Page 130 of Lost Trust

She still won’t look at me.

I slide an arm behind her back and another beneath her knees, lifting her carefully from the passenger seat and settling her across my lap, facing me.

My hands find her hips, and I rub circles over her skin with my thumbs.

Resting my forehead against hers, I take a moment to breathe her in, and we just stay there. Inhaling and exhaling. Until her eyes eventually flick up to mine.

I reach for her hat and knock it gently onto the seat beside us before sliding my fingers into her hair.

I kiss her forehead.

“I’m sorry.”

Her cheek.

“I’m sorry.”

The other cheek.

“Fucking sorry.”

The tip of her nose.

“So fucking sorry.”

Her eyes close, and tears begin slipping down her cheeks again. I catch them with my mouth, one after another, kissing them away until all I can taste is the salt of them.

My chest aches.

“Forgive me, baby,” I whisper against her skin.

She finally turns her face and presses her lips to mine.

The kiss is soft.

Nothing like the desperate one from the patio. This one feels like forgiveness. She pulls back just enough to look at me.

“You acted like an idiot,” she says.

“I did.”

“Don’t do it again.”

A grin tugs at my mouth. “I’m a man, Rina. It’ll probably happen again.”

Her lips twitch.

God. I’d do anything to keep that smile on her face.

I cup her jaw, letting my thumb brush gently across her bottom lip. “But I promise I’ll try not to.”

I lean in and kiss the corner of her mouth, and this time, she doesn’t pull away.

She closes her eyes and melts into my touch.

“You want to come inside?” I ask.

She nods.