Trapped (Bullied Book 4) (Bullied Series) Vera Hollins (best large ereader txt) 📖

He smiled. “You’re so cute like this.”

My voice didn’t listen to me. I stared back into his eyes completely captivated. My palms on his thighs were burning.

“You really want to know what I like?” He threaded his fingers through my hair. “I like this time here with you.” He looked at my mouth, his eyes half-closed. “I like talking to you.” He cupped my face with his hand. I trembled.

“How come?”

He slid his thumb over my lower lip. “Because you’re so much more than I thought. And this night, you and me here…it feels more real than anything.” He leaned his forehead against mine, and I closed my eyes.

I pressed my fingers into his thighs reflexively. It was hard for me to believe this was real. “But for me…it feels like a dream.” If I moved my lips an inch closer to his, we would be kissing. “It feels like I’ll wake up to another day of hate and insults.”

“Jessie…” His fingers tightened in my hair. “We’re on borrowed time here, but it’s very real.” His heavy sigh skimmed over my lips. “I’m sorry.” I wanted to ask what he meant by borrowed time, but he said, “I know an apology won’t fix shit now, but I want you to know I’m sorry for every insult.” His lips grazed my lower lip. “I’m sorry for putting you through all that.” He left a tiny kiss on my upper lip. “I’m sorry for everything.”

He pressed his lips against mine and wrapped his arms around me, and I gave in, molding myself to him. It was bittersweet—all of this: the kiss, the nearness, the quiet of the night that witnessed our painful dance of forbidden feelings when there was no forgiveness. Nothing about this promised a happy ending, but I was happy to indulge in it for a little while, letting myself get carried away by a wave of illusion.

He deepened our kiss, holding me so close like he was afraid I would disappear at any moment, and I could feel his desperation. It poured out of him with each stroke of his tongue, with each caress of his hands, with each quickened breath that mingled with mine.

He flipped us around and placed me on the hood, never breaking our kiss. His hands pushed me down and moved down my waist and hips, sparking my desire.

He buried his head in my neck and left kisses that stole more of my reason, and when he palmed my breasts over my jacket—a move that felt so natural and left me wanting more—I almost threw all my caution to the wind. But this was an illusion, and when it shattered, its pieces would pierce me and leave even deeper scars than those I already had.

I snapped my eyes open. “Wait.” I pushed against his chest. “Blake, wait.” He leaned away to look at me, placing his hands against the hood on both sides of my waist. His eyes were filled with desire, his breathing ragged. “You can’t kiss me like this. It’s not right after everything.”

He frowned. “Why do you have to be like this?”

“Why do I…?” I huffed exasperatedly. “Because our past is too painful! Because it’s always hot and cold with you. Because I’m afraid I might end up completely broken if I let you treat me like all those other girls.”

He stepped away. “I’m not treating you like other girls.”

I sat up. “Yes, you are. You’d lose interest in me the moment you had me.”

He shook his head. “No. You don’t understand. This…” He motioned between us. “This isn’t about mindless fucking.”

“Then what is it, Blake? A game? Because I can’t explain in any other way what you’re doing with me, especially since you said you won’t ever be with me.”

He ran his hands through his hair. “Do you think I want to be like this? My mind is telling me to get the hell away from you, but I can’t. I can’t. And I’m tired of keeping myself on a tight leash and denying myself what I want.”

I gripped the edge of the hood. His words created intense longing that urged me to pull him back to me and kiss our pain away.

“I’m going against my promise, and you have no idea how much it hurts. I promised her I would never care for anyone else…I said she would be the only one for me…”

I placed my hand over my mouth. My chest ached too much.

He closed the distance between us and palmed the back of my head. His eyes carried a deeply rooted pain. “I made that promise, but I can’t keep it. I can’t fucking keep it.”

He held my gaze, and I saw the truth in his eyes. He was conflicted, torn between his love and devotion to Emma and me. Maybe he even felt he was betraying her, and now, more than ever, I wished we had met under different circumstances. I wished there weren’t too many things pulling us apart.

“I just want to lose myself in you for a minute,” he said. “Just this time.”

He cradled my head with both hands and nuzzled my nose. His warm breath traveled across my skin before he planted a kiss on the corner of my lips and left a trail of butterfly kisses along my jaw, incredibly slowly. Once more, my mind was fogged with desire that turned me into a puppet. His lips skimmed over my cheek before they ended their journey on mine, and I kissed him back with everything I had, our pain converging together.

He stepped between my legs and left kisses along my neck, letting me feel what I’d always craved. He put my legs around his waist and pressed himself against me, which brought his erection to where I needed the pressure the most. I moaned, throwing my head back.

“I want you,” he said hoarsely. “I want you in more ways than one.”

He started grinding against me, and