Page 80 of Fragile Hearts

“Hmmm,” she mumbles sleepily as she burrows her face into my neck, her lips resting against my skin.

Chuckling, I drop another kiss on the top of her head. “Hmmm?” I repeat. “That’s all I’m getting, is hmmm?”

Sloane lets out a soft laugh, lifting her head from my shoulder. “Sorry, that sounds good,” she says, smiling at me.

I brush the hair back from her face, tucking some loose strands behind her ear. “How are you doing?” I ask her. I’ve been trying not to ask her this too much, not wanting to pressure her. I want her to know that I’m here and she can talk to me whenever she wants, but that I also respect her privacy.

She tilts her head a little, as though she’s thinking about her answer. I twist strands of her long blonde hair slowly around my fingers while she does, until eventually she says, “I’m good.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes,” she confirms. “It feels good having said what I said. I don’t know if she believed me or if she’ll listen, but I’m glad I said it.” She smiles at that, and I return it, brushing my thumb across her cheekbone. “And maybe she did get the message because I haven’t heard from her since, so...”

“You think she’s left?” I ask, wondering where the hell she would even go. Maui isn’t that big, and I kind of get the feeling if she was hanging around, we’d somehow know about it. Although I guess Sloane didn’t really ever know where she went every other time she left.

“I don’t know, maybe,” she says, shrugging. “Is it bad that I hope she has?”

“Absolutely not,” I say, leaning up to kiss her. “You are allowed to feel these things, Sloane. It doesn’t make you a bad person.”

“I know,” she replies. “It’s just...I don’t know, hard, you know?”

“I get that, babe, but this will get easier, and I’m here, always.”

She smiles now, and for the first time since her mom showed up, her smile actually reaches her eyes. “Thank you, Owen,” she says quietly. “I don’t think anyone has ever had my back like you have.”

Chuckling, I lean up and press another kiss to her lips, my hand curling around the back of her neck as I bring her back down to the pillow with me. “Babe, I’ve got your back, your front, your sides, every fucking part of you, okay? Don’t ever forget that.” She giggles at that, and it’s fucking adorable. “Should we get up?” I now ask.

“Hmmm,” she says, a sexy smirk on her face.

“Hmmm?” I repeat.

Grinning, she leans in, pressing several quick kisses to my lips. “Pretty sure there’s something else we could do first,” she whispers, nipping playfully at my bottom lip.

“Is there?”

Sloane shuffles so she’s lying on top of me now, her fingers combing through my hair, my already hard dick pressed against her. “Yes,” she murmurs, leaning in to kiss me again, deeper this time.

“OH MY GOD, it’s so good to see you!” Alana yells as she comes running toward me and Sloane.

I let go of Sloane’s hand, laughing as Alana throws her arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug, the two of them rocking together.

Flynn and I look at each other, and he laughs, rolling his eyes, before we clap hands, and he says, “Hey, how’s it going?”

“Good, good,” I reply with a laugh. “How was California?” I ask as we sit down at the table they were at out on the deck of the restaurant overlooking the water.

“Awesome,” Flynn replies, glancing over at Alana. “She kicked some serious arse.”

“And you?” I ask as the girls walk over and join us.

Flynn shrugs. “Yeah, did pretty good,” he replies as Alana scoffs, elbowing him in the side as she sits down beside him.

“Pretty good?” she repeats. “’Cause a second and a third place after, like, what, three years off surfing, is pretty good?” she says, air quoting the last two words.

Flynn laughs, throwing his arm around Alana’s shoulders as he pulls her close, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Okay, babe, it was very good.”

Alana rolls her eyes even as she nods in agreement before turning back to me and Sloane, a big smile on her face. “So what’s been happening with you guys?” she asks. “I mean apart from the whole being in love thing?”

I laugh as Sloane shakes her head at her friend before saying, “We went to the opening of Owen’s family’s new hotel.”

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