The Last Thing (4 page)

“No, the name is Melissa. I just wanted you to know what a
huge fan I am of yours. Hey, maybe we can get out of here?”

Not so subtle and so not happening tonight. Actresses annoyed
the living hell outta me. My eyes trailed up her figure and then down. No. The
blonde wasn’t doing it for me. I twirled a piece of her hair between my fingers.
Such a shame, she was cute too. Too bad girls like her were so boring.

“Maybe some other time. Go try the hot tub out back. You’ll
have better luck out there.”

 As I walked away, I could almost hear her mouth hitting the
floor in shock.

I stepped outside into the cool, crisp summer night. It took
a few moments, but finally my eyes adjusted to the darkness. There she stood,
leaning against a tree while looking up into the sky. I couldn’t explain it,
but at that moment she looked so alone and so helpless that I needed to make
sure she was okay. Her hot accent was a bonus. Not too many people talked with
a southern drawl on the West Coast.

I hesitated. I was Chase Crowley, and Chase Crowley didn’t
care about girls’ feelings. Nonetheless, her presence drew me closer.

Quinn

 I needed a moment to gather my thoughts. My heart begged me
to feel something. Anything. This attraction to Chase, I didn’t want it. I turned
my eyes up to the night sky, hoping to get a glimpse of something to calm me,
but I couldn’t make out a single star. All of the smog and city lights smudged
out each burning ball of gas. I heard the doors open from behind me, but I
didn’t know if it was Ginger or Chase. Maybe it was a random partygoer. I
turned around to find out who it was and sure enough, there stood Chase with a
confused look on his face. He walked closer to me.

“Everything okay?” he asked. I rubbed my arms as goose bumps
appeared on my skin. He searched my face for an answer, his coffee colored eyes
melting into mine.

 “Yes.”

His smug expression disappeared into concern.

 “Why did you run out here?”

 “What’s with all the questions?” I snapped, immediately
regretting it. Lucky for me, he didn’t seem offended. I didn’t want him to know
that I’d run out of the party because I was attracted to him, and that no
matter how wrong it was, I just wanted to wrap my legs around him and  run my
tongue over his sweet  body. “It’s just that I’m trying to figure you out,” he
told me. “You practically eye-fucked me back there and then run off the moment
I come near you. Why is that?”

“Excuse me? I wasn’t
eye-fucking
anybody. I was just
standing there, trying to enjoy a drink.”

“No, you were undressing me with your eyes.” He nodded all
matter-of-factly.

“I assume you get that a lot? Girls undressing you with their
eyes?” My eyes traveled down his body and they did undress him. Damn. I turned
my head away in embarrassment.

“Hey, I’m not complaining….so do you live in town?”

“Just got into town yesterday.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think you lived around here. Your accent is
pretty thick.”

“I don’t have an accent!”

He chuckled. “You do, but it’s hella cute.”

I closed my mouth and scowled.

“Did you come alone or with a friend…boyfriend?”

“Why do you ask so many questions?” I crossed my arms in
front of my body and tapped my foot along the ground.

“Why do you dodge all my questions?”

“Why ya still doing it?” I threw my hands up in the air in
exasperation. He snickered lightly in response.

I needed to be truthful, be a new Quinn who wasn’t afraid of
what others thought.

“Look, Chase, you seem like a nice guy and all, but you don’t
want anything to do with me. I’m seriously fucked up. In fact, I hate parties. The
only reason I’m here is because my stupid cousin dragged me. I hate dresses
too, my cousin dressed me up.” I tugged at the tight black fabric on my body.

“I think you look gorgeous. Like an angel with the moon bouncing
off your hair and chest.”

 I laughed it off because it sounded like a pickup line,
which it probably was.

“Do you use that line on all the girls?”

“I normally don’t need pickup lines, hence the cheesiness of
that one.”

I felt a little more at ease.

“You’re only attracted to me because of all this crap on my
face. This is fake; it’s not me,” I said. I pointed to my perfectly made up
face before pulling my hair out of its loose braid. I shook out the waves with
my fingers.

“See?” I told him. I wanted him to know. I wasn’t like the other
girls in there. I wasn’t an actor. In my own way, I guess I was trying to warn
him. I was broken. Empty inside. He reached up to run his hands through my
hair. Softly at first, then moved his hand to my neck and firmly kneaded my
most tense spots. I tried to hold back a moan. His fingers felt so good, but I
didn’t want him to know how much he was affecting me.

“It looks better this way,” he whispered softly while taking
a step closer to me. His chest rubbed up against mine. He had penetrated my
personal bubble. I generally didn’t like anyone getting this close to me, so I
was surprised at how comfortable I felt. His dark colored eyes mesmerized me,
and as my own traveled down to his full lips, I found myself wondering what it
would feel like to have them pressed against mine. I licked my lips in
anticipation.

 
I don’t want this
. Oh, yes. Yes, I do.

My mind and body tugged at war against each other. My mind,
clouded by the whiskey, began to weaken so now my body was winning. He’s an
actor, used to getting whatever he wanted. But what if Ginger was right? Maybe
the first step was putting myself out there.

“I’ve heard about you,” I teased. I took a step back and shook
a finger at him.

“And what have you heard?”

“I heard you don’t date, are an actor, and you’re amazing in
bed,” I said, counting off on my fingers. My honesty shocked me. I normally
wasn’t this bold.

Chase grinned. No doubt, his ego had doubled in size. “That
would be a yes to all of those. I would love to prove the last one to you.” He
leaned in so that his breath was hot against my ear.

“But I seem to be without a bed.”

“You should be so lucky,” I said punching him lightly in the
shoulder. He jokingly put his hand up to his heart in pain and took a step
back.

“You think you’re funny, huh?”

I found myself laughing.

“So Quinn, do you live inside LA?”

“I live with Ginger for now, but I plan on finding a job and
moving out soon.”

“What do you do for a living?”

“I
was
a makeup artist, but now I’ll take anything.”

His eyes lit up at the mention of my former occupation.
“What? Couldn’t handle all the pressures of what color palette to go with on
the eyes?”

I didn’t want to tell him the truth so I shrugged.

“It wasn’t about the makeup or being beautiful. It was about
the art, the ability to sculpt anyone into anything. It used to be my life. I
guess I just lost my passion for it.”

He stared back at me with big eyes and a gaping mouth. “How
do you lose your passion? Without my acting, I wouldn’t know what to do with my
life.”

“You’re doing the question thing again,” I warned. I wanted
to avoid that question at all costs.

“It’s damn refreshing to meet someone who isn’t in show
business. You haven’t tried to name drop or pry gossip from me or anything.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. Did people do that to him often?
“That’s because I don’t care.”

“Good because I’m not going to give you the name of my
agent,” he told me. Then it came, the moment of awkward silence. We both stood
there unsure of what to say. Was he going to say goodbye and go back inside or
was he going to make a move?

“I’m gonna go get a drink. Want me to bring you anything?”

I nodded, unable to speak. He left for a moment leaving me
alone in the dark. He returned within a minute just as I’d talked myself into
walking home.

“I didn’t know what you liked so I brought whiskey.”

He held up a full bottle of Jack Daniels and two glasses.

It was too late. My body had won again. I was staying.

He filled our small cups and held out his glass.

“To us.”

Our glasses clinked together and I greedily finished the
whole glass.

“Careful now. You drink a lot?” he asked

“Naw. Fill me up.” I held out my cup and he refilled both of
our glasses. Being out here alone wasn’t the smartest move, but the more I
drank, the more comfortable I became.

After we had finished our second glass, Chase put the bottle
and glasses on the ground.

“I better cut us off.”

I could barely stand, so I leaned against him.

“Whoa!” Chase stumbled as well but kept a firm grip on my
arms so that I didn’t fall.

        He brought his hand up and cupped the side of my
face. He stared at me silently for a few moments, and I squirmed beneath his
gaze, wondering what he was thinking.

  “There’s just something about you,” he told me. He didn’t
wait for me to say anything. He covered my mouth with his and my legs began to weaken
from the pressure of his lips. His body pressed up against mine, and warmth
quickly traveled down between my legs. I hadn’t been this turned on by another
man in so long. I reached out and ran my hands down his biceps. They were hard
and I could only imagine what all he hid under that black shirt. I’m sure it
was all chiseled and perfect. Chase swirled his tongue against mine making me
shiver in delight.

This feeling was so hypnotic and different from what I had
with Bash. I rubbed my legs together, as the pressure in between them began to increase
and make me uncomfortable. He broke our kiss only to continue them across my
face and down my neck. Oh, he smelled so good. Like after dinner mints.

“Did you feel that?” he asked me bringing his face back up to
mine.

 My mind warned me to stop, but there was no way I could do
that now. My body protested with all its might. His hands traveled down my
shoulders and past my hips stopping firmly on my butt. I gave out a small yelp
of surprise as he lifted me up, causing me to wrap my legs tightly around his
waist. My short dress had moved up my hips, and I hoped that no one came
outside. It was exciting though, doing this out in the open. His hardness rubbed
against me, which caused me to press against him as he continued to lick and
kiss my tingling skin.

“Chase….” I moaned. It had been so long since I’d felt
anything remotely close to this.

 He walked further into the shadows before roughly pushing me
up against the concrete wall that surrounded the perimeter of the house. He
took the opportunity to slip his hands under the bottom of my dress and grab my
hips. I gasped as he pushed himself in between my legs.

“Do you want to stop?” he asked. I shook my head against his
shoulder.

  “No, I need this.” I reached down and tugged at his jeans.
He leaned back so that I could wiggle them down his hips.

That was all the confirmation he needed. The next thing I
knew, he tore my panties away. I gasped at the shock of a man actually tearing
my underwear off. The sound of the fabric ripping freed me, as if I could
finally breathe. Finally feel. Good thing I’d worn a tiny black thong. As his
hands explored my body, I relaxed.
Chase is a stranger. You need to stop
this!
I pushed the annoying thoughts from my mind. I was just going to
enjoy this. He brought his face up to my ear and sighed. His hot breath caused
a shiver to run down my spine.

“Dammit. I don’t have any protection.”

What? What kind of guy walks around without a condom in their
wallet?
I whimpered in frustration. He didn’t even offer up any
explanation. No way, I was this close to a moment of pleasure. I couldn’t let
him walk away. I was on birth control. One time couldn’t hurt, right?

Bad idea, Quinn
.

Shut-up!

“It’s okay. I’m on the pill.”

Chase seemed to be having an internal struggle with himself
as to whether to continue. Before I could comprehend what was happening, he
entered me. It had been a while, but my body greedily accepted him. I cried out
in shock, but quickly buried the sound in his shoulder. My body was already wet
and waiting for him. He held still for a long minute, and it almost had me
whimpering in anticipation. He filled me up; stretching me beyond the brink of
anything I’d ever experienced before. Digging my teeth into his shoulder each
time he moved inside me, I forgot each initial doubt I had about our hook up. The
pleasure intensified as it grew from within and I angled my hips slightly so
that I could finish faster.