Chapter 12 - Giselle #2
I didn’t know how to respond, so I put my phone down. I needed to keep that life and the life I was living in Utah separate. I was just trying to make it through one day at a time. And, I needed time to figure everything out. Our relationship included.
In the bathroom, I brushed my teeth and washed off my makeup, spending extra time on my mascara that had begun to run.
I put on pajama shorts and a tank top, then slipped under the covers.
I hoped the alcohol would help me sleep because I didn’t want to embarrass myself by alerting the entire house that I wasn’t as tough as I pretended to be.
I still wondered if it had been wise to go on this trip—so soon after everything that happened, but what was the alternative?
Lying in bed? Thinking incessantly about his voice?
About his threats? This trip gave me distance from my life.
From my parents who constantly gave me those sympathetic looks.
From the boutique that I had no idea if I’d ever be able to step foot in again and not relive that experience.
I shook off the thoughts, knowing that if I was going to sleep, I needed to clear my mind of all negativity.
It was over. It was never going to happen again.
I knew that. I just wished I believed it.
The murmur of voices downstairs gave me a sense of comfort, and eventually I drifted off to sleep.
At some point in the middle of the night, I felt myself whimpering.
My bed dipped, and strong arms wrapped around me. I tensed for a beat, then the familiar crisp scent hit my nose, and Thayer whispered, “Go back to sleep. I’m here.”
Instantly, I relaxed, lying completely still in the comfort of his arms. I listened to the soft purr of his breathing and the feel of his heartbeat thrumming against my back.
Just for a minute, I pretended this was reality.
It would be so easy to be with Thayer. He was present.
He cared about me. What you saw was what you got.
He had feelings that he wasn’t afraid to express.
He was thoughtful and athletic and hot. Thayer was freaking hot, and I don’t even know if he knew how good-looking he was under that tousled hair and scruffy stubble.
I shifted slightly, adjusting my arms and grasping his bare forearms. My hands wrapped around the muscles there. Big mistake. He tightened his hold, and his erection pressed against my ass. Oh boy. I hadn’t felt that before, and it unexpectedly sent tremors coursing through my core. Shit.
The tension was always there…but this closeness. This familiarity. This need. This was uncharted territory for us.
I couldn’t help myself. Even though I knew it was a bad decision—one of the worst I’d ever made—I pushed my ass back, pressing against the hard length of him.
Thayer groaned low in the back of his throat.
I closed my eyes, unbelievably turned on by the sound and by the feel of my brother’s best friend pressed against my body.
“Careful, G,” he warned, low and gravelly. “If you keep doing that, I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”
I had a strong desire to call his bluff. So, I moved my ass again.
“Fuuuuck,” he moaned.
God, I’d never felt more in control. More uninhibited. More desired.
“You don’t want this,” he assured me.
“I’m a big girl, Thayer. Don’t tell me what I want.”
“Yeah, well, you’re drunk and will definitely regret it in the morning,” he said.
“Says who?”
“Says the person doing the right thing for both of us.”
I huffed, frustration radiating from my body.
“It’s no fun when the tables are turned, is it?” he asked.
Shit. Was this how he felt last year? I thought I was doing the right thing. His mom had just died. He didn’t really want to kiss me. But all it really did was put a huge wedge in the relationship we had.
“Thayer,” Kason whisper-yelled in the hallway.
“Fuck,” Thayer said, flying out of my bed.
I quickly fixed my sheets and lay on my side.
There was a soft tap on my door.
Thayer dropped into the chair in the corner of the room just as the door cracked open. I closed my eyes just as Kason poked his head into the room.
“What are you doing in here?” he asked Thayer, a slight bite to his tone.
“Shhhh. She’s sleeping,” Thayer said. I heard footsteps and realized he’d stood and was moving toward Kason. “She was having a bad dream. I came in here in case she woke up and was scared.”
Thayer
Kason and I stepped into the hallway, and I closed the door behind us. I tried to breathe normally while also doing my best to conceal my rock-hard dick straining against my pants.
“Bad dream?” Kason pressed.
“She’s been having them, Kase. Everything’s still raw for her, no matter how brave a face she puts on.”
“Why didn’t she tell me?”
“I’m sure she doesn’t want to worry you.”
“Did she tell you?”
“I heard her whimpering and went in to be sure she was okay. She may act like she’s a badass, but she’s still hurting.”
Kason dragged his hands through his hair. “I’ll stay in here with her tonight. Go get some sleep.”
“I don’t mind,” I said, dying to get back into her room.
Even if I’d been the one putting on the brakes, it didn’t mean I didn’t want her more than I’d ever wanted anything else in my life.
She’d been letting me hold her. I’d clearly turned her on—even if she was drunk.
There was no way I wanted to sleep alone after that. “You’ve got Shay,” I insisted.
“Shay won’t mind.”
I glanced back at Giselle’s door, wanting more than anything to get back into that bed with her. Then, I looked to Kason—my best friend who would kill me if he knew—and relented. “See you in the morning.”
Kason slipped inside Giselle’s room, and I went back to mine.
I lay down on the bed, frustrated. Giselle’s words were gonna mess with my head.
I couldn’t let them. Not again. She was drunk.
And, there was no way the two of us would ever work out.
She had a boyfriend, and I had a best friend who’d kick the ever-living shit out of me if I touched his sister.
I couldn’t lose Kason over something like this.
I’d already lost my mom. Giselle just wasn’t an option—no matter how much I may have wanted her to be.