relationship. Holly was impulsive, especially when it came to looking out for others. She needed someone to look out for her, to put her first.
“Brax?” she called out, a note of vulnerability in her voice.
“Why don’t you get into your pajamas, sweetheart,” he called back.
“Okay.”
End things now, before you both get too deep .
Turning, he walked back into the bedroom, worried that it might just be too late.
Holly lay on her side, her bottom throbbing. Strangely enough, although it had hurt far more than she’d thought, she was more aroused than she’d ever been.
Did that make her a masochist? Did she get turned on by pain? She bit her lip, feeling confused. She should ask Brax. Yet she was hesitant—slightly embarrassed. She’d felt so vulnerable over his knee, bared from the waist down. She wished Brax would hurry back and reassure her, hold her. She didn’t like feeling this way—in doubt, worried.
Brax walked in and she smiled up at him, her grin fading as he stared down at her seriously. He sat on the bed beside her and she scooted back a little to give him room.
“How you feeling?” he asked her, reaching out a hand to touch her before snatching it back at the last minute.
Holly frowned. She had a bad feeling about this.
“Sore.” She grimaced, reaching back with one hand to rub her bottom.
He grinned slightly. “That was the idea.”
“Brax?”
“Yeah?”
“Just spit it out.”
He stared down at her, his gray eyes sad but firm. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
She raised her brows. “You’re sorry you spanked me?”
“Yes. I had no right to do that. We’re not in a relationship. You’re not my submissive or my girlfriend.”
Each word stabbed her in the stomach. No, she wasn’t. She wasn’t anything.
She moved further back. He narrowed his gaze but didn’t say anything.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I shouldn’t have come here tonight, I definitely shouldn’t have spanked you and I’m sorry for overstepping the bounds of our friendship.”
“And that ’s all we are—friends.”
Holly just couldn’t let him leave without dragging every painful word out, without making completely certain that she understood. Seemed she really was a bit of a masochist.
“I hope we’re still friends,” Brax said. “ I understand if you’re angry with me, but I hope we can keep the friendship we’ve been growing. As attracted as I am to you, Holly, we still can’t be anything more. Nothing has changed.”
He reached out to brush a lock of hair off her forehead. Holly flinched back, away from him.
His gaze darkened with pain as he dropped his hand. “I’m sorry about tonight, sweetheart. I took things further than I should have. It’s best we just stop this now, before either of us gets in too deep. You’re so beautiful and sweet and you deserve so much more than me.”
He turned away and walked out the door, shutting it behind him.
Holly stared after him, completely shocked. What the hell had just happened? He’d decided to stop things before they both got in too deep?
Well, too fucking late. She’d fallen for him, even knowing he wasn’t ready for a relationship. Her heart had gotten involved.
She’d have been willing to compromise on a number of things to be with him, to see where this thing between them was going. Didn’t they at least owe it to themselves to see what it could be before getting worried about things like where they lived?
“Asshole,” she muttered, tears running down her face. She really thought that they could have had something—and he wasn’t even willing to try.
Chapter Six
Growling with frustration, Brax pushed away the blue print he’d been trying to study for the past hour. He couldn’t concentrate. Every ten minutes, he was up, checking for Holly, hoping to see her car. He moved out of the trailer he used as an office, pulling his hat on.
Yesterday, i n a bid to distract himself from thinking
“Brax?” she called out, a note of vulnerability in her voice.
“Why don’t you get into your pajamas, sweetheart,” he called back.
“Okay.”
End things now, before you both get too deep .
Turning, he walked back into the bedroom, worried that it might just be too late.
Holly lay on her side, her bottom throbbing. Strangely enough, although it had hurt far more than she’d thought, she was more aroused than she’d ever been.
Did that make her a masochist? Did she get turned on by pain? She bit her lip, feeling confused. She should ask Brax. Yet she was hesitant—slightly embarrassed. She’d felt so vulnerable over his knee, bared from the waist down. She wished Brax would hurry back and reassure her, hold her. She didn’t like feeling this way—in doubt, worried.
Brax walked in and she smiled up at him, her grin fading as he stared down at her seriously. He sat on the bed beside her and she scooted back a little to give him room.
“How you feeling?” he asked her, reaching out a hand to touch her before snatching it back at the last minute.
Holly frowned. She had a bad feeling about this.
“Sore.” She grimaced, reaching back with one hand to rub her bottom.
He grinned slightly. “That was the idea.”
“Brax?”
“Yeah?”
“Just spit it out.”
He stared down at her, his gray eyes sad but firm. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”
She raised her brows. “You’re sorry you spanked me?”
“Yes. I had no right to do that. We’re not in a relationship. You’re not my submissive or my girlfriend.”
Each word stabbed her in the stomach. No, she wasn’t. She wasn’t anything.
She moved further back. He narrowed his gaze but didn’t say anything.
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I shouldn’t have come here tonight, I definitely shouldn’t have spanked you and I’m sorry for overstepping the bounds of our friendship.”
“And that ’s all we are—friends.”
Holly just couldn’t let him leave without dragging every painful word out, without making completely certain that she understood. Seemed she really was a bit of a masochist.
“I hope we’re still friends,” Brax said. “ I understand if you’re angry with me, but I hope we can keep the friendship we’ve been growing. As attracted as I am to you, Holly, we still can’t be anything more. Nothing has changed.”
He reached out to brush a lock of hair off her forehead. Holly flinched back, away from him.
His gaze darkened with pain as he dropped his hand. “I’m sorry about tonight, sweetheart. I took things further than I should have. It’s best we just stop this now, before either of us gets in too deep. You’re so beautiful and sweet and you deserve so much more than me.”
He turned away and walked out the door, shutting it behind him.
Holly stared after him, completely shocked. What the hell had just happened? He’d decided to stop things before they both got in too deep?
Well, too fucking late. She’d fallen for him, even knowing he wasn’t ready for a relationship. Her heart had gotten involved.
She’d have been willing to compromise on a number of things to be with him, to see where this thing between them was going. Didn’t they at least owe it to themselves to see what it could be before getting worried about things like where they lived?
“Asshole,” she muttered, tears running down her face. She really thought that they could have had something—and he wasn’t even willing to try.
Chapter Six
Growling with frustration, Brax pushed away the blue print he’d been trying to study for the past hour. He couldn’t concentrate. Every ten minutes, he was up, checking for Holly, hoping to see her car. He moved out of the trailer he used as an office, pulling his hat on.
Yesterday, i n a bid to distract himself from thinking
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