Page 6 of A Touch of Heaven

I watch Brooke open the door and jump out. Her gorgeous, tanned legs are on display in her little denim shorts. A lace white crop top exposes her flat-toned stomach. Fuck, she turns around, and I can see the bottom of her perfect ass cheeks on display. My cock immediately starts to ache for what it can’t have. I have to try and subtly rearrange myself before she notices.

She grabs her bag, laughing at something my brother says. I hate that he gets those laughs from her. It makes me feel sick to my stomach, but then she turns and looks at me, and my whole attitude changes. She grins, her entire face lighting up, and those pale eyes that haunt my dreams sparkle.

I hear her sweet giggle, and I watch her drop her bag as she runs at me, jumping and wrapping her legs around my waist. My heart soars as I know she’s missed me. I lift her by her toned thighs as she hugs me.

She smells the same, I think, inhaling her scent. God, I missed this smell. She smells like the rain on a hot summer’s day. I dip my head into the crook of her neck and take another deep breath, trying to commit it to memory.

She’s the only girl I would let do this to me. Most girls get a look, warning them to back off unless I want them to touch me, but even then, never this intimately, this sweetly. It’s why my ex hated her.

I watch my brother roll his eyes, but I don’t care. This is how we always are. We’ve always been close…just not as close as I would like.

“Hey, Prince Charming,” she whispers in my ear.

“Hey, Princess,” I respond automatically, a typical response over the years. The truth is she will always be my princess.

“Nice to see you finally showed up. I was thinking you were dead in a ditch somewhere.” She smirks.

I laugh, holding her tighter against me, not wanting to let her go, pressing her hot, tight body against me. “I missed you too, gorgeous.”

We hug tightly as if we’re both afraid to let go, and as I feel her loosening her arms around my neck, I drop her to the floor reluctantly. If it was up to me, I would carry her into my bedroom and worship her until she came over and over again, begging me to stop, but even then, I wouldn’t.

I can feel Jax and Asher’s eyes on me, and I know they’re wondering why I keep torturing myself like this.

She smiles at me, completely oblivious to the dirty thoughts running through my brain. God, I love how short she is. She has to step back or tip her head all the way back to look up at me.

I keep imagining how easy it would be to lift her against the wall and pin her there as I devoured her tight little body.

I run my hand through my dark hair, willing these thoughts to leave my head as I caress her cheek and tip her chin up to me. “So, you ready to party hard this summer, Brooke?”

She laughs, flicking her hair behind her before her eyes sparkle with mischief. “Depends. Are you ready to learn exactly what that means? If so, stick with me, boys.”

She flicks her eyes at my friends, grinning, and walks over to them, hugging them both. My jaw clenches slightly as they look at me while their arms are around her. Jax winks at me, and I swear it takes everything I have in me to walk away.

Harper walks over to me with her shit-eating grin like usual. I wonder if she can read my thoughts. Harper is a lot like Jax in that way. She gives me a light hug.

“Hey, Chase.”

I nod at her, keeping her at a distance just in case. She laughs, rolling her eyes, walks over to Jax, and hugs him. She stops for a second in front of Asher as if she’s nervous and unsure what to do, and I notice Asher’s eyes flash with pain as he wraps his arms around her, pulling her close. That hug is longer than usual, and I can tell it’s a little tighter from Asher’s side.

I look to the side and see Brooke standing there frowning, and I know she doesn’t understand why they aren’t together. I shake my head. She doesn’t know Asher’s story the way I do. The confidence and the easy grins he gives the world are fake, and Harpers aren’t.

“What about you? Ready to party with your big brother?” I say to Nate, realizing my eyes have been on her long enough.

He chuckles. “Sure… I’m expecting a lot of good things this summer.”

He looks at Brooke when he says that, and I realize Nate’s decided to tell her how he feels. I swallow hard before nodding, chucking my arm around him, and guiding him to the house, wondering if it’s too late to take it back and uninvite them.

Fuck, I’m actually going to hell.

CHAPTERTHREE

BROOKE

After unpacking everything in my room for the summer, I grab my phone and headphones and head out to the swing on the porch. Our beach house literally sits on the sand, and I feel like I’m in heaven.

It’s a beautiful house. Dark wooden frames with an exterior facing the sea, pure glass panels cover the front so I can sleep in my room and stare out into the ocean. I’ve never felt so free being inside but nothing beats being outside.

Tired from the long drive, we decide to order in tonight, have a few drinks, and explore tomorrow. But I don’t want to sit inside all night; I want to be outside and just enjoy being here. I want to stare into the darkness and watch the stars. Smell the ocean air and accept that I finally have my freedom, even if it’s just for a little while.

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