In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) (40 page)
Read In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) Online
Authors: K.S. Ruff
“What’s
wrong with you people?” I sputtered. “I’m unfriending the whole lot of you.” I
folded my arms over my chest and huffed out a breath. I caught a glimpse of
Roger and Cenia talking to some of their guests. “Why can’t I just have a normal
relationship?”
“You
could,” Kadyn noted pointedly.
I
rolled my eyes at him.
“He’s
right,” Rafael admonished. “If you were married to me, Maxim couldn’t force you
to marry him.”
“I
know you’re not asking me to marry you at my friend’s wedding,” I stated flippantly.
Maxim
raised an eyebrow at me.
“What
makes you think
you’re
the best man for her?” Kadyn demanded.
“The
only man placing a ring on Kristine’s finger is me,” Rafael growled.
Maxim
laughed. “Whose ring is on her finger now?”
All
eyes shot to the alexandrite ring Maxim had given me.
“Oh,
for crying out loud!” I objected.
Rafael’s
muscles coiled. “You’re not marrying Kristine,” he gritted. His eyes were
locked on Maxim.
Konstantin
shoved two shot glasses in front of Maxim and Rafael. He splashed vodka inside
of them. “I’d like to propose a toast…”
“Like
you could stop me.” Maxim laughed.
“I’d
like to propose a toast,” Konstantin repeated. “To beautiful women, besotted
men, and… well, you know the rest.”
I
narrowed my eyes at him.
Rafael
and Maxim slammed back their shots without batting an eye.
Kadyn’s
eyes met mine as the two men continued arguing. He gave a barely perceptible
nod toward the dance floor.
I
smiled and nodded.
No
one noticed when we rose from our chairs. Kadyn reached for my hand as we
walked toward the dance floor. “I’m the only one who can give you normal,” he noted
as he pulled me into his arms.
The
DJ picked up the tempo.
Kadyn
rendered me speechless as he began spinning me across the dance floor. Taylor
Swift was singing “You Belong With Me.” Kadyn sang the chorus. He curled me
into his chest, then unraveled his arm until only our fingertips touched. He
reeled me in again and again, never fully releasing me.
The
room spun as laughter bubbled up from my lungs. The fog of uncertainty and the
deep depression that had consumed me for months suddenly lifted. I felt happy, gloriously
happy, dancing in Kadyn’s arms. Somewhere in the midst of the song I heard the
Chippewa beating their drums, the jingling of bells, and their soulful cries. I
knew it was time. I gathered each and every one of my broken dreams while Kadyn
twirled me one last time. I bid a soft farewell. Then, just as Kadyn dipped me,
I released them into the ground and sky.
#
# #
I live in Northern Virginia
with my football-crazed husband, two beautiful daughters, and two psychotic
Shih Tzus. I teach courses in international relations, foreign policy,
peacekeeping, and human security at the American Military University. I also
work as a reading tutor at my daughters’ elementary school. What can I say? I
still love school. Reading has long been my passion, so I belong to not one but
two book clubs, which I fondly refer to as my “good girl bookclub” and my “bad
girl bookclub.” Suffice it to say the “bad girl bookclub” is the one that
decided to read Fifty Shades of Gray.
I’ve been writing for
as long as I can remember. In my childhood, I loved writing poetry, song
lyrics, and short stories. Somehow, this morphed into Supreme Court briefs,
government reports, congressional bills, journal articles, and op ed pieces as
I grew older. And now? I’m writing romantic suspense novels. God knows why.
Thanks for reading the
fourth book in the broken series. Keep reading for more information on book five
in the series. Book five is slated to be the final book in the series,
unless
my readers start demanding a spin off series. I love hearing from my readers,
so please stop by ksruff.com, drop me a note, and let me know what you think about
the book!
books by K.S. Ruff
broken together
book
five in the broken series
Rafael whisks Kristine off to Portugal, where an old
colleague presents a job opportunity that proves impossible to resist. Rafael
decides to move to Portugal so he can end an international pedophile ring he’s
longed to destroy since he first worked the case for the Portuguese Police
Special Operations Group. Kristine’s certain their relationship is strong
enough to endure the six month separation so she returns to Virginia to finish
her degree. Oni moves to Virginia, Maxim calls in his favor, and Kristine
willingly returns to Ukraine. Kristine’s life is threatened when she returns to
the United States. Instead of eliminating the threat, she decides to sacrifice
her life for someone she’s never even met. Kristine takes every single one of
her friends on this courageous journey of faith, hope and love.
and just in case you missed them…
the broken road
book
one in the broken series
Montana girl Kristine Stone was strong enough to
break out of an abusive marriage, but is she strong enough for the road that
lies ahead? For the first time in her life, Kristine finds she is able to
control the direction her life takes. Haunted by her ex-husband and a newly
acquired stalker, she decides to leave Montana to work in the US Senate.
Kristine issues a moratorium on dating the moment she decides to move to DC.
This does little to deter Kadyn Rand, the Air Force Captain, who threatens to
tear down every wall she’s ever built. Still, someone from her dark past
refuses to be ignored, and Kristine finds herself in yet another fight for her
life.
Air Force Captain Kadyn Rand is too stoic to be
swept away by much of anything, but a vulnerable woman from Montana manages to
do just that when she finds herself alone and in danger in DC. Kadyn tries to
earn Kristine’s love and her trust, but he soon learns it will take much more
than that to save her from her past.
beautifully
broken
book
two in the broken series
How many times can one woman be abducted? That’s
the question burning Kristine Stone when she finds herself staring down a dark
and dangerous man from her past. When she refuses to leave with him, he forces
her hand by threatening to kill the man she loves, along with thousands of
others. Kristine fears his terrorist connections will enable him to make good
on this threat, so she complies. She thinks she has it all figured out. If she
takes the path of least resistance and does everything this man asks, he will
eventually tire of her and let her go. Despite this well intentioned plan,
Kristine discovers just how seductive this man can be. She is forced to choose
between the love of two men and stands to lose everything in the end.
broken wings
book three in the broken series
Just when she thinks she’s gotten her life pieced
back together, Kristine Stone wakes to a searing kiss from someone unexpected.
This dark angel is determined to win her heart, and he refuses to play fair.
This doesn’t sit well with her former lover, Kadyn Rand, who yanks the rug out
from under her when he confesses he wants to be more than just friends. She
refuses to choose and gets roped into an impossible dating agreement, that she
is quite certain will land her a one way ticket to hell. Amidst all this
insanity, a new friend presents an exciting opportunity to work for an
international organization devoted to peace-building. When Kristine joins her
friend in Sevastopol to train university students in conflict resolution, she
finds herself accused of being a spy by a security agency deeply entrenched in
the former KGB. A chance run-in with the Russian Mafia proves beneficial as
three men from her past are forced to work together in an effort to save her
life.