Page 41 of Bleeding Hearts

“No. If you still want to cut it tomorrow, I’ll drive you to a professional myself. But if you do it yourself right now, in this state, you’re gonna regret it.” I hold them above my head, out of her reach,

She ignores me, swatting at my arm and trying to climb my body like a tree to get the scissors, regardless of the fact that I’m standing in nothing but black briefs. The fact that she hasn’t noticed it shows me how in her head she really is.

She presses herself against me so that there’s not an inch of space between us, trying to lift herself up to reach the scissors. Her chest heaves against my own from exertion and I look down, watching the way it rises and falls in the tiny tank top she’s in.

My body can’t help but react to her pressed up against me, and with nothing but the thin material of my briefs between us, there isn’t much to conceal the effect that she has over me.

I watch the exact moment she realizes. She freezes, her wide eyes looking up to meet mine.

“Oh,” is all she says, her eyes still staring into my own. She doesn’t make a move, still pressed firmly against me. All of me.

“Demi,” I warn. “You keep staring at me like that, I'm gonna want you to do something about it.” The words slip from my lips.

“I wouldn’t mind,” she whispers so quietly I have to wonder if it was real or my imagination.

The silence rings loud between us, our eyes locked on each other’s, our bodies flush, our heavy breaths and uncontrolled desire filling the space.

Logan’s encouragement from last week about Demi is still fresh in my head and with Demi staring up at me the way she is, I can admit how bad I want this.

Want her.

Maybe this is the moment we should talk, or maybe I say fuck it and ruin our friendship right here.

I want to say fuck it. But I can’t, not like this.

I take a deep breath, willing myself to back away, but she beats me to it.

“Sorry.” She clears her throat, quickly gathering her composure as she steps away from me. “You can put the scissors down. I promise I won’t cut any more. I’m good,” she says, and I can tell from the calmed-down look in her eyes that she means it.

“You wanna talk about it?”

She looks like she wants to say yes but hesitates.

“Sit your ass down and I’ll order us takeout,” I say in lieu of her silence, going back to the bedroom to grab my phone and throw some clothes on.

“Can we get tacos?” she asks, a small smile on her face. I give her a big one in return.

“Anything for you, love muffin.”

She rolls her eyes at the nickname and throws a bright-blue pillow at me, laughing as she does.

And fuck, I really mean it when I say there isn’t a single thing I wouldn’t do for Demi Rhodes.

CHAPTERTWELVE

Demi

“I tried so hard to ignore her. I really did. I just couldn’t do it. She was being so awful, Ash.” I try to explain to Asher, who looks fifty shades of confused.

To be fair, I’m not the best storyteller. I tend to get distracted and go all over the place, which is what’s been happening as I attempt to explain the whole quitting debacle to him.

“You lost me like ten minutes ago. Can you start from the beginning and slowly this time?” he asks.

He looks part confused and part amused at my chaotic explanation.

“Okay, okay.” I sigh. “It was an hour and a half into my shift. Sheila was being rude, as always, but nothing I couldn’t handle. But then her lovely boyfriend showed up.”

“This is the same douchebag who hit on you in front of her?” he interrupts.

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