Page 57 of Dopplebanger

“Shhh.” I ran a finger down his nose and tapped it to his lips. I skirted it across his jaw and his breathing slowed again, the muttered words fading into nothing. When I snuggled up to him, his arm came around me. He curled me tight to his body and tucked my head under his chin.

Not exactly the steamy night I’d originally pictured, but as I drifted to sleep, a feeling that could only be described as love washed over me, whisking me off to a land where happily ever afters came true.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Sleep had a tight hold of me, yet it was trying to kick me out of its grasp at the same time. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept that soundly, and I don’t think I’d ever been so comfortable in my life. As my consciousness slowly stretched and spread, I registered the warm body wrapped around me.

Happiness washed over me, and I smiled down at the beautiful redhead in my arms. Her head was on my shoulder, her leg hooked over both of mine like she’d been afraid I’d get away.

I dragged my fingertips down the soft skin of her arm, soaking in her sigh and her scent and how perfectly she fit next to me. Blips of memories from last night came back to me in spurts. The wedding. Drinking way too much.

Dancing with Gwen.

Drinking even more.

The photo booth.

Kissing Gwen.

Ignoring hazard signs and breaking into the pool.

My heart thumped harder as I recalled her in nothing but her underwear. Of kissing every inch of skin I could get my mouth on. Of the sweet taste of her arousal and the way her skin hadflushed and her body had gone pliant when she came against my mouth, my fingers deep inside her.

Other parts of me woke up, one in particular.

But then the memories I didn’t want came rushing back as well. How she told me she trusted me. Of starting to tell her the truth, only to get interrupted not once, but twice.

I’d purposely sat in that uncomfortable chair in the corner of the hotel room for hours, determined not to fall asleep.

Fuzzier moments bobbed to the surface, of Gwen tucking me into bed. I’d tried to tell her that we still needed to talk, but my words hadn’t been making it all the way from my brain to my tongue.

A wave of misery rose up, washing away all of the good. As amazing as this whole trip had been, I was going to have to come clean once Gwen woke up.

Anxious and stir-crazy, I sat up and reached for my phone. Even when I pushed the buttons, it remained blank.

The battery must’ve died.

I found my charger and plugged it in, then straightened and looked around the room, trying to figure out where to start on the day. Get showered and dressed so I’d be ready when Gwen woke up? I highly doubted she’d want to make the eight hour drive home with me after I told her who I was, so I also needed to find her a way back to Raleigh.

Maybe I should look up flights.

My phone chimed and vibrated, chirping like crazy, so it must’ve gotten enough battery power to work. And apparently I was super popular this morning, which was weird—with moving back home and my new job not started yet, hardly anyone had been calling or texting me.

Honestly, it’d been nice.

I picked up my phone, cursing the cord for being short enough that I had to hunch over.

Oh, shit.I had multiple calls, voicemail messages, and texts from Evan. I started with the voicemail, thinking it’d have the most information.

My stomach sunk and then churned as he said the past few days really made him realize that there was no one like Gwen, and that he’d missed her more than he thought he would. Enough that he wanted me to stop dropping hints about being friends because he was going to try to make it work.

The first text—sent at one-thirty in the morning—informed me that he’d decided to fly to Pennsylvania at the crack of dawn so we could switch back andhecould drive Gwen home himself. Apparentlynowhe’d decided it was important and he should be there for her.

You can’t have her.Angry heat pulsed through my veins, my hand squeezing my phone so tight I was surprised the screen didn’t crack. How dare he think he could just pawn her off on me, then swoop in when I’d been the one there for her.

When I’d been the one to fall for her, no need to party with other women in order to realize how amazing Gwen was.

The second to last text informed me that Evan had landed, and the most recent one—sent ten minutes ago—saidI’m here. Where are you?

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