Keep This Promise

by Willow Winters

  “Did he?”

  Of course, he did. The fucker has been all about the teasing, and no way would he go easy on Wren.

  Wrapping her arms around her waist, she goes on, “He asked you, too.”

  “He asked if you actually wanted to get married?”

  “Yeah. Apparently, we went from acquaintances to happy newlyweds in the space of a night.”

  I grit my teeth. “Interfering wanker.”

  “He’s actually asking a pretty normal question. I mean, it’s good to make sure, right?”

  “Make sure that we really want a divorce?” I ask for confirmation.

  “It’s no little thing. Could have done with him there before we got married.”

  Laughing, I step over a fallen log, and we walk deeper into the forest. There are lanterns hanging from trees, lighting the way to the stream, but it’s still pretty dark. If we go a few meters either side of them, we wouldn’t be seen.

  “Did I tell you that you look raging-hard-on beautiful tonight?”

  Smirking, she peers up at me through her lashes. “You didn’t quite put it like that.”

  “Well, you do. It’s been getting harder to keep my hands to myself.”

  “Brody,” she warns.

  “Yeah, I know,” I reply, dejected.

  “We agreed.”

  She agreed. I had no choice.

  Wren stops and turns right, walking into the dark forest.

  “What are you doing?” I ask, following her. “You’re going to get us lost.”

  I follow. The silence between us buzzes. We walk for a minute, slowly and carefully, before she turns back to me.

  I can still see the dim orange lanterns on the path in the distance. “I want to talk to you where we can’t be overheard.”

  In the dark, I can just about make out her plump lips and sharp eyes.

  Her breathing turns heavy, like she’s struggling as much as I am.

  I’m fucking desperate for her to feel what I feel every time she’s near me. I clench my hands to stop myself from reaching for her.

  “Brody, you’re making things—”

  Fuck it. I cut her off with my mouth because I’m done fighting.

  Her shock freezes her for only a fraction of a second. Then, I feel the tight, desperate grip of her hands around my upper arms, as if she’s trying to hold me closer and push me away at the same time. She whimpers as our mouths move together in sweet desperation.

  She’s locked in a battle between her head and her body. She wants me as much as I want her, but we both know it’s a bad fucking idea to go there again.

  I thread my fingers into her hair, and the battle is won. She rams her body against me almost violently, and her tongue meets mine. The kiss—frantic, wet, and molten fucking hot—has my hips grinding her like I’m some crazed, horny teenager.

  Wren moans against my lips.

  Fuck me.

  With my heart beating wildly and no more blood left in my brain, I grip her thighs and lift her up. She instinctively wraps her legs around my waist in a move that makes me wish we’d never started divorce proceedings.

  I could happily do this for the rest of my life.

  Which would end abruptly once Luke and her dad found out.

  Somewhat reluctantly, I pull away from her mouth and dive in for the soft, fragrant skin of her neck. Lust pumps through my body, making me rock hard.

  “Brody,” she breathes quietly, roughly.

  I back her up against a tree, and her nails cut into my shirt. Damn, I love when she does that.

  In the distance, I vaguely register voices. Probably people walking the dimly lit path to the stream. I don’t care.

  “Shh,” she hushes, gripping my hair in her hand and holding me still, barely an inch from her lips.

  “I love it when you’re rough, baby.”

  Even in the darkness, I can see her glower.

  “Be quiet,” she whispers.

  “This isn’t one of those situations where something interrupts us and we realise what we’re doing and stop,” I tell her.

  “The only thing that’s going to stop us tonight is your arrogance.”

  “You think I’m being arrogant? Your legs are wound around me so tight that I can barely breathe.”

  I’m holding her, so she can’t get pissy and move, but to my surprise, she doesn’t even attempt to shove me away.

  “You should stop talking now. They’ve gone.”

  I breathe her in. “Is this a one more time only thing, Wren?”

  “I told you to stop talking.”

  I obey because, frankly, I’m shit at resisting her.

  Her lips, soft but brutal, kiss me with as much hunger as I feel for her.

  On a moan, she arches into me, grinding against my erection.

  I grip a handful of her dress and lift. I fucking love the effect I have on her.

  She holds my face, so I won’t stop kissing her. She does not need to worry; it’s been too long since my mouth was last on hers, and I have no intention of stopping.

  The scent of her perfume, her hair, her—it’s so intoxicating that I feel drunk. My heart flies.

  “Wren,” I murmur against her lips as I tug my zip down.

  “Please,” she moans, her hands pulling my hair to the point of pain.

  This is so fucking hot.

  “Baby, I can’t wait to be inside you.”

  “Then, don’t wait,” she responds against my lips.

  I won’t.

  Biting her lip, I tug her underwear to the side and push into her. We both stop breathing. She feels amazing, scorching, and the very definition of perfection.

  Her eyes flitter closed. “Oh God,” she breathes.

  “Why did we stop doing this? You feel amazing.” I arch my hips and bury myself deep inside her. “You were made for me, baby.”

  She’s molten hot and so tight. She squeezes me every time I pull back, like her body is trying to keep me inside her. Nothing is better than this.

  “Brody,” she pants against my lips, her fingernails digging into my scalp.

  I’ve never cared for someone shredding my skin during sex. She’s converted me.

  I pump harder, my hips working overtime to fill the need, and I grind against her with every thrust.

  Her raw moans come back-to-back, and my heart beats wildly. I can’t get enough. I want to stop kissing her and hear those muffled moans transform, but we can’t risk being caught. And the way her tongue wrestles with mine sends my entire body into a frenzy.

  I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.

  The orgasm builds from deep inside, rushing to the surface every time she contracts around me.

  She is the best sex I’ve ever had.

  “Brody… Brody!”

  “I know,” I murmur against her mouth, my muscles bunching as I feel my orgasm on the cusp.

  Her body stiffens, legs tightening around me so hard that she makes it difficult to move. She kisses me harder, riding out her orgasm on my tongue and my cock.

  I come apart, my body shattering as I empty inside her.

  The kiss changes, slowing until our lips only brush each other’s.

  “Are you okay?” I ask breathlessly.

  She rests her forehead against mine and nods gently. “No one but you can make me feel like that.”

  Her eyes grip me, and my throat tightens. Even in the dark, they shine.

  “I know exactly how you feel, Wren.” And it terrifies me.

  “We should get back soon. People will notice.”

  I honestly couldn’t care less in this moment. Nothing else seems as important as us.

  “Uh-huh,” I mumble, stroking a stray hair from her face. “You’re fucking beautiful.”

  The corners of her lips lift to a coy smile. “And you are so hot that I come in seconds when I think about you in bed.”

  Groaning, I push myself deeper into her as my mouth finds her neck. “You call me next time, and I’ll tell you exact
ly what I want to do to you.”

  “Brody,” she breathes, “we need to get back.”

  I pull away from her neck and pout. “I like it better here.”

  “Yeah, so do I, but if Luke comes looking for you…”

  Nothing like the mention of your mate to scare away your hardened cock.

  “Right.”

  She wriggles, and I give in, pulling out of her and zipping my trousers back up.

  Wren rearranges her underwear and flattens her dress. “Turn around. I’ll fix your hair,” she tells me.

  “I liked that,” I say, twisting around.

  Her fingertips brush my hair down. “You fucked me harder every time I tugged, so I figured you did.”

  Turning back, I smirk. “Can you blame me? Nothing feels as good as you.”

  “Obviously.”

  I roll my eyes, and she laughs.

  “Come on. I actually do want to see the stream, and you need to come with me.”

  “Why’s that?” I ask.

  “Because there might be a killer in the woods, and I need you to fight them off. At least long enough for me to get away. Besides, I could really use a wash right now.”

  “You’re going to sit in the stream?”

  Her eyes narrow. “Do you have any idea how messy you are?”

  “Well, this is lovely.”

  “You’re not a prude, Brody.”

  “No, I’m not a prude. Let’s go wash my spunk off you in a stream.”

  She takes my hand and pulls me towards the path. “Who says romance is dead?”

  “Romance is overrated.”

  “I don’t know. I kinda like it sometimes.”

  Noted.

  Noted? Really?

  Chapter 36

  Wren

  Well, that didn’t last.

  We were supposed to keep our relationship safely in the friend zone, and that zone didn’t include any benefits.

  Tonight came with many explosive benefits.

  I’m not complaining, but at the same time, I want to kick myself. He’s like an addiction that I can’t seem to kick. How many men around my age are there in the world? Millions? I have to sleep with the one who’s friends with my brother.

  Brody and I walk towards the stream, now back on the lit path. His hands are in his pockets, all very casual, but there’s a smile on his lips and a glint in his eye. That all needs to go before we return, or Luke will know he’s been up to something.

  Emma would say a lot of things, too, if she found out. Unlike Felicity, she doesn’t think there is anything between Brody and me.

  When I deal with the situation down south, it’ll be like it never happened.

  Except it won’t because I can still feel the aftermath of the orgasm and the stretch caused by his penis.

  But no one else will know. That is, unless he can’t wipe that smug grin off his face.

  I might have to do it for him.

  “Brody…”

  “Not yet, okay?” He looks back over his shoulder. “We’re alone.”

  “Some people are at the stream.”

  “We’re not.”

  The shit.

  “I don’t need to remind you of what will happen if people find out.”

  “I haven’t forgotten, Wren. Can you not wait to kill the moment until it needs to be killed?”

  The moment? He’s making it sound like it was more than just sex. We’re very good at the physical thing. Not so good at anything else.

  Biting my lip, I glance up at him. Now, he has a slight frown and hard jaw.

  Great. Way to go, Wren.

  “Brody—”

  “Don’t,” he says, cutting me off, his voice hard.

  God, we’re red-hot one minute and ice-cold the next.

  “I get it, Wren. We don’t need to recycle that conversation again.”

  “Why are you mad at me?”

  His jaw flexes. “I’m not mad at you.”

  “Yes, you are!”

  He stops dead and grips my wrist. “I don’t want this to be a secret.”

  “That we just had sex?” I ask, my eyes wide and voice as squeaky as Bernadette from The Big Bang Theory.

  “Fucking hell, forget it.” He turns away from me and stomps towards the marquee.

  I race after him.

  Shit. We’re almost back now, the music is loud, lights brighter, and I can hear murmurs of dozens of different conversations. We’re supposed to be at the stream, but I guess he no longer wants to be alone with me.

  I run faster to catch him. “No, Brody, tell me what you mean.”

  He can’t mean the marriage.

  “I said forget it, Wren,” he says, pulling his wrist out of my grip as I reach him.

  He heads back to the wedding without even looking my way. With my mind a bit foggy from the orgasm, I’m finding it impossible figuring him out.

  What exactly does he want everyone to know?

  All we have is sex and a marriage.

  He’s in the clearing, and Luke shouts, “Brody, there you are!”

  Brody changes direction, heading to my brother, knowing I won’t follow. Because how would that look?

  Sighing, I ignore the hole in my stomach and head to the bathroom to clean myself up. The sex has sobered me, and I wish to be drunk. Tipsy at the very least.

  The second I leave the posh, portable restroom, my sister asks, “Now a good time for a chat?” Her mouth is pressed into a thin line, and her eyebrows are stuck up high like she’s been shocked.

  “No,” I reply, walking past her with a heavy heart and prickling eyes.

  She catches up. “Too bad. Let’s take a walk around the forest.”

  “I’m not in the mood, Em.”

  She smiles, but it’s more of a grimace. “Now, Wren, please.”

  “Fuck’s sake. Fine!”

  I stalk off, keeping to the very edge of the trees where she can talk without us being overheard. The clearing is in a big circle in the middle of a man-made forest.

  “Where did you go?” she asks, falling in line with me.

  “To the stream.”

  “With Brody?”

  “Yes.”

  She peers at me out of the corner of her eye. “And how did that go?”

  “Fine.”

  “Doesn’t seem like it. He came back, looking like he wanted to rip someone’s head off.”

  That’ll be my head. But seriously, what did he expect? Chucking that at me out of the blue and not explaining exactly what he meant.

  “He’s moody. You know that.”

  “Wren, what happened in the woods?”

  She’s had enough of dancing around the issue then.

  “We had sex against a tree, he said he wants everyone to know, and then he stormed off when I questioned him.” It all pours from my mouth, almost stumbling like some oversharing word vomit.

  Her mouth falls open.

  “How long until we’re leaving?” I ask.

  Chapter 37

  Brody

  My forearm twitches, the tendons in my wrist spasming as I hold my glass of whiskey tight. She’s too far away from me, but at the same time, I don’t want her anywhere near me.

  Wren and Emma are by the entrance of the dirt track towards the main road. They haven’t moved in a while. Doesn’t take a genius to work out what conversation they’re having.

  Luke ditched me soon after calling me over when a beautiful brunette walked past us.

  Not that I care since being in his company ten minutes after fucking his sister made my eyes twitch.

  Felicity stops by my side. “You going to tell me what’s going on?”

  Groaning, I shake my head. “No.”

  “I’ll go and join Wren and Emma if I have to.”

  “Be my fucking guest,” I growl.

  She brushes her dark hair out of her face. “Okay, there is no need for the attitude. What happened?”

  “Remind me to never go there again, will you?” Yo
u so don’t mean that.

  “Wren? You just went there?” Her forehead creases. “Like, just then? In the forest?”

  “Yeah,” I reply and take a swig of whiskey.

  She opens her mouth and closes it again. “What?”

  “I’m a fucking idiot.”

  “Yes, but what exactly happened with Wren? You can skip the gory details.”

  I smirk, despite finding no humour in this situation. “We went for a walk and ended up having sex. After…”

  Jesus, I can’t believe I ever thought we could do something… be something.

  “After what?”

  “After that, I told her that I wanted people to know.”

  Her eyes widen. “That you’d just had sex?”

  “No! God, why does everyone think that?”

  “Then, what do you want? To be with her?”

  I don’t miss her slightly smug tone. It’s on the tip of her tongue—one big, fat I told you so.

  “No, I’m not sure.”

  “What did Wren say?”

  “She said sex was a bad idea.”

  “Wow, Brody. You’re going to have to be sure before telling people you’ve got… whatever it is you have going on.”

  “What?”

  “You said you don’t know what you want, but your actions tell her you want to make that leap. What does that mean for you guys? Why would she risk upsetting her brother and potentially changing the dynamic of our families if you just want to sleep with her?”

  “Did I say that I just want sex?” Don’t I?

  “Have you ever said anything else to her?”

  I lock my jaw before I tell my sister to piss off.

  She’s making sense.

  I haven’t told Wren that I want more. I don’t even know what that more would be or if I can do the exclusive thing.

  Do I want Wren to be my girlfriend?

  Why would she leap and cause a storm for that?

  “Brody, figure out what it is you really want before you get mad at her for not wanting the same thing.”

  I glance over, and Wren’s watching me in the distance, her stark blue eyes full of confusion.

  Yeah, I don’t know either.

  The night draws to a close. Wren leaves with her parents and Emma without another glance in my direction.

  “You good?” Felicity asks as we get in the back of our parents’ car.