Chapter 26
twenty-six
. . .
BLAIR
I’m spiraling.
Sophia’s been swept away by Jake’s cousin and he’s currently spinning her on the dance floor, while I’m sitting alone at the friends and family table. With Wyatt’s family. His father is deeply distracted by his phone, while his mother is catching up with Jake’s mom. I keep hearing his father’s words in my head. I thought he was coming with Bethany? It feels like déjà vu.
I’m so confused because Wyatt is saying all of the right things, but I feel like we’ve been here before. Wanting to be together is not our problem, but expectations from his family—his father—seem to still haunt him. I don’t trust that our feelings will ever outweigh his obligation.
As the end of the evening nears, and the groomsmen head out to the dance floor to celebrate Jake, I slip away quietly, careful not to draw attention to myself. I need some time to think. I know Wyatt will be upset that I left without him, but I’m not in the right headspace to talk through anything yet. I don’t even know what I want. My heart pounds in my chest as I make my way through the crowd, and my mind races with everything Wyatt’s dad said. Distraction. Almost ruined his life. The words play on repeat in my head like a cruel mantra.
And Bethany—another perfect match Wyatt’s dad lined up for him. Why did I let my feelings get the best of me again? Why didn’t I learn my lesson the first time?
I’m exhausted when I get home. Emotionally, I’m wiped, but I find myself pulled to my closet to dig out the old memory box I haven’t touched in years. It’s a shrine to Wyatt, filled with pieces of our past—pictures, movie stubs, little notes we passed in class. I grab the box and a bottle of wine and spread out on the couch, too tired to change right now.
As I sift through our past, I can’t help but feel the familiar tug in my chest. How did everything go so wrong? I stare at a photo of us on the back of a golf cart. His arm is wrapped around my waist like he never wants to let go. My hand rests on his thigh, a casual touch that feels anything but casual when I think about it now. My head is turned in his direction, mid-laugh, my eyes crinkling at the corners. I can’t remember what was so funny, but the way he’s looking at me—like I’m the only person in the world—makes my heart skip a beat even now. It’s impossible to reconcile that boy with the one who hurt me or the man who could destroy me all over again.
I hear a knock at my door and try to ignore it until I hear Wyatt’s voice calling my name. When I finally open the door, he looks relieved.
“Can I come in?”
I want to tell him to go away and slam the door in his face, but I’ve spent the last hour revisiting our past and all the good times we had, so I let him in.
He’s quiet as he looks at the mess of memories spread all over the couch. Then he walks over for a closer look. “What’s all this?”
“Us.”
“You kept all this?”
When I finally glance up, he looks…relieved. Hopeful, even. As he steps closer to me, I can see the determination in his eyes.
“Blair, I’m sorry about earlier.”
“I guess your father isn’t a fan of mine.”
He takes my hands in his. “What my father thinks doesn’t matter. What I think does. And I choose you. I’m sorry for everything—for the past, for tonight—but you have to believe me when I say that what we have is real. It’s always been real.”
His words hit me hard, and I want so badly to believe him. But a part of me is still scared, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“How do I know this isn’t just going to end the same way it did before?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
He squeezes my hands gently, and his gaze is steady and sincere. “Because I’ve learned from my mistakes. And because I’m not letting you go again. Not this time.”
I search his eyes, looking for any sign of doubt, but all I see is truth and a vulnerability I’ve never seen in him before. Maybe, just maybe, this time can be different. And maybe, just maybe, I can let myself believe that, too.
“Blair, I don’t want to be friends.”
I nod because I’m not sure any sound would come out if I were to try to speak. My heart is racing, and I know I should insist he go home.
But I don’t want to.
Wyatt brushes my lips with his, barely touching them, and slides his tongue over my lips and into my mouth. Our tongues twirl as his hands find my waist and gently pull me closer to him. He runs them over my hips and finds the slit in my skirt, giving him access to my upper thigh. Then his thumb grazes the inside of my thigh, gently teasing the possibilities.
“We’re not friends,” I say, more as a fact than a question.
“No.”
I push into his lips more urgently, and he pulls me over to the couch, where he sits and positions me on top of him so I’m straddling his legs. The only thing between us is the strip of lace I have on and the thin fabric of his slacks. I can feel how much he wants me.
As I unbutton his shirt, his lips and tongue caress my neck and shoulder. His body is intoxicating. He’s athletic and masculine, with hard edges and ridges outlining his abs. I flatten my hand against his stomach and take my time, rubbing up his chest to peel off his shirt.
“Your body is incredible.” I’ve missed it.
He digs his hands into my backside, giving my ass a squeeze before he runs them up my back, finds the top of my zipper, and slowly drags it down. His breath catches, and his eyes gleam with desire when he sees I’m not wearing a bra.
“So is yours.”
His hands drop to my thighs, and his fingers tickle me as he glides them closer to my center. He presses his lips against my collarbone, dragging his tongue across my chest just above my breasts. Then he kisses me right over my heart. It’s something he started doing when we became more than friends.
It’s an intimate gesture. A message that he owns it.
It gives me the courage to let go and trust him.
I move my hands down to the top of his pants, resting my fingers inside the front waistband. As soon as I do, he lifts me off the couch.
“Bedroom,” he commands.
“Down the hall, last door on the right.”
My legs wrap around his waist as he carries me to my bed, and then I’m on my back while he settles in between my legs, spreading them wide.
I stop breathing for a minute as warmth floods me.
“Blair, if you don’t want this, please tell me now.”
Wyatt holds eye contact with me as he gently pulls the delicate fabric of my dress over my hips, down my legs and lets it fall to the floor. Then he sits back on his knees, eyes roaming over my body as he waits for me to respond.
“You are so beautiful,” he tells me.
I want this. I’ve wanted this for years. I hesitate because there’s no turning back. Once we cross this line, I won’t be able to be just friends. He dips his head down to kiss my upper thigh and then moves up slowly. I feel his tongue lick up the seam of my panties.
“Wyatt,” I whisper.
“I love hearing my name on your lips. It’s the only thing I want to hear from you as you shatter around me.”
He crawls up my body to put his mouth on mine, and a soft moan escapes my lips. Then his hand dips into my panties, and his fingers slide down and slip inside me. He was always so good with his hands. I respond by pressing my hips up, asking for more.
I can feel Wyatt’s smile on my lips and then he kisses down my body again. He grabs the sides of my panties and pulls them down over my thighs and off my legs.
“Open wide for me. Let me see that beautiful pussy.”
He’s sliding his tongue from the bottom to the top of my slit before I can even open my legs all the way, and the warm, soft sensation has me buzzing with pleasure.
I put my hands on his head as he uses his tongue to circle my clit, and then I feel him insert two fingers inside. Already, I feel like I’m going to explode.
I feel a rush of emotions: excitement, fear, and a flicker of hope. The chemistry between us is undeniable. My body responds instinctually, remembering exactly how right it feels to be with him. I’ve been afraid to open myself up to him again, but could we truly make it work this time? The thought of a future without him terrifies me, and I’m worried I’m in too deep already.
“I’m close.”
“I know, baby. Let go for me.”
His tongue circles and flicks my clit again, and my body grips his fingers. I see stars when I slam my eyes shut. My body shudders, and he gently pulls his mouth away but places his thumb to rub against me, stretching out my orgasm.
“Wyatt,” I say like a prayer.
“I know,” He says as he crawls back up my body. His lips are still shiny from tasting me.
“Let me…” I start to rise, but he places his large hand across my stomach to hold me in place and push me back down.
“Next time. I need to be inside you now.”
I push his pants down to his thighs, and he takes over from there, taking them all the way off, leaving him in his boxer briefs. He leans down to kiss me again, and his tongue searches for mine. He breaks the kiss to run his lips down my neck and between my breasts, twirling his tongue around my nipples, sending a twinge down my body.
I reach down to push his underwear off, and his massive cock springs out, leaning against my thigh. It’s heavy, hard, and huge. I know we’ve been here before, but he looks so much bigger.
“Like what you see?” Wyatt smirks at me as he reaches out to grab a condom from his wallet.
“It’s bigger than I remember.”
“You can handle it. We’ll go slow. You set the pace.”
He rolls on the condom and slides back between my legs, using his arms to hover above me. After reaching up to push my hair away from my forehead, he stills for a minute.
“God, you don’t know how many times I’ve thought of this, dreamed of this.”
He drops his forehead to mine, and I close my eyes. I’ve been dreaming of him since we were sixteen years old. I pull him down on top of me and tilt my hips to feel him against me.
He adjusts to put his tip at my entrance and whispers, “Are you sure?”
I nod.
“I need to hear you say it. Tell me you want this.”
“I want you, Wyatt. Please.”
I gasp as he pushes in. He waits and teases my lips with his tongue. He’s so big, stretching me almost to the point of pain. Then he inches in a little more, giving me time to adjust before he finally thrusts in one last time, putting him deep inside me. He waits there a minute, breathing hard.
“I’m ok. You can move.”
“I need a minute, or this is going to be over before it starts.” He covers my lips, and I can feel his smile.
Slowly, he moves in and out of me, finding a rhythm that makes my insides tingle. Already, I can feel the buildup happening again.
“I can feel you tightening around me. It’s driving me crazy, Blair. You’re going to make me come too fast.”
“It feels so good. I need more.”
He pulls my knee to his hip and quickens his pace, pushing into me harder. He’s touching parts inside of me that I thought were a myth. Our bodies find a punishing rhythm, creating a sheen of sweat between us. He reaches down to put his thumb on my clit, and immediately, I’m coming as I whisper his name over and over.
His pace gets erratic, and his release comes right after mine. He leans his forehead on mine and drops tiny kisses across my nose and cheeks. His body is still heavy on top of mine.
“I don’t think I can keep things professional anymore, Blair,” Wyatt says as his lips find my heart.
I look up at him, and his eyes are serious, his brows pulled together.
I run my fingers across his jaw and rest my hand on his chest.
“Me, either.”