Unbreak My Heart (Rough Riders Legacy #1)

He shouted that last part and I cringed.

“So how am I supposed to know where you draw the line in telling secrets if I don’t ask? I oughta assume you won’t mention it even in passing to Kyler? ‘Hey, Ky, no we couldn’t make the party because we were in Flagstaff after Boone had a meeting with his father. That is one fucked-up situation with the West family—and I thought what Boone dealt with growing up was bad, but it’s nothing compared to what his dad went through with his father. Some sick shit there. Not that I can tell you anything about it.’” He paused to slow his labored breathing. “Am I wrong?”

God. He pissed me off.

Mostly because he was right.

We’d talked about financial responsibilities.

We’d talked about household responsibilities—but it’d taken us a big goddamned fight to deal with that.

I didn’t ever want to make a misstep and hurt him by my assumptions.

Maybe I already had.

I assumed because Lu and I joked around about sex that Boone and Raj did too. Had it been wrong to tell Lu that I’d finally christened the pool—with Boone—because it’d been a topic of conversation between her and me since I’d bought the house? Had it been wrong to tell Lu that Boone was awesome in bed? Even when I hadn’t gone into details about our first time except to tell her where it’d happened and that it had been worth the seven-year wait?

We hadn’t set parameters for what was private between us as lovers, between us as a couple, and as each other’s confidantes.

I’d never had anyone in my life that I’d bared all to either.

I looked up and found my beautiful Brooding Boone staring at me, practically daring me to argue.

“I’m sorry. You’re right. We should add this to those Relationship Rules as something that needs discussion and defined parameters. But to put our mind at ease, I promise what you’ve told me tonight won’t ever leave this room. I promise everything you told me about your childhood will always only stay between us. I’m sorry you even had to question me about it, but you had every right to.”

He blinked at me.

“So are we good?”

“Come here.”

I took his hand and he tucked me against his body—after bestowing tender kisses that filled me with warmth, not heat.

I yawned, but Boone’s entire body remained rife with tension. “Would a massage help you fall asleep?”

“No. But thanks for the offer.” He kissed my forehead. “I don’t know if I tell you often enough how much I love all the thoughtful things you do for me. I never understood the appeal of having someone take care of me. I love that you just…know what I need.” He sighed. “I suck at doing that for you right now, but I promise I’m gonna learn how to give that back to you.”

We were quiet for a bit. Then I said, “Do you work tomorrow?”

“No. I’m off until noon on Monday for the ever-popular noon to midnight shift. Why?”

I propped myself on his chest. “Have you ever been to Sedona?”

“Just what I drove through to get here.”

“Let’s spend tomorrow playing tourist. It’s a gorgeous county and the weather is perfect this time of year. We haven’t done anything like that yet. The two of us on a day trip with no agenda.”

“You trying to keep my mind occupied, McKay?”

“Not as much as I want to show you the beautiful state I was born in. There’s more to Arizona than Phoenix.”

Boone smiled—my smile—for the first time since I’d shown up. “Sounds like a plan.”

I peppered his chest with kisses. “We’ll have so much fun! But we will have to hit a discount store first thing in the morning since all I have for clothes is the dress I wore to the wedding.” I smirked. “Dude. Do you know what this means? I’ll have my first walk of shame moment in Walmart! It’s like a rite of passage. I’m totally Instagramming it.”

That actually earned me a chuckle.

“Can we take selfies? So we have pictures of us as a couple to put up in the house and at work? We could even start a photo album, scrapbook thingy to document our adventures together.”

His smile faded. “Sierra, why did you ask for permission? Because that wasn’t what I meant when we talked about boundaries.”

“I know. I asked because you wouldn’t let me take pictures of you or us before.”

“I’m not camera shy.” He slid his hand around my neck. The tips of his fingers were rough and dry against the damp flesh at the start of my hairline. He brushed his thumb across my jawline. “I didn’t want pictures of us because it would’ve been too fucking hard to look at them. For both of us.”

“Oh.”

“Besides, admit that if you would’ve had a pic of me, you would’ve enlarged that motherfucker and used it for target practice.”

I laughed. “Maybe.”