AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No.” She knew what he would say and didn’t want to hear it. If he said it, everything changed between them.
She was too drunk to realize that everything had already changed.
She closed the distance between them to muffle his words with a kiss. Their bodies collided, and she found herself being pushed back against the bed as he kissed her back with a fierce, pent-up need she hadn’t expected. He groaned low in his throat as she slid her fingers through his hair, pulling him down on top of her.
His hands were on her waist, sliding up and down her exposed skin as if he’d done it a million times before… as if touching her like this was second nature to him. He tasted like the margaritas they’d been drinking all night, sweet and sour and totally intoxicating. She tilted her head back to catch her breath, but he wouldn’t let her, his lips skimming down her throat to her breasts. He sucked a nipple into his mouth, and, oh God, she was arching into him instinctively, gasping his name, needing more of him, wanting all of him.
Connelly’s control seemed to be teetering on the edge, his breaths coming out in ragged pants against her neck. But then suddenly, he stilled.
“Vee,” he choked out. He pulled back just enough to look at her, his gaze searching her face for something she couldn’t quite decipher. “You need to be sure.”
“I’m sure.” She threaded her fingers into his short hair and tried to pull him back in for another kiss, but he stopped her.
“No. You need to be absolutely, one hundred percent sure. I-I can’t do this... not with you... if you’re going to have regrets in the morning. It’ll break my heart.”
The confession hit her like a bucket of ice-cold water, sobering her immediately. She sat up and scooted out from under him, grabbing a pillow to cover her chest. “What... what are you saying?” Her voice sounded slightly hysterical even to her own ears.
His face was a mask of vulnerability and uncertainty as he sat back. The swim shorts did nothing to hide the ridge of his erection. “I’m saying that…” He trailed off, took a deep breath, and blurted, “I’ve been in love with you for a long time, Veronica.”
Her heart stuttered. “W-what?”
He got off the bed and began pacing the room, his hands locked behind his neck. “I’m sorry. I didn’t intend for it to go down like this, but I was going to tell you this weekend. It’s why I booked this stupid suite. I thought it was romantic or some shit. Jesus, I’m an idiot.”
She stared at him, barely comprehending the words falling from his mouth. “W-what?” she said again.
He stopped pacing and spun to face her. “I don’t want to ruin our friendship, but when you kissed me… I can’t just be your friend anymore. I want more.”
She felt like she was free-falling. Her plane had just stalled out, and she couldn’t regain control. She was going to crash.
“No,” she whispered, and his face drained of color. She shook her head. “No. You can’t be in love with me. That’s stupid. Oh my God, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. We’re drunk. We’re just... drunk. And you’re not in love with me. Not really.”
He took a step toward her, then another, until he was close enough to touch. But he didn’t. He just looked at her, his eyes full of hurt and confusion.
“Do you think this is easy for me?” His voice broke on the last word. “I’ve been hiding these feelings for years, Vee. But I can’t do it anymore.”
And there it was. The crash. She swore her heart stopped at that moment. “Do… what?”
“This.” He waved a hand between them. “Us.”
“But... we’re friends,” she said desperately. “You’re my best friend.”
“We were friends,” he corrected. “But it’s not enough for me, and if you don’t want more, you need to tell me now so I can step away. I need to figure out how to move on without you. Because this... being close to you like this and knowing you don’t feel the same... it’s too hard, Vee. It’s killing me.”
His words hung between them like ice, freezing the moment, freezing her. She wanted to deny it and laugh it off as some sort of weird joke. But the earnestness in Connelly’s eyes was impossible to ignore, impossible to refute.
When she didn’t respond, he ran a hand over his head. “Fuck.”
He looked as lost and broken as she felt at this moment. Veronica had always known him to be steady, unruffled even in the toughest situations. Seeing him like this, so exposed and raw, shattered something inside her. She had done this to him. She had pushed him to this edge without ever realizing it.
“I think I’ll go back to Florida tonight,” he said finally and went to the closet, pulling out his duffle. He crossed to the bathroom and grabbed his toiletry kit. “Feel free to stay here for the night. It’s all paid for the weekend, and you shouldn’t drive until you sober up.”
“But—”
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, his eyes full of sadness, and walked out of the room.
She hurriedly grabbed her tank top, pulling it back on over her bare breasts as she chased him out.
But he was already gone.
