Page 48 of Before We Break

I pick up my beer and take a long sip of the cool liquid, spluttering when a shock of red hair draws my attention at the opposite end of the bar.

I blink to make sure my eyes aren’t deceiving me.

Clio’s here, and she’s not alone.

A white lace top accentuates her generous figure, and the tight jean skirt hugs every curve of her lush body with a long slit up one thigh, ending a few inches above her knees. I follow the long line of her tanned legs to a pair of brown cowboy boots I’d love to have wrapped around my waist.

She’s standing at one of the high-top tables, talking to a man with hair a few shades lighter than hers. He looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t place him.

I glance between her and the exit, conflicted by this insatiable hunger and the warring desire to flee. The decision is made for me when her eyes meet mine, widening a fraction before her attention returns to the other man.

I came here to get away from her, so why can’t I walk away?

He says something that makes her throw her head back, laughing, and my hand tightens around my glass.

That laugh should be mine. Her smiles should be mine.

We have a contract.

Granted, there’s nothing in it about her belonging to me—but it’s implied, isn’t it?

She’s mine for the next three months.

When her hand touches his on top of the table, my last thread of restraint snaps. Downing my drink and setting the empty glass on the bar, I’m at their table in a few long strides. I stand slightly behind her but off to the side, my hand resting possessively on her soft stomach.

“Hey princess,” I rasp, my stubble ghosting over her cheek as her potent scent surrounds me.

“You can drop the possessive caveman act,” the man says, holding up a glass of some kind of yellow drink. “She’s not my type.” He eyes me up and down. “But you are.”

Clio giggles. “Connor, this is my… Noah.”

She pauses in the middle of her sentence like she can’t decide what to call me. Fiancé. Boyfriend. Asshole landlord. Any of those options would’ve worked. Instead, I’m her Noah.

I shouldn’t like it, but fuck, it sounds good.

When my mind is done reeling, the puzzle pieces snap into place, and I feel like a dumbass. “Connor. You’re Liam’s brother?”

“That’s me. The younger, better-looking brother.” He winks.

He is good-looking, I’ll give him that, but standing next to Clio, there’s no contest. She has all of my attention.

“Cici! You made it.” Callie’s voice reaches our table seconds before a hand wraps around my wrist and yanks me onto the dance floor with Clio still attached to me. Connor waggles his fingers as the crowd closes in around us and he disappears from view.

“What the hell,” I grumble.

“It’s called dancing, Weston,” Callie yells over the thumping of the bass as a country song plays through the speakers. “Live a little.”

Clio looks at me and shrugs, swaying to the music. Whatever I’d been about to say dies on the spot. The way she’s moving her body has me tongue-tied and all kinds of mesmerized.

Callie hip checks me, and I stumble into Clio, my hands landing on her hips to steady myself. Her ass lines up with my groin, and she starts grinding on me. Powerless to resist the pull, I follow her lead, tugging her closer so her back is pressed to my chest.

She raises her hand and places it on my cheek, letting her nails rake through my beard. It’s grown out a bit this week, but her touch still feels like fucking heaven. She turns her face to look at me, and our lips nearly brush but not quite. There’s a glint of mischief in her eyes that I’ve never seen before, and it makes my dick stand at attention.

If she’s trying to start something, I’ll gladly be the one to finish it.

I tuck my thumb into the top of her waistband and press my lips to her bare neck, a rush of smug satisfaction rolling through me when she gasps. Her fingers run through my hair as she holds me in place. I open my mouth and lightly bite down, then soothe the sting with my tongue, sucking on the spot. I have little doubt there will be a mark there tomorrow.

A soft exhale escapes her parted lips. She closes her eyes as she continues to grind her hips.