Page 49 of All Her Broken Pieces

“And different people read body language differently, so what comes across as annoyed to one person may read as angry to someone else.”

“Yeah…” she starts, raising an eyebrow at me. Her eyes bore holes into me, as if seeing me for the first time. “It’s like you’re in my head.”

I lift the back of my hand to stroke her thigh, my other hand fisting at my side, eager to grab hold of her, but I restrain myself.

“I don’t like it,” she mutters.

My hand stills on her leg. “You don’t like me touching you or that I’m in your head?”

“All of it,” she spits. I can see the tension creeping into her muscles as her legs clench on my lap. “It’s like you know what I’m thinking before I verbalize it.”

“Maybe your body language gives you away? Or maybe I’m good at reading you.”

Her head turns, and we lock eyes, distrust written all over her features. “My sister,” I supply as the crease between her brows softens and a breath escapes her lips.

“Oh. I’m an asshole.”

“You’re really not. I’ve had a lot of practice helping Lizzy. She also likes to read, and I think it’s for the very reason you mentioned. The books she seems to gravitate toward have characters sharing all their innermost thoughts on the page, so she understands what they’re dealing with. She doesn’t have to pick up on social cues or body language when it’s all laid out on the page. Plus, with a book, if she gets overwhelmed, she can put it down. Sometimes movies overstimulate her sensory issues even after I’ve turned it off.”

“I’m not used to people paying close enough attention to me to be able to read me the way you do. That kind of attention makes me uncomfortable.”

“Why does it make you uncomfortable? Are you telling me that no one you’ve dated has ever paid attention to you?”

“That’s another question. I already answered your truth.”

She shifts on my lap. I’d give anything to dig deeper into her past. She doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who’d put up with shitty men, but it’s clear she has. It’s unlikely that I’ll make any progress on that front tonight, so I decide to let it go for now.

My hands are balled up into fists at my side, itching to touch her but needing her to give me the go-ahead after the way she shut down. “Is this okay?” I question after I decide to rub my hand up along her spine tentatively.

She takes a deep breath and holds it as I trail my fingers down her spine in light languid strokes. In the past, my touch has seemed to calm her, and I want her grounded to me if we are going to make any progress. “Yeah, it feels good,” she whispers as her head drops to her chest, her eyes hidden from me. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth.” I’m willing to give her every piece of me in exchange for whatever she’ll give me.

“Have you ever had a girlfriend?”

“I’ve had a few, a couple in high school, and then I dated a girl during culinary school. That lasted about six months before she got tired of my schedule cockblocking us.”

“Charming.”

“What can I say? I was twenty, on my own in a foreign country, and horny. There was a lot of passion, but unfortunately most of it was outside of the bedroom. She couldn’t handle my long hours. When I wasn’t in the kitchen or classes, I was babysitting Alyx’s ass in a club. We roomed together in a tiny studio apartment. I was on the top bunk, which made alone time difficult. Alyx didn’t have a hard time, though. I swear, that man hooked up with anything with two legs.”

“I’m sure that’s an exaggeration.”

“Alyx is a lover of all types—men, women, all sizes, ages, and colors. I’ve walked in on him in all kinds of compromising positions with multiple partners, often at the same time. It wouldn’t have been so bad if we didn’t share a studio apartment with a bunk bed.” I roll my eyes. “Okay, enough about Alyx’s exploits, truth or dare?”

She blows out a breath. “Truth.”

“What are three things you would look for in a partner?”

“I’m not looking for a partner. I told you, I don’t do relationships.”

“You don’t get points for that.”

“Bullshit. I answered the question.”

“The question wasn’t what you’d look for in a partner if you wanted a relationship. It’s what you would look for in a partner.”

Her eyes lock with mine in a standoff. Crossing my arms over my chest, I give her a slight nod with my chin to let her know that I’m not backing down.

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