Broken Pieces (Broken Series) Read online

  Geez, I’m at work daydreaming again. I need to get my head in the game. So far it has been everything I’d expected, and my boss has been a huge help in getting me to understand what will be expected of me when I graduate and actually get a real job. Everyone has been extremely welcoming here, which is good considering I was so nervous that I would screw this opportunity up.

  The only drawback of the whole situation is the son of the guy that owns our office building. This afternoon, as I was making my way into work, I ran into one of the people I wish I would have never seen again. I mean “ran into” literally. I was looking down at the stack of papers, making sure I had all of them in order to file, when I ran right into the shoulder of Collin.

  He had to have seen me coming so I think there was a little participation on his part to make it happen. He helped me gather the papers off of the floor, like the gentleman he was … yeah, right. Of course, he insisted on making sure I made it to my office without any other mishaps. All I could think of was that if he wouldn’t have stepped to his left that “mishap” would have never happened.

  Thank goodness he left after walking me to my office, but he insured that I would be seeing him around. All I could think was great, and I really do not want to tell Drew that the jackass that he saved me from that night practically owns the building that I am interning at. I decided that nothing really happened so, to keep things okay, I would keep it to myself. Maybe, he’s only an asshole when he is drunk.

  Just as I make my way to my car to head back to my dorm, my phone dings. There is only one person that it could be from. Before I even pull out my phone, I am smiling ear-to-ear. Just the thought of him does that to me. He makes me believe that maybe someone that has had nothing but bad in their life will get some good. I am done dwelling on the past; I am now looking towards the future. Whatever that might hold for me, I am up for it. I grab my phone and look at his text:

  You, me, Chinese, a movie. Get your butt here! ;)

  That is what I like about him. He cuts right to the point, which is probably why I feel like I can trust him. Whatever the reason, I find myself at his loft forty-five minutes later. First, I went by my dorm to grab some extra clothes, just in case I end up staying. I never count on staying the night, but I never count it out, either. Maybe I look a little too hopeful by bringing clothes, but I decide not to think too much about it.

  I make my way inside the gym to find a few guys still working out, and two in the ring throwing a few punches back and forth. I wince as the smaller guy takes one to the gut. I do not understand how or why they would put themselves out there for destruction. I normally take the side door up to his loft if I think there are still guys here because one, I do not want to disturb them, and two, I don’t want to have to walk through a gym with only guys because you feel like you are a show.

  As soon as I thought they could eat me alive with their hungry eyes, Kenny appears from the other side of the ring and gives all the guys a stern look. He is the guy that took Drew in when he was just a kid and helped him straighten out his life. He has been a godsend for Drew, and I will always be thankful to him for helping him through the rough times in his life.

  Kenny could easily put the fright in you with his 6’2”, 240-pound frame. He is not one to be messed with. His dark black buzz haircut has specks of gray poking through, which gives it that salt-and-pepper look. It works for him, though. However, don’t let his age fool you. I have seen him scrap with a few guys within the couple weeks that I’ve been around, and I would not want to piss him off. I am glad that he and I hit it off from the start, and I can see why Drew looks up to him so much.

  “Hey, Kara! How’re you today?” he says politely, as he gives me a half-hug.

  “Oh, I’m better now that I’m off work. How are things going here? I’m sorry. If I knew there were still guys here, I would have gone in the side door.”

  He dismisses that with a wave of his hand. “Oh, don’t worry about these guys. They need to work on concentrating when there is a pretty lady around, or else they’re going to get their asses whipped. Things are going great. That’s why I am here so late. I have more appointments than time.” he says with a hearty laugh.

  “Well, that is good for business, but not for a personal life.” I have been hinting to Drew that we need to find Kenny a lady friend.

  He shakes his head, laughing. “I better get back to work, and I bet Drew is waiting on you.”

  As if on cue, Drew is already making his way down the stairs and striding towards us. How such a masculine man can walk so gracefully is beyond me. “Kenny, are you keeping my girl held up down here?” he asks, jokingly.

  Kenny throws his hands up in defense, laughing, “Don’t worry, dude. I know she is all yours.” With that, he goes back to his training.

  Drew grabs my hand and leads me upstairs. As soon as we make it inside and the door closes, he pushes me against it and kisses me ferociously. His hands roam freely over my body, on my neck, down to my hip and squeezing, before making his way to the small of my back, molding me to him. I drop my belongings to the floor so that I can run my hands down his sculpted back. We fit perfectly into each other and, one of these times, we are not going to be able to stop despite our wishes of taking things slowly.

  Drew always has more willpower than I do. He stops kissing me to wrap his arms around me and mummers in my ear, “I missed you.”

  I giggle, “I think I can tell.”

  He gives me a wide smile. “I think you missed me, as well, Miss Brooks.”

  I shiver at his tone, then playfully shove his chest, laughing. “Hmm … I don’t know, maybe.” I give him a sly smile.

  “Ha ha. You hungry? I got Chinese,” he says, as he turns to gesture me further into the apartment.

  “Yes, I’m starving,” I say, smiling.

  We make our way into the kitchen where we get plates, forks, and drinks. It’s as if we have done this for years. We take our seats at the island and start dishing out the food, but not without a few playful nudges.

  Life could not feel more normal at this very second. I stop eating to relish what I have sitting beside me. He is more than I could have ever wished for. I am beyond happy that I never gave up on my dream to get out of that shit hole of a town because if I let all the bad define me, I would not be where I am today. I wouldn’t be staring at the most amazing man God could have created for me, either.

  He cocks his head and raises an eyebrow. I know he is trying to read my mind. This makes me smile and wink, as I turn to finish my food. Figure that one out, Mr. Evans. With a smirk on his face, he turns to demolish his dinner.

  When are done, we practically fall on the couch, laughing because we ate too much. He puts in a new movie he has been dying to see. It’s an action one, but I don’t mind as long as I get to sit here and ogle him the entire time, which is exactly what I do the whole movie. He kept giving me shy looks throughout the movie, letting me know that he knew exactly what I was doing.

  When the movie is over, I stand up and stretch. “Well, I better get back; it’s getting late.”

  He grabs my hips and slowly pulls me to him. My eyes fix on his, as he whispers, “Stay.” There is so much meaning behind just one word.

  I feel like putty in his arms. All I can manage is a measly, “Okay.”

  I get one of his megawatt smiles, which gives me the best feeling inside. “Do you want to go get your clothes?” he asks.

  I smile, sheepishly. “Um … I already have clothes in my car.”

  I glance up at him, as he raises those meticulous eyebrows of his. “Oh? Did you plan on staying here tonight?”

  “I … uh … no, I just thought that maybe …,” I stammer.

  He interrupts me. “It’s fine. I am just giving you a hard time. I’m glad you want to stay. I want you here.”

  He insists on going to get my bag out of my car so I give him my keys. When he returns, we go through our nightly routine that has become commonplace over th
e past couple weeks. I change and finish in the bathroom, while he changes in his room because he takes showers in the mornings. I feel comfortable enough to not sleep in my bra now because I know that he won’t try anything. We haven’t messed around that much, other than the occasional make out session and roaming hands.

  I stride my way through the familiar loft right to his bed. As always he is lying there and waiting on me with the covers pulled back and, as always, I halt at the entrance of his bedroom and take in the whole picture. His eyes could burn a whole through me, as I stand there admiring his exquisite body. With the sexual tension that thick, I know we will not be able to hold out much longer. I saunter over to the bed, having more confidence than I even knew I had in me. I cuddle up next to him, but I do not stop there. I boldly put my hand around to the back of his neck, lightly pull him towards me, and take him in a feverish kiss. He is a little stunned, but it does not take him long to fall into rhythm.

  He reacts immediately, drawing me towards his hard body. I feel it all over … my breast rubbing on his tight chest, his strong hand on my back makes me tingle all over. I hike my leg up on his hip and he takes advantage, grabbing my ass and putting his hardness between my legs. The friction makes me throw my head back and moan, as he keeps the movement up while licking and sucking my neck.

  I never knew that it could feel this gratifying. With every kiss he plants on me, he erases another awful memory. With time, I feel like he could make me forget all the abominable times. Every time Drew touches me, another memory fades. When I think about what is happening right now, the past is the last thing on my mind. All these years, I assumed that I would be in this position one day. I always pondered how I would feel. Would that nightmare come haunting my mind and ruin the moment? It might have if it was not Drew that had his arms wrapped firmly around me.

  He pulls back, both of us breathing hard. “We better stop.”

  Between breaths, I say, “Don’t stop.”

  He blows a deep breath out and leans his forehead onto mine. “As bad as I want to, I want you to be ready.”

  I believe I would know when I am ready. “I am. I want this … with you.”

  “I know, but I just think it’s too soon, baby.” He runs his hand down the side of my face.

  I’m giving him a full pout now. It makes him laugh. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t do … other things …” He lets it trail off as he starts kissing me, making his way down my neck to my chest, where he pulls my shirt off carefully, making sure I know what he is doing. Exposing my bare breast, he starts back at my neck working his way down, eventually taking one nipple in his mouth while caressing the other with his hands. My back automatically bows off the bed. He takes that opportunity to wrap his arm around my waist, holding me in place.

  He continues to kiss his way down my stomach, around my belly button. OH, he is going down there. I have never done that or had anyone do that to me. “D-rew … um … I-I have never … well, no one has …”

  Thankfully, he cuts me off by seductively saying, “Shh, baby, I will take care of you. Trust me. All you have to say is stop if you don’t want me to.”

  The vibration from his talking so close to down there was heavenly. I probably want this more than he does. I understand his worries about my past and how things could possibly scare me off, but I know myself. I wouldn’t be doing this if I thought something bad could come of it. I trust my instincts more now than I did before.

  He is kissing, sucking, and licking all around me down there, making me squirm. He places his hands on either side of my hips, glaring up at me through his dark eyelashes, “Do you want me to stop?”

  I try to concentrate, but his warm hands on my sides, holding me still, make it difficult. I manage to shake my head through my erotic breaths. “I want to hear you say it,” he demands in a low, raspy voice.

  “No … don’t stop,” I say, breathless.

  That was all the encouragement he needed. His hands torturously make their way down my sides, his thumb hooking in my panties, pulling them down. Then begins the most mind blowing sensations I have ever felt. The way he’s caressing and licking me makes me feel exceptional, like I am the only person that matters.

  When I come apart, I am at a loss. My entire body is tingling; every inch is feeling what he just did. I lie there, trying to come back down to earth from the magical place he took me, as he slides back up my body and makes me shiver. He encircles me with his arms, holding me tight to him. He takes a deep breath and kisses my head before asking, “Did you like that?”

  My brain is still scattered so all I’m able to mumble is, “Mmm …” His hearty chuckle it is the most comforting sound I have ever heard.

  Then it hits me that he took care of me so I need to return the favor. I have never done that before so I’m not sure if I should just go down there or ask him first. No, that would be stupid. Maybe I can just hint around to it, but what if I don’t know what I’m doing once I get down there. If I screw up, it will ruin everything. Do I want to risk that?

  I turn towards him, and start kissing and nibbling on his neck. I’m slowly making my way down when he grabs my chin, pulling my face to look at him. “What are you doing?”

  He is going to make this more humiliating than it has to be. “I-I was just going to, um …”

  Looking me square in the eyes, he says, “Don’t worry about me, darling.”

  “But I don’t want you to, um … I want to … do that to you. I will feel bad if I don’t,” I finally spit out.

  “I will survive. There’s nothing for you to feel bad about, baby.”

  Before I can protest, he pulled me into a kiss. I can still taste a hint of me on his lips, and it is sexy as hell. I kind of feel like a slut for wanting to jump on top of him and demand him to have sex with me, but I will control myself. It is for the better … I think.

  He adjusts himself, and then pulls me against him so we are spooning. I can still feel his hardness at my backside. Almost as if I have no control over it, my hips start to move. He squeezes my hip bone and growls in my ear, “Don’t, baby, please. I don’t think I could control myself if you kept that up.”

  An evil smile breaks across my face, and naughty ideas go through my head. I sigh and push them aside for another time. “Okay, sorry.”

  “It’s fine. One day, though …” He trails off, as we both begin to nod off.

  My life has never felt more normal than it does right now. Everything feels like it is where it belongs. I have a wonderful boyfriend, an awesome new best friend, and the best internship I could ask for. Maybe that saying is right … “good does come to those who wait.” Sometimes I stop to look around and take it all in, enjoying it, because I am one that knows it can be taken away in a heartbeat.

  My classes are easy because I had actually done my homework in the prior years. I am learning so much from my internship, though. Even Collin has been scarce lately. My hopes are that he got the hint. Everything has been ordinary. That’s what life is supposed to be, right?

  Every chance we get, Lauren and I hang out. Even though she does not know about my past, she still tells me that she thinks Drew is good for me. She has seen me the past couple years, and I’ve changed in these last few weeks. Who would have thought that a half-semester could change your thought on your future again? I feel like there is actually hope.

  Drew and I have been together for a couple months now and even though we still have yet to have sex, we have managed to find other ways of having fun. About a month later, I finally convinced him that I wanted to go down on him. Even through my inexperience, he was champ. I would have to say I have improved since! Things could not be any better between us. We get along as if we have been together years; we have a connection. Although we still may have the occasional argument over movies and stupid things, we still could conquer anything that life throws at us.

  I just got out of class and went to the coffee shop for coffee and a bite to eat before I head into
my last day of work for the week. Sitting here looking around, I realize I really miss this place. I will always be grateful for my old boss giving me this job; it was a lifesaver when I first came here. I never thought I would be sitting on the other side. So much has changed for the better since then. There will always be things you can’t change, though. For instance, my mother called me last week, for the first time since school started, to tell me what kind of trouble my sister was in. I really do not understand what she expects me to do, but I can’t let things like that get me down when I have what I have now … even though it hurt like hell that she did not once ask about how I was doing.

  I am absentmindedly turning my cup when I heard the shop door open, making me look up. That is when I see someone I have not seen in months. The last time was here when his band played, the first night I spent at Drew’s place. The thought makes me smile.

  “Hey, Kace!” I say, as I jump up to give him a hug.

  I really have missed him. He was always there to listen to me when I needed to vent, when I had no one else. I know he had to think that I was a poor pathetic girl, but he always made me feel better. I wonder what he has been up to. I have been by here a few times, trying to catch him, but he is never working anymore.

  His face lights up considerably when he sees me. “Hey!” He comes straight for me, through the crowd of people waiting for their coffee. He scoops me up into a hug and just holds me there. I awkwardly pull back, putting some space between us. He throws his hand up, gesturing to one of his friends behind the counter to make his usual, before he sits down at my table. One of the perks of working here is not having to wait in line.

  “So what have you been up to?” I cheerfully ask, pushing through the awkward fog.

  “Oh, you know, same ol’ shit. I only work here on the weekends now. My band’s got more gigs lined up than we can keep up with.”

  “Oh, well, that’s great! I was wondering why I haven’t seen you around much.”