Page 25 of Wish You Would

“Relax, Holden.”

I do as she says, swallowing the nerves that have risen in my throat. I relax my shoulders, loving the way her fingers feel on my skin, the sound of her voice, the way I’m notched in between her legs.

Her fingers ease up on the knot, drifting over my shoulder blades, up my neck then down my spine. They travel further down to my lower back, and when she reaches the band of my shorts, a soft sigh escapes my mouth.

“That’s better. Does it feel good?”

“So good,” I tell her, a mixture of relaxation and exhilaration flowing through my veins. “My headache is almost gone.”

“Good. See, I told you I’m good at this.”

Of course she is.Briar seems to be good at everything. She’s successful, people love her, she can even cook. Not to mention she’s effortlessly stunning. Maybe that’s why she has very quickly gotten under my skin.

It feels strange, really. The first day she moved in, I was annoyed. I didn’t want her here and I wasn’t exactly subtle about the fact that her stuff strewn around everywhere got on my nerves. She felt like a hurricane, but even in her storm, however small and fierce she is, not even an oak tree could stand tall against her.

Ironically, it feels like in the midst of her storm, I feel a calmness.

I’ve never felt this way before. Is it just Briar and her pretty smile, or is it the pent-up sexual frustration after not allowing myself to be touched by a woman for a full year?

I didn’t think I missed that type of connection, the intimacy of being with another person… until now. Until Briar walked into my life and turned it upside down.

“Are you going to Catch 21 this weekend?” she says suddenly, distracting my focus from the feel of her skin against mine.

“I’ll be there. You?” I ask.

Grayson booked the patio at our usual spot in Reed Point. Everyone has been so busy lately with kids and summer vacations— including him and Sierra, with baby Sadie who turns one in the fall— so I’m looking forward to catching up, having a nice dinner and a few drinks with friends. Catch 21 is one of the town’s swankiest restaurants, with live music and a small space for dancing. We all plan on taking Ubers so we can have a good time.

“I plan on it,” she answers. “Daisy and Tucker invitedme.” I can’t deny that it makes me happy that she’ll be there with me and my friends.

“Do you live at the gym, Holden? You are all muscle.”

Briar’s soft hands rub wide circles over my shoulder. “I work out. They have a decent gym at my office.”

She hums, her hands moving to the back of my neck. “I need to get back into the gym now that I’m back home. Remember when you and Tucker and Daisy and I played pickleball? That was fun. We should do that again.”

How could I forget? The image of Briar in her lime-green sports bra and short white skirt have been imprinted on my brain ever since. Her skirt was so short you could see the tiny pair of bootie shorts she was wearing underneath.

Yeah, these thoughts are not going to help the hard-on I’ve been trying to control all night from being this close to her. There is literally not a single part of Briar that doesn’t turn me on. The scent of her skin. Her pouty bottom lip. Every curve of her body. Her presence. The way she lives in the moment.

When her fingernails gently scrape over my skin, the last bit of my restraint breaks. I quickly stand, taking a step away from her parted legs. If I stay here any longer, my dick will be as hard as stone and impossible to hide.

“Holden? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I say, quickly excusing myself to the bathroom before I do something I can’t take back.

Shutting the bathroom door, I lean against the counter and take a shaky breath. With every minute that ticks by, I feel that pull toward Briar growing stronger. I stay there for a few more minutes, giving myself time to gather my thoughts. Finally, I open the bathroom door and return to the living room. Briar is standing now, and when I enter the room, she looks at me with concern.

“Are you okay?” she asks again, chewing on her lower lip.

“I’m fine.” I wave it off.

Briar’s expression tells me she’s not buying it. She’s probably trying to understand why I suddenly bolted from the room, and I can’t blame her. The room goes silent, all but the sound of my heart beating rapidly behind my ribs.

Nothing happened between us tonight, I remind myself. But Briar has never had her hands on my bare skin before, and I haven’t felt the touch of a woman in a very long time, so it doesn’t feel like it was nothing.

“I’m going to check on Bear then I think I’m going to turn in. Maybe read a chapter or two,” she says, clutching the book in her hand to her chest like a shield.

“Okay, I can sleep on the —”

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