Chapter 9 #2
I moved us, stepping back into the snow-covered grass until she was pressed to the side of the building, and my hands went down to her ass, gripping and groaning as I got my hands on the ass that had been tormenting me for much longer than I could admit.
Without another word, she shifted, jumping so I could lift her, legs wrapping around my hips until they were cradled between hers, and my already hardening cock ground into her center.
A moan left her lips as my lips moved from hers, nipping at her chin, then up to those earrings in her ears that have constantly tormented me.
I pulled an earlobe into my mouth, teeth scraping at the skin there, and her hand moved to my hair, digging into the back of it and pulling me closer as a low moan escaped her lips.
I smiled, thinking about how, somehow, it was like I already knew what she liked, my mind spending the past year daydreaming of all the ways I could touch and taste her.
I was eager to see if my thoughts were all correct, if all of the places I’d dreamed about tasting and touching and nipping would elicit similar reactions.
“My room,” I groan, pulling her closer, my head in her neck, breathing her in.
“What?” she mewled, her hips shifting to get more friction. I chuckled at her distraction, and she sighed.
“My room. You’re sharing with Wren, and I have a room to myself. Come to my room.”
It was the wrong thing to say.
Her entire body went still, frozen in place before her hands
And that’s when it happened: her small hand settled on my chest and pressed there, pushing me away. I look down at her, confused, then see deep regret on her face, her eyes shining, before I quickly step back and set her down, giving her the space she was silently asking for.
Tears shone in her eyes when she spoke. “We can’t. I can’t do this,” she whispered, then pulled away and ran off.
Slowly, I made my way to my room, trying to think of where I went wrong and settling on doing far too much, far too fast. I should have just kissed her, told her I couldn’t stop thinking about her, and asked to go on a date when we got home—dinner or coffee or a movie or literally anything other than pressing her to the side of the wall and grinding my cock into her, making her think I just wanted a quick romp in bed.
Because I was starting to think I wanted a fuck of a lot more than just that with her, and that I’d wanted it for some time.
The next morning, I delayed as much as I could as I packed up my things, buying time and letting the nerves win as I thought through all the things I might encounter when I saw her at breakfast. Would she avoid me? Call me out? Pull me aside and explain? Kiss me?
No matter what, I needed to find her, to talk to her, to tell her I knew it was too much, too quick, but that I could move slowly, as slow as she needed.
For Hallie, I would move like fucking molasses if it meant that in the end, she would be mine.
Eventually, Wren texted me asking when I’d be coming down to the lobby to get breakfast together.
I realized I’d put things off as long as I could and made my way downstairs, eyes scanning the entire way, on the lookout for Hallie’s red hair and for my chance to talk to her.
As I stepped into the lobby where we were meeting, I spotted her, my chest tightening and lightening in equal measure, before sinking to the ground with a new option of what would happen this morning that I hadn’t accounted for.
Because when I found her, she was clinging to Madden, his hand on her waist, tucking her into his side, and suddenly, I understood.
It wasn’t that she was scared or that I moved too fast.
It was then that she realized she was with the wrong brother.
It was further confirmed when I walked over to where the three of them stood, waiting for me, Wren and Madden giving me wide smiles and Hallie refusing to meet my eye, uttering the smallest “good morning” to me before stepping away to check if our breakfast table was ready.
After that night, she did everything in her power to avoid me.
In the weeks after, I realized the night before had been a mistake.
Not because I kissed her, but because in that moment, I lost Hallie—a friend, someone I enjoyed talking to, someone I looked forward to spending time with at family dinners and random gatherings where we’d sit in the corner and poke fun at Wren and Madden.
Eventually, over the next few months, with her constant avoidance, that disappointment turned into frustration, a frustration that surfaced when she walked into my house the day after Christmas as if nothing had happened.
The worst part is that no matter how much I want to be mad, angry, hurt, or disappointed, it makes sense. It was always supposed to be Madden.
They’re perfect for each other. Both of them are funny, fun-loving, and chaotic, and I will never be those things.
I left home just long enough to go to school, then returned to work on my family farm, a place I’ll probably never leave, and I’ve never once felt like I wanted anything else.
If, for some reason, Hallie chose me, she would be tied to this place, part of a family she never asked for.
She deserves freedom, travel, and adventure, and I learned long ago that I could never give a woman those things.