A Kiss at Midnight (Delilah and Caelum) novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22

By the time Kaia and I stepped through the massive front doors of the mansion, the party already looked like it had hit midnight instead m of barely brushing eight.

Music rattled the walls hard enough to shake the framed paintings hanging in the hallway. Somebody screamed from upstairs, another person laughed loud enough to sound possessed. The air smelled like expensiive perfume, alcohol, and poor decisions.

Typical teenage Friday night

I glanced around slowly before muttering, “how are people already drunk off their asses at eight p.m.?”

Kaia snorted beside me, adjusting the silver strap of her dress. “You would be too if you’d been here earlier.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “Fair point.”

Honestly, if I had arrived any sooner, I probably would’ve been the one standing on somebody’s marble table drunk off my

ass.

It had been that kind of week

Between school, my mother breathing down my neck about appearances, and the disaster currently happening inside my brain twenty four seven, I deserved a drink.

Several, actually

The moment we stepped deeper into the house, somebody nearly crashed into Kaia while dancing horribly off beat, and she shoved them away with a disgusted look.

“See.” she said, “this is why I hate parties thrown by rich boys with too much freedom.”

“Jealous because your parties don’t come with imported chandeliers?”

“My parties don’t come with lawsuits waiting to happen.” I grinned.

“That’s what makes them fun.” Kaia rolled her eyes and I barely heard whatever she started saying next because my attention drifted toward the kitchen.

Drinks

Beautiful, glorious drinks

“I’m getting alcohol before I lose my sanity after the week I’ve had,” I announced.

Kaia immediately pointed at me. “Delilah, wait..” too late, I was already walking away.

The kitchen was exactly how I had expecte it to look, a completely disaster, that is. There were bottles that were scattered across the counters, with red cups everywhere, and somebody sitting on the island recording a video while laughing hysterically.

Why? Beats me.

A wild guess who be due to the alcohol. I ignore the at least three more couples that looked to be attached to each other like they were trying to fuse into one person.

I made a face at this, because honestly, couldn’t this people not her a room or what.

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Chapter 22

Why was everybody determined to traumatize innocent bystanders tonight?

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“Ugh..what an eye sour,” I muttered under my breath while weaving through the crowd, nobodyheard me over the music.

My attention moved over the bottles lining the counter, Vodka, no. Tequila, absolutely not. Some suspicious jungle juice sitting in a giant bowl that looked like a hospital visit.

Just as I was about to giving up, I spot a half finished bottle of red wine tucked near the sink and my eyes lit up almost immediately.

“Perfect,” I whispered,, grabbing it quickly before somebody else could. Without bothering to find a cup. I twisted the cap/ open and took a long sip.

Sweet, cold and exactly what I needed. I let out a satisfied breath. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

“Knew I would find you here.” A voice came from behind me, familiar and amused.

I turned slowly, bottle still in hand to find Jace leaning against the doorway with the kind of confidence that he seems to radiate any time I saw of him, mainly when they are painfully aware they were attractive.

Which he definitely was

His dark hair looked to be messy in that effortless way that should have annoyed me more than it did, he was also topless and had only a low black sweats hanging dangerously on his hips.

I let my eyes drink in the sight of him once, okay maybe more than once. Because wow.

Jace smirked immediately. “Take a picture, Sunflower,” he teased, getting a I scof from me.

“Why bother taking a picture when I can just have the real thing,” his eyebrows lifted as I stepped closer before he could recover. Close enough to smell his cologne and the way his breathing shifted.

Slowly, with my head tilted a bit to the side as I poured out little from wine, letting a tiny drop slide onto the center of his chest causing Jace to inhaled sharply.

I looked up at him through my lashes while dragging my thumb lightly across the spot. “You seemed to be gwaking,” he murmured.

“You’re shirtless at your own party,” I replied smoothly. “That sounds like a you problem.”

His laugh came out low. “Careful,, sunflower,” he said, stepping closer, “you keep looking at me like that and I’m gonna start thinking you want me.”

Rolling my eyes at this. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Too late, caught you staring already.”

“And you, Jace Manore, still happens to be shirtless.”

He chuckles at this, his eyes twinkle with amusment. “that sounds like appreciation to me.”

I smirked, taking another sip from the bottle. “maybe I’m just trying to figure out if your personality finally improved.”

He presses a hand to his chest like I had wounded him. “Damn, and here I was about to say you looked pretty tonight.”

“I always look pretty.”

“There’s the Delilah I know.” His grin softened as his eyes moved over me. “For the record,” he added, “you really do look good tonight.”

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12:42 Mon, Jul 20 ))·

Chapter 22

The compliment settled weirdly warm in my chest, which was annoying. So naturally, I covered it with attitude.

“Good,” he laughed again, shaking his head.

“Thought you weren’t gonna come tonight,” he said.

Taking another sip of wine before answering. “I almost didn’t.”

“Then what changed your mind?” I shrugged one shoulder casually.

“Boredom.” He narrowed his eyes playfully.

“Okay now I feel special.”

“As you should should.”

“Only because you showed up?”

“Well obviously,” he laughed again, shaking his head.

Jace didn’t ask too many questions and just matched energy. “Dance with me,” he said.

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5 vouchere

I stepped closer until there was barely any space between us, his attention droping to my lips instantly. I leaned near his ear. “It depends,” I said softly, “on what kind of dancing you mean.” I could tell he was caught off my what I had said and was trying to play it cool.

Cute

Before he could respond, I take a hold of his hand. “Come on, pretty boy.” I muttered, pulling him out of the kitchen and the minute we second we reached the main crowd, the music hit us hard with the bass thundered through the room while lights flashed across moving bodies.

There were people at the dance floor, with shoulders bumping eachother, yelling lyrics that nobody actually knows I take a long sip from the bottle before handing it to Jace and he drank too without breaking eye contact.

Then his hand then mover to rest on my waist, possessive enough to make heat flow low in my stomach. I moved closer as the crowd pushed around us while the music changed into something slower but heavier.

His hands slid carefully along my waist before resting at my hips while mine draped around his neck. Our faces stayed close enough that every breath mixed together.

He moved with me easily, one hand spreading against my lower back while we swayed through the flashing lights. “Having fun yet?” he asked.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“You haven’t impressed me enough.”

His mouth twitched. “Tough crowd.”

I grinned. “You did invited me, didn’t you. Now that’s your mistake, “his fingers tightened around my waist as the music pulsed around us, the room blurred into noise and movement.

Then somebody behind me bumped my shoulder hard enough to push me against his chest but he was quick to steady me. One hand pressed against my back while the other caught my wrist.

The look he gave me after that lasted a second too long and suddenly the air felt warmer. “Want to go somewhere quieter?”

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12:42 Mon, Jul 20

Chapter 22

he asked.

5 vouchers

I tilted my head. “Thought you’d never ask.” His grin at this before grabbing my hand, leading me through the crowd.

We climbed the giant staircase while music echoed from downstairs, every hallway upstairs looked dimmer, quieter.

Well. Mostly quieter

One couple stumbled past us laughing breathlessly while another sat outside a bedroom whispering to each other. Jacelled me toward the end of the hallway before opening a bedroom door.

The minute we stepped inside, the noise downstairs became muffled, soft and distant, the room itself was huge, dark walls, expensive furniture, floor toceiling windows overlooking the city lights.

Definitely his room.

Closing the door behind us with a soft click, I turned to look at him and the silence stretches between us for moment, the tension already filling the room did enough talking. Without wasting any time or having second thoughts, I walked straight up toward him, grabbing his neck before pulling him down to me and his hands slid up my back while the other remained on my waist.

Pressing closer, fingers curl lightly into his hair as the kiss deepens messier and faster that neither of us really planed on slowing down.

Jace backs up until the edge of the bed hit behind his knees but I barely noticed, my brain had already gone pleasantly fuzzy from the alcohol, the music still ringing faintly in my ears, and the fact that he was a good kisser.

I shifted closer again, my hands sliding from his shoulders down his chest, his breathing turned uneven.

“Delilah,” he muttered quietly.

“Hm?”

“You’re captivating.” I smiled against his mouth.

“Told you that already,” he kissed me once more then suddenly he pulls back.

His hands stayed on my waist for half a second longer before he gently pushed me back slightly, enough to put a little space between us, stopping things from going any further.

My brow raise at him in confusion.

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