Page 32 of Why We Break

Normally, I’d tell this guy to get lost, but I just don’t have the energy to risk making a scene tonight. Hoping my friends will be back soon, I try to tamp down my frustration. I let my mind briefly imagine that he was someone else, but as always, it doesn’t work and I’m left feeling empty.

CHAPTER 24

WILL

The music shifts, and I watch the band perform on the stage in front of the room. I lose myself in the music for a few minutes, before looking around as something catches my eye across the room.

The first thing I notice is the sight of Hannah’s neon pink sweater, and I start to smile at the way she’s dancing around until I realize she isn’t alone. Instead, a man I don’t recognize is holding out his hand, pulling her closer to him as the song speeds up.

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. First Kent and now this?

I feel like fire’s coming out of my ears, and I struggle to get a hold of myself. On the dance floor in front of me, Hannah stays pressed against another man as he pulls her hips to him and moves to the beat. Where the fuck did Margaret and Caroline go? And why the hell is she dancing with a man who looks like he belongs on Wall Street. The asshole is wearing a button-up to a dive bar, for fuck’s sake.

The rational part of my brain reminds myself that I have no claim on Hannah Scott, but I can’t seem to calm myself down from the jealousy racing through me.

Finally, after watching him spill his beer all down the front of her sweater, my resolve snaps. Unable to stop myself, I stride over, reaching out for her arm and pulling her toward me.

“What the fuck, Will,” she cries out, while the man she was dancing with holds up his hands in a sign of surrender before stepping aside and lets me pull her away.

“Sorry, man, I thought she was single,” he says, ignoring the beautiful girl in front of us who scowls at him before walking off in search of another woman to dance with.

What an idiot,I think to myself, ignoring her protests as I pull her outside so we can talk before murmuring in her ear. “Chill out, Han.”

“Don’t tell me what to do! Let me go,” she growls, trying to jerk her hand from my grasp but I ignore her and continue pulling her toward my truck. “God, you have some fucking audacity, Will. I know you hate me, but can I really not just have fun with my friends?”

“First of all, I don’t see your friends around, Han. I saw some dickwad who you would tear to shreds in two minutes if you weren’t trying to be nice. I mean really, he spilled his beer all over your shirt, for fuck’s sake,” I say before realizing what she just said. I pause, pushing her against the cab of my truck and asking, “What do you mean I hate you?”

“Will, are you serious? We’ve barely been able to be in the same room for the last few years without arguing. I know you don’t want me to be happy, but damn. Just let me go. I was having fun, and I want to be able to dance with my friends.”

I glare at her for a moment, refusing to back away and give her some space.God, we’re a fucking mess. I shake my head, glaring at the woman who has been the center of almost every fantasy I’ve had over the last seven years and try to process what she just said. This beautiful, headstrong, smart-ass woman standing in front of me like she has no idea how much I fucking want her. She legitimately thinks I hate her and don’t want her to be happy? I know we’ve had our differences and we argue more than two people should, but I’ve always thought she knew that deep down I cared about her. Plus, it’s not my fault she ended us that summer…

I study her, waiting for her to say something else, but she just glares at me, crossing her arms over her chest. She’s serious, I realize, and I feel like the biggest idiot in the world. Yes, we’ve argued, and yes, she completely broke my heart when she walked out on me that summer with no explanation, but I never wanted her to be this fucking unhappy.

To be fair, the thought of her happy with another man makes me pissed as hell, but I don’t say that. Instead, I look down at her, caged under my arms as I press her against my truck. Her body shifts and brushes against mine, her eyes widening when she grazes against my hard length.

Unable to stop myself, I lean in and whisper against her ear, soaking in the feeling of having her near me. “Does that feel like I hate you, Han? You can call me all the names you want, but I’ve never stopped wanting you.”

Her breath catches at my words, and she shifts closer to me again, trailing her hand down my front.

I know we’re playing with fire, but I can’t find it in myself to care. If playing with fire means I get to have her back, I’ll burn the whole fucking world down. She’s all I’ve thought about since she stormed out seven years ago, and the feel of her in my arms feels like heaven. I trail my nose against her throat, soaking in her vanilla perfume.

“What if I don’t want you?” she questions breathlessly, still teasing my chest with her fingers.

“You can pretend all you want, but you and I both know that isn’t true. But if you want to pretend, I won’t kiss you until you’re begging for my mouth on yours,” I whisper, leaning in closer to tease my mouth down her neck.

“Fuck you, Will. I’ve never begged for a damn thing in my life and I’m not about to start now,” she growls, jerking back from me.

“That’s fine,” I tell her with a smirk. “Then go on back there and dance with whoever the hell that asshole was and when I drop you off tonight, you can use those sweet fingers to get yourself off wishing it was me.”

She leans back, shocked at the turn this conversation’s taking, but she doesn’t push me away. Instead, she presses her hips back into mine, keeping her torso pulled back to see my face. “Yeah, like I need your little dick to make me come.”

“Hannah, let’s be real here. You can say whatever you want, but we both know that every time I was inside you, you were screaming my name,” I whisper, and she moves her hips a little against my cock, feeling how much I want her. She lets out a breathy moan and it’s all I can do to keep my promise not to kiss her.

“Will,” she says, wrapping her leg around me and pulling me closer. I lean down and ghost my mouth against her neck, never quite touching her the way she wants.

“When’s the last time someone made you feel good, Hannah?” I ask against her neck. I don’t know what the fuck we’re doing, but I know I never want to stop.

Her eyes widen in alarm and she stammers, ““That’s—that’s none of your damn business.”

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