Page 75 of Before We Break

♫ So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings - Caroline Polachek

CLIO

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and I can’t see my feet. Leaves crunch underfoot. My muscles sting from the overstuffed box of art supplies I pilfered from my preschool room this morning—although it’s not really theft if you paid for the supplies yourself. I might’ve overcompensated, but I wasn’t sure how much we’d need.

Thanks to some jerk who decided to take up two parking spots, I had to park my car a block away from the apartment and walk all the way back with about fifteen pounds of fabric dye and a stack of white T-shirts.

“How many do we need to make?” I ask.

Lexi counts on her fingers, rattling off a list of names. “Twenty-four? No, wait. Twenty-five with Quinn.”

That’s right. I forgot Quinn took over as director for the musical theatre program this year. Honestly, I couldn’t think of a better person to do it. She has Broadway in her veins. Even her alarm clock plays Good Morning Baltimore.

As we approach the tattoo shop, Noah steps outside with Auggie.

“Perfect timing, Weston. I have a job for you.” I plop the box into his hands and shake out my arms. They feel like jelly and kind of floaty at the same time.

“Oof. What the hell is in here? More pennies?”

“Nope. I have to make twenty-five tie-dye shirts, and you just volunteered to help.”

“Like hell I did.”

“Come on, now, Sunshine. Any good fiancé would offer to help.”

He quirks a brow, giving me a crooked grin that does unholy things to my body. We agreed it was a one-time thing, but if he keeps looking at me like that, I wouldn’t mind making it a two, or even three, or several hundred times thing. Now that I know the heights Noah can make me soar to, I never want to come back down. Unfortunately, my feet are firmly planted on the concrete for the moment.

“What’s that?” A curious voice brings me back down to earth as Auggie hops in place, seemingly trying to get a look inside the box, and an idea strikes me.

I bend down to his level, bracing my hands on my thighs. “Hey, Auggie. Would you like to help Cici and Lexi make tie-dye shirts?”

He widens his stance and throws his fist in the air like a superhero. “Yes!” He turns his gaze on Noah, popping out his bottom lip. “Please, Uncle Noah… Can we?”

I cross my arms and puff out my chest. “Now you can’t say no.”

“Jesus fuck,” Noah mutters. “That was a dirty trick, princess.”

I dust off my hands in a satisfied gesture. “Good. Now that we have that settled, follow me.”

Noah steps into my path, halting my progress. “Whoa whoa whoa. Back up. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it in public, and it counts as one of our outings.”

“Fine. Then you can carry the box back to my car.”

He glances up and down the block a few times. “Where did you park? Neverland?”

“It’s not my fault! Some asshole is taking up two spots.” I point to the large black SUV that fucked up my day. “See?”

“Teddy Fucking Sinclair.”

Sure enough, the vanity plate reads SNCLR1.

“Come on. We’ll take my truck instead.” He shifts the box into one arm, his muscles flexing with the change of position. Holy mother of… Have his biceps always been that huge?

He pulls the keys out of his pocket and tosses them in the air, catching them one-handed. Why was that hot? It’s like a switch has flipped and now everything seems to trigger my sex drive. I thought it was more of a use it or lose it situation, but I was so wrong. As it turns out, it only takes one orgasm to awaken the dormant sex monster living inside of me—and she’s feral for Noah Weston.

Lexi helps Auggie into his car seat then squeezes in next to him. I take the front passenger seat as Noah slides in behind the wheel, having already set the box in the truck bed.

He drives us over to the park, pulling into the lot beside an empty pavilion with picnic tables. His eyes cut to me. “Stay there.”