Page 49 of Broken Pieces
“Raely, I think we should do something.”
“Okay,” is all I say to my brother. He glances between me and Brooks and I just hope he has had enough to drink to not think anything of it.
I look once more at Brooks and decide I need to remove myself from his presence. The tension is becoming unbearable and I need to leave before it becomes palpable to everyone else.
I fake yawn. “Well, I am tired. I think I am going to head to bed.” I walk over to my brother and give him a hug. “I’ll see you at breakfast in the morning?”
“Sure thing Raely. And Harper is coming over with Theo.”
“I can’t wait to see how big he has gotten in three weeks!” I give my brother a hug and walk toward the house. A suggestion from Summer earlier.
Easton still doesn’t know I am staying in the cottage with Brooks and if he found out, I bet he would have a completely different opinion on my beer drinking and apparent party for next week.
I walk past Brooks as I head toward the house. I notice too late that I walk far too close to him. He stretches his fingers out as I pass, barely touching my thigh but enough to make me shudder.
When I get closer to the back door, I glance back to see if Easton noticed, but he is deep in conversation with Trace who must have taken my seat not long after I left.
I climb the stairs to the room that used to be mine and change into an oversized t-shirt. I look out the window at the party below and see Brooks staring into my window. I close the curtains and lay down before I let another thought cross my mind.
* * *
I hear a soft knocking on my bedroom door.
I don’t know how it woke me up, but it did.
It’s barely six in the morning. My internal clock must be used to getting up early.
I wait for more knocking, thinking it might be my imagination, but it starts again. I stretch as I get out of bed and walk toward the door. I pull my t-shirt down and rub the sleep out of eyes before I open it.
And when I do, Brooks is standing on the other side, in nothing but a pair of athletic shorts with his arms hanging onto the door frame above.
“What are you doing here?” I whisper. “My brother is sleeping down the hall!”
His arms drop from the door frame as I watch him take me in. I look down and remember I am wearing one of his conspiracy shirts. An old X-Files shirt that says, ‘The truth is out there.’
A grin spreads across his face as he says, “I woke up wanting to kiss you.”
I look at him stunned, confused. We haven’t talked about the last kiss at all and the most I got from him in two days was a slight brush of fingers last night and tantalizing looks.
I try to figure out how to respond to him, but I don’t need to. He walks into the room and softly closes the door behind him.
I take a step back. My brain reacting in the opposite way of my body. I barely make it half a step before lips are on mine.
He kisses me like he woke up craving me.
His arms wrap around me as he tugs on my lower lip with his teeth.
I groan into his body and wrap my arms around his neck.
I am lost.
My mind forgotten in this storm.
I don’t know when we’ll reach the precipice. But I don’t care. The only thing that matters to me at this moment are his lips on mine, his hands in my hair, his body pressed against me.
He walks me backward until we hit the mattress. I fall back onto it and pull him on top of me. Soft murmurs leave my mouth as I struggle to get more of him.
My legs wrap around his waist. My t-shirt rising to my hips.