Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother novel Chapter 86

Chapter 86: Penny

I make slowly. Edon’t want in. My limbs feel heavy, my body milten with strep for a second, everything’s soft and wrighties, like I’ve sont warmest place an raith

Then I blink

And I realize I’m alene in bed.

But I can heat water rmining–sofily, distaly. The shower.

My hratt picks up speed.

Everything from last night rushes in like a food the party, Tyler, the writ, the side home. Asher’s bands. His wice. His breath against my dan. His body. next to mine. The way I curled into him like it was the only place I was fe. The way he let me.

The way I touched him

My stomach flips violently, I shouldn’t have done that. Shouldn’t have run my fingers over his scar like it meant something. Shoulders have whispered his name into his chest like it belonged to me.

And now I’m wide awake, and he’s not in bed, and my body’s still buzzing like it hasn’t figured out yet that it’s noming. That the spell is broken.

up

I sit

and tug on the n

nearest thing—my old gray leggers from the floor. They hang low on my waist, the drawstring long since useless, I don’t care off last night’s tight shirt and pull on a hoodie instead. Not his. Not this time. I already feel enough guilt pressing on my lang

The water cuts off. The pipes groan in the walls.

I bead downstairs barefoot, the floor cold under my feet. The house is quiet, sun just barely starting to pour through the curtains. I need to do with my hands. Something ordinary. Safe

I start cutting fruit.

There’s a basket of apples and hananas on the counter. I find a half–empty container of strawberries in the fridge. A peach. I slice slowly, methodically, every piece stacked in neat little piles on the plate like a tiny fruit mosaic,

I don’t hear him come in

But I feel him.

The shift in it. The prick of awareness down my spine

glance up and-

His hair is wet, still dripping faintly onto the collar of his white shirt. The shin hugs every inch of muscle, clinging to the hard lines of his chest and shoulders like it’s been painted on. He’s wearing grey sweatpants. The dangerous kind. The kind girls on the internet make memes about. The kind that makes me wish I hadn’t looked up at all

I can’t breathe

1 look back down

down, pretend the strawbenies are the most fascinating thing I’ve ever seen.

“You want some frait?” ask, trying to sound normal

He neds, voice low. “Yeah. Thanks”

1/3

Chapter 86: Penny

1 slide a plate toward him and wipe my hands on a dish travel, moiding his poor. He sits on one of

twatch. I see the way his fingers tigh

I glance at his farm. At the seat food in the duck. It’s hidden now, but I remember the shape of it. The feel of it. The way his

he told me how it happened. The way he didn’t pill away

The ulence richer

“When’s your first rebeartal?” he finally asku.

“Tomorrow,” I say. “There a’clock last a short one. There heart?

He nods, chewing a piece of apple. “I might not be here when you come back, Rooster asked if I wanted to grab dinner with Kim and his fiancée tomserver night”

My heart sinks a little, stupidly.

“06,” I say, “That’s nice.”

He hesitates. Then adds, “If you’re not too tired after rehearsal.…….. maybe you can come.”

Ibirk. “What?

He looks at me–calm, unreadable, bir not guarded. “You should meet him. And Anna. I think you’d like them.”

I can barely process that. “You don’t mind me meeting your friend?”

He shrugs “Why would 17”

“I just… didn’t think you’d want me there.”

His mouth tugs slightly at the runner. “You think too much.

I press my lips together, trying nut to grin. “I do that.”

I bite into a slice of prach to buy myself a second. “I’d like that. But I won’t be done until six.“

them at seven.”

My heart swell stupidly. “Okay.”

The last slice of peach in hallway to my mouth when my phone buzzes across the counter. I glance at the screen and see Mila in big, bold letters

1 pick up, curious. “Hey, are you okay?”

There’s noise in the background. A muffled voice, matic. The Mila’s voice–sharp and quiet.

“Penny,” she says Higently. “Act like I have to come get you. I’m putting you on speaker.

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