We both laugh, but the sound is hollow, nothing more than an empty attempt at pretending the moment isn’t heavy with everything we’re not saying.
When I pull into the driveway, I kill the engine, and I’m out before she can even reach for the handle. The cold air hits my face as I round the truck, my breath coming out in white puffs, and I open her door for her. She slides out, and her legs move past me like she’s trying to escape the pull that keeps drawing us together. She heads for the house, her boots sinking into the frost-covered ground, and I force myself to hang back to keep some space between us.
Inside the house, the silence feels deafening and suffocating all at once. But maybe that's just my thoughts, racing so loud they drown out everything else.
“I’m gonna turn in for the night. You good?” I say, hanging my hat and jacket on the metal hook by the front door.
She glances over at me, and I know that look. The one that says she’s trying to figure me out, trying to read between the lines I’m not even sure I’m writing anymore.
She knows I’m trying to put some distance between us.
“Yeah, I’m pretty tired.”
“See you tomorrow, Piper.”
I turn without another word and head upstairs, shutting my bedroom door behind me. I lean back against it, listening to the sound of her footsteps fading down the hall, knowing she’s heading for a bed she’ll sleep in alone tonight, while I’m stuck in here, so fucking hard it hurts, and my body wound tight enough to snap.
I don’t even make it to the bed. My belt’s already undone, zipper halfway down, jeans slung low on my hips. I spit into my hand, wrap my fingers around my cock, and groan the second I touch myself.
My head’s tipped back, panting through clenched teeth as I chase the edge, every muscle drawn tight with nothing but the thought of her.
I close my eyes, and she’s right there.
Piper.
I imagine her laid out in that bed down the hall, her legs spread wide, fingers slipping between her thighs.
I can see the way her back arches when she finds that perfect spot, the way her breath hitches, and the soft, needy gasps filling the silence. The way her other hand grips the sheets, fingers twisting in the fabric, searching for something to hold onto while she falls apart.
I stroke myself faster, my hand slick with precum, and my jaw clenched so tight it aches. My chest heaves, my muscles tighten, and sweat beads along my skin as I chase my release.
I turn, my free hand slamming against the doorframe, fingers digging into the wood as a growl rips from my throat. My strokes turn brutal as I picture her in that bed, her skin flushed, her lips parted, as she gets lost in the same desperate desire that’s tearing me apart.
My balls draw tight as pleasure scorches through me. Hot ropes ofcum spill over my fist, and my body locks up as my orgasm crashes over me in violent waves.
I stand there for a few seconds, bracing myself against the frame, gripping it like it’s the only thing keeping me from storming down that hallway.
I can’t keep doing this.
I can’t keep standing here, alone in this room, when the only place I want to be is with her.
Chapter 11
Piper
Four.Fucking. Times.
That’s how many orgasms I gave myself last night.I’m talking full-body, back-arching, bite-the-pillow-so-I-don’t-scream kind of moments. The kind that leave you wrecked and ruined and still so goddamn unsatisfied you’re two seconds away from dry humping your pillow just to feel something.
Last night, Christian did something that obliterated every rational thought in my brain. He sniffed me, and it wasn’t some polite, passing brush of air. No. This was pure, primal animal shit. It was like he was getting high off my scent, and I was something he wanted to consume. His nose slowly traced along my neck, the kind of touch that makes you forget your name, and God help me—I fucking loved it.
Now I’m a mess. I’ve gone so far past ruined that fucked doesn’t even begin to cover it, and it’s all because of one man.
But this morning, I woke up with nothing but clarity.
I have to end things with Travis.
Not after the time I’ve spent up here. Not after Christmas, when I’ll be expected to smile and play the part of blissfully happy girlfriend, pretending everything is fine, and not after I selfishly letthis whole charade drag out just to stay in this house and be near that cowboy for a little longer.