Party Gifts 2/4 (Alexis PoV)

Her head tilted slightly, lips parted in anticipation. Those beautiful eyes met mine, telling me everything I needed to know. I pulled her close and brought our lips together. Her lips were so soft, so perfect. Chloe let out a little noise of surprise as she shifted against me, melting into the kiss.

I forgot how to breathe as Chloe kissed me back. For a moment, my world was Chloe, and everything was right. My hands slipped up her back, drawing her in close. She pressed against me, eager and willing. We parted for a brief moment before we came together again, picking up where we left off. This time, there was no doubt in either of us. Our mouths parted and our tongues met, exploring the new terrain. Chloe tasted sweet, of liquor and sugary cocktails. Her hand slipped into my hair as she clung to me, returning my kisses with growing hunger.

All my tension bled away, leaving me dizzy from the intensity of the kiss. Our heads moved together as we learned the steps to this unique rendition of a familiar dance. A fire burned inside me, fueling my desire. When our lips parted, I needed to catch my breath. My mind was reeling, struggling to keep up with what was happening. We needed to stop before we ruined everything.

This was so messed up, but how could I stop after that? It just felt... right. The spark was there, proving once again that what had happened at Victoria’s place months ago hadn’t been a fluke. Ugh. Why am I so attracted to a woman?

Huh?

A gasp startled me. From the look on Chloe’s face, she was equally shocked by the sudden noise. We both looked to the source. Jake was wide eyed, or at least more than usual. His eyes bounced through the air around us.

“Do that again,” he slurred.

Chloe’s face was red, shooting me a sidelong look before speaking to Jake. “Ah, I uh, probably should have asked you first—”

“That was incredible,” he continued, swaying slightly as his eyes seemed to look everywhere but directly at us. “Can you do it again?”

My gaze met Chloe’s; the fiery mood quenched by reality exerting itself. Now we were both self-conscious of what we’d done, yet despite everything, I wanted to kiss her again. I really, really wanted to kiss her again.

I spoke before reason got the better of me. “I wouldn’t be opposed to—”

Her giggling broke up the tension that had formed. God, she was adorable, hand against her lips as she tried unsuccessfully to suppress her giggling. “Why do I have the feeling he’s not talking about us kissing?” I gave her a confused look. The smile she gave me took every ounce of willpower I had not to pounce on her. “Your Gift,” she clarified, still amused by the situation. “He probably saw something in our noise when you used it.”

I blinked, the ****-fueled lust receding enough for me to process things. “My Gift?”

She tilted her head slightly. “Yes?”

Oh shit! No wonder some of my thoughts confused me so much. I hadn’t even realized I had reached out with my Gift, let alone how easily Chloe accepted it. People’s instinct was to reject it the first time, especially when it was coming out of nowhere. It was surprising she’d accepted it, or that I didn’t even notice we were connected.

Chloe seemed to mistake my silence for something else. “You did use it, right? Your thoughts were, um, intense.”

Great, now I was blushing. I probably dumped a metric ton of lust and desire on her. “Sorry.”

Bashfulness took hold of her as she looked away. “Don’t. I want this.” Her voice was soft enough that I barely heard her. She looked over at Jake and with a deep breath, she walked over to him. Jealousy hit me as she took his hand, pulling it into her lap as she sat next to him. He looked over at her, face as passive as ever. “Do you mind if Alexis joins us tonight?”

He blinked a few times as if struggling to focus. His gaze shifted from her, taking that far-off look he got when he was using his Gift. “Hard to see. I can’t tell if—”

“Jake, look at me.” Her voice was firm as she **** his gaze back to her. “No Gift. No noise. I want you to tell me what you want, not what you think I want.”

Once more I was confronted with the reality that Jake and I would never work. He was special to me, but a lot of the stemmed from him being one of the few who could handle the bullshit I surrounded myself with. We’d have plenty of fun together, I was sure of that, but this? What Chloe was doing? I couldn’t do that. It made me immensely envious of Chloe. The sheer irony of having a Gift that connected me with people, yet Chloe was leagues ahead of me in terms of building those connections. Jake was an emotional wall, yet there was an undeniable bond between them. It hurt because I now saw how much I wanted that with Chloe.

His gaze shifted to me and I felt my back stiffen as his blank gaze. My heart hammered as I awaited his judgement. Even though I knew going forward would be a mistake, after coming this far, I don’t think I could handle a rejection. Not after feeling Chloe’s thoughts and how she felt about me. I didn’t even know what I expected from all this, mind moving more on instinct than reason.

“Are you going to use your Gift on Chloe?” he asked, his voice as neutral as ever. Even in a situation like this, nothing fazed him.

I caught Chloe’s eye, then focused on him. “I-if she wants.”

He looked to Chloe. She gave him a small smile and nodded. His gaze wandered off again, but snapped back when she cleared her throat, giving him a look I’d never seen her make before. Jake seemed to react to it, as it only took him a few seconds to come up with his answer. “I want Alexis to join us.”

Chloe kissed him. I thought I would be jealous, but I think my mind was too caught up in what Jake said. He wanted me to join them. This was real, wasn’t it? Maybe I’d tripped in the parking lot and hit my head, because I couldn’t believe what was happening. Jake and Chloe, two of the people I’d come to cherish more than anything and in very different ways, had always been out of reach. Yet here we were, about to go beyond the unspoken lines we’d established. It was something I wanted more than anything, yet I remained frozen in place as I watched the two kiss. Jake said he wanted me to join, but did I really have the right to do that? Seeing what they had, knowing the chaos I would bring, I hesitated.

I looked away, forcing myself away. No. I couldn’t do that to them. No matter how much I wanted this, I couldn’t. I didn’t—

Chloe was once more standing before me. She wore a gentle smile that filled me with thoughts and emotions I shouldn’t feel for a friend. She took my hand and pulled me in, not to her, but to Jake. Heart quivering, I looked from his stoic expression to her. I broke at the accepting smile she gave me. Leaning in, I kissed Jake. He didn’t respond like Chloe did, and I had no idea why I expected him to. He was wooden and stiff. Enjoyable as the kiss was, there was a noticeable lack of passion and desire. It took me a second to realize what it was that bothered me, but it clicked. Jake kissed like he knew what to do, but not the reason why. It didn’t ruin the moment for me, but it did **** me to adjust my expectations.

I pulled away, finding zero reaction in him from the shared moment. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen that look and brought forth unpleasant memories of failed conquests. It was the look of someone with zero interest in what I was offering.

Chloe’s soft giggle brushed aside the negative thoughts like the sun parting the gloom cast by clouds. “Not what you expected, is it?”

“It was,” I stopped myself before I just blurted out the first thing that was in my mind. “Different.”

“Mm.” Her amused expression was beautiful.

“Is it... always like that?”

Her gaze shifted to Jake, the love clear in her eyes. “He is an acquired taste, but totally worth it.” I was about to say something else, when her hand rested on the back of my head and pulled me into a kiss. This was the kind of thing I expected, full of life and passion. I lost myself in the moment. Kissing Chloe was an out-of-this-world experience and I found myself tossed between two different experiences. Jake was mechanical and cold; Chloe was fire and passion. It was certainly a unique experience.

I could have spent the entire night just kissing and been perfectly content, but things were progressing rapidly as the mood shifted. Chloe’s kissing came with touching, which I happily returned. My Gift guided my hands, our thoughts unique and separate, but joined in common desires. The joy she felt at my reaction and emotions at seeing her naked was beyond any lustful rush I’d experienced. Echoes of thoughts flashed through our connection as I kissed at her neck, her hands removing the last of what I wore.

Validation. I could feel her desperation to be loved, wanted, desired, by someone she cared about. Her love for Jake was there, yet I could feel the cold wall that she struggled with. She understood and was determined to make things work, yet I could see how she mentally clung to my feelings for her, filling her and completing her in a way she craved and had been searching for.

“Sorry,” she breathed as I enjoyed teasing her neck with my lips. I could feel her embarrassment as if it were my own. “I feel like I’m emotion dumping on you right now.”

“Don’t,” I said. With a breath, I opened myself to her. A light gasp left her, but I didn’t know if it was because of the connection deepening or that I was teasing her nipple with my tongue. My hand caressed the other, enjoying the pleasure she felt flow through our connection. Any fear I had regarding my Gift was brushed away by Chloe’s curiosity and acceptance. She wanted this. Wanted me. Each step with my Gift only brought more desire from her. Not just the sexually fueled lust driving us at the surface, but something more. I was usually the one setting my own pace, yet Chloe was firmly in charge. Her emotions and thoughts pulling me along.

Deeper. A swirl of thoughts that made the pleasure of our mutual touching an afterthought. She was embarrassed and ashamed that she had feelings for two people and at a loss how to deal with it. The pain of knowing that whatever she did, she would be hurting someone she loved. I could feel her reaction to my own fears of wanting something I didn’t deserve. Knowing that I only brought ruin to everything I loved and cared about.

Deeper still. My fears of losing control of my Gift and the pain of what I did to my sister. Yet I didn’t feel the disgust and anger I rightly deserved.

Trust. She trusted me. Completely.

I let go.