Page 124 of Obsessed by My Ex's Mafia Uncle

“Christine…” I call out like she can hear me.

But she doesn’t stop.

So I make her.

I pull out, engine roaring as I surge forward, cutting past her in one move before swinging the wheel hard.

The car angles in front of her and her brakes slam.

The sound tears through the air, rubber screaming against asphalt as the van jerks to a violent stop, smoke curling up from the tires.

I stop just ahead of her.

For half a second, nothing moves. Then her door flies open.

She’s out before I even fully step out of the car.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” She screams, the sound thundering through the empty road as she rushes toward the front of the van, her eyes scanning it like she expects to see damage bloom under her hands. “Are you insane?”

I step toward her.

“Are you…” She turns on me mid-sentence, fury blazing, her chest rising fast. “You could have wrecked my van!”

“I’ll buy you another one.” The words are out before I think and stop them.

It sounds wrong.

“Fuck off!” She shoves me, her palms hitting my chest with enough force to make me take a step back.

“Christine…”

“That’s exactly the problem.” She snaps. “You don’t ruin things and then throw money at them like that fixes anything.”

My hands come up before I think about it, closing the distance again, catching her face between my palms before she can step away.

“Christine…”

“Don’t…” She tries to pull back.

“I’m sorry.” I breathe against her face, the words urgent and raw. “I’m sorry.”

Her body goes still under my hands.

“I shouldn’t have said that,” I continue, my thumbs brushing lightly against her cheeks, grounding myself in the contact. “I shouldn’t have walked away. I had my reasons, my fears, but…”

I exhale deeply.

“But the longer I stay away…” My voice stutters. “The more I can’t.”

Her eyes search mine, anger and confusion fusing into frustration.

“I’m not good at this,” I admit, softer now. “Not anymore.”

I close the distance, slowly at first. Careful, like I'm giving her a second to stop me.

“Please?” My mouth finds hers, hovering. “Say something.” I press my lips against hers.

It is brief. Testing.