Page 77 of Kings Don't Break

I’m laughing along ’til Korine’s comment. Then my imagination’s running wild with vivid images of her in a Mrs. Claus nightie. Complete with sheer lace that shows off every detail of her beautiful body and a matching fucking panty and Santa hat.

If she had any idea, she’d either laugh even harder, or swat me on the arm in horror.

I grin to myself, imagining pinning her down, trapping her underneath me, and sealing her lips with mine.

Fuck… it’s been too long since I’ve had a woman…

The problem being, the only one I want is Korine.

As though she’s read my mind, she catches my eye. Instead of just a quirk of her lips, this time she smiles at me. A fucking gorgeous smile that makes my heart beat faster and has me feeling like I’m sixteen again, crushing hard on my girl best friend.

If she had any idea the kind of power she holds over me. Any idea of how much I’ve always wanted her.

It takes us about another hour to arrive at the Christmas tree lot. The selection’s decent for it being so close to Christmas. We separate into pairs, with Mace and Sydney going off in one direction and me and Korine leaving in another.

“Pick out your favorite,” I tell Korine. She glances over in a silent ask if I’m serious. I jut my chin at the trees surrounding us. “Go ahead. Choose which one you think you and Sunny would want to decorate.”

“You are…” Korine releases a gentle sigh that’s soothing on sound alone.

I could listen to the sound when trying to fall asleep. It’s that relaxing.

“I’m what? Say it.”

A shyness develops about her. She brushes a few strands of her bangs away, then averts her gaze as she circles a few of the trees. “You’re so different, Blake. You’ve got no idea what a mind fuck it is.”

“From him?”

She nods. “He picked our tree every year. Mama and I got no say. We didn’t get a say in anything. Not even the decorations.”

Makes it that much sweeter that I beat his ass just hours ago.

“He couldn’t handle you,” I say, pocketing my hands in my jacket. “Only a weak man needs that much control over a woman. The only way he felt strong was to go on a power trip. It had nothing to do with you, Kori. It was everything about him being a pathetic piece of shit. Just like Bill.”

“Even you saying that…” she sighs softly again. “No wonder all the women in town throw their panties at you.”

I grin at her. “Haven’t noticed. There’s only one woman who I’d like to throw hers at me.”

“You are so…” she repeats, trailing off. She shakes her head and laughs instead of finishing her thought.

The small flirtatious moment hangs in the air between us.

Korine merely smiles, again with a shyness about her, and I stand back, letting her wander around the selection of trees.

I’m patient, aware that her walls are coming down piece by piece. She might bite away her little bashful smiles right now, but I can tell what she’s got on her mind—Korine wants me just as much as I want her.

It’s all about the right moment.

After we’ve picked out our trees, Mace and I load them up in his truck bed. We make a quick pitstop at the Sunny Side Up diner for lunch.

“This is where you used to work?” Korine asks.

Sydney nods and smiles, leading the charge inside. “I have very fond, very greasy memories of this place.”

The Sunny Side Up’s the usual roadside diner, with its pleather-cushioned booths and glass pie displays. The tile’s checkered, and the air smells of all kinds of fried foods.

Sydney walks right up to an older man that’s behind the counter in the middle of a conversation with a weeping woman in what’s known as church dress.

“Freddie,” she says. “Ms. Baxter. Long time no see!”