Letting My Brother's Best Friend Take My V-Card

ART 5-CHAPTER 189

JESS

He stepped into view, and my heart skidded to a stop.

Luke.

I could barely breathe as the memories flooded me-moments of us laughing in the dark, our endless fights, the feel of his arms around me, stolen kisses, and every whispered word, every night spent in his My hands itched to reach for him, close the gap between us, and throw myself into his arms like no time had passed.

and then... the heat between us, t

armIS.

But he looked... different. The more I took him in, the less he seemed to be the Luke I remember. Luke had always carried an intensity, but this was something else entirely- something raw and sad that made me feel like I was staring at a stranger. It was like he'd aged a lifetime since we'd last seen each other.

"Luke," I whispered, my voice trembling.

He looked up, and for a moment, he was just as lost as I was. His gaze softened as it locked onto mine, his jaw slightly slack. "Jess," he murmured, the sound of my name on his lips breaking something inside me.

We stood there, suspended in a bubble that held only the two of us, and I felt every bit of the past rush between us like an electric current.

of nowhere, she

PART 5 CHAPTER 189

opened the

to whoever the fuck you are..." She waved a hand in front of my face, her

were staking her claim on him. "Why are you staring at my fiancé?" she sneered, the word hitting me like a punch

and I felt the words slip out without even meaning to. "Fiancé?" I repeated, my voice a strangled

gleeful satisfaction. "Yeah, fiancé," she repeated, a cold glint in her eyes, as if my surprise amused her.

for any sign that this wasn't real, that she was just twisting things, playing some cruel

Anything.

Francesca said, cutting me off with a sing-song tone, "technically, I'm more than his

PARTS CHAPTER 184

on her

The phrase echoed in my mind, louder and louder, until I could barely think. I

grinned, the joy in her eyes. twisted into something smug, as if she'd

deeper than the last. My brain struggled to process it, to make sense of how any of this could be real. It

choked out, my voice barely a whisper, fighting back the stinging tears that were already

hint of color. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but no words came. He looked like he'd been struck just as hard as I had, but the silence between us felt like a

Now.