Free The One That Got Away by Kerrianne Coombes

in his bed calling out his
name—never once in those desperate musings did he ever imagine
her sleeping on his chair while he slept in the bed.
    He
leaned forward and brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, the
back of his fingers brushed over the skin and his desperate cock
throbbed in delight. He had always imagined he had held her on a
pedestal all these years, and that when—if ever—he saw
her again, she would be a pale truth.
    How
wrong he had been. The pedestal was not high enough.
    As
if she sensed that he was staring at her, she flicked her eyes open
and looked up. For a second she appeared startled, her eyes flew wide
and her hands flicked to the arms of the chair. But when he locked
his gaze with hers, she soon relaxed.
    “ Hi,”
he muttered, feeling a little stunned by his own bodily reactions to
just seeing her lovely eyes. His heart beat wildly and his blood
pounded down to his cock. She looked young and innocent as she stared
back up and gave a half smile.
    “ Hi.”
    Will
let his hand rest on her cheek. She leaned into his touch.
    Just
beautiful.
    He
watched as she seemed to fight a reaction too. Her breathing hitched
and her hands gripped the chair tighter. Will dipped his head,
desperate to taste her plump mouth.
    Just
as he would have met her lips with his, Cammy dropped her head and
gave him her forehead. Rejection. It crashed inside his chest and
tightened the belt around his heart one notch more. He could almost
laugh, if he wasn’t so hurt. But, fuck, how many times was he
going to take this pain from her?
    The
first time, when he was eighteen, standing in the pouring rain with
nothing but a bag of clothes and twenty pounds in his pocket, she had
rejected him then even as he laid his heart out flat and begged her
to join him. And then again, two days ago, when she had fucked him
and walked away as if it was nothing to her. And now.
    Will
stood up and stared down at her. She looked up with surprise and an
apology in her eyes.
    “ Will,
I—” She stopped talking when the phone rang, and darted
her eyes toward the living room. Will ground his teeth, but secretly
thanked the phone and its perfect timing. He wasn’t ready for
her ‘rejection’ speech. He had seen enough in her eyes,
he didn’t need to hear it.
    He
turned on his heel and stomped from the bedroom. His head hurt like a
bitch—thanks to the booze—but his heart hurt worse. He
snatched up the phone and talked in a clipped tone to his boss. The
head chef was off sick so he needed Will to cover. He looked back at
the room Cammy was in and agreed.
    He
would need something to take her from his mind—once he had
gotten her out of his life.
    Fuck,
and to think he had pined for her for most of his life! Before he let
his temper flare he reminded himself it wasn’t her fault that
she had moved on and he hadn’t. It wasn’t her fault he
had given his heart to her all those years ago.
    But
it was her fault that he had to take the rejection for the third
time. What was she even doing here?
    With
that thought in mind, Will strode back into his room to ask.

    *
* * *

    Cammy
looked up from making Will’s bed when he entered the room. He
stopped dead in his tracks and watched her with cold eyes. She
couldn’t breathe, couldn’t talk as he pinned her with a
look that spoke of anger and hate. She gripped her hands together and
dropped her gaze, as fear bit into her chest like a venomous snake.
    His
nasty glare was so reminiscent of his father that Cammy had to fight
to keep from running.
    Just
breathe. It isn’t him. This is Will; he would never hurt you,
like his father did.
    The
words that she knew to be true, gave her courage and she raised her
stare once more. Will was standing closer now, his hate-filled gaze
no less hateful.
    “ Please—don’t
look at me like that,” she pleaded, hating that she begged. She
had promised never to beg again—never to cower and whimper to
anyone again. But Will looked so much like his father,