Page 82 of The Sound Of Silence

“I’m… I’m not naked,” she rushes out, still a little frazzled.Mmm, technicality.

“Why are youpracticallynaked?” I repeat slowly.

Willow stares at the scowl on my lips and something switches inside her. I see the moment anger takes over, and she raises her eyebrows defiantly. “You may have forgotten, since you’re one foot out the door, but this ismyhouse,” she states, pointing to her chest as she moves across the room toward me. “If I want to bepracticallynaked, I will bepracticallynaked.” She stops a foot in front of me, and a hint of a smirk crosses her face before she schools her features. “In fact…”

She lifts the tee over her head and throws it at my face, making me swat it away. “If I want to be naked, I’llbenaked.”

I toss her top to the floor just in time to see her fingers curl into the string of her thong, ready to pull it down, but in record speed, my hand shoots out as I jump up to stop her, my fingers wrapping around hers.

Jesus Christ.“Willow…”

“What?” she challenges, her eyes locked on mine.

“You can’t do this.”

“Like I said—”

“I know what yousaid,” I hiss, running my spare hand down my face in frustration. “It’s fucking torture,” I mumble under my breath.

“What?”

Dammit.

“Nothing.”

“Why would this be torture to you,Jesse?” She rips her hand from mine but steps closer, her proximity making my pulse spike. “You have agirlfriend. You don’twantme. This shouldn’t doanythingfor you.”

She’s right, it shouldn’t… and I’m trying so hard to focus on her face, to show her I’m unaffected, but when she sucks in a breath and her breasts brush against my clothed chest, I’m fucked.

Grabbing her shoulders, I move her to the side and step out of her orbit, getting back some much-needed space. “That’s right,” I lie. “It does nothing for me.Youdo nothing for me,” I grate between clenched teeth before taking off down the hall. I need distance. I need to get away.

Storming into the bathroom, I slam the door shut before ramming my fist into a towel hanging on the rack, connecting with the wall behind it, hoping the softness drowns out the sound.

It doesn’t. The sound bellows in the silence like I’ve broken through the drywall… for a second time since arriving in this damn town.

I’ve just taken a breath when the door flies open again, and a furious Willow walks in.

“You think it’s that easy? That you can just stormout? I wasn’t done talking.”

She’s still naked, so it’s hard to focus, but her words ring loud and clear. She doesn’t believe a word out of my mouth.

“I have nothing more to say,” I state plainly, trying to keep my emotions out of it.

“So you’re choosing to keep lying?”

“When have I lied?”Other than almost every word I’ve said in the last ten minutes. And every day since we met again.

Her eyes widen and she shakes her head before turning away. I hold my breath, waiting for her to leave, but at the last second she turns back around, a rebellious look in her eyes.

Dropping to her knees on the hard tiles in front of me, she pulls my sweats down in one effortless movement before reaching for my briefs. I don’t even get time to process what she’s doing before they’re the next to go, my uncomfortably hard length springing free between us.

“Holy fuck,” I groan. “What are you doing?”

“Proving that you want me.”

Willow waves her hand in front of her, and I don’t need to look down to know she’s referring to my cock currently raised to attention and dripping just for her. Of course, I fucking want her. She’s all I think about. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to act on it… again.

“You’re naked,” I state the obvious. “Show me a guy that wouldn’t get hard over that.”

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