Chapter 3
Holden
The first timeI met Skylar she’d been eight years old, dressed as a cute little princess, and going out trick or treating with her brother. Alex and I had just connected in school. We’d been friends, but not that close. I don’t know what happened. One day we just seemed to click, and from that day we were inseparable. Growing up together, I’d gotten to know Alex and Skylar really well. Even though Alex is like a brother to me, Skylar has never crossed that boundary of feeling like a sister.
Seeing as we were three years ahead, I always tried to keep an eye on her. Skylar was one of those girls that just had something about her. She wasn’t all goofy teeth and silly words, or giggling. That used to drive me insane. The giggling girls who would hang around me and her brother, trying to pretend they were something special when they were clearly not. Whenever I happened to be in Skylar’s company, I liked how quiet she was. She’d stare at me in a way that had me questioning everything I am. There were no giggles, no coy looks or thrusting out her chest. Skylar was simply Skylar, and I adored her, I really did. She was special, and if anyone tried to say differently, I’d fucking destroy them, as simple as that.
But I also knew she had a crush on me. When Alex actually told me about it even before we left high school, I thought my special girl would change. But she didn’t. She always stayed so damn perfect.
And now here we are, my feelings for her just as intense, just as powerful. But crossing any lines to be with her isn’t something I want to chance.
I don’t like her at the party. The drunken guys, the inhibitions lowered for them. I have to keep an eye on her. I’d had Patty come up to me five minutes before Skylar arrived, showing her tits off, asking for me to poke them to see if they were real. Yeah, really fucking happened—as if I want to touch that chest that a thousand other men have groped.
“You really think you should be letting her off like that?” I ask, keeping Skylar in my sights.
Her back is to me, which isn’t a problem. Skylar has one of those nicely rounded asses that you just know would nestle nicely against my dick as I fuck her so damn hard.
Get those thoughts out of your head, asshole.
“You want me to be on my sister’s tail?” Alex asks. His hands are running up and down one of our classmate’s back.
Her name doesn’t come to me, but I am sure she’s been used plenty in the last couple of weeks by several of our buddies. I just don’t go for that shit, and some of the dorm boys, they like to make trains of fucking the same girl in the same day. Never went for that shit. I’m an asshole, and I like sex, but I don’t like following after a guy, least of all on the same day.
“We need to protect her.” I watch as a couple of girls stand to talk to her. I look around to see a couple of guys are eyeing her up.
“We are protecting her. I’ve told everyone she’s my sister so they all have to leave her alone. I won’t have any of them trying any shit. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”
Nope, I don’t like Alex’s blasé attitude.
Gritting my teeth, I watch Skylar, get pissed at Alex, and send glares at anyone I think would willingly do her harm. I am so fucking pissed that I am struggling to actually think.
Alex sighs and comes to stand beside me. “I promised Skylar that I wouldn’t stand over her, watch everything she did, and stifle her. Our parents did a pretty good job of that. This is her time to have freedom.”
“You’re not worried?”
At eighteen years old, the last couple of years have done wonders for her, and I can’t deny my own attraction to her. I don’t like it. I’m used to being able to blank her out, and thinking of Skylar as just a friend.
This party is not the fun I was hoping it would be.
“You’re not going to let her have fun?” Alex asks.
“I’ll let her have fun. You know I will, but I can’t let these assholes think they can mess with her.” I slap Alex’s chest. “Go back to doing what you want. I’ll go and keep our girl occupied.”
Without waiting for Alex to say anything, I am already heading over to Skylar. Her ass is still calling to me, but I’ve always been an ass and tits man. Give me a good handful, and I’m a happy man.
I place my hand on her, and Skylar gasps and whirls around. Her hand is up as if to slap me, and then she stops.
“Holden,” she says.
“Hello, princess. Your brother was boring me, and so I thought I’d come and keep you company.”
“Oh.”
“That’s it? That’s all I’m getting, ‘oh’?”
Her cheeks actually heat, and her mouth opens and closes.
“Wow, this is not filled with tension at all.”