Page 49 of A Divided Heart

“It did.”

“Am I going to get any other details out of you?”

He paused and looked up. “Probably not.” His gorgeous mouth wrinkled in a grimace. “I’m sorry. Am I being anti-social? I just want to make sure that I do this right.”

“It’s cleaning,” I laughed and tossed the paper towels toward the trash can. “You can’t mess it up.” I grabbed the mop and leaned forward to get a kiss.

He turned away, avoiding the contact. “We’re not allowed to kiss.”

I growled and grabbed his face with both hands, forcing it to mine and deepening the peck into a full experience.

He pushed away, and a bad boy, he was not. I went for him, and he blocked me with the handle of the mop. I zigged to the right and he did the same, a boyish grin blooming on his face.

Not an ounce of genuine bad boy in his system, but he was still undeniably lovable.

Chapter 50

6 MONTHS AGO

Five months after Lee disappeared, he showed up at my house. His frame rested against the beach wall, the warm morning light casting golden shadows on his bare torso. His board shorts clung to him, his feet and legs caked with sand, his hair slicked back and still wet from the ocean.

I came to a stop, my sports bra sticking to me, a line of sweat running down my face. I wiped my forearm across my cheek and met his eyes, my breath coming out hard from my final sprint. "Hey."

"Hey."

"You're back."

He stepped forward and came to a stop in front of me, then reached out and tugged on the ends of my ponytail. "Yep."

"I missed you." I couldn't hold the confession back. It was true, no matter how much I hated it.

His grin broke, as he looked down, trying to hide the reaction. His dimple winked at me, and the combination made my legs weak.

"Don't leave me again." The strain in my voice showed and he looked back up, somber.

"Okay." He nodded.

* * *

I came down from my orgasm, his cock deep inside, his sandy body draped over mine, two shapes, both bent forward against the bedroom window, his mouth at my neck, the heave of his chest against my back as he thrust, groaned, moaned my name as he marked me as his own. He shuddered inside me before pulling out, whispering my name with a salty kiss against the back of my neck.

My legs gave out and he caught me before I fully dropped, dragging me backward until we were both flat on my bed.

"God, I love fucking you." His breath was heavy, and the bed shifted when he rolled, pulling me closer.

"Same here." I closed my eyes, appreciating the drift of air across my damp skin, and needing a moment to recover.

"I need a shower."

I grinned. "Me too. Give me a minute. I can’t move right now.”

"I don't have a thing to do today. Take as long as you need."

My eyes were still closed, but I felt him lift my hand. There was the delicate trace of one of his fingers over the lines on my palm. His soft lips pressed against the spot, and my fingers closed around his mouth.

"I love you like this." His voice was muffled slightly by my hand and I released it, my mouth curving into a smile.

"Like what?"

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