Page 71 of Weak Side

“So, you’re self-conscious? You’re afraid that I’m not going to like this?” I didn’t wait for her to answer. Instead, I hooked my fingers in the sides of her panties, ripped them down her legs and spread her wide. “Watch me,” I snapped, licking her from the front all the way to the back. The taste of her against my tongue was something I’d never forget for the rest of my life. Something filled my veins, and I began to ravish her like I was famished. The nicknameWolfresonated even more than before as I devoured every single inch of her.

“God, Theo.” I hardly recognized her voice as I continued to lick, flick, and plunge my tongue inside her. Her taste was sweet, and I never wanted to go without it.

“My parents are waiting,” I teased. “Gonna come on my mouth?”

Her entire body bucked on the bench, and I eyed her white knuckles as she gripped the sides, spreading her legs even wider.

“Mmm,” I coaxed, replacing my tongue with my finger as I sucked on her clit.Fuck.Claire’s whimper was music to my ears, and it truly blew my mind that her ex could ever act like she wasn’t good enough. I sucked harder as she climaxed, and the very second she coated my finger, I clenched my eyes and licked every possible piece of her that I could.

She was out of breath when I pulled out of her and wiped my mouth on the back of my hand. I smirked as her mouth dropped open, and her eyes grew hooded with even more lust. The blue was burning brighter than I'd ever seen, and her smooth cheeks were flushed. I said nothing as I slowly pulled her panties back up her legs, and then her jeans came next. I stood up, held my hand out for her, and brought her to stand on wobbly legs.

“Did I prove to you how much I liked that?” I asked, bringing her in closer to my body and brushing my lips over her mouth. Claire’s arms went around my waist, and she angled her chin up to me, nodding softly. “I’m nothing like him, so whatever he did or said to you, forget about it.” My teeth ground together, and I was beginning to feel something potent when I thought about Claire and her ex. He made her feel insignificant and self-conscious, and the irritation it brought me was clearly significant for this late in our little game.But is it still a game?

For the first time since this all started, Claire didn’t wait for me to kiss her. Instead, she lifted up on her tiptoes, put her mouth on mine, and silently answered my question.

“Better stop.” I pulled back and peered down at her. That tongue of hers that was just roaming around my mouth jolted out, and she licked her bottom lip with a shy smile. “Or my parents will start to worry.”

The sudden realization that jolted across her features made my entire night. I threw my head back and laughed.

“Oh my God. I forgot!” she admitted. “We gotta go meet them!”

She took a step back, and this time, instead of me pulling her, it was the opposite. And like the lovesick puppy that I was, I followed after her.

34

Claire

I wasn’tsure if it was a good thing that my ankle was wrapped so tightly it was numb, but I supposed it was better than it potentially twisting under the pressure of an injury. Today was my audition for the solo that I’d been focused on since the beginning of the semester, and although this was much more than just your regular audition, my heart felt strangely steady in my chest.

My fingers opened and closed, and I bent my neck to the left and right, trying to warm myself up. I began clearing my head, closing my eyes to block out the curtain in front of me. I’d practiced all week, going over my audition and making sure I could maneuver in the way I needed to without truly hurting myself.

The good thing about Theo and me was that we were both cut from the same cloth. Determination and drive fueled us—although within different parts of our life. We both understood each other, and he hadn’t been anything but supportive, which was a breath of fresh air. He left me to practice alone but was always quick to ask me how it went and if he could help with my stretching. I didn’t focus on what we were, but I did realize how easy it was to forget about Chad. I’d hardly noticed him lurking in the background and flaunting girls in front of me while I worked, which was something he’d made note of in the unanswered texts I had received from him.

He was still laying low when it came to our parents, though. My mother hadn’t said a single peep about Chad. The only thing she’d called me about was the repairs at the apartment, and she’d briefly asked how my classes were.

That was the thing about my mother. She was equal parts selfish and selfless. Her priorities weren’t always straight, but she truly did want the best for me. I’d never doubted her longing that I’d have a better life than she did. It was why she had pushed me into dance and we worked so hard to get the partial scholarship. She saw an opportunity for me to succeed in ways she never did and pushed me toward it.

“You ready?” Taytum came up behind me and lightly massaged my shoulders. I glanced down at my pale-purple leo, smoothing out the sheer skirt, making sure it was tied properly around my waist. Taytum made sure my bun was pinned tightly without a single stray hair out of place.

“I am,” I answered. For the first time all semester, I felt good.Confident. And that most definitely had something to do with the support I had versus the degradement I was used to.

“You have a fan club in the stands.”

I spun around on my deft feet. “Excuse me? What?”

We both rushed over to the curtain where most of the other dancers were spectating from. “Back row.”

“I’m gonna kill him,” I whispered, trying to fight the smile that was creeping along my face.

“Oh, please.” Taytum’s shoulder bumped into mine. “You love it.”

I did. I watched as Theo leaned back to say something to Aasher, who sat beside him proudly, along with most of the hockey team. There were guys sitting in the seats that I didn’t recognize but knew they were there because of him.

“They have a game in five hours. Shouldn’t they be, like, resting?” I asked, shutting out Theo’s wide smile as Ford leaned forward and said something to him. The curtain closed, and I nibbled on my lip as Taytum eyed me suspiciously.

“You have stuff to tell me.” She raised an eyebrow and began walking over to her partner, Jaylyn. They were paired together for a duo, just as I was with Adam. But my solo was the important one because not everyone had the chance to score it, and it came with monetary benefits. It was an honor to even be considered, but honor didn’t give me what I needed. “But first, get out there and kill it. We can talk after.”

I nodded because, in all honesty, this dance kind of determined a lot of what I had to tell. If I didn’t come out on top of this audition, I wasn’t sure what my next steps were, and although I didn’t want to face it, it might be the end of the fantasy world that I was allowing myself to live in with Theo.

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