Broken but not lost

Chapter 32, FLYNN

As we laid there for a while, Briars' breathing finally became deep and even.

She was absolutely knocked out.

I unwrap my arm from her stomach, carefully taking off the blanket. Once I was finally off the bed, I quietly tug the blanket back up over her arms, making sure it stayed on her naked body while she slept.

I grabbed my clothes, quickly and efficiently yanking them back on. After pulling my shirt over my head, I look over to her.

God, she's beautiful.

Fuck, this can't be happening.

I stalk out of the bedroom and start a fire in the lobby, planning on heating up some of the boar from the previous day for Briar when she gets up.

I'm not sure how much she slept last night, plus doing everything we did had to have taken it out of her, so I don't plan on waking her up any time soon.

I bite my lip, restraining the smile that threatened to reach my lips as I thought back to how she looked, submissive and kneeling before me.

Apparently the brat got kicked out of her at some point because of how well she was listening to me.

I didn't entirely know if that was a good thing or not yet.

Every time she obeyed I had to hide the shock on my face, I always expect some sort of argument or snarky comment.

I found myself thinking back to last night, the way we made love to each other, the way she moaned for more... the way her eyes looked into mine and saw every part of me.

"Fuck." I mutter under my breath, putting my head in my hands.

"You okay there big guy?" Briars' soft, raspy voice echoes through the lobby.

I look up, finding her eyes but quickly letting them roam down the blanket covering her body.

Only the blanket.

I raise my brows and smirk.

"No, this does not mean round 3. Or four..?" She asks herself, looking contemplative. She shakes her head "Never mind. Are you okay?" She asks again.

I look down and rub my face, taking a deep breath.

I hear her light footsteps approach me and feel her hands pulling my wrists away from my face. I look up at her as she slowly gets down, sits in my lap and wraps her legs around me.

Letting the blanket fall off her shoulders as she wraps her arms around my neck she looks at me intensely.

I stare back, unsure of how to answer.

I love her.

But I can't fucking tell her that.

That's the thing she's most afraid of.

I'm afraid I'll love you.

I think back to the words she said all those months ago.

And now I love her.

If I tell her that I may as well be pushing her away with my own hands.

"Flynn." She says it like she's repeating it.

I blink back into reality, not realizing I was looking down at her body.

"I'm— I'm sorry I wasn't... I wasn't staring at you like that, I was just thinking." I defend myself, shaking ny head and looking anywhere but her eyes, afraid she'd get mad.

"Flynn." She says again, grabbing either side of my face me forcing me to look at her. "It's okay." She whispers. "It's okay." She repeats and pulls me in by the neck, wrapping her arms all the way around and pulling me into a tight hug. I close my eyes and breathe in her scent.