KATY’S POV
I somehow convinced Braydon to give me sex lessons.
Yeah. I can’t believe it either. Sitting in his car now, I’m replaying the decision over and over, wondering if I’ve completely lost it.
He’s focused on the road, quiet, which only makes me more restless, and I wish I could crawl inside his head for five minutes to see what he really thinks of me. Does he see me as a prude? Stupid? Pathetic? Maybe all of the above.
“So, why Bryan?”
The question yanks me out of my thoughts. My head snaps toward him, but he keeps his eyes on the road, only flicking a quick glance my way before looking forward again.
“In what context?” I ask carefully.
He shrugs. “You know. Everything.”
I press my lips together and turn to the window, watching campus lights blur by. What am I supposed to say?
The truth is, I don’t even know where to start. I’m not ashamed I loved Bryan. And I shouldn’t be embarrassed that he chose to cheat–that was on him, not me. But still… admitting that I don’t really have a good answer to Braydon’s question? That doesn’t feel very pleasant.
Don’t get me wrong. I liked Bryan, and we had things in common, sure. But one of the biggest reasons I agreed to date him was because Allie got too busy with her boyfriend, and I hated feeling like the third wheel.
Of course, there’s no way I’m admitting that to Braydon.
“We were compatible,” I say flatly, hoping he’ll drop it. But when is luck ever on my side?
“Compatible?” His tone is filled with disbelief. “I can’t possibly see how you and Bryan were compatible.”
“You don’t know me or him well enough to decide that,” I shoot back.
He lets out a short, humorless snort. “Are you forgetting we’re painfully brothers?”
“Yeah, but you can hardly call yourselves family,” I counter, then steer the conversation somewhere else. “Speaking of, why are you guys so distant?”
The shift in him is immediate. His hands grip the wheel tighter, the tendons in his forearm flexing, and his jaw sets in a way I haven’t seen before. Braydon’s usually quick with comebacks, and always ready with some dry remark, but now the air between us feels different, like I’ve mentioned a forbidden topic.
“Why?” I press, unable to help myself when he doesn’t answer right away.
“Just because.” His reply is clipped, the kind of answer that slams a door in my face. I let out a quiet breath and turn back to the window, letting the silence settle. For a while, it’s just the road beneath us and the hum of the engine.
Then his voice breaks through again. “What kind of guy do you want?”
The question catches me off guard.
No one’s ever asked me that before, not really or with that particular phrase. I shift in my seat, glancing at him, then back out the window, buying myself a moment.
“What kind of guy…” I repeat slowly, almost to myself. “Someone with emotional intelligence. Someone loyal and faithful. I want to be the only girl who gets a reaction from him.” I stop for a second, chewing on the thought before adding, “I hate men with wandering eyes.”
The corner of his lips twitches, and I continue. “I’d love a good listener and a problem solver. Someone who’s devoted to what he loves… someone educated and confident because insecure men are the worst.” My voice softens at the end. “And finally… someone honest and kind.”
I sit back, realizing how much I’ve just confessed, and fall quiet again.
He smirks, his eyes still on the road. “You got any plans to mold that kind of guy yourself?”
I roll my eyes, scoffing lightly to cover the sudden vulnerability. “He’s not impossible to find. Cadston’s just not the place to look.”
Spontaneity. Sex doesn’t follow rules. It’s better when it’s unplanned, when you stop resisting and just let yourself feel. Like you just did.”
My throat goes dry. I swallow, but my eyes stay locked on his. I should look away, I should move, but I don’t.
He leans in again, close enough that our lips brush, and the touch makes my body betray me. My n*****s tighten against my top, and I feel the heat roll through me in waves.
“Your mind,” he whispers, his mouth ghosting over mine, “is both the limit and the release.”
God. The words, the way he says them. Sexy doesn’t even cover it. I never thought I’d look at Braydon this way, not in a million years, but right now, I could listen to him whisper like this all night.
My eyes go wide.
The thought managed to snap me back to reality.
I jerk away, putting space between us. What the hell am I doing?
He tilts his head, watching me, like he’s waiting for an explanation I can’t give. But it isn’t him, it’s me. It’s the stupid voice in my head won’t shut up. I have to remind myself of his last rule. None of this means anything. His words are just words, his kiss just a kiss. And I can’t let it mean more than that.
“I guess that’s all…” he starts as if to wrap things up, but I don’t let him finish. I don’t even think it through, and before I can stop myself, I lean in and press my mouth to his.
This time, I take the lead. My fingers slide into his hair, tugging him closer until there’s no space left between us. My tongue slips past his lips, tasting him, and the groan he lets out when I bite his bottom lip nearly undoes me. God, it’s addictive. That sound makes me want to crawl across the console, press my body against his, and kiss every inch of him just to hear it again.
His hands rise to my face, steadying me as if he’s trying to hold me together while kissing me back even harder. Our breaths grow messy and hot, mingling in the cramped space of the car.
Between kisses, his voice rumbles against my lips. “Tip two, Peach… kissing isn’t just lips, it’s touch. Explore me. Neck, jaw, anywhere. Make me feel it.”

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