Page 129 of The Sounds of Her

I’ve never felt like this about anyone before. I’ve never wanted to love someone and fix them the way I want to with Brooke. If I could, I’d take her inside of my heart and never let her go.

I wipe a tear falling down her cheek with the back of my fingers and smile at her.

“Thank you,” she whispers.

My smile remains gentle as I brush her hair away from her face. “Brooke. You’re so beautiful. You’re a fucking angel.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are,” I tell her firmly. “You take my breath away.”

She blinks and more tears fall, and I wipe them away. I get it. My emotions are on overload too.

The music swells and I lower my hands down her arms. Dropping one, I take her hand and spin her out from me. She lets out a small gasp, but she is such a good dancer she doesn’t fall.

I won’t let her.

She lifts my arm and spins around beneath it, keeping me in place as she dances around me, reaching up to the ceiling with her head tipped back. Then she comes back to me and kisses me, putting everything into it. Without having to say it, the emotion flows from her mouth into mine.

This is the way she communicates, with every step she takes, every move of her hips, and each tilt of her neck or flutter of her fingers.

Her smile is soft when she opens her eyes, her fingers trail through my hair at the nape of my neck.

“Better?” I ask after we stand still, looking at each other while the song plays out.

Brooke nods.

“You’re an amazing woman, Brooke. Only you can take the credit for that.”

She looks down, so I cup her chin and raise it. What I want to say is her parents are dickheads who don’t know what they’re losing out on, but in the future she may want to speak to them again, so I hold my tongue. And their loss is my gain. Losing this woman would be torture. I don’t know how they can do it.

“Thank you for going with me, for not yelling at my mom.”

“That took a shit load of restraint.”

She chuckles.

“This place, you’re in your element here, Brooke. I’m glad you have this.”

“It wasn’t only the dancing that helped me tonight.”

“Yeah? What else?”

“You know what else.”

“Do I?” I smirk.

“Do you have to be such an ass?” she narrows her eyes at me.

I pinch her ass and she yelps. Then my mouth drops open as another song I recognise comes on.

“Oh fuck, no,” I laugh.

She looks at me in confusion. “What? It’s a classic.”

“Shit,” I dip my head. “Ah, fuck it. Ghost is actually my favourite movie.”

“What?” she laughs.

---