No Strings *COMPLETE*

Chapter Two

That was fucking stupid. How could I be so stupid? It's been 3 days of pure hell; an oh-so-wonderful mixture of sexual tension thanks to Mr. Fuckmerighthereandnow and awkward silences at the dinner table with Alec. Jesus, what was I thinking? I am beyond screwed... Fuck me... I guess I mean that literally.
Every time I walk out of my room, or pass him in the hall, or brush up against him in the kitchen, is a reminder of how hard it is to get away from Nathaniel.
"Baby Girl..." Nathan taunts quietly, as he passes a cup of coffee to me over the island in the kitchen. I glare at him. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" "You can tell me not to 'till you run out of breath, Love. It's not gonna change anything."
He's such an arrogant... sexy... narcissistic... charismatic... dammit I lost my train of thought.
I walk around him and open the fridge door. As I'm searching for the creamer, I feel his presence behind me. "Move," I growl. He grabs my ass and I spin to face him. "And don't do that," I say removing his hand from my personal space. "Are you sure that's what you want,Baby Girl?" He murmurs in my ear.
And there it is. Once again, I'm weak at the knees at the mere sound of his voice. What the fuck is wrong with me when it comes to him?
"I...I-"
"What? Cat got your tongue?"
"I can't stand you."
He chuckles,"Yeah, I got that vibe. But...You also can't resist me,"he says, his hands gripping my waist once again. Self control,Skilar.
"I'm not doing this with you." "I know you keep saying that, but you are still right here with me and I don't see you going anywhere." His emerald green eyes seem to pierce right through me.
And what am I saying? As much as I want to walk... run, away from this... him, I can't bring myself to do it. Maybe this isn't so bad? But I could get hurt. Although it's just fun. Alec would kill both of us if he found out. Fuck what he thinks.
I lean in closer to Nathan and let his arms pull me into him. He kisses me roughly, like it's the first time all over again.  My fingers tangle themselves in his raven curls. He wants more than just this. Hell, so do I.
Footsteps echo in the dining room, and almost immediately it's like nothing ever happened.
Except my heart is pounding and both of us are panting like we ran a marathon. That was really close... and exciting... oh my God, am I really turned on at the thrill of getting caught with Nathan?
A clueless Alec walks into the kitchen. "Morning," he mumbles, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Morning," we say in unison, a little too quickly.
His sleepy eyes wander the spaces between Nathan and I, as he sips his coffee. I look at Nathan and wait for him to say something. Useless. "So what do you have planned today, Bub?" I ask Alec to break the silence. "Well it's Saturday.  And... I have no homework left, so I think I'm well over due to relax and read."
Typical Alec. Still the same old boring, bookworm he's been since we were little. "I think not, Best Friend," says Nathan, slapping a hand down on Alec's shoulder. "We have the first party of our sophomore year to go to tonight. And there is no way you're getting out of it to stay home and read." Alec huffs," Nate, I don't want to leave Skilar home alone, so-" "Then don't. She is a big girl. And we'll be there to keep an eye on her." "Guys, no, I'm fine, I can stay home," I say, trying to keep Alec from worrying. "Nonsense. Both of you guys need a night to let loose," says Nathan. Alec gives me a concerned look. "Alec, I'll be okay I promise. If you don't feel comfortable with me going with you guys, I won't." He sighs. "I'm not going to do that to you. But if you drink, do not take a cup from anybody. And make sure you put my number on speed dial in your phone. And for the love of God, don't put yourself in stupid situations." I nod. "You're actually gonna let me go?" I say, shocked. "Yes, just be careful and don't make me regret it." I hug him excitedly, and run upstairs before he fully wakes up and changes his mind.
See, all my life growing up, I was never able to do anything dangerous or risky and learn from my own mistakes. I was never allowed to date and risk getting my heart shattered. Or go to a party and risk alcohol poisoning. I was pretty well sheltered. The worst part about it was Alec and my parents were perfectly content with that.
I spend a good portion of the day lounging around and reading. What? I like reading, too, dammit.
I waited until about 7:00 pm,then headed straight to the bathroom for a shower. As I turn the water on and adjust it, I take my hair out of the pony tail it was in.
I go to shut the door as Nathan walks by, and of  course he pops his head in the door. "Mind if I join, Baby Girl?" I shake my head. "No, Nathan. Now go, I have to get ready." He shrugs. "It's was worth a shot." I shut the door in his face, lock it, and proceed to strip.
Finishing up my shower, I get out and wrap a towel around me. Now for the 'hard' part-finding the right thing to wear. The perfect outfit to say, "I'll be good, I promise, Bubba," and "I'm not in high school anymore."
After searching my closet and "veto-ing" outfit after outfit, I finally settled on a pair of ripped skinny jeans, combat boots, and a black tank top. Afterwards I proceed to blow dry, then straighten my brunette waves. By the time I move onto my make up, it is just barely 8:30pm, so I quickly add a coat of base and powder, then a little eyeliner and mascara, with a touch of dark red lipstick. Perfect.
As it is now 8:45, and as if it were right on cue, Alec yells up the stairs,"Skilar, are you ready yet?!"
Without answering him, I grab my ID and phone and head downstairs. Alec comes out of the kitchen and spots me in the entry way. I watch as he gives me a look as if to say "Are you kidding me?" "What? It's not inappropriate," I say. "Can you put a cover up on?" He replies. I open my mouth to contradict his comment, but Nathan steps in from the dining room behind Alec and cuts me off.
"Alec, lighten the fuck up, okay? She's fine. She isn't dresses slutty and I guarantee you if any asshole hits on her, she will knock them flat on their ass before either one of us even realize what happened." He did not just say that to him.
I waited for the big explosion from Alec, but it never happens. Calm before the storm, perhaps? Alec looks at me... relieved. I stare at Nathaniel, wide-eyed. How the fuck did he do that?!
"Man... You're right." WHAT?? "I know. And if she gets herself into a messy situation, we will be right there, okay? Relax." Alec nods. I take the opportunity to speak up. "Can we go now?"
Within minutes we are piled into Alec's single cab Chevrolet. You could only imagine the uncomfortable aura radiating off the three of us.
Although, it didn't take long for us to get past the momentary awkwardness thanks to our shared love of 2000's hip hop belted out at full volume.
We pull up to a complex of university dorm rooms. Oh. My. God. There's got to be over a hundred people here!
Nathan notices my Sudden nervous demeanor, and lays a hand on my thigh. For a moment, I forget the cocky, self-centered side of Nate, and focus on the part that made him care enough to try to comfort me. I give him a small smile and move his hand away before Alec notices it.
We get out of the truck, and pretty well go our own ways. I walk into a cluster fuck of grinding bodies and people already too drunk for their own good.
I grab a Smirnoff Apple from a tin bucket filled with ice and pop the cap off. Yes, I am more than aware that I'm drinking "Bitch Beer," and I'm purposely playing it safe tonight.
I go out back, to the pool and watch as people dive into the water and rough house and it makes me smile. One of the many bodies acting crazy is Nathaniel.
Within minutes, a girl runs right into me, nearly making both of us spill our Smirnoffs. She gasps. "Dude, I am so sorry!" She exclaims. I laugh it off,"It's not a problem," I reach my hand out," My name is Skilar Torres." Her hand grasps mine,"Lillianna Massey, nice to meet you," says the tiny blonde girl. I smile at her,"You too."
"Are you a freshman? I've never seen you around here." I nod, "Yeah, my brother goes here, too. Alec Torres, he's a sophomore." "Oooh, okay! I had him in a few classes with him last year, he is so smart and I see where you get your good looking genes." I laugh at her rambling, as she continues on with a story that I'm no longer paying attention to. I stare past her at a wet-bodied Nathan as he chugs his beer and has no care in the world. I wish I could do that.
Suddenly, a hand is being waved in front of my face. Being that hand is attached to Lillianna, I look at her sheepishly. "I'm sorry," I say, taking a swig of my beer. She looks at me quizzically, then turns around and back to me, a shocked look residing on her face.
"You're into Nathaniel Richardson, aren't you?!" I shush her. "Even if I was, which I am not, it wouldn't work. He is Alec's best friend and roommate. Not to mention I will be living with both of them until I graduate." She gives me a thankful glance. "Good. I don't want you to get hurt." "Why would I get hurt?" "Well he pursued me last year, got what he wanted, and never called me again. He's only after the sex and you're such a sweet girl. I don't want you to get burned like I did."
"Thank you for looking out for me like that. I'm glad to finally have a girl's perspective." She nods," We're going to be close friends."
I smile deviously at her. "Speaking of  us being close, I think there's someone else you want to get close to," giving her a slight push in Alec's direction. She looks at me,"You evil little bitch... I like you," she continues sauntering over to Alec like it was nothing she hadn't done before.
And it hits me... I know exactly what I want.