I didn't dare ask. I didn't dare open my mouth and risk breaking whatever this was‚ this quiet‚ tender‚ confusing moment that felt so different from everything else between us that it made my chest ache in a way I wasn't prepared for.
So I just leaned into him and closed my eyes and let myself have this. Whatever this was.
But even as his warmth soaked into my skin and his heartbeat thumped steadily against my ear‚ a cold knot of reality sat in the center of my chest‚ reminding me of the one thing I could never forget no matter how gently he kissed my forehead or how tightly he held me.
He wasn't just anybody.
He was the man my brother hated more than anyone on this planet. And I still didn't know why.
The car slowed down and turned onto my street‚ and I opened my eyes and sat up slig
