In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) (8 page)

Cenia
and I continued assembling and addressing wedding invitations while the two men
cooked. We were nearly finished by the time they called us to the patio.

Roger
poked his head through the sliding glass doors. “The kabobs are ready.”

Rafael
pulled me up off the floor when he walked by with the rice. “Table’s been set.
We’re all ready for you two lovely ladies.” He reached for Cenia’s hand and
gently pulled her to her feet.

“Thanks,
Rafael.” Cenia gathered our wine glasses and followed Rafael and me out to the
patio.

The
guys had removed the umbrella and draped a white linen tablecloth over the top
of Cenia’s wrought iron table. Three white candles were glowing softly from the
center of the table. Bamboo torches were lit all along the patio. Country music
was playing softly from Roger’s iPod, which was docked in a speaker near the
grill. “This is lovely,” I noted admiringly.

Rafael
pulled a chair out for me. “Sadly, I can’t take any credit for this. This was
all Roger’s idea.”

Cenia
kissed Roger on the cheek. “Thanks, honey. This is very sweet.”

He
tucked Cenia into the chair across from me. “Is it sweet enough for you to
reconsider abstaining from sex?”

Cenia
looked completely mortified. “Roger! We are not discussing this in front of
Rafael and Kri.”

“I’d
like to hear what they think,” Roger replied. He winked at me. He always winked
when he was being mischievous. His voice took on an overtly wounded tone as he
settled into his chair. “We had a great sex life before I proposed, then she
totally cut me off. She’s decided we shouldn’t have sex until our wedding
night. I can’t figure out where I went wrong. I would have thought a proposal
would have earned me loads more sex, but it’s had quite the opposite result.”

I
tried not to laugh at the pained expression on Cenia’s face. “Refraining from
sex could make your wedding night more memorable,” I opined. “I think it’s a
great idea.”

Roger
scowled at me before seeking sympathy from Rafael. “Help me out here, Rafael.
I’m not sure I can survive the next two and a half months without sex.” He
began distributing the kabobs on everyone’s plate.

Rafael
heaped a spoonful of Portuguese rice onto my plate. “You might be surprised by
what you’re willing to endure for the woman you love.”

Roger
glanced questioningly at Rafael. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Rafael
shrugged as he scooped a pile of rice onto Cenia’s plate. “I’m just saying, two
and a half months without sex is nothing. Trust me. You’ll survive.”

Roger’s
eyes narrowed, then widened with understanding. “You two aren’t having sex!” he
exclaimed. “Now that’s a shocker.”

“Roger!
That’s enough. We’re done talking about sex,” Cenia scolded. She glanced at me apologetically.
“I’m sorry, Kri. I didn’t tell Roger everything that happened in Ukraine.”

Roger
glanced at me. The mischievous glint in his eyes was gone. Concern now etched
his ruggedly handsome face. “What did they do to you, Kri?” he inquired softly.
He had completely abandoned his plate.

I
couldn’t decide if I wanted to laugh or cry. I was working so hard to forget
the past, but it kept creeping up on me. I took a sip of wine, stalling so I
could smooth out my frayed emotions. Finally, I looked at Roger. “Don’t feel
bad for ribbing us about our sex life, Roger. You couldn’t possibly have
known.” My lungs deflated as I sorted through the best way to explain what the
SVR had done.

Rafael
squeezed my hand encouragingly. “Imagine the worst possible place someone could
shove a stun gun on a woman who had been beaten, doused with water, and
stripped bare.”

Roger’s
shoulders fell. He glanced at Cenia. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispered
angrily.

“I
didn’t think Kri would appreciate me sharing something so…
personal
,”
Cenia explained softly.

Roger
couldn’t bring himself to look at me. Instead, he looked at Rafael. “No wonder
Kadyn’s refused to discuss what happened in Ukraine. If you two are planning
any sort of retaliation, I want in.”

I
jumped out of my chair, suddenly panicked. “No! No one’s seeking revenge. Do
you understand me? I don’t want either of you or Kadyn going to Ukraine. I
can’t… I can’t lose anyone else.” I tried to slow my heart rate with deep
gulping breaths, but the tears came anyway.

Rafael
rose from the table and wrapped me in his arms. “You’re not going to lose me. I
promise, Roger, Kadyn, and I won’t go to Ukraine.”

I
buried my face in his shirt. “They killed Michael,” I cried. “He paid them, and
they still killed him. They kill for no reason at all.”

“I
know,” Rafael whispered soothingly.

Roger
joined us. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I was just trying to
get a little sex.” He sounded like a four year old boy who’d just been caught
shoplifting a much coveted toy.

I
lifted my head from Rafael’s chest and stared dumbfounded at Roger. Suddenly, I
was laughing. “You could always try to get her drunk,” I suggested when I
finally found my voice.

Rafael
kissed the top of my head before returning to his chair. He tugged me onto his
lap and handed me a glass of wine. “Maybe I should get you drunk,” he murmured
thoughtfully.

“I
do have a guest room,” Cenia noted, “and a few more bottles of wine…”

“I
can’t listen to them having sex and not get any,” Roger whined. He was already back
to his mischievous self.

Cenia
patted his hand. “Don’t worry, honey. I’ll steal his keys so we can fool around
in his car.”

Rafael
and I smiled at each other knowingly. “Having sex in that car is a bit more
difficult than you might think. The motorcycle was much easier,” I confessed.

Roger
groaned miserably. “This is not helping.”

Rafael,
Cenia, and I burst out laughing.

“Serves
you right,” Cenia said as we began to eat dinner. “You might want to think
twice before complaining about our sex life again.”

“Do
you miss the jet?” Rafael asked. He leaned across the armrest dividing our
first class seats and peered down at the heavily treed mountains carving the
landscape below. The airplane was already beginning its descent into Great
Falls.

I
stared out the window and forced myself to see the river winding through the
trees. I didn’t want to see the blood soaked carpet or Michael dying in my
arms, but I did every time I thought about Michael’s airplane. “No. I don’t
miss the jet,” I assured him. I was relieved when Rafael sold it. The carpet
had been replaced and the superficial damage from the bullet holes repaired
while we were in Berlin, but neither of us felt comfortable using Michael’s
airplane after the incident in Ukraine.

He
pressed his lips to the back of my hand. “What are you looking at?”

I
smiled. Rafael always seemed to know when I shouldn’t be left alone with my
thoughts. “The Missouri River,” I replied. “Do you fish?” I turned away from
the window so I could study his face… his golden skin, the hint of whiskers
that darkened his masculine jawline, his strong nose, high cheekbones, and
deeply captivating eyes.

His
soft brown eyes sparked with amusement. “I’ve never tried fishing. Why? Do you
fish?”

I
laughed. “No. My grandpa tried to teach me, but I couldn’t bear to kill the
worm, let alone the fish. He gave up on me when he caught me sneaking his hard
earned fish back into the lake.”

Rafael’s
laughter warmed me as the wheels of the plane touched down. We were both thrown
forward when the pilot hit the brakes a little too hard. He was hinting at just
how short the runway was. “You okay?” Rafael asked when the plane finally
slowed.

I
nodded. “Yes. I’m anxious to see everybody. How are you holding up?”

“I’m
a little nervous,” he confessed. He glanced out at the tarmac before linking
our hands together again. “I’m looking forward to meeting your family.”

“I’ll
ask my dad to take you fly fishing when we visit them in Hamilton, if you’d
like.” I unbuckled my seatbelt when the plane rolled up to the gate.

Rafael
smiled. “I’d like that.” He released his seatbelt and pulled his backpack from
the overhead compartment before helping me out of my seat.

“We’re
going to be doing a lot of driving over the next few days,” I warned. We were
planning to spend two days with Lexie in Great Falls, two days with Kimme and
Dan in Helena, and two days with my parents in Hamilton before driving back to
Great Falls for the return flight to Reagan National Airport. Everything was so
spread out in Montana. The state sprawled north, south, east, and west for
hundreds of miles, but the patchwork of farms, majestic canyons, and heavily
treed mountains carved a scenery that more than made up for the inconvenience
of driving long distances.

Rafael
and I walked through the jet bridge and made our way toward the luggage
carousel. “If you don’t mind keeping an eye out for our luggage, I’ll go secure
the rental car,” Rafael proposed.

“You’re
going to leave me without a bodyguard?” I gasped teasingly. The Great Falls Airport
was so small the rental car counters overlooked both luggage carousels.

Rafael
rolled his eyes. He was chuckling softly when he sauntered off toward the
rental counters.

I
gathered both suitcases and joined him at the rental counter. “What are we
going to be driving?”

He
nodded toward the salesperson. “He needs to see your driver’s license so I can
include you as an additional driver. I’m renting a new Jeep Cherokee so you can
get a feel for how they drive. I thought it might inspire you to upgrade your jeep
when we get back home.”

I
fished my driver’s license out of my wallet and handed it to the sales clerk.
“You expect me to settle for a jeep when you offered me a diamond encrusted
Mercedes?” I inquired teasingly.

Rafael
finished signing the paperwork. “I’ll buy both if you trade in that jeep.” He
smiled and handed me the keys.

I
laughed. “Now you’re talking.” My cell phone rang when we walked outside. I
glanced down at the phone and smiled. “Hey, cuz.”

“Oh,
good. You’ve landed. Is pizza okay for dinner? I had to work late at the
hospital, and Nate’s stuck at the office preparing for an early morning trial.”

I
glanced at Rafael. He had stubbornly insisted on carrying all the luggage. He
stopped in front of a white Jeep Cherokee and nodded.

I
hit the key fob to open the rear hatch. “Pizza sounds great. You know me. I
like every type of pizza known to man. Rafael will eat anything but Hawaiian.
He’s deeply opposed to eating fruit on pizza.”

Lexie
laughed. “Okay. See you soon!”

Rafael
set the luggage inside the back of the jeep and closed the hatch. “Pizza and
wine for dinner?” he asked.

I
nodded. “Pizza is a bit of a tradition for us. Can I drive?”

He
reached for my hand. “Of course you can drive. You know this area far better
than I do, but you’re going to have to pay the toll first.”

“The
toll?” I asked. There were no toll roads in Montana.

Rafael
leaned against the side of the jeep. “The toll,” he murmured suggestively. “I
need a kiss.” He pulled me toward him until I was standing between his legs.

I
luxuriated in the heat and strength that radiated from his chest. I lost myself
in his warm, brown eyes while tugging the leather band from his hair. I slipped
the band over my wrist and buried my hands in his hair, knowing it would
release the spicy notes from his cologne.

Rafael
pulled me up onto my tiptoes until our lips met in a sultry kiss. My hands
clenched at the nape of his neck as his tongue began to move in slow, intoxicating
strokes. Heat flooded my abdomen and thighs when he pulled our hips flush,
settling his erection between my legs.

“Rafael,”
I groaned. My body and brain were running in opposite directions.

Rafael
pinned me against the vehicle when I tried tempering the kiss. “We’re going to
work through these fears,” he warned as he pressed every hard angle of his body
into mine. His hands burned a trail from my hips to my breasts.

My
breath caught when my breasts pebbled against his thumbs. He grasped my face
and resumed the kiss until we both lost sight of where we were. He planted
open-mouthed kisses all along my neck when he finally broke the kiss. “Let’s go
make this dream come true,” he murmured huskily.

My
heart pounded some obscure warning when he began to back away. Cenia’s question
echoed through my mind. My fingers instinctively tightened in his hair as I
forced him to look into my eyes. “Surely you know. You’re the only one that
matters.
You
are the only dream I need to come true.”

Surprise,
then relief lit his handsome face. He locked me in the fiercest embrace without
breathing another word.