Wrong Time, Wrong Brother..

INDIEGO

The words slid over my skin like a phantom touch—soft, sinful, and far too tempting for me in my state.

His voice dipped lower, a slow drawl that seeped into every broken piece of me and for a moment, I hated the way I let it flow through my being, breaking down the carefully constructed walls that I had built.

“Let me help you forget,” he whispered again, closer this time, his breath hot against the shell of my ear and I feel the tip of my ears heat up but still, I couldn't move away or bring myself to say a word as he continued. “No tears. No begging for anybody. Just you…and me. You would never have to beg for me, I'm already on my knees for you”

My pulse hammered in my throat. I should move. I should push him off. Instead, I just stand there, trembling, letting him inch closer until there is no space left between us. I suddenly feel naked under his hot gaze, feeling his eyes rake over my figure, his gaze dipping low.

He leaned in, fingers brushing a stray strand of hair from my face. The pad of his thumb lingered at my jaw, dragging down, slow, deliberate. My body betrayed me, leaning into the touch that should disgust me.

A part of me wanted to know how it feels like to have someone who wants me. Someone who isn't afraid of showing it. Someone who's not… Braxton.

“See?” he murmured, snapping me out of my daze, eyes now fixed on my lips. “You don’t have to pretend to be strong. Not with me.” His voice is soft and seems to caress my skin with each spoken syllable.

His forehead dipped until it rests against mine, his breath mingling with mine in shaky exhales. I can taste the promise in the miniscule space between us—the kind that makes you forget right and wrong and just fuck it all.

That was how far I had gone. What was wrong with me?

“Slade…” I managed, but it comes out as a whisper, weak and trembling.

“Shh.” His nose grazed mine, his lips hovering just a heartbeat away. “You’ve cried enough for him. Let me show you how to feel something else.”

God, I hate that every word sounds like exactly what I need right now. My hands lift on their own, tentatively resting against the hard surface of his chest.

I had always wanted to know how he felt under my skin. Now, I knew how he didㅡ Hard chiseled abs that tightened under my roaming touch.

Snap out of it. You hated him, indie.

He tilted my chin up, eyes half-lidded, gaze dark and searing into me. “Say it,” he breathed, that familiar smirk tugging at his lips at the way I let him go this far . “Say you want to forget.”

“I…” My voice faltered, torn between what almost seemed to be need and a rational side of me.

His thumb pressed beneath my lip, massaging the skin there in slow circles. “Say it, Indigo.” He urged.

I swallowed hard. “I want to forget.”

A wicked smile curved his mouth. “Good girl.”

Then he starts to close the distance—inch by inch, his lips ghosting over mine, his breath mingling with mine and I almost wanted him to kiss him. I want him to.

I can almost taste him. Almost let go of all rational thoughts and fuck it all. Almost—

The door slammed open.

“Indie!”

I jerk back like I’ve been burned, my heart in my throat and my eyes wide. Emily freezes in the doorway, gaze darting from my flushed face to Slade’s hand still resting at my jaw. “What the actual hell?” Her voice is filled with shock and I can tell this was the last thing she expected to see when she barged into my room.

Slade exhaled, his jaw tight, the disappointment in his eyes glaring as he muttered something that seemed strangely close to a curse. For a second, he looks like he might say something else but he doesn’t. His hand dropped away, and he stepped back.

“Guess the show’s over,” he muttered, brushing past Emily without another glance.

The door swung shut behind him, leaving nothing but silence and the regret that flooded me instantly.

Oh god, what had I almost done? How far gone was I that I almost let…Slade persuade me into one of his dirty schemes?

Emily rounded on me immediately. “Are you out of your mind?”

“I—it’s not what it looked like,” I stammered, though I don't even believe that because it was exactly what it looked like.

She crossed her arms. “Really? Because it looked a lot like you were about to make out with Brax’s fucking twin that you supposedly want to kill.”

I dragged a hand through my hair, trying to catch my breath. “I didn’t plan it, Em.” I brush her off, eager to be alone so I can think about what I had almost done.

“Yeah, well, maybe you should.” She suddenly sighed, softening a little. “Look, I came here to talk about you throwing yourself at Brax, it's basically what everyone was whispering about. I knew you were about to do something stupid but not that stupid, Indie! Look, I don't even wanna know. You seem to be keeping a lot of things from me” Her brow arched and I knew she's talking about Slade.

“Maybe Slade’s exactly what you need. The perfect exorcist to cast out all those stupid feelings you still harbour for Braxton. It's time to move the fuck on” She continued.

The finality in her tone hit a raw nerve.

“Stop.” I grit out.

“Indie—”

“I said stop!” The words ripped out of me before I could reel them back and I couldn't bring myself to care. “Not everyone moves on like you do, okay? Not everyone jumps from one guy to the next like changing shoes. I can’t just—just switch off what I feel!”

Emily blinked, taken aback. “I didn’t mean—”

“I’m not you,” I bit out, my voice cracking. “I’m not built to forget. I’m a hopeless romantic, Em. It’s pathetic, I know, but it’s me and I don't want to be you.”

Silence stretched for a moment between us. Hurt flashed in her eyes, quick but it's gone in a moment as she looked away.

“Wow,” she whispered finally, a bitter chuckle escaping her. “That was quite fun to know. Guess I’ll let you figure it out on your own, then.”

“Emily—” I felt guilt wash over me, burning at my nerves.

But she’s already turning for the door. “Good luck forgetting him, Indie.”

The door clicked shut behind her and just like that, I realize how much I fucked up in the space of a day. I think I lost Braxton as my friend and… I think I lost Emily too.

I pressed a hand to my chest, swallowing a sob back. “God, what’s wrong with me?”

The room blurred as tears spilled over again and I rushed to bolt the door, leaning heavily against the hardwood as I slid to the floor. “I should’ve known better,” I choked out. “I should’ve never fallen for him. Never believed any of it.”

But I did. And now, every single beat of my heart and tear rolling down my cheek feels like punishment that I deserve.

Oh god.