The Distance Between Us | Eric Coulter

fourteen

I avoided Eric like he had something contagious for the next couple of days...which was funny because if he really did have something contagious, I probably already would have contracted it twice over considering how up-close and personal we had been.

And no, before anyone could accuse me of being a little coward, I wasn't avoiding him because I was afraid of him. But more because I was worried that I would end up falling into bed with him again.

Would that really be such a bad thing, though?

I curse my thoughts for being such a back-stabbing bitch before locking her in a nice little cage and tossing the keys.

There was no way I was going to let Eric in my pants again after he's been such a huge dick to me. No fucking way.

They say that you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but that logic didn't apply to Eric and I. Things were way too complicated between us for it to be that simple.

For now, I was not going to let him swoop in with those stunning blue eyes and charm- or rather, rip- my panties off of me.

Eric was the devil. And everyone knows what is commonly said about making deals with the devil.

With my eyes stuck on the laces of my boots, I somehow made my way across the Pit without clashing into anybody...well, almost.

As fate would have it, I clash into a firm and very familiar chest before I could make it to the dining hall.

Bringing a hand up to rub the spot on my forehead that had taken the brunt of the impact, I raise my gaze to glare at Eric, who looked down at me with amusement dancing in his eyes that I was tempted to smack right out of him.

"Oh, now you're willing to look at me, then?" He snarked.

I narrow my eyes at him before side-stepping him to continue on my way.

Unfortunately for me, Eric had other plans.

Wrapping a large hand around my wrist, the asshole begins to drag me down the hallway towards his office- the very same one he had bent me over his desk and fucked me in- and shoves me through the door the moment we get there.

He locks the door behind him with a resounding click, standing before me with his arms folded over his chest.

"You've been avoiding me," He states.

"Is it really such a wonder why? Have you fucking met yourself? You're not exactly rainbows and sunshine."

He rolls his eyes at my comment, "That fucking mouth of yours," He tuts, pinching my chin between his fingers and forcing me to meet his eyes. "Do I need to find something else for you to use it for again?"

Heat spreads through my stomach and I fight the urge to squeeze my thighs together.

Swallowing, I smack Eric's hand away from my face. "No," I huffed, "We are not doing this. I am not having sex with you again, Eric."

He leans back against his desk with an infuriating smirk.

"Yeah? Why not?"

"Well, first of all," I start, ticking off my fingers as I go. "You've been nothing but an asshole to me since I got here. Not to mention your little grudge against me that you refuse to talk to me about- real mature, by the way." Eric scoffs, but doesn't interrupt, "And don't get me started on the number of clothes you've ruined." If I were being completely honest, I found the panty-ripping pretty hot...not that I was ever going to tell him that.

For once, he doesn't say anything. Instead, he just continues to stare at me, his eyes taking me in almost contemplatively.

"I'm taking a vow of celibacy." I wasn't sure why that came out, but one thing was for sure, I wasn't planning to stop having sex...just not with Eric.

"Celibacy...how Abnegation of you," Eric says slowly, narrowing his eyes on me. Then, as if he could read my thoughts he says, "Let me be clear, Rory." He leans forward until he's close enough that his lips are practically brushing mine. "If I can't touch you, I'm going to make sure that not a single other soul in this world does either."

"That's not up to you," I quipped, feeling my resolve crumbling with every ticking second with him so close to me.

"Really?" He raises a pierced brow at me, "Do you really want to test me, Rory?"

His hands come up to grip my waist. Then, he pulls me against him, plastering my front to his and I internally curse myself for not putting up more of a fight.

My lips part in a gasp when he leans down further to run his lips up the length of my neck.

"If anyone's going to break your resolve around here, I bet it's going to me, baby." His breath whispers against my skin, "I'll have you bent over this desk again in no time."

Then, he crashes his lips onto mine, kissing me like a man on a mission.

I let myself sink into the kiss for a moment, revelling in the way his soft lips moved against mine. How he kisses me in a way that no one else has ever before.

It's the kind of kiss that has you weak in the knees and your heart thumping against your chest so hard it feels as if you're on the verge of a heart attack.

I count to ten in my head before practising some self-restraint and sinking my teeth into his bottom lip. Hard.

The metallic taste of blood spreads across my tongue and Eric lets out a vicious curse before he pulls away from me.

I smile at him victoriously before wiping his blood with the back of my hand.

"I'm not having sex with you, Eric," I tell him, turning towards the door, "Have fun with your fist and I hope the blue balls fucking hurt."