Page 45 of When We Break

“We can do music, but I just never think of it. Birdie left a Bluetooth speaker on the windowsill a few weeks ago. Feel free to use it.”

“I will,” she says, and gets busy pairing her phone to the little speaker. “Do you have a music preference?”

“Guest’s choice.” I wink at her and lean against the countertop, my arms crossed, enjoying her while she chooses something on her phone, and then a song I recognize begins to play.

“I love P!nk,” she says with a grin, and her hips start to move with the music. “Have you ever seen this woman in concert?”

“No, have you?”

“Aye, I have, and it’s brilliant. She’s such an incredible athlete. She dances, yes, but she alsoflies.She’s an aerialist, and seeing her in action is just incredible. Whenever she came to New York City, Mik and I were sure to go see her. She’s also incredibly kind. I was once lucky enough to meet her.”

“I bet you’ve met all kinds of interesting people.”

Walking past her, I brush my hand over her lower back and watch with satisfaction when she curls into the touch. Jesus, I can’t keep my hands to myself, and she doesn’t seem to mind.

“Many,” she agrees. “We’ve danced for celebrities, royalty, politicians. And most want to meet us after the shows, which is always an honor. I need to wash these.”

She’s already cut the stems off the asparagus, and as she turns toward the sink, she pauses and kisses my arm right over the bicep since that’s as high as she can reach, and it makes me still.

I want to pull her to me and devour her.

“I’m sorry,” she says with a frown. “Should I not have done that? You stiffened up. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but you’ve been touching me, so I assumed?—”

“Whoa.” I take the vegetables out of her hands and set them aside, and then lift Skyla and set her on the counter opposite where we’re working. “You can touch me anytime, anywhere. I’m free game for you, sweetheart.”

She narrows her eyes as if she’s searching my face to make sure I’m telling the truth, so I take her hands and put them on my chest.

“Touch me.”

Her hands ghost up to my face, to my beard, and I grin at her.

“You like the beard.”

“I really do.” She wrinkles that nose, and I lean in to kiss it. “It’s sexy.”

I’ll never shave it off for as long as I live if it means I get to have this amazing woman around.

“Beck.”

“Yeah?”

“I have to wash the vegetables. I’m a hungry girl.”

Grinning, I help her to her feet. “Then we’d better feed you.”

Back to work, we move side by side, and it seems so … effortless. She brushes my arm with her shoulder, and I kiss the top of her head as I walk past. The music brings noise into my often-quiet kitchen, but Skyla brings life. Energy.

How is it possible to feel so at ease with someone so quickly?

Skyla starts to dance to another P!nk song, and I twirl her into my arms and dance with her, making her face light up.

“You havemoves, Mr. Blackwell.”

“That’s how you get the pretty girls.” I wink at her, spin her out away from me, and then back in, twirling us around the kitchen. “My mom used to enjoy dancing like this when we were kids.”

“And that might be the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”

With a laugh, I dip her back, and the buzzer on the oven sounds.

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