Page 180 of Did They Break You

“Let me take care of you? Give you everything you could ever want?”

I can barely breathe as he pushes further into me, but he holds back, waiting for an answer.

He leans down close, his nose aligned with mine. “Let me be the one to give you a real family? Let me show you what love is by making youall mine?”

The words are lodged in my throat. The answer. What I desperately want. Need. But I can’t say it.

I can’t say anything.

He brushes his lips against mine, nibbling the bottom one, pulling it between us until it’s painful. “Give me an answer, baby.”

I want to.I want to.

He pushes further into me and I cry out against his mouth.

He runs his bottom lip over mine. “Answer me, Remi.”

“Yes,” I finally say, giving in. “Yes, Cortland.Yes.”

Then he sinks all the way in, giving us both what we need as I gasp, wrapping my legs around his muscled torso, his brow pressed to mine as he groans.

And when he comes inside of me again, collapses on top of me, sweaty and breathing hard as he rolls us over, holding me to his chest and pulling a blanket up as we come apart, I can’t stop thinking about his words.

Let me be the one to give you a real family. Let me show you what love is.

I fall asleep to that thought, wrapped up in his arms.

CHAPTER

FORTY-NINE

CORTLAND

I can’t stop thinking about you.

My baby

I’m hard to forget.

I roll my eyes,sitting at the kitchen table, thinking about dropping Remi off yesterday evening. I wanted her here with me, but she needed to talk to Sloane. Then Brinklin let me know Chase still isn’t back on campus, I haven’t heard shit from Maya even though I’ve seen her at every game. I have a bad feeling about all of it.

After Remi forced me to listen to every Dermot fucking Kennedy song under the sun on the drive back and sitting idling in her parking lot, I let her go.

I don’t give much of a fuck anymore what she does or doesn’t tell Sloane, but Chase doesn’t know where her dorm is. He knows where my house is. It’s safer for now if she isn’t here.

That ass is hard to forget.

My baby

So I’ve heard.

I press my knuckles to my mouth, smiling despite myself.Come on, Rems, give me something.She’s so fucking feisty, hard and soft all at once…I think I’m falling in love with her.

You wanna know something, baby?

Tell me.

I think you’ve got me wrapped around your little finger.

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