Page 55 of Echoes of Us
She fled, tears already burning her eyes.The hallway spun around her - damn wine, damn Cole, damn everything.She needed out, needed space, needed-
The night air hit her like a slap when she burst outside.She made it three steps before a hand caught her arm, spinning her around.
"Why couldn't you kiss him?"Cole's voice was rough, angry.His fingers burned against her skin, and she could smell alcohol on his breath, mixed with that familiar cologne that made her head spin."He's the better choice.The safer choice.The one who-"
"You're such an asshole."She yanked her arm free, stumbling slightly in her bare feet on the cold pavement.The wine made her braver, made everything sharp and bright and too much.Her skin felt too tight, too hot despite the night air."You think this is a game?Daring me to kiss your brother like some- some twisted test?"
"Isn't it?"He stepped closer, his heat overwhelming as he backed her against the brick wall.A street lamp caught the angles of his face, throwing shadows that made him look dangerous, almost a stranger.His chest rose and fell rapidly like he'd been running."Isn't that what you've been doing?Playing us both, running to him every time-"
"No!"Her hands shoved against his chest, feeling the solid muscle beneath his shirt, the way his heart hammered against her palm."God, you're so- you don't understand anything!"
"Then make me understand!"His hands slammed against the wall on either side of her head, caging her in.She could see the pulse jumping in his throat, the way his pupils had dilated until only a thin ring of gray remained.His next words came out as almost a growl."Why him?Why-"
She kissed him then.Grabbed his shirt in her fists, pulled him down, and kissed him like she'd been dying to since she woke up in this timeline.Like she'd kissed him a thousand times before, in another life.She knew exactly how to make him groan - teeth catching his lower lip, tongue sliding against his just so.The familiar taste of him made her wild.
His response was immediate, devastating.One hand fisted in her hair, the other gripping her hip hard enough to bruise.She arched into him, remembering how he liked pressure just there- The sound he made was animal, primal.
He hitched her up against the wall, his movements sure despite the whiskey on his breath.The brick scraped against her back through her thin dress as she wrapped her legs around his waist, but the slight pain only made everything sharper, more real.One of his hands splayed across her lower back, protective even in his hunger, keeping the rough wall from marking her skin.
His other hand slid torturously slow up her thigh, fingertips tracing patterns that made her breath catch.When he reached the lace edge of her underwear, he groaned against her throat."Fuck, Ashley."
She arched into his touch, desperate for more.His mouth found that spot under her jaw that always made her weak, and she couldn't help the whimper that escaped.The sound made him press harder against her, his hips pinning her to the wall.
"The things you do to me," he breathed against her skin, and for a moment, he sounded so much like her Cole that tears pricked her eyes.
His fingers hooked under the lace of her underwear, dragging it roughly aside.The possessive gesture was so unlike her Cole that her breath caught - and God, something about that difference sent heat pooling low in her belly.This Cole was unhinged with barely contained need, his touch demanding rather than coaxing.
When his fingers finally found her, the growl that rumbled through his chest was almost feral.Her head fell back against the brick as he stroked her, his movements deliberate but untamed.This wasn't the careful lover she remembered - this was something wilder and darker, and her body responded with an intensity that shocked her.
"Look at me," he demanded, crooking his fingers in a way that made her cry out.She forced her eyes open to find his face inches from hers, pupils blown wide with desire.The raw hunger in his expression short-circuited her brain, erasing any thought of comparison.There was only now, only this - his fingers working her higher, his breath hot against her throat, the delicious pressure of him pinning her to the wall.
She rolled her hips against his hand, desperate for more.His teeth scraped her pulse point in response, not gentle at all, and the sharp edge of pain-pleasure made her gasp.Her fingers twisted in his hair, pulling harder than she'd ever dared before, and his reaction was immediate - he ground against her, adding a third finger that had her seeing stars.
"Fuck, the sounds you make," he groaned, voice rough with need.His thumb found her clit, circling with devastating precision."Want to hear you scream for me."
Her whole body trembled as he worked her higher, every stroke of his fingers making her arch deeper into his touch.She couldn't think, couldn't breathe, could only feel.His mouth traced a burning path down her throat, teeth scraping skin, marking her in ways she'd never allowed before.
"Please," she gasped, not even sure what she was begging for.Her hand found him through his jeans, palming his length, feeling him hard and straining against the denim.The sound he made was almost pained.
"Christ, Ashley."His fingers faltered inside her as she worked his belt open, she slipped her hand into his boxers and wrapped her fingers around him.Hot, hard, perfect.He pulsed in her grip as she stroked him, remembering how he liked it just this side of too tight.
His forehead dropped to her shoulder, breath coming in harsh pants against her skin.But he didn't stop moving his fingers, matching her rhythm until they were both trembling on the edge.
"I need-" she started, but he was already hitching her higher, positioning himself.The head of him pressed against her, hot and thick, and oh God, she wanted him inside her more than she'd ever wanted anything-
The sharp crack of a door slamming shattered everything.
They turned in time to see Dale's back disappearing into the building, his stride rigid with hurt.The sight was like ice water down her spine, reality crashing back with devastating force.
Horror flooded through her as she realized how he'd found them - her hand guiding Cole's cock inside her, the tip pressed against her entrance, about to- God, she'd almost let Cole take her right here, against a building wall where anyone could see.Where his brother had seen.
Dale, who'd supported her the other night.Who'd listened to her deepest secrets and offered nothing but understanding.Who'd had to watch her nearly fuck his brother mere days after she'd run to him for comfort?
Cole went still against her, then pulled away with mechanical movements.The loss of his heat left her trembling as he set her down, her legs barely able to support her weight.She watched him tuck himself away and zip his jeans, each motion precise and controlled.His walls were slamming up so fast she could almost hear them.
"Cole-" Her voice cracked on his name.She tried to smooth down her skirt with shaking hands, suddenly aware of how wrecked she must look, how obvious what they'd been doing.
"I don't want you."
