Beautifully Broken (The Broken Series Book 2) (19 page)

I
stood there staring out over the gardens for some time before the smell of
citrus, cedar, and cloves gently enveloped me. I felt the warmth from Michael’s
body behind me. I hadn’t even heard him enter the room.

Michael
wrapped his arms around me, gently tucking me into his chest.

A
shiver ran through me as I savored the feel of his body locked so enticingly around
mine. “You’re back,” I whispered with a smile.

“
Tu es tellement belle
,
” Michael murmured as he
lifted my hair. His lips brushed against my neck. He left a long, lingering trail
of kisses from the back of my ear to my collar bone. The gardens disappeared as
my eyes fell closed. I melted into his chest as he began kissing the other side
of my neck. Michael’s hands moved seductively over my body, skimming slowly
over my hips, stomach, breasts, and neck before turning me around in his arms. I
opened my eyes slowly, hesitant to break the spell he had woven around me.

Michael’s
expression seemed pained, but his eyes softened the moment they found mine. He raised
his fingers to his lips before capturing my face in his hands and lowering his
lips to mine. Michael’s tongue quickly breached my lips as he locked our mouths
together in a heated kiss.

My
eyes flew open in surprise at the sweet taste in his mouth. He tasted funny… wrong
somehow. I tried to pull away, but he tightened his grasp and deepened the kiss
even more. A tingling sensation built inside my chest, then spiraled seductively
through my blood. Heat wove through my abdomen, then raced down my arms and
legs with an intensity that stole my breath. My toes curled at the sensation.

Michael
pulled me back inside the bedroom. “
Tu m'as manqué.
I missed you,
mon
coeur,
” he murmured against my lips. He resumed the kiss as he grabbed my
hands and forced me up against the wall. He pinned me with a well-muscled thigh
before ravishing me with his lips.

My
heart beat a thunderous score. “Michael,” I gasped. “What are you doing?”

A
low growl rose from his chest as he flipped me around and unzipped my dress.
“I’m claiming what’s mine.”

I
shivered as the dress fell to the floor. “Michael…” I whispered pleadingly.

He
forced my arms above my head and pressed the front of my body into the cold wall.
“Do not move,” he warned in a threatening tone. He ran his fingers down the
back of my hands, my arms, across my back, my bottom, and legs… all the way to
the heels of my feet.

My
nails raked the wall as every inch of skin he touched lit with need. I was shaking
by the time he worked his way up my body with little nips and open mouthed
kisses. I knew then that I was going to cave. My body was literally crawling
for him.

Once
Michael got back up to my hands, he abruptly turned me around. His lips met
mine in a brutal kiss before he unhooked my bra. He pinned me back against the
wall and resumed the ritual, dragging his fingers down my body and kissing
every inch of available skin on his way back up.

Then
he released me. The only thing pinning me to the wall now was his heated gaze.

My
heart raced as he peeled off his shoes and socks. I watched his fingers skim
every button as he loosened his shirt and pants and let them fall to the floor.
His boxer briefs fell on top of the pants. The light from the window danced off
his golden skin. I marveled at how he could look so dangerous and beautiful at
the same time. I took a tentative step forward.

Michael
grasped my thighs, hiked my legs around his waist, and pinned me back against
the wall. He pressed his hips against mine. “Can you feel how much I want you,
ma
chérie
?”

“Yes,”
I rasped.

Michael
kissed me long and hard. I locked my arms and legs around him when he began
sucking on my tongue. His hands raked wickedly over my body, stoking an already
insatiable need. By the time he lowered me to the bed, I had lost all ability
to think. The only thing I could do was
feel
…
Michael
…
everywhere.
I lost all track of time as he continued branding my body with searing kisses.

I
clenched the sheets as Michael pulled my panties down. He nibbled at the inside
of my thigh. My body arched painfully as I pleaded with him. “
Please,
Michael
…”

His
eyes locked on mine. His voice was gruff when he spoke. “
Please, what
?”

God,
help me.
I couldn’t think. I couldn’t speak. I could only
feel,
and Michael had
stopped moving when every inch of my body was screaming
for more. I was trying not to sob.
Oh, God! I don’t want it to stop.

Michael
refused to touch me. His eyes were completely black as they bore into mine. “I
want you to say it,” he growled.

I
groaned as I reached for him. “Michael, I want you.”

His
eyes grew fierce. “
More than anything?
”

“Yes,”
I choked out.

Michael’s
eyes continued to hold mine. “
Or anyone?
” he demanded in a threatening
tone.

“
Yes!
”
I screamed. I blinked back tears as my head fell back against the pillows.

Michael
pinned my hands above my head as he nudged my thighs open and slammed into me.

I
hissed in a breath. I was shocked that he hadn’t eased into me. My hands
clenched in his as I tried to breathe through the pain.

Michael
bit at my chin and lips. His tongue swept possessively through my mouth as he
claimed yet another part of me. He moved his hips in slow seductive circles until
I relaxed enough to savor the feel of him buried so deeply inside of me.

“
More,
”
I whispered wantonly.

His
control slipped as he drove into me. “
You’re mine, Kristine. You belong to
me.
”

“
Yes
,”
I conceded as his body slammed into mine. I sank my nails into the back of his
hands as my body began to pulse around his. He cried out as he thrust one last
time. The room fractured into shards of colored light. Red… gold… green… and
blue shimmered, then blurred into unrecognizable colors as they wound tightly around
our bodies. Then everything exploded… the lights… the room… our bodies... into
a million beautifully broken pieces.

*
* * * * *

The
early morning sun tugged my eyes open as it slinked across my face. I reached
for Michael. He was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head buried in his
hands. I sat up, suddenly alarmed. “Michael, what’s wrong?”

He
didn’t respond.

My
heart beat erratically as I crawled across the bed. I slid to the floor and
kneeled at his feet. Slowly, I removed his hands from his tear stained cheeks.
“
Mon cherie
, please… you’re scaring me. Please tell me what’s wrong.”

Michael
looked completely wrecked. He muttered something in French. Finally, he began
speaking words I could understand. “
Je
suis
désolé,
ma
chérie.
I am so sorry
about last night. I do not know
what came over me. I missed you terribly. I wanted you so badly, I… I lost my
mind.”

Fiercely
erotic memories flashed before me. I shook my head, recalling the sweet taste
in his mouth. “Michael, what happened last night? What
was
that? Did you
put drugs in my mouth when you kissed me?”

“
Oui
.”
Michael responded despondently. “I thought it would help.”

My
jaw clenched. “Help what?”

His
eyes filled with shame as he looked away. “Help make you want me.” His
shoulders fell as he bowed his head.

My
eyes widened. Michael was just as broken as I was. My anger dampened as I sat
staring at the top of his head. I took a deep breath and slowly reached for his
face. “Michael, I don’t like taking drugs. I have been drugged before, and I
don’t like losing control like that. When I feel something, I want it to be
real. Besides, I wanted
you
before
you gave me the drugs.”

“You
wanted me?” he asked numbly. He looked up but his eyes were glazed, and he
didn’t appear to see my face.

I
searched for the words that would help him understand. “
Oui,
seulement
toi
.”

Michael’s
eyes cleared. “
Seulement toi…
” he repeated.

“
Oui,
Michael. Seulement toi
.” This time, I didn’t give him a chance to
respond. I captured his face in my hands and kissed him… gently at first, then
more forcefully. Desperate to convince him, I crawled onto his lap and pushed
him down onto the bed. Then I poured every last ounce of love I owned from my
body into his.

Another
month slipped by before Kadyn finally got the break he was looking for. Once
again it was Dan who uncovered the missing piece.

Kadyn
had just left the Pentagon. He was driving his car into DC, so he could look
over the security measures his communications team had established for the
Secretary of Defense’s speech at the Mayflower Hotel. He wasn’t supposed to be
on his cell phone in the District, so he promptly switched the incoming call to
the Bluetooth system in his car.

Dan’s
voice boomed over the speakers. “Kadyn, I’m about to make you a very happy
man.”

Kadyn’s
heart stopped. Still, he didn’t miss a beat. “Finally, the skip tracer pulls
through,” he murmured sarcastically.

Dan
laughed. “Navy boys aren’t known to back down from a fight. So cowboy up,
partner, because you’re about to get the girl.”

Kadyn
couldn’t help smiling at Dan’s optimism. “I have a meeting with the SecDef in
fifteen minutes. You mind picking up the pace, cowpoke?”

“Okay,
so short story made long…” Dan goaded.

Kadyn
groaned.

Dan
laughed. “I’ve been digging around the Montana Board of Investments, where Garcia
worked when he was living in Montana. It took me a while to find someone who
was working there a year and a half ago, back when Garcia was around. You
wouldn’t believe the turnover in that place…”

“Short
story, Dan. Short story,” Kadyn growled.

“Don’t
get your panties in an uproar, fly boy. You need the facts. I’m gettin’ you the
facts. Now stop interrupting.”

Kadyn
counted to ten. Twice.

“So,
I finally get a name, and I track down this guy at this private investment firm
out in Seattle... a guy by the name of Darren Black. He used to work with Garcia
at the Board of Investments. Said Garcia had fallen head over heels for one of
the local girls, a pretty blond girl he was showing off at the office. Garcia
said they were getting married and he wouldn’t be sticking around… and, here’s
the good part… Garcia was bragging about buying some mansion for this girl. Any
guesses on where?”

Kadyn
lost it. “Dan, if you don’t tell me NOW, I will board the next flight to
Montana, so I can strangle you with my bare hands!”

Dan
roared with laughter. “In your dreams, fly boy. The mansion is in Paris,
France.”

“
No shit?” Kadyn whispered. He couldn’t
believe Dan’s
instincts had been right all along.

“There’s
just one problem. I can’t pinpoint an address for the house. I don’t have
access to that kind of data… not when the house is in France.”

Kadyn
smiled. “That, my friend, will not be a problem. I owe you one, sailor.”

Dan
snorted. “You owe me more than one.”

“Yes.
Yes, I do,” Kadyn readily agreed.

“Let
me know if you need back up when you go. It’s been a while since I kicked me
some French butt.”

Kadyn
shuddered at the thought of Dan in France. “We’ll see, sailor boy. We’ll see.”

Kadyn
disconnected the call. He was in too big a hurry to try to find parking, so he
turned his keys over to the valet in front of the hotel. He shot off a quick
message to Phil, Mason, Cenia, and Roger.
We have a lead. My place in one
hour.
 Then he strode inside the hotel so he could brief the Secretary of
Defense on the security protocols they had established for his speech.

* * * * * *

Cenia,
Roger, and Phil were sitting on the floor outside his apartment when Kadyn
arrived. Mason hadn’t made it home yet. They followed him into the apartment. Kadyn
quickly briefed them on what he’d learned from Dan.

“The
real estate transaction will be a matter of public record if France is anything
like the United States. That should be fairly easy to obtain, especially since
we have a timeframe. I’ll have to pull in someone who can read French, but I
should be able to pin down an address within the next forty-eight hours. Of
course, that’s assuming the house was purchased in his name,” Phil noted excitedly.

Cenia
looked at Kadyn. “If we’re going to Paris to look for Kri, then we need to
approach this the right way. We won’t get anywhere if we question people in
English. Whoever is in on this is going to have to make some effort to speak
the language. I’ll see if I can find someone to run us through a French
immersion course within the next few days.” Cenia jerked her head toward Mason,
who had just walked through the door. “And we won’t get anywhere if we show up looking
like that.”