Only Him(Only One Series)

Prologue-2

I lift a brow. “Really?”

“I’m not pregnant, addicted to drugs or alcohol, and I graduated with good grades. You should be praising me.”

“I’m proud of you for not becoming a statistic.” When she furrows her brows, I add, “You didn’t become an addict like Mom.”

The mood changes, and she frowns, then lowers her eyes. “I invited her to come tonight. No surprise she didn’t show up.”

Leaning over, I squeeze her shoulder. “It’s her loss, Everleigh. You know that.”

She nods, then flashes a small smile. “You coming is the best gift I could’ve ever gotten anyway.”

Once we arrive and I find a place to park, we walk toward the crowd of people. Everleigh’s greeted by a bunch of her classmates, and she shrieks when she sees her group of friends. There’s a huge table set up with snacks and desserts, and of course, several people have red cups.

The moment I see Gemma, I swallow down the lump in my throat and follow my sister toward them. She’s wearing a skirt that’s so tight it’s like a second skin on her petite frame. I was right, the pictures she sent didn’t do her justice. She’s grown into a beautiful woman.

“Guys, you remember my brother. He’s finally home!” Everleigh proudly pulls me closer.

“Hey, man. Lookin’ good.” Noah gives me a fist bump.

“Thanks.”

Gabe gives me a head nod before he whispers in Katie’s ear, and the two of them take off. Noah watches them with jealousy but tries to play it off like it’s nothing, then brings his attention back to us.

“Noah, can you show me where the drinks are?” Everleigh loops her arm through his. As they walk away, she looks over her shoulder and smirks, leaving Gemma and me alone.

“Congrats,” I tell her as she stands in silence. “Bet you’re glad to be done with school.”

“Thanks.” She smiles. “I am.”

Awkwardness lingers and the last place I want to be right now is at a party where everyone can see us. “Any chance you wanna get the hell outta here?”

Her face lights up, and she smiles. “Definitely yes.”

“Just gonna let my sister know, and then we can head out,” I explain, grabbing my phone from my pocket.

I quickly shoot Everleigh a text and ask her if she can hitch a ride with someone so Gemma and I can talk. She immediately sends a response of random emojis—an eggplant, cherry, and smiley face with its tongue sticking out. I’d scold her if I wasn’t in a hurry to leave.

She follows me, and when the house is out of sight, I grab her hand and loop her fingers through mine. When we get to the car, I pull her in front of me and grip her waist. We’re inches apart as she leans against the door.

“I got your last letter,” I tell her as we lock eyes.

“You did? I wasn’t sure if it’d make it on time.” She grasps my biceps, and I can hear the anxiousness in her voice.

“I did, and I wanted to respond in person…”

“Okay.”

“Actually, I wanted to show you.”

Her breath hitches.

“However, I get the impression that you’re a bit nervous, so maybe we should talk and—”

“Or you could kiss me so I can stop wondering if you’re going to.”

She sucks in her lower lip, then bites down before releasing it. For a split second, I hesitate, making sure it’s what she truly wants. There’s no doubt about it as I dip down and gently brush my mouth against hers.

“I’ve thought about kissing you for way too f*****g long,” I whisper.

“Probably not as long as I have…an inappropriately long time.”

inappropriatelyThe corner of my lips turns up slightly, knowing she wants this as badly as I do. I cup her face, tilt her chin up, and this time, I claim her mouth. We take our time as our tongues slide against each other. Gemma moans, and the desire to have more of her overwhelms me. Lowering one hand down her body, I cup her ass and squeeze, pressing her into my erection.

As we continue, our kiss grows hotter, and my d**k gets harder. Gemma arches her back and rocks her hips against me, which drives me even more crazy.

“You need to stop that. People can see us out here.”

“Then take me somewhere so they can’t.”

Fuck yes. I open the car door for her, then jog around to the other side.

Fuck yes.“Alright, tell me where you wanna go.” I crank the engine.

“I’ve been fixing up my mom’s old cottage. We can hang out there.”

It takes us less than ten minutes to get to her house. As soon as we’re out of the car, she grabs my hand, and we quietly sneak to the backyard. The quaint cottage needs a lot of work, but it’s cute. There’s a bed and a small studio area where she explains her mother used to paint. I know her mom passed years ago because she talked about missing her a few times in her letters.

“Now that school’s done, I can actually spend more time remodeling. It needs a new paint job and a good cleaning. Then I can decorate it and make it cozy.”

“It’s nice, actually. You’re close to your dad’s house but far enough away to have some privacy.” I walk around, looking at everything.

“I plan to keep her art hung, at least my favorite ones.”

“You never got into painting?” I ask, closing the gap between us.

“I tried. I think I liked it as a child, but then I think I associated it with pain because I was sad she wasn’t here.”

“That’s understandable.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to talk about that right now. I’d much rather you kiss me again instead.” She grins, grabbing my shirt and yanking me toward her.

I smirk and lower my eyes to meet hers. “I think I can accommodate that.”

Our mouths fuse again in a white-hot kiss. The way she makes me feel burns through my entire body. I crave her, and I need to feel more of her. The way our relationship grew over the years led us to a deep connection. The emotional drives the physical, and being with her like this feels even more intense than I could’ve anticipated.

Peppering kisses down her jawline, I attach my lips to her neck. She shivers against me as I flatten my tongue against her soft, smooth skin and lick up to her ear.

“f**k, Gemma. You’ve consumed me for so long that I can hardly control myself around you.”

“I don’t want you to…I’m yours. Take all of me.”

Gripping the bottom of her ass, I lift her as her legs wrap around me. I walk us toward the bed, then lay her down on the mattress and crawl over her body. Our mouths collide as I slide a hand up her stomach, then palm one of her perky breasts.

“That feels so good,” she murmurs.

“Better than the tool bag who thought he was fingering you?” I smirk against her lips, and she bursts out laughing.

“Oh my God, how do you remember that? I told you about Benny like two years ago.”

“I kept thinking about how f*****g hilarious it was, and how much I wanted to be the one who touched you there.”

“Trust me, I want that too.”

“Should I show you how it’s really supposed to feel?” I lie next to her on my side and slip my fingers inside her skirt.

“Yes,” she whimpers. “Show me.”

I slide under her panties and immediately feel her wetness. Every inch of her begs for my touch. The pad of my finger glides up and down her slit before rubbing circles against her clit.

“Oh my God. That feels way too good.” She closes her eyes and hums. “Please, don’t stop.”

“It might hurt when I push my finger inside you, Gemma,” I warn.

“I’ve fingered myself before,” she tells me.

I chuckle at her honesty. “I’ll still be gentle.”

“I trust you, Tyler.” She wraps her hand around my neck, pulling me down until our mouths touch. “I know you’d never hurt me.”

The confident way she says those words has my heart bursting. That’s the last thing I want to do to her, ever. Gemma Reid is everything I’ve ever wanted but don’t deserve.

everShe gave me all of herself that night. I told her we could wait and didn’t have to rush, but she was firm with her decision. I was her first, and she was the first woman I ever loved.

But three months later, after spending the entire summer together, I broke both of our hearts when I left with no plans to return to Lawton Ridge. I asked her to come with me—together we could travel and be spontaneous—but she didn’t want to leave her dad and the only home she’s ever known.

As much as it hurt, she couldn’t leave, and I couldn’t stay.

Gemma will always be the one I let go, the woman I walked away from—my biggest regret.

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