Page 94 of Broken Bonds

I move to give him a hug before getting in the car, but my foot slips and I go falling forward. He catches me quickly and my hands land on his chest, his hands coming around my back. My eyes flicker up to meet his, and as I do, I take in a deep breath, my lungs momentarily stalling. Pretty ocean blue eyes look down at me, a jaw lined with a five o’clock shadow clenching as his nostrils flare.

“Told you I’d catch you if you fall,” he says, his voice coming out gruffly, and I swallow as a lump forms in my throat.

Without thinking, I reach up on my tiptoes and press my lips against his. A flush works its way down my throat and across my chest as I grip his hair in my hands and kiss him with everything I’ve got. He kisses me back, urging me to go slower and softer, running his tongue lightly along my bottom lip. My eyes are closed, and the gentle pressure of his lips has tears stinging my eyes.

“Lake,” I sigh against his lips, my heart aching.

I immediately recognize my mistake and pull back, covering my lips with my fingers. The tears well in my eyes until they fall over and glide down my cheeks and a hiccup escapes me. Link stands in front of me, not Lake because Lake isgone.And I just kissed his twin brother. Not only that, but I called him by my dead mate’s name.

I’m so confused and out of sorts and all I want to do right now is run and escape into my nest. To hide and never come back out because I keep fucking up. These damn alphas have me losing my head and I keep messing everything up when I’m around them.

“I-I-I… I’m so, so sorry,” I whisper, crying silent tears as I notice the pain in his eyes despite the reassuring smile he gives me.

“You have nothing to apologize for, Ramsey. It’s okay,” he tells me calmly, reaching for me as I pull away.

I step back, readying myself to flee any moment, but don’t get far. Link pulls me back and cups the back of my head while his other hand rests on the side of my abdomen. I look up at him with wide, teary eyes, and a gasp escapes my parted lips.

“Don’t ever apologize to me for something you have no control over. I know you miss my brother, Ramsey, and I know I look like him. But I also know that just now, when you kissed me at first, you were kissingmeand not him. I’m trying to be a decent man, a good brother, and an upstanding alpha, but when I’m near you, you test every one of my godsdamn limits, Sunshine. Now, I’m going to kiss you, and this time, you’re going to know without a doubt who you’re kissing,” he says, fire dancing in his eyes as he stares into my soul.

And then he kisses me again.

My eyes close, and he’s right.

I know exactly who I’m kissing because Lakeneverkissed me like this.

Link is kissing me like he needs me to breathe, like he found his entire reason for existing. Lake kissed me like he couldn’t live without me, and I knew that I meant the world to him, but this kiss is a completely different experience. Tingles spread across my lips and down my neck, making me shiver against him.

Link’s hand continues to gently cup the back of my head, but his lips press so hard against mine that I know they’ll be puffy later. In a playful manner, he flicks his tongue against my lower lip, prompting me to part my lips for him. Our tongues dance sensuously, and my belly flutters. Not from the babies, but from butterflies.

Standing next to my car and enveloped in the arms of this alpha, I’m overcome with a sense of nostalgia that reminds me of my teenage years and the feeling of a first kiss.

Clenching his shirt with my hands, I pull him towards me, my protruding belly the only thing preventing me from climbing him like a tree. A sense of rightness and belonging fills my heart as Link kisses me, and I smile against his lips just before he pulls back.

I reach up and cup his cheek, rubbing my thumb against the stubble lining his jaw.

“You kissed me,” I say softly, watching as his lips tilt up.

“Yeah. I did. And I don’t regret it,” he says gruffly.

“I don’t either,” I tell him truthfully.

And I don’t.

I want to kiss him again.

I want to kiss Forde and even Rion.

I want… I think I’m sure that I want to let myself fall again because these alphas are inevitable, and I’m coming to terms with it.

Link smiles at me and I smile back. The cold barely noticeable while in his arms, and I feel at peace.

Another piece of my heart clicks back into place when he kisses me for a third time.

* * *

As soon as I arrive back home, I head straight to the bathroom to take a quick shower before making my way to the living room where I grab a warm and cozy blanket and settle down comfortably on the couch, letters from my alphas in hand.

I need their words right now. Reassurance, I suppose. Because I’m finally ready to stop holding back. Ready to embrace the feelings Forde brings out in me, to get to know Rion, and to learn more about Link. Ready to push my fear aside and just live again.

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