Page 45 of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart

“To this day, he still thinks you did it,” she said, shaking her head. “He used to complain about how much he hated you. I would always smile and nod.”

I smirked. “I had two black eyes in my senior photo because of that stunt.”

“The shiners suited you,” she teased, poking me in the ribs. “Made you look edgy.”

I grabbed her hand, holding it in mine to keep her from jabbing me again. “My mom was pissed,” I said.

“Oh, please. Your mom was always pissed about something. If it wasn’t the black eyes, it would’ve been that hideous shirt you wore. Or that cowlick you never smoothed down.”

I frowned, pretending to be offended. “I liked that shirt.”

“You were the only one.”

We kept going like that, the easy banter flowing as if no time had passed. For a while, it felt like we were back in high school, back when everything was simpler. I could see her relaxed expression and hear the lightness in her voice.

I wondered why I always stopped myself from going there with Merritt. Clearly, she wanted me just as badly as I wanted her back then. Hell, always. I never stopped wanting her. If sex helped us both drop our walls and laugh like we used to, could it mean this was what was always meant to be? Were we always meant to be together?

Both of us had been too afraid to make the first move. My heart squeezed. What if we had lost out on ten years because neither of us had dared to take the risk?

But then she shifted, the mood changing in an instant.

“You should probably go,” she said softly.

My stomach twisted, but I kept my expression neutral. “Yeah?”

She nodded, her eyes dropping to the blanket. “I mean, it’s late. And I couldn’t stand the embarrassment if your crew showed up in the morning and figured out what happened.”

Ah, there it was. The walls coming back up, brick by brick. I wasn’t about to beg her to let me stay. I had some dignity.

I sat up, swung my legs over the side of the mattress, and walked back to the living room. She followed behind me, watching as I got dressed. I caught her gaze once and it looked like she wanted to ask me to stay, but she didn’t. She said nothing.

When I was ready to leave, I hesitated by the door. “Goodnight, Merritt.”

She looked up, her expression unreadable. “Goodnight, Kannon.”

And just like that, I was out the door, the cool night air hitting me. I climbed onto my bike, started it up, and sped away.

I didn’t look back.

20

MERRITT

Iwoke up in a haze, every muscle in my body deliciously sore. Stretching out, I sank deeper into the mess of blankets. A stupid grin pulled at my lips as memories from the night before flooded my mind. Kannon had wrecked me in the best possible way. My back was a little sore after the sex on the floor. At the time, the wine and passion made me numb to any discomfort.

My fingers trailed absentmindedly over my stomach as I thought about how he had handled me, like he’d known every intimate part of me for years. The reality was far different—last night had been the closest he’d ever gotten to touching me like that, though I had no doubt he imagined it a thousand times before. Just like I had.

Mind-bending.

Toe-curling.

I want it again.

But then, ugh. My smile faltered as the questions crept in, unwelcome and relentless. Could we even do this again? Could we pretend that crossing the line hadn’t changed everything? Was this a road I even wanted to go down with him?

I lived in Miami. My life was there. Kannon had a business and a life here. We were never going to meet in the middle. I knew him well enough to know he was going to be right here until the end of his days. I didn’t know if I would even want him in Miami. After getting to know him again, I knew it wasn’t the life for him. He was a Dallas boy through and through.

But what if there was a chance?