Perfectly Broken (15 page)

His new employer was far from some stuffy
corporate environment. A culture of fun and innovation was
encouraged and rewarded. Free food, beer, and flexible working
hours were just a part of the excellent perks. And beyond all that,
Tomas was in his chosen career, and was a natural for
bookmaking.

As the weekend approached, the time limit Tomas
had imposed arrived and he finally called Susanna. They had
exchanged numbers, and agreed that she would text him when she was
ready. But he hadn’t thought it would be longer than a few
days.

His text got no reply, nor did the voicemail he
left her. Tomas began to worry. He should have known better than to
leave her alone, but then he had no experience with a depressed
woman with multiple addictions. It was new, and he was
learning.

But he had the feeling he needed to learn
faster. When he went to her apartment after work that Friday night
and she wasn’t there, his morale sagged. He should never have left
her alone that long. Distracted by his own life, he had let the
days go by.

God knows what she had been doing. A sick
feeling wrenched his gut. It was time to face it, whatever was
going on. Susanna could have at least texted to let him know she
was okay. She was obviously ignoring him. Her way of saying he
should leave her alone.

No way. Tomas had no intention of doing so. She
sure wasn’t making things easy, though. Leaving her apartment, he
headed for the Temple Bar area, where all the nightclubs were. If
she was out picking up guys, that would be the place. Funeral homes
were closed in the evenings.

Dublin had a lively nightlife, and no shortage
of clubs. Tomas had his work cut out to try and cover such a large
area to find her. Temple Bar had preserved its medieval street
pattern, with many narrow cobbled lanes. It was known as the
cultural section of the city and was popular with tourists. On that
Friday night, every place was packed.

He started with the bigger, more well-known
establishments, having no better plan. Tomas wanted some whiskey;
his nerves were frayed. But he didn’t want alcohol clouding his
judgment. He had to find Susanna, and the sooner the better.

Spotting The Temple Bar, a huge restaurant and
bar on the corner painted bright red, Tomas walked over. Again, he
hoped to find Susanna inside. Maybe she was eating a late dinner,
though he knew he was kidding himself.

Addictions didn’t just go away on their own. And
it had been a long week. Tomas was ticked off at his own
gullibility. He had trusted her when he had every reason not to. He
better wise up, and he better find her, before disaster struck.

For some reason, Susanna didn’t get that her
lifestyle wasn’t just unconventional, it was dangerous. What if she
contracted a fatal or physically devastating disease? Or what if
she picked up the wrong guy? He might beat the crap out of her. It
had been known to happen.

Tomas searched the pub, but no luck. He went
back out to the street and ran both hands through his hair. Where
would she be? He had covered most of the obvious places. A tinge of
panic struck that she was hidden away somewhere with a guy, and he
would never find her.

He walked down the street, pushing through
people and searching for likely spots. There were too many
nightclubs. Tomas had to think. She had mentioned some place once.
It had been a passing comment, when they had been talking about a
lot of nothing.

People tended to be creatures of habit, going
back to familiar places. Susanna would probably be no different.
Turning the corner, Tomas saw the sign for Quays Bar. Yes, that was
the one. His pulse raced, and hope surged.

Tomas entered, but it was dark and he couldn’t
see well at first. The greeter asked if he needed help, but he
waved her away. “Looking for someone,” he said. The restaurant was
dimly lit, but he could see well enough to tell that none of the
customers were Susanna.

It was more likely she was in the bar, anyway.
Tomas walked back that way, the live music pounding his ears.
Stepping inside, he saw the small band playing in the far corner.
There were customers on stools, crowded together at the bar,
laughing and drinking.

But no Susanna. He walked past the row of people
and the few high tables to his left. Then he turned at the end and
gazed toward the back section. There were a few sofas and a couple
of chairs. Customers talked, laughed, and drank.

Tomas wasn’t laughing. On one of the sofas, he
saw Susanna sitting between two guys. The one on the left could
have been anyone. He was average build with longish brown hair, and
about her age. The one on the right wore a purple vest and his dark
hair was spiked.

He had his hand on Susanna’s knee, and his
forearm was adorned with leather and silver bracelets. It was
Susanna that amazed him. She looked every bit as Gothic as the guy
did. In her tight leather pants and short leather jacket with heavy
metal hardware on it, Tomas hardly recognized her.

Her hair was wild, and her eyes had so much
black around them, Tomas couldn’t tell if she was drunk or stoned.
The sound of her laughter as one of the guys said something and
downed a shot of liquor inflamed him. It was a slap in the face
that she would do this.

Tomas walked up to the cozy little group, and
Susanna looked up, her eyes widening. “She’s with me,” he said, and
grabbed her arm to pull her up.

“What?” one of the guys said.

Susanna was quiet, but Tomas could tell she was
annoyed. Her pursed lips gave it away. She yanked her arm free.
“What the fuck do you think you are doing?”

“Taking you out of here,” Tomas said, and, with
his arm around her, swept her away from the sofa and out of the
bar.

Outside, she glared at him.

“Time to think, huh?” he said. “You’ve had too
much time, the way it looks to me.”

Susanna crossed her arms over her chest.

“What have you been doing? Getting high and
fucking every guy you can find?”

She stuck out her lower lip. “So what if I
am?”

Tomas could tell she wasn’t the ice queen she
would have him believe. Looking into her blue eyes, he saw past her
barbed exterior. She seemed to soften under his gaze.

“You’re ruining the fairy tale,” he said
gruffly.

He didn’t expect her to react, but his
accusation made her eyes water, and she bit her lower lip, holding
back tears. Tomas didn’t want to fight in the middle of the street.
He really didn’t want to fight with her at all. Now that she was
with him, and he knew she was all right, relief washed over
him.

“I worried about you, you know.”

Susanna put her hand over her face and looked
down. “You shouldn’t.”

Tomas put his arm around her, and she looked up.
“Come with me,” he said. “I have a new apartment and I want you to
see it.”

He guided her down the sidewalk, and she didn’t
resist. Tomas decided that any more discussion of her dating habits
could wait. She was with him again, and it wouldn’t be so easy next
time for her to escape his protection. The way she leaned against
him, he knew she was glad he was there. Even though she couldn’t
admit it.

Fortunately, his apartment wasn’t far. Down the
street, he spotted the red brick Georgian building. It felt good to
have Susanna close. They walked the last block in silence. In the
lobby, Tomas pushed the button for the elevator but never took his
arm away from Susanna. She had a habit of vanishing, and that night
he had other plans. At his floor, he took her hand and walked to
the door of his new place.

Once inside, he flipped on a light.

Susanna walked in and looked around. “Nice,” she
said, but she didn’t look happy.

Tomas took off his coat and draped it over a
chair.

“Why bring me here, Tomas?”

He ignored her and headed toward the kitchen.
“Want something to drink?” he called.

No answer.

Tomas stepped back to the main room, where
Susanna stood with her coat still on.

“You can take off your coat,” he said. “You’re
staying a while.”

She just looked at him.

“Do you want something to drink, or are you high
already?”

Susanna shook her head. “We hadn’t gotten that
far yet. I’ll take some wine.”

Tomas poured wine for her and a double whiskey
for himself, then returned to the room. Susanna had removed her
coat and sat in one of the padded chairs with her legs crossed. She
swung her foot impatiently, and Tomas admired her spiked leather
boots.

She did look pretty good in Gothic garb. Sexy,
anyway.

He handed her the wine, and took a gulp of his
whiskey.

Susanna took two sips of wine before
speaking.

“Life is real, Tomas. It’s not pretend.” She
paused. “So there is
no
fairy tale. I didn’t ruin it.”

Tomas suppressed a smile. He knew he had gotten
to her.

He took another gulp of his drink. “I’m insulted
that you would say that.”

Her eyes got big. “Because?”

“I am Connla…after all. I should know what
is
a fairy tale. And what isn’t.”

Tomas leaned back in his chair and watched her.
She just looked at him. But she seemed to relax a little. He took
another gulp of whiskey; he was going to need it. Susanna followed
his lead and drank some of her wine. Then their eyes met.

He knew that look, and Tomas knew she wanted
him. It was a good thing, because his cock was so hard already it
was damn near busting out of his pants. He smiled.

“It’s good to see you again, baby.”

* * * * *

Under her jacket, Susanna wore a black lace
chemise. She saw Tomas looking at the swell of her breasts peeking
out the top. He had surprised her, showing up like he did. But she
had to admit she was glad to see him. She was always glad to see
him.

But what was she going to do about him? She had
thought if she didn’t call that he’d get the message. That hadn’t
worked. He had come after her again. It felt good to have a guy
that cared that much. Though it didn’t change anything.

After thinking things over, Susanna had been
unable to see a future with Tomas. Not that he wasn’t everything
she wanted. He was. It wasn’t anything to do with him. The
opposite. She had never been more attracted to a man.

It wasn’t just sex for its own sake. Being with
Tomas was special. And that had her on the run. She couldn’t deal
with it. She just couldn’t. Her emotional issues didn’t just go
away because he decided he wanted to be with her. Destiny couldn’t
be rewritten like the fairy tale he was so fond of telling her.

She finished her wine, and Tomas watched her.
Not saying anything. He lifted the wine bottle, reached across, and
refilled her glass, hardly taking his eyes off of her. It made her
skin tingle. Leaning down, she took off her boots and dug her toes
into the carpet.

Tomas kicked off his shoes then peeled off his
socks. There was something very sexy about his bare feet. He poured
more whiskey into his glass and loosened his pants. Glancing down,
Susanna saw his erection, and her sex throbbed.

She couldn’t stop wanting him; that was the
problem. It did no good to say no, if she didn’t mean it. Tomas
knew she wanted him. She had never tried to hide it. And now, his
macho attitude with her, the way he strode into the bar and carried
her away, turned her on even more.

The way he looked at her, how his pale green
eyes pierced into her, unnerved her. He was in charge. There was no
mistaking that. Susanna wanted him to take control, though she
fought it. She wasn’t used to it. She didn’t know how to react.

But she liked it. And she knew that Tomas knew
that. He seemed to know what she was thinking. Plus she wasn’t one
to play coy. When she felt something, she showed it. He watched her
sip her wine, and she felt he knew what was inside her. Almost
better than she knew herself.

Casually, he stood and sauntered over to put on
some music. It was heavy metal and sounded like pure sex. He turned
it down so it was just background. Then he stood behind her and put
his hands on her shoulders.

Susanna shuddered and closed her eyes.
“Tomas.”

“I think you’ve been naughty,” he said in a
commanding voice. “Haven’t you, Susanna?”

She gulped more wine, unsure where this was
leading.

He grasped her hair and pulled it away from her
neck, then bent down to kiss her. His hot mouth on her skin sent
heat to her belly, and she sighed. Leisurely, Tomas kissed under
her jaw and nibbled along her neck.

Her arousal was strong, and she wanted him to
take her. And soon.

“Stand up,” he said.

The gruff manner in which he said it radiated
through her, making her want to comply. She downed the rest of her
second glass of wine and put the glass on the table. Susanna stood
and turned to face him. The gleam in his eyes stirred something
deep inside her.

Tomas came around the chair as if stalking her.
He pulled her into his arms and said, “What am I going to do with
you?”

She put her palms on the side of his face. “I’m
sorry.”

He looked deep into her eyes. “No. You’re not
sorry.”

A sensation a bit like fear went through her.
But she wasn’t afraid. Not of Tomas.

He kissed her cheeks, then her eyelids. Leaning
back, he looked at her again, as if deciding something. Susanna’s
lips parted and he leaned down, covering her mouth with his. He was
taking her, and the kiss spoke of his intent. It was hard and
possessive.

She whimpered, kissing him back. No matter how
hard he kissed her, Susanna wanted it. She wanted everything he
could give her. Tomas raked his tongue inside her mouth, delving
into her, devouring her.

Then he stood back.

She felt the emptiness, and anxiety riddled her
stomach. Maybe he was teasing her, paying her back. If he sent her
away right then, Susanna didn’t know what she would do. But he
didn’t. He didn’t look away from her but walked back to his chair.
He sat on the padded seat. It had no arms and was wide enough for
two people.