Frustrated with Brianna’s insistence and stubbornness, Abby turned around to talk to Brianna and try to knock some sense into her. “Would you please stop saying and doing things like that to me? I told you my friendship is all I can offer you. We can’t be together like that. It wouldn’t be right. Why are you making this so difficult?”
Brianna stepped closer and placed her palms flat on the sink, trapping Abby under her. She peered at Abby from under her long eyelashes, her eyes clouded with a mixture of frustration and longing.
“Do you think I want this? Do you think this is easy for me? I didn’t plan to fall in love with you, Abby. It just happened. What am I supposed to do with these feelings, huh? I can’t just pretend they don’t exist. I can’t be just your friend. It won’t be enough for me. I need more. I want it all.”
“I want to make love to you every night and hold you in my arms while I watch you fall asleep. I want to see your face every morning when I wake up. I want to share with you my successes and my failures, my highs and my lows. You radiate so much kindness and pureness of heart, it’s freaky.”
“There are so many fake people in the world and in my life, I need to be around someone like you, Abby. I just feel like I can be myself around you. I feel like I can tell you anything and know you won’t judge me. You don’t make me feel like a freak. You’ve made me believe that I’m worth loving, and I know I will never feel this way about anyone else…ever.”
“We can’t be together. I’m sorry,” Abby snapped, almost shouting. Brianna’s beautiful, heart-felt words were tearing her up inside, but there was nothing she could do. She dropped her gaze to her feet as tears began to pool in her eyes.
“Why Abby? Why can’t we be together?”
“You know why. I’ve told you a million times.”
“You know what? I’m sick and tired of hearing about Kyle. He’s my brother, and I love him in spite of how he treats me, but I don’t understand why we have to sacrifice our happiness just to spare his feelings. You told me it’s over between you and him. You said he won’t forgive you after you tell him what happened between us. Why do we have to be miserable and unhappy just because it would be awkward for him?”
“He was so good to me, and I betrayed him. I’m a terrible person. I don’t deserve to be happy.”
“You’re punishing yourself? That’s what this is all about, isn’t it? You can’t go your entire life beating yourself up over this, Abby. You made a mistake. You’re human. You don’t have to pay the price of that mistake forever. You need to forgive yourself and get on with your life.”
Abby raised her gaze to meet Brianna’s. “It’s not that simple, Brianna,” she whimpered before casting her gaze downward once more.
“Yes, it is. Look at me, Abby,” Brianna commanded, curling a finger under Abby’s chin and tipping her face up. “Do you love me? Do you want to be with me? Just answer yes or no.”
Abby could barely make out Brianna’s face through the tears that were flooding her eyes. She just sobbed softly and wouldn’t answer any of Brianna’s questions.
Filled with confidence and uncontrollable lust, Brianna brought her hands up to cradle Abby’s face. “I know you love me. I can see it in your eyes. If you didn’t have feelings for me, you wouldn’t have let me make love to you in that bookstore. If you didn’t love me, you wouldn’t have stayed here last night listening to me, caring for me, rocking me to sleep. If you didn’t love me, you wouldn’t have spent all morning with me. You would’ve been gone by now.”
Brianna leaned in to steal a tender kiss off Abby’s quivering lips while her hands slid down the front of Abby’s bathrobe to grab the knot. After hastily breaking the kiss, which left Abby gasping and craving more, Brianna stared at Abby’s closed eyes and parted lips.
She knew right there and then she couldn’t go the rest of her life without staring at that face and tasting those lips. She was more determined than ever to change Abby’s mind and make her see they belonged together.
Abby’s eyes flew open, and her heart began to pump faster when Brianna began to undo the ties of her bathrobe. Without blinking, Brianna held Abby’s teary gaze, daring the beautiful and tormented girl to protest or slap her hands away. But Abby didn’t lift a finger or make a sound except for the soft moan that wisped past her lips as she waited with bated breath for Brianna’s next move.
After undoing the ties of the robe, Brianna took a step back and spread the bathrobe wide open, exposing all the naked perfection hidden under the light pink robe. Letting out a sharp breath, Brianna gazed down, admiring the petite, flawless body standing just inches away from her.
“You’re so goddamn beautiful, Abby,” Brianna breathed studying the curves of Abby’s small porcelain breasts. With pure, unadulterated lust pulsating through her veins, Brianna brought her hands up to Abby’s shoulders and pushed the bathrobe down slightly, just enough for her to nuzzle her nose on the curve of Abby’s neck.
Abby’s breath caught in her throat, and another powerful shiver ran from the tip of her toes to the top of her head when she felt Brianna’s hot breath on her neck. She moaned softly while the tip of Brianna’s tongue began to draw small circles along the curve of her sensitive neck. Her stomach flipped when she felt Brianna’s curious hands disappear inside her robe and wrap behind her lower back.
Part of Abby knew she needed to put a stop to all of that, but the other part of her was too drunk in lust to do anything but enjoy the wild ride.
With her hands sliding up and down the curve of Abby’s spine, Brianna’s lips explored the length of Abby’s neck and shoulder. She breathed in the fresh scent of Abby’s smooth skin while leaving a trail of moist, tender kisses along the way.
“Your skin is so soft, Abby. I just want to spend every waking second tasting every inch of it,” she whispered between kisses. “Tell me you think this is wrong. I dare you. Tell me you don’t want me holding and kissing you like this. Tell me you want me to stop, and I will stop.”
With her breath coming out in sharp gasps and her knees threatening to give up under her, Abby reached behind her and gripped the edge of the chromed sink to keep herself standing upright.
Except for the soft moans and whimpers that wisped past her lips, Abby remained silent. She could have lied and told Brianna she hated the feel of her lips on her and the feel of her hands caressing her skin, but she wasn’t that good of a liar. Those would’ve been the biggest lies of her life, bigger than any lie she had told Kyle over the last few days.
Kyle.
The image of her poor, innocent boyfriend suddenly popped into Abby’s head, pulling her out of her lust trance. Abby felt like the worst person in the world. She cursed her selfishness and lack of self-control. The least she could do was wait for Kyle to know the truth before continuing her affair with his sister.
Abby pictured her boyfriend in Montana, laughing, smiling, joking around and enjoying family time while thinking he had the best girlfriend in the world. She was anything but. She was in his sister’s apartment, about to cheat on him for the third time, and he didn’t deserve it. Her heart ached for Kyle.
Stupid, Abby. What the hell are you doing? What is wrong with you?
Just when the guilt and the self-loathing had started to overwhelm her carnal desires, Abby felt Brianna’s lips slid down to the swell of her breast and close around her taut nipple. Abby’s mind went blank, and her body started to convulse from the warmth of Brianna’s lips sucking in her breast whole. Abby felt her entire body grow hot with every swipe of Brianna’s tongue circling around her nipple.
She threw her head back and arched her back to push her breast further into Brianna’s mouth while fighting to catch a decent breath.
“How does this feel, Abigail?” Brianna exhaled sharply against Abby’s hard nipple after sliding the small breast out of her hungry mouth. With her eyes closed, Brianna let the tip of her tongue glide over and around the small breast while she waited for Abby to reply to her questi
on.
Abby did not reply to the question, but she didn’t have to. Brianna could tell by the way her body was writhing that Abby was enjoying every second of it. Brianna grinned, proud of the fact that she was only getting started, and Abby was already coming undone.
With her breath hissing in her throat, Brianna sucked Abby’s breast whole once more and then pulled away. “Do you like it when I do this?” Brianna teased before swirling the tip of her tongue around Abby’s nipple and using her hand to shove the tender breast back into her hungry mouth.
Still gripping the edge of the sink, Abby whimpered and dragged her teeth across her lower lip, but still wouldn’t respond to Brianna’s questions. The burning passion throbbing between her legs had rendered her incapable of uttering a single word.
Whimpers, gasps, and moans were the only sounds her mouth was capable of making. She stared at the ceiling, wondering how much more of Brianna’s teasing lips she could endure.
Brianna pulled her lips off Abby’s breast once more. “Do you want me to stop, Abby?” Brianna smirked, rubbing her lower lip against the tip of Abby’s glistening nipple, the words sounding more like a taunt than a question. “Tell me you want me to stop, and I will.”
After holding Abby’s nipple between her teeth and giving it a gentle tug, Brianna straightened up and gazed at Abby’s exposed neck. The smoothness of that elegant neck was beckoning her. She leaned in and began to place small, soft kisses along the length of Abby’s neck and chin while her hands, unable to stay idle, glided up and cupped Abby’s breasts.
Brianna moaned with urgency against Abby’s neck while her palms furiously squeezed and kneaded the gorgeous breast, and the tips of her thumbs playfully flicked the tender nipples.
Abby’s brains had turned to mush. Never in her adult life had she felt as delirious with lust as she did that morning leaning against that kitchen sink. She felt her sex growing damper and damper with every spirited squeeze of Brianna’s hands and every tickling swipe of her tongue. Her knees were about to buckle from the pressure in her lower belly zapping her strength.
She was in desperate need of relief, but the image of Kyle staring at her adoringly kept invading her thoughts. The lust and the guilt coursing through her were driving her to madness while they fought each other to take control of her mind and soul.
“Look at me, Abby,” Brianna growled while one of her hands moved to skim the smooth skin between Abby’s legs.
Startled and aroused by the forceful but sensual command, Abby tipped her head down and met Brianna’s fiery gaze.
“Spread your legs for me,” Brianna instructed with the confidence of someone who knew she was in control of the situation. Abby complied without hesitation. She white-knuckled the sink behind her and held her breath, bracing for whatever Brianna had in mind.
Brianna’s eyes bore into Abby’s. She wanted to see Abby’s reaction when she slid a couple of fingers inside her delicate flesh. Brianna was not disappointed. Abby’s mouth dropped open and short, panting gasps flew out of it when she felt Brianna’s talented fingers wiggling between her slick folds.
Brianna grinned proudly. Seeing the mixture of surprise and pleasure in Abby’s eyes and watching her become unraveled at her touch fueled the lust raging inside her even more.
“How about this, Abigail?” Brianna whispered, holding Abby’s gaze and sinking her fingers deeper between Abby’s dripping folds.
“Do you like my hand touching you there?” She began to thrust her fingers frantically inside Abby and watched Abby dissolve in front of her.
“Do you like my fingers inside you like this? Do you like how this feels? Tell me you don’t like it, and I’ll stop,” Brianna growled, reveling at the sight of Abby’s flustered face and parted lips. Abby’s response to her touch just made Brianna want to tease and please Abby even more.
Abby did not answer any of Brianna’s questions. She didn’t need to. The way Abby writhed and grunted in synch with every stroke of Brianna’s fingers inside her told Brianna everything she needed to know. Without warning, Brianna withdrew her fingers out of Abby’s throbbing folds and brought them up to her lips.
Another desperate, ragged gasp tumbled out of Abby’s mouth when she witnessed Brianna sliding each one of her damp fingers into her mouth and sucking them dry as if they were lollipops.
Her fingers had barely left her mouth when Brianna gripped the side of Abby’s face and crushed Abby’s lips with hers. With a kiss that was as passionate as it was short, Brianna claimed Abby as hers. She was certain she had changed Abby’s mind about them not being able to be together. Abby was going to be hers forever, and there was nothing Kyle or anyone else could do about it.
Brianna broke the kiss and took a step back, leaving Abby breathless and hungry for more.
“Let’s stop fighting this, Abby,” Brianna urged, still cradling Abby’s face and staring deeply into her hazel eyes. “What we feel for each other is stronger than both of us. It is stronger than any guilt we may feel.”
The word “guilt” felt like a savage punch to Abby’s stomach. The word conjured images of Kyle’s soulful gray eyes and crooked smile telling her ‘I love you.’ Her eyes began to well with tears, and she whimpered silently.
“We can’t control what we feel for each other,” Brianna continued. “We can’t fight it. Neither one of us meant for any of this to happen, but it did. It would not be fair to either one of us if we walked away from one another. We deserve to be happy. What do you say, Abby? Let me love you. Let me make you happy. Allow yourself to be happy…with me. So what’s it going to be?”
Brianna released Abby’s face, dropped her arms to her sides, and took a few steps back. She held her breath, anxiety and fear smothering her heart as she waited for Abby’s reply.
Abby dropped her gaze to the floor and pulled her bathrobe up until it was covering her naked body. With her gaze still cast downward, Abby wiped tears from the corners of her eyes with the pads of her fingers before wrapping the bathrobe around her body and tying it up. Without uttering a single word or looking up, she staggered past Brianna.
Brianna watched Abby walk past her but did not make any attempt to stop her or talk to her. She didn’t even turn around to see where she was going. She was too stunned by the realization that her attempt to change Abby’s mind had failed.
Hunched over and clutching her chest with both hands, Abby walked out of the open kitchen and past the dining room area on her way to the bedroom.
Brianna had never felt more crushing disappointment than she did that Saturday morning. She felt like such an idiot. She had poured her heart out to that girl. She tried her damnedest to make her see they belonged together, but it didn’t work. Abby was on her way to the bedroom to get dressed and go home. Brianna was convinced she wasn’t going to see her ever again.
Brianna was not angry at Abby. She was angry at herself for being too stubborn. She wanted to kick herself because she had blown the chance of having Abby in her life even if only as a friend.
Is this what it feels like to have your heart broken? Brianna asked herself. She had spent her entire adult life afraid of getting too close to anyone because she feared getting her heart broken. She had grown up with a mother and a father who made her feel she wasn’t worthy of love, so she pushed people away. Every time one of her relationships started to get too serious, Brianna always found a way to sabotage it.
Then Abby came along. Brianna felt a connection with her she hadn’t felt with anyone else before. She thought it was safe to take a chance and give in to her feelings, but she was wrong. The one time she dared to dream and fall for someone, she gets her heart handed back to her shattered into a million tiny pieces.
That was it for Brianna. She wasn’t going to try anymore. She was coming to terms with the painful fact that she was destined to be alone forever.
Still standing in the middle of the open kitchen, Brianna remained motionless. She still wouldn’t look behind her. She was fighting
as hard as she could to keep the sobs in the back of her throat from coming out. She wasn’t going to let Abby see her cry. She was too proud for that. She was going to cry a river after Abby left, but not a second sooner.
“I do want to be happy,” Abby’s melodious voice declared from the other side of the apartment. Brianna turned around slowly, a mixture of confusion and apprehension making her heart race. When she turned around, she found Abby standing at the doorway of her bedroom, facing the bed.
From where she was standing, Brianna could only see the back of Abby’s head and body. What do you mean? Brianna wanted to ask, but was too afraid to. With a glimmer of hope in her heart and an army of butterflies swarming in her stomach, Brianna held her breath and waited for Abby to expand on her surprising declaration.
“I do want to be happy,” Abby repeated after a long pause. Her back was still to Brianna. “I want to be with you, Brianna. I’m not going to fight this anymore.” With a sharp, liberating breath, Abby undid the ties of her bathrobe and pushed the fluffy garment off her shoulders until it tumbled around her and pooled at her feet.
Brianna could only enjoy the sight of Abby’s flawless naked body for a brief second because Abby disappeared from view as soon as the bathrobe hit the floor. Brianna wondered for a second if she was just imagining things. She was too stunned to go after Abby and confirm she saw what she thought she saw.
Brianna couldn’t believe what was happening. In the blink of an eye, she went from believing she was going to spend the rest of her life alone to having everything she had ever wanted waiting for her-naked-in her bedroom. It was just too good to be true. Maybe God doesn’t hate me after all, she thought.
*****
After feeling had returned to her limbs, Brianna almost tripped over herself rushing to the bedroom. When she made it to the doorway, she found Abby lying on the bed, on top of her Egyptian cotton sheets.
Betrayal: Brianna's Secret (The Betrayal Series) Page 8
