Page 68 of Breakaway Hearts

“Thank you.” I hold the still-steeping cup of English Breakfast tea to my nose and inhale. “Ah, this is heaven. Truly.”

“I’ve never seen someone quite so… satisfied,” he murmurs in my ear, and I nearly spill the tea in my lap with how quickly I turn to look at him. He laughs. I purse my lips, trying to give him a severe look, but it’s impossible. My lips quirk upward as I shake my head.

“You’re incorrigible.”

“Yup.”

“I’ve got to go to the bathroom,” I tell him, deciding maybe it’s a good idea to splash some cold water on my face before I combust. I set my tea on the table between our chairs, but before I can walk in the direction of the restrooms, Reese grabs my hand, pulls me close, and kisses me.

It’s a sweet and tender kiss, not like the desperate, hungry ones from this morning, and even though I know this one is for public display—to sell our relationship and nothing else—I can’t help but enjoy it. Reese is an excellent kisser. Addictive.

When he finally pulls away, my tongue darts out to trace my swollen lips, like I’m trying to get more of his taste, and Reese makes a noise low in his throat.

“You’d better go to the bathroom right now, Firefly,” he warns under his breath. “Otherwise, I’ll be tempted to give you another lesson right here, right now. And that will probably get us both in trouble.”

Oh my god. Oh my holy fucking god.

I feel a little dazed as I stand up and stride across the lobby, and although I don’t look back, I can almostfeelhis gaze on me as I walk away.

The bathroom is just as nice as the rest of the hotel, and after popping into a stall, I stand at the sink and wash my hands. When I glance up at the mirror in front of me, I almost do a double take, startled by my own reflection.

I’m… glowing.

Not quite literally, but I look beautiful. Sexy. My skin is dewy, my face is relaxed, and my shoulders seem to be pulled back more, as if I’m not trying to hide anything from the world. I’ve never felt this vibrant. This alive.

And a large part of it, I know, is because of Reese.

I’ve only had two sexual partners before him, and neither of them made me feel like this. All of the romance novels I’ve read always made sex sound so amazing, but even though I read them for inspiration, some pessimistic part of me always thought that was all a fantasy. And that even if itwasreal, I’d never feel it. That I’d never have something as good as that.

Reese proved me wrong. He makes me feel desirable and wanted. It gives me hope that someone else could make me feel that way as well.

The same pang I felt earlier in the elevator hits me at the thought that someone else could make me feel like I do right now. It shouldn’t hurt like this, I know. I gave myself a whole lecture about it last night before I fell asleep. Catching feelings for Reese is a big no-no. Despite how amazing everything has been, all we’re doing is winning Sienna back for him and making me better in bed for some other man.

I try to ingrain those thoughts in my mind, because Idoneed to internalize that Reese isn’t the one. The one for Reese is Sienna, not me, and the sooner I bury the teenage feelings that are resurfacing, the quicker I’ll be able to accept another man into my life when this is all over.

I shake my hands off in the sink before grabbing some paper towels and drying them fully. Then I give my reflection a stern look and take a deep breath before going back into the lobby.

As I walk toward our seats, I see that someone else is sitting in my seat right beside Reese. I can’t tell who it is at first, but then he moves his head slightly to the side, and Sienna’s face comes into view.

I stop in my tracks.

Why is she here?I didn’t even know she had come to LA. It’s not standard for members of the legal team to travel with the team, so she must’ve requested to come to this game.

Sienna looks gorgeous as always, in black pumps and a red dress, her hair pulled back in a high ponytail on her head. She leans toward Reese and puts her slim hand on his forearm, and he breaks out laughing.

His brown eyes are bright and warm when he looks at her again. They look like a couple.

They should be a couple.

It feels like I’ve swallowed a brick and that the weight in my stomach is rooting me to the spot. It’s hard to believe I’m the same woman from that charity event, the one who walked boldly up to the two of them and kissed Reese.

Right now, I feel physically incapable of doing that. If I did, I’m not sure I’d be able to keep up the act any longer, not with her talking to him and looking at him like that, withhimlooking at her like that.

So I stay where I am, watching as they lean in close to each other to talk. Is he thinking about doing the same things to her that he did to me last night and this morning? I bite my cheek, suddenly wishing I was anywhere else but right here.

That’s when Reese glances up. He sees me immediately and waves me over, and I have no choice but to go. I walk as normally as I can, but I feel like a marionette, as if someone above me is controlling my awkward movements. It feels like an eternity before I reach the two of them, and when I do, Sienna smiles up at me, crossing her legs and staying seated.

“Hi, Callie,” she says. “I didn’t realize you’d be here with Reese! You two must be getting serious. Hasn’t it only been a few weeks? Or a month or two now?”

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