Page 61 of Unbroken

His words and the pain within them hit me directly in thechest. The impact was so strong that I stepped backward and almost ran into scrap wood hung on the wall. He was right, but damn, it hurt to hear.

Devon shook his head and tossed the T-shirt onto the table in front of him. “That’s not—I didn’t mean to blame you. I understand why you did what you did, but…I also can’t shake the hurt. I wish you would’ve trusted me enough to tell me what was going on.”

“Trust you?” I asked, my throat thick with pent-up emotion. “It had nothing to do with trust and had everything to do with keeping you and”—I glanced back toward the house where Shelly was likely cooking the food I’d brought—“everyonesafe.”

“Fuck, I know. I know that,” he said, spinning away from me and pacing to the other side of the garage. He pulled off his hat, ran a hand through his hair a few times before he replaced it, and clasped his hands behind his neck. Dense muscle in his back twitched and tensed, and I swallowed thickly. In my considerations of how this conversation may go, this wasn’t one of them.

He was still facing away from me when he said, “I’m not angry. This is all coming out wrong.”

“Just tell me,” I said so quietly I didn’t think he’d heard me, and he didn’t move for several, long seconds. It was so long that I readjusted on my feet and opened my mouth to say it again when he finally turned back around. I couldn’t even begin to name the expression he wore. Devastation, maybe? But it made me hurt everywhere.

Still, he didn’t speak.

“Tell me,please,” I pleaded.

“Tell you?” he asked. “I’m not sure what good is going to come from me telling you that I was fucking heartbroken. I thought you were dead. Every day, I thought you weredead.” He ground the words out, and for the second time in my life, I saw tears well in Devon’s eyes.

Reflexively, I took a step forward, but there was still a large table between us.

“You were gone for two years. Two years, one month, and seven days. And somehow you found your way back, but—” His words abruptly stopped, and he licked his lips. His head fell back, and he stared at the ceiling. “Every day I’m still terrified, because every day without you was one of the worst days of my life. I worried andhopedevery fucking day. And I still can’t believe that you’re actually here. But I can’t shake the feeling that eventually you’ll disappear again. I didn’t tell you because I’ve tried to keep my distance, and I’ve failed miserably. I can’t not be near you. I?—”

Before he’d finished the last sentence, I was around the table. I strode toward him and only stopped when I was inches away. Like I could feel the pain radiating off him, I reached out and lightly pressed my hands against his flat, taut stomach. He tensed as my fingertips pressed into his skin, but he didn’t step back.

So close, I could smell the intoxicating scent of him. It was all man and sweat and wood, and I wanted his arms to wrap around me so I could fall into it.

He dropped his arms to his sides, but his eyes were staring to his left, out of the garage, and toward the street beyond.

“Devon,” I said quietly. He didn’t move. “Devon,” I said again more urgently, flattening my palms against his stomach. I tried to draw his attention, moving into his line of sight and pushing up onto my toes.

When he still wouldn’t look at me, and I could see his jaw working, jumping beneath a thick layer of dark stubble, I placed my hands on either side of his neck. That stubble scratched against my fingers that I pressed against his jaw.

“Dev.” I tried one last time, and he finally gave in. Turbulent, hazel eyes met mine, and a sharp breath pierced through my lungs. Now that I had his attention, I didn’t know what to say. Nothing felt big enough for that moment. Nothing felt like it would correctly convey the endless thoughts and emotions tornadoing through me.

My fingers brushed back and forth against his chin, and I stepped closer. “I’m here,” I said, and although they weren’t enough, they were honest. Devon’s eyes flickered with understanding, and when he took a deep breath, I repeated the words. “I’m here.”

He tried to look away again, to step away, but I held on tighter. “I’m—I’m right here, Devon. I’m?—”

His tongue wetted his lip, and my eyes dropped to watch the movement. When I looked back up, his eyes were fixed on my own mouth. It was a split second. Possibly less than half a second in which we both made the decision.

He grasped my hips, and I stepped in closer until we were flush against one another. Then our mouths collided. The kiss wasn’t tentative or cautious, but the moment our lips brushed, I was hit with the power behind it. It was immediately all-consuming.

Devon’s hands tightened around my waist, and mine slipped around his neck, diving into the hair peeking out beneath his hat. My nails scraped against his skin, and I fought to get closer still. Even with every part of his front pressed against mine, there was too much space between us.

His firm tongue licked against the seam of my lips, and I willingly opened for him. The first taste of him was better than I’d dreamed. He tasted like spearmint and coffee, and the way his tongue dipped inside my mouth, I couldn’t hold back a small moan.

He responded with a low groan of his own, and suddenly his hands shifted, and I was being lifted off the ground. Without breaking our kiss, my ass hit the wood table behind me, and Devon yanked me to the edge. He stepped into the empty space between my legs and kneaded my thighs. My skirt rode higher, and his stubble scratched against my cheeks and chin.

While his hands worked their way higher, mine trailed across his broad shoulders and over his sweat-dampened skin. He wasbig and strong, but he felt even bigger and stronger under my touch.

His lips were perfect and urgent, and I wanted to memorize the way they fit against mine. When his hands once again settled tightly around my hips, fingers splayed just above my ass, we separated. His forehead pressed against mine, and our panted breaths mingled. My heartbeat was loud in my ears, and I let my hands run over his arms.

He leaned back, and I watched each muscle jump when I touched it. He conducted his own exploration, running calloused fingertips up my sides and down my stomach.

My nails scraped down his chest in the small sprinkling of dark hair that started at the center and traveled down. It was hidden by detailed artwork painting his torso, but it continued lower and lower until it disappeared behind his jeans. It wasn’t my intention to look, but there was no disguising the growing erection pressing against his zipper.

My mouth immediately went dry, and arousal pulsed between my legs.

Eyes snapping up to meet his, his hands paused on either side of my neck, cradling my face in his hands.

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