Page 65 of Corrupted Lies

“Because this is embarrassing enough, I don’t want to keep proving to my best friend over and over again that I am truly broken.”

Hearing her call him her best friend rankled in a way it never had before. It was true, of course, and he didn't want that to change, and yet at the same time, he would never have offered this if he didn't want something to change.

Tears shimmered in Alannah’s eyes. Combined with the glow of the fire, it made them seem like pools of pure gold. That was exactly how he saw this woman, as a precious metal who deserved everything good in the world. It wasn't that she wasn't good enough for her parents, it was that they had never deserved her. She was too good for them. Too good for him.

“No, sunshine,” he said firmly as he moved so he completely covered her. While he made sure he didn't crush her with his much bigger body, he did allow a little of his weight to press onto her, reminding her in every way he could that she wasn't alone. He was right there, and he wanted to help her overcome the burdens her parents had unfairly saddled her with.

Wide eyes looked up at him and she sucked in a breath at his proximity. There was no way for him to hide the evidence of how beautiful he saw her, how turned on he was watching her as pleasure built inside her, it was nestled between her legs, and if she was willing to try again, he’d do everything he could to give her what she deserved no matter how hard it made him.

“You are not broken. Say it.”

Those wide eyes seemed to somehow widen further. “S-say it?”

“You heard me. Tell me. Tell me everything amazing about you, how you are the complete opposite of broken.”

“I'm … I don’t … what am I supposed to say?”

Balancing his weight with one arm, his hand claimed one of her breasts, tweaking the nipple and making it pebble. “Tell me how beautiful you are, inside and out. Tell me how smart you are, building an entire business on your own. Tell me how much you care for people, that you volunteer at the homeless shelter, that you donate to charities, that you’ve given people the shirt off your back because they needed it more than you.”

“Wh-what does that have to do with anything?”

“How could a woman who does all those things be broken. You are not what your parents tried to make you. They tried to crush you, but you were too strong for that. All you have to do is finally believe once and for all that everything they said about you, to you, it’s all untrue. Lies. Can we try again?”

Her tongue dipped out and dragged along her bottom lip, making him groan. At the sound, a small smile quirked up the corners of her mouth. “We can try again.”

“Can I make love to you, sunshine? I'm clean, never gone bare before, and I think you're on birth control.” That hadn't been his original plan, he’d thought his mouth and fingers would be enough, but she needed to feel all of him so there could be no doubt how hard she made him.

“Y-you want t-to?”

Annoyed that she asked it like there was any doubt, he shifted so he could grind his erection against her bare center, making her gasp. “Any doubts about that?”

When she shook her head, he raised an eyebrow at her, silently asking for an answer to his question. He could tell she was considering it, but he had no clue what her answer was going to be until she gave a small nod.

“Words, sunshine.” The only way they were doing this was if she gave her express permission.

“Okay. I'm clean and I am on birth control. I want you to … make love to me.”

Shoving down his pants, he didn't hesitate. Alannah was already wet, ready for him, and the more time he gave her to think, the more she was going to try to talk herself out of this. One thrust was all it took to bury himself deep inside her, and she gasped as he filled her.

“Look at me,” he ordered. She needed to see that this was him, see the truth in his eyes, know that he didn't think she was broken. Dinted and damaged, yes, but never broken. Honestly, Jake didn't even think it was possible to break this woman. She was too damn strong for that. Even after everything she’d been through over the last several days, she was still there, trusting him in the most intimate of ways.

Her big, golden-brown eyes locked onto his, and he allowed everything he felt for her, all the admiration and awe, to shine through.

Reaching between them, he took her bud between his thumb and forefinger and rolled it, making her moan, her internal muscles quivering around him.

“Say it,” he ordered.

“Say what?”

“That you're not broken. That there is nothing wrong with you. That you're holding yourself back, preventing yourself from feeling the pleasure you deserve, that you were never what your parents told you you were.”

“I-I'm not b-broken.”

“Like you mean it this time.” No longer holding himself still, he rocked his hips, pulling back and then thrusting into her again. “You.” Thrust. “Are.” Thrust. “Not.” Thrust. “Broken. Say it.”

“I'm not broken,” she said, stronger this time.

“Again.” Jake picked up the pace, thrusting harder, faster, his fingers working her bundle of nerves with every single one.

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