Page 29 of Don't Puck the Wrong Brother

"You are a whore," he spits, then turns on his heel. I watch as he storms out, slamming the door behind him. I flinch at the sound, then rush to lock the door, my breath coming in quick, shallow gasps.

A tall shadow falls over me, making me flinch again. Tears stream down my face, and I can't bring myself to turn around.

A warm hand settles on my shoulder. Sanderson steps closer, enveloping me from behind, his chest solid and reassuring against my back. He leans down, his breath tickling my ear.

Something in me snaps, and I whirl around to face him. His face is inches from mine, those warm brown eyes studying me intently.

But he speaks before I can. "You're brave as hell, Han. That took guts, and I respect you for it."

My gaze drops to his lips as he talks. The pain and anger inside me transform, melting into something new and unfamiliar.

I look back into his eyes. "San—"

His lips hover above mine. "Since we're all telling the truth right now, tell me if you keep thinking about that night."

I feel his breath against my mouth, and my own breath catches in my throat. A strange sensation pulses through my veins, electrifying every nerve ending. I close my eyes for a moment, then open them and shake my head.

"No," I say and then he takes a step back.

"Wait," I say, tugging him back to me. I pull him into a hug, and his lips land on top of my head.

I inhale his scent, clean and masculine. Much different than Cade. I hold him close, wondering how I've ended up in these arms again.

He pets my hair then rubs my back, comforting me. I melt into him. And we stay like this for some time. I can hear his steady heartbeat under my ear. It's not rapid, but it's not slow either. I place a hand on his chest and say, "I can hear your heart."

"And I see yours," he replies.

I look at his face to search for the bullshit tell. But nothing.

"You do?" I ask but it’s more of a mockery, wondering what the hell is happening between us right now. "But you don't know me."

"I would like to," he counters.

"Sanderson," I whisper. This guy doesn’t miss a single beat. I want to tell him that relationships aren't this easy to fall into, especially ones that began like ours. "I dated your brother. I liked him."

He shakes his head. "I don't care."

"You will…once this haze is gone and reality hits. This is already too complicated."

"Then we take it slow."

I realize we're still close. I can feel the outline of his cock against my body.

"I don't know," I say. "You could be saying all of this…" I trail off, not knowing how to spell it out for him, or if I even should.

"Continue that sentence," he says.

I exhale, pulling away. I walk over to my bed and plop. "You could be saying all of this because it's new, because maybe you have a rival thing going on with your brother, because you want what you can't have."

He slowly walks over. "Are you saying I can't have you?"

I sigh in frustration. "I'm completely off-limits. It would break all the bro codes in the book. God forbid I ever meet your parents and they ask how we met. All of it is wrong, and I have morals."

He nods, agreeing. "Strong ones."

I slouch further because he's not taking this seriously. "Sanderson," I warn.

"A chance," he says, sitting on the bed next to me. He's amazingly huge on my tiny twin bed. I don't think it's big enough for him.

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