Brushing her hair back off her face, I press kisses to her cheeks, her nose, her lips, every inch of her perfect skin. Her smile is lazy and satiated, and I hate that I’m about to kill it.
My dick gives one last twitch inside her as I grip the base and pull out. I head into her bathroom to clean up, laughing when I get back to her bedroom and see she hasn’t moved.
“Come on,” I say, holding my hand out to her. Her stomach rumbles, and I press another kiss to her swollen lips. “Go clean up, and I’ll make us something to eat.”
While Juliet showers, I find my way around her kitchen and take stock of what she has. There’s some left over chicken in the fridge and a loaf of sourdough in the pantry. Grabbing an avocado, some cherry tomatoes, and a lime, I settle on making us a couple of sandwiches.
After shredding the chicken, I mash the avocado, seasoning it with lime and some salt and pepper before dicing the cherry tomatoes and mixing them with basil andoil. By the time the water shuts off in her bathroom, I’ve constructed a pretty decent meal.
I carry the plates into the living room and set them on the coffee table just as she walks in, fresh-faced and beautiful. She smiles when I tug her onto the couch next to me, wrapping an arm around her as I balance my plate on my lap. Being with her feels natural, but I know all that’s about to change.
The thought twists my stomach into knots, and I pick at the food on my plate despite being hungry, while she scoffs hers down. I’m warring with my need to hold on to what I have with her and knowing that once we have this talk, things are going to be different. I’m scared she’ll want nothing to do with me when she finds out about my past.
“That was delicious,” she says, leaning over to place her empty plate on the coffee table. “Thank you.”
My lips tug into a grin. “It’s pretty basic.”
Her cheeks flush. “It’s been a long time since anyone did something like this for me.”
I nuzzle my nose against her warm skin. “It makes me happy to look after you. I’d do it forever if you wanted me to.”
She reaches up and strokes the side of my face with her fingers, the soft touch squeezing my insides. “What did I do to deserve you?”
“I’m trying to deserve you,” I tell her honestly, placing my half-eaten sandwich next to her empty plate. When I settle back on the couch, I turn towards her, one arm stretched along the cushion, my fingers playing with a strand of her hair. My kneeangles towards hers, close enough that I can feel the heat of her even though we’re not touching.
Her brow furrows. I want to reach over and smooth it out, but I hold back.
“I don’t know why you think you don’t already,” she says. “You’ve done nothing but show up for me and Tinsley, even before we realised who we were. That means something to me, Blake.”
“Meeting you three months ago was the best thing to happen to me,” I say, needing her to know how important she’s become in such a short amount of time. “It might be intense, but it’s true. I’m not proud of the man I used to be, but since I met you, all I want is to be better.”
She slides her hand over mine where it rests on my thigh, threading our fingers together. “I’m scared of rushing this.”
“Me, too,” I admit. “But being with you doesn’t feel reckless. It feels… right.”
Her gaze drops to our linked hands, and she releases a shaky breath. “Edward and I got together not long after my parents were murdered.”
My stomach drops. I knew she didn’t have any family here, but I assumed they were in France, not dead. Worse. Murdered. She never said anything when I told her about mine.
Before I can say anything, she continues. “He preyed on my vulnerability, and I fell for it.”
I freeze. “You think I’m taking advant?—”
“No!” she rushes out, reaching up to cup my cheek, her green eyes boring into mine. “No, not at all. I’m trying toexplain what happened with him, so you understand what I went through.”
Swallowing, I nod for her to go on.
“Things moved quickly. I moved in with him and Everett after six months, and three months later, I was pregnant and engaged.” She takes a deep breath, dropping her gaze. “The first time he hurt me, I didn’t know I was pregnant. I felt sick, but I didn’t know why. Edward didn’t take too kindly to being told I wasn’t in the mood.”
My fists clench on reflex, and she flinches.
“Sorry,” I murmur, forcing my hands to relax. “I’m so fucking sorry that happened to you.”
Tears glisten in her eyes. “I don’t want your pity.”
Tilting her chin so she meets my gaze, I shake my head. “I don’t pity you, pixie. Far from it. You went through that, and you’re sitting here today… I’m fucking in awe of you.”
She sniffs. “He apologised after that first time and bought me a diamond bracelet. His excuse was that he couldn’t control himself because he wanted me so badly.”
