Page 69 of Holly Ever After

“Now, sleep,” he whispers against my hair, his breath warm and comforting.

The rhythm of our hearts, so closely entwined, lulls me into a distant sleep, but his arms...they never let me go.

Twenty-Seven

Iwake up to the sound of someone moving around in the house. My eyes blink open, and for a moment, I'm disoriented. Then I feel Sean's arm draped around me, and last night comes flooding back. There was a switch flipped. We woke in the middle of the night, our bodies immediately finding each other.

And it was…different.

It was the look in his eyes, never leaving mine, as if he was committing every feature to memory. His hands explored, his body commanded, and I responded with an intensity I didn’t even know I had. It was pure, raw emotion, as if the barriers we had built over the years were suddenly crumbling away.

His lips met mine, soft and hesitant at first, but the kiss deepened as if drawn by a magnetism we couldn't resist. We had kissed before—stolen moments wrapped in anger and confusion, each trying to get the upper hand. But this was something else entirely. There was an intimacy, a vulnerability, neither of us was prepared for.

But it was that very vulnerability that scared me. We were in uncharted territory, exposing parts of ourselves that we'd never shown anyone. I felt bare, stripped of my defenses, and it was both exhilarating and terrifying.

He seemed to understand, pulling me closer, holding me like he was trying to shield me from the world, from my own fears. We didn’t speak. Words would have been superfluous, a mere distraction. Instead, we communicated in caresses, soft sighs, and the shared rhythm of our hearts.

The pace was unhurried, as if we had all the time in the world. Each touch was a question, each response a confession. He was gentle, reverent, treating me with a care I hadn’t known I craved until that moment. It was as if, in acknowledging the depth of what was growing between us, we were reshaping the very foundation of our relationship.

As the night wore on, we clung to each other, taking solace in the warmth and the newfound intimacy. It was a connection that went beyond the physical—souls intertwining, searching for a bond that had always been there, just hidden beneath layers of resentment and misunderstanding.

Despite the whirlwind of emotions, sleep eventually claimed me again. My last memory before drifting off was of Sean kissing my forehead, his voice a soft whisper in my ear, “We’ll deal with it tomorrow.”

Well, here we are.

It’s tomorrow.

I just don’t want it to be.

I'm about to nudge Sean awake when my brother’s voice echoes through the house. “Holls, you okay? The roads are clear, just wanted to check on you, but it looks like Sean got here first.”

Shit.

His truck is outside.

My eyes widen, meeting Sean's, who's now awake and looking just as panicked.

“Fuck,” we both mutter simultaneously.

We scramble for the sheets, for our clothes, for any semblance of decency, but it's too late. The bedroom door bursts open, and there stands Mark, his eyes going from Sean to me and back again. His expression morphs from concern to disbelief to outright anger within seconds.

“What the actual fuck?” Mark explodes, his eyes burning holes through his best friend.

“Listen, it's not—” Sean starts, but he's cut off.

“It's not what? It's not what it looks like? Because it looks like you're in bed with my sister!” Mark's voice is a dangerous octave higher than usual.

“I need to talk to you. I’ll explain,” Sean insists, but he's struggling to find the right words, his face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and guilt.

“Explain? How the hell are you going to explain this, man? You've known her since we were children!”

Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit.

“And I've known you since we were even younger,” Sean counters, trying to keep his own temper in check. “Don't you think I know how serious this is?”

“Obviously not serious enough to keep your hands off her.”

“Mark,” I finally interject, unable to bear the tension any longer.

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