Page 102 of Unbroken

Blakely giggled and agreed. The woman with the pink hair was holding hands with a very unassuming man dressed in cargo shorts and a plain white T-shirt.

“Oh wow, that kid has to be like eight,” Blakely quipped, taking a sip of her drink and nodding to the little kid that was riding on another man’s shoulders. Thick headphones were covering his ears, and he had the widest smile on his face. I felt bad for the man’s shoulders as he bounced excitedly. “He looks so excited. That’s so sweet.”

“Much more excited than the older couple fighting over there.”

Blakely whipped her head back and forth, scanning the crowd. “Where?”

FORTY-FIVE

Devon

Over an hour later,after the opener had finished their set, the entire crowd was thrumming with excitement and anticipation.

But it was the excitement of the woman next to me that was palpable and contagious. We were both seated at the high-top table. My elbows were braced on the edge while I watched Blakely. She was intently eyeing the stage, not wanting to miss a minute of her favorite band.

Gripping the bottom of her chair, I dragged it closer to mine. Her eyes slowly swung from the stage to me, with a small, secretive smile on her lips. Leaning forward, my nose ran up the side of her neck, and even over the music they pumped through the speakers between bands, I heard her little sigh of contentment. I felt her body relax, and her hand dropped to my thigh. She squeezed high on my leg, too close to my cock for my body not to respond.

But who the fuck was I kidding? Her eyes on me were already enough to set me off.

“God, I want tokiss you so bad.”

“Then kiss me.”

I shook my head and ghosted my lips over hers before taking her cherry-tinged lower lip between my teeth. “Not these lips, sweetheart.”

Her breath against my mouth was sharp as I trailed a hot path up the inside of her thigh. A shot of possessive need swept through me when her legs parted ever so slightly even in such a public place. Her nails dug into my leg, and I returned the favor by gripping her thigh and brushing my thumb over her hot, sweet cunt.

I swear I was fucking salivating at the thought of getting between her legs. And if it weren’t for the crowd roaring around us and the dimming lights, I wouldn’t have let go so easily.

Blakely pressed one more kiss to my lips and then turned to the stage. She scooted to the edge of her chair but didn’t stay there for long. The second the first guitar chord reverberated through the air, she was out of her seat and standing at the railing.

She turned her infectious smile on me and pointed to the band just below us like she couldn’t believe it was real. Every part of my heart that broke when she left mended each time she laughed or smiled. With each kiss and moment we spent together, the heartbreak felt farther and farther away.

Her head started banging the moment the drums picked up, and when the lead singer screamed out the opening notes, Blakely was jumping with the beat. I watched her for the opening song and the one after it.

I could have watched her forever. She was enthralled by the music, rolling her hips and throwing her hands in the air. Her curly black hair bounced around her. She knew every word and belted out the lyrics.

The woman who I’d found on her closet floor only a week earlier was long gone, and that memory made me move. I pushed back my chair and stepped around the table. The third song was a little slower, and I took the opportunity to cage her inbetween my chest and the railing. My hands clasped the metal, and she leaned back into me.

The most genuine, unbothered smile graced her lips, and I had to taste it.

Fucking cherries. The taste itself—the thought of the taste—made my cock hard.

“They’re so good live,” she said, and I nodded. “I was hoping they would be, but you never know.”

“They’re impressive so far.”

Through the song, she swayed back and forth in my arms, both of us lost to the haunting melody. Dark green and purple lights illuminated the stage and the crowd in a strobing effect that only added to the eeriness.

When it was over, Blakely clapped and cheered. She glanced over her shoulder at me. “Did you look up the setlist? Do you know what’s next?”

I shook my head and pulled out my phone from my back pocket. But immediately, we both recognized the chorus of voices on the backing track. It was a song Blake and I played on repeat when it came out a few years ago. It had been one of our favorites ever since, but you wouldn’t know that by her reaction.

My smile faltered with the torment that lit her eyes. “Blake—” I started, but she waved me off.

“This song just reminds me of you,” she said simply. “I listened to it a lot over the past two years. It feels unreal to be listening to it with you now.”

She turned without another word but kept hold of my hand as she sang along. Faintly, I could hear her voice over the band, and the lyrics had a whole new meaning, like I was hearing them clearly for the first time. Like the pleas for someone to save you from yourself had fallen on deaf ears before.

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