Torn Apart (Torn and Bound Duet 1)

Drew’s eyebrows fly up. “Your girl?”

I flinch at how that sounds. “You know what I mean.”

“I can handle Bray,” he states. “But now that he’s set his sights on Mia, I’m not sure you can. He’s a relentless, competitive brat when he wants to be.” He smiles like he’s proud of this.

“I’m going to talk to her,” I say with growing confidence. “When she gets back, I’ll go over there and tell her how I feel.”

“You should shower first.”

“There’s enough room for two in there,” I offer. “You look as though you could use one yourself.”

His blue eyes flash in a deviant way that makes my dick twitch. “Nah, I can wash my dick all by myself like a big boy.”

With those words, he leaves me to myself.

And I absolutely rub one out in the shower to the image of him doing just that.The second I start hearing sounds through the wall of Mia’s apartment, signaling she’s home, I bolt. I took Drew’s advice and pulled myself together. My hair is fixed, I have on cologne, and I’m wearing something Dad would approve of. I texted her earlier that we needed to talk, but she never responded. Now, I’m going to get my girl.

She screams out in surprise when I fling open her front door.

For a moment, I simply stare at her. Mia really is beautiful. Today, her brown eyes seem soft and her pink lips look puffier than usual. The thought of kissing them has me prowling toward her, a man on a mission. She gasps in shock when my hand grips her jaw. I dart my gaze all over her soft, pretty features before inhaling her scent.

Him.

She smells like Brayden.

And that has an annoyingly possessive need to claim her rising up inside of me.

“You said we were going to talk,” she says, her words breathless.

“We’ll talk later.”

I crush my lips to hers, desperate to see if the kiss we shared before was a drunk mistake. But the moment my lips fuse to hers, I’m starved for her. My free hand slides into her mussed up hair and I clutch onto her, needing her to stay here with me. A small, surprised moan escapes her. Greedily, my tongue slides across hers, wanting to taste the sound straight from the source.

Sweet.

I’ve never kissed someone so sweet.

Mia is Twizzlers and Fireball and Skittles and happiness.

I could develop cavities from this kiss, and it’d be worth it.

As our kiss deepens, and her breath comes out in pants, I start thinking ahead. Mia naked. Mia’s tits. Mia’s pussy.

Does a pussy feel good?

What if it doesn’t?

Images of us in bed, me unable to perform, threaten my sanity. That would be fucked up. She would hate me. I would hate me.

The kiss turns sour.

Breaking away from her lips, I shake my head.

“I’m sorry, MiMi.”

Sorry for being an asshole.

Sorry for not understanding who I am.

Sorry for the label I want to slap right over your mouth so you won’t fucking frown at me.

“Ashton,” she hisses.

“I’m sorry,” I blurt out again, bailing as quickly as I arrived.

Sounds grow distorted and the room spins as I bolt. I’m disgusted. Not with Mia, with myself. I’m a dick. A total, fucking brainless dick.

She calls after me, but I’m already pushing back into my apartment. Drew seems to be headed out based on the fact he’s now dressed, but when I stumble, colliding with him, his strong hands grip my shoulders to steady me.

“What happened?” he demands. “You’re pale as a fucking ghost, man.”

I want to cry. I want to puke. I want to fucking die right now.

“I, uh,” I croak out, slamming my eyes shut. “I fucked up.”

“How? How did you—”

“No,” Mia yells from my doorway. “You do not get to do this.”

Drew gently smacks at my cheek, forcing me to look into his probing blue eyes. “Ashton. What’s going on?”

“What’s going on is he’s stringing me along,” Mia accuses, her words sounding choked with emotion. “He’s trying successfully to break my heart.” A sob.

I wince. “I’m not,” I mutter to Drew, begging with my eyes for him to believe me.

Drew eases me around to face Mia, never letting go of my shoulder. Her cheeks are tearstained, which guts me. My shoulders hunch. I’m unable to look her in her accusing eyes any longer.

“Mia,” Drew says softly. “He’s your best friend.”

Another choked sob.

“You two have a friendship most people would die to have. Are you really going to do this to each other?” he asks. “Blow up on him?” And then to me he says, “Or shut her out?”

She sniffles, breaking my heart.

I chance a look at her. “I don’t want to hurt you, MiMi. Fuck, that’s the last thing I want.”

“Then stop using me to explore your feelings,” she rasps out. “I can’t take it. I’d rather have my best friend back. All this other stuff is too hard.”