Broken (7 page)

He exuded a kind of self-confidence that she wasn’t used to. His very manner and the way he spoke, even the way he sat there at her broke down table like he was king of the roost, was something she had no experience with. They ate in silence as her mind imagined all sorts of things.

For whatever reason, regardless of what he said, she found herself making constant comparisons between him and her ex. Like at the end of the meal when he took her cup and refilled it without being asked. Paul had never done that, in fact because he was the one with the higher education and better future prospects, he’d always taken it for granted that he was the one who was to be waited on hand and foot.

When she thought of it now, she could just kick her own ass. How could she have been so blind? How could she let herself be used like that, by someone she trusted? And what in the hell did she expect to get from this total and complete stranger?

She was even more surprised at his next offer after they’d finally finished their coffee. “You wash I’ll dry, it’s only fair since I made breakfast. Next time you cook, I’ll wash.” Well you could’ve blown her over, not only was he offering to wash dishes, but he was also inferring that there would be a next time. The thought shouldn’t have pleased her half as much as it did, but it did.

She wasn’t sure what to do with herself after the dishes were done in relative quiet, but she needn’t have worried. “Let’s go.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door. “Where are we going?” She dug her heels in to keep from being dragged across the floor.

“That ride I mentioned.” He kept ahold of her hand and her pulse kicked into overdrive again.

“I can’t go like this, remember?” She looked down at herself and his eyes followed. When his nostrils flared and a slash of red came across his cheeks, she knew he wasn’t blushing and thought it prudent to hightail her ass to the bedroom and change.

“It’ll only take a minute.” She freed herself from his grasp.

“Lied every female since creation.” He shot back as she disappeared around the corner. Damn her ass looked nice in those soft shorts. He berated himself for not doing the litmus test while she was still wearing them, next time. His dick perked right the fuck up at the thought.

She was back in five minutes covered from head to toe. “You’re not going to war baby cakes, just for a ride.” She had thrown on a light jacket over her long sleeved tee, jeans and old work boots.

“But I’ve never been on a bike before what if I fall? At least I’ll be padded a little.” She’s so cute with her eyes little girl wide and her pouty lip. He wanted to bite that lip and work his way down to her…He dragged his mind back and took her hand again, pulling her along in haste to get the fuck out before she ended up on the floor under him.

He was rethinking his offer to take her for a ride as soon as they reached his bike. He hadn’t given much thought to the closeness they’d share once she hopped on behind him, but when her little arms wrapped around his middle and she held on for dear life he knew he was in trouble.

That shirt wasn’t doing much to protect his back from the feel of her soft cushiony tits pushing into him. And since she was nervous she held on with both arms and legs…tight. The vee where her pussy sat between her thighs was pressed into his ass and his dick was heading south fast down one leg of his jeans. Not the most comfortable thing on the back of a bike.

She yelped when he powered on and revved up, before pulling out, and her hands clutched at his middle. It took five minutes for her to relax and he knew the second she became a convert. He grinned behind his helmet and ignored the annoying voice in his head that was asking him why the fuck was he so happy that she wasn’t afraid to ride?

He shelved that shit for now and just enjoyed the feel of her wrapped around him from behind.

That death grip she had on him eased up and her head was moving back and forth, as she took in the passing scenery. No longer afraid, but enjoying the sights from a different vantage point. He could all but feel the grin on her face as the one on his got wider.

He didn’t stop to question why he was so pleased with her response. He just knew that any woman he got tangled up with would have to love riding. It had been a while since he’d had one behind him and it felt good. Too good!

***

They got more than a few looks as they rode through town before heading out to the outskirts. Kyle could care less, he knew by nightfall they would be the topic on everybody’s tongue. That was part of his plan. Somewhere along the way, between last night and this morning, he’d had something brewing in his gut.

For whatever reason, he liked her, like really liked her. She was sweet, genuine, sexy as fuck, and broken. That was the one thing he kept coming back to. Even as she tried to put on a brave front, he could see that she was still suffering. He wasn’t sure if his natural brand of fuck ‘em and bounce was gonna be any help to her, but he knew he didn’t like the raw deal she’d gotten. If he could bring her out of that shell just a little, give her some of her own back well then. And if she let him fuck, well so much the fucking better.

Kerry wasn’t sure if anyone recognized her back there, but strangely enough she didn’t really care. She felt free and relaxed for the first time in forever. She’d never known there could be such freedom on the back of a bike, and asked herself why she’d never tried it before.

She wasn’t worried about wagging tongues, not then anyway. For now, she just wanted to enjoy the novelty of being on her first bike ride. It was amazing how things were starting to look up for her. It seemed as if once she made up her mind to stop wallowing, good things had just started falling into her lap.

It may be superficial to see her new association with the hunky bike rider as a step in the right direction, but she chose to see it as such. I mean he was the first one to light a spark under her since…well, since then and here she was on her first bike ride ever because of him. She fleetingly wondered how many other firsts they were going to share before all was said and done, but gave up that train of thought when her face got heated.

Something was going on back there. He couldn’t see her face but he could feel the change in the arms she had wrapped around him. She had some fuck on her mind that was putting her through the paces, and he doubted she realized she was sighing out loud.

He didn’t dwell on it though. It was still new this connection and they were both gonna have to learn each other. Just as long as she learned real fast what kind of man he was.

Chapter 5

***

H
e took them to a nice secluded spot near the lake that ran across the edge of town and stopped. There was no one else around this time of the morning, just them and the birds. It was still early enough that the sun wasn’t at its full force as yet, but it was going to be a good one. Her legs were like jelly and butterflies had taken flight in her tummy. And it wasn’t all to do with the ride either.

“If I knew we were coming here maybe we could’ve brought a picnic.” She said it more out of sudden panic than anything else, as it finally set in that they were out here all alone and no one knew where she was. Not that she felt any real fear, not physically anyway. But the sudden racing of her heart coupled with the way he looked at her kind of put her on alert.

“No need to be jumpy Kerryanne, I’m not going to hurt you I already told you that. I might steal a kiss…or two, not sure yet.” He teased her as he walked away towards the water. In his mind he was thinking that her reticence was the very reason he didn’t want to get involved. He had no experience with skittish women, but damn if this one wasn’t getting under his skin.

Why the fuck did it have to be her? In all the years he’d been playing the game, why this particular woman at this particular time when he wasn’t even looking? And damn sure; not for someone like her.

The problem was, he was so worried about what the fuck was going on in her head he couldn’t make his regular moves. The fact that she was still raw held him in check and he didn’t like it. He wasn’t one to be held back because of someone else’s mistakes. Especially not some weak son of a bitch who’d done her the way her ex had.

The stakes were stacked against them in too many ways to count. She didn’t know him, she was obviously wary of men and she probably needed a gentle touch. Fuck if he knew fuck all about that minefield. He turned to look back at her as she stood just where he’d left her, biting into her lip for all she was worth.

She had an innocent little girl lost look about her that fucked with his heart and gut. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Here he was tumbling head over ass into…something, he still didn’t know what, while she seemed to be stuck in the past. It wouldn’t matter so much if he didn’t feel. Always before he’s been able to keep feelings out of his shit. But one night spent with her and suddenly he’s the fucking poster boy for feelings.

Even now as he looked at her standing there, imagining who knows the fuck what. All he wanted to do was comfort her, reassure her. And then what?

She looked at him shyly, probably wondering why he was staring at her like an ass, and just then the sun came from behind the leaves and framed her. Her hair did that shit in the sunlight again, drawing his eye, which only led to them roaming down to the rest of her. “Fuck it.”

Walking back to her, he drew her in, ignoring her harsh intake of breath just before his lips covered hers. For some fucked up reason he found himself studying that kiss and his own reactions to it. It was more sensual than any he’d shared, maybe because he knew there wasn’t a fuck on the other side of it.

He took his time and seduced her mouth with his, playing with her tongue, nibbling at the corner of her lips and running his tongue along the inside of her mouth. She didn’t shy away but he felt the slight tremble in her body when he drew her in closer.

He went through a million different motions in the two minutes or so the kiss lasted. He questioned the feelings that ran riot inside him from just a small thing like a kiss. Somehow he had known, from the first time he sat across from her in that apartment, he had known that it would come to this.

She sucked on his tongue like an innocent and yet it ignited a fever in his blood the likes of which he’d never known. He pulled her in even closer, letting her feel the hardness of his cock as they each tried to swallow the other’s tongue. When his hand moved down to the plump cheek of her ass he was expecting her to pull away, but instead she moaned into his mouth and ground herself into him, like she was ready to fuck.

It was he who pulled away this time as if burned, and looked down at her in surprise. When he saw that her eyes were still closed, the dreamy look she wore did something strange to his heart. “Fuck.” He let her go and stepped back, still with one hand around her waist.

Her eyes finally opened and she pinked up with embarrassment. He couldn’t resist running his thumb along her bottom lip. “Like a fucking lamb to the slaughter.” He felt a tinge of anger and didn’t know why. Yes he did. He didn’t like being confused and she was confusing the fuck out of him.

Without another word he took her hand and pulled her along with him. “How hung up are you on your ex?” The question took her totally by surprise and she wasn’t quite sure how to answer. She could barely concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Kerry was still reeling from that kiss. Could still feel his lips on hers, his body pressed close. She was tempted to run her fingers over her lips, but didn’t want to seem as gauche as she really was. Not when he seemed so sure of himself.

“I mean are you still expecting him to come back, are you still missing him? He stopped there since the thought made his gut twist. And why the fuck do you care one way or the other if she’s dumb enough to be hung up on the asshole that broke her heart?

Because you don’t want her on nobody else’s dick but yours. What the fuck? “Answer me.” He ignored his inner voice and concentrated on her. “I don’t think so.” It pissed him off that she wasn’t sure. What the fuck did you expect Kyle? You just met for fuck sake. Did you think she would be dying of love for you or some shit after one day?

‘No, but I expect her to be as tied the fuck up inside as I seem to be.’ He answered his inner bitch. “What do you mean you don’t think so, you don’t know? Didn’t this fucker do enough damage, or was there something he left undone, some other part of you still left to be destroyed?”

She looked at him a little bit uneasy. He seemed to be annoyed at her or something and she couldn’t figure out why. How had they gone from that kiss to this… “If you’re mad about something, why don’t you just take me back home?”

His sigh wasn’t much of an answer, neither were the undecipherable words he muttered under his breath as he used his hand to pull her along to stand next to him on the riverbank. He didn’t say anything for the longest while but she could tell that he was thinking really hard about something.

“I’m not gonna put up with any of your shit.” What the hell was he talking about? She decided not to give an answer since he didn’t seem to need one, but went on to tell her all the things he was ‘not’ going to do. As if she’d asked him.

“When you’re with me, you don’t moon over that fuck.”

“Who said I was mooning?” Now her back was up.

“It’s all over you sweetheart and if you think I’m dealing with that shit think again.” Okay, so she hadn’t mentioned the asshole but still, he knew she had to still be healing from the divorce. He hated the fucking thought that the other man played any part in her life no matter what that part might be.

He’d lost his fucking mind. That was the only explanation. He hadn’t brought her out here for anything more than a ride. But then she had to hold onto him like that as they rode and that damn kiss. Did she have to look so fucking sweet and desirable when he took his lips away from hers?

Who the fuck looks like that after a little kiss in this day and age? Green as fuck! And she was tying him up in knots. He felt fear slither down his spine and that only pissed him off farther. Why should he be afraid of her? He wasn’t afraid of anyone and he’d be fucked if he was gonna start now, especially with some small town beauty who was afraid of her own damn shadow.

He wanted to rant and rave but didn’t know what the fuck for. Was it only yesterday that he knew exactly where his life was going? He’d been working on wearing his grandpa down to seeing his way; that was the biggest thing on his plate. He didn’t have a fucking care in the world other than getting back to his business and running shit. Now this shit just fell in his lap out of nowhere and was throwing his game off. Fuck that!

“I don’t want this.” Good, let her know where shit stood before he got anymore tangled up with her.

“Well nobody asked you to.” Kerry had been enjoying the afterglow of that kiss, reveling in the fact that she could still feel. That even with her heart in tatters, there was still hope at the end of this very long and dark tunnel. It was something to be celebrated as far as she was concerned. Another post divorce first. She seemed to be racking them up. Now his surly attitude was spoiling it. The man had split personality disorder. Boy could she pick ‘em.

“Don’t talk back to me.” He growled more than spoke and she felt it tremble down her middle.

“Excuse me?” She tried pulling her hand out of his but he held on tighter. Still she didn’t feel fear, not the life threatening kind anyway, but there was danger of another kind in the air.

The look he gave her could’ve baked bread or frozen a melting glacier she wasn’t sure which. She did know that she had a little devil on her shoulder this morning that had decided it was time she grew a backbone. Figures, they were out in the middle of nowhere and he was gonna strangle her and leave her out here for the wildlife.

“Look, I don’t know what your problem is…”

“You, and your fucking eyes, and your mouth, and those tits. All fucking you, that’s my problem.” Her mouth hung down to her chin. “Why don’t you take this fucking problem back where you found her?” Oh yeah, she was good and pissed, she was also tired of people…

She didn’t finish the thought because one minute she was working up a good head of steam and the next, she found herself hauled back into his chest and her mouth was being devoured. There was something hard and throbbing pressed between her thighs that invited her to rub against it and she did.

He groaned into her mouth and the argument left her. No one had ever groaned for her like that, it was its own sweet little aphrodisiac, it made her feel powerful. She became the aggressor, biting his lip and tugging on his head as she tried to get as close to him as possible.

Kyle felt himself slipping. The taste and feel of her wasn’t supposed to do this shit to him dammit. He had to force himself to leave her mouth, and his fucking heart was doing some weird shit in his chest again. No fucking way. He wasn’t going out like that.

No fucking way she was what she seemed. He’d never believe that an innocent had brought him to this. Which meant.…“You fucking set me up?” He pulled her hair back roughly and glared down at her. “Stop that.” He wrapped his free arm around her ass to keep her still and hold onto his sanity.

She wasn’t even aware that she was still trying to climb his dick. Mortified, she tried pulling back. “No I didn’t, promise.” She had no idea what he was talking about but she knew pissed when she saw it and he was well and truly beyond that now.

Her answer brought him back down to earth. She’s so fucking innocent. How can anyone be that innocent after being married for so long? Fucking small town bullshit. Kyle had no idea why he was so angry, but he could take a wild guess.

Now, he understood why Lucille had been only too eager to tell him Kerry’s life story. And why all of a sudden, his gramps was so chipper this morning. The old fuck had been grouchy as hell for the last few weeks, but this morning when he’d told him he was going to go have breakfast with Kerry, he’d been all-smiles. He’d grilled him good when he got home last night too, now that he thought of it.

“Have you been talking to them?”

“Talking to who?” Now she was looking at him like he was nuts. “No one let’s go back.” He pulled her along to his bike and she glared at his back. He was too fond of dragging her around, but she wasn’t gonna mention it. Not now with him acting like a bear.

All the way back, Kerry wondered what she’d done wrong. She tried not holding on so tight this time but that seemed to upset him as well and he growled at her and pulled her arms tighter around him. “You’ll fall and break your damn neck.” That was all he said to her as they rode along at a much faster pace than when they’d made the trip out.

She was close to tears by the time he dropped her off and left as if the hounds of hell were after him. He hadn’t even said goodbye the pig. Just helped her off grudgingly she might add, and rode off.

She’d thought she’d grown accustomed to disappointment in the last few months, but for some reason, his actions cut deeper than any she’d faced. Which made no sense. Why is that, she wondered? Why, after only one day was he able to make her feel these things so deeply? Then she decided to stick with her mad instead of questioning herself all over again the way she had after the divorce.

Well screw you too. She thought as she slammed the door. She was so mad, she couldn’t think straight, but instead headed for her new companion. She powered on the laptop and just pulled up her story and got to work. She didn’t know what she was writing, just started tapping away at the keys.

By the time she was done, she’d almost killed off her hero, her stomach was growling and there was a knock at her door. She opened it expecting to find him there so she could give him a piece of her mind, but instead, was faced with a complete stranger with a clipboard in his hand.

“Kerry Lashley.” He looked down at the paper in his hand.