Page 11 of Awakened
The sheets aren’t the nicest. He probably wouldn’t mind the mess. Or we could use the kitchen floor . . .
The liquor plus the hot, half-naked guy in front of me forcedme to my feet. In a trance, I grabbed Seth’s hand and led him to the bed.
The syrup can wait.
We landed in a heap, and Seth looked down at me with a huge grin. One of his large hands brushed the hair out of my eyes while the other cupped my cheek. His thumb grazed my lower lip, and his face grew serious. “Les, I just?—”
Before he could finish his thought, I grabbed the back of his head and pressed my lips to his.
But he didn’t kiss me back.
I pulled away, confused.
Why isn’t he kissing me back? Did I misread tonight? His flirting, dancing, the touching . . .
Blinking up at him, my vision focused, and his pained expression became clear. My stomach dropped to my ass, and I felt like I might throw up.
I’d fucked up. I’d fucked up big.
Horrified, I pushed Seth off me. Jumping to my feet, I ripped off his shirt to change back into my dress. I needed to get out of there and find more whiskey to drink away this memory—this embarrassment.
As I bent down to pick up my dress, Seth grabbed me by the waist and pulled me into him. “Les, stop. You don’t have to leave. We just can’t do that. We . . . we can’t.”
His look of resignation stabbed at something deep inside.
“Seth, I’m sorry. I’m drunk and sad, and I guess I misread this,” I said, waving my hand in the small space between our chests.
“No, you didn’t.” Seth leaned his forehead against mine.
The smell of bottom-shelf liquor was thick in his every exhale, and I greedily breathed it in. I was dizzy off him, or maybe it was the lack of oxygen. Either way, I didn’t know what to say. We had stumbled into an awkward place where we acknowledged our attraction and weren’t going to act on it—thanks to him.
When he broke contact, I bit back a whine. The sense of loss was confusing. I chalked it up to loneliness, but it was more than that. I was losing something. Again.
Seth picked his shirt off the floor, pulled it over my head, and guided my arms through the sleeves. His careful movements created an ache in my chest, encouraging the affections between us instead of shutting them down. Every brush of his fingertips sent shivers through me, creating a hope that he would change his mind and kiss me senseless.
Oblivious to my internal struggles, he kissed the top of my head and led me back to bed. He laid down and patted the space next to him. Feeling all the alcohol, confusion, and sadness settling in, I slid under the comforter, leaving a space between us. Seth tsked, dragging me to his warm, bare chest, exhaling when my cheek touched his skin.
I traced the lines of his tattoos, breathing him in as his chest gently moved. I knew we wouldn’t ever be like this again. We couldn’t. That thought made me feel empty. It scared me how much I had come to rely on Seth. How much I had come to care for him.
We spent the next few hours cuddling in silence, never falling asleep. There was a weight in the room, and I wanted to be crushed by it for as long as I could.
Without ever discussing it, Seth and I never told a soul about our almost night together. Anytime Aiden and I fought, Seth was there to make sure I was okay, but neither of us ever crossed the friendship line again. It’s shitty, but I always knew Seth would be there if I called on him. And while I would never pit him against his future alpha, it seemed like he was doing just that.
So, to answer Brandon’s non-question question, I said, “Yeah, he’s a good buddy.”
Brandon cocked an eyebrow but didn’t push it. He went on to other topics, talking a mile a minute and requiring little more than two or three-word responses.
Sweet relief washed over me when we stopped in front of Sarah’s two-story brick duplex. I jumped down from the U-Haul and raced up the stairs, away from my meddling brother. The door flew open, and a blur of red hair shot out and crashed into me. She might have cracked a rib, but I really needed that hug. Inhaling her sweet scent, I let out a content sigh. It had been a couple of years since she’d moved to St. Louis, and I’d missed her terribly.
Sarah leaned away, her expression soft as she gave me a once-over. “I’m so glad you’re here.” She squeezed my arms, then peeked around me at Brandon standing awkwardly near the U-Haul. “Hey there!”
Brandon gave a small wave. “Uh, hi.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. As much as Emily terrified Brandon, Sarah was his dream girl. She pushed past me and tackled Brandon with a hug that turned into her cooing over how cute he had gotten. She kept calling him the “Beta Babe.” He blushed wildly as he pried her off him and started to unload the boxes from the U-Haul. Sarah’s boyfriend, Michael, came out, and the four of us made quick work of unloading the truck.
I convinced Brandon to stay the night and drive back the next day so that I could have another twelve hours with my little bro. Sarah and Michael suggested hitting up Old Standard Fried Chicken for dinner and then grabbing a drink.
Throughout dinner, I attempted to talk and catch up, but my mind wasn’t at the table. It was sitting in that tiny living room in Kirksville.
