Page 12 of Fractured Frets

As I pursed my lips, I rocked on my heels and fidgeted with the chain on my purse. The air prickled my skin.

My breath quickened.

So did my pulse.

Shit.

Just being around Slip was intoxicating. Dangerous. The rise in my body temperature, impossible to ignore.

“Slip? I’m not being stupid, am I?” My heart beat with guarded caution. “There’s something between us, isn’t there?” I’d been so shut off for so long, just the notion of liking someone terrified me. I didn’t want to risk being hurt again.

“Yeah, but I’m sorry.” Anguish rippled across his eyes as he shook his head. “This can’t evolve into anything.”

“I know. I’m not wanting it to. I was just...shit. It doesn’t matter.” Don’t play with fire. “It’s okay.” The chemistry between us blazed hot, but somehow I had to put it out. A cold shower would have to do. I turned to step inside, but he caught my arm.

“No. It’s not okay. But it has to be.” Every nerve in my skin skipped beneath his touch, wanting him to explore my entire body. He stared at his hold on my wrist. Did he feel that zing too? He let go and fell back a step. “I’ve told you about my band’s bro code—our dibs rule. It may be stupid and childish, but it’s in place for a reason. To avoid issues, it’s hands off girlfriends, their friends, and any exes or relatives. You’re Sutton’s best friend, so you’re off-limits. I like you too much to risk screwing things up.”

My thoughts exactly.

He pinched his brows together and a new hardness set in his tone. “I’ve had firsthand experience at being fucked over by someone not following the rules. Too many times some girl has caused problems between us guys and had us close to breaking up. I won’t do that again.” So much pain and loss lingered in his every word. “We’ve just got Flint back from the hell depression sucked him into. He still needs us. So regardless of how much I like you, we can’t be anything more than friends.”

I wanted to wrap my arms around him and hold him tight. Make all his worries disappear. “You really love the guys, don’t you?”

He nodded. “They’re my life.”

“I’d say the same about Sutton.”

His loyalty and love for his friends flooded my chest with warmth. I’d never known such devotion and commitment. I’d only ever been burned by those things. Something about his compassion overruled any logical thought. I stepped a touch closer and lifted my chin a fraction so I could meet his gaze. The heat between us dialed up ten notches. “But I don’t want to think about her right now or the other guys. Or about rules and codes. I’m glad Flint is okay. No one wishes suffering of any kind on anyone.” I placed my hand on his chest. His heart raced beneath my touch. I lowered my voice to a volume that registered just above a whisper. “But Slip, I like you. I’m not after a relationship. Neither are you. I don’t want to be anything more than friends. I spend eighty percent of my life in Vancouver. I don’t have time for or even want a boyfriend. So let’s not overthink this.”

“Oh . . . I am.”

“Please don’t.” I drifted my lips closer to his. The pull toward him was too strong to fight. “But...tell me you want this. Just for one night. Some fun to kill this...buzz.”

He closed his eyes. Deep grooves dug into his brow. “You’re not making this easy. I’m in fucking agony here.”

“I don’t want that.” Summoning all my wavering confidence, I slid my hands up his arms and rested them on his shoulders. He didn’t pull away. Didn’t stop me. “No one has to know. There will be no repeat. I won’t tell Sutton. I promise.” It wouldn’t be the first secret I’d kept from her.

“Thought you said you weren’t going to ask me inside?”

“I’m not.” I threw him a saucy smile, then wrinkled my nose. “I’m just going to drag you over my threshold. Is that okay?”

“If you do that, you know what’s gonna happen?”

“Yeah. I’m hoping we fuck until sunrise.”

“Maddy?” He swallowed hard. His Adam’s apple lurched. “Therein lies a problem. One night with you will never be enough.”

“It has to be. It will be.” My breath entwined with his. Fire consumed the air around us. “Say yes.”

Tension coiled through my body, burning low and deep in my core. Please. I needed this. Just one night. To get him out of my system.

“Fuck! Yes.” He clasped the back of my head and crushed his lips against mine. Oh wow. My hands shot into his hair. Parting my lips, I flicked my tongue against his in hungry, needy sweeps. My heartrate jumped,wanting more of him with each taste. His lips were softer than I’d imagined, gentle and warm. His control, clearly much better than mine. I drew him closer, kissed him harder. He tilted his head to the side, moaned against my mouth, and deepened our kiss. Fire coursed through my veins. My knees weakened. As I gripped onto his shoulders, it took all my strength to stay upright. He threaded his fingers into my hair and clutched a handful. The pressure of his tight hold matched the want building between my thighs.

I grabbed the front of his T-shirt, turned him toward my doorway, and steered him inside. With a kick of my heel, I shut the door behind us and walked him backward down the hall.

We discarded our clothes as we made our way upstairs to my bedroom. I had to have him inside me. In a flurry of wild kisses and sensual touches, we fell onto the bed. I grabbed a condom from my nightstand and handed it to him. I raked my gaze over his impressively big, thick cock as he sheathed himself. Oh...yes. My core happy-danced and begged him to hurry.

Stretching out along the bed, he positioned himself over me. His skin blazed against mine.

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