Oliver had heard her moans, opened the door and seen her face in the room. He closed it shut before she spotted him, trembling at the image of her in his head.
His cock had hardened within his jeans, lengthening and solidifying to push painfully at the zipper. The heat that had burned over his skin had made him dizzy, lightheaded, and unable to think properly. His head had been filled with thoughts of her.
Her sighs, her sounds, her moans. He heard them all.
He had pressed his body to the wall, legs weak with his lust. He wondered whether her eyes would be glazed with her desire, soft lips parted to release warm exhales, thighs trembling with her pleasure.
He wanted to open that door. Then he had heard Ezra. His soft gravelly voice, low and rough with his intent to seduce. It was breathy and he panted with his own pleasure.
The anger that had spread across Oliver's mind had been blinding. Hot and fiery. The emotion had shot through his system, burning within his chest like wildfire. He could not breathe, the anger consumed his entire frame and pulsated deep within his chest.
Had they kissed? Probably. Had he been pleasuring her with his fingers, pushing long digits into her warm wet and sticky folds? Had he been eating her out, tasting her at that one spot she should not be giving access to anyone else but her soulmate?
Or had they been fucking? Ezra's cock sinking into her, wrapped within her. His cum staining her walls white. The thought sent another bout of jealousy straight through his system.
Oliver gritted his teeth at the thought, clenching his jaws together. The sound of her voice had resonated within him and he could recognize it from anywhere. He knew her, his soul knew her.
Oliver was sensitive as fuck, and he wished he wasn't now.
He wished he didn't know how much Ezra seemed to be enamoured by her. Oliver glanced at his best friend, eyes narrowed into slits.
Ezra.
Why him? Oliver would be more understanding towards the other members. But not Ezra, because he felt Ezra was the person he was closest to in the group.
They worked together on most songs and they ran on a similar wavelength as compared to the rest of the group. When Casper wasn't with him, he fell back on Ezra. Ezra was his place of safety. Ezra was home.
Without a clear obvious claim of the soul bond, Oliver could do nothing to Ezra. He had nothing to show Amber and nothing to prove their relationship.
Saying anything now, even just telling Ezra to back the fuck off, might anger his best friend. Possibly resulting in a testosterone-filled fight. One that would be unresolved because there was no soul bond to show.
Would Amber even believe him?
Oliver's eyes drifted back to his angel. He had hinted to her the first time they met and she had teased him. She seemed receptive of the notion but if he told her now of how he thought of her. If he strongly opposed Ezra without anything to prove his point. It would be like sticking a goddamn sticker on his forehead labelling him a sick, crazy pervert.
The law favoured those with soul bond evidence. Even the invisible ones could be proven with high-quality lie detectors or at most a drug that would imprint patterns on one's wrist indicating the presence of a soul bond.
If one paid even more money, a test could be done to check whether two parties were soulmates. But those cost exorbitant prices and proved to be painful since it involved an attempt to cut the bond.
Money not many had and pain that not many would agree to.
Oliver was never one to act on his thoughts without careful decision making. His age had taught him that, his childhood situation had taught him that. It took almost everything for him to withstand the urge to sock Ezra in the face. His eyes were wandering to the guy, reading his body language.
Ezra liked her.
The softness in those eyes, reserved only for rare occasional glances that he shot to members when he thought they weren't looking, was there. But this time it was not a once in a blue moon situation or like a night orchid that bloomed in the light of the moon. It was there plain and obvious for the world to see, clear on his face and in his eyes.
It was unlike Ezra to show such emotions so easily on his face. He liked her more than Oliver thought.
"I thought we had a rule," Oliver decided to give him. His eyes darted down to hers and he was a little startled at the rush of fear in her eyes. The tremble of those soft brown pupils that timidly met his. Shit. He shot her a pleasant smile, the best one he could give her at the moment considering the jealousy that burned through his veins.
The rule was: no girls in the studio. No fucking in the collective space they shared, especially the collective work-related space. No one wanted to run into the studio for a quick recording only to find dried human fluids or worse, his best friend with his dick out.
"I didn't expect you to be back so early," Ezra replied simply with a shrug. He didn't deny it. His best friend's eyes were dark with his warning. Oliver knew him well enough to understand that look.
Ezra wanted him to get the fuck out of his business. He wanted him to leave them alone. Oliver's fingers clenched into tight fists. His lips twitched and he forced his body to relax, he turned to give the girl of his dreams a sweet smile. The kind he could provide easily on camera. For her he allowed the sappy thoughts to cloud his mind and the adoration to flicker across his face.
"Amber, how have you been?" He said sweetly, deliberately ignoring Ezra. The surprised, slightly choked inhale that came from Ezra was sweet music to his ears.
"Uh-fantastic?" She spluttered, her eyes blinking with her confusion. She looked like a stuck little rabbit in a den of predators, unknowing of the effect she had on them. Cute. Oliver smiled. It distracted him momentarily from the hard-on in his pants or the best friend who was clearly after his soulmate.
"I really wanted to see you again," he breathed, letting his sincerity seep into his words. "Are you free? I've wanted to take you out as an apology."
The words flew out easily, too easily and the bristle of anger from Ezra was almost predictable. The guy reacted as if Oliver had taken his favourite caramel pudding from under his nose.
Ezra just didn't seem to know that the pudding was not his in the first place.
"No, no, Oliver, it's fine!" She waved her hands, looking adorably flustered. Her already flushed skin was turning a brighter shade of pastel pink. "I should be the one who owes you! I have all the stuff that I wanted to return you-"
"Liv," he replied fondly, a soft smile on his lips. "Call me Liv."
Only his family called him Liv. No one else did.
"Liv," she echoed, looking a little flabbergasted.
Ezra hummed with anger, confusion bright in his eyes. But the burn in those dark orbs told Oliver everything he needed to know. Ezra understood his intentions. He knew exactly how Oliver felt about the situation. The guy shot him a look. What the fuck are you doing? His eyes asked. Oliver simply gave him a soft, sly smile.
She's not yours.
Ezra's brows furrowed before pushing past him, pulling her with him out of the studio.
"We need to go," Ezra said stoically, his voice oddly frigid. "Come on." Oliver watched as his best friend gave his soulmate an expectant look. She nodded, pursing her lips together and turning her head to look at him.
"Hold on." Oliver stepped forward handing her his phone. "Give me your number."
Ezra looked ready to rip his head off with his bare hands.
"Yeah, okay...I'll text you," she took his phone, quickly keying in her number.
He knew that she had only willingly given him her number to pass him his things. Things that he honestly would not mind if she kept as her own. Oliver's lips twitched at the thought. He would not give up an opportunity to get closer to her, especially with his own best friend after her. He raised his head to meet Ezra's burning gaze.
Oliver gave Ezra a simple, pleasant smile, taking his phone back from her but not before letting his fingers linger on hers. The feeling of her skin on his sent a strong jolt of warmth through his veins that filled his soul.
The pleasurable zing travelling across his flesh caused goose bumps to pop over the surface. It felt as if he had submerged himself in a warm bath after dancing in a cold icy wash of winter rain. He inhaled sharply, flinching just a little but not enough for them to notice.
Had she felt that?
He swore her gaze had hardened and her lips had twitched, but Oliver wasn't sure. He swallowed back his questions and reined in his anger and jealousy. Patience had always been the essential factor to win a battle.
"I'll see you soon." He murmured, watching as his best friend dragged the girl of his dreams out of their dormitory. The slam of the door seemed almost ominous and Oliver turned, his gaze hardening into steel. He needed to make some plans.
If the soul bond wasn't going to help him.
Oliver would help himself, just as he always had.