Falling for My Ex’s Brother

Chapter 1: Part 8 – The Night I Couldn't Sleep

Savrielle’s POV

The room was quiet, save for the slow ticking of the wall clock and Zayden’s soft breathing beside me.

But I couldn’t sleep.

I lay on my side, facing the window, eyes wide open in the dark.

Kaizen’s kiss—

It kept playing in my mind like a broken tape I couldn’t eject.

The weight of his lips.

The grip of his hands.

The fire in his eyes.

I touched my mouth, still feeling the ghost of it.

It wasn’t guilt that kept me awake.

It was the way he made me feel.

Seen.

Wanted.

Ruined.

---

“Love,” Zayden mumbled, voice hoarse from sleep. “You okay?”

I closed my eyes. “Yeah… just can’t sleep.”

He shifted closer behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist.

“Want me to help?” he whispered against my neck, lips barely grazing my skin.

I nodded. A lie.

But I needed this.

Needed him

—if only to forget what was eating me alive.

---

Zayden kissed my shoulder gently. Then my nape. Then down to the curve where my collar met my skin.

I turned to face him, lips finding his in the dark.

His kiss was softer. Familiar. Safe.

But tonight, something in me changed it.

I pulled him closer—fingers gripping his shirt, mouth pressing harder than usual.

Zayden groaned softly, surprised.

But he didn’t stop.

His hands slipped beneath my shirt, palms warm on my waist.

I straddled him, breath shallow, heartbeat frantic.

Not because of him.

But because I was trying to erase someone else.

---

Our kisses grew deeper, heavier.

My hands tangled in his hair as his lips trailed down my jaw, then back to my mouth.

It felt good.

It felt right.

But somewhere deep down…

I was pretending.

Pretending I wasn’t imagining a different pair of lips.

A different kind of hunger.

---

“Love…” he whispered, voice breathless. “You sure?”

I looked down at him.

Zayden—my comfort, my warmth, the man who never walked away.

I nodded. “Just… don’t stop.”

He kissed me again, hands holding me like I was something fragile.

But I wasn’t feeling fragile.

I was on fire.

---

Our bodies moved in sync, a rhythm that wasn’t rushed but wasn’t gentle either.

The sheets twisted beneath us.

The silence between moans and breathing said more than words ever could.

I held on to him, nails digging lightly into his shoulders.

And still—

Kaizen’s name never left my lips.

But he never left my mind.

---

Afterward, Zayden wrapped his arms around me. “I love you,” he murmured into my hair.

I whispered back, “I love you too.”

And I meant it.

I do love Zayden.

But that night,

even with his arms around me…

I dreamt of Kaizen.

---

Savrielle’s Inner Monologue

Maybe it wasn’t about choosing who to love.

Maybe it was about figuring out…

Who I’d stop dreaming of first.

---

End of Chapter 1: Part 8