Unbroken

She rested her hands on his shoulders, squeezing them. “I’m here, you know. I’ll keep your secrets safe, like I keep my flowers safe in my pocket.”

His breaths slowed as emotion surged in him, making his throat bob. “I know, Skye.”

“You do?” she prodded gently. “Because I see you talking to Hunter, and I can tell you guys say a lot of stuff to each other that you don’t want me to hear. I know you don’t want to stress me out, and I think that’s sweet, but…I can shoulder your burdens, too, the same way Hunter does.”

He nodded slowly, letting her words sink in. “I want that,” he replied, and he was telling the truth. He wanted that more than anything—

There was no way he could talk to her about what went on, though.

She could never know.

Skye ran her hand through his hair, and he shut his eyes for a second as she brushed her nails along his scalp. “I like you looking grungy.”

“I like being someone else,” he admitted, staring at her.

“You’re always Leo, no matter how you dress.”

“Not what I meant.”

“That’s right,” she replied, teasing. “You wanted to run away.”

He ran his teeth over his bottom lip, musing. “Only if you and Hunt are with me.”

“I’m not smart enough to make it out there,” she replied, tracing circles along his chest now. “Brown Bay is all I know.”

“Don’t play it safe,” he told her then, gravely. “Never stick to something just because it’s easy. You can do anything, Skye.”

She didn’t look like she believed him, but she smiled anyway. “Thanks for believing in me, Leo.”

He tried to smile, but he found he couldn’t. Her hand returned to his head, running through his hair in that spine-tingling way. He made a sound in the back of his throat, all senses focused on her touch as she brushed her nails down the back of his head, squeezing behind his neck. He felt her draw closer, and his body tightened as she brushed her nose along his. He felt her breaths against his mouth, and he felt his lips parting.

His arms tightened around her as she kissed his mouth slowly. The bottom lip, and then the top, and then she brushed her lips along both. He remained unmoving; his breath held in his lungs as she kissed him again. His blood roared in his ears, drowning out the rain until he could only hear the violent thumps of his pulse. He kissed her back slowly, and she made a light sound in the back of her throat—a sound that he would never forget.

“Skye,” he whispered achingly as she pulled away. “Please, more.”

Her breaths came out hesitantly. “It wouldn’t be fair on Hunter—”

“So then make it fair on him later,” he cut in, his voice besotted with need. He didn’t care about fairness, didn’t care about what would come after this—he just cared aboutnow. “More,Skye.”

She kissed him again, lightly, waiting for him to take control.

But he liked it soft. He liked to hear her breath hitch, to feel her body tighten, to feel her pulse pound as he held her wrist, anchoring her to him.

“It feels so good,” he groaned. “Your lips are so soft, Skye…”

He wondered if she was soft everywhere else.

She shivered in his arms, his words getting through to her, making her sink her nails into his shoulders.

When he pulled away, his heart jumped at how pillowy her lips looked. Unbridled satisfaction blossomed within at seeing his mark on her.

He loved her so fiercely, he wanted to say it right then and there.

In that brief second—as awful as he would feel about it later—he wanted to run away, but just with Skye. He wanted to keep her to himself. He wanted to be enough for her.

Maybe Leo wasn’t as immune to jealousy, after all.

A bolt of regret tore through him as he thought of leaving Hunter behind. It made him tense with emotion, made him want to smack himself on the head for being soselfish.

No, he told himself.

It was the three of them or none of them at all.