Page 509 of Coal Hearts

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VICTOR MARCHED AROUND WITH HIS hands in the pockets of his black slacks, looking like a furious headmaster. The ballroom echoed with his terse sentences while he scolded us. Every Master had been summoned to partake in breakfast and be witness to the winner of Emerald Bruises.

I swallowed another mouthful of bitter coffee.

The beans had been roasted to perfection. The frothed milk silky and creamy, yet it tasted like dirt thanks to her.

My nightmare.

Il—

Nope.

Still couldn’t say it.

Memories of last night refused to leave me alone.

I couldn’t decide which had broken me the worst.

Her name.

My nickname.

Her tears.

Her initiating sex.

Her asking me to play along with her...

The way she kissed—

Fuck.

My throat closed up.

She’d destroyed me.

Utterly and spectacularly destroyed me.

You know what broke you the most.

I strangled my coffee cup.

Don’t, Ri.

Don’t—

The memory of her touch.

The heat of her closeness.

The exquisite sensation of hugging her—

Too late.

My cock reacted. My heart thundered. The urge to hug her again poured hotly down my weary, achy arms.

Adrenaline and anxiety, greed and gratitude all soaked my system, and my knees trembled beneath the table.