Page 69 of Lessons in Heartbreak

“Oh, wow,” she breathed against my lips. “Can we do that again?”

I laughed, devouring every detail of her expression, a soft, tender feeling growing big and scary under my ribs. “Liked that, did you?”

She hummed, her gaze drowsy as it lingered over my face. Her hand cradled my jaw, her thumb tracing the bottom edge of my lip, and I nipped at her finger, sucking it briefly into my mouth and biting down on the fleshy pad with my teeth.

Her smile was fucking incandescent, and maybe it was some hidden poetic side of me coming out, but I felt it echo in my chest. Felt it soak into my bones.

Because I wanted to, I leaned forward to kiss her again, a little bit sweeter this time. I held her face with my other hand and let my fingers trace over the line of her cheekbone and jaw while we kissed lazily.

She wasn’t pulling back this time, and even though this wasn’t the place to take whatever this was any further, I wasn’t in a rush to disappear either. I just wanted more.

How much would she be willing to give me? This cagey little bird who held herself so separate, held herself back. My fingers moved from her face, coasting over her shoulder to trace the line of her arm as she smiled softly, her eyes closed.

“Don’t fall asleep like that,” I teased.

Her lips lifted at the edges and she hummed. “No promises. I don’t even remember my name right now.”

“Ahhh. The best side effect of a really good orgasm.” I fitted her bottom lip between mine and sucked lightly, applying the same treatment to the top lip. Her tongue snuck out to brush the seam of my mouth, and I opened with a low groan, tilting my head to allow her to deepen the kiss. Everything was slower now, but still, my restraint was holding on by a single fraying thread.

Ruby rocked her hips restlessly, her eyes flying open when she felt how hard I still was. “Oh.”

I grinned. “Oh.”

She huffed, but her mouth spread in a happy smile. “You can’t go out like that. You’ll scare the children.”

“You gonna help me with it, birdy?” I nipped at her lips. “Use your hand and let me make you a little messy?”

Her exhale was shaky, her eyes direct. “Do you want that?”

“Oh, I want all sorts of things,” I told her, keeping my tone light. My fingers tightened on the curve of her waist, pressing for a moment against the line of her ribs under the skin. “More than anything, I want you in a bed, pretty girl.”

Her eyes searched mine. “Really?”

I rocked my hips against her, and her eyes fluttered shut. “That feel real to you?”

Ruby swallowed audibly, tilting her head back again. “Griffin, it feels amazing.”

That was all it took; I couldn’t imagine setting her back down. There was no letting her go. Maybe a bed was overrated. Maybe half-clothed wall sex was exactly what we needed in our lives. There was plenty of time for beds later.

I dipped my head down to suck at her shoulder again, tonguing the strap of her bra. I dragged my nose along her clavicle, inhaling the sweet, soft scent of her until I encountered the balled-up shirt of mine still trapped between us.

I smiled, reaching up carefully to pull it aside so I could lick along the line of her bra.

As I tugged on the edge of the shirt, Ruby’s entire body froze, just as my eyes locked in on the center of her chest.

When they did, there was a sharp crack of silence, a resounding vacuum of noiseless shock as the air was sucked from the building.

“What the fuck?” I breathed, my head rearing back as I stared slack-jawed at the rough-edged, pinkish-white scar that ran down the entire length of her sternum. It had to be close to six inches long, given where it started and where it disappeared under her bra. My entire chest was caving in. “What happened to you?”

Ruby pushed at my chest, untangling her legs from around my waist. “Put me down,” she said, frantically trying to create space between our bodies. “Oh God. I’m sorry. Please put me down.”

“Why are you sorry?” I held my hands out, wanting to soothe her obvious agitation but unsure if she’d welcome my touch. “Ruby, what is that?”

Her whole body was trembling, her hands again clutching the shirt. “I have to go.”

“No, wait,” I said, reaching out and laying a gentle hand on her arm. She froze. “Please just tell me something.Anything.”

Ruby was sucking in short, panting breaths, her cheeks splotched with red and her eyes filled with tears. One slipped down her cheek as she fumbled with the shirt, and I almost fell to my knees.

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