Broken: The MISTAKEN Series Complete Second Season (3 page)

I raised my palms to her again. “I’m all about the sharing, Mel.”

Her eyes crinkled when she grinned again. “I know, and I love you for that.”

I motioned to her with my head. “Pick out your dresses and let’s get out of here. I’m starving and there’s no food in my apartment.”

She stood up to go back into her stall. “That’s what happens when you spend two weeks blissed out with your not-fiancée.”

I gritted my teeth. “Whatever.”

“He’ll be back. And he’ll apologize and you’ll live happily ever after. Just like the princess you know you are.”

My eyes rolled up to the ceiling again. “Fuck that bullshit.”

Her laugh floated out over the dressing room. “That sweet little sailor’s mouth.”

I groaned under my breath and rolled my eyes again.

“Get that sexy black dress. I’m taking you out dancing tonight. You’re going to flirt so hard, maybe you’ll forget about Prince Charming. Amanda just opened a new club off Pacific and I’ve been dying to go to it. You’re in, right?”

“Right.” I stood up when she came out of the dressing room, her chosen garments in hand.

“I’m serious. We’re going.” Her phone beeped and she pulled it out of her purse with a sigh. “That’ll be the evil queen.”

My mouth eased into a wry grin. I had felt a little bad about getting Melissa the job with crazy Amanda, but she seemed to be enjoying herself more than I ever would have expected. It was nice to see.

She groaned. “Ugh, I have to get down there to check out a nail polish emergency.”

I lifted an eyebrow in disbelief. “Nail polish?”

A loud sigh escaped her lips. “She might have to go to L.A. to get it fixed, according to the text.”

I shook my head. “You’re joking.”

“I wish.”

I
glared
down at my phone when I saw Brandon’s name on the caller ID. I thought about not even answering it; Mel was going to be there to meet me any second and there wasn’t enough time to have the conversation we really needed to have.

I decided to answer anyway and he spoke before I could even get the word “hello” out.

“What are you wearing?”

I felt my cheeks burn and my nostrils flare. “Are you kidding me?” I squeezed the phone in my hand and tried to control the rage I felt coursing through me.

“Jen, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

“You’re damned right, you shouldn’t have. So you have friends in the governor’s office. Why am I not surprised?” I tightened my jaw, forcing myself not to spew out the string of obscenities that came to my mind.

“It’s not like that. I don’t have time to explain right now…”

I spoke through my clenched teeth. “Then what do you want?”

“I want to know what you’re wearing.”

“Brandon, you cannot call me and expect me to play your little games after what happened. I’m not doing this.” I pulled the phone away from my ear and almost got my finger to the button to hang up.

“Jen, don’t hang up.” He sounded out of breath. There was something about his voice that sounded almost… pained. It didn’t sound like him.

I put the phone back to my ear, softening the edge from my voice just a bit. “What do you want?”

“I promise I’ll tell you everything the next time I see you. Right now, I just need a little favor. A little distraction. Please?”

A little pang of guilt rang in my stomach. He didn’t ask me for things. I needed to stay angry with him, though. I couldn’t let him think it was alright for him to treat me the way he did this morning. But maybe there was more to his behavior than just being possessive. I let out a small sigh of frustration. “What’s the favor?”

“Tell me what you’re wearing.”

I closed my eyes, giving my head a little shake as another groan of frustration escaped my lips. “Brandon…”

“Jen, please.”

I pressed my lips together. “A black dress.” Doing this while I was angry with him felt almost… dirty.

He groaned into the phone. “God, is it that little thing you were wearing that day in Iowa?”

“No. It’s new.” I looked down at myself, feeling the heat rising in my cheeks. “Sleeveless. V-neck.”

“Mmm. Where’s the hem?”

I looked down again. “Just above my knees.” I stood up from the bar stool in front of my tiny kitchen, fanning my face with my hand. “Brandon, Mel is going to be here any second…”

“But you’re alone now. Take it off.”

I licked my lips. “No.” My heart raced in my chest and I looked around the room. There wasn’t anyone there and there was no way anyone could see into the apartment. It just felt wrong. I needed to be angry with him, not let my lust take over.

He growled into my ear. “Take it off, Jen.”

“I’m… I’m…” I couldn’t even form a coherent thought. My body flushed with heat and I just wanted to feel him touch me. “I’m so, so, so angry with you.” My words came out breathless, that damned lust betraying my fury.

“Angry sex is the best kind. Now take the dress off.”

I lifted a single brow and bit my bottom lip. “Angry phone sex?”

“Have you tried it? Walk into the bedroom and take it off. Now.”

I walked into my bedroom and pulled down the zipper, letting the dress fall to the floor. “Okay.”

“Is it off?”

My lips pressed together. “Yes.”

“Good. Look in the mirror and tell me what you see.”

I walked to the full length mirror on the wall next to the closet and observed myself. “Brandon…”

“What are you wearing now?”

I pressed my lips together again and turned away from the mirror. “Brandon…”

His breath caught and he groaned. It wasn’t like the sound he made when we were together, it was more like he was in pain. “Tell me. I need to hear it.”

My brows knitted together and I sat on the edge of the bed. “Are you okay? Brandon?”

“I’m fine. Tell me.”

I gulped down the dry lump that had formed in the back of my throat. “Black lace bra. Matching panties.”

“The thong?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Good. This is good.” He let out another pained breath. “Lay down on the bed.”

I winced at the sound he made. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. Lay down on the bed.”

I did as he said, resting my head on his pillow. I could still smell him there, his clean scent filling my senses. I felt myself melt a little and pressed the phone more tightly to my ear. “Okay.”

“The things I’m going to do to you, Jen.” He almost growled into the phone.

A gasp escaped my lips as a thrill raced through my body and centered between my legs.

“I’m kissing your sweet mouth. Tasting you. Do you feel that?”

My mouth formed a tiny “o” and I let out a little whimper. “Yes.”

“You taste like raspberries, Jen.” He groaned into my ear. “Now I’m going to work on your on-buttons.”

My words came out on a sigh. “My on-buttons?” God, I wanted him there. Touching me. My body throbbed and all I could think about was feeling his skin against mine.

“Nine of them. Where’s the first one?”

My voice was barely above a whisper. “I have nine?” Another thrill of electricity ran through me, just thinking about where he would touch me. I really had nine? Nine places he could touch to make me come alive. Oh, God…

“You help me count. Where’s the first one?”

“Oh, dear God.” I closed my eyes, imagining where he would kiss me first. Heat burned through my body; I could feel his lips grazing my skin. “Under my ear.”

“Number one. Do you feel my tongue there, Jen?”

“Oh…” I could. It was like his tongue was there, laving against that sensitive flesh, waking up my every nerve.

“Your skin is so sweet. Like sunshine. I’m going to kiss you again before I move to your other ear. Do you feel that?”

“Yes,” I whispered. His lips melted into mine, his tongue tasting my mouth. I could feel him. He might not have been there, but I could feel every inch of him, his fingers caressing me, tracing fire over my skin.

“My lips are under your other ear now. What number is that?”

“Two. Oh.” My words came out on a long sigh. “Don’t stop.”

“I’ll never stop, Jen. Where is number three?”

I shook my head. I wanted him there, wanted this to be real. “I don’t know.”

“Your collar bone. Do you feel it?”

I reached up and skimmed the spot he was kissing in my mind. I didn’t even realize how much I loved it when he kissed that spot. “Yes. Three.”

He groaned again. “Jesus, Jen. You are so fucking beautiful. My hands are on your waist. Can you feel them?”

I felt his arms around me, holding me just above my hips, kneading my flesh. “Yes, I feel them. My hands are on your back, grazing your shoulder blades. Can you feel me?” I bit my upper lip, unsure if I was allowed to play along, too.

“God, yes. I need to kiss you again before we move to four. God, you’re sweet.”

“I can taste you, too, Brandon. The sting of your scotch. The sweet mint from your gum that you think covers it up.” My breath caught in my throat. “I can’t get enough of you. I’m so wet for you right now.”

“Jesus Christ, Jen.” He let out a small moan. “I’m hard as a fucking rock for you. You’re so fucking sexy. So god-damned beautiful.”

A tiny whimper left my lips. “Four.”

“Four. Your collar bone on the other side. Fuck it, my hands are on your breasts now. Can you feel that?”

I let my hand slide up to my breast, tracing around the hard bud under my bra. “Yes.”

“Open your bra.”

My finger slid under the hook and I flicked it open, revealing my breasts. My breath caught again, and I could feel his touch on them, feel him stroking the sensitive flesh.

“My tongue is on that sweet little nipple of yours. I have the other one between my fingers. Do you feel that?”

“God, yes. Five and six.” I could feel my eyes rolling back in my head as my fingers worked the tender skin.

“Where are your hands now, Jen?”

“One’s on the phone, the other…”

“When I’m doing this to you. Where do you have your hands?”

“Oh.” I thought about where I wanted my hands. “In your hair. God, it’s so soft.” I let out a loud moan. “I need you, Brandon. I need you inside of me.”

“Not yet, sweetheart. We haven’t turned on all the buttons.”

A small whimper escaped my lips. “Oh, fuck the buttons, Brandon. I need you. I’m so ready for you.” I didn’t think I’d ever been more wet and aroused in my life. I ached to feel him inside of me. God, I needed him inside of me.

“You love it when I suck your little nipples. How do I know you love it, Jen?”

I moaned again, rolling the hard peak between my fingers. “I pull your hair. Please, Brandon…”

“That’s right, sweetheart, and it hurts like hell. And it feels so fucking good. Pull my hair now.”

I could almost feel his hair in my hands, my fingers entwining in his silky curls. I could feel the energy starting to ball up in my belly. He hadn’t even touched me. I hadn’t even touched myself and I was already on the brink. “I need you.”

“My lips are kissing your belly now. Tasting your skin.” He groaned. “And my hands. I just skimmed them down your sides to your hips. I felt you shiver under me when I touched you.”

I shuddered at his words and slid my hand down to my belly. I ached to touch myself, but knew I was too close. I knew I’d come the second I felt my fingers there.

He seemed to know exactly what I was thinking. “Keep your hands in my hair, Jen. I need to know that you love what I’m doing.”

“Okay.” My skin was on fire. I never knew words could make me feel like this. Only words.

“That little spot where your hip bone meets your thigh. I’m licking it. Sucking it.”

A bolt of electricity shot through me from that spot, making my breath catch and a gasp escape my lips. “Jesus Christ. Seven.”

“That’s right, sweetheart. Seven. And now eight.”

“Oh, my God.” Another jolt blistered my skin from my other hip, a spot I had never even thought about before. One more spot. I thought I would break before he even got there.

“How close are you, sweetheart?”

I whimpered into the phone. “So close. Oh, my God, Brandon. So close.”

“I need to hear you come for me, Jen. Slide your hand into your panties.”

“Not before I take care of you. I need you inside of me. If I…”

“Jen, where is number nine?”

I was almost panting, my breath was so shallow. “Oh, God.” I slid my hand closer to my panties, but stopped just short of the top. “Brandon…”

His voice grew distant, dropping almost to a whisper. “Jen, my tongue is on your clit. I slid your panties over and I’m…”

My fingers found their way to my center and I shattered instantly around them. My back arched as the waves of pleasure took over my body, making me moan and call out his name. I wasn’t sure how long it was before the intense spiral of pleasure abated enough for me to realize he wasn’t really there, the waves just kept crashing over me again and again. And it was just phone sex. Amazing phone sex, but still just phone sex. And I wasn’t angry any more. “Brandon, it’s your turn. I want to taste you, I want to lick you, suck you.”

His breath was shallow, but not in the same way mine had been. “Jen, sweetheart, that was all I needed.” His breath was fast, so shallow. Too fast. “You need to know that I love you.”

My brows furrowed and I sat up, refastening my bra. “Brandon?”

“I love you. I love you so much. I have to go…”

I heard a familiar woman’s voice then, before he had the chance to hang up. “What the hell?”

My mouth dropped open and the phone went dead. I redialed his number, only to be sent directly to his voice mail. He had turned off the phone when she got there, wherever there was, though I had a strong suspicion that he was in Los Angeles. He turned his phone off so he wouldn’t have to explain why he was there with her.

I recognized her voice immediately. She was the woman from the gala, the woman I had caught him kissing that night. The woman he had explained away as a business associate. He was with Robin. I couldn’t believe he had done this to me with her there. Where had she been? Oh, God, had she been listening to me?

I trapped a small sob in my throat, my bottom lip quivering. Humiliation. That had to have been the point of this game.

I
f I hadn’t been
in so much fucking pain, there was no way I would have been able to last that long, talking to her like that. I would have come in my hand a second after I knew she would play along. Christ, she played along. I still couldn’t believe it, not after how I had treated her that morning. I wasn’t sure she would play that game with me, doing what I asked her to do, but damn, the risk paid off. She had no idea how fucking sexy she was. How amazingly fucking hot that was. How much I loved her.

I looked up when Robin opened the car door, thankful I had seen her car pull up so I could hang up with Jen before she heard her annoying, screechy voice. I switched the phone off. No sense in Jen finding out who was here—who I had needed to call for help, even though Robin was the last person on earth I ever wanted to see again. Jen would only be jealous, and that was the last thing I wanted.

I had no idea how I had ever found the woman sidling up to my car even remotely attractive. She was selfish, money and power driven, conceited. Prissy. Everything Jen wasn’t.

“What the hell? What the fuck happened to you, Brandon?” She looked down at me and slid behind the wheel of my rental car.

“You have any doctors in that arsenal of yours?” I held more pressure against the wound on my right side.

Her eyes widened when she looked down at the blood oozing around my hand. “None that can fix that. You need a hospital, Brandon.”

I shook my head, my breath was getting shallower and it was hard to get a full breath in at all. “Can’t. They would call the cops.”

“You were stabbed, weren’t you? What the hell are you doing over here?”