Page 53 of Fall Apart

I let out a deep breath. “But a few years later, after I’d already been through it once, after we lost Mom, that’s when I tore my left knee. And I just… I couldn’t do it again. I couldn’t put myself through that. Getting so keyed up to get back to it, only to have it ripped away again. Sure, I’m physically capable. But mentally, my heart - I just can’t. I don’t want to have to say goodbye to it again.”

“Oh, Clay. I can’t imagine.” Her voice is a soft whisper and I can feel her shoulders sag. “Thank you for telling me.”

Hearing the soft, compassionate side of her is something that tears at my heart. It’s so starkly different than the fiery, fierce side I see all the time. I roll my shoulders, exhaling again. “Don’t be. It’s in the past.”

A moment passes where we sit here, just enjoying the silence again.

“Clay?” Her voice is skeptical.

My name on her lips pulls me out of my trance. “What?”

“Did you just braid my hair?” I look down at my hands, realizing that I did in fact just give her two long, nearly perfect braids.

“Um… yes?”

She stands up and walks gingerly over towards the mirror, twirling around in her robe.

She looks back at me. “Mind telling me why you know how to do a perfect dutch braid?”

I wring my hands together. “Grace. It was after Mom. She was still in high school. She could do it on her own, but she taught me and I think it was good for both of us. I like routine, repetition, working with my hands. She just wanted to be close to someone. Tanner was living in Jackson and Dad was so busy. It was just our thing back then.”

She turns and looks back into the mirror, running each braid through her hands. We make eye contact in the mirror, smiling. “I like them.”

She saunters back towards the bed, still walking gingerly, before climbing on top of me, straddling me with her open robe. The feeling of her naked body against mine sends blood rushing right back to my cock.

She grins and traces her finger over the tattoo on my neck. This time she’s the one to bring her lips to my ear and whisper. “Also, I can still walk straight. So fuck me again.”

My sense of calm is immediately erased by the desire to be close to her again, to let go.

A new feeling burns in my chest. When it comes to Lizzy Frank, I might just have to accept that I’m not in control. And maybe I like that.

When I wake up,I find myself sprawled out on Lizzy’s bed, enjoying just how soft her pillow nest is. I willneveradmit it to her,but fuck, it’s so comfy and I’m buying the same set for my room as soon as I can. I breathe in the pillows, loving the smell of her shampoo. I reach across the bed, opening my eyes when I realize Lizzy isn’t here.

Now that’s odd. It’s normally a chore for her to get up early. I climb out of her bed and walk to my room, throwing on a pair of sweats and head to the kitchen. When I walk in, I find Lizzy, cleaning up the mess from last night when she acted like a cat, batting everything off the kitchen island. She’s wearing a cropped sweatshirt and those sexy little sleep shorts I love. She meets my eyes and smiles, lighting the room and my heart.

“NowthisI could get used to.” I smirk at her before closing the distance, grabbing her by the hips and pulling her in for a kiss.

“I’m not going to wear a maid outfit.” She makes a kissy face at me and slaps my ass. “Don’t even ask.”

I laugh, leaning down to kiss her again. “I wasn’t going to.” I slide my hand up the back of her thigh and cup the curve of her ass. “Because this is so much better.”

She purrs and nuzzles into my bare chest. I hold her tight, savoring every second of her closeness. A moment passes before she breathes into my chest. “What are we doing, Clay?”

I run my hand up her back, cupping the nape of her neck, running one of her mussed braids through my fingers. “I have no idea.” I sigh and plant a kiss on top of her head. “I just know we’re drawn together. There’s something here and I can’t ignore it anymore.”

She hums contentedly into my chest, wrapping her arms around me. “I feel it too.”

I lower my head, rubbing my cheek against her hair. “So now what?”

She hums and wobbles her head. “We could skip yoga and you could take me back to bed and fuck me again.” She looks back up at me with her eyes sparkling with desire. “Lotsof cardio.”

Yes, when it comes to Lizzy Frank, I am a weak man.

CHAPTER 25

LIZZY

BUDDY

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