Page 124 of Unbroken

“Yes,” I said, but my voice wavered in a way that was impossible to hide.

She scoffed. “Now once more, with feeling.”

“We’re going to find him.” There wasn’t an ounce of doubt in my voice that time. Blakely heard it too, her fingers that had been nervously adjusting the collar of my shirt suddenly stopped.

“How do you know?”

Letting my hands roam over her body, I chose my next words carefully. I contemplated each of them not because I was worried they’d upset her, but because I wanted it to be right. I wanted her to know how much I believed it. I wanted her to hear the love in every single one of my words.

I brushed my fingers over her arms until I found her hips and massaged them slowly, once, then twice. Her breath was even, exhaling in sweet, steady puffs against my cheek as I explored.

I felt a little crazy, but sometimes I had to touch her to remind myself that she was really there. That she wasn’t a figment of my imagination, and against all odds, she’d come back.

Running my hands up her thighs until they were perched on the curve of her ass, I found her eyes.

“Because you’re here now. You didn’t go through everything you did for itnotto work out. You deserve to live a life free from him and his sick games. And fuck, this is going to sound selfish, but I just got you back, Blake. I’m not going to let anything fuck this up. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Because I wouldn’t survive it if anything did. My life feels like it has purpose again with you in it. And you deserve to live yours however you want to.”

A sad, delicate smile slipped over her lips. Her hands cradledmy cheeks, and her thumbs brushed against my stubble-lined jaw.

“You said that with so much confidence, I almost believe you.”

“Almost?” I asked with a raise of my eyebrows. “How can I make you believe me?”

“Being able to come back here andyou—those are the two things that have gone right the past few years. Otherwise, it’s been pretty shitty. You can understand why I have a hard time believing anything will work out.”

Although I understood why she felt that way, I hated that she did. And I hated everything that led to it. I wasn’t an optimist, but when it came to her, I’d be the most sunshine and rainbows son of a bitch. Especially if it meant keeping her happy.

She tipped her head down and rested her forehead against mine. One of her hands slipped lower until her palm flattened on my chest, right above my heart. I copied the motion, pressing my hand against the curve of her breast. If I sat still, I could feel the subtle, steady pounding.

“I get it, but sweetheart, I’ll remind you as many times as I need to until you believe it as much as I do. Like I said, if you can handle one percent, I’ll carry the rest.”

She pressed her hand harder against me and dropped her mouth to barely brush mine. “That’s pretty heavy,” she whispered.

Humming against her mouth, I shifted until I could deepen the kiss and slip my tongue past her lips. The kiss was confident and sure, riddled with endless possibilities. A future that I so desperately wanted for us.

One that I hoped wouldn’t be tainted with any of this shit.

“I’m strong enough to carry whatever you need me to,” I said, which earned me a small laugh.

“Yes, so strong,” she agreed, pulling back to peer down at me. “It’s just Murphy’s Law anyway, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. And at the worst possible time. Those signs have been hanging in the bar longer than I can remember. I have them memorized, I swear.”

Without responding, I stood. She startled and quickly righted herself, wrapping her legs back around me and banding her arms behind my neck as I walked us into the bathroom. “I need a shower, what do you think?” I asked.

“A shower would be nice,” she agreed. I kissed her lips, then, in one easy movement, I grabbed the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head. While she shimmied her skirt down her legs, I reached into the small shower stall and turned on the water. Although the shower was less than half the size I would’ve preferred, at least the water warmed quickly.

I reached behind my back and tugged my shirt off, dropping it on top of her discarded clothing. I unbuckled my belt but stopped with my zipper halfway down, transfixed by the sight of her slipping off the little black panties I’d pushed aside earlier that night.

God, that felt like forever ago now.

She took a step forward, my bathroom barely large enough for the two of us to fit between the wall and the sink, and she covered my fingers with her own. With her assistance, we lowered my zipper and shoved my jeans down my hips along with my briefs.

They dropped to the floor, and I found Blakely’s hand, leading her into the warmth of the shower. I shut the small glass door behind us. And it was just the two of us. In that moment and in the entire world.

Blakely freed her hair from the bun, and her long, black curls tumbled down her back. I nudged her underneath the spray and wrapped my body around hers from behind. Nestling my nose in her hair just beneath her ear, I breathed her in.

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