Crave

- SIX -

Kurt P.O.V.

This was bullshit. Hal and Sheila's wedding was to take place in just a few short minutes. I'd been looking for Stacy all day, but she'd done a damned fine job of ignoring me. I was only in town a few more days and then...damn, it sucked to think that I might never see her again. I didn't always make it to family holidays and I might have to make a point to avoid them in the future. If Stacy was serious about never...indulging...with me again, then I couldn't be around her. I just wanted to talk to her one more time. Try to talk some sense into her. We were two grown adults. There is no reason we couldn't explore where this could go. If she was willing, we could figure out the long distance thing.

Stacy was worried about what Hal and Sheila would think. I think that they would just want us to be happy. What did I know though? I'd come here expecting to spend a little time with my family, see my Aunt get married, and go back to my normal existence. I didn't expect to meet a woman who made me burn for her and who I actually wanted to pursue a relationship with. I didn't expect this woman to not want the same thing.

"Where is that son of mine?" Sheila muttered, sounding a little frantic.

Considering the wedding was about to begin and Lucas had gone missing, I understood her frustration. Lucas was supposed to walk his mother down the aisle and the damned kid couldn't stay put? Ok, so that kid was only a few years younger than me, but sometimes it felt like an eternity. I didn't have a parent like Sheila, who would do anything for her child. My dad was a drunk who didn't even know his own name half the time and my mom is the bitch who left me with the asshole, when I was five. I hadn't seen her since. Lucas didn't know how lucky he was.

"I'll go find him, Aunt Sheila. Don't worry. You look beautiful, by the way." I tell her with a wink, earning a smile from her.

Walking down the hallway, in the back of the church, I began searching, room-by-room. I'd almost reached the end of the hallway when Lucas appeared, tucking his shirt back into his pants and his hair was a mess. Considering, he'd already been fully dressed, with not a hair out of place, the last I saw him, it didn't take long to figure out what he'd been doing. I glared, "Seriously, the wedding is about to start and you're back here screwing some girl?"

Lucas smirked and walked past me, kicking up his speed, "Come on, Dude, the wedding is about to start. Don't just stand there."

I shook my head and hurried after my pain-in-the-ass cousin. I glanced back toward the room, where Lucas had come stumbling out of. I wondered who he'd hooked up with now. There were only about fifty guests, so I was assuming he already knew most of them. Stacy had been missing for a while as well, my brain jumped to that conclusion. Surely not though. Lucas wouldn't do that to me, right? Stacy wouldn't screw her step-brother, while she was keeping me at bay, right?

While Lucas took his mother's arm and music began to play, I hurried to my seat. I watched Hal and Stacy walk down the aisle, arm-in-arm. She didn't have a hair out of place, so she couldn't have just had sex, right? Right. I didn't know if Lucas was loyal enough to keep his distance from someone that I'd recently gone to bed with, but looking at her now, I knew she wouldn't do that to me. I smiled, reassured and sat back to focus on the ceremony. I thought it was pretty neat that, not only was Lucas walking his mother down the aisle and standing up as best man, but Stacy was walking her father down the aisle and standing up as maid-of-honor.

The ceremony was pretty short and to the point, so the preacher was quickly announcing them as husband and wife. I watched the newlyweds walk back down the aisle, grinning from ear-to-ear. I began to wonder if I'd ever have that. I had hope. Considering the ages of today's bride and groom, I had time. It's amazing because until this week, I hadn't been contemplating my future, but upon meeting Stacy everything changed. I could actually picture us together forever. I knew that was nuts, considering I barely knew her.

I watched Stacy walk down the aisle, looking uncomfortable on Lucas's arm and grinned. How could I have possibly jumped to the conclusion that these two had secret sex? Stacy was only tolerating Lucas's presence long enough to get down that aisle and Lucas didn't appear any more interested in her. In fact, he kept scanning the crowd, probably looking for his recent hookup. He appeared a little frantic about it, though, which was weird. Lucas was normally so casual about his flings, so why would he be frantically looking for her? Could it be possible that he had actually felt a real connection to someone, for a change? That'd be just my luck. My fly-by-night cousin would find his soul mate, before I could get my own life figured out.

In the reception hall, I looked for Stacy and found her directing the caterers. I knew that I should leave her be while she was busy, but I was drawn to her. So I walked over and asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Her head snapped up and our eyes locked. We had a staring match for several moments before she blinked, blushed, and looked away. She cleared her throat, "Um, I think everything is covered now. There was a small mix up in the kitchen, but I think I've got it straightened out."

I nodded, "Sheila is lucky to have gained such a focused and beautiful daughter."

Stacy's blush deepened and she said nervously, "Um, thank you."

I stepped a little closer and asked, what I'd been dying to know, "Why did you seem so reserved the first time you met Sheila? The second you stepped inside my aunt's home, I could tell that you were faking happiness."

Stacy sighed and asked, wearily, "You could tell all of that with just one look?"

I nodded, "But don't worry. I don't think anybody else picked up on it."

She smiled softly, "You have an uncanny ability to read me pretty easily, considering you hardly know me. Look, it was nothing against Sheila. I just felt like they were rushing into marriage too fast. They hadn't been dating very long and I thought my dad had blinders on. I was expecting Sheila to be some kind of manipulator. I learned very quickly how wrong I was. Sheila couldn't be more genuine and I'm incredibly happy for them. I know she'll take good care of my father."

I smiled, "Who is going to take care of you?"

"Kurt, don't..."

I interrupted her, "Just hear me out for a second. I'm leaving in two days. I'd like to spend more time with you, before I have to leave. I may never see you again after that."

Her eye widened, "I had assumed I'd see you at family holidays."

I shook my head, "I couldn't bear to see you and not be able to touch you, so I'll be avoiding holiday functions from now on."

Her eyes widened even further and then she glared, "Don't put this on me. I won't let you miss out of your family functions. I just won't attend them."

"No, I won't let..." I trailed off as she folded her arms, which caused her breasts to push up and I was momentarily distracted. Then I realized she was talking. I shook my head, trying to clear it, "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

She narrowed her eyes at me, "I was saying that you need to be mature about this. We're two grown adults. We should be able to handle being in the same room together."

"So you're giving me permission to touch you." I purposely misunderstood her, stepped closer, and ran a finger down her arm. She visibly shivered and I grinned.

"No, you may not." She snapped.

I shrugged and stepped back, "Then we're back to square one. I'm leaving in two days and you'll never have to see me again." With that I walked away. My goal? It was to get her to stop being so stubborn and give into temptation. I craved her. I needed to taste her again. It felt just as necessary as breathing and, deep down, I knew she craved me too.