Page 83 of Unbroken

Blakely rolled her eyes and spun back around to grab her mug when Amanda let out a throaty moan. “Oh, Devon. Yes, Devon. Right there.”

My jaw dropped, and Blakely almost lost her grip on her coffee. The rest of them burst out laughing, except Reed, whopointed the spatula at his wife. “Very funny, but if I ever hear those words come out of your mouth again, Cielo…”

“It was a one-time thing,” Amanda agreed. Turning back to us, she wore a sheepish expression. “Sorry, guys. But we all heard it. It was actually hardnotto hear.”

“So, you had to confront us about it at breakfast?” I asked, feeling fiercely protective of Blakely and the new thing between us.

James stepped next to Ivy and tossed his arm over her shoulder. “What were we supposed to do? Pretend like it hadn’t happened all day and wait until you both eventually told us? That wasn’t going to happen. We don’t like secrets in this group.”

At that, I couldn’t help but scoff and roll my eyes. “You have all,” I said, motioning to each and every one of them, “kept your share of secrets. So that argument is bullshit.”

“He has a point,” Ivy added, and I appreciated that we at least had one person on our side.

Blakely’s hand landed on my arm and interrupted my silent scowling. I peered down at her to find a small smile tugging at her mouth. “It’s really okay,” she said. “Right?”

The rest of the question was silent but bright in her eyes: is there a reason why they shouldn’t know? And there wasn’t. Whatever it was between us, it wasn’t a one-time thing. I wanted it all with her.

With my free hand, I cupped the side of her neck and ran my thumb along her jaw. I bent down, brushing our lips together in a chaste yet potent kiss. I could hear our friends around us, but thankfully they waited until I pulled back, and Blakely smiled up at me to bombard us.

Actually, it was just Amanda who bounded over and awkwardly threw her arms around both me and Blakely at the same time. My coffee almost drenched us all as I attempted to catch the small blond.

“I’m so happy for you guys! This is the best news ever.” Shepulled back and squeezed our shoulders. “I really want to ask you questions, but I’ll let you have a semblance of privacy…for now.”

“You’re too kind,” I muttered under my breath, which earned me a narrow-eyed glare that lacked any heat.

“Well, now that that’s out of the way,” Blakely prompted, trying to change the subject. “What’s the plan for today?”

“Breakfast and then a day on the boat,” Josh said. He added a healthy amount of champagne to his orange juice and reclined back on his barstool.

Blakely ran her hand down the inside of my arm and gave me a sweet smile before she took her coffee and joined Reed at the stovetop. “Need any help?”

Reed took her up on her offer, and we descended into our usual conversation while the two of them made us breakfast. An outsider watching the scene wouldn’t have had any idea that Blakely had been missing for the better part of two years and all of the other shit she—and the rest of us—had been through.

There was a distinct tightness in my chest, and I found myself thinking, not for the first time, that I was so fucking happy she was back.

THIRTY-SEVEN

Blakely

The smellof sunscreen clung to my sun-warmed skin, and I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.

Our day had made it into the top ten, or maybe even the top five, best days of my life.

We’d spent our entire day on the boat. Drinking, swimming, and just hanging out. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed that much. And any lingering awkwardness between me and everyone else had completely vanished.

We missed Luke and Hazel, who’d gone home a little earlier the night before to see their newborn. But I was so happy I could cry.

Completely packed, I was dreading leaving the lake house and ending the perfect day. But we all—besides Reed, Josh, and Amanda, who were going to hang out a little longer—had to head back to the real world. I had meetings the next morning and had to pick Tato up from boarding before they closed for the night.

Devon tossed my bag in the trunk and rounded the car to where I stood next to the open driver’s sidedoor. He glanced around, and seeing no one, took the liberty of pressing me against the car and letting his hands wander over my hips. He leaned forward and brushed his nose against my temple.

He smelled like summer and sunshine, and I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face against his collar, hoping for another whiff. “I had the best time with you.”

“Same here, sweetheart,” he said with a kiss to my jaw.

I laughed but agreed and slanted my mouth over his. A low, satisfied moan vibrated my lips, and I opened to taste the sound. Our tongues dueled, and our hands roamed.

The back door closing and the whistling that came immediately after made us part, but only enough to be socially acceptable. Devon still held my hips in his large palms, and I teased the hair at the base of his neck.

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