Hard

“I’ll be calling you to come visit. I mean it.”

Crestin smiled even wider. “Good. I’ll hold you to it.” Crestin came around and gave Izabella another big bear hug, then pulled away after a few seconds and walked over to Corbin, who still stood by his truck.

After giving him a hug and whispering something that had Corbin’s eyes widening and glancing back and forth between his twin and Izabella, Crestin pulled away and got back in her car. After Crestin was gone, Izabella stood there, her arms wrapped around her, the thoughts going through her head consuming every part of her.

Glancing at Corbin once more, she knew they needed to talk about this now.

Now or never. You won’t know where you stand unless you just go with your gut and be honest.

Making her way toward him, she stopped when she stood a few feet from Corbin, her throat closing in and her mouth dry. “We need to talk about the other night, about what we’re going to do.” Saying those words had been harder than she thought.

They sounded tight and forced, even to her, but she was glad she’d said them. No better way to say something difficult than to just blurt it out and hope for the best.

Even if he doesn’t want me, this still needs to be aired out.

“Yeah, I agree. We do need to talk about the other night because it’s fucking driving me crazy, Izabella.” He took a step closer, but he still made sure to keep a few feet between them.

She nodded, feeling better that he’d agreed they needed to talk about this.

“We fucked,” he stated matter-of-factly.

She felt her face heat and cleared her throat. “Crestin needs to know, at some point, because keeping this from her isn’t right.”

“I agree.”

She felt relieved he felt the same way.

“But I think right now we need to talk about you and me, about what happened, and what will happen next.”

Hearing him say that should have made her feel happy because she wanted that, too. But this fear slammed into her.

“I want you, Izabella. Surely, you can see that.”

Did she see that? Or did she see it as they’d slept together because she’d been upset and had wanted him badly enough she didn’t care about his past?

It’s his past. You have a past, too. But he’s used to beautiful women.

“You are beautiful, Izabella.”

She felt her eyes widen, knowing that last thought hadn’t been kept to herself. “God, I said that out loud,” she whispered.

He moved another foot closer, and soon he was toe to toe with her, the scent of his cologne surrounding her. He was so big, so manly, that she felt wholly feminine standing in front of him. Common sense left her, and she just wanted him to take her over his shoulder and be all caveman on her.

Izabella wanted him to claim her, tell her she was it for him, but reality was a nasty bitch, as well.

“I do want Crestin to know because I have no intention of walking away from you, Izabella.” He lifted his hand and cupped her cheek, and she felt the electricity from that small touch spear every single inch of her.

“You want me for more than what we shared, what we’ve had these past years?” She couldn’t help the words that came out of her mouth, but it was too late to take them back. She’d never wanted to be a booty call for anyone, least of all Corbin, but then again, she’d never seen them at this place.

“You want to know what Crestin said to me when she gave me a hug?”

Izabella licked her lips and nodded, remembering that small, subtle act her friend had done.

He slid his hand behind her head, tangling his fingers in the strands of her hair, and pulled her closer to him. She rested her hands on his pectoral muscles, feeling the strength, the masculinity pour into her.

“She told me she wasn’t blind, and that if this was the real deal, I better be good to you.”

Izabella felt her heart stop, and her entire body tightened. Crestin knew? She’d been able to see the chemistry, the tension and awkwardness that had been between her and Corbin?

“So she knows something is going on between us, baby.”

Hearing him say the endearment had all kinds of things happening to her. She tingled, her body heated, and she had a hard time telling herself not to let Corbin fuck her instead of talking. She wanted to say screw everything else and jump into his arms, but she held back.

“Do you think this shouldn’t have happened, Izabella?” he asked her in his deep, scratchy voice. He still had a hold of her hair, his fingers lightly massaging the back of her scalp and causing goose bumps to form along her arms.