Page 45 of The Boy I Loved
My cock twitched inside of her, causing her warm, wet walls to flutter around me. “Run away with me,” I repeated, leaning forward to rest my forehead against hers.
She couldn’t stay here. Not after this. Not after I punched Mason for touching what was mine. He’d come for her—I knew he would. It was the only way to keep her safe now. I’d take her and Alice far away from here. We’d start over somewhere new. It was a wild fantasy, conjured up by fear and the urge to protect those close to me, but there was no other alternative, not anymore.
“Dominic,” she said warily, worry causing the crease of her brow to become more prominent. “W-why would I run away? Whywouldyou?” She shook her head, trying to make sense of it all. “Did something happen?”
Yes.
So many things had happened—things I wished I could go back in time and undo. I’d harmed people, taken advantage of them,killedthem even.
“This town isn’t safe anymore,” I replied vaguely. “People are going missing, people are dying?—”
Hazel pushed against my chest, attempting to put more distance between us. A sliver of doubt snaked through me, coiling tightly around my abdomen. Perhaps I’d said too much. But she needed to know. She needed to know she wasn’t safe here anymore. I couldn’t come right out and tell her why, but I could at least try to get it through to her.
Reluctantly, I pulled out of her, a ragged breath fluttering past my lips when her cunt tried to pull me back in. Cum trickled down the soft curve of her ass with my departure, and I wanted so badly to thrust right back into her, but knew it wasn’t the time. Instead, I rolled to the side, falling on the mattress beside her. Her full breasts jiggled with the movement, drawing my attention like a magnetic pull I couldn’t resist no matter how hard I tried.
Hazel Montgomery was breathtaking.
“You’re referring to Stacy, aren’t you?” she asked, turning her head and settling those beautiful, tired eyes on me again. When I didn’t respond, she blew out a breath and shook her head again. “What happened to her was … crazy,” she added carefully. “But things like that aren’t common here. There’s no reason for us to just up and leave over one person’s disappearance.”
“She isn’t the only one.” I swallowed thickly. Lauren’s disappearance made headlines this evening, and even though it was public, it felt weird for me to talk about. “Lauren was reported missing, too.”
Hazel’s eyes widened in surprise, her skin paling at thenewfound information she hadn’t been privy to just yet. “Lauren DeMello?”
I nodded, dropping my hand on the curve of her round hip. Her skin was warm against mine, and I never wanted to stop touching it—to stop touchingher. Fuck. I’d live inside her if I could.
From friends to best friends to something we’d never labeled. I’d known for years that Hazel was it for me. She was the one girl who grounded me, the one person who’d always stuck by my side and never judged me. I didn’t want to be cruel to her, I didn’t want to upset her or make her feel less than. But she couldn’t be in my world; it would tear her apart piece by piece until she ceased to exist.
“How do you know this?” she queried, a frown tugging at her plump lips.
“It was on the news earlier this evening.”
Her dark lashes fluttered again, casting dark shadows over her sharp cheekbones. “E-even so…” she trailed off. “My family is here.Yourfamily is here, and you just got back. We can’t leave.”
I knew she’d say that. She’d always been level-headed in that way, but she didn’t understand, and I couldn’t tell her—not without incriminating myself or those around me. In my line of work, snitching got you and your loved ones killed, and it wasn’t a risk I was willing to take.
“I understand,” I replied. My gaze drifted up and down her body, trying to memorize it just in case this never happened again. I took note of the way her breasts rose and fell with every inhale and exhale. I took note of the slight spasms in her thighs from the after-effects of what we’d done. Her eyes were heavy as if she were on the verge of falling asleep. “Can I take you home?” I asked at last, forcing the words past my lips because the last thing I wanted was to end this moment.
Her shoulders relaxed a fraction, and she nodded. “Are … you okay?” she countered hesitantly. “You’ve been different.”
I didn’t even know how to answer that. I knew she’d been wanting answers since the welcome home party, but what would I tell her? That I’d intentionally been pushing her away as a means of protection? She’d never understand it, and if she did, that would only make her cling to me harder. I knew how her mind worked. She was always wanting to fix things, and this wasn’t something she could fix.
“I’m fine.” I forced myself into a sitting position, not giving a shit that I was covered in both our releases. The bed dipped under my weight as I rose, and I grabbed my discarded jeans and boxers off the floor and sloppily tugged them on.
“Dom…” she continued with reluctance, propping herself on her elbows.
“Get dressed. It’s late.”
After a few moments, she blew out a frustrated sigh but climbed off the bed seconds later. I tried not to watch as she gathered her clothes and put them on; it would only delay the inevitable. As much as I cared for her and wanted things to go back to the way they were … this was a mistake. Mason might have been one of my closest friends, but the dude was fucked in the head, and if he wanted something, he was going to get it.
There was also a small chance that his infatuation with Hazel was just that—infatuation. But I’d also pissed him off and he was a spiteful guy. Unease clawed through me as my mind whirled, conjuring up a series of different scenarios.
It wasn’t until Hazel moved to stand in front of me that I snapped out of it and got my shit together. I reached down, grabbing my shoes and quickly slipped them on.
By now, everyone would know what we were doing up here. Vincent, Nicholas, Mason, Rodney—everyone. I shoved my fingers through my dark hair, attempting to smooth it out. My chest rose and fell with shaky breaths, anxiety trickling through my bloodstream.
This was a mistake. A stupid, godawful mistake.
Stepping toward Hazel, I reached out, brushing my fingers through her mussed-up waves. Her eyebrows tugged together as she watched me, but to my surprise, she kept her mouth closed—for once. Once she looked like she hadn’t just been pounded into the mattress, I slipped my hand in hers and tugged her toward the door.
