Page 64 of Broken Skulls

His dad punches him in the arm. “Stop.”

“Naw, man. That was some crazy shit last night. We just wanted to make sure someone was here if you needed anything.”

“Well, I appreciate it.” I crack an egg in the pan, catching movement out the corner of my eye.

“Good morning.” Raffe jumps from his chair, pulling it out for her to sit.

She has my t-shirt pulled up to her chin, nibbling on the seam. She stares at the chair for a moment before turning her eyes my way. “Can I talk to you?”

Jackson immediately takes over my task.

“Yeah, yeah sure.” I wash my hands, wondering what’s wrong. Maybe she heard what Jackson said and she’s embarrassed.

He reads my mind. “Shit, dude. I’m sorry. I’m such a dumbass.”

I pat him on the back, not arguing with him. “We’ll be right back.”

She’s standing in front of the mirror in my plant room. I walk up behind her, our gazes clashing the minute our bodies touch. The intake of her breath makes my cock ache.

“Um.” She pulls the shirt down, revealing her slender neck … it’s covered in hickeys.

Am I a teenager locked in a grown man’s body?

Yes. Yes, I am.

The grin on my face widens when she huffs. “Jacob, I don’t want everyone to think you’re hurting me. They were so upset when they thought you had me locked in the basement.”

I turn her around in my arms, staring down at her. The concern wrinkling her nose is cute. She’s worried about me. “They’re not going to think I’m hurting you,” I assure her. I don’t want her to stress.

“Do you think they’ll notice?” she asks, and then she … she lays her head on my chest.

I stare at the image of us in the mirror. I’ve never seen anything I’ve loved more.

My arms wrap around her slowly. If only I could lock her here forever. “Oh, they’ll notice,” I tease.

“Maybe I can just hide out in the bedroom for a few days.” She squeezes me around the waist, hopeful.

“Nice try.” I push her away, forcing her to look at me. “Listen, I’m not going to lie to you. They are going to tease the shit out of me for it, but they won’t you. So no worries, okay?”

“How do you know?”

“Because they know I’ll beat the dog shit out of them if they upset my girl.”

She blushes like a schoolgirl. As if flirting is a new concept for her.

“Come on. I’m going to get these fuckers fed and then send them on their way. I know we have a lot to talk about.”

This doesn’t please her. She begins to pull away from me. I hug her close. “Elizabeth, you and I talking is not something to be afraid of. I’m not going to pressure you to talk about anything you’re not ready to. I just want to talk … to get to know you.”

“I don’t know me, Jacob.”

“Then I guess we’ll both get to know Elizabeth at the same time. Isn’t it exciting?” I shake her gently between my arms.

“What if what everyone says about her is true?”

“Well, then I think we’re going to have our hands full.”

She laughs.

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