Page 25 of Entangled By You
“She knows I’m not going anywhere,” he adds, eyes flicking to mine, full of something raw and unguarded. “And this time… I’m not letting her walk away either.”
Ouch.
That last line lands like a grenade in a closed-off space. Casualty count: three. Me, my battered heart, and broken psyche.
Because we both know I was the problem before. I gave up on us instead of trusting him with the information I found. I never even gave him a chance to have my back and help me. I made a choice that ripped us apart, one that almost landed me six feet under with the man I was trying to avenge. That’s all a part of our story, he still knows nothing about, and I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to tell him.
Yet, here we are. In the middle of my brother’s living room, standing on the edge of a tangled-up life neither of us asked for, and he’s still choosing me.
So, why am I still terrified I might mess it all up?
My mouth opens, but nothing comes out. The words I wantto say get stuck somewhere between my throat and my need to keep the truth from everyone in this room.
Pierce’s gaze doesn’t waver. It simply drills deeper into my soul, digging closer and closer to the veiled box of my feelings for him.
I shift my weight, inching my hands and my eyes toward my stomach, resting there like I might shield the baby from the emotional crossfire, or maybe shield myself from feeling too much all at once.
“Lexi, you okay?” Harlow’s voice is soft, but there’s a concerned edge to it. Protective, as always.
I close my eyes and draw in a steadying breath before glancing up at her. I can’t keep letting this conversation drag on. It needs to end, and we need to head home before more than one secret comes out tonight.
“I know this is messy,” I start, my voice more defeated than I want it to be. I clear my throat. “But it’s my life. Our lives.” I motion vaguely between me and Pierce. “And I don’t need you both acting like I’ve been duped into this. I’m not some fragile little idiot who needs protecting. I made this choice. Me.”
Silas exhales sharply through his nose, his jaw ticking. “You don’t need protecting from him?”
“No.” I meet his gaze, holding it steady. “I don’t.”
Shit, if anything, this man needs protection from me. He’s in this mess because of my poorly timed decisions. I did this to us.
A beat passes.
Harlow smirks at Silas, and my brother’s entire solid frame deflates as he shakes his head.
“Fine, but one tear, one fight, one hair harmed on her head,and I’m coming for you.” Si gives one last threat before he collapses back onto the couch and reaches for his forgotten beer like the last ten minutes never happened.
ALL OR NOTHING
PIERCE
Lex reaches over,discarding her empty plate onto the coffee table while I perv over her tiny sleep shorts sliding dangerously high on her smooth thighs. She readjusts back into the corner of the couch, and the messy bun on the top of her head flops around with every movement.
I avert my eyes and scold my cock for thickening at the sight of a bit of skin in a perfectly innocent situation. But it’s not just anyone, it’s her. And the fact that I already know what it’s like to be welcomed between her thighs. That thought just makes things worse.
“What if we each write down our choices and put them in a bowl to pick from,” she offers from the other side of the couch.
Her legs slide out toward me until they’re casually slung across my lap. Her feet inch closer to my dick, and part of me wants to let her feel what just being in the same room with her does to me, but things have relaxed between us since the blow-up at Silas’s, and I don’t want this night to come to an abrupt end.
I snatch her foot in my hands, and she lets out a shriek atthe unexpected move, but that shriek quiets into a moan when I dig into the arch with my thumbs.
Goddamnit, one solution’s quickly becoming more accelerant thrown on the problem, and I can’t keep my eyes off her.
She sinks into the couch, eyes closed, and makes little noises of pleasure. My oversized hoodie—one of many that keep disappearing—all but swallows those little taunting shorts. My mind automatically envisions her naked under my hoodie instead.
“God, that feels so good,” she moans.
That’s it, my dick’s rock fucking solid. There’s no ignoring now.
“Fuuuuck, Princess. You’re killing me,” I groan, but reach for her other foot anyway.
