Live Without Regret (A Touch of Fate) (16 page)

Chills race down my spine, unease settling in my gut. Pulling back, I narrow my eyes.

“No,” Brittany says quickly. “I didn’t mean it like that. I do apologize, but I want to
finish
apologizing.”

Lips parting, I sigh in relief. “Does your apology end with us being together?”

“Yes, but I don’t want you to let me off that easily,” she says, her eyes brimming with more tears.

“It doesn’t matter—”

“Shush.” Brittany presses a finger against my lips. “It does matter.” I shake my head, but it doesn’t deter her. “You were right. I was blaming you for someone else’s mistakes, and that wasn’t fair to you or to Logan—whom I’m very fond of, by the way. I’m sorry I hurt you, and I’m sorry if I broke your trust.” I shake my head again, and this time she lowers her hand. “But I promise I’ll make it up to you. Just…” Her voice trembles. Grabbing her hand, I lace our fingers together, silently urging her to continue. Her fingers tighten around mine. “Be gentle with me, okay? Because I’m going to fall for you, and I’ve already had my heart stomped on. I’m not sure how much more abuse it can take.”

Bringing my free hand to her face, I cup her jaw. “Well, that’s good to hear because I’m already falling for you.” Brittany’s face lights up, the dimples in her cheeks popping out. Warmth radiates through my chest, slowly seeping outward. “I’m not sure what life has in store for us, but I can promise that you won’t regret this. You won’t regret us, and you won’t regret me.”

Closing her eyes, she nuzzles her cheek in the palm of my hand. “Just promise me one thing,” she says, her lids fluttering open.

“What’s that?”

“If at any point you’re not happy or you have feelings for someone else, just tell me. Please don’t stay with me out of obligation or fear. Just be honest. That’s all I need.”

“I can do that,” I whisper. “As long as you’ll promise to do the same.”

She pulls her hand out of mine and then slowly slides both of them up my chest. “I promise.” Gripping the material of my shirt, she crashes her lips against mine. My lips part as she devours me, and there really is nothing else I can do other than go with it because I need her so much right now.

Planting my hands on her ass, I hoist her up. She wraps her legs around my waist, the warmth of her body pressing against my cock. My chest rumbles and I rip my mouth from hers. “Is this the point where we get to have crazy hot make-up sex?”

Her swollen lips part. “Yes,” she says, breathless. “Make-up sex. Great idea. What the hell are you waiting for?” Running her fingers along my scruffy jaw, she pushes her hands into my hair and fists it. Her hot mouth attacks my neck, and what little control I had left snaps.

I have no idea what I did to deserve this little spitfire, but no way in hell am I letting her go again.

Several months later

“A
re you sure about this?” Connor asks, prepping the underside of my left forearm.

Leaning forward, I kiss the top of his head. “Of course I’m sure about this. I trust you.”

His beautiful blue eyes peek up at me. “I know you do, baby. All right, here we go. It shouldn’t take long at all.”

Sitting back in the chair, I close my eyes. The tattoo gun buzzes to life, and I flinch when it first touches my skin. Connor said this would be a sensitive spot, and it definitely is, but the pain seems to be dulling with each pass.

I knew it was time for my next tattoo. My previous two are linked to not-so-great memories. They’re there to remind me about my past and what I’ve overcome. This time, however, I wanted the tattoo to reflect a really great memory. Last week, Connor told me he loved me for the first time. I felt those three words deep down in my soul, and of course I returned them.

Connor is it for me; I have no doubt about that at all. And what better way to celebrate our love than with a new tattoo. Something to remind me every single day that taking a chance on Connor was the best decision I’ve ever made.

It must’ve been something that Connor had been thinking about too, because as soon as I mentioned it, he said he had the perfect idea. I went with it. Connor knows me better than anyone, and my trust in him is unwavering.

So here I am letting the man I love give me a tattoo, and I have absolutely no idea what it’s going to look like or what it’s going to say. I gave him two stipulations; the tattoo had to be in a different language, just like the other two, and I wanted it on the underside of my forearm, straight down from my pinky.

Time passes quickly, and before I know it, Connor turns off his tattoo gun. “All done,” he says, running a cloth over my skin to wipe off the blood. “You ready to see it?”

I nod excitedly, and he turns my arm so I can see the three beautifully scripted words he’s permanently etched into my skin. “
Vivere senza rimpianti
,” I whisper, trying my best not to botch the pronunciation. “It’s stunning,” I say, looking at Connor. His smile is beaming, and just like always, it melts my heart. “What’s it mean?”

“That’s the best part,” he says, bringing his lips to mine. He kisses me gently a couple of times before pulling back. “Do you remember when I promised that no matter what happened between us, you would never regret this or me?” I nod, my eyes welling with tears when I remember the heartache I caused that led to that moment. Grateful isn’t even a strong enough word to describe how happy I am that he decided to forgive me.

“No crying.” Curving his hand around the back of my neck, he tugs me in close. “It says ‘live without regret’ in Italian. I thought it would be perfect.”

My breath hitches in my throat. “It’s more than perfect.” Mindful of my fresh ink, I wrap my arms carefully around his neck.

Connor nuzzles his face in my hair. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Not like. Love,” I say, emphasizing the last word. “I
love
it. Almost as much as I love you.”

“I love you too, baby. More than you know.”

“Why don’t you take me home and you can show me just how much.”

Connor growls, his eyes eating me up from head to toe. “That’s a brilliant idea,” he says, pulling back so he can perform his aftercare on my tattoo. “You’re so damn smart. Just one of the millions of things about you that turn me the fuck on.”

“Connor. Hurry,” I say, wiggling in my seat. My need for this man hasn’t waned…not one bit. In fact, it’s grown to epic proportions.

“And Brittany,” he says, wiping salve on my arm, “just to give you some warning so you can prepare yourself…” I look at him questioningly, wondering what he’s going to say next. “I’m going to ask you to marry me and it’s going to be soon.”

My heart stutters to a stop, flops around inside my chest, and then restarts, kicking into high gear. “Not if I ask you first.”

Connor’s head snaps up, a shit-eating grin plastered to his face. “Well played, babe,” he says. “Well played.”

Pursing my lips, I give him a smug little smile.

I think I’m going to like playing this game.

THE END

(Or is it?)

First and foremost, I have to thank my husband, Tom. The endless amount of support and encouragement you give me while writing is truly amazing. Thank you for making sure the house stayed clean, the laundry got done, and the kids were fed. Thank you for taking over nighttime duty so that I could stay up late and write. Your love and support is what gets me through the day and I’m so incredibly thankful for you.

To my dear friend, Liz Berry. One of the highlights of my trip to Hawaii was getting to know you. You are such an amazing person and I am beyond thankful for your friendship. Thank you for your advice and encouragement, and thank you for taking a chance and reading my books. I am honored to have Live Without Regret featured in 1001 Dark Nights. Thank you so much for this opportunity.

A big huge thank you to Perfect Pear Creative Covers for creating yet another beautiful cover. You know my vision better than I do.

Stacey Ryan Blake, aka the best damn formatter in the world, thank you for making the inside of my books look beautiful. And, thank you for putting up with all of my last minutes changes. You’re amazing and you’re never getting rid of me ;)

Last and certainly not least, thank you to every single one of my readers. Thank you for begging for Brittany’s story. I hope you swooned over Connor just as much as I did. Your support means so much to me and without you and I wouldn’t be doing what I love.

K.L. Grayson resides in a small town outside of St. Louis, MO. She is entertained daily by her extraordinary husband, who will forever inspire every good quality she writes in a man. Her entire life rests in the palms of six dirty little hands, and when the day is over and those pint-sized cherubs have been washed and tucked into bed, you can find her typing away furiously on her computer. She has a love for alpha-males, brownies, reading, tattoos, sunglasses, and happy endings…and not particularly in that order.

If you enjoyed reading
Live Without Regret
as much as I enjoyed writing it, I hope you’ll consider leaving a review.

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