Desired by All and He Threw Away 88

Chapter 88 

+25 Bonus 

Taylor – POV 

Heat hits me the second my shoes touch the field.it rolls over my skin like the air itself is exhaling against me warm heavy, settling into every inch of exposed flesh. 

the morning sun is already high burning through a cloudless sky.whistles slice through the noise sharp and repetitive. Sneakers scrape the turf in messy patterns.someone barks a joke across the running lanes and a chorus of laughter erupts too loud too chaotic for how tired i am. 

all of it blends together into a single restless blur.Until I feel it.That pull.That unmistakable shift in the air.A gaze hooks straight into me, strong enough to stop my next step for half a heartbeat. 

I don’t need to look to know who it belongs to. 

But I do anyway. 

Aiden stands near the training line with a clipboard tucked beneath his arm, surrounded by staff moving in and out like currents around a rock. But he’s not watching them. He’s not tracking the drills, not nodding along to whatever someone is explaining beside him. 

His eyes are dark sharp searching. They are locked on me. 

so fast it feels like hes been waiting for me to walk onto this field. Like the moment I stepped into view, everything else fell away for him too. 

My fingers tighten around the stack of documents I’m holding.the paper edges dig into my skin in soft uneven lines grounding me.but it doesnt stop the sudden rush of awareness that strikes low in my stomach. 

the air between us stretches thin.tighter than it was last night.i swallow try to steady my breath and force my feet forward. 

Focus, Taylor. You’re here to drop off paperwork. That’s it. 

the assistant by the check in table waves me over and i hand the stack off.my fingers shake a little barely but i feel it.i pretend i dont.i pretend my pulse isnt tapping a nervous rhythm against the necklace resting on my collarbone. 

as soon as i turn away ready to leave before i overthink the way hes looking at me…footsteps fall in behind mine. 

Slow. Familiar. 

Moving in rhythm with me like they’re meant to. 

I don’t turn around. 

I don’t have to. 

i already know its him. 

the field fades behind me as i cross the parking lot.the sunlight reflects off the rows of parked cars in sharp bright flashes that force my eyes half closed.a cab waits at the curb engine humming low heat shimmering around the hood. 

1/4 

Chapter 88 

+25 Bonus 

I reached for the door handle. 

And before I can grip it–a warm hand closes over mine. 

Sure. 

Steady. 

stopping me without force without hesitation.his touch hits me like a shock so fast electric and i just freeze. “Taylor.” 

my name falls from his mouth in a tone i have never heard from him.its quiet. barely a breath.but it sinks straight beneath my skin like the words were meant for me alone. 

When I turn, he’s closer than I expected. 

Too close. 

the sun lights the sharp angles of his face his cheekbones his jaw the faint shadow of stubble.but its his eyes that catch me.not the usual guarded stare or the cool unreadable mask he wears around everyone else. 

No armor. 

No edge. 

just a soft raw urgency that steals the air from my chest. 

He looks like he hasn’t slept either. 

“dont disappear on me like that again and if you ever need im always here to help ” he says. 

his voice is low enough that only i hear it.there is something under the words something brittle and honest that hes trying to hide.like if he speaks any louder he might say more than he means to.or maybe he means it all and thats what scares him. 

my heart knocks against my ribs in a hard disobedient rhythm.i feel every beat in the column of my throat in the tips of my fingers where his touch lingers. 

“I didnt…” i stop exhale try again. “i didnt mean to disappear.” 

he studies me with this intensity that feels like hes sifting through every thought im trying to keep tucked away.his gaze drops for a split second to the necklace resting against my collarbone his necklace and something shifts in his expression.a flicker of emotion i cant name. 

i try to read him the way i always do but its harder today. The worry threading beneath his composure. The softness he doesn’t want me to see. The hint of something deeper that terrifies me because it feels too real. 

“I know I have said multiple times before but thanks Aiden for stepping up for me and my brother” The words come out warmer than I expect. Realer. 

They don’t feel like part of a performance or an obligation or the contract we keep hiding behind. They feel like the truth. 

2/4 

Chapter 88 

he nods then His hand releases mine slowly like hes reluctant even though hes the one who let go his fingers drag against my skin during the separation a soft unintentional brush that leaves toy nerves buzzing long after we are no longer touching. 

I open the cab door before I can do something i will regret. Something stupid. Something like step it in, lean into that warmth, or let my tired heart get ahead of my logic. 

The seat sinks beneath me. The door clicks shut. The sound feels final and too loud. 

The driver glances at me through the mirror. “Where to?” 

i open my mouth but nothing comes out. 

my pulse hasnt slowed yet.my breathing still feels uneven like he knocked the rhythm out of me with one touris and one sentence. 

i drop my eyes to the necklace resting against my skin.the gold catches the sunlight through the window scattering a soft glimmer across my collarbone.it looks small delicate nothing special just a gift for the event. But right now it feels heavy. Charged. As if it’s holding the same truth I’m trying to ignore. 

This was supposed to be an accessory. 

A prop. 

A detail in the story we built together. 

Except it doesn’t feel like a detail anymore. 

Not after last night.Not after the way he put himself in front of me like instinct.Not after the way be just looked at me like losing sight of me—even for an hour–put something in him on edge. 

Not after my fingers were between my legs while thinking of himMy skin tingles where his hand touched mine a ghost of heat a whisper of pressure.it lingers like a question i dont know how to answer. 

maybe im imagining it.maybe im reading into things because i cant seem to shut off the part of me that reacts to 

him now. 

maybe none of this means what i think it does.but when the cab pulls away from the curb i make the mistake of looking back. 

Aiden is still standing exactly where i left him.Clipboard forgotten.Staff moving around him like he doesn’t notice.Sunlight cutting a line across his face. 

Watching me leave- 

Not with anger. 

Not with impatience. 

But with something quieter.something hes trying so hard not to let show.he stands there like hes bracing himself against something only he can feel.and thats when the truth lands soft slow and undeniable.Whatever line existed between duty and desire… 

+25 Bonus 

whatever boundary we swore would keep things simple…whatever lie we told ourselves to make this easier… 

is slipping 

Slowly. 

Steadily.