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I hate the thought of her relying on someone other than me, but I nod. I make sure she gets to her room before I leave, annoyed with myself for letting the kiss happen. I’m more annoyed that I stopped it, but it’s better to avoid getting too tangled up in her when it’s already so tempting to follow, knock on her door, and kiss her again so she doesn’t get a moment to think that she’s not enough – especially for me.

Instead of letting that thought get the best of me, I make myself go to my accomodation after trying to cool down. My dick hasn’t gotten the memo though. Even after a cold shower, I can’t forget her soft lips molding to mine, the tentative way shefollowed my lead, how entirely she gave herself over in just one kiss.

I’m hard, frustrated in more than one way, and need an outlet. I glance at my cock, lay down, and slide my hand down my body as my eyes close. I curl my fingers around my dick and think of Holly.

I could go back to the B&B, knock on her door, and I’d find her just as riled and worked up as I am. She’d be in a robe and nothing else, take one look at me and welcome me in. The second the door shuts, she’d be in my arms, welcoming my hands to explore every inch of her while she pulls at my clothes turning one kiss into a plenty of foreplay.

“Holly,” I pant as I stroke myself faster, imagining her slowly dropping to her knees and asking me to guide her.

I’d bundle her soft hair in my hand and slowly ease my cock between her plump lips, watching her cheeks hollow as she sucks me, her green eyes staying focused on my face. Her slick, soft tongue working across my cock, teasing me with equal parts innocence and passion while moaning for me.

So responsive. So warm. So ...

I groan and submit to the fantasy. Gripping Holly’s hair and guiding her over every inch of my cock, feeling her throat tighten again and again while she tightens her hold on me until that determined glint in her eyes shines, telling me she’s not letting me stop until I finish.

I hiss and come, panting and slowing my thrusts while picturing her swallowing for me. After a few seconds of bliss, I force my eyes open. This is why I stopped the kiss. Holly’s too addictive, she’s too tempting in ways I don’t know how to process and if I get another taste of her, I don’t think I’ll be able to let her go.

Chapter 7 - Holly

It’s been two days since I’ve seen Tanner. I figured I’d be able to process my feels after the kiss that left me hot and overwhelmed. It’s stayed with me, lingered in my mind and set my pre-bedtime fantasies on fire.

Tanner: Your car is ready. Pick you up in ten?

Hesitating, I slowly type back ‘Okay.’ I don’t know what else there is to say. We kissed, he pulled away, and he made it clear he doesn’t want more. I’m sure that it’s just my lips that are still buzzing with the desire for more. He must be fine.

I repack my back, happy I took advantage of the laundry service and clean up my room a bit, not wanting to make more work for the maids. After getting everything taken care of that I can think of, I rub some of my vanilla lotion on and try to cool my nerves while heading to the lobby to check out.

Tanner, true to his word, takes me to Miller’s Car Restoration and Repair, then talks over things with Peyton while I pay. Before the guy behind the counter – Wyatt according to his name tag – can offer anything, Tanner’s hand brands my lower back. His heat sinks through my shirt and I instinctively push into it.

“Are you ready?” he asks, his voice lower, rougher—dropping just enough to make my heart skip.

He still wants to come with me? I wasn’t expecting that—not really. I figured after everything, the kiss, the distance, the silence… he’d pull back for good. California’s far. Even the next stop is two full days away.

I just stare at him, unsure if I heard right.

He lifts an eyebrow, waiting.

“You... you still want to go with me?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

“I said I did,” he replies, steady and unreadable.

That was days ago. Everything’s changed since then. “And you haven’t changed your mind?”

“No,” he says simply. Then adds, “Have you?”

I shake my head slowly. What’s the harm anyway. We’ll both have to drive and since one of us will have to be awake and at the wheel, it’s not like anything can happen. He’s not going to kiss me again. I won’t ask about it. It happened and neither of us needs to think about it again.

Asking is a way to get hurt. He’ll tell me I’m not enough, that my kissing didn’t measure up. Worse, he’ll be shockingly nice and tell me it was good, but he doesn’t want anything serious or anything else. He likes his solitude after all.

“I’ll drive first,” I say when he tries to go for the driver seat. “You just relax.”

He nods once. “We should stop at a convenience store and get some snacks and drinks for the road.”

That’s exactly what we do. At first, the ride is quiet. I turn up the radio, needing the noise, but he reaches over and turnsit down, his tone calm. “Crack the windows. You liked the birds and the wind at the park. You’ll hear more out here.”

He’s right, of course. Itispeaceful—but sitting in silence with him makes it harder to keep ignoring what’s been left unsaid.

Not talking about it is starting to feel heavier than justsayingsomething. But it’s a no-win conversation either way, so I stay quiet and chew my bottom lip instead.