Page 103 of Break

Pressing her face against my chest, she breathes me in. I can’t stop from pulling her closer and pressing my lips to the top of her head.

“I love you too,” she mumbles into my skin, and I chuckle at how shy and embarrassed she sounds. I want to tease her and ask her to say it again, but we both know I heard her. There’s no way she’s not hearing the rapid beat of my heart and how it picked up when she spoke.

Instead, I stroke my hands over her silky skin and enjoy the moment of just lying here with her.

We stay like this for a while. Eventually, my cock slides out of her, and I shift us so that I’m lying on my back with her curled into my side.

“I’m so fucking happy you’re here,” I whisper into her hair. Her head is laying on my chest with her arm stretched over my waist.

Her face nuzzles into me. “I am too. I wish…” she trails off as she begins to circle the tip of her finger over my stomach in thought.

“What do you wish?” I prod.

The sigh that escapes her has my brows furrowing. “I was going to say that I wish it had been like this always, but I try not to have those kinds of thoughts.”

Her words bring me back to earlier when I was struggling with being thankful she was here, but not wanting her to have gone through all the trauma and abuse for years with Danny.

“Can I tell you something? It’s probably going to sound bad, but I think you’ll understand.”

I feel her head nod, her soft voice reaching my ears. “You can share anything with me.” So, I summon the courage to admit that I’m fucked up in the head.

“I’ve been battling with myself over wishing you had never married Danny, but also knowing that if you hadn’t, you wouldn’t be here now.” I bite my cheek, knowing how that must sound to her.

Mina shifts her body, turning her face to rest her chin on the back of her hand against my chest to look at me. She studies me a moment before asking, “So you’re feeling guilty that you’re happy I’m here, even though it took Danny hurting me for me to get here?”

She sees the answer in my eyes and offers me a smile. Leaning up, her soft lips brush against mine before she pulls back and settles back to where she was. Looking up at me with understanding, she puts into words what I couldn’t.

“The church I went to was one of those doom and gloom, fire and brimstone churches. We were constantly warned off from sinning, to be afraid of spending eternity in agony burning in everlasting flames.” She gives me a weary smile and then laughs without humor.

“It definitely worked on a 9-year-old girl trying to figure out how life works. There was a woman there who helped in the youth room most Sundays who was this sweet little old lady. I had gotten in trouble right before we arrived that morning, and my mother had scolded me outside of the room. After she left me there, I was devastated and in tears. This woman took me to the side of the room and offered her comfort. I spilled my guts on what I had done to upset my parents and then told her, ‘I wish I had just done what they asked, and then this would never have happened.’ I’m certain every child has regrets and dreams about turning back the clock and changing the past.”

I swallow against the knot in my throat, hating that she feels like she needs to comfort me, but her words are like a balm to my soul. She understands me.

“So, while I was crying, she scooped me up and told me we aren’t meant to look at the past. We can’t change it, but it’s what brought us tothismoment in our lives. If we spend too long dwelling on what can’t be undone, we’ll miss where we’re headed. Do I wish I had never married Danny? Maybe. But why should I have those regrets? I get to live my lifenowand there’s a lot left of it. Don’t worry about what happened. You can hate it, but it’s not my life anymore.”

Twisting my body, I turn us so that she’s laying under me once more. Pressing a kiss to her nose and then cheeks, I pull back and smile down at her. “Then I guess I’ll just have you to look forward to.”

Giggling, she blushes and looks away. I don’t let her keep her eyes off me for long, though. My cock is already getting hard again, back between her legs.

Pressing forward, I smirk when her gaze shoots back to me and widens in surprise. “Guess we didn’t need to wait long to get there.”

I drink down her laughter as I kiss her and show her how happy I am to have her future.

Chapter 46

The Thing Rocks!

Vincent

“Rock. Paper. Scissors.”

“Abso-fucking-lutelynot!” I hiss at Max, who’s leaning over the counter, smirking at me. “I’ve already got something all planned out!”

“Fair is fair, Vince. Ethan got to take her on her first date. Now, you and I get to duel for the second one.”

Sucking on my bottom lip, I narrow my eyes at him and consider my argument. Max knows when I’ve got it too. I contain my laughter as I watch his smirk fall away, quickly transforming into a frown.Jesus, he’s so easy to rile.

“Well, my friend, let’s discuss why you have zero chances of taking our girl out for her next date,” I say, ignoring his muttering insults. I don’t know what he’s said, but he’s only saying them because he knows I’m fucking right. “First, I’m theniceguy in the group, so sticking her with back-to-back morose motherfuckers is just going to send her packing.”

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