Chapter 4

Shelly kicked off her sandals and curled up into the corner of Kelly’s sofa, whilst Kelly sorted out the spare bedroom, and Brian sorted out drinks for everyone.

There were two armchairs, where Dean could have sat, but instead he chose to sit next to Shelly on the small two-seater settee.

He was a tall muscular man, and he took up a lot of space on the small sofa, and so Shelly curled up tighter so that he could have more room.

He sighed and relaxed his shoulders, and his thigh brushed again her knee as he allowed his legs to relax as well.

He was so close, that she could smell his aftershave, she could smell the soap that he had used at some point, she could smell him; and it was doing some very weird and wonderful things to her insides.

He rested his hand on his leg, just over his knee, and then allowed it to fall down beside him, but instead of the sofa, he managed to find her leg.

The heat from his hand almost scolded her it was so surprising, and she gave a start.

“Oops sorry,” he said, removing his hand as quickly as it had landed.

Brian came in with the drinks then, and Dean leaned forward to take the glass off him.

When he sat back, he looked calm and untroubled, but as he shot her a quick sidelong glance even as he sipped his drink, she could see the glitter in his dark eyes.

He was like a cat toying with some poor mouse, and she was very worried that she might be the mouse in this particular game!

Kelly came in a few moments later with two large bowls of potato crisps, and other snacks.

She placed them in the centre of the table and then moved towards the chair close to Shelly.

As she moved past her, she shot her a quick smug grin.

“Its hours since we last ate anything and so I thought a few snacks might help keep us going,” she smiled as she sat down and reached for the glass that Brian had put there for her.

She held her glass up. “Cheers,” she said brightly, and the other three all held their glasses up, to respond cheerfully.

They had been chatting quite freely at the hotel, but things had become a little stilted once they got to Kelly’s home, with no one quite knowing what they were supposed to do next.

However by the time that they got to their third drink, everyone had relaxed once more, and even when Dean placed his hand on her thigh again, and left it there, Shelly did not mind in the least ... not even when he began to rub up and down a little, and his fingertips inched beneath the hem of her dress.

Shelly woke up the next morning with a thumping head, and a throat that felt like something had curled up and died in there at some point.

She had the most awful taste in her mouth, and her eyes did not want to open for very long it seemed.

“Dear god!” she grumbled huskily as she peered around the vaguely familiar room, through blurry eyes.

“Morning,” Kelly mumbled as she came out of her bathroom, and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Did you sleep all right?”

Shelly inched herself up into a sitting position. “I have no idea,” she said vaguely. “I can’t remember much after you opened that bottle of vodka.”

“No? So you don’t remember when Dean challenged you to do your famous strip routine?”

“What?” Shelly’s pale face went an alarming white, and her eyes widened in horror. “What strip routine? Please tell me that I didn’t!”

Kelly patted her shoulder and chuckled, but cut off with a wince. “Sorry babes I couldn’t resist.”

She stood up and looked down on her. “Although I was hoping that you could tell me what you and that very nice man got up to for the half an hour or so that the two of you went missing for.”

Shelly blinked at her owlishly for a moment, and then as memories began to resurface, the colour slowly came to her cheeks.

“Really!” Kelly said with interest and a mischievous delight, as she read the emotions flitting across her cousin’s face. “After only knowing him for a few hours ... even for you that’s going some, Shelly!”

“Oh, shut up you!” she snapped as she pulled the covers back and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “Nothing happened – certainly nothing like that happened!”

“Oh? So why such a look of guilt on your face?”

“Because it was not because I wasn’t willing!”

She groaned and put her head in her hands, as a wave of nausea hit her.

“Please, can we just drop it, Kel,” she pleaded weakly.

Kelly looked at her sympathetically, her cousin was so vulnerable at the moment, she really hoped that Brian’s friend was not just toying with her.

“Why don’t you go and grab a shower, and I will bring you a cup of coffee up.”

“I’ll have to wear what I came in last night,” Shelly said pulling a little face.

“Well, certainly nothing that I’ve got would fit...” she trailed off and walked across to her chest of drawers.

“This tunic is quite short on me, but it would fit you like a dress,” she said pulling out a soft cotton tunic.

It was a pretty purple colour, and it was clean and neatly ironed.

“Much better than my evening dress,” Shelly said with a grateful little smile.

“But you’ll have to make do with your own undies,” Kelly grinned.

“It’s just to get me home again,” Shelly shrugged. “So, I think I will survive.”

“Great, I’ll go and make that coffee, and will leave it on the side for you,” she said indicating the chest of drawers again.

“Thanks.”

Shelly stood under Kelly’s shower and simply let the water cascade over her for a while, before reaching for the soap and starting a rather weak wash.

She was shaking by the time she came out again, but she at least felt clean – even if not entirely human.

The scent of the fresh coffee hit her nostrils the moment she stepped back into the room, still damp, and with a towel wrapped around her torso.

As she strode eagerly across to the steaming mug, she noticed that Kelly had left her handbag on the bed as well, and was grateful that she always carried a small amount of cosmetics with her, and a comb for her hair.

She picked up the bag, and then sank down wearily on the padded little chair which sat in front of Kelly’s chest of drawers and her vanity mirror.

She put her handbag down for the moment, and reached for the mug.

As she sat sipping at the fragrant brew, she studied her reflection in the mirror.

Her blue eyes were puffy from the shower and shampoo, and still a little bloodshot from the night before.

Her face was a sickly pale colour, but otherwise not too bad.

She poked her tongue out at her reflection, and then as she finished her coffee, she sat remembering her encounter with Dean...

Shelly put the empty bowl in the sink, and turned around to return to the others.

However, Dean had followed her, with the other empty bowl, and he was now blocking her way, in Kelly’s narrow kitchen.

He stepped closer, and leaned past her to put the other bowl in the sink on top of hers, but he did not move back once he had relinquished it.

Instead, he pressed harder against her as he allowed his hand to trail down the side of her cheek, and then rest lightly on her throat.