Bound Together (Torn and Bound Duet 2)

Playlist

Uninvited-Alanis Morissette

Come As You Are-Nirvana

A Long December-Counting Crows

She’s So High-Tal Bachman

Tears In Heaven-Eric Clapton

Use Somebody-Kings of Leon

Bad at Love-Halsey

Team-Lorde

Lie-NF

Secret Love Song-Little Mix

Close to Me-Ellie Goulding

ME!-Taylor Swift

Addicted-Saving Abel

Untouchable-Jana Kramer

Give Up On Us-Harry Hudson

Here With Me-Marshmello

The Bones-Maren Morris

She Will Be Loved-Maroon 5

Broken-Lifehouse

Just the Way You Are-Bruno MarsYour capacity to love is limitless. The only thing stopping you is the way you think.—UnknownWhat have I done?

Fuck.

My lips feel bruised from the kiss Brayden and I just shared, but it’s my heart that’s taken a beating. I fucked up. Badly. One minute I was pissed at him, taunting him, and the next we were kissing.

It was me.

I leaned down and planted my lips on his.

I just didn’t expect him to kiss me back.

“Mia,” I rasp, staring at the now closed locker room door.

Movement to my left steals my attention. Brayden rises to his feet, the erection straining in his jeans still on full display. My heart is broken and my world is fucked, and yet I still can’t help but think he’s hot as hell.

This is so bad.

“You told her,” I bite out, shoving my hormones down to harness my anger. “You did this.”

Brayden’s features morph from shock at what happened to fury. “Fuck you, Ashton. You did this to yourself when you messed around with Drew and then dry fucked me on the tile floor when you were supposed to be pursuing Mia!”

The fucking gall of this guy!

Stalking over to him, I shove my middle finger in his face. “Get lost, asshole.”

He smacks my hand out of the way and grabs the front of my shirt, yanking me until our noses nearly touch. “You can’t pin this shit on me,” he growls. “You fucked up. Own it.”

It’s true.

I did this.

It’s easier to blame him, though. To make him feel one iota of the hurt I’m aching from.

“Are you owning it?” I sneer, noticing his slight flinch at my words. “Drew didn’t look too fucking happy either.”

Low blow but fuck him for acting holier than thou.

He shoves me back, hard against a row of lockers. “What happens between Drew and me is none of your goddamn business.”

I struggle in his grip, but the fucker is strong. His hips pin me. I hate that fire lights a path down my spine and zings to my dick. Now, of all times, my dick needs to calm the fuck down. This is so fucked up.

“Fuck,” I complain, as sadness creeps in. “I hurt her. I fucking hurt her.”

Brayden’s brown eyes darken. He smells good—too good—and I would push him away if I had the strength. “You’re not the only one,” Brayden rumbles. His eyes dart over my face, an unreadable expression on his features, before he pulls away, taking his heat with him.

“I need…” I spear my fingers through my hair and tug at the strands. “I need to talk to her.”

The intensity that was burning between us only seconds before is snuffed out as reality seeps in. Everything is a mess. We both know it.

“Maybe you should give her a chance to cool off, man,” Brayden suggests as I snatch up my bag.

Ignoring him, I storm out of the locker room and past the pool. I don’t need to let her cool off. I need to find her, hold her, kiss her. I need to apologize for being a rotten asshole. I need to do something… anything.

“See you at the meet,” Aaron, another swimmer, calls out as I pass.

I tip my head in acknowledgment and keep walking. Brayden is following me, which pisses me off. What the fuck is he even doing here? All he did was blow shit up with Mia and me. I’m not even sure he planned to do it either. He clearly had every intention of showing up to put me in my place. But then…

I try not to think about the few seconds leading up to the kiss.

He was so fucking pissed, but sexy as hell too. I’d thought nothing in that moment except for the fact I wanted to taste him. I didn’t make a split decision, rather just gave in to instinct. My lips brushed along his for a teasing taste, but then he groaned. Needy and curious. I craved to swipe my tongue over his. To nip at his lip and grind my dick against his.

Curiosity ruined everything.

It ruined her.

Now I’m hauling ass across campus, hoping to save my relationship with Mia. She hates me. I hate me. I’d begged her to let me explain before she bolted, but the truth is, I don’t know that I can explain it to her. I sure as fuck can’t explain it to myself.

“Ash,” Brayden clips out. “Stop, man.”

“Can’t,” I grit out when we make it to my apartment building. I fling open the door and choose the stairwell rather than the elevator, taking the steps two at a time to the third floor. By the time I reach the landing on the third floor, I’m losing energy fast. After my swim session, where I put in everything I had, to the kiss with Brayden, and then to this, I’m running on fumes.