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Needing to touch him, my hands slip over his shoulders before sliding up his neck and tunneling through his hair. When my nails rake against his scalp, his eyes pop wide as he breaks away and jumps to his feet. He stares in horror before dragging a hand over his face and turning away to pace the cramped room.
“Fuck. Brayden would kill me if he found out about this.”
His darkly muttered words have me pointing out, “We’ve done worse.”
Even as the response tumbles from my mouth, I know it’s the wrong thing to say.
He swings around to stare as if he can’t believe I brought that up. “Yeah, and he would definitely kill me for that.”
Unable to sit still any longer, I rise to my feet. His expression turns wary as I close the distance between us until we’re standing toe to toe. Hesitantly, I place both palms on his chest. The moment I touch him, his muscles stiffen beneath my fingertips.
My gaze stays pinned to his. “What my brother doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
He snorts, brows lifting. “Are you sure about that?”
“I’m almost twenty years old. He can’t control my life forever. One of these days, he’ll have to let me grow up.” When he doesn’t pull away, I rise onto the tips of my toes until my lips can brush across his. “I can have sex with whomever I want.”
Thunderclouds erupt across his expression. “It’ll be over my dead fucking body that you give yourself to anyone else.”
A mixture of joy and relief explodes in my heart.
“I guess that works out perfectly, since you’re the only one I want to give myself to.”
“Elle...” His voice turns tortured. “You need to stop saying those kinds of things to me.”
I blink. “Why?”
“You know why.” A groan works its way free from deep within his chest.
“All I know is that I want you.” I suck in a steady breath before forcing out the rest. “And I’m pretty sure you want me, to—”
Before the last word can fully escape, his lips capture mine. This time, there is nothing soft or hesitant about the caress. It’s forceful and dominant. His tongue delves inside my mouth as his hands wrap around me, dragging me close enough to feel the thickness of his erection digging into my belly. As our tongues tangle, every thought evaporates until all I can focus on is Carson and how good it feels to have him touching me again.
When he finally pulls away, we’re both breathing hard. He lowers his face until his forehead can rest against mine. Our gazes stay fastened as if we’re both afraid to look away for even a heartbeat.
“Is there anything I can say or do to talk you out of this?” Conflict rages in his voice. In his eyes. In his head.
One side of my mouth quirks. Deep down, he already knows the answer to that question.
“No.”
His shoulders sink as he huffs out a breath. “I didn’t think so.” There’s a pause as his voice drops. “I need to think this over, Elle. Brayden is like a brother to me, and the last thing I want to do is hurt him.”
It’s tempting to push him into giving me an answer. Instead, I remain silent, knowing he has to arrive at this decision on his own. I’d secretly hoped tonight would end like this, but I didn’t actually expect it to happen.
“All right.”
His mouth swoops in, pressing another quick kiss against my lips. Before I’m able to sink into the caress, he steps away. The loss of his presence and warmth rushes in to fill me.
“Give me a few days.”
My fingers drift across my lips as he grabs his sweatshirt from the bed and strides toward the door. When his hand is wrapped around the knob, he glances back one last time before slipping into the common area.
As soon as the suite door clicks into place, I do a little happy dance.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Carson
Exhausted from a two-hour practice, I drop my helmet onto the bench as I strip off my jersey and pads. Sweat drips from my forehead as I wipe it away with my forearm. It’s been a couple of days since I kissed Elle at her dorm. I’ve been doing everything possible to keep my distance and get a little perspective before I make a decision that will change everything between us.
Nothing helps.
The more I force myself to stay away, the more she pops into my brain. Not that she’s ever far from my thoughts. But I’m no longer able to fool myself into believing that everything is under control.
It’s the knowledge that she wants me in the same way I desire her that kills me. It took every ounce of self-control not to take her on the narrow mattress in her room. I’ve had girls throw themselves at me before and sure, it’s always flattering, but with Elle, it meant so much more.
