Breaking Away (Assassins, #5)(89)

“I can’t believe he thinks that we are cool, that I am fine after the way he did me. He ruined me, you know?” she cried, taking in deep breaths. “I gave him all of me.”

“I know. I’m sorry. He’s a douche.”

She nodded. “I loved him so f*cking much. I wanted to have kids with him, get married, and just be happy. He was the prince that I was convinced I needed. He made me so f*cking happy, but I should have known something was up. We never left my place, and Piper even said he was sleazy. I was oblivious to it all though. I believed I was the only one he loved but damn it, I was so wrong.” She took in a shaky breath as she wiped her hands along her cheeks. “I just don’t get it. I don’t understand how I could have been so stupid and allowed him to ruin me the way he did.”

Reaching over, Phillip grasped her thigh, squeezing it softly. “You were in love. Everything seems perfect when you’re in love,” he said softly, speaking from the heart, hoping to calm her down.

“I just feel so stupid and disgusting. Like I still feel so guilty for what we did behind her back. They are still together, you know,” she said, looking up at him, her makeup smeared from her eyes, her nose pink and her lips puffy from biting on them to keep her sobs in.

He shrugged. “I don’t know what to say about that, Reese, but I do know he didn’t deserve you.”

Her lip quivered as she took in a shuddering breath. “He didn’t?”

Turning, he leaned into the wall with one shoulder before reaching out to cup her chin. “No, baby, you are too good for him. Too beautiful, so smart and funny, quick on your feet. He’s the slime at the bottom of a trashcan, and you are a star in the sky.”

She smiled. “That’s really corny.”

He laughed, leaning into her, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her closer. “I know. I only do it for you, to make you feel better.”

Closing her eyes, she leaned her forehead into his lips. “I hate the way he makes me feel. I’ve been holding all this anger towards him, and I just wish it would go away.”

“Let it go, forget him,” he said quietly against her head. “He is nothing to you now.”

She snuggled closer into him as he said, “Letting him know he still affects you lets him win. You are the winner. Fuck that guy, you didn’t need him then, and you sure as hell don’t need him now. There are a billion fish in the sea, Reese, don’t waste anymore of yourself on that bottom feeder.”

Her fingers ran up his back, cupping around his neck. “You’re right.”

“I know I am. Now stop all this crying and mooning over that * and kiss me.”

She smiled. “Well, since you asked so nicely.”

He grinned as she reached up on her tippy toes, touching her lips to his. He closed his eyes, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. He wanted more than anything for her to realize that he was the award-winning fish in the sea, and that she wanted to reel him in and love him because he could love her the way she deserved and more. Moving his lips slowly with hers, his hands bit into her back. His dick came to life, and he knew that he was about to take her in that hall.

When he lifted her up, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he pressed her into the wall, deepening the kiss, biting at her mouth, not able to get enough. She moved against his hard-on, causing him to groan against her mouth. Smiling against his lips, she looked deep into his eyes as he slid his hands into her shorts, cupping her sweet ass in his hands.

God, he wanted her.

Her eyes were swirling with desire, her chest rising and falling, her breast touching his chest and making it hard for him to catch his breath. The words were right there. He was going to say it. He was going to tell her that he was in love with her but, before he could, she took his mouth with hers, kissing him long and hard. Squeezing her ass, he pushed into her, feeling the heat between her legs and causing her to gasp against his lips. He knew doing this in a hall wasn’t his greatest idea, but he couldn’t stop himself. He needed her. Now.

“Oh my God.”

Reese’s lips froze against his, and Phillip begged the good Lord above to please let what he just heard be a figment of his imagination.

But it wasn’t, and when he pulled his lips away from Reese’s and looked down the hall, he saw the one person he did not want to see.

Claire.

And she was pissed the hell off.





“ARE YOU kidding me? Seriously, Phillip? Seriously?”

Claire was screeching, and it was like nails on a chalkboard. He hadn’t heard her do that in months, and the sound caused his stomach to drop.

“Fuck,” Phillip muttered as he slowly put Reese down, removing his hands from her ass. She was red as a tomato, not looking him in the eye as she looked down at the floor, embarrassed.

“Claire, calm down.”

“You promised! You said you would never get with her!”

Brian came forward, placing his hand on Claire’s shoulder, but she shook him off as Phillip tried to figure out how he was going to fix this. He was pretty sure that wasn’t going to happen.

“Claire—”

“No, you’re a liar!” she screamed before turning and running away.

“Damn it,” he muttered. Reese put her hand on his chest, pushing him to follow her.