Page 52 of Married to the Frenemy

She chokes out a laugh, a lone tear trickling down her cheek, a crack in the wall she built around herself to shield her from anyone who could hurt her again.

Myself included.

“I could really use a hug,” she admits.

“Does that mean I have your permission to break rule number one?” I arch a brow.

Swiping at her cheek, she nods. “You can break rule number one.”

“It’s about damn time,” I exhale, not wasting a second in pulling her against me.

The moment our bodies come into contact, we both release a simultaneous sigh of relief.

“This feels really fucking good,” Haley whispers as she draws in a breath.

“Yes, it does.”

I press a gentle kiss to the top of her head. I don’t ask if it’s okay. Right now, I don’t care. All I do care about is giving her the comfort she needs.

The comfort she’s been deprived of her entire life.

The comfort I need, too.

“Ewe. Crush business,” Maggie’s innocent voice interjects.

Neither one of us moves for several moments.

Then Haley throws her head back and laughs.

And not just any laugh.

A full-bodied, enthusiastic laugh.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard her laugh like this. Even when Maggie has done something silly, it’s tempered, as if the weight she’s been carrying for too long prevents her from being truly happy. But at this moment, I see the girl I once knew.

The girl I fell in love with all those years ago.

The girl I might be falling in love with all over again.

“Why don’t you go upstairs and draw yourself a bath?” I suggest once her laughter dies down.

“I can’t. I need to?—”

“You don’t need to do anything right now except take care of yourself,” I admonish, running my hands down her arms.

I expect her to step out of my hold, tell me the no-touching rule is back in force. Thankfully, she doesn’t.

“How can you expect to take care of a little human if you don’t take care of yourself first?”

She opens her mouth to argue yet again, but I cut her off.

“If I have to carry you up those stairs and throw you in the bath myself, I will.” A hint of playfulness creeps into my tone as I waggle my brows suggestively. “Then again, maybe you should fight me on this. I’d actually enjoy it.”

“Of course you would, you ogre.” She playfully pushes against my chest, but I don’t miss the growing smile that tugs on her lips, erasing all traces of her earlier unease and trepidation.

With her wine glass in hand, she turns, but only makes it a few steps before facing me again.

“What do you think about amending our contract to allow for touching?” She chews on her bottom lip as she peers at me with hope in her eyes.

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