Shiny Demon

A Sigh, A Cry, A Hungry Kiss

Notes: Hello! I apologize for the long break in posting. I can't say when the next chapter will be available, but I've had this one ready to go for a few weeks, so wanted to go ahead and share it. See the end for more notes!

Thank you to Christy who is the best beta and friend a person could ask for! Thanks for your patience and encouragement while this fic tortures me!

Even with Tim walking between them, Seb could feel Stevie's proximity, like they were tied together. He was acutely attuned to exactly where her body was in relation to his. He could feel the anticipation in his skin. They would be alone together. Well mostly alone.

The air in the Hideaway felt stiflingly quiet compared to the lively atmosphere of the party. Tim leaned casually against a table in front of a few airbrushed signs marking the small room as VIP only. Stevie sat down on the edge of the bed, which was the only other place to sit. Her spine was rigid, like she was poised to bolt at any moment. Seb sat down next to her, and he could feel her body respond as he got close. There was a growing heat between them. Stevie fiddled with the edge of her skirt, as she pressed her legs tightly together.

"So," Tim clapped his hands together, startling Seb's attention away from Stevie. If he wasn't mistaken, Stevie jumped at the sound too. "Like I said, the cameras are all turned off in here. What happens here, stays here." He leaned back and opened his arms to them. "Hit me with your questions!"

Seb and Stevie turned toward each other as if inviting the other to go first. Their eyes met and a warm buzz of connection vibrated through his body. She stared back at him with those wide grey eyes, like two bright moons gazing out at him. They looked at each other, and she didn't shirk away the way she kept doing since the kiss. She let him look, and he looked back.

"Anything at all!" Tim gave an uncomfortable chuckle. "Want advice on finding love? Or I could tell you who secretly fancies you."

At the sound of Tim's voice Stevie averted her eyes to the floor. She gave a noncommittal shrug, which he assumed was an attempt to respond to Tim's question.

Tim looked around, as though he hoped there were someone else hidden in the shadows willing to talk to him. "You know what we could use? Some drinks." Before they could say anything, he jumped up and headed toward the door. "I'll be right back."

The moment the door clicked behind him, the electricity between them buzzed violently. They were finally fully and truly alone. No other people. No cameras.

Stevie slowly lifted her gaze to Seb, and he couldn't help but release a soft laugh as he watched her eyes tentatively find him. Her hands bunched on her skirt as if she were trying to stop them from doing something. But even as she seemed to shrink from him, something was driving her closer, until their faces were close enough for him to see the freckle on her eyelid. He could almost taste the sweet alcohol on her breath.

Suddenly she jumped off the bed away from him as if she'd seen a rattlesnake. She walked quickly over to the table Tim had just been leaning against and faced away from Seb. "Some prize, huh?" she said lightly.

"It's not so bad." He stood up from the bed without thinking about it.

She turned around to face him, and her expression tightened like a knot when she saw him approaching. Her eyes roamed over him, a mix of irritation and heat flaring in her gaze. When her eyes returned to his, she leaned back against the table, gripping the edge tightly. "You need to stop looking at me like that."

As if she'd invited him to look, he allowed himself to appreciate the way her strong legs stretched out beneath the short hem of her skirt. To imagine the curve of her body underneath her loose clothes. The sense memory of her lips and those same soft curves crackled over his nerves. Every atom in his body was screaming to get closer to her. So he did.