Page 70 of Mending Me

“Eres mia para siempre?1,” he whispered in my ear as he lowered himself on top of me. The weight of his body brought me a sense of peace and arousal all at once and I wanted him now more than I ever had before.

“Hey, Hank?”

“Yes, Bailey?”

“Make me yours.”

1 You’re my forever (You’re mine forever)

41

BAILEY

Iskipped out of the front door of my building to find him sitting on his bike waiting for me. This had become our ritual every Wednesday for campaign night. He would pick me up, I would come down and jump on his bike, and we would go to hangout with his friends together. I always brought a book to read with me and looked forward to my weekly game night with the boys. At first, I could tell that my attendance wasn’t welcome, but over time, everyone seemed to come around.

I was wearing a pair of light washed jeans and a yellow sweater that I bought with my sign-on bonus from Kolbi. He recently brought me on as a full-time event planner for his company because he was hoping to expand into new markets after the start of the year. I gladly accepted the role and was honest with him that I planned to use my income to fund my own business one day. He told me he expected nothing less and would be proud to partner with me once I had it launched. I didn’t tell the others this, but Kolbi was my favorite.

The temperatures had dropped as December began and I was glad I had added another layer under my sweater. As Iapproached Hank, he stood from his bike and extended his arm towards me.

“There she is, mi hermosa?1,” he hummed, pulling me in and planting a kiss on my cheek. I smiled at him as I tucked my purse into the saddlebag of his bike.

“Hey there, soldier.” I slipped my arms into my riding jacket and waited for him to zip me up and snap the button under my chin. Then, I gently pulled my helmet over my face and tilted my chin up so he could affix the buckle.

“Hey,” he started, looking at me with a smile through the open visor on my helmet. “I just want you to know you’re the most beautiful girl in the world and I love you.”

“I love you too.” I smiled back. He slipped a finger into my helmet and touched my nose before tilting my head down to kiss the top of my helmet. This had become something he did before every ride together and I loved it. He carefully pulled the visor down and took his seat on his bike. Once he had his helmet on, I slipped in behind him and we took off for game night.

As I hugged my body to his, the air whipping around us as we maneuvered through the city, I realized just how safe I felt. The one undeniable thing about Hank is he always made me feel safe, no matter where we were. From the first time I saw him to the first time I spoke to him, he brought me a sense of peace and safety I hadn’t felt before meeting him.

He had helped mend me by just being himself and by letting me be me.

And for that, I would love him forever.

1 my beautiful girl

42

HANK

“Alright Tolith, don’t fuck this up man,” Malcolm barked at Conrad causing Kolbi to laugh.

We had been playing for several hours now and our campaign was getting heated. Kolbi spun a story that had us cornered by a monster and all Conrad needed to do was roll the right number to cast an enchantment and we would finally be able to beat him. If he fucked this up, it would be on me to salvage the fight. Conrad took the die into his hands, shook them, and tossed them across the board.

“God dammit, Tolith, you had one job,” Malcolm exclaimed, slapping his face with his hand. He looked at me now with intensity. “Alright, Auffroy, it’s all on you buddy. Don’t fuck this up like Tolith did and you will become my favorite friend.”

“Hey! I’m not the one who got us into this situation, need I remind you of that,Denis De Brey?” Conrad scoffed at Malcolm as I released a big belly laugh. He was right, the whole reason we were stuck in this battle in the first place was because of Malcolm and his big mouth.

“Alright boys, take a breath. Auffroy’s got this,” I assured them as I tossed the dice across the board. Both Malcolm and Conrad cheered as the die landed on the number we needed to win the battle. Kolbi started to spin the next part of our story and Malcolm and Conrad slapped me on the back.

“Nicely done, Auffroy.” Bailey had just walked into the dining room from the kitchen with her water and leaned over my shoulder. When her hand landed on my back, a warm heat started to grow in my core. I glanced up at her and smiled before she planted a soft kiss on my forehead.

“Not to be rude, but no philandering while in the middle of a battle please,” Conrad snipped from his seat. I rolled my eyes at him and flipped him the bird before tilting my head up towards her, silently asking for a kiss. She gave me what I wanted before standing up again.

“What’s the matter Conrad, you feeling left out? You want a kiss too?” she teased him, approaching him while making kissing noises. The guys erupted in laughter when Conrad’s face twisted up in pure disgust and pushed her away.

“No, thank you. I’m pretty sure Hanky boy would break my kneecaps if I laid anything but a finger on you.”

“You would be correct,” I confirmed, sulking playfully from across the table.

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