Page 41 of Broken Skulls

“Tell me what happened, Elizabeth.”

I roll my head from side to side. “I should have just gone to his house. I should have answered the door.”

“Hey.” Jacob leans down and presses his lips to my forehead. “Whatever happened, it was not your fault.”

He rubs his hand over my chest until I’m calm again.

“My parents got home later that evening and found he had been run over. He was lying at the end of the driveway.”

Jacob wipes my tears away with his hands.

“I knew it was him as soon as they told me,” I whisper. “I never denied his requests after that day.”

We sit quietly for a long time, and then my gaze goes back to the dog who is still using me as his pillow. “He’s used to the sound of the bikes,” I say, running my hand over his soft fur.

Jacob leans over and rubs the dog’s head. The sweet thing huffs happily but doesn’t open his eyes.

“He trusts you,” I say quietly, looking away from the two of them.

“Do you?”

This question is harder to answer than you might think. I haven’t trusted anyone other than myself for a long time. Not because there weren’t trustworthy people in my life. Danielle,Tank. I’m sure there were others. In my head I knew I could trust them, yet I couldn’t risk it. No matter how much I wanted to. For her … it was all worth it for her.

Jacob hovers over my face. “It’s okay if you don’t.” He smiles down at me. “You will eventually,” he adds with confidence.

Something tugs at my cheeks. It feels familiar yet strange as I mirror his expression.

“You’re smiling,” he rasps.

The emotion that pools in the corner of his eyes turns them the most beautiful blue I’ve ever seen. It takes my breath away.

Before I can wipe the smile from my face, he drops close to me. So close that his nose brushes against mine, our breath mingling.

“Don’t stop,” he whispers as his chest presses against mine, stealing the air from my lungs.

I panic as tears threaten to wash my smile away. “I don’t know how to hold onto it.” I blink rapidly, pissed at myself for not being able to do it for him.

The smile slowly falls from my lips.

Jacob’s gaze lazily runs over my face. “I’ll bring it back, don’t you worry.” His breath teases at my lips. “I’m going to give you so many things to smile about,” his gravelly voice skips down my spine, vibrating to my core.

The moment his lips touch mine, my eyes fall closed and I let go, allowing him to see a piece of me through the tiny crack he managed to find. It’s not much, but it’s the first glimpse I’ve given to anyone in a long time. It’s scary. I begin to panic, and he senses it. He presses his mouth harder against mine.

The way he kisses me is sure and confident. It makes me trust him a little more. I let my lips fall apart. His hand wraps around my chin in response and he tips my head back, deepening the kiss. His tongue slides against mine, and I wonder briefly if Iactually did die on that cliff, and somehow, miraculously, ended up in heaven.

Something inside of me slowly unfurls, stretching.

My hands fly to his scruffy cheeks, and I pull him close. I’m desperate for more. Like a vampire who’s been bone dry for a hundred years, and one drop of blood awakens his hunger.

I want to unburden myself on him in every way. Tears run over the apple of my cheeks, and into our mouths. Either he doesn’t notice, or he doesn’t care. His desperation matches my own. We sit up, our mouths still glued together. The dog huffs unhappily as his head falls off my stomach.

Jacob pulls me onto his lap, wrapping one arm around my waist. His other hand lands on the back of my head, holding me still as his mouth abandons mine to explore the curve of my throat. It eventually returns, and he nips at my bottom lip.

I finally open my eyes to find him staring at me. The crack he’s discovered crumbles, leaving me wide open. The vulnerability of being fully seen makes me gasp out loud.

His pupils dilate. There’s no mistake, he knows what’s happening.

He knows I have nowhere to hide from him.

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