Page 41 of Break Me Not

“I'm sorry I⁠—”

“You don't need to be sorry. He’s the one who should be sorry. He’s acting irrationally. Like a child. And, unfortunately, you're the one who gets the brunt of it. I messed up. I should've had people waiting there. We will not make that mistake again.”

I shook my head, but I couldn't push her away. I didn't want to. Her warmth was seeping into me.

How long has it been since someone touched me this gently?

“But it's never going to end, is it?”

Her face twisted. “It will if I have anything to say about it.”

My eyes took in her face. Her dark hair. Her sincere eyes. The tattoos that littered her skin.

She was so goddamn handsome. And it just made me all the angrier.

“Why did you buy me? Why didn't you tell me who you were?” My voice cracked at the end.

Why did you give me the best night of my life if you knew it wasn’t going anywhere?

I wanted more. I wanted her.

And part of me… blamed her for making me want. I'd gone so long without feeling… this.

The need for her was pushing me off balance. Maybe if she weren’t involved in this now and I didn't have the threat of my daughter finding out hanging over my head, I would actually be able to handle this.

But it was all too much.

Her mask cracked for a moment.

“Liz, I… It was a mistake not to tell you. But trust me when I say that you are the most gorgeous woman I've ever met. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I don't want you to think this was some… impulsive decision for me. It was selfish, but not impulsive.”

Her words only stoked the fire inside me.

My breath caught.

“Is that it? I'm hot?”

Her lips twisted into a smile.

“You’re beyond hot. You're my dream girl. You know what you want, and you're not afraid to take it. You're kind. You care for your daughter and for your workers. You’re a fucking badass. And even in the face of these horrible things, you're still holding on, and you still have a smile for everyone around you. You’re selfless. And I have a feeling no one has ever told you so.” She slowly started getting on her knees. “Or shown you. Will you let me make it up to you, Mommy?”

“I'm not selfless,” I whispered as my hand found her hair.

“You are,” she said, and let her hands roam up the side of my thighs. “Let me be selfish for both of us.”

She looked so pretty on her knees for me. I couldn't deny how much I wanted her. And I couldn't deny how fake the life around me had seemed until now. How this was exactly what I'd always wanted.

So why couldn't I have it?

I deserve this. After everything. I can take a little bit of this and be selfish, right?

She must have seen the hesitation in my face because she got up.

“Sorry. It’s too much, isn’t it? It’s late. I’ll leave you⁠—”

“Jax.”

She took in a sharp breath. I looked up to meet her gaze, but instead of the need-filled one I expected, there was understanding and… regret?