Chapter 27

-Hinata's POV-

When I pulled the door to our dorm open, the handsome Inuzuka man stood waiting with a wolfish grin that brought a soft blush to my face.

Two months have passed since I saw him backstage before our debut concert and almost a year before then when I last visited his family's hospital. His appearance matured quite a bit over that period of time. I noticed it backstage, but had only gotten a few moments to speak to him that day so I didn't get a chance to take it all in.

Kiba's never been lanky, but he'd definitely gained some noticeable muscle mass. His boyish good looks now seemed quite a bit more rugged and manly. His dark brown hair was a tousled mess and just a little bit of stubble was on his face that suited him very well. He didn't look anything like the well-groomed idols I've been surrounded by for the past two months and I kind of liked that.

"Ready to go?" He motioned behind him with his thumb.

I nodded, turning to wave goodbye to my roommate, who waggled her eyebrows at us both, "Be good, kids! Use protection!" My face broke out into a wild heat and I gave her a look of disbelief before shutting the door behind me.

Kiba and I shared a bashful look before letting out awkward laughs and heading down the hall side by side. After pushing the button to call the elevator, he turned to give me a look-over, "You look amazing! How's celebrity life?"

I smiled shyly down at my shoes, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear in an attempt to keep my fingers from fidgeting, "Thank you. Things are going well so far."

The elevator door dinged and slid open to reveal familiar red hair. "Hello Gaar-S-S-Sasori!" Inwardly, I cursed myself for mistaking the two.

Bored light-brown eyes bore into mine for a moment before Sasori gave us a lazy nod of greeting. Then he wordlessly walked further down the hall so he could meet up with Sakura. My date and I exchanged another awkward look before stepping into the elevator.

"He seems…cool?"

I tilted my head at him with a frown, "He kind of creeps me out a bit."

Kiba chuckled, "Yeah, I get that. He doesn't change his expression much."

I wordlessly pulled my sunglasses on as the doors reopened on the ground floor and bravely stepped a bit closer to the handsome man when we stepped outside. Flashes of light from the paparazzi outside threatened to blind us, but Kiba reached back to grab my wrist on instinct before leading me through the chaos, making my heart flutter slightly.

After our debut, the photographers loitering the agency's grounds began approaching the members of Prestige with much more restraint. If word got out that they'd mistreated someone important, they'd get into more trouble than if it was just another trainee, at least with the public. The sheer number of paparazzi had at least doubled, though.

After opening the door to his car for me and making sure I was safely inside, Kiba came around to the driver's seat and immediately maneuvered the vehicle out of the agency's parking lot so we wouldn't be photographed anymore. "Do you have to deal with that all the time?"

I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded, "Yes. I-I'm sorry for the trouble."

The man glanced at me for a moment before refocusing on the road, "You don't have to apologize. It just surprised me, that's all."

The car became quiet for a few moments before I tried to change the subject to something more casual, "How's Akamaru?" Akamaru is his dog. He received the great pyrenees puppy as a gift from his parents a few years ago when he finished his first year of college.

"You wouldn't even recognize him now. He's over a hundred pounds." He seemed happy that I asked, "You should come over sometime and see him. I'll make dinner." A blush rose to my face and I nodded, but didn't say anything in response because I was sure I'd stutter if I tried.

Kiba didn't seem to mind and let the car fall into a comfortable silence. Rather than sit there and let my nervousness eat me alive, I focused on keeping myself calm by telling myself this wasn't going to turn out how the date with Naruto had. Kiba would never do that type of thing to me. I know for sure.

-Sakura's POV-

Not even a minute after Hinata left did I hear the front door reopen and I stepped out of my bedroom to greet her, "Did you forget somethi-Oh! Sasori! Hey babe!" The handsome redhead acknowledged me before sitting heavily on the sofa and clicking on the television.

My eyes danced over his appearance as my heartrate rose. He wore a black t-shirt with a band I didn't recognize on it and dark-wash jeans. Sasori's style could be compared to a toned down punk or emo look, which fit with his band's vibe perfectly. Not only that, but it suited him.

I physically jumped when his light-brown eyes met mine and he motioned for me to join him. It hadn't even occurred to me that I'd been standing there awkwardly. I did my best to mask my nervousness as I plopped down beside him and snuggled into his side eagerly when he wrapped his arm around my waist. His other elbow was on the sofa's arm and he had his chin propped up on his fist as he watched some action movie that was playing on the screen. His cologne smelled wonderful, which made him seem even more attractive than before.

This was the first time he's come over where no one else was hanging out with us. We've never been alone in this type of setting and it felt new and exciting. I've had a couple boyfriends before, when I was in high school, so I'm not a complete newbie to it all. I've had my first kiss and have partaken in what could be referred to as "heavy petting", but that's the extent of my experience.

It had to be a fluke that both Hinata and I are so green in that sense because women our age have often been sexually active for at least a year or two. I didn't let it affect me all that much, though. When the time and person is right, I'll get to experience those types of things, too. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being sexually active, but there's also nothing wrong with the opposite either.

When I looked over at Sasori's body, my face warmed. He always wears his clothes a bit loose, so I couldn't tell if his muscles were toned or soft under that black shirt, but also didn't really care. Curiosity isn't a bad thing.

I told myself the moment he asked if I was free for him to come over and hang out that I was going to at least kiss him today. Now that he was here, though, I was feeling more anxious than I've felt since I had my first kiss. It's probably because the only person I've kissed in the past year has been Sasuke and the Uchiha shot me down right after.

My arm was strewn loosely across his stomach and I felt his muscles flex when he yawned, making my blush flare up even hotter. I pulled back and he looked at me with a curious expression. Hinata's not home, Sasuke has a female friend over, and Gaara never barges in without knocking first so us being interrupted wasn't something I had to worry about. This was the perfect opportunity to make my move, especially since the handsome man before me was staring at my face and giving me his full attention.

My instincts told me to lean in and just go for it, but instead I found myself shooting up from the couch, "Do you want something to drink? I think we have some liquor around here somewhere." Even I could tell my voice was a bit more tense than usual and I grit my teeth as I went into the kitchen. Maybe it'd help me loosen up slightly.

I could feel his gaze on my back as I got onto my tip-toes so I could see the top of the refrigerator. Sasuke, being the only one of us old enough to legally buy alcohol, begrudgingly agreed to keep us stocked so long as we don't sell him out if we ever get caught. So, I quickly located the bottle of whiskey up there and retrieved it, as well as two glasses, before putting some ice in them and rejoining Sasori on the sofa.

His voice was semi-amused as I poured a bit of liquid in each glass, "I can tell already you don't like that stuff. What's with you today? You're being weird."

He accepted a glass when I handed it to him and took a sip, rust-colored eyes never leaving my face. I followed suit, shooting back a large mouthful of the foul liquid and swallowing as quickly as possible.

The man snickered, "See? You hate it."

My blush refused to fade, much to my dismay, and I sighed in defeat, "I'm just feeling nervous is all. I thought this would help."

The amused glint in his features strengthened, "Nervous about what?" The way he said it hinted that he already knew what my intentions were and it made me feel humiliated.

He's twenty-seven, almost ten years older than me, a fact that made me uncomfortable at first, but I quickly got over it because it's not like I'm trying to marry him or anything. We're just casually dating. Still, the man has ten more years of experience than me, meaning he was able to read me like a book. Deciding to just bite the bullet and get it over with, I tossed back the remaining liquid in my glass before sitting it on the coffee table before turning to gently pull his shirt so he'd come closer. He did as I wanted without hesitation and I squeezed my eyes closed as I pressed my lips firmly against his.

I was right. He knew exactly what I wanted and immediately began kissing me back. My heart felt like it was up in my throat, but a majority of my nerves dissipated the moment our lips first touched. Setting things in motion was the hardest part and now that it'd been done, I felt much more at ease.

Sasori slowly reached over to sit his glass on the table beside mine before maneuvering himself over me as I laid down on the sofa. His fingers were calloused from playing the drums for so many years and sent waves of excitement through me when he gently caressed my thigh so I'd part my legs and allow him to slide in between them in an effort to come down further against me. The heat that'd been burning my face was steadily beginning to seep into the rest of my body.

One of my hands rested on his shoulder and the other slid to the back of his head to pull him closer. A soft sigh passed my lips when he slid his tongue into my mouth, the faintest taste of whiskey coming to my senses. One of his hands were against the sofa cushion to hold himself up, but the other explored the humble curve of my waist. His tongue swirled slowly with mine, like he wanted to take his time with the act rather than perform it in a frenzied rush.

A familiar heated feeling began to sink in my stomach only to pool between my legs, but after a couple more minutes he surprised me by pulling away and sitting back on his knees so he could grab his drink. My legs were still bent around his hips and I tried to mask the fact that I was almost breathless with arousal because I didn't want him to think I was willing to go all the way today. Sure, we may end up doing it in the future, but this relationship was still way too new for me to be comfortable taking things that far.

Half-lidded eyes danced over my appearance as he took a sip of his drink and I felt the urge to cover my likely red face, but he sat the glass down and came back down before I could. Hot breath sent a shiver down my spine when he buried his face in the crook of my neck and began pressing slow and sensual kisses into the sensitive skin there. My hands gripped the front of his shirt in surprise at the unexpected sensation and I bit down on a small moan. He noticed anyway and I felt him grin against my skin.

"If you don't wanna start something you don't intend to finish tonight, you'd better tell me to stop soon."

My eyes shot open in surprise at his blatant flirting and I opened my mouth to respond, only for his hand to come up and clamp over my mouth as he ran his tongue over the area on my neck he's been attacking. I was stunned, to say the least, but also kind of turned on by his way of making it clear that he did, in fact, want to go further.

Sasori finally came up to press his lips against mine once more, speaking between kisses, "I didn't hear any objections." His tone was playful so I'd know he meant no harm. A small laugh managed to pass my lips and he grinned before sliding his tongue back into my mouth.

He's a good kisser. Each movement he made seemed perfectly calculated to compliment mine and the sensation the technique caused brought butterflies to my stomach.

My back arched ever so slightly when his fingers danced under the bottom hem of my shirt, letting him know I was okay with it. Calloused fingers ran up the curve of my back, pressing my front further against him, before coming back down to run up my side, his thumb brushing the soft skin of my stomach up to my ribs. After a few moments, he brought his hand back down to tug at the bottom of my shirt, this time asking for permission to remove it.

Before I could respond, his phone began ringing on the coffee table. He groaned as he pulled his tongue from my mouth, his chest vibrating under my hands. Our eyes locked for a moment before he sat back on his knees like before so he could grab his phone and answer it.

"What."

If I wasn't in such a hot and bothered state, I would've laughed at his unenthusiastic greeting. He obviously wasn't happy to have been interrupted.

I took advantage of his positioning and studied his appearance as he spoke with whoever was on the other end of the call. The dark, aroused expression was still on his face as he looked down at my body, his free hand rubbing my thigh absently as he talked. His jeans were hanging low on his hips so I could see the waistband of his boxers underneath and the tiniest sliver of his skin was showing. A surprisingly chiseled "v" muscle teased at what he might look like shirtless.

My mind was cloudy with attraction and I didn't focus on whatever he was saying to whoever was on the phone, but when he hung up, he pulled off of the couch with an irritated expression, "I have to go."

My heart fell into my stomach and I sat up, "What? Why?" Things were going incredibly well just now. Everything we did felt amazing and I thought we were going to do at least a little more while we had the chance.

He shot back the remainder of his drink before pressing a quick kiss into my lips, "Konan needs me to pick the Akatsuki guys up from the club."

I didn't try to hide my disappointed pout and he gave me a knowing smile, "I'll come back when I'm done."

I shook my head, grabbing his wrist and turning it slightly so I could see the time on his watch, "That's alright. Hinata will probably be home by then."

He studied my face for a moment before pocketing his phone and coming to a full stand, "I'll call you when I'm done and we'll figure it out then, okay?" I nodded, giving him a small smile. He gave me one more quick peck on the lips before heading out of the room and leaving me to think about what had just occurred.

I heard a thump against the wall in the room next door, followed by a muffled moan and let out a sigh before pouring myself another glass of the disgusting whisky and turning the volume on the tv up to overpower whatever girl Sasuke was messing around with.

-Hinata's POV-

Kiba placed his arm around my shoulders almost immediately after we were seated at the back of the theater, so I found it impossible to focus on the movie. The heat coming from him made it hard to ignore. Little butterflies were flitting around in my stomach and I spent the entire hour and a half sneaking glances at his attractive profile while he watched the screen. He's just so…manly. It's hard to find another word for it. His appearance was strong and confident, like someone who's sure of himself.

"How'd you like the ending? I never saw that twist coming!"

I blinked, feeling confused. When did we get back into his car? We were already driving back to the agency. My train of thought had been so deep, I must've been moving on autopilot.

"Hinata?"

I looked over at Kiba's face and shook my head slightly to reassure him that I was alright, "S-Sorry! I was…" A sheepish laugh left my lips and I shook my head once more, "The movie was great."

He chuckled, a warm sound that I found enjoyable, "So it wasn't a failure of a first date, then?"

I fiddled with one of the buttons on my dress and smiled as a blush rose to my cheeks. To my surprise, he suddenly reached over and pulled one of my hands into his, intertwining our fingers. When I met his gaze with wide eyes, he offered a reassuring smile before refocusing on the road.

The butterflies in my stomach were going wild, but I forced myself to respond, "No, I've had a good t-time." A small, happy sound rumbled from his chest and he gave my hand a soft squeeze before letting the vehicle fall back into a silence for a while.

After a few minutes, he broke it once more. The tone of his voice was much more serious, which threw me off, "I hope it's nothing I did that's making you so nervous. Let me know if it is, okay?" He knows me very well. Even before I joined Evolution Entertainment, it was rare for me to stutter around him when it was just the two of us because he makes me feel so comfortable. So me stuttering a few times must've told him something was wrong.

I shook my head with a frown, "It's nothing you did, don't worry. You've been perfect."

Kiba paused before asking, "What's wrong, then? You can talk to me about it."

A familiar wave of unease came over me as I debated if I should come clean or not, but when I glanced over to see the serious expression on his face, I couldn't bring myself to hold back. "T-The last date I went on…it ended terribly."

"Naruto?" I nodded with a red face.

His fingers gently squeezed my hand once more, "I'm not going to hurt you."

My eyes darted over to him and he glanced at me with a reassuring smile. My lips tugged into a grin and I nodded, "I know. Thank you, Kiba."

When we finally arrived at the agency, he surprised me by parking the car rather than pulling into the drop-off lane, "Are you gonna invite me in or is this not the best time?" His tone was flirty, but not overbearingly so in an attempt to assure me it was completely fine to turn him down.

My thoughts initially went to the heated makeout session Naruto and I had at the end of our date and the awful experience that occurred directly after, but I forced the memories away. This was Kiba, not Naruto. He most likely just wants to hang out for a bit, not try to get lucky. So, with my heart racing, I nodded, "Sure, come inside." He pulled his hand from mine and smiled as he climbed out so he could open my door for me.

I allowed him to lead me back into the building in silence. The moment the doors of the elevator opened on my dorm's floor, the loud thump of blaring music's bass met our ears.

"Did you know she was throwing a party?" I shook my head as we shared a confused look.

As soon as I reached for the door handle of my room, it opened and an incredibly tall drunk man with blue hair stumbled out. Kiba pulled me back just in time for him to run into me.

"Oh shit, my bad little lady!" The inebriated stranger's voice was deep and slurred. Then he let out a husky laugh before pulling his cellphone out of his pocket and stumbling in the direction of the elevator, likely to make a call. The smell of alcohol on his breath and clothes was incredibly strong.

Kiba released his hold on my waist and I gave him a quick grateful look before cautiously stepping into my dorm. There were almost twenty people inside, at least ten of whom I've never seen before. Loud music shook the walls and multiple people were dancing in the living room area. The furniture had been moved closer to the walls to make room.

Ino's voice rang out above the music and my neck turned swiftly in the direction it'd come from, only to see her stumbling toward me, "It's about time you guys arrived! Come take a shot with me!" She closed the door to the hall before grabbing my wrist and pulling me with her toward the kitchen.

When we arrived, she went to work pouring the drinks and I surveyed the table. Sakura, Sasuke, and an extremely beautiful woman who could only be the Uchiha man's fling of the week were talking as they drank. "Hinata! You're home! How was your date? Have you guys kissed yet?" My roommate's voice was slurred as she came over to grab my hand and pull me over to join the others, causing me to turn and grab Kiba's wrist in a similar fashion so he wouldn't be abandoned.

"This is Aiko, Sasuke's fuckbuddy. Say hi Aiko!" The brunette woman grinned and she waved, appearing to be the most wasted out of anyone here.

"Shut the hell up, Sakura. You're so fucking obnoxious." Sasuke griped at the pinkette over the loud music.

Ino approached and handed Kiba and I a shot glass apiece, "Here you go. Bottoms up!" The Inuzuka man and I met gazes and he shrugged before holding his glass out for me to toast with. A small grin tugged at my lips and I clinked my glass against his before we both tossed them back. Sakura, Ino, and Aiko all cheered, making Sasuke laugh.

Once we sat the now empty glasses on the table, I reached over for Kiba's hand and he naturally grabbed onto it and came a bit closer so I could get on my tip-toes and speak in his ear where he could hear me, "I'm sorry about all this! You don't have to stay."

The man shook his head, waving a dismissive hand before leaning down a bit to respond. His breath tickled my ear, making chills run down my spine, "I don't mind. Your friends seem fun." When he pulled back, we smiled at one another before facing the table once more.

A laugh managed to pass my lips before I could stop it when I saw Sasuke glaring at me, Sakura and Aiko leaning drunkenly against either of his sides while they laughed loudly at something Ino said. I released Kiba's hand to grab onto Sakura's, taking pity on my teammate, "Sakura, where's Sasori? Wasn't he supposed to come over?" The pinkette was trashed and simply hugged me tightly while giggling rather than answering my question.

I patted her back lightly, giving Sasuke a confused expression, "Where are Gaara and Tenten?" Neither of the redheads in question were in the dorm, or our mentor, not even in the small sea of dancing people in the living room.

The Uchiha placed a hand in Aiko's face when she tried to kiss him, eyebrow twitching in irritation as he shrugged, "They were here earlier."

Sakura suddenly pulled away from me and slurred out drunkenly as she touched two of her fingers to my lips, "Sasori kissed me right here," then she moved her fingers down to my neck, right under my jaw, "and right here."

A fiery blush rose to my face and I swatted her hand away, "S-Sakura, stop it!"

The pink-haired girl laughed loudly before yelling at Ino, "Pour another round, Pig!"

My brow furrowed as I looked at her face. She was more drunk than she should be when others are around. It was reckless, what she was doing. "Sakura, I think you should stop drinking for tonight."

The girl gave me an incredulous look and waved a wild dismissive hand, "Nuh uh!"

Ino sat a shot in front of all of us and I panicked, snatching hers up and taking it along with mine before she could get the chance. Sasuke snickered, "Watch it, Hyuuga. We all know you're a lightweight."

I scrunched up my nose at the awful taste before motioning for Kiba to wait a moment before grabbing the Uchiha's hand and pulling him with me into the bathroom, the only place no one else would hear us, and shutting the door so we wouldn't have to yell over the music. He seemed the most lucid out of everyone.

"Why haven't you cut her off, Sasuke? She's trashed."

Dark eyes glared down into mine and he crossed his arms as he leaned his back against the closed door, "I'm not a babysitter."

I gave him a pleading look, wordlessly asking him to drop the cool-guy act.

His eyes narrowed and he rolled them, "Don't pout at me, Hinata. It's not gonna work. She's a grown woman and can take care of herself."

There was a loud knock at the door and he let out an annoyed sigh before stepping out of the way so I could open it and see who was there. To my complete surprise, it was Aiko and she shoved me before I even realized what was happening. Since she was so drunk, the action only made me take a couple steps back while I gave her a bewildered look, but the woman took a step forward as though she was going to go for more.

"Back off, bitch! He's mine!"

Sasuke moved so quickly that it stunned me more than suddenly being attacked. His hand grabbed onto her wrist like a vice, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I looked over at him and was shocked further to see an expression of complete rage on his face.

Aiko pointed at me like a kindergartener tattling on a classmate, "She's trying to steal you from me!"

I put my hands up in front of me, confused as ever, "W-What? No I'm not!"

The girl's glare hardened and Sasuke grabbed her other wrist when she tried to grab at me with her free hand, "Why're you two in here alone, then? You're just trying to get in his pants, you whore!"

"I suggest you take yourself somewhere else before you get hurt." Both of us turned to look at Sasuke and I realized he meant it.

The woman was too drunk to understand, but I wasn't, so I put a stop to the situation before things could get worse, "It's fine, Sasuke. I'm alright. Here Aiko, I'll leave, okay? It was just a misunderstanding."

The drunken model moved to the side so I could do just that and I gave Sasuke a strict warning look not to do anything stupid just because he was pissed off. The Uchiha man released Aiko's wrists and I heard him start to tell her off, but didn't stick around to see how it played out.

As I walked, I felt the effects of the three shots I'd taken in quick succession start to kick in. Kiba grabbed onto my hand when I got back to the table and gave me a questioning look. I reached up to pull his head lower so I could explain, "I was just telling Sasuke to keep an eye on Sakura, that's all."

His face had a barely noticeable blush when he pulled back to meet my eye, nodding in understanding. Realizing how casually I'd touched him, I removed my hand from the back of his neck with a bright red face, "S-Sorry!"

The Inuzuka man gave me a grin, reassuring me that all was fine.