The Not Gate (Tom and Alice #1) (14 page)

ROOM TWELVE

Saturday
16
th
December

T
om sat on the hotel bed and waited. This was going to be their second full night together. The last two weeks had given him only a handful of evening phone calls and the odd touch of her hand at school.

They had planned tonight to perfection.

Tom booked a room at a hotel in Oxford and Alice was to get the bus and arrive separately from him an hour later. Tom had arranged a lovely little hotel about half a mile from the city centre so it was still well within walking distance for Alice to get to from the bus depot.

He felt nervous, he wanted to see her so badly. He glanced at his watch for the seventh time in as many minutes. She was due at 8pm and it was five minutes to now. He ran through the check list; She had the address, the room number and the directions. He didn’t like the thought of her walking around Oxford alone but she had assured him she knew her way around just fine, so he had to trust her.

Tom sprang to his feet suddenly as he heard the light tap on the door.

Calm down you fool.

He pulled the door open and all the tension and longing of the last fourteen days evaporated. She stood in front of him all bundled up for winter, wearing the most joyful smile he had ever seen. He smiled back and she ran to him, dropping her bag just inside the room. Tom grabbed her mid stride and flung her to his chest. She snaked her arms around his neck and legs around his waist and started scattering mad, hungry kisses all over his face.

‘Tom…’

‘Oh god, Alice,’ he muttered kicking the door shut behind them. He carried her towards the bed and flung her back onto it, she clung on taking him with her. Tom looked down, they were both breathing hard staring at each other.

He wanted sex. He needed sex with her now.

Tom moved to the buttons of her coat and began pulling at them franticly. Leaning down every few seconds to kiss her lips, he felt possessed. Alice watched him, her big green eyes never leaving his face. She gasped as he yanked the coat from her shoulders and pulled it free. Dumping it over his shoulder onto the floor.

‘Is this okay?’ he asked moving his hands to her jeans.

‘Yes,’ she looked nervous again but then they hadn’t actually made love since she stayed at his house that first time. Tom stood for a moment and pulled her jeans, swiftly removing them from her body along with her shoes. He started work on his shirt, shedding it in seconds, next his jeans, boxers and socks.

‘Oh my…’ she whispered looking at him.

Tom grinned at her expression. He reached for a condom from his jeans pocket. He wanted to talk to her, touch her, but until they had done this he would be able to think of nothing else. Tom pulled her knickers down her slender legs.

‘I’m sorry Alice, this is a bit caveman… you walk in the door and all I can think of is getting inside you.’

‘Really?’ she swallowed.

Tom nodded slowly, leaning over her again. He skimmed his hand down her left thigh and lifted it gently to rest over his hip, she was poised waiting for his next move. Tom couldn’t hold on any longer.

‘Is this okay? Are you ready, baby?’ he kissed her again and she gripped him tightly to her.

‘So ready,’ with that he couldn’t stop himself from thrusting into her.

‘Oh Tom…’ she cried out. Her fingers dug into his back as he started to move fast. Her hips lifted off the bed to meet his thrusts, hard and continuous. He couldn’t stop himself, he felt like he needed to bind her to him.

‘Fuck, Alice,’ he shouted, grabbing her other leg and pushing it towards her body. She cried out again and he felt her body tensing, her skin trembling. She was so close already but that was good because he held little hope of lasting himself. Something he normally prided himself on, with her had become a distant memory. He’d have to work on it.

‘Alice, look at me,’ he commanded his voice husky and dominant. Her eyes shot to his and with every thrust of his hips he watched her eyes swelling with a shared passion he hadn’t ever hoped to dream of.

‘Oh Tom it’s too much, I can’t stand it,’ she breathed her head digging into the soft mattress.

‘It’s fucking intense, baby.’

Shit, it had never been more intense.

‘I need more… I think?’

Tom picked up the pace again and with it, let go of all reserve he may have had left.

‘I never want anyone else to do this to you,’ he whispered harshly near her ear and felt her body respond to his words, ‘do you understand me?’

‘Yes!’ she cried out, ‘…never.’

‘No one else will make you feel this. Love you like I do,’ he cursed himself for being such a crazy bastard. What the hell was the matter him? His need to own her was suddenly off the charts, staking his claim where he had no moral right to.

‘I know,’ she cried.

Tom felt Alice come apart beneath him, her full lips parted, her body tensed and she screamed out. He let himself go when he felt the small muscles inside her tremor around him and hold him tighter. The primal noise he made registered somewhere at the back of his brain.

TRUTH OR DARE

Saturday
16
th
December

B
loody hell!

Alice lay on the bed sideways, looking at the ceiling. She was naked from the waist down and a very naked Tom was lying beside her. She was trying to order her mind into some rational thought. Tom wasn’t talking either so she guessed he was doing the same thing. Moments later she felt his strong warm hand grip hers and squeeze it gently. She moved her head to the right to look at him and his beautiful face stared back at her. He looked strangely apprehensive.

‘I love you, you know,’ she smiled softly, sensuous currents still rippling through her body.

‘I’ve never said things like that before, been so… controlling. I want to say I’m sorry for saying them, but I’m not. I’ve been lying here thinking if I meant them and I did,’ his face was stony, ‘the thought of anyone being with you, touching you, kissing you, makes me so crazy. I think about what could happen to you when you’re away from me. When I can’t protect you, damn Alice I’m going mad, I think,’ he closed his eyes and ran his hand over his face in the manner he does when he is frustrated.

‘I like it when you talk like that, but you don’t need to worry I don’t think I’ll ever want anyone else,’ she said honestly, still trying to get her head around everything, ‘and you don’t need to protect me.’

‘Yes I do, and I want to,’ he said sitting up and pulling her to sit and face him on the massive king size bed.

It was the first chance she had got to see the room since arriving. It was not too big and not too small, decorated in cream and gold, with heavy red curtains. There was a door to one side of the bed which looked like the en-suite. A large dressing table and ornate mirror were positioned opposite the bed and a small mini bar sat on the floor next to it. Tom’s sports bag was slung on top of a bedroom chair near the window, along with his grey overcoat.

‘Is it always going to be like that?’ she asked searching the floor looking for her knickers.

‘What do you mean?’

‘That good?’ she said blushing.

Tom’s face lit up with his magnificent smile.

‘I hope so baby, I think so,’ he stood and turned towards the bathroom. He never seemed to mind about being naked, but then who would if they had a body like that? She watched his bum as he walked, his strong male legs sprinkled with brown hair. He returned with two white hotel bathrobes and held one out to her.

‘Here you go. I think it will always be like this for us, Alice,’ Tom looked away from her, but Alice caught a glimpse of worry that passed over his face.

Alice slipped her blouse off and pulled the robe on. She looked at herself quickly in the mirror. It was huge on her but really cosy. She settled back on the bed and Tom put on the other robe and got a beer from the mini bar for himself.

‘What would you like to drink sweetheart?’

‘Wine please.’

‘Wine?’ he raised his eyebrows at her, ‘is that wise after last time?’

‘Well you’re the only one here this time. Are you going to take advantage of me when my faculties are down, sir?’ she mocked playfully.

‘Absolutely, wine it is then it suddenly sounds like a brilliant idea,’ he laughed.

‘White?’ she smiled at him sweetly.

‘Yes ma’am, coming right up,’ Tom saluted her, opened a little bottle of wine from the bar and emptied it into a glass.

‘Hungry? We could order from the room service menu?’ he said, handing her the glass and climbing onto the bed next to her.

‘Yes, I think I am now.’

Twenty minutes later two plates of steak and chips were delivered to their room. Alice chose this time to disappear into the bathroom for a quick shower just in case by some random coincidence the waiter recognised her or something.

This is what worries Tom, she thought as she dried herself off
.
That we would never be able to be like a normal couple. Open and happy, doing normal things. Would they always be shrouded? Would it always be just them?

In a way she liked that idea, not letting the world in to ruin their little piece of paradise. But it just wasn’t realistic. One day she would have to tell her parents and he would have to acknowledge their relationship openly with his peers. Would he ever be able to do that? Would she?

The alternative was just too painful to even consider.

Alice shook her head, if she pondered that now she was going to cry and never stop. She needed to concentrate on something else. Tom, was in the next room, looking all buff and sleepy in the fluffy white robe and supper sounded like it was waiting. She blinked back her tears, they had tonight and she didn’t want to spoil it.

It’ll never be enough…

Tom grabbed her as she emerged from the bathroom and pulled her to his body kissing her on the nose.

‘Dinner looks good.’

‘Umm smells good too,’ she said.

‘I think that’s just you, baby,’ he kissed her again.

‘Smooth, Mr Chambers and cheesy, I like it,’ she hugged him back but with the thick robes between them she couldn’t get her arms round him at all. She felt like she was a small child again hugging Donald Duck on their family holiday to Disneyland.

Tom pulled back from her and looked at her face, ‘are you sad?’

‘No, I’m really happy,’ she really was, but she was also churned up with confusion. How could she start asking the kind of questions she needed the answers to now?

Yes, he said he loved her but that didn’t mean he was willing to throw is whole career away for her. She had no right to start issuing demands, and even if she had, she wouldn’t risk him walking away.

‘Are you sure? I’m sorry about rushing into sex straight away. It’s just when I saw you the dark side kinda took over,’ he smiled his boyish grin.

‘Well as I’ve told you on numerous occasions I like your dark side.’

‘Do you now?’ Tom’s eyes narrowed, his gaze turned predatory.

‘Eat Mr Chambers, keep your strength up,’ she ducked away from him towards the trolley.

‘Why Alice, whatever do you mean?’ he joked picking up his plate.

After they had eaten what was probably the best steak Alice had ever tasted, they sat in each-others’ arms on the huge bed and found some random film on TV to watch.

For the first time ever it felt normal. Just a boy and a girl in love, spending time together doing normal stuff.

Tom had put his jeans back on and was leaning against her shirtless. Every now and again she would sneak a little look at his body. Every inch of his skin looked perfect, slightly tanned, warm and smooth and oh boy those muscles.

‘What is this film?’ his accent sounded stronger in the darkened room.

‘
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare
, I think, one of the Elm Street sequels.’

‘Do you like horror?’ he asked looking up at her.

‘Not really. I only really watch them at girly sleepovers. This feels a bit like one actually,’ she smiled as his face lit up in mock outrage.

‘This feels like a girly sleepover? Well I hope that you don’t normally have sex at these sleepovers!’ god, she loved him when he was playful.

‘You’re an idiot,’ she felt her cheeks turning crimson.

‘I’m clearly not doing my job right if this feels like a girly sleepover, am I?’ he moved over her quickly, grabbing her waist and pulling her beneath him.

She gasped.

‘That’s better,’ he said moving the edges of her gown aside and nuzzling her neck, sending sparks of arousal through her whole body, ‘now what else goes on at these sleepovers aside from all the illicit sex, that I should know about?’

Oh those lips
.

‘Well?’

‘Pizza, hair styling, truth or dare, pamper treatments.’

Tom thought for a moment, ‘truth or dare, interesting, want to play now?’ he moved away from her and rested on his elbow near her head, she moaned at the loss of his touch.

‘Later,’ he smiled down at her.

‘Now!’

‘Patience, baby. So who goes first?’

Alright this could fun.

‘Ladies first?’ she asked sweetly.

‘Always,’ he winked.

‘Truth or dare, sir?’

He scowled at her reference, ‘truth.’

She closed her eyes, ‘when did you lose your virginity?’

‘I thought you were going to ask me a hard one. I was sixteen.’

‘Who with? How?’ she questioned him excitedly.

‘Ah, my turn baby,’ he shook his head, ‘truth or dare?’

‘Truth, the easy option I don’t have much history.’

‘I play the night in the woods over and over in my head sometimes. When you told me in the shed that you wanted me to make love to you then and there, did you mean it? Would you really have gone through with it?’ he levelled his ice blue gaze on her and waited.

She breathed out, ‘in a heartbeat. Tom, do you have any idea how much I already loved you then? I felt like I had lived a thousand lifetimes waiting for that moment.’

Silence.

Tom lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers hard. He cast his eyes away from hers, concealing his emotion, ‘wow.’

‘Well, back to you. Who? When?’ there was so much information she wanted to know about him.

‘A girl called Kathleen Kennedy, she was seventeen. We lived three doors away from each other and one July evening we were bored and a little drunk and decided to give it a go. She had done it once before and egged me on. Not very romantic, but there was very little to do growing up in rural Ireland. We had to make our own entertainment,’ Tom laughed.

‘Did you love her?’

‘No, Alice. If I have ever felt like I loved anyone in my past that all changed when I fell in love with you. I meant what I said to you, I have never felt like this before,’ Tom leaned over her and kissed her mouth that had fell open slightly.

I love him, oh I love him.

‘That was two by the way, you owe me now. One truth and one dare,’ he stated.

‘Why don’t I get to pick anymore?’ Alice pouted at him like child.

‘Because I said so, and I am the boss,’ he smiled and smoothed his hand over her hair. Alice shivered, every touch affected her like the first one.

‘Go on then Chambers, hit me with them.’

Tom gripped her chin and moved her face towards his and he held it there so she couldn’t look away, ‘Alice, what is the naughtiest fantasy you have about us?’

Alice closed her eyes. Shit, she couldn’t go there. She knew the naughtiest fantasy and it felt wrong every time she thought it.

Tom stared at her.

‘The thing that you just pushed from your mind, I want it,’ he bent his head and whispered near her ear.

Alice shook her head.

No way.

Tom grabbed her arms and pinned them above her head. His face hovering just inches above hers, ‘it’s mine and I want it, baby,’ he ordered.

‘Tom please, you won’t like it. You’ll get angry at me. It’s just a silly daydream,’ Alice muttered trying to get out of the situation.

‘Now I really want to know and don’t try and change any detail. I know your face, Alice. I can tell when you’re not being a hundred percent truthful. You should know though I am prepared to torture it out of you.’

‘I’m so sorry. I have thoughts about you in your mustard tie and rolled up shirt sleeves… kind of making love on your desk… at school,’ Alice closed her eyes together tightly and continued, ‘your hands are chalky from writing aggressively, passionately on the board. One hand is on my shoulder the other on my hip…’

‘Are you face down?’ he asked then, his voice husky but his eyes giving away nothing of his mood.

‘Yes, you’re behind standing up.’

Tom held his breath, ‘what else?’ his voice steely.

Shit.

He’s pissed off. Everything about this is wrong, it’s everything he’ll hate. Every word would be a sick reminder of his misplaced guilt. Why didn’t she just make something else up?

‘What else, Alice?’

‘I’m wearing school uniform.’

‘Yes?’ his eyes held her.

‘You’re telling me to do lines – like teachers used to – but you’re making me say them out loud.’

Tom raised his eyebrows, ‘what’s the line?’

‘It’s from
Jane Eyre
,’ she watched his eyebrows shoot up again, ‘you say
“Do you
think
me handsome?”
and I have to reply
“no, sir”
over and over.’

Alice looked at Tom.

Oh bugger what’s he thinking? Perverted little nymph!?

‘Well the dare was going to be let’s do it, but seen as I don’t have all the relevant props, much to my disappointment it will have to wait,’ his eyes drilled into hers.

‘Oh. You’re not mad?’ she was sure that this revelation would be abhorrent to him.

‘No. I can’t even pretend I haven’t thought similar things. But you do surprise me…’ he looked away from her momentarily, ‘I’m not mad, I’m extremely horny,’ Tom grabbed her and flipped her onto her stomach, ‘on your hands and knees, baby.’

‘Really I…’ Alice cried as she felt the heat of his body cover hers from behind. Tom ran his hand up her leg slowly and under the dressing gown. Through the telling of her fantasy, however harrowing, it had left her aroused and pliant. Her breathing was erratic when his fingers reached the elastic of her knickers, pulling the gusset to one side she felt him rub his palm across her flesh, his thumb skimming over her sensitive clitoris.