Page 161 of Before We Break

I step up behind her and band my arms around her waist, soaking in her warmth. “How was your day?”

She leans back against me and sighs. “Exhausting, but better now.”

Nugget, our adopted corgi mix, yips as Auggie tosses a handful of leaves into the air. Lexi rakes more leaves into a large pile and tosses Auggie into them as he howls with laughter. Not to be outdone, Nugget starts rolling around in the pile, too.

I can’t believe I almost missed out on this.

“Is it everything you ever hoped it would be?” I ask her.

“No. It’s so much better.”

EPILOGUE

♫ Iris - Goo Goo Dolls

CLIO

“We finally have the night to ourselves. What will we do with our time?” Noah’s voice carries out of the walk-in closet as I stand poised and waiting for him to notice me at the foot of our bed in nothing but a silk robe.

When he finally comes out in his low-slung sweatpants and his cropped tee, still towel-drying his hair from his shower, he stops short. “What are you doing, princess?”

“Something I’ve been thinking about for a long time.” My pulse picks up as I pull on the tie and let the silky fabric drop to the floor.

His heated gaze roams over every inch of my naked body from the tips of my painted toes to the freckles he loves to count, and my skin prickles.

I give him a teasing smirk as our eyes lock. “I want you to paint me like one of your French girls.”

A low chuckle reverberates through him, and that smile I’ve come to love so much makes my stomach flutter. I hope it’s always like this. I never want to lose that flutter.

“Mm. Tempting, but I don’t have the heart of the ocean on hand.”

“That’s a shame. Maybe I’ll find someone else.”

He prowls toward me, his large palms bracketing my hips. “Nobody gets to see you like this. Only me.”

Before I have time to register what’s happening, he’s tossing me onto the middle of the bed, all of my wiggly bits bouncing with the movement. I’m surprised my nipple doesn’t take an eye out.

“Hey! Warn a girl next time. These things could be registered as deadly weapons.” I cradle my boobs, pushing them up with my forearm, and Noah tracks the movement.

“Fucking hell. Who needs the heart of the ocean when you have those pretty jewels in your perfect tits.”

Ever since Gwen mentioned piercing my nipples, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. It took some convincing, but Noah and Gwen each took a side, and it was over quickly. They’re finally healed, and there’s something so empowering about them.

“I changed them just for you. They match your eyes.”

“Fuck, baby. If you want me to do this, you’re going to have to stop saying romantic shit like that.”

“It’s our anniversary. There’s no better time for romance.”

It’s been two years since we signed the contract, and the healed version of me that exists today couldn’t have ever imagined this would be the outcome, but I wouldn’t change our journey. Well… maybe one or two stops along the way.

I lie on my side with one arm draped above my head and my hand resting near my cheek, just like the movie.

Noah’s gaze stays fixed on me as he drags a chair closer to the side of the bed and settles in it with a sketchpad and pencil. “I can think of a hundred other things we could be doing right now. All of them are a lot more fun than this.”

I squirm at the gruff edge to his voice, but I won’t be deterred. “Be a good boy, and maybe I’ll reward you when it’s done.”

He shifts in his seat, groaning like he’s in pain.