Page 73 of Broken

“I thought I lost it,” he manages to get out through the tears. The broken part of my heart that cracked when I found it on the island knits back together.He didn’t mean to leave it.

“Let me,” I tell him softly, taking the bag from his hand and pulling out the string of pink pearls. Opening the gold clasp, I hang it around his neck and fasten it. His hand immediately goes to the beads, running along the cool, smooth pearls.

I clear the knot in my throat and turn him around to hug him. “When I found it, I thought you were really done with me.”

His head shakes as he holds me tighter. “I’m sorry I let my parents get into my head.”

Cupping his face, I bring his mouth to mine, a tear running down my cheek. Our kiss is salty and full of remorse, love, and understanding.

“I love you,” I say against his lips. “Nothing will ever change that. You were made for me and I’m not letting you go.”

“I love you too,” Eli says as he pulls back enough for his watery gaze to meet mine. “Please don’t let me go.”

“Never.”

Eli wraps his legs around my waist and claims my mouth again, this time rocking his hips against mine. His naked body heats with a flush as he gets hard. This towel does nothing to hide my hard-on either. I drag my bearded jaw down his neck, loving the shiver that rocks through him.

The doorbell rings, and Eli freezes while I cuss.

“That’s Aaron. I have to go.” I kiss him quickly and pat his ass for him to get up. He grumbles but does, his cock bobbing in front of my face as I get off the floor.

I quickly get dressed in workout shit, swipe some deodorant on my pits, and kiss a now dressed Eli on my way to the door. He’s wearing one of my shirts he stole from the closet, and it’s so big on him I don’t know if there’s anything under it.

“I’ll be back tomorrow night. It’s a quick minicamp to make sure everyone is here and to get an updated fitness and nutrition plan,” I tell him as I pull open the front door.

“Hey, Eli, how’s it going?” Aaron lifts a hand in greeting, and Eli nods at him before turning back to me.

“Okay. I’m sure I can find something to keep me busy.” The smirk on his face tells me he’s going to go digging into everything, but I just laugh and kiss him again. I have nothing to hide from him. He can dig through every crevice of this place.

“Love you, brat.”

“Love you too.”

Eli has a soft smile and pink cheeks as he closes the door, a look that’s just for me. Aaron snorts as soon as the door is closed, and I shove him.

“Shut up,” I grumble at him, but I can’t hide the smile.

“That was adorable,” he mocks.

“Keep it up and I’ll beat your most yards in a single season record.” I push the button for the elevator, and Aaron raises his eyebrows at me.

“Oh, you just woke up and decided to choose violence today?”

“Afraid of a little competition?” I smirk at him.

“Bring it on, my guy.” He rubs his hands together and rolls his shoulders back. He thinks I can’t beat him.

We ride it down and get into the car, making the quick drive to the stadium. The closer we get, the more my confidence fades, replaced with a heaviness that’s never been there before. When we pull up into the parking lot, there aren’t many news vans since this minicamp isn’t open to the public.

With every step toward the locker room, a weight drops farther into my stomach until I’m ready to hurl. I don’t know how this is going to go. I’m sure someone will say something about Eli, but how many? Will the room fall silent when I walk in? Will Coach pull me aside and tell me I’m being traded?

“I’ve got you, man,” Aaron says with a squeeze to my shoulder as we approach the locker room door.

I suck in a deep breath and square my shoulders.I will not be made to feel less for who I love.Who I’m in a relationship with has nothing to do with my ability to play football. Anyone who thinks differently can kiss my ass.

We walk in and head to our cubbies to get changed into team apparel workout gear. The guys I pass say hi and fist-bump me. So far so good, I guess, but the troublemakers either aren’t here yet or haven’t seen me.

The locker room gets loud as it fills with players reconnecting after a few months off. Some guys are friends outside of here, but a lot of us are just associates; we work together and that’s it, but feel the need to catch up when we’re back together.