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TWENTY-FIVE

BECCA

I lied.

Add it to my list of sins.

But how can I admit the sight of that girl in Eli’s arms caused my heart to stutter out a painful rhythm?

There’re still wounds on my soul—caused by a church who wields a blade and a papa who slices deep. I don’t care much for the throbbing that’s shown up, reminding me the scars are there.

My bedroom door creaks open, Sabrina’s pink-tipped head peeking around the corner.

“Hey, girl. You got a second?”

“Of course.” I spin in my desk chair. “What’s up?”

She sinks onto my bed, wringing her hands together. “I’ve been offered a job.”

My face cracks into a smile. “That’s amazin’! I didn’t even know you started applyin’ to places.”

“Yeah.” She cringes and looks down. “It is amazing. They’ve offered me the Junior Assistant Specialist in Ecological Research at the Marine Science Institute.”

I nod my head, my chest swelling with pride. “Damn right they did.” My grin fades when I see she isn’t jumping for joy like I expected. “What’s up? You should be thrilled, and we should be celebratin’.”

“I just…” She sighs, rubbing a hand over her face. “The job is in California.”

My chest tightens, my breath whooshing out at the squeeze. “Oh.”

“I know we had plans of getting a place together after graduation, but honestly, Becca, it’s my dream job. I’d be a fool to turn it down.”

“No, no.” I shake my head, wringing the ends of my hair in my fist. “I get it. Of course you have to take it. It’s an amazin’ opportunity.”

I force a small smile, but inside I’m reeling. I can’t afford rent on my own. I’m barely scraping by as it is, and without the campus job, I have no clue what I’m planning to do for money. I don’t even know what I want to do with my life.

I’m not brought out of my worry until long after Sabrina leaves and Eli texts, asking where I am. I was planning on surprising him when he got back home, but obviously that’s shot to shit now since I’ve been sitting in my room for who knows how long, lost in my thoughts. But I’m excited he’s back, so I rush to my car and head over, pushing down the dread marinating in my gut.

Walking to his front doorstep feels like coming home, and entering his code on the keypad has my heart banging against my ribs, anxiety pumping into my bloodstream.

Maybe I shouldn’t be gettin’ this comfortable.

I barely make it through the front door when I’m grabbed from behind and spun into the hallway wall.

Eli’s lips are on me before I can speak, and just like that, my worries disappear. All that matters is how good it feels in his arms. How right it feels.

“Damn, I missed you.” He growls against my lips.

His tongue twists around mine, fingers trailing down my sides, slipping under the waistband of my panties as he slides two fingers deep inside me.

I gasp at the intrusion, my pussy clenching around his hand.

His fingers curl forward, massaging my inner walls until it feels so good it hurts. He presses on my throbbing clit, rolling it under the pad of his thumb. I try to push forward into his palm, but his grip tightens, keeping me in place.

Kisses trail down my neck while he strips off my clothes. He crouches, his touch burning a path for his tongue to follow.

My hands grasp his hair, trying to push his face into me. “Lick it, Eli. Please.”

“So damn pretty when you beg,” he growls.

His tongue swipes out, circling my clit, frissons of electricity sparking through my core and down my thighs. His fingers double their efforts, maintaining a steady rhythm that complements his mouth. I tighten my grip around the strands of his hair, legs shaking from the effort to stay standing.

My nerves coil tight, making my breath catch in my throat.

Suddenly, he stops.

“Wha–what… Why,” I pant. My hands try to push his head back into me, desperate for release.

Leaving his fingers as deep as they’ll go inside me, he slowly stands until his towering form dwarfs me in his shadow. He leans in, his breath hot against my ear.

“Admit you were jealous.” His voice is a deep rumble.

My stomach flips.

He curls his fingers and pumps them once, his palm grazing my throbbing clit.

My body burns in its need, but I bite my lips to keep from saying the words.

“Three little words, Rebecca, and I’ll make you come so hard you can’t think.” His fingers press deeper.

I moan, my eyes rolling back.

He moves, starting to retreat from my body, but my hands wrap around his wrist, holding him inside me. He chuckles, palming the back of my neck, leaning in, and trailing his tongue from my throat to my ear.

My body trembles against him.

“Give me what I want, baby girl, and I’ll give you what you need .”

I blow out a breath as his head moves back, our eyes locking.

“I was jealous,” I whisper.

His face blooms into a blinding smile. “I know.”

It’s a simple flick of his thumb, and I shatter into a thousand pieces around him, shock waves of pleasure rippling through my body. My walls tense and release until I black out from the sensation.

I collapse against him, my breath coming in pants and my brain in a fog. He cradles me in his arms, his big hand smoothing down my curls and bringing me in tighter.

“Never be afraid to tell me how you feel, Becca.” He kisses the top of my head. “I’ll always be here to catch you in the end.”

My chest swells with warmth, and I smile up at him. His eyes are deep and crystal blue, begging my heart to surrender. And I almost do. But a flash of strawberry-blond in his arms, and the whisper of Momma’s words make me pause.

All men are liars.

Reality crashes through my body, my soul free-falling to the floor.

It’s a long drop, reminding me of how bad things can break when they land.

Love is a fairy tale, and fairy tales don’t exist.