The Broken (17 page)

His hand drops
to my panties. He rubs over my wet sex, his mouth devouring me as
his kisses drop to my stomach, his tongue dipping into my belly
button and swirling before continuing its journey south. His teeth
pick up my panties and he drags them down my legs. I’m panting with
need as he lifts my leg and begins trailing his kisses upwards.
When he reaches my sex, he swipes his tongue out, making me call
out his name.

“You’re
breath-taking, so precious, Twink.”

His lips close
around my clit and I feel the dull ache build in my stomach. His
mouth and tongue worship me, making me squirm and quiver. I feel
his finger breach my opening so I open my legs further, welcoming
him inside. I didn’t think I could handle soft with Sammy, because
Danny was always so gentle. But Sammy’s worship is so
breathtakingly beautiful, It feels completely different to any
feeling or emotion I’ve ever experienced, or knew possible. I feel
him curl his finger, finding my g-spot and detonating an explosive
orgasm.

“Sammy, Sammy,
oh God, yes!” I scream out. He rides out the wave with me until my
legs stop trembling. He kisses down my other leg, and when he gets
to my ankle, he encourages me to turn onto my stomach; his kisses
then begin their journey up the back of my leg. He swirls his
tongue across the back of my knee, sending little jolts of pleasure
up into my sex; his hands groping the globes of my ass. His teeth
sink into my flesh when his mouth reaches my ass and I call out
again. I feel his hands everywhere, his mouth travels up my spine
and I feel treasured, loved. He gathers my hair and pulls it to the
side so he can kiss my neck.

“I love you,”
he whispers as he enters me from behind. “God, Twink you’re so warm
and tight. Let me in, baby.”

I lift my ass
and bring my knees up, presenting myself to him. He leans back,
grasping my hips and pushing deep into me. With a moan, he drives
himself in and out of my warm heat. Sweat beads down my spine and I
move my hips, gyrating against him.

“Pull my hair,
Sammy,” I beg.

He groans,
wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting my body so my back’s
flush against his chest. I feel his hard cock thrusting deeper and
deeper with every drive forward. He turns my face with one hand so
he can caress my lips with his while his other hand massages my
breasts. We’re panting, our bodies ablaze with passion; he twists
his hip and I fall apart around him; tingles shoot through my body
as I pulse around him, igniting his own release. We collapse
forward onto his bed, breathing heavily.

“Thank you,” he
murmurs.

I look over at
him. “What for?”

He smiles and
strokes my sweaty brow. “For letting me love you.”

My heart
pounds. “Sammy. I lo…”

Pounding at the
door cuts me off before I can tell him.

“Sammy, Danny’s
back looking for River,” we hear Jasper shout through the door.

My body goes
taut, bile rising up my throat.

“River, get
dressed. I’ll go stall him.”

Sammy throws
his clothes on and hops out of the room, trying to get his shoe on.
I rush to get back in my dress and run to his dresser, trying to
tame my hair in his mirror. My cheeks look flushed from my orgasm.
I run to his window, opening it and praying the air cools my
cheeks. I give it a short while, then take my chances. Leaving
Sammy’s room I find Danny a few minutes later in the hallway. He
looks mad, his jaw tight, that fiery gaze locks onto me. He grips
my wrist. “Why did you come back here without me?”

I smile. “I’m
going to help tidy up. I didn’t want to listen to Blay and that
slut going at it at our place.”

He grimaces
then relaxes. “I need to go somewhere. Will you be okay?”

I don’t ask him
where he has to go at one o’clock in the morning while he’s
intoxicated, I just nod. “Of course.”

He looks at the
few people lingering around then kisses me full on the lips, his
tongue forcing its way into my mouth.

He pulls back.
“I love you. Be back when I can, okay?”

I nod again and
watch him leave. Once his retreating form disappears into the
night, I let out the breath I was holding; I turn to see the pained
blue depths of Sammy’s eyes. I follow him as he pushes his way to
the back yard.

“Sammy!” I call
out.

Once we’re
alone, he turns and rushes towards me, his hand swiping across my
mouth to wipe Danny’s kiss away. “I know why you’re with him.”

My heart begins
in drumming against my ribcage flashes of my past echoing in my
mind.

“Blaydon told
me the kind of love your dad had for you, River. That’s not love,
and neither is guilting you into being with someone just because he
knows your secrets. I love you. I love everything that you
are.”

I stumble
backwards, shaking. My mouth opens and the scared girl’s voice
tumbles out. “Do you love all of me, Sammy? Because this,” I point
down at myself, “this is a lie. This is the lie I show to you and
Blaydon; the lie I wear every day for you and for everyone so you
won’t have to see the damaged, broken girl underneath. This smile,
these clothes, they’re not me. I’m tainted, Sammy. I’m shattered.
My mother took some of me with her when she died, my dad took some
when he made me sit on his lap while he violated me, and more when
he beat Blaydon for stopping him from raping me, and then you left,
taking the rest of me, leaving my soul bare and exposed for Danny
to capture and hold hostage. Can you fix me, Sammy? Can you want
something so ruined and destroyed? Can you put me back together and
make me whole again? Because whatever is left of me, the real me,
you have her. You own all of her, all that’s left. My thoughts, my
body, and my heart. Can you save me? Sammy, please save me. Please
save me.”

I collapse to
the ground and sob. Sammy bundles me into his lap and strokes my
back. “Shh, don’t cry. I love you, and I’ll try every God damn day
to save you, River, I promise. I’ll save you, baby.”

I grip onto him
like he might vanish if I didn’t hold on tight. I soak all those
years of pain into his shoulder, silently begging him to take them
from me and make me whole again. We sat there for hours until
Jasper came out and broke our moment.

“Yo, someone
threw up in the washing machine. What is
wrong
with people?
The fucking washing machine, man.”

I let out a
giggle and feel Sammy’s body shaking with his own laughter.

“I should help
get things tidied,” I murmur.

“No way are you
clearing up someone’s puke. Go home, take a shower and try to get
some sleep. We’re going to sit down and make a plan tomorrow.”

His lips come
down to mine in a gentle stroke. “I love you,” he whispers.

I smile. “I
love you, too,” I murmur back. His huge grin makes the wait worth
it.

I walk into my
room and flip the light switch. Danny isn’t back yet so I turn on
the shower and let the day wash from my body; thoughts of Sammy
bring a smile to my face. I step out of the shower and wrap a towel
around my body then slip into the bedroom, and startle when I see
Danny standing in the doorway.

“Sorry,
beautiful. Did I scare you?”

I giggle
nervously and grip the towel tighter around myself. If he removes
it, he’ll see the marks Jasper and Sammy left.

“Come here,
beautiful. I need to feel your love.”

Oh God. He will
kill me.

“Can I just put
some clothes on? It’s that time of the month. I just noticed in the
shower. That’s why I didn’t feel well yesterday,” I lie, praying he
doesn’t catch me in it.

He walks over
to me and strokes his hands down my arms. “Okay, go get dressed.
I’ll get you a hot water bottle.”

I pull open my
drawer and grab a high necked t-shirt and sweats, and rush to the
bathroom to slip them on. He can be so gentle at times. I’ve heard
the saying “kill you with kindness”. That’s Danny. He hides his
evil in kindness.

“Here, get in
bed and try to sleep, beautiful.”

He hands me a
hot water bottle as I leave the bathroom.

I smile.
“Thanks.”

I crawl into
the bed, the chilled sheets making me shiver.

“Cold? Let me
warm you up.”

He pulls me
against his chest, holding me tight to his body and all I can think
about is tomorrow. I’ll be free of him. Sammy’s going to have a
plan.

Blaydon’s
horrified bellow wakes me from slumber. I struggle with the covers
as I scramble to get to him; Danny is already opening the bedroom
door to exit when I detangle myself. My stomach drops when I make
it to the hallway and find Blaydon pointing to his room, shaking
his head. “She’s fucking dead!”

I take a deep
breath and follow Danny into Blaydon’s room. There, lying naked in
Blay's bed, is Maria. She’s a funny colour, unnatural. Danny checks
her pulse and curses.

I turn to Blay
meeting him on the floor “Must be an overdose,” I mutter, though it
sounds more like a question then a statement.

“She wasn’t on
anything, just booze, River! Oh my God, did I do this?”

I shake my head
and grasp his cheeks in a firm hold, making him look at me. His
glassy eyes break my heart. I’m vibrating with adrenaline. “No way,
Blaydon. You would never hurt anyone.”

He looks at me
the pain his feeling seeps into me from his watery gaze. “I would,
I did!”

“That was
different, Blay. You didn’t do this.”

He didn’t do
this, he couldn’t, and I refuse to believe anything else. I need to
help him. Save him, protect him.

He shudders and
a tear escapes his eye.

“What the fuck
do we do?” Danny asks.

I stand up.
“You need to help him, Danny. Get rid of her.” Blaydon gasps and I
add, “I can’t lose him over her overdosing, Danny!”

Danny watches
me intently.

“She didn’t
overdose,” Blay whispers. “She didn’t take anything.”

I scan Danny’s
face and give him a gentle nod.

“It was an
overdose, Blaydon,” Danny says. “Some of my stash is missing. She
probably crept out while we were sleeping.”

I thank him
with my eyes. Blaydon exhales a ragged breath.

“I’m doing this
for you, River. Tell me you love me.”

I swallow my
hate; I swallow my love for Sammy, and I swallow my freedom.

“I love you.
Please, Danny, help him.”

He drops a
chaste kiss to my lips. “Take Blaydon to our room and stay there
until I come for you.”

I turn,
dragging Blaydon to his feet and down the hall to my room. I guide
him to the bed and climb in behind him, holding him while he
cries.

I
plan to go to my dad’s, to get him to sign all the
money from my gran over to me so I can get everything in motion.
Today, I’ll sit down and tell River that she’s moving in with me
and leaving Danny. I’ll tell him myself since I know he has a
temper. I’ll come to blows with him, but she’s more than worth it.
My phone pings with a text alert from Derek, telling me he can meet
me later. I reply, letting him know it’s no longer necessary. I
text River, asking her to come over when she wakes up.

I can’t come
over, Sammy. This isn’t what I want anymore. I’m sorry.

I read and then
re-read about twenty times, my brain not accepting the words.

What? What’s
happened between now and last night?

I can’t talk
now.

She can’t talk
now? What the fuck? My heart is beating at a rapid rate. This can’t
be happening, she loves me. I felt it in her touch, I saw it in her
eyes, and she fucking told me with her own lips. I throw my phone
and it lands on the sofa. I see Danny out the corner of my eye,
walking from his car. He has a big smile on his face that I want to
punch off. I open the front door and drop down the front steps.
“Why are you so happy?” I ask.

He grins,
looking up at River’s house before hushing me back towards mine. He
pulls a black box from his pocket and cracks the lid. I feel the
colour drain from my face.

“You sure
she’ll say yes?”

He snaps the
box shut and pushes my shoulder. “Gee thanks, man. She’s already
said yes, I just went to get the ring from the jeweller.”

I’m having
motherfucking heart failure at twenty-two. I’m standing here dying,
my heart squeezing the life from me.

“Sammy, you
look like you’re going to pass out. It’s me getting hitched, not
you!”

God, she said
she was broken, but so am I and she just gave Danny the power to
wield the hammer that shattered me into a million pieces.

“Congrats,
man.” I turn and rush up the stairs, go straight into the study and
crack open a bottle of Jack, and chug it back.

“Sam, what the
fuck, man?”

I crack my
eyelids and wince from the light. “Go away,” I croak.