Page 64 of Every Promise Broken

“Guess.”

“Are you serious?” I chuckle. “She’s with Roger again?”

A smile splits his handsome, rugged face as he cuts the pizza. “I’m just as surprised as you are. And she just called me to let me know she’s going to stay the night over at his place because the weather is so bad she doesn’t want him to worry about driving her home.”

“A sleepover? Wow, sounds serious.” I take a sip, the flavor blanketing my taste buds. “Think they’re going to do it?”

Conrad scoffs, stopping his movement as his eyes narrow on me. “Do it? Really? I don’t want to think about that.”

Laughter bubbles past my lips before I can help it. “You don’t want to think about your nana and Roger rolling around naked together?”

“Alright,” he barks, making me laugh harder. “Enough from you. Are you hungry?”

“I could eat.” I shrug. “Although, I had a massive Greek sausage for lunch. Kept me pretty full.”

Eyes alight with humor lift to meet mine, the corner of his mouth tugging into a smirk. “You’re in a good mood tonight.”

I shrug, biting back a smile. As much as whatever this is with Conrad terrifies me, I also can’t deny how much I love it. Love seeing his eyes light up when he looks at me, having his attention. I shouldn’t revel in it, but I do.

Conrad nods toward the living room. “Got another fire going if you want to have a seat in there. I’ll bring our plates out once I’m done.”

The living room is toasty warm as I sit on the couch, sipping my wine before he comes out with the pizza. Like the smart man he is, he brought the wine bottle with him, knowing I’ll be needing a refill soon. Ever since he said all those things to me the other night, I feel myself softening a little around him. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still very much leery about getting hurt again, but something inside of me can’t help but want to lean into him, to hold on to the Conrad that has so clearly matured and is open to communicating now. See where it could go.

And then he brought me lunch today, completely unprompted, and it did nothing except remind me of the man I fell in love with all those years ago. The man who somehow always knew what I needed without me ever having to ask. The man who knew how to quiet my mind, even when I didn’t know how to myself.

Some days, it truly felt like Conrad knew me better than even I did.

After we eat, Conrad brings the plates into the kitchen while I pour another glass of wine. The snow is really coming down outside, and I can hear the wind slapping against the windows. I wouldn’t be surprised if the power went out at this rate. Thankfully, we have the fire to keep us warm, the golden glow lighting the room as Conrad walks back in, flicking off the main light and turning on some soft music.

Riley Green’sWhen She Comes Home Tonightstarts playing, and my chest tightens. This is one of my favorite songs, and every single time it plays, it never fails to make me think of us. Think of the nights we used to spend together, learning each other’s bodies. Coming to a stop in front of me, Conrad holds out his hand for me to take, and I can’t help but smile, my cheeks heating as I let him guide me to the middle of the living room. One hand holding mine, the other wrapped around my lower back, he moves us to the slow, sensual beat of the song.

Before Conrad, I didn’t dance. I can’t think of a single memory where I did until he came into my life. Slow dancing started that night he caught me mid-anxiety attack in the barn, but it quickly became our thing. When it was just the two of us, we’d turn the lights down low, play some music, and let our bodies sway, doing way more talking than we ever could. I love being in his arms like this, even after all these years.

His hands on me are electric, and I can feel his heart pounding inside his chest with each second that passes. My head feels light, and I don’t think it has anything to do with the wine. It’s Conrad.

It’s always Conrad.

Peering up at him, I’m met with the softest eyes. The way he looks at me will never fail to make my knees weak. “I love you, Whit.” The words are spoken barely above a whisper, but they hit me all the same.

In the blink of an eye, my chest tightens, and my throat feels like it’s trying to close up. Tears spring to my eyes as I replay what he said… Something I never expected to hear from him ever again.

“You can’t say that,” I whisper, emotion thick with every word, the pulse point in my neck throbbing as it feels harder to breathe.

“Why not?” he asks, brows cinched together. “It’s true.”

“Because…” I look away, trying to step back, but the arm around my waist won’t allow it. “Because you just can’t.”

“Like hell I can’t,” he growls a second before his lips capture mine. His tongue delves into my mouth, tasting me. Claiming me. He kisses me with fervor, with a force that would make my knees buckle if it weren’t for him holding me in place. Conrad’s arm around my waist tightens its hold as his other hand comes up to the back of my neck.

“This is who I am, Whit,” he breathes harshly into my mouth before pulling back and looking me in the eye. “I love you. I have always loved you, and that has never, and will never, change. I’m not going to hide it or pretend I don’t because you’d rather pretend things between us aren’t shifting. I. Love. You.”

Then his mouth back on me again before my mind even has a chance to catch up.

There’s nothing sweet about this kiss. It’s messy, it’s hungry. It’s passion like I haven’t experienced in too long. It awakens something inside of me I thought maybe I lost. My heart ricochets against my ribs, the blood pumping hot through my veins. I’m drowning in his touch, in the feel of him, in everything he just said, everything that’s happened between us since the night of that party. I need all of this, and so much more. I need to shut my mind off and let myself drown in the man wrapped around me.

I need Conrad.MyConrad.

He rips his lips from mine, moving down to my neck, sucking and nipping at the sensitive flesh, making me cry out for him. “Connie,” I gasp, feeling like the organ in my chest is about to explode. “I need you… I need you, please.”

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