My Best Friend's Brother

Chapter Three: Carli

HOLY FUCK. This is not what was supposed to happen. I had just turned the corner and now suddenly here I am, my face planted in his muscular chest. His incredibly tanned, taut, beating chest that is still glistening from the shower. I breathe in his scent, and I smell something familiar - Jesus, did he use my soap? The very thought sends heat spiralling towards my centre, and I jump back involuntarily. 

His eyes are wide and as he looks over me, I see them glint with something dangerous. My breathing quickens. He is holding the towel in place with one hand at his hip, and I have to force myself not to follow the v of his hips any further down. That could get us both in trouble. Instead, I focus on his other hand, which is running through his damp hair. He gives me a sheepish grin.

"Hey, sorry about that", he chuckles awkwardly, "did you need something? Bathroom's free if you wanna use it". Now I'm confused, and I take a step backwards. I must have been wrong... but I could have sworn I heard him. Shaking my head to calm myself, I smile back up at him.

"No, it's... it's nothing", I say, "I just, um, thought I heard you call my name. I figured you might have needed me for something". I feel a blush creep up my cheeks as I realise how that must sound to him, still standing in just a towel, but he doesn't seem to notice. In fact, he has turned a deep shade of mauve himself. 

He is looking anywhere but up at me, and looks like he wants to crawl into himself. what the fuck? I'm the one who should be embarrassed. and that is when it hits me. He had called out my name. 

Butterflies fill my stomach and I chew on my bottom lip so hard it feels like I might punch a hole through it. Is it possible that he wants me too? The way he looked at me earlier, and the expression on his face right now. But he never showed any sign that he felt the same way I did in school, and then there was Imogen...  I come crashing back to reality as I remember Imogen. Last I heard, they were still together. Am I seriously delusional enough to think that I could compete with her?

Suddenly, it's as though there's a shift, and Darren's eyes lock onto mine. He still seems nervous, but it's a different kind of nerves... his anticipation is palpable. He reaches his hand towards me again, just as he did earlier to pry my bottom lip from between my teeth, but this time his caresses are more bold. 

Before I know it, he's walking me backwards and I'm pressed up against the wall opposite the bathroom. A fire ignites in my core - I've never felt this way before. He leans in so close that his breath flutters across my cheeks, his eyes darkening as they hold me captive with his intense gaze. I realise, without having spoken a word, that I am ready to surrender everything to him. His face inches closer, and he turns so his lips are gently grazing my ear. 

"Yes, Carli", he whispers hotly, as his hand travels down from my cheek to ghost across my neck, "I did call your name". His hand is now gripping my shoulder, and I feel his other arm rise to rest against my hip. I'm basically pinned against him at this point. Involuntarily, I push my hips forward, and I can feel him pressing into my lower belly. I have never felt so alive. 

I let out a sound somewhere in between a gasp and a moan, and it's like any semblance of self-control flies out the window. Darren grips my hip tighter and moves his other hand into my hair, pulling my face toward his. 

His lips crash onto mine, and it's nothing like I thought this first kiss would be. It's not soft, or gentle. It's not accompanied by declarations of love. It's hot, and hard, and messy. It's toe-curling. My mouth opens beneath his almost immediately, granting his tongue access, and I am taken to another plane. 

My hand travels upwards and grasps the back of his head, forcing him even closer, but it's not enough. I want more. As if he can read my mind, Darren grabs my ass with both hands, sliding me upwards, and I wrap my legs around his waist, never breaking contact. I can feel his length pressed against me fully now, and I let out a whimper.

"God, Carli", he says, breaking the kiss, "you're so fucking hot". I can feel myself responding to his words - seems like he can feel it too, because he smirks and returns his lips to mine, then trails his mouth along my jaw. I throw my head back against the wall to grant him access to the long expanse of my neck. 

He nips down my neck and across my shoulder, pausing briefly at the spot beneath my ear that makes me squirm with pleasure. I can feel him smile against my skin at that. But just as he reaches the strap of my little sundress, we hear the doorbell ring downstairs.