"Catch ya later sister-in-law!" I smiled at his efforts but Hilary didn"t look convinced. He walked back in the hall to grab his stuff and there Frank and Libby stood by the door waiting to say their goodbyes. Hilary huffed at me as I walked past and I was sure I caught the words "s.l.u.t" whisper from her mouth but I chose to ignore it as I knew it was said out of jealousy.
I found Frank giving Justin a bear hug and Libby quickly wiped a tear away thinking no one noticed. Since she had become pregnant she had developed such a sensitive side she couldn"t even watch a football game without crying for the losers. Poor Frank was scared to watch TV at all.
"Well, take care of yourself and my little nephew." Libby smiled and almost set off crying again.
"We don"t know it"s a boy," Libby said and Frank mouthed the words "Jerk" at him making it obvious where he had gotten that idea from. Lucky for him I was the only one that noticed it. Justin hit his brother on the back and then turned to wink at me. I smiled at him along with blushing and Hilary just received a nod which made her storm off like a spoilt child. She sounded like she had bricks for shoes as she went storming off up the stairs.
"Something I said?"Justin joked before walking through the door and just as I was going to ask him if he needed a lift, I realised I didn"t have my car, which had me wondering if that was the reason Draven had insisted on having a car take me home? In the end it didn"t matter because a beep from Frank"s dad, who was now parked outside, told me that he was going home. Frank and Libby waved before going back into the house but I still had unfinished business so I ran down the steps calling his name. He turned looking happily surprised.
"Hold up a sec."
"What? Missed me already?" He was so d.a.m.n c.o.c.ky!
"I just wanted to know...to check...that you"re ok?" He looked confused and then smiled lighting up his slightly freckled face.
"You worried about me?" He saw me frown so he continued without an answer.
"I"m fine, I know I should have the hangover from h.e.l.l but it"s weird...like something I drank last night mustn"t have agreed with me but at the same time it did...does that make sense?" Oh yeah, it made sense alright!
"My only regret is towards you, I have a feeling that I didn"t behave last night and if I offended you at all then I apologise." This had been the most sincere that I had seen Justin and for it I gave him a wink back myself. I had wanted to give him a hug but the sight of Ragnar in the background, staring with h.e.l.lfire in his eyes at Justin"s back, stopped me.
"Friends?" I asked and in the end he pulled me in for a hug anyway but at least this way it hadn"t been me that had started it. The sound of a tree branch the thickness of my leg snapping behind us made him pull back and turn around.
"What was that?" The sight of a huge part of the tree had been snapped back and split in three different places.
"Man, you must have fat squirrels around here...what you feeding them, protein bars?" I laughed and waved to him and his dad before returning to the house. I watched the car go out of sight and before going inside I saw Ragnar staring at me, giving me a dirty look, so I did a very childish thing...I stuck my tongue out at him and ran into the house. I was still smiling to myself when I walked into the living room.
"I don"t know what you"re smiling at? We still have to deal with that!" Libby said pointed to the ceiling.
"Let me handle it," I said as I left the room to go and talk to my cousin. I had a good mind to pick up Frank"s baseball bat from under the stairs on the way but thought that was way too mafia. No, I was going to have to use my powers of persuasion and h.e.l.l, maybe then if she didn"t listen she could "Say h.e.l.lo to my little friend!" I smiled at the thought but my smile soon faded when I reached my...oh no, now it was her room. It was open so I knocked and walked in anyway, not waiting for a response.
"Kizzy Cat, what do you think?" The question was aimed at the changes to my room as now she had moved everything to how she wanted it. My bed was sideways and my desk had been stuffed in the corner, out of the way. She had even moved my rug and rolled it up to lean against the wall. She had also removed my purple blankets and pillows. She had dug out some yellow ones that were spare in the chest that was no longer at the bottom of my bed but pushed to the far wall. I wondered how she had the strength to do all of this.
"Umm yeah...it"s great, I guess." I said unconvincingly.
"Well, I needed the room for my yoga. I can"t function without an early start and exercise, you should try it sometime." Yeah like kick-boxing! I could just see myself doing a round house kick to a certain somebody"s head.
"Well, I do a lot of hiking." I lied, what I really wanted to say was "I have loads of crazy wild s.e.x so don"t have much energy for much else," but I refrained.
"Umm, yeah it shows." She looked me up and down and wrinkled her nose like I smelled. G.o.d forgive me, I hated her!
"Yeah, well anyway, I wanted to invite you to the club tonight." I can"t believe I even found the words but they were out now and I couldn"t take them back. My one consolation was that I was giving Libby some time out.
"Will that guy you"ve been kind of seeing, be there?" I wanted to growl as a malevolent smile crossed her lips.
"My Boyfriend, well he does own the place!" I said trying to get one back over her but it didn"t work, she just enlarged her smile and tapped a finger to her lips. I was getting inpatient so I put a hand to my hip and said, "Well?"
"Yeah, I think it should be fun. In that case, I should have a shower now and shave my legs...you never know, I may get lucky!" This was her way of implying she could steal Draven from me but I didn"t bite.
"Let"s hope so," I said before going to tell Libby the good news. For me, however, it was more like a Greek tragedy. Well at least I couldn"t say my life was boring! I was trying to find other silver linings in having my cousin here but that was the only one I could come up with, so I rubbed my forehead like I had a migraine on the way and found Libby in the kitchen.
"Is her majesty happy with her bed chamber?" Libby asked and I almost laughed, that was until I remembered I had to spend the entire evening with her.
"Yeah, she"s moved it around and everything." Libby looked even more furious so to distract her I told her the good news.
"Well you don"t have to worry about her tonight."
"Why"s that? You put a.r.s.enic in her tea?" I smiled at the idea.
"No, nothing that drastic, but you will be happy to know you have a Hilary free evening." Her eyes lit up and I could have even sworn I heard the baby say a hallelujah!
"No way! You"re the best...I love you ...I love you." She was dancing me round the kitchen and I couldn"t help but grin even though my doomed fate was lingering upstairs. Just then Frank came in wanting to know what all the commotion was about.
"Oh baby, the greatest news." His eyes lifted and he mirrored his wife"s smile at once again seeing her so happy.
"We"re on our own tonight honey!" As soon as she said it he let out a big "YES!" and give the air a victory arm pump out of excitement. Then like kids, they high fived each other. I would have loved to have joined in but at that point my dread doubled. I turned towards the window and the shiny sports car pulling up the drive confirmed my fears.
Now it was my time to introduce Draven to my boyfriend stealing cousin...
This was not going to go well.
Chapter 36.
Seducing Draven.
I wanted to rush out of the front door and run into Draven"s arms like something out of a movie but I didn"t want my insecurities to be on display. Draven would pick them up straight away and my mental barrier felt more like a ruin than a fortress. I was scared to what I might reveal. My thoughts were disrupted by a voice from above.
"Libby! Is there any reason the pipes make that noise, only I need a bath and..." Hilary was calling down when she heard the car. At that point I threw all caution to the wind and ran out of the front door. There I found Draven getting out of a sleek silver beast and looking as gorgeous as ever.
He wore dark jeans and a dark grey T-shirt but the most amazing addition to this ensemble was the black leather biker jacket that fitted his every muscle, making his shoulders look mammoth and powerful. I couldn"t help but stop and take a breath at the picture of the man before me. His hair was pushed back off his face and curled slightly around his neck giving me a brilliant view of his incredible black eyes. He had a bit of stubble giving him a roughness I adored and when he saw me his eyes ignited with a pa.s.sionate fire.
I bit my lip but couldn"t wait any longer. I ran straight for him and threw my arms up and around his neck taking him off guard. It was difficult given the height difference so he helped me by wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me up to him. There I found eager lips and for a moment all my problems melted away in our kiss.
He didn"t want to let me go and as far I was concerned he could have me. I leaned down to his ear and he shuddered at my breath on his neck. I inhaled deeply and could have drowned in the mix of Draven"s scent and leather.
"Take me away with you." I whispered and that"s when he pulled my body back so that he could see my face.
"Keira, are you alright?" He was concerned and I mentally scorned myself for making him worry. He set me down as gentle as a rose on a lover"s bed and gazed intensely into my eyes as if searching out the answers from within. I closed my eyes and concentrated on guarding my thoughts of desolation as I had already started to feel Draven"s presence in my mind. I felt him trying to distract me by running his fingertips down my back and up to my neck. I could almost hear him frown and when I opened my eyes I was proven right, thankfully that frown meant he hadn"t accessed anything he had been hoping for.
"I"m fine, but I did miss you." These words made the frown soften and soon a smile replaced it.
"That"s always good to know." I put my head down against his chest and held him around the waist giving him a much needed hug. He knew there was something wrong but I was just glad that he knew the right thing to do now was to just hold me tightly and say the words that made my heart beat for him.
"I love you Keira!"
I could have stayed like this till the end of time but when I heard the front door open I knew our time was up.
"I hate to tell you this but we seem to have an audience." He sounded amused and when I let out a sigh into the inside of his jacket he laughed, making his body faintly vibrate. I knew what I was going to be turning around to face before I broke away from Draven"s hold. There, in the doorway, was my cousin leaning casually against the frame looking at her nails trying to seem unimpressed with our embrace. I grabbed Draven"s hand and we both started walking towards her.
"Time to tame the h.e.l.l Cat!" Draven commented secretly while we were still out of earshot. This had been perfect timing as for once in front of my cousin I wasn"t faking my smile.
"Well, well, what do we have here then, where did she pick you up, at the tall, dark and handsome catalogue?" Ok, so there went my smile!
"Dra...Dominic this is my cousin Hilary...Hilary this is my boyfriend Dominic." I couldn"t help the way I emphasised the word "my" hoping she got the message but to her that probably meant nothing but fair game.
"It"s nice to meet you Hilary." Draven said politely and for once I was wishing for his Demon side to be seen. That should do the trick!
"Oh, it"s more than nice!" She replied in a seductive tone which sounded more like she was impersonating a man with a cold.
"Keira"s told me so much about you." Yeah, like what a b.i.t.c.h you are! I wanted to add but had to swallow my insult.
"None of it true, I"m sure." She laughed and waved her hand about in a pathetic attempt at flirting.
"Hey, is that your car?" She asked looking past me like I didn"t even exist.
"Yeah, she"s one of Keira"s favourites." He answered and then gave me a wink, which I"m happy to say Hilary didn"t miss.
"Only one? Gosh if that was me I would favour them all, I"m sure." Hate her, Hate her! I repeated over and over in my head and by the look from Draven, I think he heard.
"Well that one has special memories for us, it was the first time I drove Keira home...Do you remember?" He turned to me and I"m sure my eyes glistened at the memory. I would never forget that night if I lived to be two hundred years old.
"Well at least it was you driving or you might still be trying to get here...Kizzy Cat still drives like an old woman no doubt!" My hands formed fists by my side and when Draven actually laughed at her comment I shot him a severe glare.
"There"s nothing wrong with being careful!" I stated but Hilary just laughed at me.
"I would rather live life on the edge any day. The thrill of a full throttle speeding car and the excitement of danger is what gets my blood racing and..."
"I think my sister"s waiting to say hi, Dra...Umm Dominic." I pulled at his arm before she could finish, making me sound like a complete, boring geek. Draven soon got the message and opened the door for me, unfortunately he had kept it open for Hilary instead of slamming it in her face like she deserved.
"Oh, what a gentleman you are!" She said while fluffing her hair at him making me roll my eyes at how shameful an act it all was. Draven"s only response was a nod but Hilary beamed at him like he was G.o.dly. If only she knew how true that was.
"Dominic, it"s nice to see you again." Libby said like she was the mother figure in all this. Well, if that was true then Frank was the big brother because he came up to him and slapped him on the back like he was one of the guys.
"Dom, how ya doing man?" Draven looked touched by such warmth in his welcome and he shook his hand.
"I"m very well, thank you and I see you and your beautiful wife are both good." Libby couldn"t keep the grin from her face and Frank beamed with pride at the sound of his wife being praised. Draven was truly gifted when it came to knowing exactly the right thing to say.
I grabbed my new hooded jacket from the coat stand and Hilary looked at me like she wanted to rip my head off.
"What, you"re going now and leaving me?" Oops I had forgotten about tonight.
"Oh sorry, I forgot that me and Draven have to go somewhere first but...I"m sure you could get a lift." At this her eyebrows came forwards and her lips formed an even thinner line.
"I could have a car come and pick you up." Draven suggested and her hope was suddenly re-ignited. Libby saw my face drop and nudged Frank.
"That"s alright Dom, I have to go into town later for Lib"s chocolate baby fix, so I can just bring her with me and drop her off."
"Her! Who am I, the cat"s mother? I think I would prefer..."
"So all"s settled then, thanks Frank you"re the man!" I gave him a sisterly punch on the arm and pulled Draven back towards the door. I didn"t need to look at Hilary to know I was getting "I hate you" looks from behind.
"Good seeing you again Dominic" My sister said but it was drowned out by Hilary saying, "Looking forward to seeing you later Dominic." Draven heard the little growl that escaped from the back of my throat. For once he was the one trying to keep up with me as I was close to running to the car. He opened my door for me first and I saw him wave back to the house where Hilary was still watching. He got in the car just in time to hear me mocking my cousin.
"Look forward to seeing you later Dominic!" I repeated in a squeaky voice. Draven burst out laughing which would normally have had me in st.i.tches, but I was too far gone in my bad mood to find the humour. Instead I crossed my arms tightly over my chest and took deep angry breaths. Why now, why ever, why couldn"t the girl just leave me alone? It was clear neither of us liked one another, so why did she go out of her way to make my life a misery? I was so caught up in my own self-pity that I didn"t realise we were far from the house and heading out of town.
"Where are we going?"
"You said we had to go somewhere, so that"s where I"m taking you."
"What, to a place called "Somewhere"?" I teased making him raise an eyebrow.
"Is that Keira humour I detect, but no, surely not...it couldn"t be. My girlfriend is far too distracted by the unwanted visit of an evil cousin to be making jokes." I bit my lip to try and prevent the smile that was creeping across my mouth but in the end I failed and laughed anyway.
"Right that"s it! Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?"
"Very funny Draven!"
"Ah it must be you, the fake Keira would never call me by my last name, she always calls me Dominic."
"What like my cousin?" As soon as I said it I regretted it.
"Ha! You"re jealous!" He said with triumph and I cringed.
"I"m not! Even though she was practically drooling over you!" Why was I just providing him with more proof that he was right?
"You know I find it adorable when you get all possessive over me, but maybe now I can be forgiven for the same sentiments over certain human boys that will remain nameless." He was right. What lengths would I go to, to keeping Hilary"s grubby little hands off my Draven?
"Maybe," I said sheepishly.
"So are you going to tell me where we"re going or not?" I asked changing the subject. He looked so d.a.m.n s.e.xy when he controlled the car the way he did. One hand on the wheel and the other changing through the gears as the machine demanded it. He wasn"t one for doing the speed limit and along these empty roads he moved as if him and the car were one, gliding along as though they owned the road and commanded every bend to their will.
"I think not!" He was smirking and a trade mark bad boy grin made my skin p.r.i.c.k at the thought of being touched by those strong hands that gripped the steering wheel like he was in a formula one. I had to look out of the window to hide my blushes at the thought of having s.e.x in this car...Ok, well maybe not in the car but maybe on it, after all it wasn"t the most s.p.a.cious vehicle inside.
"What are you thinking about?" I think he must have caught my smile by my reflection in the window because now he was staring at me.
"Nothing."
"Is that so, then why can"t you look at me and why are you biting your lip Keira?" d.a.m.n it, he was good!
"No reason." I tried to sound convincing but given I was one h.e.l.l of a bad liar I was fooling no one. He looked so bad, the way he leaned across to me with a look of seductive authority.
"Come here!" I did as I was told and leaned over to meet him in the middle.