Unbreak My Heart (Valentine Bay Book 5) Read online

  When he turned to her, eyes on fire with arousal, she said just one word.

  “Condom.”

  He dove down and pulled his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans, now pooled on the driver’s side floor. His hands were steady and determined as he fished out the foil disc, opened it with his teeth, and then rolled the tube of latex down his shaft.

  She felt another burst of heat between her legs at the steady and sure way he got that condom on himself. She knew what it was from. One of her favorite qualities about him, one that she’d always been attracted to and yes, one that had always turned her on, was the way he took charge of things between them.

  Not big things. It wasn’t like he steamrolled over her when she was set on doing something. Hell, he’d even respected her wishes when she’d asked him to stay away.

  But when it came to smaller things, especially as they related to taking care of her—he just took charge.

  That was why he was helping her at the diner. It was how he’d gotten roped into volunteering for the Christmas benefit.

  He took charge. He took care of her. And she couldn’t have found it any sexier. It was one of the absolute hottest things about him.

  When he’d rolled the condom all the way on down to the base, she swung one leg over him so that she was straddling him, and facing him, in the driver’s seat.

  They looked into each other’s eyes, and she kept her gaze locked on his while she lowered herself down onto his cock, wanting to see every shade of sensation and emotion as it flicked across the expressive movie screen of his eyes.

  Luna drew in a massive breath and then exhaled slowly, drinking in the kaleidoscope of sensations rocketing through her body as Connor filled her up. His strong hands circled her hips and then guided their speed and rhythm as she moved up and down on him.

  Her inner walls grabbed at him as she bounced, and she dug her fingers into his shoulders for leverage. She hung on tight, moving up and down slowly at first but quickly building speed.

  “God, you look good.”

  He spat the words out as if he had no control of them, like they were escaping from his throat on their own.

  He leaned forward and captured first one of her breasts, then the other in his mouth as she moved up and down, his sweat-slicked chest pressed tight against her belly, building friction as they moved together.

  Luna could feel every tiny bit of it. Every single place that their skin was in contact, she was hyperaware of even the smallest movements.

  He threw his head back and she could see that he was getting ready to climax. To her surprise, she found that—despite already having climbed that mountain twice in a relatively short amount of time—she was ready to go again. In fact, she already felt it building deep in her belly.

  It was seeing that he was close, that was what did it. They were connected on a cosmic level, one which went way beyond physical, and their lovemaking was so multilayered and entwined that her pleasure was wrapped up in so much more than just what “felt good.”

  If she brought him pleasure, that was what felt good. If she was able to satisfy him on a deep level…again, that was what felt good.

  So, now, to see that he was about to experience the ultimate culmination of the pleasure that her body was bringing to him…that was enough to bring her to the brink of feeling that pleasure herself.

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him as he groaned deeply. She could feel every muscle in his body tremble and clench, and she knew that this was it.

  That knowledge was enough to send her rocketing over the edge right along with him, and she snaked her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek to his hair, breathing in his scent as deeply as she could.

  She wanted him as close to her as she was able to get him. Pressed against her. Inside her. No barriers at all between the two of them.

  Fuck, if they’d somehow been able to metaphysically blend into one being at that moment, if that was possible and was somehow being put on the table as an option, she wasn’t entirely sure that she wouldn’t have agreed to it right then, in the heat of passion.

  As soon as the dizziness in her whirling head had subsided long enough for her to get her bearings, she rolled back over onto her own seat and bent down to fish her jeans and underwear off of the floor of the car.

  She pulled them up her legs and wriggled into them with considerably more awkward wrangling than she remembered when sliding them off.

  She smiled to herself. Yeah. Just another example of how memory can be a lying little bitch.

  As she struggled to get her shoes back on her feet, Connor said, “Hey, Luna?”

  She turned around from her bent over position and looked at him as her fumbling fingers did their best to tie her sneakers in the dark.

  “Yeah?”

  He grinned. “We really do need to try this in a bed sometime.”

  Chapter 21

  Connor

  The strains of Tamia’s “So Into You” filled the empty dining room of Main Street Eats. The minute he and Luna had locked the door after the last customer, he’d turned on the Bluetooth speaker she’d given him as an early Christmas gift and put his playlist on shuffle. Cleaning the restaurant up to music had become a fun nightly routine that they shared.

  Tonight, though, he was a little blown away. It felt significant that the first song the shuffle feature chose, out of the thousands available to it, was one of “their” songs from back in the day. He didn’t want to read too much into it – hell, he didn’t even know if she remembered it as one of their songs. But, to him, it felt like it meant something.

  He shook his head. It had been a long day, as had the day before. In fact, he and Luna were now at the end of a string of long days, with a string of them out ahead. And he’d never been happier. Spending this time with her, regardless of the punishing hours and grueling work, was the most fulfilled he’d felt in years.

  Just the simple fact that it felt so good made it tempting to push her, pressure her into giving him some kind of clarity as far as what the future might hold. But he resisted that urge. As tough as it was not to give in, he wouldn’t let himself. He’d resolved to just enjoy what time they had together without ruining it by overanalyzing, and damn it, that was what he was determined to do.

  And then a song like “So Into You” came on shuffle. Damn you, fate! Help a brother out.

  He pulled out the broom and started to sweep, not giving any indication that the song meant anything special. She pulled out a rag and ran it across the counter, equally void of any indications that she recognized the music.

  They went on like that through the first verse, but by the middle of the chorus, he heard her singing along. It was soft, but perceptible. He had to smile. She was so damn cute.

  He started to sing along, too, and she looked up to meet his eyes. They shared a smile, and he set the broom aside and held out his hand to her. She abandoned the rag and came over to him, stepping into the circle of his arms.

  They stayed like that, swaying slowly to the music in a perfectly retro slow dance, until the song was over. Then through the next, and the one after that. Even though those songs that weren’t exactly perfect for slow dancing, it was like they had an unspoken agreement to ignore the tempo and just keep on swaying and holding each other.

  The fourth song that came on was a metal number with a driving beat, which was what it finally took to shatter the magic bubble. Luna drew back, her eyes dark and intense, and said, “Hey. Help me check something in the back room, will you?”

  Weirdly abrupt transition, but cool.

  He followed her into the storeroom and she immediately turned around when they got there, launching herself into his arms and raising her lips to his. He might’ve been slow to catch on to what was happening when she asked him to come back there, but as soon as he realized what the deal was, he was all over it.

  He thrust his tongue into her eager mouth, kissing her with all the pent-up passion
that had built up over all the days of working there together, side by side. All the long hours had built up a well of arousal that he’d had no outlet for until that kiss, and he put it all into the movement of his lips against hers.

  Abruptly, she dropped to her knees in front of him. She freed his cock without hesitation, and before he knew it, she had her lips around the tip, then was sliding her mouth down his shaft. She bobbed her head up and down, up and down, again and again.

  Swirling her tongue around him, she looked up and met his eyes. He tangled his fingers into her hair. He loved the control he had over the rhythm when he did that. The thing he loved the most, though, was the eye contact. It made everything feel just a little edgier, more heightened, than it would’ve otherwise.

  The energy flowing between them sparked like a tangible thing. If the air had suddenly burst into flame in the space between them, he wouldn’t have been totally surprised. There was fire between them. There always had been, and there still was.

  His orgasm built quickly, condensing in a giant wave of pressure and pleasure that swept through him with inhuman force. He let it go with a guttural cry, shooting into her mouth. He kept his eyes locked onto hers as she swallowed every drop he gave her. It drove the heat between them to a boiling point.

  When he had given her every last drop, she stood and smiled at him. A little wickedly, he thought. That was fine, though. She’d earned it.

  “You know,” she said, “we’re really going to have to do this in a bed sometime.”

  He grinned. “Is that an invitation? Because I accept.”

  She gave a short laugh. “Plenty of time for that. Don’t worry.”

  Huh. He had to hold himself back, as he had so many times since she’d been back, from the urge to try to pin her down on specifics when it came to the future. He’d love to have a timeline, but the problem was that he didn’t even think that she herself had one.

  Still. The phrase “plenty of time for that” was encouraging. He thought he’d take her advice not to worry, and just enjoy the possibilities that the words “plenty of time for that” put into play.

  Chapter 22

  Luna

  “Are you going out to the town Christmas tree lighting tonight, honey?”

  Luna considered Grandma Grace’s question. On one hand, she was exhausted. The thought of going to bed at 8 p.m. was way more appealing to her than it should’ve been to anyone under the age of seventy-five.

  But on the other hand, she really didn’t want to miss any of the classic Valentine Bay Christmas activities. This was her first Christmas at home in so many years…and who was to say if it might not be her last in so many more?

  Sure, she was in control over whether she came back next year, or the year after. She knew that.

  Wanting to escape this train of thought before it led to self-recrimination over how long it had taken her to come to these realizations, she popped up from her chair at the dining room table. “Yes! Definitely. I just want to go take a shower and wash the hamburger and fries smell out of my hair.”

  Grandma Grace chuckled. “Not a bad idea.”

  Luna lost herself in the hot water streaming over her head and down her body. As wonderful as it was being back around Connor again, and back in Valentine Bay, the one thing that unsettled her was how it seemed like her head was spinning a good three quarters of the time, if not more.

  Every time she let her mind wander to what the future held for too long, she started feeling like she was going to faint. Or barf. Or something else equally unpleasant.

  So she’d developed the habit of ducking out of rooms or changing subjects on a dime. She was becoming pretty fucking stellar at it, actually. It was growing to superpower levels.

  The only problem with that was that it was a terrible superpower. Why couldn’t she have gotten Makes Amazing Decisions At The Speed Of Light in the superpower lottery? She’d been robbed.

  She toweled off, chose her clothes, styled her hair, and did her makeup…and at every step of the process, wondered what Connor would think about her choices.

  Just like she did about everything she wore lately.

  As she was headed out the door, her grandmother gave her a hug. “Well, don’t you just look pretty as a picture,” she said.

  “Thanks, Grandma Grace,” she said.

  When she bent down to hug her grandpa where he was sitting on the couch, he insisted, “Prettier than a picture.”

  She straightened, laughing. “You two are good for my self-esteem.”

  “Now don’t worry about getting in at a certain time. We won’t be waiting up. Just go have fun with your friends,” Grandma Grace said as she shooed her out the door.

  Luna had to smile as she headed down the walkway. Her grandmother couldn’t have been more obvious if she’d just flat-out said, “Now go have a good time with Connor. He’s a nice boy and we want you to get together with him.”

  And…yeah. She had a point.

  Luna started to dig her keys out of her purse but then realized that she’d been doing a lot of retrieving her car from various spots around town because Connor had given her rides home. She figured she may as well just walk to the town square for the Christmas tree lighting.

  Breathing in the cold air helped her feel more grounded. A lot of people might find the misty dampness unpleasant, but it was what she’d grown up with. You couldn’t live on the Oregon coast if you hated a little fog and some bone-chilling winters. Luna loved them.

  Turning the corner onto the town square, she saw all four Valentine brothers standing at the edge of the plaza, their ladies by their side.

  As she walked up to the group, she saw that there was a young teenage girl standing with them, smiling and laughing. Familiarity tugged at the edges of her brain, but she couldn’t quite make the connection.

  Had she seen the girl out and about somewhere while she’d been in town? Had she been in the diner more than once?

  Luna hadn’t placed her yet by the time she reached the group.

  “Hey, girl!” Gen said, giving her a hug. “I was hoping you’d make it out tonight!”

  “Yeah, it’s great to see you,” Abby added as she hugged Luna.

  Ella then gave her a hug, and said, “And you remember Allison from the meeting the other night.”

  Luna nodded and the two women waved at each other.

  Troy Valentine, who was standing next to Allison, took over, nudging the teenager. “Not sure if you’d remember this munchkin. Our little sister, Mila.”

  The girl rolled her eyes at the use of “munchkin.” Luna’s eyes, on the other hand, flew open wide. “Oh my gosh! I was just thinking how familiar you looked, but I couldn’t place it! I was wondering if you’d been coming into the diner, and that’s where I recognized you from—but, no, of course you’ve grown up! Wow, Mila. You were just a little thing the last time I saw you!”

  She held up a hand in greeting, and asked, “The diner?”

  “Yeah,” Gavin filled in. “This is Luna. She’s Grace and Serge’s granddaughter.”

  Mila’s eyes widened, and a thin sheen of tears formed in them. “Oh, wow! How is Serge? I’ve been really worried. Everyone says he’s fine, but that seems like the kind of thing you just tell a kid.”

  “He’s doing great, honestly,” Luna assured her. “Believe me. I know it’s hard to believe. I had a hard time accepting it from the doctors, too. I was nervous. But you should come by the house and see him in a few days, when he’s gotten a little more rest. You’ll see. He’s been talking and joking around.”

  Mila’s face screwed up. “Serge? Talking and joking around?”

  Luna laughed. “Oh, right. Yeah, I know. He’s different at home than at the diner.”

  Mila nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say a whole sentence to anybody but Grace.” Her face lit up with understanding. “Oh, but that makes sense! Because she’s his family. And so are you.”

  Luna nodded, unab
le to speak for a moment around the lump in her throat.

  Mila, in the way that young teenage girls were so good at, went right on without noticing. “So, wait…if you’re their granddaughter, how come you haven’t been around Valentine Bay visiting? And are you going to be coming back more now?”

  Luna opened her mouth to give an answer before realizing she didn’t actually have one. The silence hung heavily in the air for a long moment.

  “Don’t worry kid. She won’t give me an answer to that one, either,” came a voice from over Luna’s shoulder.

  Luna turned and saw Connor, a wide smart-ass grin spread across his face. She groaned. “Trust me, smart guy. As soon as I know, you’ll know.”

  He laughed. “I can live with that, I guess. If I have to.”

  “Oh, look, they’re lighting the tree,” Abby said, pointing to the middle of the square.

  “There’s Gran!” exclaimed Mila.

  A heavily bundled Mrs. Valentine walked to the microphone stand that had been set up in front of the towering tree, a handsome young muscle-bound man with penetrating dark eyes and thick black hair trailing along behind her.

  Luna turned and whispered to Connor, “And I assume that’s Fernando?”

  He grinned and whispered back, “A safe assumption, I think.”

  Mrs. Valentine tapped on the microphone a few times, sending electronic feedback screeching through the crowd. She leaned forward and began to speak into the mic regally, as if she didn’t even notice the high-pitched shriek from the microphone.

  Maybe, Luna thought with a smile, she didn’t. Maybe it was a good lesson in pressing forward regardless of what other people thought, or outside forces trying to slow you down. Just do your own thing.

  “First of all, I want to wish a very merry Christmas to everyone here tonight. We’re a small community, Valentine Bay. But a close-knit one. And it’s wonderful to see so many familiar faces in the crowd, so beautifully lit by the colors of the tree lights.”