Page 74 of Destroying Everleigh

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’m glad you’re here.”

This was the Jameson I remembered. The one who made me feel safe and comfortable. I wanted to hold onto that for as long as possible. “Why are you upset?” I asked, changing the subject.

He hesitated for a moment, probably wondering if he should confide in me about it or not. But unless something else had happened to him, it wasn’t anything he hadn’t told me before.

“Every time I close my eyes, or even if I’m left alone for too long, I have these…flashbacks, I guess you could say.”

“Of your sperm donor?”

He smirked at the word I’d chosen to use and nodded. “Yeah. He was a real piece of shit.”

I glanced up at him, my head resting against the side of his arm. His features were sharper than I remembered, more manly. His light olive skin matched his brown hair. And he had these beautiful green eyes that I always loved. He was always attractive, but he was even more so now. He stared back at me for a while, something flashing across his face that I couldn’t quite decipher. But I didn’t hate it.

He shifted, turning his body toward me, causing me to release my hold on him. He was probably tired of me touching him. I tried not to let that thought bother me, but it did. I straightened my posture so that I wasn’t leaning on him anymore.

His eyes darted down my body, probably just now realizing that I was in a short, silk robe that barely reached my thighs. At least it hid my outfit from view. My face burned with humiliation regardless, though.

“Yeah, sorry,” I muttered, running my hands along the silk to smooth it out even though it didn’t need it to begin with. “I was in a rush.”

He reached out, cupping the side of my face with his warm palm. My breath hitched from the sudden contact as my heart rate accelerated. My eyes met his again, anticipation flooding through me. He slowly leaned in, testing the waters. His lips were a breath away from mine, but he didn’t proceed, almost like he was waiting for an invitation. After the shit month I’ve had—scratch that, after the shit two years I’ve had, I needed this. I didn’t even realize it until now.

I angled my head and closed the distance, falling into his kiss. It was slow, sensual, everything I fucking needed. His other hand latched onto my hip, and he pulled me against him. All I could think about was Jameson. The boy who would throw worms down my shirt, throw me into the lake, or any body of water he could find, the boy who watched scary movies with me and made fun of me when I hid, the boy who cried in my arms, the boy who was so crude and who always teased me whenever the opportunity presented itself.

My hands moved, latching onto the front of his shirt. I didn’t have to feel guilty about this anymore, and that made it even sweeter. He deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue through my lips. I sighed against him, welcoming anything he was willing to give me. Even if this was only temporary, it was a welcome relief.

But it all came to a screeching halt when Amber flashed through my mind.

I jerked away suddenly, like I’d just been slapped. “Fuck,” I said in alarm. “Amber.”

He didn’t release me. His eyes were hooded with lust, and he was tightening his grip around my hip. Not aggressively or in a way that told me he’d take what he wanted regardless, but firmly, like he didn’t want me to bolt.

“Everleigh…” he trailed off in a raspy tone. “I’m not even dating her. Not really. Just talking.”

I shook my head, my mind still foggy from the kiss we’d just shared. “I-I can’t do that to her.” I grabbed his left arm, removing it from my face before I started pushing his other one off my hip, but he didn’t relent.

“Please. Just this once. I’ll leave you alone after, if that’s what you want, but…” he trailed off, glancing away like he didn’t want me to see how vulnerable he was right now. But it was too late for that. And he did say they weren’t dating. It wasn’t like anyone had to find out about this. It could be our little secret, just like the one I’d shared with Kash.

My heart was pounding furiously, and I forced myself to act before I could talk myself out of it. I grabbed his face between my hands and smashed my lips against his. He welcomed me immediately, wrapping his arms around me and dragging me against his chest. The new position forced me into his lap so that I was now straddling him. He groaned, the sound bleeding into my mouth, vibrating through me.

I’d be a liar if I said that I’d never fantasized about this. He might have been the closest friend I had back then, but there was always somethingmoreI’d felt. It just took me a long time to come to terms with it. But I was done pretending. At least for right now.

He broke the kiss, dropping his lips to my collar bone. I shuddered against him, loving the way it felt. His mouth worked up the side of my neck and an embarrassing whimper slipped through my defenses, making my skin heat. The last time he’d touched me, there had been an audience, and it was because of a game. This was simply because we wanted to.

“Fuck, Everleigh,” he groaned, resting his head against my chest for a few moments. “I need to be inside you.”

My breath hitched with excitement, having that same exact need. “Then what are you waiting for?”

He reeled back in shock, like he hadn’t expected me to agree so easily. It was probably against my better judgment, but I just needed to forget that today had even happened. And being with him helped ease some of the pain.

“Fuck, okay.” He leaned forward and kissed me again, reaching to where my robe was tied and slowly undid it. A cool breeze swept over my skin from the air conditioning, causing my nipples to harden beneath the flimsy material of my skimpy nightgown.

“Goddamn.” He breathed, running his fingers over the lace. I wasn’t wearing anything beneath it, which meant that he could seeeverything.

I tried willing myself to be more secure, but it wasn’t an easy task. I wasn’t skinny like Briley or as confident as Amber. I wasn’t even that toned aside from my legs. All of that went out the window, though, when he started kissing down my chest, right above the sweetheart neckline of my gown. I trembled against him, my breath catching in my throat from how good and intense this felt. Like years of pent-up emotions were finally releasing. My hands threaded through his hair as his lips moved to my cleavage, his hands resting on my hips.

His dick was hard beneath me, and I started grinding against him, unable to help myself. He hissed out in pleasure, which only encouraged me more. He reached down with one hand, slipping it beneath my gown. His fingers brushed along my folds, making me jerk in his hold, but he just tightened his grip around me to hold me in place.

“You’re so fucking wet,” he muttered, rubbing his fingers against my clit.

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