Beautifully Broken
Page 22
He speaks slowly. “Just for the sake of conversation, let’s say I love you more than life itself—”
Felicia gasps for an emotional breath, but continues to gaze into his eyes. He can feel her heart pounding at an incredibly fast rate.
“Would that change anything?” he finishes. “You feel what you feel and at this point I have no idea what you feel for me. For all I know, you find me to be a menacing annoyance.”
She tries to clear her throat. She looks so nervous as she tries again to swallow that lump of emotion. “I’m confused, I guess.”
“You’re confused?” Matt takes her hand and presses it to his forehead. “I’ve been pouring my heart out to you, but you’ve not really reciprocated anything at all. Please tell me now, because I need to know. Then I can stop acting like a woman.”
Her voice softens. “My family and I, well, we don’t share our feelings out loud.”
Matt nods slowly. “Try for me.”
She glances at him sideways. “Maybe, if I know how you actually feel, not just hypothetically speaking, it would be easier for me. I’m not saying it will, but it might be worth a try.”
She’s serious. She doesn’t realize that those hypothetical situations he proposes are all real.
“Allow me to clear things up. There's this girl. We used to have a lot of fun together. But then she went away. And now she's back in my life and I don't want to let her go.”
Felicia barely manages a shaky smile.
Matt glances down at her with hesitant lifted brows. “I'm just afraid that if I tell this girl how I really feel, she'll take off with my heart and never come back.” He clears his throat and presses a kiss to the back of her hand. “What do you think I should do about that?”
Felicia smiles. "Well, that depends. You must really like this girl.”
“I do.” Matt is smiling now, realizing that she’s second-guessing her own confidence. When she gazes up into his eyes, it makes his heart patter erratically.
“Okay, who is this girl?” Felicia asks. “Seriously, if you're not talking about me right now, then there is going to be some serious shit going down.”
Matt holds his flat stomach when he laughs. "It's you, Felicia. It's always been you." He cups her cheek again and presses a smiling kiss onto her lips. They share an intimate exchange of lips and tongue, but she still hasn’t said anything to corroborate what he already knows.
He breaks away, searching for more clarity. “Tell me you’ll be my girl. Mine,” he repeats. “I like the sound of that.”
“I’m all yours,” she whispers, without thinking twice. “I do love you, Matty. It’s just hard for me to say it.”
“I think you just did.” He smirks. “Say it again.” He acts like it’s a dirty, dirty phrase.
“I love you.”
Matt smiles proudly, and then takes her hand and slides his fingers between hers. “I thought so.”
She sighs softly and settles her cheek against his chest. He wraps his arms around her and holds her tightly.
“I guess we’re in for one hell of a life together,” Felicia says wistfully, after a prolonged silence.
Matt looks at her curiously. “Why’s that?”
“Because there’s no possibility that you can love me any more than I love you right this very minute.”
Matt picks her up, wrapping her in his arms, and carrying her across the threshold of her apartment. He struggles for a second, but he gets the job done and manages not to drop her. She kicks the door closed, leaving them in darkness except for a faded light coming from beneath Natalie’s bedroom door and a glowing full moon.
He stands there for a second, with Felicia still hanging out in his arms.
“What are you doing?” she asks with a giggle.
“Just getting in a little practice,” he informs her, with a wink that he’s sure she missed.
He enters the living room and lowers her to the couch. He surprises her by taking the spot next to her, at her feet. She lies there, watching him rummage through his pocket and come out empty, while surrounded by the bluish night. By now, her curiosity has got to be getting the best of her.
“Still listening?” he asks.
She’s squinting at him, still trying to decipher what he meant by his last statement, when she nods at him.
“I intend to make you, Felicia, my wife someday and you’ll be forever mine, just as soon as you accept.”
She gazes into his eyes with a glimmer sparkling in the corner of hers. He can’t tell what to make of her facial expression. How can she still be confused?
“But you said you have a fear of marriage.”
“And you commitment, but look at how far you’ve come. What do you say?” He looks reflective, and even though he already knows her answer, he needs to hear it from her lips to settle his insecurities.
“I guess you’ll have to ask first, if it’s an answer you’re looking for.” She smirks softly at him, as if he hasn’t come prepared for such a response.
When he lowers to his knees, she gasps for air.
He smiles, as he removes her shoes, one foot at a time. “First, I need a ring.” He lowers her second foot to the floor, after massaging it gently, and then tows her to her feet. “On second thought . . .”—he pushes her backwards until she’s seated again—“You might want to sit down for this.”
She must think he’s gone cuckoo. He knows only one way to fix that, or maybe it’ll only confirm it. He pulls his hand from his pocket with a small golden band glimmering just above the knuckle of his pinky finger.
“Now I can ask.” He drops back down onto a sturdy knee. “Felicia, my love, will you wear my ring and un-break my heart?”
“Uh—,” she stutters, clearly surprised by the choice of words. “I’m not sure I know how to do that.”
Her shocked face is a picture of natural beauty. She looks like the brightest star in the sky, the only one registering on his lady radar.
He smiles smoothly and holds the ring up to her. “Promise you’ll marry me, woman. That’s all I ask. Can you do that for me?”
Her voice is soft, but clear. “I do.”
He attacks her with a smiling kiss. “That’s not really an answer to my question, but I’ll take it.”
She shakes her head, as if to clear it. “I mean, I can.”
He ignores the correction. “You can save that for the wedding, but I’d love to give you a preview of the honeymoon.”
She smiles wantonly and kisses him. He enjoys the fierceness hidden there—thoroughly enjoys it—but there’s something still he needs to do.
“Let’s not forget about this,” he reminds her, holding up the golden band.
He tries the ring on her left finger.
It doesn’t fit!
He takes her pinky finger and slides it on, smiling into her eyes. “Nothing we can’t fix together.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christa Simpson is a Bestselling Romance Author who entertains her readers with protective alpha males and sassy heroines. She writes sexy new adult romances loaded with passion, suspense and sarcasm. In her free time, she loves reading, writing, music, movies and dancing.
Christa is a small town girl, living in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, with her husband and two beautiful daughters. She’s a dreamer and has always believed you can do anything you set your mind to.
Please visit her website:
http://christasimpson.com
Author of . . .
THE TWISTED SERIES
Book 1: Twisted
Book 2: Twist & Turn
Book 3: A Twist of Fate
Book 4: Twisted Desire
THE DESTINY SERIES
Book 1: Finding Destiny
Book 2: Beautifully Broken
&nbs
p; Book 3: Perfectly Ruined
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Firstly, I must thank my little one, Amberly, for giving me the idea of the flooded floors in Felicia’s apartment and the heroic save. I asked her a question and she gave me an answer. Way to go, sweetie! You helped me right when I needed the boost.
To Jaz, my editor. You are amazing. I’m so lucky to have found you. Thank you for your guidance, attention to detail and help with polishing this baby to make it what it is today.
One woman for whom I will be forever thankful is Tanya Vought. She’s always there to help me get through the ups and downs of being a writer and there isn’t ever a time when she isn’t making me laugh. You know I love ya, T!
To my husband, who will likely never read this because he thinks romances are for girls, thank you for being patient with me when all I want to do is talk books.
To my Street Team, Christa Simpson’s Twisted Sisters. What would I do without you? Your regular enthusiasm about my writing is what keeps me going strong. Know that I appreciate each and every one of you.
The karaoke scene wouldn't have been the same without the song Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Meat Loaf. Here's a link to the track in case you want to jam to it yourself.
www.amazon.com/Paradise-by-the-Dashboard-Light/dp/B00136Q4OG
Anyone who enjoyed this or any of my stories should check out Christa Simpson’s Twisted Sisters on Facebook. Please accept this as your personal invite to join my street team.
Lastly, but never least, a special thanks goes out to Melissa Crump—the pimping queen. No amount of thanks will ever be enough to tell you how appreciative I am to have all your support. Some people go the extra mile. This girl is one of them. Thank you—thank you!—for all that you do.
~ Christa Simpson <3
OTHER BOOKS BY CHRISTA SIMPSON
THE TWISTED SERIES: BOOK 1
TWISTED
Can a man and woman be just friends?
Have a look at Christa Simpson’s debut release!
After having graduated from law school with honors, Edwin Santora, Abigail’s occasional ex and handsome housemate, could get a job anywhere he wanted. Of all the places to land, why does he take a position with her small firm? As if sharing a house with her irresistible ex wasn’t bad enough, it quickly becomes the least of her concerns. When Edwin’s macho arrogance begins to seriously affect her dating life, Abigail starts to reconsider their friendship. Not that Edwin believes a man and woman can be just friends anyway.
With Edwin’s swoon-worthy stunts and fierce persistence, Abigail finds herself catching feelings. When Edwin makes a friendly proposal, no-strings-attached, Abigail can’t resist. After some sexy role playing, she finds herself dangerously in love and wrapped back up in his powerful grip. Little does he know, she has been keeping a treacherous little secret and has set out to see if he is up for the challenge. When Abigail selfishly risks their relationship to get what she wants, will their friendship pass the test? Or will they give in to the mysterious forces trying to drive them apart?
Available now!
http://christasimpson.com/twisted
THE DESTINY SERIES: BOOK 1
FINDING DESTINY
In case you’ve skipped ahead in the series, here’s a look at what you’ve missed!
Skylar has rules. Destiny has him breaking every last one of them.
Destiny is looking forward to a bit of solitude in the north to beat away the winter blues. That’s the plan. Destiny likes plans. But plans don’t always work out the way you want them to.
Skylar never expects to find three ladies trudging through the snow, stranded, in the middle of nowhere, during the biggest snow storm of the year. He’s forced to invite Destiny and her friends back to his cabin. Though he tries to ignore what is subtly unravelling between them, he can’t discount their attraction. The way Destiny reads into his thoughts and the way his jealousy rages at the thought of his brother taking her to his bed, he knows he had better stake his claim.
But when tragedy strikes, torn from her arms at lightning speed, Skylar’s left to wonder whether he will ever find his destiny.
http://christasimpson.com/finding-destiny
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The Destiny cast returns in . . .
PERFECTLY RUINED
http://christasimpson.com/perfectly-ruined
BLACK WIDOW
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http://BWPbooks.com