Page 80 of The Broken Vows

“You love the way I still can’t resist you, don’t you?” I ask, my cock buried deep inside her and my fingers back on her clit, massaging, teasing. “Is it fun to see how quickly I fold when you beg for me like that?”

She looks at me defiantly, knowing full well I’m at her mercy even though I’m the one who has my hand around her throat. She tips her head back and rotates her hips a little, the movement betraying her desire. “Itisfun,” she admits, her eyes fluttering closed.

“Look in the mirror,” I order, anger bleeding into my voice. “Look at the way you’re taking your husband’s cock, Celeste.” My touch on her clit becomes punishing, and she moans as I fuck her with deep, harsh strokes. “This pussy still belongs to me.Youstill belong to me, Celeste.”

Some days I wish it wasn’t true, but then she smiles at me, and I thank every lucky star that it isn’t Clifton she’s smiling at. I tighten my grip on her neck and flick against her clit harder, overstimulating her. She whimpers, her body desperate for release, and I smirk as I lean in and capture her earlobe, biting down softly. “Say it,” I whisper. “Tell me who you belong to.”

Her eyes flash with the same simmering anger laced with lust, and she reaches up, her hand wrapping around the back of my neck. She turns her head toward mine, and the look she throws me makes me fucking breathless. “I’m yours, Zane Windsor,” she says, before kissing me the way she used to, in that all-encompassing, maddening way. I never knew hatred and love could co-exist the way they do for her. She’severything, she always has been.

Celeste moans into my mouth as I finally give her what she’s so desperate for, and she comes all around my cock as I swallow down every single one of her moans. The way her pussy constricts around me sends me over the edge, and she tightens her grip on me as I fill her up, pure possessiveness washing over me at the thought of her pussy dripping throughout dinner.

My breathing is ragged as I drop my forehead to her shoulder and breathe her in, both of us trying our hardest to catch our breath. “Wear the pink dress,” I whisper as I slip out of her. “It matches your nails.”

Her eyes meet mine in the mirror, her vulnerability disarming me entirely. She nods and quietly gets dressed, putting on the dress I chose as I straighten out my own clothes. I can’t help but smile at her when she throws me a shy look, her cheeks rosy. This version of her, that’s the one I never got over, the one I still love, the one I miss.

I grab her hand and entwine our fingers as I lead her out of the house, both of us oddly at peace for once. “What is it called?” I ask as we get into my car.

She glances over at me, her eyes wide. I grin at her expression, my curiosity piqued further. “Um… it’s, uh, well… it’s calledGot Myself Into a Jam-Balaya.”

I burst out laughing, and she throws me the cutest, flustered look. Fuck, I wish she was always like this — so sweet. “You did, didn’t you?” I murmur.

She sighs and nods, her mood sobering. “I never answered your question at dinner,” she murmurs as I drive over to my grandmother’s house, her gaze falling to her nails. “I do regret it, Zane. I regret causing so much collateral damage. If there’s one thing I could change, I would undo what I’ve done to you, even if it’s just to spare the people we both love all the pain we caused.”

I sigh as I park the car, my gaze roaming over her face. Five years of mutual destruction, only for us to find ourselves sitting here together, married and deeply unhappy. She tears her eyes off mine and gets out of the car, the moment breaking.

I follow her, and she glances over her shoulder, making my heart skip a beat. I offer her my hand, and she glances at it for a moment, seemingly unsure of what I’m offering. Truthfully, I’m not quite sure myself.

Relief rushes through me when her hand wraps around mine, and I entwine our fingers. The room falls silent when we walk in, and I throw Celeste an encouraging look. Only Grandma, Faye, and Val speak to her throughout dinner, and the entire time, she clings to the hand I’ve got wrapped over her knee, her fingers between mine.

I know how to deal with her hatred, but this version of her? Fuck, this version of my wife will have me on my knees, begging for more.

ChapterSixty-Seven

Zane

I wake to the sound of quiet sobbing and broken pleas, only to find Celeste still fast asleep, tears running down her face. She chokes on a sob, and I pull her against me, holding her close. “Celeste,” I murmur, trying my hardest to wake her gently.

She pushes against me and turns her head in distress, lost in a nightmare. “Please,” she whispers, and her tone cuts straight through my heart.

I grab her shoulders and gently shake her until she startles awake, her eyes instantly finding mine. Another sob tears through her throat, and I pull her against me, hugging her tightly. “It’s okay,” I whisper, my hand roaming over her back soothingly. “It’s just a nightmare, Celestial.”

She buries her face against my bare chest, her body shaking from the lingering effects of her dreams. “Oh God, Zane,” she says, her voice breaking as she wraps her arms around my neck and clings to me, her breathing ragged.

“It’s okay,” I repeat, over and over again, wishing I could just take away her distress entirely. What could’ve possibly upset her this much? She hasn’t been herself in a couple of weeks now, and I’m not sure what to do. I didn’t think I’d ever miss the woman who looked at me with nothing but hatred in her eyes, but I do.

She falls apart in my embrace, and I just hold her, murmuring soft soothing words, promising that nothing can touch her when she’s in my arms, until her breathing evens out, and her tears dry. “What happened?” I loosen my grip a little, and she clutches at me, unwilling to let go. She looks so tormented, so hurt. “What’s wrong, Celeste? Baby, I’m so worried about you. Please talk to me.”

Her eyes roam over my face, and fresh tears spill down her face. “Zane,” she whispers, her voice breaking. I cup her cheek and dry her face, my thumb catching each new tear. She looks into my eyes and draws a shaky breath. “I dreamed about Lily.”

I freeze at the sound of her name, cold dread cascading over me. Helplessness rushes through me, followed shortly by anger. I pull my hand away, but Celeste catches it and entwines our fingers before pulling our joined hands to her chest.

“Yesterday, her father called to invite me to her memorial in a couple of weeks, and I think that’s maybe why I dreamed of her again. I… I dreamed of her standing on the bridge,” she says, sniffling. “I told her I missed her, and she… she told me I couldn’t, because if I really missed her… I wouldn’t be with you.” She draws a shaky breath and lets her eyes fall closed for a moment, her heartbreak evident. “She stood on that bridge and asked me if it helps me sleep at night if I pretend to hate you while falling into bed with you. She accused me of forgetting her and wanting to move on with you, and I… I couldn’t refute her words.”

She tightens her grip on my hand as she bursts into tears all over again. “Zane, I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

My eyes widen, and I study her for a moment. Never once has she given me any indication that she might believe me, that Lily might not have told her the full truth. “What do you mean?”

Her eyes drop to my tattoo, and she draws a shaky breath as she places her free hand over my chest. “Without fresh grief blinding me, I’m struggling to believe that you… that you’d risk what we had. There’s so much that just doesn’t make sense, and she isn’t here to tell me the truth, butyou are.We’ve gone over this so many times, and it doesn’t make sense that you still wouldn’t admit it. I don’t know if my mind is just deceiving me, if I just desperately want to believe that you couldn’t… that you wouldn’t have done that to me. Every time you touch me, I’m convinced that… that nothing could come close… not for me, but also not for you.” She squeezes her eyes closed and tries her hardest to draw a breath, her body shaking. “I feel like I’m going crazy, and I hate feeling this way. Am I deluding myself?”

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