Page 78 of Before We Break

I press my fingers to the underside of her jaw, angling her face upward. A bewildered expression flickers across her features as my mouth descends, but the stunning vision is lost to darkness as my eyes drift shut.

She whimpers against my lips, her fingers twisting in the front of my shirt, as my tongue sweeps into her mouth, tasting and teasing in a way that’s far too indecent for public consumption.

I don’t care.

Whatever rumors were swirling about the truth of our relationship are about to be put to bed once and for all. This kiss is nothing short of a claiming. Deliberate. Measured.

And yet…

My control slips away with each passing second, the world around us dissolving as my senses home in on each point of contact: her hand on my chest, my palm cradling her jaw, our tongues licking and flicking, and her teeth raking against my bottom lip.

My cock hardens, and by some miracle, I summon the strength to pull away.

“What was that for?” she asks on a long-suffering sigh.

I study her flushed cheeks and kiss-swollen lips, admiring the aftermath. As if they have a will of their own, my fingers coast down the side of her face, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “Can’t a man kiss his fiancée?”

She shoots me a withering look before cautiously sweeping the area, causing my hand to drop. Sometime between the decision to kiss her and the kiss itself, Jeff’s path diverted to a nearby park bench where he’s sipping his coffee. He doesn’t seem to have noticed or cared about the public display.

I can’t say the same for everyone else in the vicinity. We have at least six sets of eyes on us now, two belonging to Janet and Milton a few feet away, chattering in a hushed tone.

Clio’s head tips back and she nods once jerkily, her lips pursed to the side. “Ah. I get it.”

Is she… disappointed?

Seconds later, her smile is back in place like it never left, and she stands, carefully stacking the shirts back in the empty bin. “I should get these home. They have to dry for twenty-four hours before I can unwrap them.”

My hands curl into fists as I wrestle with my conscience. There are a million reasons why I shouldn’t have kissed her and only one reason I did it anyway.

I wanted to.

I could continue to lie to myself and say it was for the ruse, but what’s the point? In the end, it doesn’t matter what the reasoning was; it only matters that I can’t fucking do it again, no matter how much I want to bury myself inside of her and never let go.

TWENTY-ONE

THE GODFATHER

♫ Falling For You - Colbie Caillat

CLIO

I slump into a chair near the window at Catalano’s Deli, surrounded by the glorious scent of freshly baked bread. My stomach rumbles in anticipation of the best grilled cheese in Kentucky.

Literally. There’s a plaque on the wall and everything.

I prop my elbows on the table and eye the display case full of beautiful sourdough and focaccia as a stunning blonde with two braids down her back swipes a cloth over the menu board, wiping away the old illustration of the day’s specials. I think her name is Catherine. I’ve seen her around town a few times, but we’ve never been formally introduced.

Once the board is dry, she reaches for a piece of white chalk and outlines the general shape of an Italian sub, complete with steam lines wafting off the top.

Ben steps out of the kitchen in his apron, arms crossed over his chest. “It’s Tuesday,” he says, as if she should understand what that means.

Apparently, she does, because she throws her head back and whines. “I quit. Stick a fork in me. I’m done.”

Ben’s mouth tips up at one corner, highlighting a dimple in his right cheek. “You say that at least once a week.”

“I mean it this time, Ben Catalano.”

“Sure, Caity bug. I believe you.”