Kiara
The sound of birds chirping outside the window wakes me up. Wow, that was the best sleep I've gotten in weeks. I look around and notice that Trey isn't in here. A tinge of disappointment creeps in, but what was I expecting? To wake up with his arms around me after I already told him we weren't happening?
I step out of the room to find Trey lounging on the couch in only grey sweatpants. He's scrolling on his phone when he glances up at me and smirks. "Good morning, it looks like you slept well."

His voice is husky with sleep, sending a rush of arousal down to my core. "Good morning. D-Don't you have work or something to go today?" I mutter, feeling my cheeks flush with heat.
His eyes narrow. "No, today's my day off. Why? Are you afraid of being alone with me?"
More like afraid of the things my body could convince me to do while I'm alone with him.
But he doesn't need to know that.
"No, I was just wondering," I lie, maintaining my composure. "How was work last night?"
I must've been in a serious coma because I didn't even hear him come in last night. His bed is really like sleeping on a fluffy cloud!

"It was good until my mom's ex husband came in." His jaw tenses and anger flares in his eyes.
William. I don't know much about him, except that the last time Candy saw him, supposedly Trey called the cops and made him run off because he didn't like him. I still haven't heard his version though, so I don't blindly believe it. Besides Candy was a toddler when it happened, her Mom could have changed the story to fit her narrative.
"What was he doing there?" I ask, pretending not to sound too interested.
In reality, I want to learn more about him. Everything about him. I fight the urge to curl up in his arms, stroke his face, and tell him to vent about it. Wait...what the hell is wrong with me? I should be putting as much distance between us as I can while I'm staying here.

"I stupidly introduced him to Jeremiah since they blame me for why he left, and now he's blackmailing me. He'll abandon my brother again if I don't give him what he wants, and Candy ran off. I just don't know-" he trails off, shaking his head in frustration. He quickly changes the subject saying, "well, it's time for breakfast. I'm gonna assume you didn't eat last night because you were too tired and not just intentionally disregarding your needs."
I raise my chin. "I ate some of Maggie's cake. I don't need any more handouts than you have already offered me."
That's why I left his card on the dresser. There's no reason why I need to use it when him just letting me stay here is already too generous.
He frowns, seemingly offended by what I said. "I could care less about money, Cupcake. I've always wanted to make enough to take care of the people I care about, and now I can."
I try to not to dwell on the hidden message in his words as I go in the bathroom and freshen up. Then, I throw on a purple tank top and black jeans from my suitcase. By the time I'm done, Trey is setting the plates on the table with two cups of orange juice. I sit down in front of a plate of fried potatoes, eggs, and toast. My mouth is salivating just looking at it!
We eat in comfortable silence for a while. I try not to make eye contact, but our gazes keep meeting, and I quickly divert my eyes each time.
Damn it! Why does he keep looking at me, and why can't I stop looking at him?
He clears his throat, breaking the silence as I meet his gaze once more. "Oh yeah, before I forget, Jeremiah has a game on Friday. Would you like to go?"
Anxiety claws at my throat and I immediately shake my head. There's no way in hell that could happen. "W-We can't be seen together. Somebody might think-"
"Think what? That we're going as friends to support my brother?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.
I press my lips together, unsure of how to respond. I don't want to admit the truth...that I'm afraid that if I spend more time with him, I'll catch feelings, and that just can't fucking happen.
"What are you so afraid of, Cupcake?" He narrows his eyes at me, and suddenly I feel exposed. Like he can just tear down all of my walls and read my thoughts just by looking at me. "Although I'll always want you, I'm respecting your boundaries. You said you wanted to just be friends, and I'm doing just that."
His confession hits me like a punch to the gut, leaving me breathless and vulnerable.
He'll always want me?
I want him too, but this can't happen.
"Do you really believe that?" He cocks an eyebrow, silently demanding me to elaborate. "I mean, that you're respecting my boundary about us just staying friends when you're saying shit like that?"
His gaze intensifies, his eyes darkening with desire. "If I didn't respect it, you would be sitting on this fucking table right now while I eat you for breakfast."
My thighs clench hard underneath the table. My body is alive and buzzing with need, and the worst part is that he's willing to give me what I want.
All I have to do is ask.
I swallow hard, but the dry feeling in my throat remains. I down the glass of orange juice in one gulp. Still not feeling satisfied, I grab the jug and pour another glass full.
There's an amused expression on his face as he watches me. "You okay, Cupcake?"
No, I'm absolutely fucking not. I'm tempted to rip off my clothes and sprawl across this table so he can make me cum until I cry.
Instead, I just nod. I'm relieved when he doesn't say anything else that will convince me to abandon everything I said and let him do whatever he wants with me. My mind remains clouded with lust even after we finish our meal.
He finishes with the dishes and silently retreats to the room. I join him and discover him on the bed, engrossed in his laptop. He's still shirtless, wearing square-framed glasses.
I ignore the second heartbeat between my legs as I grab my own laptop and sit down across from him. I might as well do some writing while I have somewhere comfortable to do it. If I don't look at him, I won't get distracted.
After twenty minutes, I know because I couldn't help but watch the time tick away at the bottom corner of my screen, he peeks up from his laptop. A coy smile tugging at his perfect lips. "Whatcha working on Cupcake?" he asks softly.
"My novel," I mutter, frustration evident in my voice. "I really need to stop getting distracted and wrap it up so I can send it to my editor."
He tilts his head to the side. "Do you mind if I read it sometime?"
"No way!" I exclaim, my voice a bit too loud. I quickly blush and stammer, "Um, I mean, it's a smut. I don't know if you're into that."
I'm hoping he says no. I mean it would be nice to have another person critique my work, but not him. What if he somehow speculates that he inspired the spicy scenes? I know how ridiculous that sounds, but still.
He chuckles lightly and my stomach flutters at the sound. "Well, I'm no stranger to sex. I can handle whatever freaky shit you have written in there," he says with a smirk.
Fuck, he's so sexy!
I shoot him a playful glare, but eventually give in. "Alright, you win. Tell me your email, and I'll send it to you."
After I send my draft to him, I continue revising the chapter I was working on. "You're not going to read it right now, are you?" I ask, embarrassed.
He glances back up at me. "Nah, not right now. I've got some work to do," he says with a playful grin. "I'll save that for when I can really savor it."
Thinking about him reading my work has a whole hive of bees buzzing in my stomach. "I thought you said you were off today," I manage to say.
"Yeah, I thought the same," he mutters, "but Alex mentioned some menu items haven't been selling, so I need to brainstorm better specials."
"What's the big deal? Just remove them," I suggest.
"It's not that easy, Cupcake."
"Mind if I take a look?" I inquire, motioning for the laptop. He slides it my way. He's right beside me, the warmth of his body radiating off of him, but I focus on reading the menu sales tracker in front of me. There are like forty items on the menu, which is a crazy amount of meals to make each night!
"You know, I watched enough Kitchen Nightmares to know that you have too many things on here. Narrow it down to like ten items and maybe three different specials every day with some fancy ass descriptions," I say confidently.
He studies the screen for a long moment and then smiles at me. "To think that I went to school and you're getting your knowledge from a tv show...I can't lie and say I'm not impressed right now."
I blush and glance down at the bed. Wait, I actually impressed him? I never thought that would be possible considering all that he has accomplished!
He's totally in the zone, completely focused on his laptop, with those slutty glasses adding to his intense concentration.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Damn, that should be me right now, but I'm too busy captivated by him. There's no way I can get any work done looking at his fine ass!
"Hey, can I ask you something?" I ask after a long stretch of silence.
He pauses to look at me. "Anything."
"What happened with William? I've heard Candy and your mom's version, I want to hear yours."
He closes the laptop, inching closer to me. "Why do you want to know?" he asks quietly.
"Because I think the truth has been twisted."
I don't want him to tell me if it's going to hurt too much, or if he just doesn't trust me, but I would like to know.
He removes his glasses and sets them on the bed before lying on his back and gazing up at the ceiling. I sit down close to him, giving him my full attention.
"William beat my mom nearly every night. I'm not sure when he started realizing that I wasn't his, but when he managed to get his hands on me, his beatings were brutal." He clenches his jaw and tightly fists his hands. Finally, our eyes meet, and I see the pain reflected in his gaze as he continues sharing his side of the story. "The night that he left, it's the angriest I've ever heard him. That's when I found out that I wasn't his. I locked Candy and Jeremiah in the room and called the cops because I feared for my mom's life. He was beating the shit out of her and probably would've killed both of us if I didn't call them. He left and never returned."
I lay down beside him and gently caress his cheek. The undeniable electricity between us seems to intensify, the desire to touch every inch of his body growing stronger with each passing moment.
It means the world that's he's opening up and showing me his vulnerable side. It's a clear indication of the trust he has in me, even if we're just friends.
I don't know why Maggie tried to make him out to be the villain in this, but he definitely isn't. Does he know that?
When he looks away, I gently bring his face back to meet my gaze. His eyes reflect so much guilt and shame when there's no reason for him to feel that way. "If you know the truth, why are you still feeling guilty about it?" I ask softly, still stroking his face.
He sighs deeply. "I cost Candy and J a relationship with their father, and there are just so many "What Ifs" that run through my mind. What if they could've changed him into a better man? What if him and mom could've fixed each other somehow? What if somehow the four of them could've been a happy family?"
My chest tightens. "And what about you? What about your happiness?"
"I would've sacrificed anything for them in a heartbeat," he says confidently.
.