Page 115 of Broken

“She looked him square in the eye and said, ‘We could get a puppy who gets sick and dies or gets run over. Love doesn’t care how much time we have. It just takes its happiness where it can find it.’ And he got her that dog on the spot. She called him Floyd, and he was her best buddy for three years. He died a few days after she turned sixteen, and she was fucking heartbroken. Her mom told her she was stupid for getting so attached to something she knew was going to die, but that dog brought her happiness and comfort that can’t be measured, and I know for adamn fact she still would have chosen him if she knew he only had three months left.”

A knot of emotion balls in my throat, making it hard to speak, so when I do there’s a distinct crack in my voice. “Cute story.”

Tyler gives a single shake of his head and huffs a laugh. “The point is, Nathan, nobody knows what tomorrow’s about to bring. You have to grab onto whatever little slice of happiness while you can, and you have to fucking live in it. If your relationship with Mel is truly over, yeah, you should absolutely let it go. Things die all the time, but killing them to stop them from dying is my idea of batshit crazy. So if you’re only ending this with her in case it might cause you more pain later on down the line, well then, for all your fancy degrees and your razor-sharp brain, you’re the biggest fucking fool I ever met.”

He walks out of the kitchen, and I’m left staring after him with so many questions and feelings running through my head that I sway on my feet.

The sound of soft footsteps shakes me from my daze. A second later, she walks through the door, dressed in a sweater and jeans, her cheeks pink and her eyes red like she’s been crying.

“Where’s Ty?” she asks, her voice thick with emotion.

I shake my head. “I thought he went to look for you.”

She glances behind her. “Maybe he went to the bathroom.”

I walk around the other side of the island, my heart racing faster with each step I take toward her. She watches me, chewing on her lip and shuffling her feet.

I take a deep breath, remembering how excited she was just a half hour earlier at the prospect of watching a movie with me. Tyler’s right—if life has taught me anything, it’s that happiness doesn’t always last, and we have to hold onto whatever slice we can get of it. “Stay, Mel.”

She blinks up at me, and I take another step, closing the distance until we’re only inches apart. “What?” Her voice is barely a whisper.

“Don’t go home with Tyler.”

“I d-don’t understand. Like stay for tonight?”

I slide a hand to the back of her neck and stuff the other one into the pocket of my sweatpants to stop myself from picking her up, carrying her to bed, and chaining her to it. “No, not for tonight. Not to give me a kid. And not because you feel guilty or because of anything to do with our families. Stay for me. Because you are the only thing in this entire world that I cannot fucking live without.”

Her lips part, but she doesn’t speak. Her breath hitches in her throat.

“I love you, Mel, and I would die tomorrow if it means I get to love you for today.”

Tears fill her eyes, and for a heart-stopping, world-ending moment, I think she’s going to tell me that it’s too late. “I love you too, Nate.”

I move on pure instinct, crashing my lips against hers as I wrap my free arm around her waist and pull her body flush against my own. Sliding my tongue inside her mouth, I claim her, groaning with relief and desire, and the sound mingles with her whimpers. Her hands snake around my neck, fingers tangling in my hair and pulling me closer. She feels so good in my arms, but I need more. I’m done waiting. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anything before.

“I guess I’m going home alone then?” Tyler’s voice drifts through the room.

I stop kissing her, but I don’t remove my lips from hers. “Get the fuck out of here, Ty.”

He snorts a laugh. “Rude. Can I at least take a slice of pizza?”

Pulling back, I suck in a gulp of air. “Take the whole thing, just go.”

I vaguely hear the sound of his laughter and the rustle of a pizza box before his footsteps disappear and it’s just me and her again.

She tips her head back, teeth sinking into her lip and her green eyes twinkling. “He just took our dinner.”

I plant my hands either side of her, bracketing her hips and pushing her against the counter. “Not my dinner, corazón.”

She flutters her dark eyelashes, a smile lighting up her beautiful face. I should lift her onto the counter and take her right now, but it’s been so long since I’ve touched her, and I need to take my time. Picking her up, I wrap her legs around my waist and carry her to the bedroom where I can take as long as I need to reacquaint myself with every delicious inch of her delectable body.

As soon as I get her into our bedroom, I peel off her clothes, kissing her skin as I expose it to the cool air. She shivers at my touch, goosebumps breaking out over her flesh.

“You’re fucking perfect, corazón. Fucking perfect,” I growl when she’s naked, pushing her back onto the bed.

She watches me undress, her eyes hooded and her chest heaving with the effort of drawing air. I crawl over her, allowing my gaze to rake over every bare inch of her. She is so fucking beautiful. She wraps her arms around my neck, hurriedly pulling my face to hers, and I kiss her briefly, but her lips aren’t where I want my mouth right now. I trail lower, dragging my teeth over her skin, and she arches her back, fingers threading through my hair as she moans my name.

I lick a path from her collarbone to her nipples, giving each one a gentle bite before swirling my tongue over the tip. Then I move lower, my lips barely leaving her skin. “I’ve missed this so fucking much, Mel.”

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