Ollie smirked every time I left the house but didn’t say a word. And thankfully, each morning, when I dragged my ass back home to shower, he was up and had a pot of coffee waiting for me. I guessed that was his way of saying he was there for me—that, along with not partying as much, knowing very well I couldn’t have bailed him out at the last second.

When my fingers reached Hayley’s window, I found that it was already open. I smirked in the darkness, climbing through until my feet hit the hard floor. It took a few minutes until my eyes could adjust, but I found her in her normal spot, her small body curled in the fetal position, facing the wall with a quilt draped over her body.

The energy in the room was off. It was usually tense the second I stepped in here, both of our anger and annoyance seeping into the walls. And that was the exact energy I left her with when I had dropped her off earlier. Not a word was spoken between us when I drove her home. Not one single word. I was too lost in my thoughts, eager to call Jim, and Hayley stared out the window at the passing trees and houses with her arms crossed over her chest.

But tonight, something was off.

I shut the window behind me, the wooden pane sliding in place with a small creak. My back slid against the wall as I slumped down into my normal spot. The house was eerily quiet. I could hear my own blood thumping in my veins.

And then I heard it.

My neck snapped over to Hayley. I stared, feeling my chest tighten with each passing second.

Was she crying?

No. Surely not. Hayley tough-as-shit-didn’t-need-anyone wasn’t crying. The old Hayley might have cried, but the new one? No.

But she was.

It felt like a knife was lodged deep in my chest. Why was this hurting me?

A barely audible, shaky sigh left her mouth, and then I watched the shadow of her blanket move as she wiped an eye. Jesus fuck.

I quickly got up, a jolt going through my entire body. I stood there and stared down at her mattress on the floor. Hayley curled into herself even more, hiding her face. She let out another shaky breath, trying her hardest to hide her tears.

In the beginning, all I wanted was for her to cry. In fact, it was my goal to make her cry and for her to go running back to wherever she came from. But now, hearing her cry was drilling a hole into my chest.

My body acted of its own accord. First, my knee landed on the mattress, and she inhaled a breath. Then, my hands hit, and I swung the rest of my body down until I was lying flat on my back. Hayley was holding her breath. It wasn’t until she let out a few tiny puffs of air that I snuck my arm toward her and pulled her over. The second I went to pull her body into mine, she crashed into me. Like two magnets that were drawn to each other. Her head landed on my shoulder, her arm went around my body, and mine went around her hip. Her body shook against mine. The taste of blood filled my mouth as I bit down on my tongue, keeping my own emotions at bay.

In between her hiccups and swiping of eyes, she whispered along my chest, “It's just too much.”

Nodding, I brought my hand up to her hair and wove my hand through it.

It was too much. All of it. There was a lot of baggage between Hayley and me, but her own personal baggage outweighed ours by a longshot. She was fragile, even when she pretended not to be. And I was so swept up in her that nothing could have pulled me out.

I wanted her to stop hurting. At that moment, I would have done anything in the world to make it stop.

Which is why, when she calmed her cries and breathing and angled her head up to look at me, I looked down at her with pleading eyes. How can I make this stop for you?

Hayley swallowed, her face now dry from salty tears. Her eyes glittered in the darkness, and when they darted down to my lips, a fire erupted in my body.

She shimmied her body closer to mine, her body heat making me burn even brighter. My hand rested along her bare thigh as my dick grew hard. Hayley felt the shift in the air, and if I could have seen her eyes more clearly, I could’ve guaranteed that her pupils were as dilated as mine.

Is this what you want?

My hand slowly moved along her soft skin, reaching the bottom hem of her shorts. A sharp intake of breath filled the room, and my body ached. I flipped her over onto her back, the dark strands of her hair whooshing out of her face. I came over top of her body, begging my hands to go slow even though all I wanted to do was rip off every bit of her clothing, tear it to shreds, and bury myself inside her.

Hayley’s legs parted instantly, allowing me access to tower over her. A thrill went down my spine. I’m going to make you feel good, Hayley. We’re going to put a pause on the past.

“Is this what you want?” I whispered as my lips hovered above hers.

Hayley licked her bottom lip, and within a second, she was raising her head to kiss me. Our lips touched, and every thought in my head flew out the window. I plunged my tongue inside her mouth, tasting every lie, deceit, and ugly truth that was on her lips. My arms caged her head in, and I moved my mouth over hers over and over again until it was nothing less than a frenzy between our bodies.

I sat up quickly, excitement buzzing through my veins. There was nothing left in my body except for the need to make her feel good. I’d never been like this before. I’ll admit, I was selfish in the bedroom, only putting forth the effort so I could achieve my own finale. But with Hayley, it was different. I was here to please her. In fact, knowing I had an effect on her was enough to get me off right then.

My hand skimmed the top of her shorts as her chest heaved up and down. She was squirming under my touch, and a dark smile found its way onto my face. When I slid my hand under the waistband and into her panties, she bucked her hips up, meeting me halfway.

Yes, Hayley. You’re as eager as I am.

Tags: S.J. Sylvis English Prep Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net