Page 77 of Break

Moving forward without letting her go, I plead with her. “Mina, can I kiss you? Please?” I’m fucking desperate for her to say yes, my breaths coming short as I wait for her. It’s probably not the best timing since we’re both on an emotional high right now after revealing our pasts to each other, but I couldn’t stop the question if I tried.

I feel her nod of permission before she finishes the word fully from her lips. “Ye-”

My lips are on hers before I register that I’ve moved. She only tenses up for a moment before relaxing into me, allowing me access to her without restraint.

Swiping my tongue over the crease of her lips, she gasps at the contact and I take advantage, sliding my tongue inside her heated mouth. I pour every emotion I’m feeling into her. My tongue lashes at hers with every thought of thanks and worship over her gentle thoughts and understanding.

“Mina,” I whisper against her mouth. The tremor that runs through her body lets me know she’s feeling this moment as much as I am. I slide my fingers through her hair to the back of her head, and press my body forward, tilting her lips up to mine, angling her so I can kiss her more deeply.

I shudder when I feel her hands trail down the sides of my arms, then her fingers digging into my biceps to hold on to me. Kissing her is fucking bliss, but I know that I need to slow it down and stop before she becomes overwhelmed. I lessen my movements until we’re both panting with parted lips, foreheads pressed together.

I release the grip I had on her hair and run my fingers back over her face, then touch her lips with my fingertips. “You’re incredible, you know that?”

She shakes her head to argue, but I stop it by gripping her chin and making her look back up at me. Her eyes were closed, but they fly open at the contact.

“Youare. Thank you for letting me share with you and for coming out here.” And it’s true. There’s a lightness surrounding me right now that we know each other a little better.

Her lips are trembling again, and she bites the bottom one to hold herself back from feeling the truth I’m giving her. “That… That’s the nicest thing anyone h-has ever said to me…” Her voice is brittle, but I hear the honesty behind them. Considering the way her parents treated her and then Danny, I don’t find it hard to believe that she’s never heard a kind word about her as a person.

Running my hand over the back of her head, I pull her against my chest and take a deep breath when she presses her face into my chest. After kissing the top of her head, I lay my cheek against the crown of her head and smile. “Well, be prepared because I’m going to drive you crazy with more ‘you’re awesomes’ and ‘you’re perfects’ in the near future.”

Her chuckle is watery, but happy. Giving her a gentle squeeze, I grip her shoulders and run my hands down to her waist. Picking her up, I settle her on her feet and enjoy this moment of having her close to me. “Let’s go back inside. I’m sure the guys are getting worried about you being in here with me for so long.”

“Oh, I’m sure they aren’t-”

I cut her off with a quick kiss to her lips, then grab her hand, threading my fingers with hers. “I assure you, they absolutely are. You’re under their skin just as much as you are mine.”

A chuckle escapes me when her mouth forms an ‘oh,’ clearly surprised by my statement. She doesn’t even know what she’s gotten herself into yet, and I’m so here for enlightening her.

Chapter 35

Keep Your Secrets

Vincent

“You want to go now?” Max’s voice rings out from the kitchen just as I walk into the house. I needed to run back to my place to pick up some more clothes since I only grabbed the bare minimum when I initially packed.

“Where are we going?” I call out, setting my bulging duffle bag on the floor next to our pile of shoes in the entryway.

“Tattoo,” Ethan answers me from the living room, causing me to spin toward his voice. I didn’t see him sitting there as I was distracted by Max.

I instantly smile widely. “She wants to check another thing off the list?” I ask excitedly. “Holy shit. Wait, whose idea was it?” It’s not that I don’t want her to do everything. I just don’t want her to feel pressured into getting a permanent reminder of a decision she wasn’t fully comfortable with.

Ethan’s lip quirks up at the side. “She was staring at my arm sleeve again. So, I just asked her if she had thought about it. She told me she had an idea and wanted to at least go and talk to Gray.”

“Gray is the artist you always use, right?”

He nods his head, leaning back and crosses his arms, running his eyes over his ink. “She’s the best I’ve found.”

I can hear the murmuring voices of Mina and Max, still in the kitchen, but I can’t quite make out what they’re saying. Max filled us in on what happened the other day in his workshop when they kissed. Initially, I was pissed. Not because I was jealous, which surprisingly I wasn’t, but because of how high their emotions were and I was afraid it would scare her away. Turns out, I was wrong. Max explained how it happened, and after some small amount of teasing him over the dreamy face he wore while recalling their moment, I understood it was absolutely a mutual decision.

If anything, her small blush whenever she looks at Max is enough to let us know she was just as pleased with it as well. That girl hasn’t probably ever been decently kissed and I won’t lie and say I don’t want to try to rock her world as well.

Fuck. I want to kiss the shit out of her.The brief moment our lips locked on the boat doesn’t feel like it was enough. I adjust my dick as I picture what it would be like.

Ethan growls lowly. “Get your shit together.” He’s looking pointedly at my hand, cupping myself. Laughing, I finish adjusting and shrug him away in a ‘what can you do’ manner.

“Ethan, will you call and see if your gal can meet with Mina today?” Max asks, walking into the living room with Mina trailing behind him.

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