Broken: The MISTAKEN Series Complete Second Season (19 page)

I
drove
us to the nicest hotel in Sacramento, knowing full well that there were no rooms available. It didn’t matter—I was
going
to get a room. And if this hotel wouldn’t give me one, the place next door would. I was going to make sure of it.

Brandon followed me inside, and even though I was pretty sure he had some connections
somewhere
in Sacramento that could have helped him to get a room, there was something about this day that made me know that I had to do it myself. I wasn’t the type of person who used my name to get myself things. At least, I wasn’t until that moment.

“I need a room, please.” I glanced over at Brandon, who was looking at some brochures on the wall, well away from the check-in desk where I stood.

The clerk didn’t even look up. “I’m sorry, ma’am, we have no rooms available due to the convention.”

I stared down at him, trying to keep my voice even. “You don’t have a room for Jenna Davis?”

The man looked up and instantly smiled. “Of course, Miss Davis. Let me take a look.” He punched something into the computer. “We have a suite overlooking the city. If that doesn’t work for you, I can…”

“That will be fine.” I had to press my lips together to keep the grin from taking over my face. I had done it, and it had been so … easy. Way too easy. I knew I would never become one of
those
types of people—the people like Melissa’s boss, Amanda, who threw their names around and expected people to jump when they did it. But there was something almost magical in knowing that I could if I wanted to.

I felt like I was walking on clouds as we made our way to the elevator. I had stood up to my mother—not really stood up to her, but faced her and walked away instead of cowering under her words. And then I had used my name—not my father’s name, not my mother’s name—
my name
to get what I wanted. I couldn’t even imagine feeling better than this, feeling better about myself than I did at that moment.

And then I looked over at him, standing against the wall of the elevator.

My breath hitched in my chest when I saw him look at me like that, like he could see through everything—straight into my soul. I could see the desire in his blue eyes and it made my every nerve tingle in anticipation.
Damn, I’ve missed him
. I don’t think I had really let myself think about it, think about how much I missed just having him there with me. How much I missed having him look at me like
that.

The door to our room hadn’t even completely swung closed when he took me in his arms and pressed his lips to mine. He kissed me with a hunger that I hadn’t experienced before, letting me know in no uncertain terms that I was his. That I would always be his. He nipped at my lower lip, following the sting with the soft caress of his tongue.

I lifted my hands to his chest and gently pushed him away. “Brandon…”

“Let me love you, Jen.” He pressed his lips to the hollow just below my ear, the one that melted me every time he touched it.

I moaned, arching my neck into his lips.

His grip around my waist tightened as my legs buckled underneath me. His lips moved to the other side of my neck, pressing against the identical, opposite spot.

I moaned again, the memory of our last encounter flooding into my awareness as the pulsing electricity coursing through my veins centered between my legs. “Christ, Brandon. Two…”

He pulled the neckline of my blouse over with his fingertips, his lips moving lower and pressing against my collarbone. I was sure my inability to stand would topple us both to the ground. I could barely make a sound, my breath coming faster. “Three…” The word came out on a shallow breath. I knew I wouldn’t get to nine this time, the way he had teased me the last time we were together, when he had made love to me over the phone. I knew I wouldn’t make it to nine before needing to feel him inside of me.

He pulled away then dipped his head to brush his lips across my own. “What are you doing?”

I pressed my lips against his and wrapped my arms around his neck. I wanted him to let me finish counting, finish lighting up each and every spot that he had taught me about so many weeks before. I was breathless, almost mindless with lust, and barely able to form words at all. I spoke against his lips. “Nine spots. Nine on-switches.”

He brushed his lips against mine again before pulling back and resting his forehead against my own. “When did I tell you that? Last night?”

My brows knitted from confusion. I hadn’t dreamed that encounter with him on the phone. I was humiliated about it afterward, but I couldn’t deny how it had sent me over the edge of desire for him. I wanted that again—that mindless passion that he instilled in me. The wanton lust that I felt when I was with him—I had never wanted anything more than I wanted him in that moment.

I found my breath, the moment over. “You don’t remember?”

His embrace around my waist tightened, pulling my body firmly against his. He stared into my eyes, his forehead still pressed against mine. “I think I would remember telling you a secret like that, Jen.”

My hands found his chest again and I pushed him away, pulling out of his embrace. That night, that horrible night… I wanted to get past it. Move on. But it was still there, that humiliation. As bad as it had ever been, and the fact that he didn’t even remember…

I kicked off my shoes and sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. I was kidding myself, thinking things could be normal between us. They never had been before, and clearly, they weren’t going to be now.

He took off his suit jacket and sat down next to me, pulling my hand into his. “When did I tell you that?”

“The day you left. The day you went to Los Angeles.” I forced away the sadness that was threatening to engulf me. “The last time I talked to you before … everything.”

He raked a hand through his hair, his other hand tightening its grip on mine. “God, Jen, I know I called you. I remember making the call because I needed to hear your voice. I wanted yours to be the last voice I heard before I…”

“Before you died.” My voice was broken, almost flat. “But you don’t remember.” I don’t know why his lack of memory of the phone sex incident bothered me so much. He’d had two women in his apartment less than twenty-four hours ago, and that didn’t bother me as much as the fact that he didn’t remember that call. What he had said to me. How it had made me feel. I could accept that the call had been some last ditch effort of his to cling to something to stay alive. But how could he not remember
that
?

“Before I died.” His hand squeezed mine again. “Yours was the last voice I wanted to hear, Jen. The last thing I wanted to remember. I don’t remember what I said or what I did, but you have to know, I called because I love you. Because you’re the most important thing in my life, and I didn’t want to leave this world without hearing your voice one last time.”

I heard a choked sob leave my throat as the tears I had been fighting for so long, so many weeks, finally began to slide down my cheeks. This time, I wasn’t going to be able to hold them back. This time, I was going to be a slobbering mess of tears.

S
he had earned
the right to cry.

I pulled her into my arms and we fell into the pillows on the bed. I held her like that—her forehead pressed to my chest for as long as she needed. I knew I couldn’t kiss the tears away, couldn’t reason them away. I had already put her through too much.

I kissed the top of her head again and stroked her hair as she sobbed into my chest. If I couldn’t do anything else, I wanted her to know I loved her. We should have done this a long time ago. This should have happened in the hospital, as soon as I woke up. I should have been able to tell her then how I felt, how much I needed her. This was my fault—all of it. Every tear she shed was because of something I had done to her and the least I could do was hold her until she had cried the last one.

She finally looked up at me, her eyes red and swollen. Without saying a word, she brushed her lips across mine before sitting up. Her fingers worked the buttons of my shirt free and she pulled it open to reveal my chest. I knew she loved my chest, my shoulders. I knew it the first time I made love to her so many months ago, the way she licked her lips when she looked at me. The way she felt every muscle, every tendon before kissing me there, tasting my skin.

She looked down at my scar before she touched it, tracing the purple line from just under my right rib around to my back. The look in her eyes told me she wasn’t disgusted by it, not afraid of what she was seeing for the first time. She fingered the line back up and placed a gentle kiss where her finger had been before lifting her gaze to meet mine again without a single word.

I raised my hands to begin unfastening the buttons on her blouse, but she brushed my hands away, instead flicking them open herself. She tossed her top to the floor and kissed my lips again, pressing her mouth hard against mine this time, her tongue tasting my lips.

She pulled away and I reached my hands out to caress her skin, wanting to unhook the bra that covered her magnificent breasts. My cock ached for her, and I wasn’t sure how long I could keep from taking control of this situation, making her mine.

Mine
. Seeing her like this made the word play on repeat in my head.
Mine
. She swatted at my hands, grabbing my wrists and pulling them above my head before placing another kiss on my lips. This was the same scene we had played out a hundred times before, only this time, it was her taking control.

Mine
. She unfastened the button on her skirt and shimmied out, tossing the fabric to the floor. I kept my arms over my head, enjoying the view, my cock swelling to an almost uncomfortable ramrod stiffness. God, I wanted her. Now. I reached down to unfasten my pants and she grabbed my wrists again. She swung her thigh over me, straddling me, and pulled my hands above my head, placing another all-to-gentle kiss on my lips.

She was trying to kill me. Torture me, maybe. I couldn’t deny enjoying this game, but I had gone too long without her,
without anyone.
And she was mine.
Mine.

She moved her mouth to my neck, kissing down its length until she reached my chest. Her tongue trailed the contours, following every line, every curve. When her tongue flicked across my hard nipple, it almost sent me over the edge.

I reached down and unhooked her bra. I’d had enough of her taking control, and I was going to take what was mine.
Mine.

She tossed her bra over the edge of the bed and looked down into my eyes again without a word. I swear to God, the woman could see into my soul.

I reached down to unfasten my pants again, my cock desperate for release from its confines. She reached for my wrist again, pushing my hand out of the way. She moved her hands behind her, blindly unbuttoning my pants and teasing down the zipper without lifting her gaze from mine. I almost came in her hand when her fingers trailed up the length of my still underwear-covered cock.

She swung her leg off of me, stood up and tugged on my pants, assisting me with their removal. She tossed my trousers and boxers to the floor. She stood at the foot of the bed, still silent and almost nude, save the black lace panties she still wore. I could see her drink me in, her gaze moving across my body. Christ, I wanted to be inside of her. Fulfill her every need and desire.

She crawled back onto the bed, moving so slowly I thought for sure I would have to lift her up and flip her over to take what was mine. Her lips finally met mine, and I reached down to remove the last piece of clothing between us. She kicked the panties to the floor, her lips never leaving mine, and she moved her leg over me again, straddling me. Owning
me.

She ran her hands down my chest, her gaze moving down, looking at the purple line again before flicking back up to my eyes. Her blue eyes blazed with her desire as I felt her lift herself up, then lower herself onto me, over my cock, filling her. Christ, filling
me.

I had to fight to not let my eyes roll back. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and this was the most glorious thing I had ever felt. I moaned as she lowered herself to the base of my erection and I heard her let out a long breath.

“God, Jen. You’re so fucking beautiful.”

She lowered her lips to mine as she began to rock against me. And the word that was repeating in my head wasn’t “mine” anymore.

Yours.

I
got
up when he finally fell asleep, walking over to the small bar area to get a glass of water. I was starving, too, and I opened the mini-bar and grabbed a package of candy, popping one of the chocolates into my mouth.

There was a time not that long ago when I would have been embarrassed to be prancing naked through a hotel room when he might wake up, might see me in all my glory. But something had happened that day, something amazing and wonderful and transformational… I felt like a real person for the first time in my life. Like a real woman—not a girl anymore.

I watched him sleeping and the look of contentment on his face was enough for me. Enough for now.

I popped another piece of candy in my mouth and sat down at the edge of the bed, setting the rest of the package on the bedside table. I loved that he was here, in my bed again. That I was his and that he was mine. It was all I wanted. All I needed.

I crawled under the covers and nestled against him, breathing him in, and reminded myself that this wasn’t a dream.

My eyes had only just closed and sleep hadn’t quite found me when the most disturbing sound I had ever heard echoed through the hotel room.

The phone rang.

B
randon’s eyes
flew open and he turned to the ring of his cell phone. He didn’t even look back at me, refused to look me in the eye when he answered it.

Other than saying, “Hello,” the only sounds he made were grunts of agreement during the short conversation.

He snapped the phone off, the color drained from his face. He turned back to face me, and I could see the fear in his eyes. He tried to cover it—tried to cover the weight I could see in his chest, but just the slightest hunch of his shoulders… I knew. I knew this was something that was going to change everything again. That we couldn’t even have one night together, not even one brief moment to cling to.

“I have to go.” He grabbed his shirt from the floor and began fastening the buttons. I watched him grab the rest of his clothing from the floor, from where I had so carelessly tossed his custom-tailored suit. His voice was low, and I could tell he was trying to keep it calm for my benefit. “I’ll come back for you if I can.”

I shook my head and pulled my own clothing from the floor. “I’m coming with you.” I pulled on my underwear, then my bra, fastening the hook and pulling the straps over my shoulders. “Maybe…”

“No, Jen.” His voice was falsely devoid of emotion. I knew he didn’t want me to sense his fear. I knew somewhere inside of myself that he was trying to protect me, trying to be my savior again.

But I didn’t want to be saved. Not this time. If I was with him, maybe it wouldn’t be so dangerous. Maybe the person who called wouldn’t be so brazen if I was there. I knew I didn’t have much in the way of skills to actually protect myself—not unless a couple of kick-boxing classes counted, but he wasn’t going to strand me in this hotel room. I didn’t believe that I was such a huge liability that my coming with him could put him in
more
danger. I just refused to believe it. I continued putting on my clothes, as quickly as I could

He stood up. “You’ll stay here. I’ll have the front desk call you a cab. I want you to take it all the way back to San Francisco—don’t get on a bus, don’t take a ride from anyone else. Get in the cab and don’t get out until Cade meets you at the door of your apartment building.”

I stood up and turned to face him. “No.”

“No?” He lifted an eyebrow, and if he hadn’t been so worried, I think he might have been amused. “I wasn’t asking, Jen. This is serious.” He grabbed the car keys from the table near the door. “Stay here until you hear from the desk. Don’t leave this room. Don’t answer the door. I’ll see if they can have someone escort you…”

“I don’t think you heard me, Brandon. I’m not going anywhere unless it’s with you. You’ll take me with you. I don’t care who it is, or what you’ve done this time, or what
business
it is that you need to attend to. I’m coming with you, and I won’t take no for an answer.”

“Jen, as much as I love that you want to find your wings and fly…”

“Bullshit.” I stared him down, refusing to let him talk me out of it. “I’m coming with you. This isn’t about me. This is about
you.
”

He shook his head and I could see his nostrils flare. I was pissing him off, which wasn’t my intention at all. I just wasn’t going to let him leave me behind again. I had no intention of being left alone to wait and wonder what happened to him. Not again. Not after everything. “It’s not safe.”

“I swear to God, Brandon, if I hear that one more time, I’m going to scream.
I’ll
punch a hole in the wall. I’ll…”

He walked around the bed and pulled me into his arms. He slid his hands up my sides to cup my cheeks in his palms and bent his head down to look directly into my eyes. “I love you. But you’re right. This isn’t about
you
. This
is
about me and the choices I’ve made. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you.”

I met his stare and raised my hands to his chest. “And how am I supposed to live if something happens to
you
?”

He dipped his head down and brushed his lips across mine, his tongue trailing across my lower lip as though it was the last time he would ever touch me, taste me.

I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair, praying it wasn’t the last time I would touch his soft tresses. I returned his kiss, pressing my lips against his as though I also knew it might be the last time. I finally pulled away and looked back into his eyes. “I’m coming with you. And you can’t stop me.”

The corners of his lips twitched into what almost looked like a tiny grin. “I
can
stop you, Jen. Just don’t make me do it.”

I stared at his lips for a moment too long, feeling my own turn into the tiniest of smiles. “You can tie me up later, if you want.” I lifted my gaze to meet his. “But I
am
coming with you.”

He let out a long breath. “Damn it, Jen. You make my life too difficult.”

H
e had said
to come alone.

If I let her come with me, she could end up dead, I already knew that. Tying her up actually might have been an option—at least it would keep her from following me. But the truth was, I wanted her there. She needed to see it for herself, even if it did put her in danger.
And
he
wouldn’t actually hurt her
. I had to believe that. He wouldn’t actually hurt his own daughter.

“Fine.”

She smiled, one of her dazzling, gorgeous smiles that usually made my knees go weak. Hell, it wasn’t as though my knees weren’t still weak from what she had just done to me. Let me do to her.

“But you’ll let me do the talking. And if I tell you to run—for Christ’s sake, Jen, you run. Okay?”

The smile fell from her face as she realized that this wasn’t a game. This was real—this was the same bullshit that had gotten me stabbed, though she probably had no idea about that. Not yet.

We took the elevator to the lobby, and she didn’t make a sound. She didn’t say a single word, just watched me from the corner of her eye. I didn’t say anything to her, either. Most of what was going on was better left unsaid, anyway. As soon as she saw who was behind this, she was going to have plenty to say. I just hoped I’d still be alive to hear it.

Before I left Krystal’s place, before I left the east coast, he had come to visit me. Warn me was a better term for it. He normally didn’t do the warning or the threatening, so I knew I was in deep shit. He usually had his own minions to do that type of thing. I looked over at Jen. She thought I was the one with minions, but her father made me look like I was running a squad of plastic soldiers compared to the army of people he had behind him.

He told me to stay the hell away from his daughter, sure. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t been hearing for the past seven years. He had warned me so many times to stay away from her that it made it almost impossible for me to do just that—even if it would have kept her safe. There had always been something about defying authority that had turned me on, and being with Senator Davis’s daughter turned me on in more ways than one. The fact that I had actually fallen in love with her was almost a moot point now. I wasn’t going to live long enough to see any of it through, anyway.

He had given me a month to finish the job he had given me. A month that was up yesterday—the day I had so stupidly chosen to get shit-faced and take home two co-eds instead of doing what he had asked me to do. And now I was going to pay for it.

Jen was going to pay for it, too, and that was even worse.