Chapter 4

The atmosphere in the apartment was heavy the following morning. It was like the house was divided into two sides; on the one side was Angela who did the chores, cooked, read books she discovered in the bedroom and kept pretending that nothing out of the ordinary ever happened.

On the other hand James tried his best to ignore her. He paid no attention to her comings and goings and he talked to her only when it was absolutely necessary. He slept, he played music and he tried to recover as if he was home alone.

The calmness however was deceiving. On the inside they were both self-conscious and they were boiling. Angela was in a hurry to get out of there and she made that clear all the time which made James mad. Secretly he enjoyed her company and he was frustrated that she was so eager to leave.

What made him even more angry though was that she talked about Georgia all the time as if she was trying to put a solid wall between them, something unbreakable that protected her. He wanted to tear that protection apart. He wanted to pounce on her, to take her just to prove that she was in danger. To prove to her that if he wanted to he could make her scream with pleasure.

He entered the living room wanting to escape from all these thoughts. The stereo was on and he heard an R'n'B track that he didn't recognize. It was something slow and sexy and just as he turned his head he saw her. She was dancing to the rhythm moving with grace. Her eyes were closed and she was smiling to herself.

He approached her and hugged her from behind. She stopped the moment she felt him but he whispered in her ear softly, "Let's just dance" and she complied reluctantly.

James was holding her moving his hips to the the rhythm of her hips touching her intimately. His hands were on her stomach, her head was on his chest and he could smell her hair. Coconut shampoo which made him dream of the summer, of white, sandy beaches, of Angela in a bikini ... And then he couldn't take it anymore.

He turned her around quickly before she could protest and he kissed her. His lips touched hers not with gentleness but with violence hurting her, his tongue was demanding entrance to her mouth and his hands were keeping her locked in an embrace so that she couldn't leave.

The moment her tongue touched his he felt a kind of triumph. She relaxed and she melted into his mouth and into his arms exploring him, allowing him to touch all the corners or her mouth while she brought her arms on his neck caressing him, making little circles with her fingers as the kiss continued.

He had never before enjoyed a kiss so much. He could taste her sweetness and he was lost. She was passionate and innocent at the same time, a rare combination. Her hair was like silk in his hands and he felt a wave of desire covering everything else. He let the wave drown him and he touched her breast...

That moment she stiffened and she tore her mouth away. She was looking at him with fear and regret. That regret drove him insane.

"Don't look at me like that!" He knew that he was shouting but he was not able to stop it.

"James, I'm sorry ... I shouldn't..."

"What? Kiss me? Don't worry your conscience is clear and your reputation will remain immaculate. You didn't kiss me. I kissed you, I took advantage of you and you are a poor, little defenseless girl who couldn't fight back". His mind was screaming at him that he was an ass, but his heart was telling him to hurt her, to make her suffer.

"Don't be like that. You know we can't kiss or do anything else for that matter", she murmured afraid that the words would make him shout even more. She talked softly remaining calm and trying to be diplomatic but it wasn't working. He didn't care about what he was allowed to do, he was furious. She wasn't even looking at him, she kept staring at the floor.

"And why the hell not? Angela", he said and he grabbed her right hand, "you know I want you". He put her hand on his erection, on the proof of his desire.

"James ... Georgia...", she blushed and she took her hand away. However she did not continue her sentence. She ran towards the bathroom but he got in her way and he took her face in his hands.

"Angela look at me". When she didn't obey he shouted, "Look at me, damn it!"

She looked at him beneath her eyelashes and she was trembling.

"It's not because of Georgia you're running away now. Come on, be honest at least with yourself. I will talk to Georgia, I will explain but that's not your only inhibition. What happened?", he asked and he sounded determined to find out the answer.

"When?"

"I don't know when. What happened that makes you so afraid? Who hurt you so much that you can't stand my hand on your breast or your hand on my..."