Page 18 of When We Breathe
“Did heever?—”
“No.” She cups my face in her hands and rests her forehead on mine, as if she’s comfortingme. “He never did that. I’ve been through many years of therapy, and I’m really okay most of the time. I’ve done the hard work to heal. But I’ll never be comfortable around animals. My sister, Dani, has a cat, and I’ve gotten to where I can be in the same room with it, but I’d rather not be if I can help it. Aside from pets, I don’t love storms for a whole different reason.”
“A lot of people don’t like storms,” I tell her, brushing my fingers through her hair.
“Yeah, well, their father probably didn’ttie them up outside with their sisters when their brother was gone and couldn’t protect them and make them sit in the middle of the rain, thunder, and lightning in terror.”
I blink down at her, then crush her to me, holding on so tight, I’m probably cutting off her air.
I don’t fucking care.
Gabe wraps his strong arms around both of us, and the three of us sit here, drifting on the water, holding on to each other.
And I thought my childhood was fucked up.
It was like living in Disneyland every fucking day compared to the trauma Alex went through.
“I’m really okay, you guys,” she finally says. “But I won’t be if you keep smothering me.”
“Just a minute more,” Gabe mutters, then kisses my cheek before kissing her head. “You’re safe with us, Alex.”
“I know. It’s just, that was areallybig dog. And I know it’s silly because the animals never hurt me. They were the ones hurt, but it just triggers me so badly.”
I kiss her cheek as she sits up, reluctantly letting her go.
“It’s not silly. Harvey’s a horse in a dog suit, I swear.” I stand and glance around and see that we’re alone in this part of the lake. “Who wants to swim?”
“Me.” Alex raises her hand. “I do.”
She whips the swimsuit cover over her head, revealing her perfect, curvy body showcased in a pink-striped swimsuit with a bow right between her glorious tits that has me salivating.
“Come here,” I growl, and she blinks up at me, but doesn’t hesitate to step to me. I drag my thumb over herlower lip. “You look fucking delicious in that suit, Princess.”
Relief moves through her eyes. Did she honestly think that we’d discard her after she told us her story? Fuck, we all have baggage. Some of us more than others. Neither Gabe nor I fear that.
“I’m glad you like it,” she says as her cheeks darken.
I pull my T-shirt off, and her eyes roam down my torso. Her little tongue pokes out to lick along her lower lip, and then Gabe’s beside us, also in just his swim trunks.
Fuck, he’s sexy.
He knows I get a hard-on for him in those trunks, and the smirk on his face tells me that he wore them on purpose.
I’m going to fuck his mouth when we get back in this boat.
Alex gives my man a once-over, smiles big, then jumps off the side of the boat into the water below.
“We’re keeping her,” I inform Gabe, whose smile could light up the night sky.
“Fuck yeah, we are.” He pulls me in for a quick kiss, then jumps over the side with our girl, splashing and playing below.
“Come on,” Alex says, waving me in. “It’s not as fun without you.”
I’m so fucked.
Chapter Eight
GABE
