Until We Fly (Beautifully Broken 4)

I smile.

“Always.”

We tumble into bed together and Nora presses her body into mine, limp against me, warm and soft. She runs her fingers down my chest, over my hips, and cups my balls.

I close my fingers over her hand.

“Not tonight, sweetheart.”

Because you need to know that you’re more than a fuck.

I hear her sudden intake of breath. “What?”

“Not tonight. I just want to lie here with you. Does that work for you?”

I pull her even closer, until her hips are pressed to mine and our legs are twined together.

“I guess,” she grumbles, “But I was hoping for a little more of this.”

She strokes my dick.

The traitorous bastard springs to life, but I ignore it.

Cold Fish. Cold Fish. Cold Fish.

“Not tonight,” I remind her. “We don’t always need to do that, you know.”

Because she’s more than just that. Whatever happened to her… I have the feeling it skewed her perception of herself.

Her eyes narrow in the night.

“I know we don’t have to,” she says finally. “I just like to. With you.”

After that clarification, she puts her head on my chest and is silent for a few minutes, until finally, her voice is small in the night.

“Thank you for going with me tonight.”

“You’re welcome.”

I wrap my arms around her and hold her until we fall asleep.

Chapter Seventeen

Nora

He doesn’t want me.

I gulp hard, trying not to move because Brand thinks I’m sleeping.

I shouldn’t have taken him to dinner tonight because now he knows what I am. I don’t know how, but he knows. I saw it in his eyes earlier, and now he doesn’t want me.

I hold a fist to my mouth to keep the sounds from slipping out.

I want to go outside and scream to the moon, but I can’t.

I’m tainted.

I’m used.