Chapter 6
Travis
Ilook toward the back of the diner, where Anna practically sprinted off a second ago.
Nick twists around to look too. “What’s with her?”
“She hasn’t been feeling well,” Poppy says. “She said she’s been really stressed about studying for the MCAT. I don’t think she’s been eating enough lately either. It all must be catching up to her.”
I let out a slow, silent breath, willing the muscles in my neck and shoulders to relax.
Poppy seems convinced by the lie that Anna told her, but I’m not. I know exactly why she freaked out and bolted out of here.
Because I feel the same way.
I glance over at Nick, who looks totally clueless about why his twin sister is acting so strange…and totally unaware that he almost busted us the other night.
My heart rate kicked up just thinking about how close we were to getting caught—and what a disaster that would have been. Because if Nick had walked in on me hooking up with Anna, that would have been it. The end of our friendship forever.
There’s an unspoken agreement all of my guy friends and I have with each other: Don’t fool around with your friend’s sister or ex.
It’s never been a problem for me to follow that rule. Yeah, Anna is hot, but I’ve never been interested in hooking up with her.
But then the other night happened. And now things are…different.
I still can’t stand her. But I want her. So fucking bad.
Who knew that all it would take to unleash this feral need inside of me was one accidental makeout?
I tug a hand through my hair and shove aside the thought. No way. We’ll never, ever have a repeat of that night we accidentally hooked up, no matter how bad I want it.
Disappointment flashes through me. I try to ignore it and focus on what’s important in this moment: to act like normal in front of Nick so he doesn’t suspect anything.
And I’m the only one who’s doing a decent job of it.
But this can’t keep going. Anna can’t keep acting all weird and nervous every time she’s around me.
Eventually, Nick will notice something’s off and start asking questions.
He’ll figure it out. Or Poppy will, and she’ll tell Nick, and that’ll be it for our friendship…
The thought of that sends a wave of dread through me. He’s my closest and longest friend. He stood by my side through the shittiest parts of my life. That mess with my dad…When I thought I was going to lose my mom…
I need to talk to Anna and figure out what the hell is going through her head so we can deal with it, move on, and start acting normal again.
“I gotta run to the bathroom,” I mutter, then head to the back of the diner where the restrooms are.
I see that the sign by the doorknob on the women’s restroom reads “vacant.” She must not be in there.
I glance around and spot the back door. When I push it open and peek outside, I see her leaning against the building, staring straight ahead at nothing.
I walk over to her. “What the hell was that?”
She looks up at me, her gold-brown eyes big. She blinks, then furrows her brow. “What?”
“You need to quit acting so weird,” I say.
She pushes off the wall and turns to face me. Her mouth parts open as she gawks at me, like she’s incensed at what I’ve said. I have no idea why. I’m right.
“Me? What about you?”
“What are you even talking about? I’m acting totally normal.”
“No, you’re not,” she snaps. “You’re being way more quiet and broody.”
I look off to the side, the frustration inside of me simmering.
“You are,” she says, her tone insistent. “Normally, you’d be giving me shit the second you see me. But, no. You just sit down next to me and say nothing while my brother teases us about being quieter than normal, like you’re suddenly mute.”
She’s so worked up that her skin is flushed. I stare at the pink blush painting her cheeks and chest…how it makes her look even prettier.
I swallow hard, trying to refocus. “So you’re mad I wasn’t a dick to you? That makes a lot of sense.”
“I just want you to act normal.”
I step toward her. “That’s exactly what I want from you too, but that must be too hard given the fact that you stormed out of there, leaving your brother to wonder what the hell is wrong with you.”
Fire flashes in her eyes. “I was reacting to the shock of finding out that he almost caught us hooking up!” Her voice is sharp and pitchy, and her chest is heaving.
My gaze fixes on the smooth skin of her collarbone, how the top she’s wearing gives the slightest peek of cleavage.
I force my gaze back up to her face.
“Pull yourself together, Anna. Whatever you need to do to get over the shock, do it. Because I know you don’t want Nick to ever find out what happened between us. I don’t either.”
She steps up to me and pokes a finger in my chest. “Don’t tell me what to do.”
I’m suddenly hot in this dark alley despite the cool breeze whipping around us.
This woman. She’s too damn mouthy. Too fiery.
She drives me out of my goddamn mind…but I like it.
My head feels cloudy as I let the realization set in. I’ve never been into this. The women I’ve dated before have all been sweet and flirty. Not mean and combative like Anna.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Want surges through me as I stare down at her. I take in the fiery flash in her big, doe eyes, the pretty flush of her skin, the way her chest rises and falls with each breath she takes.
She’s pissed at me, and it’s turning me on.
This is so messed up.
The logical part of my brain knows I should back up and walk away. But the other part of my brain—the caveman part—likes fighting with her. That part of my brain keeps thinking about how hot it was to kiss her and touch her and feel her grind her pussy against my palm.
And that part of my brain is currently winning out.
She exhales, her hot, wet breath skimming over my mouth. I lick my lips and could swear I taste the faintest sweet flavor.
I hate how much I like it. I hate how much I like Anna, all pretty and pissed off.
“You’re such a fucking brat,” I grit out, my voice low and rough.
Her eyes flicker. She looks like she’s fighting a smile.
“You’re a dick,” she bites back.
I smirk. “You can’t get my dick out of your head.”
A hard swallow moves down her delicate throat, and I have the sudden urge to wrap my hand around her throat. What the fuck?
I ignore that and instead focus on the way her eyes widen at the mention of my cock. Interesting.
“Admit it, Anna. You liked the way my cock felt in your hand that night.”
She shakes her head. “I hated it. It felt so gross. So small.”
I let out a rough sound as I step closer to her and plant my hand against the wall of the building, caging her in. “Really? Is that why you moaned and whimpered when you jerked me in your hand?”
“The only whimpering I remember hearing was from you. You sounded so excited to finally have someone touching your micropenis.”
I swallow back the tick in my throat. That wasn’t funny, and I definitely wasn’t going to laugh.
“Nice try. I know how big I am. So do you.” My heart pounds as I move closer. I bump the front of my body against hers, pushing her harder into the wall.
I’m so fucking worked up…I don’t understand what’s happening…but I want to keep going. I want to keep chasing this feeling as long as she does too.
Her gaze falls to my mouth. She moves her finger from my chest, dropping it by her side. But then, a second later, she fists her hand into my shirt, pulling me even closer.
I hover my mouth over the shell of her ear. “I know just how much you enjoyed having your hand on my cock, Anna. I remember the noises you made. So needy. So desperate.”
Her breathing kicks up. She’s panting now. She lets out a soft whimper, and my fully hard dick twitches again. Fuck, that sound. So goddamn hot.
“Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy yourself that night. I had my hand on your pussy. I remember how wet you were. I’d bet anything you’re just as wet now. Maybe even wetter.”
I don’t know what the hell has come over me. I’m not like this when I’m with a woman—this abrasive and cocky.
But this is what Anna St. George does to me. She brings out a side of me that I didn’t even know I had.
I press my lips against the hinge of her jaw, savoring the way she gasps.
“Don’t pretend you don’t want me,” I growl against her silky skin.
Her breathing kicks up, and she makes this soft noise that sounds like something between a whimper and a moan. It makes my cock twitch.
“I can’t stop thinking about you.” It slips out, totally giving me away. Up until this point, I’ve been giving her so much shit about how bad she wants me…but I can’t hide the truth anymore. I want her.
“That’s not my problem.”
The bite in her tone makes my dick even harder. Why do I like it so much when she’s such a brat?
I straighten up and look her in the eye. “Tell me you haven’t been thinking about me, Anna. I’ll walk away right now.”
She pulls those pretty lips into her mouth, like she’s thinking hard.
I lean closer. “Don’t you dare fucking lie.”
Her eyes are big. She grabs my chin, hard. A ragged breath falls from her lush lips as she stares at me, her gaze sharp and pleading.
“Shut up and kiss me, Travis.”