Page 61 of King of Pain

Her cheeks flush with color. “I know that.”

I plant a kiss on the top her head and then her temple, the bend of her jaw, down her neck. “I know I fucked up. I did warn you I’m not the brightest.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit,” she scoffs. “I know how good you are at a ton of shit.”

I smile into her neck. “But I nearly cost my family everything. I was trying to make it right.”

She draws in a deep breath, pushing those fantastic tits against my chest. “I know.”

“But give me a chance to make it right with you too.”

She shakes her head. “I don’t see how. I know you lied to me about why we stayed, and I know you lied about New York.”

That makes me lift my head. “I did not lie about New York.”

“You’re not leaving your family to be a poor student with me.”

“Who said anything about being poor? I would like to start a garage. Maybe work on old cars. I’m shit at real estate anyway. You would not believe how much paperwork there is. Makes my head hurt.”

Kate’s mouth drops open. “You’re serious?”

“Very.”

I slide my hand over her ass, splaying my fingers over the small of her back under the T-shirt. “Now how about that spanking? Just for fun? The idea of your ass all red…”

She pushes out of my arms, glaring at me. “I don’t think so.”

Shit. She’s still upset. “You need more space. I get it.” Then I cock my head to the side. “I could just eat you out, baby. You can leave me with a giant boner as my punishment.”

“Warmer, but no,” she says as she heads for the bathroom and grabs a towel. “I’m washing up. Think you can fix the truck? I really do need to do laundry.”

“You got it, love.”

I see her mouth pinch at the nickname, but at least she’s not telling me to fuck off. I’m going to have to figure out how to make things right with Kate.

Because honestly, I can’t imagine my life without her at this point.

She stops in front of me, with her towel in hand. “I wouldn’t have really left.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” I want to pull her close again, but this time, I drop down on my knees, pressing my face to her belly, as I hold her bare thighs in my hands. “I would have been crazy with worry.”

“I don’t date, Luke. I mean, obviously. You know that better than anyone. But the reason is, I’ve always worried that I couldn’t trust myself. And now I’m worried that you just proved my worst fears about myself true…”

Fuck me. “That’s what happened with me and the tunnel. Everything I hated about myself bit me right in the ass. Roman got hurt, tunnel project gone, enemies got me on the run.”

Her hands come to my shoulders. “I get that. But how long is it going to take you to trust yourself again?”

Is she saying she won’t be able to trust me? Or herself around me?

My teeth clench together as my jaw goes granite hard. Here I am, fucking it up again.

But I push up, her body folding over my shoulder once again. “What are you doing?”

“Carrying you down the bank,” I grunt. “If we ever come back to this cabin, I’m building stairs.”

“You can do that? Build stairs?”

I’m back out the door and heading toward the stream. “Can’t do the math, but I get by. It’s when I start thinking about shit, I mess it up.” And that is the truest thing I’ve ever said.

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