Page 44 of Broken Promises

“Oh, darling,” Mom said quickly, pulling her in another hug. I felt the back of my eyes burn, too, but I tried to keep it under control. I hated that she was the one apologizing for something I had done. I was the one to break us up. “You have nothing to apologize for. Family will always be family, no matter how hard some of our choices are.”

“And you better believe you’ve been a part of our family ever since that boy,” my dad said as he gestured toward me, “first brought you to our doorstep to introduce you as his girlfriend.”

Luce nodded, but no other word made it past her lips. I linked my hand with hers and took over our goodbye.

“Thanks for a good BBQ. Dad, you’ve truly outdone yourself this time around,” I pointed out, trying to lighten the moon. Mom huffed, waving her hand at us.

“You boys…always stroking each other’s egos…” she grumbled before she headed back inside with my dad. My focus was now entirely on Lucy, who still looked like something was on her mind. “Are you all right?”

She nodded. “Sorry, I just…I just had this moment of guilt overcome me. When I left, I didn’t even consider how it may affect those around me. At the very least, I should have said goodbye or explained myself.”

“Hey.” I grasped her chin between my fingers, tilting her head so our gazes met. “You have nothing to apologize for. I was the one who broke your heart, and everything you’ve done, you’ve done to deal with that pain. If you want someone to blame, I’m right here…”

Finally, a smile lit up her face. “I don’t want to blame anyone. Not anymore. But I do want to have a karaoke night…” I let out a small groan, leaning down and kissing her lips regardless.

“If I remember correctly, you were the one to disrupt the karaoke night the last time we were supposed to attend one…” I trailed off, pecking her lips again. “Are you sure you’ll behave this time around?”

“Perhaps.” A mischievous glint lingered in her eyes. “You may want to take me home first so I can get that out of my system first, and then we’ll do the karaoke…” Grasping her in my arms, I carried her over to my truck. A slight squeal accompanied each step on her end. If it meant spending the rest of my life by her side, I’d gladly have karaoke night every night.

lucy

. . .

My excitement washard to contain as I stretched out in Luke’s bed. Weweremeantto do karaoke last night, but I found out I would rather spend my time tangled up in his bedsheets instead of singing my favorite songs in the bar.

Maybe a day would come when I would finally get used to all of this—but it hadn’t happenedyet.And I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

To make up for another missed karaoke night, Luke promised to take me somewhere special today. But first, I had to head back home to change because there was no way I was going anywhere in one of my casual outfits, which were reserved for family and friends only.

Luke’s arm draped over me as he pulled me closer to his bare body, showering my shoulder with soft kisses.

“Good morning,” he said, his tone low and hoarse. “How’d you sleep?”

I looked back at him over my shoulder. “Amazing,” I admitted, “this bed is divine.”

Luke chuckled, leaning over to kiss me. For the past few weeks, I had received countless kisses. It’d usually annoy mewith any of my ex-boyfriends, but with Luke, I couldn’t get enough of it. Maybe it was because I constantly felt like I was running out of time. Or perhaps it was just the effect he had on me. I couldn’t tell. Either way, I wasn’t going to complain.

“You’re more than welcome to stay in it whenever you’d like,” he assured me, pushing his body against mine. I could already feel him harden behind me, and, as much as I wanted to feel him inside of me again, I was in a more teasing mood today. Grabbing the sheets, I pulled them around my body as I sat up, looking back at him.

“I will take your offer into consideration, but for now…I need to shower and head back home to check on my mom and change my clothes. You have something special planned today, don’t you?”

“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell, though the temptation is strong in your presence…” He trailed off. I stood up, still keeping that cheeky smile on my face. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this comfortable in someone’s presence. For years, I had always kept my guard up and been careful not to open up too much. I knew, better than anyone, how easy it was for all of it to fall apart and for your heart to get broken.

And now, ironically enough, my first and biggest heartbreak was mending all the broken parts of me.

“If any gentlemen were present in this room, I’d invite them to join me in the shower…” I backed into the bathroom, dropping the sheets on my way there and soaking in the way Luke’s gaze washed over me. He was out of bed in a heartbeat and chased me into the bathroom. He started the shower, which quickly filled the bathroom with steam as we stepped in.

“There may be a gentleman present here,” Luke told me, his gaze darkening. My knees were weak at the sight, and I couldn’t wait to have him closer. Any of my intentions to tease him haddispersed in a heartbeat. “But there will be nothing gentleman-like in the way I’ll get on my knees for you.”

I thought he was joking. That was who Luke was—always teasing and joking with others. But nothing was teasing in how he looked at me as he did, indeed, get on his knees before me. His eyes were filled with the most primal lust that had every part of my body reacting, already building up with sweet anticipation.

“Luke…” was all I managed to muster before he leaned forward, resting one of his hands on my hip while the other instinctively found my entrance. He pressed his lips against my pussy, sticking his tongue out to move in one long stroke that brushed against all the right places. I tipped my head back, knotting my fingers in his hair as if it would help me anchor myself through the following sensation. He felt so good against my pussy; I wasn’t even sure how such an intense bliss could be real. My legs were already trembling, and he had only just begun. He knew exactly how my body responded to him even after all of these years.

“Oh, God…” I whimpered, rolling my hips forward to take more of what he had to offer. I closed my eyes, with hot water rolling down my bare body as he took me with his fingers and his mouth.

And while I fought through the haze of pleasure, one thing popped into my mind.

Could I go on without this again?

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