Any touch right now was a bad idea. Even her lust-addled brain could process that.
Still, her own misfortune aside, she wasn’t going to leave Brynn hanging—conversationally, of course. She was looking at her so openly, patiently waiting for Hallie to respond.
“If you had an orgasm, you’d know,” Hallie whispered into the space between them.
Brynn tipped her head to the side. Then, infuriatingly, for Hallie, at least, she pulled her lip in between her teeth and sucked on it gently. “I wonder if I’m doing it wrong,” she finally voiced out loud.
The heat was back in full force, rolling through Hallie’s body. She was along for the ride but not in the driver’s seat. Who said things like that? With that tone? If it had been anyone else, sitting on their bed and hypothetically talking about getting themselves off with such descriptive language, she’d have assumed they were flirting with her.
Hell, she’d haveknownthey were flirting with her.
But with Brynn, she knew that wasn’t the case. Brynn was genuinely, 100 percent looking for support to better understand this part of life that currently escaped her.
And, for the last few weeks, Hallie had become that person for Brynn. A guide. A mentor. It was really coming back to bite her in the ass right now.
Hallie let out a silent scream, followed by an audible groan that prompted Brynn to grab her hand, interlacing their fingers.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asked quietly, her gaze connecting with Hallie’s. Hallie was feeling more like a trapped, feral animal by the second.
“No, Brynn. You didn’t do anything wrong.” She wanted to quell any doubt that Brynn had. About anything, really. Which was the only reason she was able to get her next words out. “Everyone’s bodies work differently. Some people need more romantic stimulation. Some people use toys. There’s no one-size-fits-all to feeling good.”
She was so fucking proud of herself for not thinking about Brynn, specifically, with a vibrator when Brynn insisted, “No, I mean areyouokay?”
Hallie’s eyes went wide. How much of her desire was written across her face? Did Brynn understand that that’s what she was seeing reflected in Hallie’s stare? “I’m fine. It’s hot in here. Maybe the furnace is on the fritz again.” A bad lie, but it was all that she could come up with on short notice.
Brynn raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Don’t furnaces usuallyfritzthe other way?”
“I’m not an expert, Brynn,” she responded drolly.
“Maybe not in furnaces, but you’re an expert in a lot of other things. People. Online dating. Orgasms.” Because obviously Brynn would choose right now to compliment her. Hallie well and truly couldn’t catch a break.
“I wouldn’t call me an expert in any of those areas,” Hallie bit out, wondering if her chest was going to cave in on itself.
“Well, in that case, maybe you’re wrong about the orgasms thing. Maybe I have had one. You said that everyone’s body is different.”
Mentally, Hallie was begging,pleadingwith Brynn to stop this madness.
“Respectfully, Brynn, I don’t think you have. And that’s okay,” Hallie added quickly. She didn’t know why Brynn was pushing this so hard. Maybe to squash the last bits of sanity that were keeping Hallie tethered to reality. Though what Brynn’s endgame was was anyone’s guess.
“Well, we haven’t actually confirmed that’s not the case.”
Hallie groaned. Again. When did Brynn’s orgasms become a “we” conversation? And was Hallie now wildly interested in the idea of helping Brynn come? Yeah. Probably a little too much. But that was never going to happen. There was too much at stake.
“Maybe you’re right,” Hallie acquiesced, needing this conversation to be over. “You know your body better than I do.”
Cocking her head to the side, Brynn looked at Hallie with a surprisingly intense stare. “Are you placating me? I get that enough at home, and I’ve always appreciated that you’ve been honest with me. Haven’t you?”
Hallie missed the softness of Brynn’s fingers immediately. As in, her hand literally followed Brynn’s as she broke their connection. She didn’t look at Hallie; instead, she focused intently on the two sweaters.
She was right. In spite of the tumult coursing through Hallie, Brynn did deserve honesty, especially from someone she considered a friend.
“I don’t think I’m wrong,” Hallie ventured, “but it also doesn’t mean that I’m right. Bodies are so unique. I drew a conclusion based on what you told me, but no one knows your own body better than you do.” She let out a rush of air, proud of herself for getting that out in an almost even tone.
She was about to apologize, just in case Brynn felt like she’d minimized her feelings, but then Brynn pulled off her T-shirt. She was now standing next to the bed, wearing only a black bra and her sweatpants.
Hallie regretted letting out her last breath so quickly.
It was the stuff of Hallie’s homebody fantasies, a kink she hadn’t known she possessed until this moment.
