Fashioned For Sin

Chapter 6

Blair walked ahead of me, her hips swaying slightly, the hem of her skirt below her ass. My gaze followed the curve of her body, lingering on the way the fabric clung to her thighs, the way it dipped at the small of her back. It took all the self-control I had not to reach out, not to pull her back to me and-

"Here," I said, my voice rougher than I intended as I pointed to the door on the far side of the room. "The bathroom's through there."

"Thanks," she murmured, giving me a small, almost shy smile before slipping inside.

I exhaled a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding, running a hand through my hair as I tried to get a grip on myself. The alcohol was making it harder to think, harder to keep the line between what was appropriate and what wasn't.

The quiet of Matthias's room was a stark contrast to the pounding music downstairs. Blair emerged from the bathroom, her expression thoughtful as she glanced around the dimly lit space. There was something different about being alone with her up here, away from the noise and the crowd-a tension that hadn't been there before, or maybe it had been, but now it was impossible to ignore.

She walked toward me, her footsteps soft against the hardwood floor, stopping just a few feet away. The way the low light played across her features made her look almost unreal, her eyes catching the shadows in a way that made them seem darker, deeper.

"Thanks for showing me up here," she said, her voice quieter than usual, almost hesitant.

"I needed a break from all that."I nodded, feeling the weight of her words settle between us.
"I get it. Sometimes it's too much. A little space is good."

She bit her lip, her gaze flickering to the door as if she was considering leaving, but then she looked back at me, her eyes locking onto mine.

"You're different up here," she observed, her tone more curious than accusatory, "Less... guarded."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised by her insight. "Is that so,hm?"

She nodded, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Yeah. It's like you're not trying so hard to be... Whatever it is you're always trying to be."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that, though it was tinged with a bit of self-awareness. "And what am I always trying to be, Blair?"

She shrugged, taking a step closer. "I don't know... the perfect businessman? The guy who's got it all figured out?"

I swallowed, the air between us thickening with something unspoken.

"And what makes you think I don't?"Her smile grew a bit, almost teasing now. "Because no one does, Leo. Not really. And up here, away from everyone else, you seem more... real."

Her words hit a little too close to home, but I didn't let it show.

Instead, I stepped toward her, closing the distance until we were just a breath away from each other. "Maybe I'm just good at pretending."

Blair's breath caught, her eyes flickering down to my lips for the briefest second before meeting my gaze again.

"Or maybe you're tired of pretending."I didn't answer, not with words.
Instead, I reached out, my hand finding her waist, pulling her just a little closer.

The air around us seemed to hum with electricity, the pull between us almost magnetic.

She didn't resist, her body moving with mine as we inched closer, the space between us dwindling until there was nothing left.

Her eyes fluttered shut, her breath coming in soft, shallow puffs that matched the rhythm of my own.I leaned in, my lips hovering just above hers, the temptation almost too much to bear.

I could feel her warmth, her pulse quickening beneath my fingertips, and for a split second, everything else in the world faded away. It was just us-just this moment.

But then the door burst open, slamming against the wall with a loud thud that shattered the fragile tension between us. Blair jumped back, her eyes flying open as we both turned toward the interruption.

Matthias stumbled into the room, his arm wrapped around Karissa, who was giggling uncontrollably. They were both clearly drunk, completely oblivious to what they'd just walked in on.
"Oops!" Karissa squealed, half laughing, half apologizing as she clung to Matthias. "Didn't know you guys were in here!"Matthias, equally unsteady on his feet, blinked at us with bleary eyes.

"What're you two doin' up here? Gettin' cosy?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, clearly not sober enough.

Blair stepped back, her face flushing as she tried to gather herself. "We were just... talking," she said, her voice a little too high-pitched to be convincing.Matthias didn't seem to notice.

"Well, don't let us interrupt," he slurred, before pulling Karissa closer and planting a sloppy kiss on her lips.Karisa giggled again, wrapping her arms around his neck as they started to kiss, completely lost in each other.

Blair looked away, clearly uncomfortable, and I could feel the moment we'd shared slipping further away."We should go back downstairs," Blair said quickly, her voice tight as she moved toward the door, not even glancing in my direction.

I wanted to stop her, to say something that would bring us back to where we'd been just a minute ago, but the moment was gone.

Whatever had almost happened between us had been snatched away, and I wasn't sure if or when we'd get it back.Instead, I just nodded, following her out of the room as Matthias and Karissa continued their drunken make-out session behind us.

The door clicked shut, and the sounds of the party downstairs grew louder as we descended back into the chaos, the charged energy between us dissipating into the crowded, noisy atmosphere.But even as we rejoined the party, I couldn't shake the feeling of Blair's body against mine, the near-kiss that had been so close, yet so impossibly out of reach. And as I glanced at her, catching her eye for just a moment, I knew she felt it too.