Page 89 of The Promises We Break

“Ember—” A warning or a plea?

I’m going with a plea.

I continue long languid strokes, feeling his body tense with each one. His chest heaves with shorter but heavier breaths. I love teasing him, edging him, making him earn his orgasm, but right now, I want him to completely fall apart and allow it all to happen naturally.

I know he thinks I’m going to stop, since I usually do, but I keep going. I pick up the pace, and my grip tightens around his cock.

The hand resting on the armrest clutches the corner, his knuckles whiten at the intensity of his grip. The same for the hand that’s resting behind my back. He moves lower and grabs the side of my hip, like he needs it to hold him down.

“Ember… Ember. Stop.” He glances down at me with wide eyes and a warning.

“Eyes on me, baby,” I say with a smirk, feeding him the same statement he has fed to me when I’m out of control. I crane my neck, stretching it so my lips graze over his parted ones.

From the outside, we look like a loving couple cuddlingunder a blanket, kissing each other softly. In reality, this man is about to lose all control and explode all over my hand, a secret only we know, just like everything else we’ve done since we’ve becomeus.

“Come for me and don’t take your eyes away from mine,” I tell him, as his lids flutter over his midnight-colored orbs, every stroke pooling them deeper with need. But he listens, his gaze never strays. Releasing his grip on the armrest, he cups my cheek, pulling my forehead to his, whispering over my lips.

“Fuck, fuck, goddammit. What the hell are you doing to me?” His breath hitches. “Fuck, I’m gonna come,” he grits, as silently as possible, through his teeth. My hair falls over the side of my face, and his fingers wrap around the strands, using them to pull himself even closer to me.

God, this is so sexy, watching him lose control and fall apart. All for me.

A growl leaves his chest, sending lightning bolts to my core. His hips buck and his cock throbs in my hand, then cum spills into my hand and drenches the pocket of fabric blanketing him.

Forcing him to hold back his moans, but keeping his eyes on mine, is the sexiest thing I’ve ever witnessed. His body, desperate and hiding, while his eyes tell me everything.

He told me he loved me last night. I remember it vividly, as clear as the lust in his eyes right now. I’ve tried to ignore what he confessed because there was a chance he said it out of pity. Out of obligation or guilt. Just to make me feel better in a shitty situation.

But the look in his eyes now, as they strip away all my reservations of whatever this is we have.

I feel naked.

Everything is so raw, so real, and there is no faking the pain behind his eyes.

He loves me.

It scares the shit out of me.

And he knows it.

44

HUDSON

“How was your time with Ember’s family?” Coach asks, as we retreat to the locker room from the field.

“I gotta be honest. They are total shit people, Coach. I’m shocked that someone as amazing as Ember could come from the family that I visited this weekend,” I tell Coach as I remove my hat and run my fingers through my hair.

As of yesterday, her brothers still haven’t reached out, and neither have her so-called friends. The rage I feel about how all of that went down has been weighing on me since the moment we left.

I didn’t do enough damage to Robert Riley when I had the chance. A fleeting thought that I haven’t been able to get over, causing moments of regret. Although I know there is nothing I can do physically to hurt him enough to do the sort of destruction I dream about.

So, instead, I have Seamus digging into him. Because what are best friends with Top Secret security clearance for?

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I hope she’s found a family in us. We sure have found one in you guys.” My eyebrows hit myhairline as my neck jerks back with the sincerity behind his comment.

“She has, sir. We both have.” A lie and a truth. I have. I have found a home in her and with my team. I can’t, with certainty, say she feels the same. My chest tightens at the thought.

If I’ve learned anything about her, it’s that she strives for something I don’t know that I can ever give her. She’s been dying to prove herself to her parents for so many years. After last weekend, I can only imagine now she feels like she has completely lost her identity. Knowing she doesn’t have to impress anyone but herself. She finally has full control of her life and doesn’t need to let anyone’s approval allow her to make her decisions.

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