The Broken Road
A Totally Bound Publication
The Broken Road
ISBN #
978-1-78430-117-0
©Copyright Anna Lee 2014
Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright July 2014
Edited by Sue Meadows
Totally Bound Publishing
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorized or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2014 by Totally Bound Publishing,
Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN
Warning:
This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a
heat rating
of
Totally Simmering
and a
Sexometer
of
1.
THE BROKEN ROAD
Anna Lee
Confined to a wheelchair, Kason Tyler feels invisible, but Ryen Moore wants to show him what real love is all about.
Nearly a year and half ago, Kason Tyler’s life was turned upside down when a drunk driver hit his car. To make matters worse, Kason’s boyfriend Blake walked out on him while he was recovering. Now, confined to a wheelchair and insecure, Kason is afraid he’ll never find someone to see past it. Then he meets Ryen Moore in his coffee shop. Falling head over heels for Ryen is easy. When Blake keeps reappearing like a bad penny and tries to steal their happiness away, Kason puts his trust in Ryen and realizes that his broken road has led him to love.
Dedication
To my dear friend, Vicci.
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
Audi: Audi AG Corporation
Beauty and the Beast
: Disney Enterprises, Inc
Brave
: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Chevy: General Motors LLC
Corona: Cervecería Modelo, SA
Criminal Minds
: CBS Studios, Inc.
CSI
: CBS Broadcasting, Inc.
Disney World: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Hot Wheels: Mattel, Inc.
Marines: US Marine Corps, a component of the US Department of the Navy
Masterchef
: Reveille Independent, LLC
Mets: Sterling Mets LP
Navy SEAL: Department of the Navy
Netflix: Netflix, Inc.
Ralph Lauren: PRL USA Holdings, Inc
Tweets: Twitter Inc.
Skype: Skype Corporation
Super Bowl: National Football League
Superman: DC Comics
World Series: Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
Glock: Glock Inc.
Chapter One
Kason knew he was going to have to stop this before he was caught. Going to The Daily Grind every morning for the past week and staying for hours on end had to have been noticed by the staff and the owner, Ryen Moore. Ryen was his problem—or maybe not a problem per se, but his reason for sticking around. He’d met Ryen after coming into the coffee shop on a whim to wait for his sister, Lexie, and had felt an instant attraction to him. Ryen was his type, and perfect, from what he’d learned while sitting there pretending to drink the coffee he normally avoided because it made him jittery.
Handsome and charming, Ryen had coffee-brown eyes and a mop of black hair that flopped adorably over them, causing him to brush it back whenever he was irritated. Today he was wearing a Ralph Lauren polo shirt and faded blue jeans. He was tall and strong, with muscular forearms that made Kason think of how easily Ryen could make him forget all about his problems for a while.
“How’s the blueberry muffin today?”
“Oh, um, it was…really good…” Kason passed Ryen the plate with the remaining crumbs.
“Good. Need anything?” Ryen often talked to him about everyday things—the weather, the coffee, interests they shared—but nothing too personal, as if he was hesitant or maybe just bothered by Kason practically stalking him here.
Kason could think of a few things he wanted from Ryen. He didn’t have the courage to ask if he would sit and talk over coffee. Besides, Ryen wouldn’t be interested. No one was anymore.
“No, thanks.” He forced a smile.
Ryen seemed concerned, but then another customer gestured for him and he had to leave. With a sigh, Kason stared at his laptop. Why was he putting himself through this?
He knew why. He wanted to ask Ryen out, to dinner, a movie or maybe a baseball game. He thought of it often. It was there on the tip of his tongue whenever Ryen spoke to him, yet he couldn’t take the risk. Instead he sat there, laptop in front of him and an empty document, complete with blinking cursor, open. A cup of cold coffee by his left hand.
“I forgot to ask. Refill?” Ryen’s deep voice cut through his thoughts and caused him to jerk his head up.
“Um, no thanks.” Kason paused then gestured to the cup. “To be honest, more than one and I’m bouncing off the walls.”
“So then, it’s not the coffee, huh?” Ryen’s gaze appeared to contain a hint of curiosity and that, combined with his words, left Kason confused.
“I’m sorry?”
“You know.” Ryen put his hand on the table and leaned in a little. “You’ve been here every day this week. I know my coffee blends are good, but not that good.”
“I…uh…” Kason tried not to get flustered as he met Ryen’s gaze. That ended up being a mistake. The amusement there and the twinkle in his eyes had him wanting to pull Ryen closer. “I-I’m writing a screenplay, like I told you.”
“Yeah, I remember. But what’s it about?”
“Um, it’s sci-fi. Aliens, time travel, you know, uh, that sort of stuff,” he said lamely, wishing he could get his brain to work and stop him from babbling.
“Interesting.” Ryen flashed him a bright smile, showing off his white teeth. He ducked his head around to peek at the screen. “You appear to be stuck.”
“Yeah, writer’s block.” Kason knew his face was turning a bright red. He would’ve run out if he could.
“I see that.” Ryen nodded. “So, tell me, how did you get to be so cute?”
“I was born this way,” Kason said with a laugh, remembering how Lexie always told him he was a smart aleck. He was pretty certain he had heard that line from a favorite show of his. He paused, gathering courage before daring to add, “How did you get to be so gorgeous?”
He didn’t think it possible, but Ryen’s grin grew. “Tons of cosmetic surgery.” He gestured to his face and Kason laughed harder. “You should’ve seen me before. I could’ve been the Beast.”
“I hope you’re not saying I’m Beauty.” Kason huffed as if affronted, hoping that Ryen could tell he was kidding.
“Definitely not a damsel in distress.”
“Hell no.”
“Gorgeous though.” Ryen raked his eyes down Kason. Before, Kason had known he was attractive with wavy golden hair, baby blue eyes and a lithe body. His smile used to get him whatever and whomever he wanted. Not anymore, though. Now it was rare because no one noticed him. He was a bit thrown that Ryen was checking him out and surprised to feel his cock twitch in his pants. It’d been far too long since he’d felt that instant flare of arousal. “I’ve been watching you too, y’know?”
After swallowing hard, Kason said, “What?”
After pulling out the chair next to Kason’s wheelchair, Ryen sat and turned toward him. “I kept waiting, I’ve been wondering what you’re doing here…” He laid his hand next to Kason’s, fingertips almost touching. “I’m done waiting.”
“Look, I’m sorry,” Kason whispered, dropping his gaze. Though he enjoyed the banter and flirting, he knew Ryen wouldn’t want to go any further. No one ever did. He tried to school his expression as if it didn’t hurt to be rejected again. “I know you’re not interested. I’ll, uh, go and make sure I don’t come back.” He reached for the brake on his wheelchair, but Ryen grabbed his arm, sending a shock of electricity through Kason.
“Whoa! Wait. What in the world are you talking about?”
Gesturing to his wheelchair, Kason shook his head. He didn’t want Ryen to see his disappointment. The connection was there, but of course Ryen was only being nice. This is why he hadn’t put himself out there since the accident. He was afraid of rejection, pity or whatever else someone might throw at him. Robbed of his confidence, Kason knew the fantasy he had of Ryen picking him up and making him forget his issues was just that—a fantasy that would go no further. “This turns everyone off.”
“Not me. It’s a chair, no big deal.”
Surprised, Kason glanced up and saw sincerity in Ryen’s eyes.
“I wanted to ask you out.”
Kason couldn’t believe it, but a tiny bit of hope flared up. “You do?”
Ryen scooted forward and he reached out, barely touching Kason’s cheek. “Someone did a real number on you, didn’t they?”
Shrugging, Kason tried to control the urge to lean in to nuzzle Ryen’s hand. He was thrown by how badly he wanted that comfort. “How can you tell?”
“It’s right there in your eyes if you look.” Ryen cupped his jaw for a moment before dropping his hand. The touch left Kason wanting more. “You know, my great-grandfather was in the Mafia. You give me a name and I’ll take care of it,” he said with a horrible fake Italian accent.
Unable to stop himself, Kason chuckled. “Thanks, but it wasn’t all his fault.”
“No?”
With a sigh Kason answered, “I got in an accident—drunk driver—that’s why I’m in the chair. Incomplete spinal injury. I’ll save you the medical jargon, but it really messed me up in a lot of ways and not just physically. He left me, but I can’t really blame him… It was a big change.”
Blake had been unable to cope with it all. His leaving had left Kason feeling worthless and responsible since he knew part of the trouble had been his lack of interest in what had once been a healthy sex life. It had taken time for him to work through it, some medications, and he was only now starting to feel comfortable with himself again. Blake had refused to wait and had made things worse. He hadn’t wanted to change his life or cancel the hiking trips and ski resort plans. Their loss of intimacy and, even worse, communication had led to the breakup, leaving Kason depressed and alone when he had needed someone the most.