her mind. It was a shame all of that water was gone, she could really use something to cool her off right now. But who could blame her? The guy was one fine piece of ass.
And to further make her drool, some time throughout the game his shirt had been stripped off, leaving her to pant over his toned up and tanned chest. And god had those muscles grown in the time that she'd been away, she was now actually wondering how long she had been gone. Because...well, yum. Just yum.
Her husband was walking sex.
And speaking of sex, neither of them had spoken to each other since their little interlude a whole week ago! Not that either of them would know what to say, or at least Haley was sure that she wouldn't, but it was just...strange, for lack of a better word, being around him and watching him after everything. Stranger still that by watching him and being around him made her want to jump right back into bed with him...but that was something that hadn't and probably wouldn't change.
What did it all mean anyway? She had tried so hard in the past week to take her mind off of it that she had ignored the prodding questions that still boggled her mind. Why had he slept with her when he doesn't even like her? What did it mean, the two of them attacking each other like horny animals? Which is precisely what they are...but that's besides the point.
She still couldn't figure out what it all meant...or what happened next, if anything. Their relationship was far more screwed up now, that was for sure. At first they just hated each other and now...now they hated each other but had engaged in sexual pastimes. Hmm, definitely more complicated than she could handle. Especially when she wanted nothing else but another round. Down girl.
~*~
Nathan watched as the ball sank through the hoop, the sound of it bouncing stifled by the loud whoops of victory coming from his team. A ghostly smile appeared around his lips, the first real one that day and he inwardly cheered for their win.
Turning, he watched his team members barrel towards him, welcoming them as they proceeded to launch themselves on top of him, yelling and laughing. He spotted Lucas throughout the chaos and gave him a cocky smirk, shrugging at the victory and watching his brother's teasing glare shooting back at him.
And it was then that his eyes flickered towards Haley and their gazes locked for the briefest of seconds, broken when she turned to pick up the lawn chair and gather her things. He swallowed hard as he watched her for another lingering moment, forcing his eyes away finally. It did him no good to be looking at her like that, not when everything between them was more screwed up than it had ever been.
He had no idea what had happened between them last week...well okay, he knew exactly what had happened, he just didn't know how it had happened...okay no, he knew that too but--but whatever, it had messed their messy situation up even more. And he didn't know what he had been thinking that night--damn, yes he did--he had been thinking about how hot she'd looked and how long it had been since he'd had sex.
But in any case, it did them no good...except for those amazing hours spent under the sheets...or in their case, above the sheets.
He had gotten sucked up in her, as he had done many times and through the process he had some how lost his control. Only to be woken up, not an hour later, finding himself staring up at the ceiling and feeling the equal urges to scream and yell about how wrong it was...and to do it all again. So in the end, he'd done neither. Instead he'd simply bolted, grabbing his clothes and rushing out the front door, barely stopping to catch his breath until he got home.
And then once home he found the reality much harsher and tried to soothe himself with a cold shower.
The woman was simply an addiction. He had no escape. And it didn't matter if she'd reached into his chest and tore out his heart, then proceeded to step all over it. She could run him over with a truck and then back up to do it again and if he was still alive then he'd probably want her even more. He was completely lost in her...and she had no idea what she did to him. Not a clue.
Which was good for him, considering that he didn't want her to know of this advantage that she had over him. So he'd just keep the said things to himself. That way, maybe in the end he'd still have at least a tiny piece of his heart left.
With his final goodbyes to his teammates and opponents, Nathan excused himself from the gathering crowd and made his way over to the car. Opening the trunk, he hastily shoved in his bag and ball, slamming it shut harshly...at the very same time as someone else.
Whirling around, he was met with a wide eyed brown stare...and then suddenly everything got uncomfortable.
The two continued to stare at each other for a moment or two, neither knowing exactly what to do, until finally she spoke and broke the tension.
"So um, nice game," Haley offered weakly, cursing inwardly at herself for sounding so pathetic.
He simply shrugged back, facing her head on and shoving his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, well...uh thanks."
"Yeah." Nod. "No problem." Awkward silence. "You um...played good."
"Yeah..." He looked away, shuffling his feet before her. "Thanks for coming to watch."
"Well, Brooke kind of dragged me..." she trailed off. "It was a good game."
Finally he looked up and met her weary gaze. "So, this is pathetic."
She nearly let out a sigh of relief, but instead laughed in spite of herself. "Yeah, it really is."
"How are you?"
"I um, I'm good." She pushed a smile onto her face for him, his deep, blue eyes soaking into hers. "Are you? You looked a little tense." When he raised a brow she nearly cursed out loud at herself. "I mean, I was watching you--well, I wasn't you know, watching you but I was um, generally watching the game and of course you were there--playing and so naturally I was watching you and..."
And--and--and he had no idea what she was saying because he was watching her lips. God they were amazing, full and soft. They were moving a million miles an hour right now but all he could think was how good they would feel against his own. He could practically taste them from there. And then when she would bite down lightly on the bottom one, pulling the soft red of it between her teeth...just like she was doing now. He was quickly losing it again.
"Haley," he cut off her ramblings with a single word and she blinked up to his gaze in surprise.
"Uh huh?" She felt her cheeks heat from the way that he was looking at her. "I was rambling...wasn't I?" When he said nothing she let out a weak laugh. "Ahem." She cleared her throat and felt her hands fidgeting with each other. "What were we talking about?"
"We were done talking." And with that his lips were on hers.
He felt her suck in a breath but ignored the reaction, pressing his mouth fully down onto hers. Her lips felt just as he had imagined, warm and soft, deep and seductive. They softened under his, giving in to his demand and opening for him. He dove deeper with each surrender, taking from her what was readily given.
Her breathing was hitched, her lips malleable, and he pushed against them, clouding her mind and making her body weak with need. Her hand came up and gripped onto his shirt, needing to grasp onto something to steady herself. His lips were rough on her own, reckless and demanding. And she gave into them, fighting back herself, pushing and biting.
He tasted like dangerous desire, a mixture that was both alluring and addictive. She found herself both allured and addicted, completely sucked up in him. Her hands slid up to his neck, gripping and pulling at the hair on the back of it. She forced his head down more, giving herself better access as their lips fought. His tongue thrust into her mouth and she could nearly taste her own moan, knowing that he had. His fingers dug in at her waist, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath the thin material of her shirt. He desperately wanted it off.
Her breathing was labored, her mind frazzled. He backed her up towards the car and they both felt it when her back hit the metal, her wince turning into a moan when his hand sleeked up her tank top. Her skin was heated from the afternoon sun, his hand warm on it and making it nearly elite with fire.
It was too much, he could barely take it. He felt wants and desires swell up inside of him, ready to burst. He didn't know how much longer he could take it, he needed her. All of her. And if she didn't stop her hands from wandering any further down then he'd be forced to take her right there.
Her tongue slid over his upper lip, licking and eliciting a groan from his throat. She smiled at the sound and bit down slowly, sucking on the skin until she felt his fingers curl into a fist. His mind reeled with each movement, taking in the sensation and...and realizing how ultimately wrong it was. What were they doing anyways, teasing each other like this? What good would come from messing this up even more?
He had no idea what they were doing and he knew that they had to stop, there would be no repeats of last week. He just had to...he just had to somehow stop...that might be a little hard, considering that she was currently sucking on his neck and he currently had his hands working to get underneath her bra.
God, it felt good. But it was wrong. So wrong. Who were they kidding? They couldn't do this again. This didn't make things better. And no matter how good it felt...no matter how much he wanted it, and boy did he want it...they shouldn't--couldn't be doing this. He just had to somehow get his head straight.
"Haley," Nathan managed, his voice coming out weak sounding and hoarse...not exactly the forceful tone that he was hoping for but it would have to do. "Haley."
"Hmm?" Her murmur was mindless, her mouth working hard on the heated skin of his neck, sucking and biting until it was red and throbbing. He groaned at the painful pleasure of it.
"This is..." Trailing off he pushed a fist against the car, now fully aware of how perfectly her body seemed to be molded with his, pressing against all of the right places. He could barely breathe. "We can't..." Apparently unfazed by this, Haley moved her lips up his throat, nipping lightly at the skin and pressing her mouth to his hammering pulse. His knuckles turned white. "This is wrong."
"Mmm." Her teeth sunk into his ear lobe and teased it, knowing exactly what it did to him. "But it feels so good." Her voice was barely a whisper, her hot breath hitting the damp skin and sending white hot arrows of pleasure towards his groin. Whoa, he needed a time out.
"Haley," he nearly panted out, trying to get a hold of the hands that were wandering a bit too far down on him. "We have to stop--we can't--we just can't."
"Yes, we can." She moved her body more flush into his, smirking when she saw his eyes roll to the back of his head.
"No." Finally, forcing some control into himself, he stepped back from her, keeping her hands firmly in his own and trying to calm his breath. "It's wrong."
"Why does it always have to be wrong?" she questioned, her eyes swimming with sharp desire.
"Haley," he warned.
"What?" She sent him a teasing smile and bit her lip, knowing full well what his eyes were firmly on. "Come on," she coaxed huskily. "I know you want it too."
"I..." He swallowed hard, nearly kicking himself in the balls right there for saying no to this. "It's wrong, we can't."
"We did it before," she pointed out, still smiling, knowing that she had the upper hand in this.
"We...that was a mistake."
His words hit her hard and she pushed away the urge to close her eyes and look away from him, knowing that, that would only show him her weakness. Swallowing the lump that had found it's way into her throat, she pushed on a fake smile, now fully determined to break him. "But it felt so good." She managed to free one of her hands from his grasp and slid it slowly down his chest, a cat like grin curving onto her lips. "Remember."
"Yes, I..." He nearly sighed. "Don't make this harder than it already is."
"What's so hard about it? Besides you I mean." She smirked and ran her hand along the wasit band of his shorts. "We both know that you've already lost." She moved in closer to him.
"Hales..."
The short and sweet nickname rang in her ears and she felt her breath hitch. Blinking quickly to push away any threatening tears, she leaned up and pressed urgent kisses to his lips. "Come over tonight," she murmured between them, following up to press her lips hastily against his. She felt her heart beating faster by the second, her emotions teetering very close to the edge. God, she needed him. Needed him more than she'd ever admit.
"I..I can't," he barely managed, his voice as broken and shallow as hers.
"Come over," she repeated, her kisses desperate this time as her hand clutched his shirt. "Just...just be with me."
Her lips were pressed so tightly to his that he could almost feel the raw emotion that was pulsing through her. The pain was apparent on her lips, mixed in with the dark sweetness that he found himself addicted too. He felt his heart break, just a little as he stood there kissing her, his only movement was nodding his head as he gripped her by the hair and held on tighter.
And then he felt her pull herself abruptly away, shaking her head and pressing her finger tips to her lips.
And then she was gone, meeting up with Brooke who was skipping happily towards her, oblivious to everything that had just happened. He watched as the two girls made their way back to Brooke's car, chattering away and strolling joyfully. And he watched Haley push a smile onto her face, it never really reaching her eyes...and as he felt his heart clench and his throat tighten, her gaze flickered onto his, but only for the briefest of seconds before she slid into Brooke's car and drove out of sight. The taste of her still lingering on his lips.
It remained there as he later drove the all too familiar route to the apartment, knowing the mistake he was about to make but not able to find it in himself to stop. He parked the car and walked up the stairs, knowing what lay before him. He knew that he shouldn't do it, he knew that nothing good would come out of it and he knew that it wasn't the answer to their problems.
But he also knew that he was weak when it came to her...and he knew that he'd do anything to be closer to her, even if nothing changed between them. He just needed her.
And with those thoughts on his mind, he knocked on the door, waiting nervously for it to open. When it finally did, all thoughts vanished from his mind and were replaced by the need and desire that came with her lips against his.
Holding her tightly, desperately, he kicked the door shut behind them.
