Page 73 of Beautifully Broken Control

I didn’t give a fuck about morning breath. I wanted her lips. Having a taste of her had only made the cravings worse. I dove in, taking her mouth with no apologies. Slipping my tongue inside, stroking, teasing, demanding. When I released Kennedy, she looked a little dazed. “How’s that for morning breath?”

She grinned. “I guess I don’t mind it so much, after all.”

“Good.” I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “What do you want to do today? MoreMurder, She Wrote,or are you going to cheat your way to victory in Monopoly again?”

Kennedy rolled her eyes. “Who knew you were such a sore loser?” I nipped at her earlobe, and she squealed. “Okay, okay, I promise not to embarrass you in Monopoly again.” She paused, pressing her lips together briefly. “I was actually thinking it might be nice to get out of the house a bit. Maybe go into town. Do you know if Walker got my bike when he picked up your car? I need to take it to a bike shop and see what happened to the brakes.”

I stiffened. That damn bike. I wanted to run it over with my SUV.

“What? You just got all scowly.”

“I don’t want you riding that damn bike.”

Kennedy pushed up in bed, the oversized t-shirt she wore slipping off one shoulder. “Excuse me?”

“It’s a death-trap. You could’ve been killed.”

“Which is why I want to take it to a bike shop and have someone look it over. They’ll know what went wrong.”

I ran a hand through my hair as I pushed up against the pillows. “Even if they can fix it, it’s not safe.”

“Cain, you’re being ridiculous. People ride bikes all the time. I had an accident. That’s all.”

I turned to face Kennedy. Her auburn hair was in wild disarray from sleep, her green eyes flashing. Nothing could happen to her. “I need you safe.”

Kennedy’s expression softened, and she scooted closer to me, placing both palms on my chest. “I am safe. What is this really about?”

My chest tightened. “You know what it’s about.”

“But can you tell me a little more? So I can understand better?”

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but I just couldn’t. The idea of recounting every painful detail of Kiara’s death was too much. I couldn’t do it. I’d never actually had to say the words before. Walker and Tuck had been with me when I’d gotten the call, they’d spoken directly to the police. And they had been the ones to bring Dr. Murphy up to speed when I’d started seeing him. We’d talked about Kiara, sure, what had happened, but I’d never had to tell the tale from beginning to end. I never wanted to. Something about saying the words aloud made me fear I would break.

I swallowed against the cracking dryness in my throat. “I can’t talk about it. I’m sorry. I know that’s not fair. I just—I can’t.”

Kennedy pulled her knees up to her chest and curled into herself. “It’s okay. You don’t have to. I’m here whenever you’re ready.” There was a hint of hurt in her tone, one that had me kicking myself. She deserved more. I would give her everything I had to offer, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to give her this.

I pressed my lips to the crown of her head. “Thank you.”

We were quiet for a while, both lost in our own thoughts. My phone buzzed on the nightstand. I reached over and picked it up. It was a text from my assistant.

Rachel:Health insurance for Kennedy Charles is all set up. I’ll have them send the card directly to you.

I typed out a quick reply.

Me:Thanks. I appreciate you moving so quickly on this.

Rachel:Whatever you need.

“Is that Walker?” Kennedy asked, pushing off my chest.

I cleared my throat. “Um, no. It was my assistant. I asked her to get some health insurance set up for you—”

“What?”

I let out a little cough. This would not be good. “I had her set up some health insurance for you.”

That fire was back in Kennedy’s eyes. “I appreciate that you covered my hospital bill, but I will be paying you back for that. It might take me a while, but I’ll do it.” Like hell, she was. “But I didn’t ask you to get me health insurance. I don’t want you to get me health insurance. I already talked to Jensen about getting me an affordable plan through the Kettle so I’m covered in emergency situations.”

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