Page 73 of The Heartbreaker

“I have many guesses.”

“Like?”

Her arms lifted to my shoulders. “My chest.”

I pecked her cheek. “Solid guess, and, yes, that’s my thing, but it wasn’t what I was thinking.”

“My ass?”

“Mmm,” I moaned against her neck. “Yes, that too. But guess again.”

“My legs?”

I hovered my lips over hers and whispered, “Your lips,” before I kissed her.

EIGHTEEN

Addison

As soon as Ridge pulled back from our kiss, my hands immediately went to my mouth, touching different spots on my lips.

Why did that embrace feel so unlike all the others we’d had before?

I hadn’t expected him to kiss me. Not after I told him I needed to extend my time at the club. I was positive that was only going to upset him, and he was going to tell me this wasn’t going to work or that I was unwilling to commit or I was just prolonging the inevitable for reasons he didn’t care about.

That hadn’t been the case at all.

He’d opened his arms and hugged me.

Which was what I needed more than anything. Because there were moments—and they happened nonstop—where I doubted my ability to keep going despite how badly I wanted to do this for my parents. And now that I’d given my sister around ten thousand and I was halfway there, my student loans felt like an endless mountain that I would never be able to dent.

But as Ridge’s hand went to my face, stroking my cheek, I didn’t feel that way. For the first time in a long time, I felt hope.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“For what?”

I stole a quick glance at the sky as though my heart had spilled out on the clouds. “For not running. For understanding. For accepting my decisions and not judging me for them.”

“Addison, I haven’t been in your shoes. I have no idea what it feels like to tackle what you’ve taken on. I admire you for it. And I commend you for doing it all on your own and not asking for help or quitting, which many others would have done too.” He fanned his hand over my cheek and handed me my wine.

“Quitting isn’t in my blood.” I gave him a small smile. “I’ll get there. We’ll get there. It’s just going to take a little time.”

I took a long drink and popped a piece of cheese into my mouth. He’d brought an entire charcuterie board, and this was the first thing I’d eaten since we’d sat down.

When we’d arrived at the beach, my stomach couldn’t handle even the thought of food, and I barely tasted the wine. The stress had been that thick. I didn’t know where all that tension and anxiety had gone. It couldn’t have just been the view that made it leave my body. Because it didn’t matter what environment I was in; I couldn’t forget that I still had an endless amount of responsibility on my plate and my schedule wouldn’t be lightening anytime soon.

If tonight had shown me anything, it was that I’d never felt more accepted in my life.

Ridge was the man for me.

And suddenly, everything felt different.

Yet not a single thing between us had changed.

I clasped the back of his hand, pushing it harder against my face, nuzzling his palm. “You know, it’s funny. I find myself looking at Daisy while she’s in my class, comparing all thecharacteristics she’s inherited from you.” My thumb went to his eyebrows and the corners of his eyes, where little lines were permanently etched. “She has your eyes.” My gaze lowered. “And your lips and your smile.” My fingers went to his chest. “And your heart.”

“And my nose—poor thing. She got cursed with the Cole beak.” He laughed.