Breathless Promises (Alluring Promises Series Book 3) (14 page)

The one man who said he loved me just walked away from me. I had felt like he truly meant it last night and I messed it up. Nothing mattered now.
Nothing can change it
, I thought as the elevator careened down to the lobby.

I managed to somehow grasp the metal railing in the elevator to pull myself up. The reflection in the elevator showed a red-faced woman with black mascara streaming down her face. I cast my eyes down knowing I didn’t deserve to even look at myself. I lost the one thing I truly wanted in life.

The doors opened and I bowed my head, letting my long hair curtain around my face to hide my shame. I hurried through the lobby feeling everyone stare at me as if they already knew the slut that I really am.

The cool air whipped against my skin as I flew out the glass doors away from all the eyes that stared at me. Completely bawling and my breathing out of control, I walked toward the end of the building. I turned to the alleyway and rested my head on the corner of the building. Waves of sobs that I couldn’t control accompanied the voice in my head that kept repeating
No man will ever love you for you, just your body
. Followed by Gregory’s voice calling me a
fucking slut
.

“Aubrey!” I heard Gregory call my name. I immediately stopped my hateful thoughts as hope surged through me. Maybe he found a way to get around this and he wanted me back.

He truly does love me.

He wants to fight for me.

I spun around searching for any signs on his face that this might blow over; that he still loved me and that everything would be fine.

“I need the ring back.” His words hung in the cold air and as I stared with disbelief at his outstretched hand; the hand that had caressed me during the night and touched my face when he told me he loved me. I glanced from his waiting hand to his eyes. They darted everywhere but mine.

I swallowed and tried to contain my disbelief. “You…what?”

“We’re clearly not engaged anymore.” His tone clipped and bit hard. “I need the ring back.” His voice was tighter now and without the slight wavering that he had before. It was a command. His hand firmly held open proved it.

“Those pictures. I can explain everything to you. Maybe we can figure out a way around all this.” My voice shook as I still held the ring, hoping he would change his mind.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me.” His eyes finally landed back on mine. He started walking toward me as I backed up and finally hit the side of the building again. Ironic that it’s the same place that I held hope he had changed his mind mere moments ago.

A slew of words flew from his mouth as his face contorted in anger and hatred for me. His body towered over me. Never having seen this side of him, my stomach dropped and my legs began to shake out of pure fear. I had no idea what he might be capable of. I cowered as he continued to spew vile words at me.

All the words that I knew I deserved.

Clark

Last night was a bust. I spent the entire night with Alex down at his favorite bar, The Freckled…something. Tit?
Whatever
. Alex barely talked to me all night. Instead, he watched our waitress, Cassie, like some creepy stalker. Cassie’s a sweet girl and everything, a real cute blonde with a subtle Southern drawl, but she won’t give him the time of day so why would he bother with her? His eyes didn’t leave her all night. He was pathetic.

After barely getting him to talk and trying to convince him to come with me to check out some new clubs, I left him there. Around eleven, I searched for the most bass thumping bars that might have vampires, or at least that type of crowd. I had no luck at all, except a huge headache. I like the TV up loud to drown out my thoughts, but man, the bass in those places felt like a sledgehammer banging on my head all night.

Unsure of where I really left my car, I turned the corner hoping to find it. I was more than ready to head back home since I never did find Aub, and Alex was still hung-over from his drunk-stalking thing. Trying to find Aub was probably a stupid plan to begin with, especially in a city this size—there was no way I’d find her in a packed club. If she is a vampire, she’s moving soon anyway. I’d just have to make sure I lock my door every night so she couldn’t watch me sleep anymore.

As soon as I thought that, something caught my eye as I continued down the street.

Bam
. There she was. Aub. Maybe it was the glint of the jewelry she held in her hand as she seemed to back away from the guy. Whatever caught my eye, I’m glad it did. I almost didn’t recognize Aub since the almost white dress she wore seemed way too conservative for her. And I definitely wouldn’t have thought it was my roommate by the messed up hairstyle. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Aub’s hair so straggled and unkempt.

My adrenaline shot through me as I squinted to get a closer glimpse at the scene before me. She had her hands held up in prayer while black tears stained her reddened face. The dick in front of her may have been dressed in nice clothes, but the way he approached her, making her back up to the building, ticked me off immediately. The way his face was pinched up like he was mad at her for something only added to my confusion of the scene.

I took off running the moment he shoved her against the wall. Nothing but red flashed before me the second it registered that he was screaming at her, his face inches away from hers.

All I had to hear were the words “slut” and “worthless” to know that I was going to beat the fucking piss out of the asshole. Hell, I’d have done it just for backing her up against the wall.

My fists clenched with nothing more than reflex as I shoved the fucker away from Aub. The pain shot through my knuckles the moment my fist slugged the guy right in the jaw. The whole scene felt like slow motion as I watched blood squirt from his mouth while his head rolled with my punch.
Damn, I’m good.
I was pretty sure Z would be impressed too. He fell just as quickly as I hit him and the moment his body hit the floor is when I heard Aub screaming at me.

That’s when I realized I hadn’t really analyzed the situation. But, why would I? She was either being mugged or about to get raped. Vampire or not, no one deserves that.

“Claark…” Aub whined. “Why’d you do that?” She asked as she dropped to her knees. Her whole body shook from the sobs she let out. Confusion settled in. My heart was still pounding from all the adrenaline shooting through me and I couldn’t figure out why she was so upset. Had I screwed up?

“Because he was about to hurt you. Who the fuck is this guy anyway?”
And in the daylight.
Maybe she’s a vampire who can be in the light. I know it’s stupid that thought popped into my head at a moment like this, but I was still holding on to my theory.

She sniffled as she looked up at me. Regardless if he wasn’t going to hurt her or not, she was upset and I knew that guy was the reason for it. “My fiancé, Gregory. Well, he…was my fiancé,” she choked out. “We just broke up.”

Fiancé? What the? “Well then I did you a favor.” I hoped that would help her feel better. After all, she’s in a fit of tears and he was screaming at her. No woman should deal with that. Our attention turned back to the guy. The expensive black suit he wore now had dust all over. We both watched as he reached up to rub his temple and tried to stand up. I almost felt bad for the guy. Almost.

“Who the hell are you?” I wanted to laugh at how weak he sounded.

“Aub’s roommate,” I replied in a low menacing voice.

“Great.” He added a chuckle and shook his head. “One of the many guys you fucked.”
Shit. He must have found out about our night together.
If I were the cause of their breakup, Aub would never forgive me.

“Did you ever really love me?” Aub choked out in a meek voice. I’ve never seen her act like that. Aub is always so put together. I’ve never heard her voice quiver like it just did.

His eyes darted from the building to the ground and back up, but still avoided her eyes. Aub watched the same thing I did. All the heart pumping shit that just ran through me now dropped to my stomach. I knew right then Aub was about to get her heart crushed. I know this because I’ve put that look on too many girls’ faces after they want more of me.

“I…Aubrey, I was drunk last night. I…I’m sorry, I don’t even remember saying that to you.” At least he attempted to sound sincere.

I glanced back to see the look on her face. She was in pain and I knew her heart was shattered inside. Her mouth gaped open and my heart broke for her. “Want me to hit him again,” I offered as I reached for the guy’s shirt and grabbed it. She gave me a “are you insane” type of look, so I released my grip and gave him a small shove. Somehow that just made me feel a little better.

“Do you remember making love to me at all?” She asked in a voice that was barely audible. I’ve never seen her like this. Calm, cool, and collected Aub was nowhere to be found right now.

“Aubrey, I barely remember doing business with Melander.” He looked away from her, completely avoiding her eyes.

Nice
, I thought to myself as I glanced at his eye red and swelling up. His lip will match it nicely since it was already bleeding and puffed up. I really got the guy good. I felt okay about it until I heard Aub choke on a cry. Maybe I should hit him again just for letting her down.

“Aubrey. I...you can keep the clothes and I’ll leave the money in the account and drop my name from it.” He looked at the ground and then back up to her eyes. “I’m sorry we have to end it like this.”
What an asshole.
All because he found out about us?

“Hey, what happened between us, it was just basically a one nighter, you know? Just one awesome night. Don’t let that come between you two. We haven’t slept together since,” I told him as he shook his head and looked back at Aub. She closed her eyes as tears streamed down her face mixed with the black from her eye makeup.

“It’s over, Aubrey,” he repeated. I glanced over at Aub. Staring into space, she just nodded her head. Greg paused a moment. His apologetic look wouldn’t be noticed by Aub. She was in a dazed fog. I watched him walk away before turning my gaze back to her.

“You all right, Aub?” I asked her. She looked like she was in shock. I’m sure that’ll wear off soon. Knowing her, she’ll get mad soon. I’ll help her find a one-night stand to get her through this. Or, hell, I’ll be that one-nighter for her.

“I…can you take me home, Clark?”

I answered by wrapping my arm around her shoulder and started walking with her down the sidewalk to my car. Her sniffles continued and I tried to let her have some peace, but I couldn’t resist asking her about him.

“So, you two were going to get married? How come you didn’t tell any of us?” She stopped walking and faced me. More tears welled up in her eyes, but damn if those chestnut eyes didn’t look so beautiful and bright right now. It tugged at my heart to see her like this and all I wanted to do was protect her.

“I can’t talk about this. Can we not do this right now?”

I nodded, wondering if she’d talk more in the car. I wrapped my arm back over her shoulder again and we continued to walk to where I parked my car yesterday.

The drive home was fun. That was complete sarcasm right there. Aub’s heaving sobs were both heartbreaking and annoying at the same time. This was why I always left a girl before the tears came. Having to listen to that and not knowing what to say is really stressful. Her head finally fell between her knees as she started to really let it all out.
Holy shit, this is going to be the longest drive ever
.

It was finally quiet in the car except for Aub’s sniffles. I wanted to turn on the radio, but I wasn’t sure how she’d feel about that. “You okay?” I asked as I reached into my console and grabbed a few napkins. I glanced away from the road and sighed as I watched her stare blankly out the window.

No answer from Aub, but I just couldn’t let it go. “You really thought he loved you?” She nodded when I glanced over at her. She still had that same vacant stare. “I’m sorry, Aub. Guys can be real assholes, you know?” She nodded again as I began my usual “after break-up” talk. “You know. Sometimes the best way to get over a guy is to get him back. You know, make him regret ever leaving you.” She blew her nose.

“Don’t,” she said as she sniffled again. “Don’t even bother, Clark. I’m not in the mood for your games. Let’s just get home, okay?”

“I wasn’t saying me. I mean, if you want it to be me, I can be. But…”

“I know what you meant.” She took a breath and I wasn’t sure if she was going to say anything else. At first I thought she went back to quiet, but she leaned over and flipped on the radio.

“I know you hate the quiet.” She sat back and I watched her give me a small smile. I was pretty sure she still wanted me to not talk, but the music filled the car and that was just as good. I continued to speed home.

******

A full day passed of Aub doing nothing but sit on the couch, staring into space. I knew that look too well. Too many of my buddies had their heart broken and that’s what they did. Shit, now that I think about it…I probably do that when Tina leaves.
Pathetic.
I know Aub’s not a guy, but the fact that she’s not able to gather herself was crazy. I mean, it’s Aub. She uses guys as much as I use chicks.

I came home from work today and knew I needed to snap her out of it. The problem was, I’ve never seen Aub so head over heels about a guy before. Not that I knew her that well, but she seems pretty much like me in the dating department. Until now.

I threw my keys into the bowl by the door and went to go change. Heading to the kitchen, I glanced over at her. Same thing she was doing when I left this morning and when I went to bed last night. I even sat next to her last night while watching TV and she didn’t say a word to me. I grabbed two beers from the fridge and sat down next to her. She looked like she needed to get drunk. And laid. I can definitely help with both of those. I’m all about helping out my friends. 

“Hey Aub.” I tried to sound caring and calm. “I brought you a beer. Maybe you need a couple of sips to help drown your sorrows.” I held out the bottle to her, but she shook her head. I let out a huge sigh, placed it on the table and grabbed the remote.

Just as I was about to turn the TV on I heard her meek voice. “Clark. What is it you like about me?” This wasn’t the Aub I knew and it was both heart-wrenching and gave me an uneasy feeling in my gut.

“You’re hot,” I told her. Chicks who just get their heartbroken need to hear how pretty they look, right? I smiled bright, hoping that would cheer her up, but instead her eyes dulled even more than before. I watched her nod and realized that didn’t help put her in a better mood. Actually, it seemed to add to her pity party.

“You’ve got a great sense of humor.” I hoped my honesty and the way I said it would help cheer her a bit.

“You think?” I relaxed a little when I noticed the slight hope in her eyes. There was something about making her feel that way that made me want to go on. A certain pull to bring her some happiness and out of the funk she was in.

I turned and smiled more. “Yeah. And you’re full of energy.” Thinking how she’s usually in a great mood, but never overly bubbly.
That’s annoying.
But Aub usually had this calm happiness to her, especially after her workouts. “Well, usually. I mean you’re pretty off since we got back from Atlanta. I’ve never really seen you like this.” As soon as I said it, I regretted it. I felt even worse when I saw her expression change.

A sad smile crossed her lips and she began to stare back into space. I needed to make her feel good again. I wanted to continue lifting her mood. I reached over and grasped her hand. It felt so delicate and soft in my huge palm. “Aub, you’ll get through this, you know.” Her brown eyes finally showed a little hope. 

“Thanks, Clark,” she told me, pressing her lips together.

The look in her eyes, the soft touch of her hand on mine, there was something going on between us that I couldn’t explain. It seemed to be more than the pity I felt earlier.

“Come here.” I stretched across the couch and pulled her close. I cradled her in my arms as I let the warmth of her body engulf me. She wrapped her arms around my neck.