UNBROKEN: A Bad Boy MMA Romance (Midwest Alphas) (Book 2) (34 page)

“I guess he figured out you gave him the slip,” she says as she slides the phone back into her pocket.

“It wasn’t exactly stealthy,” I say. “But the more nervous he is about it, the better it’ll feel when I show up with these.” I hold up the cardboard cup holder. One highly-caffeinated coffee sits nestled inside each of the four slots.

Mandy grins as she pulls one cup loose and claims it as her own. “You’re such a good girlfriend.”

I wrinkle my nose. “Not sure if I’m okay with the label just yet… but I’m trying. See?” I hold up the drinks again. “This is trying.”

“I’m sure it will make him very happy,” she laughs and holds the door open for me as we make our way outside.

We begin walking back towards the dorm. “Thanks for knowing how he likes his coffee,” I tell her. “I feel like I should have already known that about him.”

She shrugs. “You know plenty about him already. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

“Oh,
sure
,” I say. “I know he likes it when I scratch up his back and that he gets turned on when I nibble on his left ear — but
not
the right ear — and I know what part of his penis to stimulate the most for the fastest orgasm… I don’t think any of that is what people have in mind when they talk about getting to know a person.”

“Screw what other people think,” Mandy replies. “You guys aren’t like normal people and you shouldn’t be. Normal people are boring.”

I chuckle. “You sound like my mother.”

Her face beams. “Any comparison to Penny, no matter how small, is the greatest of compliments. I’ll take it.” She sips her coffee. “Where is Penny, by the way? Did she come with you?”

I nod. “She’s in town. Somewhere.”

“Somewhere?” Mandy asks.

“She didn’t come back to the hotel room last night,” I say. “I texted her. She said she’s fine.”

“Then I’m sure she’s fine.”

“I’m not too worried,” I say. “No, I’m
way
more worried about this damn dinner party tonight.”

We reach the dorm and Mandy opens the door for me again. “You’re not going to try and get out of it?” she asks.

I shake my head. “Kai’s right, I think,” I sigh. “If I don’t at least try and make things right, then I’ll regret it later.”

“Look at you, Piper,” she smirks. “Thinking like a genuine adult.”

“I know…” she say. “It’s
sickening
.”

We board the elevator and she presses the button for their floor.

***

I stand outside his room and wonder if I’m allowed to just walk right in. Mandy used the term
‘girlfriend,’
but is that really what I am yet? Are girlfriends allowed free reign to just waltz in whenever they please?

I balance the drink carrier in one hand and knock instead.

Shawn answers the door and immediately grins at me as if I’ve slipped a nipple. “Hello, Piper,” he greets me.

“Hi, Shawn,” I say. I glance around him and see Kai sitting at his desk. “May I come in?”

“Of course,” he replies and steps to the side. “I was just on my way out.”

I take a few steps inside. “Before you do—” I grab one of the coffees and slide it free from the carrier. “This is for you.”

Shawn takes it from me and holds it up to his nose. He inhales deep to enjoy the scent of the fresh brew. “You know…” He points at me and then back at Kai. “A man could get used to this.” He strides around me and closes the door as he leaves.

I look at Kai and my heart swells. “Hi,” I say.

He spins around in the swivel chair to face me. “So, you went for coffee, eh?” he asks.

“What?” I ask as I glide over to the desk and set the carrier down. “Did you think I ran off? Hailed a cab to the airport?”

“It crossed my mind,” he admits.

“Mine, too,” I tease with a wink. I pull his coffee free and hold it out to him. “Cream. No sugar.”

Kai takes it, but sets it down on the desk. He stands up silently and wrap his arms around me. I return his embrace and he grips me even tighter against him.

“What’s this for?” I ask with a small chuckle.

“Nothing,” he says. “Just felt like doing it.” He pulls away and stares down at me with a hand on my cheek. “Piper… what were you going to say before?” he asks.

“Before what?”

His hand drops from my cheek. “Before they walked in here,” he says. “You said,
‘Kai, I…’
What were you going to say?”

My breath catches in my throat. I was hoping he wouldn’t ask about that, but I’m happy he did. “I was going to say… that I loved you.”

“Did you mean it?” he asks.

I surge of annoyance spikes inside of me. “Of course I did,” I say. “You don’t have to ask me every time if I mean the words I say to you, Kai.”

“To be fair, Pipes,” he says, “
yeah
, I kind of do.”

“Absolutely nothing about that is
fair
,” I argue. “If I recall, I
never
asked you to stay with me in Europe. You did that on your own. And I never once told you I loved you either, so I don’t appreciate this attitude that I somehow led you on.”

“You
did
lead me on, Piper,” he fires back. “You could have told me to leave at any time.”

“And I did!”

“Yeah, after a whole week of getting what you wanted out of me.”

“I don’t remember
you
having any complaints about that at the time!”

“Then you’re remembering
wrong
!”

I put my palms against my face. “Ugh!” I cry. “Stop! This is ridiculous!” I take a deep breath, preparing for his comeback, but silence fills my ears. When I finally lower my hands, I catch him smiling at me. “What the hell are grinning at?” I ask him.

“I love you, Piper.”

I heave a thick sigh. “I love you, too, Kai,” I mutter.

He reaches for the last coffee in the carrier and pulls it out. “See?” he says as he hands it to me. “I told you I liked this about us.”

I nod once before taking a sip. “I guess our arguments usually did lead to some pretty satisfying make-up sex,” I consider. I step away from the desk and sit down on the edge of his bed.

Kai returns to his desk chair and reaches for his coffee. “Our sex has
always
been make-up sex, Piper.”

“Good point,” I chuckle. “I just wonder if that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

“Probably not,” he says with a smile. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

My cheeks feel pink. “Kai Casablancas and his infamous lines,” I joke.

“They work, don’t they?” His eyebrows bounce and I laugh again. “No, Pipes,” he continues. “I’m done with the lines and the moves. I think, for you, honesty is best.”

“That’s a good line, too.”

He chuckles. “Maybe,” he says. “But if I’m not honest with you, then how can I expect you to be honest with me?”

I nod in understanding. “Sounds reasonable,” I say.

He rolls forward in his chair and stops in front of me by the bed. “Piper...”

“Kai…” I get lost in his deep brown eyes.

“I want you to do what makes you happy,” he says. “Don’t stay here because it’s what I want you to do. Do what you want to do.”

“I
am
doing what I want to do.” I set my coffee down on his bedside table.

“You spent years planning how to get out of this place, you said so yourself,” he reminds me. “If you have any doubts at all, then I don’t want to stand in your way.”

I lean forward and cup his cheeks. “Kai…” I whisper. “I’m staying.”

He smirks. “Are you sure?” he asks.

I raise an annoyed eyebrow at him, knowing that he asked me again on purpose. That’s just how we are. He relishes in pushing my buttons just as much as I delight in pushing his. “Yes,” I answer firmly.

He narrows his eyes. “Okay then…” he whispers. “I believe you.”

“If it makes you feel better,” I say, “you can call me your…” I swallow, “
girlfriend
… if you want.”

“Oof…” he laughs. “You could
barely
even get that word out.”

“Hey, I’m
trying
here,” I smile.

He licks his lips. “I think we’re beyond that crap, aren’t we, Pipes?” he asks.

“Oh, thank god…” I lean in and kiss him hard. He laughs and returns my kisses one-by-one.

His phone vibrates against his desk and he leans back to read the new text.
“Make sure you wear something nice,”
he reads.

“Your mother?” I ask.

He nods. “I guess she’s afraid of the two of us showing up naked with a sheet wrapped around us.”

I raise an eyebrow. “It’s not the worst idea we’ve ever had.”

“I agree.” He sits back and slides the phone into his jeans pocket. “So, what are we going to tell them?”

“We tell them the truth,” I say. “Honesty is best, right?”

“And are you going to be honest with your dad about why you ran away?” he asks.

“Actually…” I recall. “I was kind of surprised when he said you told him you didn’t know anything about where I was. I thought you would have told him everything for sure.”

“Oh, I definitely thought about it a lot on that
long
plane ride back…” he admits, “but in the end, I figured it wasn’t up to me to tell him.” I nod. “I told him that I turned around for a minute in Madrid and you were gone, but I was sure you were safe. Which wasn’t too far away from the truth anyway.”

“And they didn’t find it suspicious that you stayed an extra week with me?” I ask.

He brushes a hand through the air. “They were used to me needing very little excuse to party, I think. After today, they’ve probably figured it out though. The only one that put anything together themselves without help was Mandy.”

I smile. “Of course she did.” I pick up my coffee again. “Yeah, I’ll be honest with him.”

He leans forward and lays a hand on my knee. “And I’ll be there for you.”

I smile and take a drink.

***

I borrow a little black dress from Mandy to wear to dinner. It’s sleek, but not revealing, and most of all, comfortable — the perfect trifecta I search for when making fashion decisions. It’ll be easy to slip out of at the end of the night as well, either in celebration of a night gone well or in defeat of a night gone wrong, both of which deserve sex as a just reward.

I can tell by Kai’s lustful glances in my direction that he’s thinking the same thing. He looks amazing tonight in a white, button down shirt, a black suit jacket, and matching pants. One could almost confuse him for a straight-up gentleman.

“So, Shawn let you borrow the car…” I slide a finger across the dashboard as wind blows through my hair.

He revs the engine of the little, red corvette. “Yes, he did,” he purrs.

I laugh at him. “Just admit that you miss this thing,” I say.

“I’m over it,” he laughs back. He revs the engine again and we speed off towards our parent’s home.

As we pull up the driveway and the large estate comes into view, I feel more and more nervous. The instinct to run and hide teases at the back of my mind, but it’s not as strong as my curiosity. It’s been six months since I’ve stepped foot inside of my own home. How much of it has changed, if at all? Is my room still exactly as I left it? Or has it been ransacked for clues (of which, I made sure there were none)?

Kai parks the car and stares over at me. “You all right, Pipes?” he asks.

I take a deep breath, hoping that it’ll cool off my nerves a bit, but I still feel the nervous heat radiating off my skin. “I think so…” I say.

He unbuckles his seat belt and leans over to wrap an arm around me. “We’re going to be okay,” he whispers in my ear.

I look at him and smile before planting a small kiss on his lips. “Promise me,” I say.

He doesn’t hesitate. “I promise, Piper.”

Kai believes in me, this much is certain. I wish I could say the same.

Chapter 10

Kai

Piper and I walk into the living room hand-in-hand and I think for a moment that my mother will faint.

I see her eyes fall to our hands, but then immediately glance away. You’d think she was just flashed by the local pervert. Her eyelids flicker and her cheeks turn bright red, just like Philip’s face.

“Hey, guys,” I greet them, making light of the situation. I smile at both of them. Philip sits in his chair, this big, ugly monstrosity of a thing that only he’s allowed to touch while my mother sits stiff on the sofa. There are two open chairs between them, obviously set up for the two of us, but I pull Piper over to the love seat across the table from them and we sit there together instead. I look into Piper’s eyes to make sure she’s still okay. She looks nervous, but her hand is steady as a rock.

“Hello, dear,” my mother greets with a forced smile. She fidgets nervously before standing. “How about some drinks?” she asks.

“Sounds great,” Piper says with a smile. Her eyes bounce to her father’s and they stare at each other silently while my mother prepares a few glasses of soda for us at the drink cart in the corner.

“You look nice tonight, Piper,” my mother says as she drifts back over. “Your new hair suits you.”

Piper takes a glass from her. “Thank you, Ava,” she says.

“Philip, doesn’t she look lovely?”

My mother is trying very, very hard, but I give her all the credit in the world for attempting to keep the room as pleasant as possible.

Philip stares at Piper and shrugs. “Her make-up is too thick,” he mutters as he takes a sip of his own, obviously alcoholic, beverage.

Piper looks away from him.

“Well, it’s a little darker than what’s allowed in the Belle Academy student handbook,” I argue, “but she still looks nice.”

His eyes flick in my direction and I stare him down with a smirk. I told Piper I’d be here for her tonight. If that means openly defying the word of Headmaster Lynch in his own home, then I’ll do it for her.

“I should go check on dinner,” my mother announces.

“I’ll go with you.”

I flinch as Piper shoots up from the love seat and follows my mother into the kitchen, leaving my stepfather and I alone. He stares at me with a villainous intent.