Page 149 of A Little Broken

She grabs hold, instantly. “I’m sorry, did you sayyourrun-ins?”

With a shrug, I tell her, “We’ve all had our run-ins, haven’t we?”

She scans me up and down, clearly impressed. “Damn. Didn’t think it would be such a turn-on, but…”

My grin widens. “Oh, really?”

“Yup. And now, I’m going to need all the gory details, so I can save them for later.” Pulling her hands from mine, she taps her temple and tacks on a wink that douses my imagination with gasoline.

I like it when she’s like this. When she’s open and playful. I like it a lot. And the idea of her touching herself when I’m away? My cock hardens just thinking about it. Might as well add fuel to the fire, right?

“Let’s see, which time? Uh,” I search my memories for a few of my lighter interactions with the law. “Breaking and entering…”

Her jaw drops. “Are you serious?”

“It was Dodger’s house, but the security system went off, and thanks to my priors…well, you get the gist.”

“Uh, I don’t, but we’ll circle back. What priors?” she demands, her brow arching.

“Possession of weed when crossing state lines.” My tongue clicks against the roof of my mouth as I sort through the shadier side of my past. Giving her the side-eye, I add, “And another misdemeanor you might be familiar with. Trespassing.”

She clutches at her chest like a girl from the fifties. “A man after my own heart.”

“Glad you approve,” I laugh.

Bumping her shoulder with mine, she murmurs, “And here I thought you were an upstanding citizen.”

“Hardly.”

“It’s okay. Neither am I, even if I don’t have the record to prove it.” She shrugs and laces our fingers together again as we stand beside my bike. “Anything else?”

Yes.

Well aware it doesn’t paint me in the best light, I answer, “Assault charges and underage drinking.” My expression constricts, but I push through the shame growing inside me. “I got into a fight at a bar when I was seventeen.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah.”

“That one kind of makes sense, though,” she decides. “Because of the sparring sessions and everything.”

And everything.

If only she knew how loaded those words are.

“Right,” I mutter.

Sensing I’m keeping something from her, she murmurs, “It is only the sparring, right? That’s the only habit you’ve kept from your shady background?” My lips press together, and her jaw drops again. “Are you still into shady shit, Pax?”

Glancing over my shoulder at the precinct we barely left, I shush, “Wanna keep your voice down, Birthday Girl?”

Catching on, Tatum hooks her arm through mine, guides me past my parked bike, and walks us further down the road. Once we’re a safe distance from any potential eavesdroppers, she asks, “So, what’s up? I want to know.”

I stay quiet, pressing my tongue against my cheek as I weigh my options. I want to tell her. I also want tonotfuck anything up.

Sensing my hesitancy, she sobers slightly, adding, “I want to say it’s okay, and you don’t have to tell me, but considering my lack of emotional connections with the majority of people, and the fact I’ve really been trying to let you in lately, I kind of feel like you owe me.” She pulls her hand from mine and crosses her arms. “So? What are you hiding? What’s the big secret?”

Reaching up, I tuck her hair behind her ear, considering my options. I want to tell her. I do. But will it put her in the crosshairs of anything? I don’t think so, but Judge hasn’t exactly been very forthright, either, and I sure as shit don’t know everything. That being said, she’s right. She’s risked being vulnerable with me, shouldn’t I do the same?

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