The first few drinks go down with ease. We take a break from drinking when our meal is served, but it doesn’t do much to diminish the buzz that I already have growing. I’m already pretty tipsy and feeling pretty good about it. Asher seems to be able to hold his liquor because he doesn’t seem as drunk as I would imagine he would be right now.
The servers come around the table, clearing away our plates after we finish our meal. I’m feeling relatively stuffed, but I think that I’m finally ready to dance. The alcohol in my system has me loosened up and the DJ switches to a song that I absolutely love.
Pushing back my chair, I rise to my feet and hold my hand out for Asher. “Come dance with me?”
He raises an eyebrow, a sinister smirk playing on his lips as he takes my hand and slowly climbs out of his chair. He doesn’t speak a word or bother to argue as I lead him out onto the dance floor. There’s already quite the crowd out there, so it doesn’t bother me dancing with all of these other people around. And not to mention, the alcohol. That gives me the confidence boost I need.
Asher moves in front of me as I begin to sway my hips to the beat. He’s a pretty decent dancer and he doesn’t once tear his eyes away from mine. I close the space between us, moving closer to him as he begins to move in tandem with me. Reaching out for him, I link my arms around the back of his neck.
His hands find my hips, his fingertips digging into my skin through the chiffon material of my dress as he pulls me closer to him. Our bodies are flush against one another, our hips moving together as we both sway to the music. Tilting my head back, I’m lost in the storm that brews in his dark irises.
Inside the storm, something else brews. He looks at me with pure unadulterated lust and I revel under his gaze. Maybe it’s the alcohol or the boost of confidence he gives me. Either way, I feel his words coursing through my veins. That I’m the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen.
Releasing my hands from around his neck, I slowly spin in his grip and his hands flatten along my stomach as I press my ass against him. His cock is hard, his erection pushing through his pants against me as I grind my hips. Working my body against him, he holds on to me as I lift my arms and link them back around the nape of his neck.
My back is flush against his firm chest and I’m lost in the feeling of him and the music that sounds throughout the room. I don’t care if anyone is watching us and in this moment, I don’t think that Asher really cares either. There’s enough of a crowd around us, we’re fairly hidden with the way that we’re almost fucking through our clothes on the dance floor.
“Fuck, Syd,” he murmurs in my ear, nipping at my bottom lobe. “You’re driving me fucking insane.”
“I thought this was all just pretend,” I question him, unable to stop the words. They roll off my tongue and I blame it on the alcohol that completely dissolved my filter.
“I don’t know what the hell this is anymore.”
The lights above shift, dimming slightly as the music begins to shift into a slower melody. Asher’s hands grip my hips as he spins me around to face him. I wrap my arms around the back of his neck as I face him, his hands gripping my waist as we sway back and forth to the slow song.
“I’m slow dancing in a fire of you, right now,” he murmurs, dropping his face down to my neck. “And I want to fucking burn.”
“You made me a promise,” I whisper, my lips brushing against the side of his ear. “What about just being friends?”
“Fuck being friends,” he growls as he nips at the skin along my neck. “You’re my girlfriend until after Christmas, remember? We’ll worry about what happens after it’s over.”
Swallowing roughly over the lump lodged in my throat, I nod, not fully trusting my voice. He’s right. Even though none of this is real, that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy myself and get lost in this pretend world that we’ve created. We’ll worry about what happens after we go back to reality.
And hopefully our friendship won’t be shattered like glass on the floor.
The night ends with everyone hooting and hollering as we send off the bride and the groom. Everyone is pretty tipsy by the end of the reception, thanks to the open bar that just kept the drinks flowing all night long. I’m feeling good as Asher and I walk hand in hand to the Uber that is taking us back to his parents’ house.
Everyone ended up having to call Ubers because no one was really sober enough to drive. Asher mentioned to me that we would worry about his car tomorrow.
Asher helps me into the car and he slides into the back seat beside me. As I go to move to the other seat, he wraps his arm around my waist, holding me against him in the middle seat. I don’t object because even though I know that this is wrong, I love the way that he feels with his side pressed against mine right now.
He doesn’t let me go the entire time that we ride back to the house. When we arrive there, he slips the driver a twenty before helping me out of the car. I lose my balance on my heels momentarily and a giggle slips from my lips as Asher steadies me on my feet.
We stand on the sidewalk as the Uber pulls away, Asher still with his hands around my waist as snow continues to fall from the night sky above us. It’s already created a thin layer on the ground and the concrete around us. Tilting my head back, I close my eyes and stick out my tongue.
“I love the snow,” I breathe, opening my eyes as I watch my breath swirl in the chilly air. “There’s something so peaceful and beautiful about it.”
As I straighten my head, my gaze meets Asher’s. The expression on his face is unreadable. His gray irises swirl with a fire that burns deep inside of them. He slowly moves one hand from my waist, reaching up as he cups the side of my face.
His warm palm is a stark contrast against my cool skin. He lightly strokes the pad of his thumb along my cheek, his head tipped down as his eyes slowly search mine.
“You’ve been right in front of me this entire time,” he says softly, his voice hoarse as I get lost in the depths of his eyes. “How could I have possibly been so blind?”
My breath catches in my throat and a warmth spreads throughout my body. Asher’s eyes drop down to my lips and I instinctively wet them with my tongue. He slowly moves his hand down to cup my chin as he runs his thumb across my bottom lip.
“I want to kiss you, Syd,” he murmurs, his face dipping down to mine.
I stare back at him as he blinks once. “What are you waiting for?”
Asher claims my mouth with his own, his lips warm and soft against mine. My eyelids flutter shut and I’m lost in his touch as he steals the air from my lungs. This is all so wrong. We’ve gone well past playing the part of being in a fake relationship and now this is just clouding my brain.
It’s too late for that, though. The alcohol and the entire night have transported us into a place that I never imagined we would be in. Our surroundings fade, the snow and the darkness of the night around us vanishing into thin air. Asher’s tongue traces the seam of my lips and I part them, letting him in.
His kiss is soft and gentle, his tongue sliding against mine as I taste the liquor on his breath. Asher drains the oxygen from my lungs, his lips moving against mine in slow, sweet torture. I never imagined what it would be like to kiss him, but now that we’re lost in this moment, my mind will never have to question it again.
His hand is warm against my face and he slowly breaks away from me, both of us coming up for air. He leaves me breathless, my chest rising and falling with every shallow breath I take. My heart pounds erratically in its cage and I desperately want to feel his lips against mine again.
“Syd,” he murmurs, his voice soft like silk against my eardrums. “Let’s get you inside before you turn into an icicle out here.”
I nod, not fully trusting my voice as he steps away from me. A rush of cold air replaces his warmth, sending a shiver down my spine. I want to feel him close to me again, but instead, he slides his hand in mine. Our fingers are laced together as he leads me into the warmth of his home.
The house is already quiet with everyone tucked away in their beds for the night. It was a long day with the wedding and after all of the partying and alcohol, I’m sure they were all exhausted.
My body sways, high from the liquor and his kiss, as he leads me up the two flights of stairs until we reach the third floor. Asher pulls the door shut behind us as he leads me into his bedroom. He flips the switch on the wall and slides it down as he dims the lights in his room.
Asher leads me into the center of his room, releasing my hand as he walks over to his dresser. I watch him as he pulls out a pair of sweatpants and turns to face me. His expression is unreadable, almost as if he’s unsure of what move to make next.
There was a shift from our kiss outside. The tension in the air is palpable and I want to wash it all away. Kicking off my heels, I push them over toward my bag before I walk over to his bed and drop down on the mattress. Asher leans against his dresser as he pulls off his tie and begins to work his fingers on the buttons of his dress shirt.
“I know today was a long day and we should probably get some sleep, especially after all of the drinking we did tonight.”
I stare back at him, my eyes transfixed on the way he slides the buttons through the holes of his shirt. My breath catches in my throat as I watch him shrug his shirt over his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. His body is perfectly sculpted and my eyes travel over the curves and planes of his muscular form.
“I don’t really feel as drunk as I did earlier,” I admit quietly as I rise to my feet. Asher’s eyes are on mine as I hook my fingers under the straps of my dress. “And I’m not sure I’m ready to go to sleep yet.”
“No?” he questions me, tilting his head to the side as he raises an eyebrow. “Well, what did you have in mind?”
The corners of my lips lift. “For starters, you’re not sleeping on the floor again tonight.” I pause, slowly pushing the straps down my arms. My dress begins to slip from my body and I push it down, letting it fall down my torso and then my legs before pooling on the floor around my feet.
“And where am I going to sleep?” he questions me as he begins to stalk across the room toward me. A fire burns in his irises as his eyes trail over my half-naked body.
“In your bed with me.”
