Page 88 of Safe With Me

“Youmake me feel better.” I brushed my lips against hers and climbed out.

“Are you sure even a blanket will fit here?” Lila asked, scrunching her nose at me.

“Yes, I’m sure. There’s a little hill beyond the gate. That’s where Keely usually builds her sandcastles when we come here.”

I fished the blanket out of my trunk and headed toward the small fence. A couple of hot-pink shovels dotted the sand, along with a discarded green bucket.

“Feels like a big sandbox,” Lila said, laughing as she made her way down on the blanket.

“The leftover toys always give it that feel.” I jutted my chin to the pail. “If you want to play in the sand, feel free.”

“I’m good,” she said, lying on her side and leaning on her elbow. “I’m right where I want to be.” Her smile shrank as she scooted closer to me. “And I’m here for whatever you need.”

The breeze kicked up, blowing a piece of hair across her face. I tucked it behind her ear and let my finger trace along her jaw. The tiny smile drifting across her perfect mouth, just for me, sped up my heartbeat enough for it to thud against my rib cage.

“When I tell my aunt and cousin I finally cut my mother off, they may throw me a party.” I rubbed the back of my neck.

“I may help them,” Lila said, chuckling next to me. “I’m proud of you.”

“Don’t be.” I shook my head. “This is years late. And even with all the relief, I still feel like the worst human alive for walking away.”

“I walked away. More or less. I never even gave my parents my new address, and they haven’t asked.” She shrugged. “My family is my cousin, and that’s really it. Even before the Ted stuff. I think they were relieved when I moved.”

“I’m trying to think of a time when being around my mother didn’t drain me. There were some moments when I was younger, but it would always turn. I had no idea what relief meant until I moved in with my father full time.”

I lifted my arm and wrapped it around Lila’s shoulders.

“It doesn’t have to be like that. You don’t have to keep toxic people in your life simply because they’re related to you.”

She leaned her head on my shoulder, scratching her nails up and down my arm.

“My brother has never cared about me or where I was. And I’ve learned not to expect anything more.”

She kissed my cheek.

“It still sucks, though. I’m sorry, babe.”

I jerked my head toward her.

“Did you just call me babe?”

“Yes.” She pursed her lips. “Problem?”

“Not at all,” I said, rolling on top of her. “Say it again.”

“Such a goofball,” she said, her voice a throaty whisper as she slipped her hands under my shirt, scraping her nails up and down my back and triggering a trail of goose bumps along my neck.

“I guess I am when it comes to you,” I said, reaching down to slide my hand up her thigh, fisting the hem of her dress. “I never got to tell you how beautiful you look tonight.”

I ran my nose against hers and dropped kisses down her cheek, tracing her collarbone with the tip of my tongue as I inched lower.

“We’re in public, Officer Russo,” she said, her head lolling to the side as I dove into her neck, swirling my tongue around that tiny patch of skin that always set her off like a sexy firecracker.

“Haven’t we put on enough of a show lately?” she said, her legs falling open as I coasted my hand up her dress and along the silky skin inside her thigh.

“So soft,” I murmured against her mouth. “You want me to stop? Or are you dripping for me like you were last night?”

I had no control when it came to Lila. When we’d first met, I always had to be right next to her, even when I was attempting to keep a distance I never wanted.

---