Page 22 of Hard To Stay

Brad laughed out loud. The sound warmed my insides more than I cared to admit.

“We’re good, then?” He asked, squeezing my hand while inching closer towards me. He still didn’t look convinced.

“We’re good.” I gave him a faint smile, trying to ignore the way his woodsy cologne clouded all my damn senses. Every single worry about tonight completely melted away with just a single touch.

His shoulders visibly relaxed when his face turned serious. “There is one more thing I want to get straight.” He took another step towards me, closing the remaining distance between us. His warm breath hovered over my skin causing every nerve ending in my body to take notice. “I don’t want you dancing with Garrison.”

My pulse was pounding, making it hard to breathe. “Why?”

His gaze held mine; he was looking at me in a way that he had never looked at me before. “I don’t like it.”

Even though this conversation had me feeling uneasy, I still couldn’t bring myself to look away. “I’m not sure what you want me to say?”

“Tell me you won’t go out with him.”

For a moment, I thought he might be angry, but before I could ponder that thought any further, his lips sealed over mine catching me off guard. My eyes snapped open in shock only for a brief second. The caress of his lips was softer than I could have ever imagined. It was almost as if it were taking every ounce of his restraint to keep it gentle. When his tongue slipped in without warning, my fists grabbed onto his shirt so I wouldn’t stumble backwards.

The kiss may have started off slow and tender, but with every skilled swipe of his tongue I found myself getting lost in the incredible feeling of being in his arms. His mouth continued to move against mine, causing all coherent thoughts to escape me. His hand snaked into my hair and I swear I felt my legs shake as he pressed his body harder against mine. Kissing him was everything I thought it would be and much, much more.

A soft moan escaped my throat as his fingertips gripped my hips and suddenly, I felt claimed by this one single solitary touch. The way he explored my mouth and possessively dug his hands into my flesh was if he were demanding to know every inch of me.

The sound of laughter and chatter could be heard as it made its way towards us. It was an unwelcome reminder that we weren’t alone. He pulled back from me with his eyes turning a dark shade of brown.

Cupping my jaw, he moved his thumb tenderly across my cheek. “God, that felt good. Do you have any idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that?”

My eyes widened in shock. “Really?” I didn’t know why that surprised me so much.

He pressed his forehead against mine. “You’ve had me tied up in knots for weeks now.”

“You mean you don’t kiss all your friends like that?” I said, smiling and enjoying the way his breathing was still heavy from our kiss.

“Oh, you think you’re so clever, don’t you? Have I ever told you how much I’ve come to hate the F word?” He said, letting his kiss linger on my lips. A laugh slipped out of me, which he quickly silenced when he took my bottom lip between his teeth.

“Will you promise me now that you’ll stay away from Garrison?”

“You really don’t like him, do you?”

“I despise him.”

My brain traveled back their argument, earlier. “Is it because of your ex, Emily?”

His body tensed. “What are you talking about?”

His reaction didn’t go unnoticed. He tried to hide it, but I still saw it.

“You got upset when Gage mentioned her. Is that why you guys don’t get along?”

He blinked, taking a step back. “No, and the subject of Emily is off limits.”

Here we go again. I was so sick of avoiding this subject and him always drawing a line whenever the topic of her came up. His reaction only heightened my suspicions that he wasn’t completely over her. There was no way I could keep tiptoeing around this, especially after what we just shared. “Oh really… and why is that?”

I watched his face harden and you could see the tension in his brow. His emotions seemed to be in a tug of war. When he didn’t respond, I decided to answer for him.

“Because you’re still in love with her.”

He had the audacity to close his eyes like I had physically wounded him. “I don’t want to talk about her.”

“Why?” I pressed, noticing he didn’t deny it, which just seemed to piss me off even further.

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