Page 108 of Break Me Not

Her hands tangled in my hair, and I picked her up, grabbing her by the back of her thighs and forcing her legs around me.

“Oh thank God. You’re home. You’re home.”

“I missed you so much," I said against her mouth. I couldn't even see where we were going, and my memory of my apartment was shot, thanks to my Liz-filled thoughts.

I pushed her against the nearest wall and pulled away just to look at her. One hand caressed her face, and I ran my thumb across a cheek just as she looked up at me with those beautiful brown eyes I’d dreamed of every single night we'd been apart.

“I've been waiting for this,” I whispered. “Every day. Every moment. You were all I thought about. Why… why didn't you visit me?”

Her face dropped as tears welled in her eyes.

“There's so much I need to tell you," she said, her voice cracking. “I wanted to come, but I was… busy. Claire and I have been taking turns with your mother. She’s had more good days than bad. You’ll be happy to see her. I also got her moved to a room that overlooks the garden, and it seemed to help. Your team has not so sneakily been getting me to run point on some things, but don’t worry—I set them straight. And with Trevor… Well, have you seen the video?”

I nodded just before my hand gently slid down to her throat. I was so grateful for her. I had no idea she was behind the scenes doing all this, especially for my mother. But that bastard… A burst of anger ran through me when I saw the bruise that hadn’t quite healed yet.

“I'm going to kill him for what he did.”

Liz smirked.

“Well, I appreciate the thought, but… I just came back from the courthouse, and I have one more interesting video. Do you want to see it?”

I didn't know where this was going, but I set her down anyway and watched as she went into my room and came back out with a tablet.

She came up to me and took my hand, bringing me to the couch. When I sat down, she started playing the video on the tablet, and anger soon turned to outrageous laughter.

Because there was a girl hitting her ex in the face and then in the back… with a shovel.

Wait. I know that girl…

“I staged it,” she said in an excited whisper. “My friend Andy came to help. With Sloan's help, we faked text messages between me and him, which led me to texting my friend saying that I felt like I was in danger and asking her to come. Usually, this wouldn't hold up in court, but the public pressure was a lot, and we were able to settle.”

Reckless. Just like when she’d driven to that asshole's house to give him a piece of her mind. Maybe this had been brewing for a long time, and when I was gone and unable to stop her recklessness, she went ahead and did it.

But I couldn't fault her for it.

Pride grew in my chest as my eyes fell to her throat. “But you still got hurt.”

She waved me off. “I also burned down the house.”

And then it clicked. “He pleaded guilty to everything, didn't he?”

She nodded and sat up on the couch, excited to share everything.

“Of course this wouldn't hold up in court enough for a conviction, but they did get a little scared, so we used it as a bargaining chip, as well as the video the team had of his car driving away from the scene of the window breaking at the gallery. We said we would forgo the violence charges as long as he got tried for violating his restraining order and vandalism, including arson for burning down the gallery.”

I pushed our faces together, my nose brushing against hers.

“I didn't know you had it in you,” I purred. “It kind of turns me on.”

Her smile widened and she took the tablet out of my hands so she could straddle my lap.

“How about you show Mommy how much you missed her then?”

Liz

“My Liz,” she whispered as she laid me down on her bed.

Her movements were so slow. So deliberate. Every brush of her fingertips against my sensitive skin had me shivering under her touch.