The Broken (4 page)

I look over at
the pot and grimace. She sees my face and fire ignites behind her
eyes.

“Nah, you can
just bin it or take it home with you,” I tell her, to see if the
fire she used to have is really still in there. In all honestly,
I’m not taking Jase out, I’m going to order pizza, and I’m praying
she leaves her sauce here because I’ve missed her amazing cooking.
She looks at Jasper and smiles, scooping some sauce onto the spoon
and holding it out to him. The traitor, kiss-ass, bastard opens his
mouth and sucks the spoon clean, and then groans. She looks at me
and dips the spoon back into the sauce. Collecting a big spoonful,
she walks over to me holding it at my lips. “Open your mouth,
Sammy,” she commands, and I smirk. She shoves the spoon into my
mouth, it clinks against my teeth as I taste what she’s offered,
and it’s delicious. She pulls the spoon from my mouth and brings a
finger to the corner of my lips, sweeping at some sauce that
escaped. I watch as she brings the finger to her mouth and sucks
it. I swear my dick shot up to attention and a small growl left my
lips.

“Mmm, tastes
fantastic, just like I always knew it would,” she moans, and I feel
my body humming with need.

“Oh God, that’s
hot.” Jasper groans, pulling River’s attention from me.

She chuckles
and pats his chest. “Leave the sauce to simmer for an hour so the
meatballs are well cooked, and then leave to cool and put in the
fridge for tomorrow if you’re eating out. If not, I can come back
and cook you some pasta to go with it.” Her eyes find mine again.
She’s testing me, and Jasper has a shit eating grin on his
face.

“Fine, we’ll
eat the shit you’ve made.”

She picks the
pan off the stove and begins to walk away; Jasper hesitates before
grabbing her hips and holding her still.

She looks over
her shoulder at him. “Let go, I don’t want to subject him to eat
shit. Blaydon will be more than happy to eat this
shit
.”

I reach for the
pan and take it from her awkwardly, trying not to burn my fingers.
“Don’t be a brat, Twink,” I snap and she whirls around to me,
slapping my chest.

“Fuck you,
Sammy, you’re the one being a brat. How pathetic are you? I cook
for you and you’re being a dick! You used to love my cooking!”

I look her
over. “I used to love a lot of things. Shit changes, Twink, I’m not
who I used to be.”

Her eyes bore
into mine. “Yeah, I guess running away really changed you, huh,
Sammy?”

I step up to
her, looking down at her beautiful face. Her green eyes never leave
mine, and she doesn’t back down from my large frame over hers. “Run
away? Only those who have people to run from run away, River.
That’s what your daddy did, sweetheart. I had nothing to run away
from.”

Her gasp makes
me flinch. I went too far. I reach for her but she pulls back. “I’m
sorry, Twink. That was a shitty thing to say.”

She laughs and
tips her head to the side. “Don’t worry about it, Sammy. You can’t
hurt me, I’m numb inside. Have been for four long fucking years,
ever since the man I loved abandoned me.”

Her eyes gloss
over as she studies my face. “Is he really gone, Sammy?” she
murmurs. I question her with my eyes, but she shakes her head as if
pulling herself from a trance. “I’ll be back in an hour to cook
Jasper and Jase some pasta to go with the sauce.” She picks up the
box of cereal and pushes it into my chest. “You can have
these.”

She grins and
strides out, both me and Jasper watch her ass sway as she does.
“Fuck, you two have history, you sly dog! Why didn’t you tell me
that?”

I shake my
head. “It never started, Jasp. There’s nothing to tell.” I open the
fridge, putting the groceries away.

“Never
started?” he scoffs. “It never finished would be more accurate,
Sam.”

I place my
hands on the edge of the counter and let my head drop. “I thought I
was over this shit, but just seeing her, she’s become even more
gorgeous. I just want to fuck her brains out to get her out my
system.” I exhale hard and push off the counter. “I have a piece of
ass from school coming here tomorrow. I bumped into her at the
store. She can help work River out.”

Jasper laughs.
“Only you could pick up a chick at the store on your first day
back, Sam. And good luck working River out.” He continues to laugh
as he leaves me to my misery of knowing nothing will get me over
her.

H
aving Sammy act cold towards me hurt, but I also felt
fire in my veins for the first time in years. Being around him
brought back traits of the old me, the natural flirting and
confidence Sammy always made me feel when we were kids, seeped from
me as if we had stepped back in time. I wanted to slap him and kiss
him all at once. I wanted to climb that tall, sexy frame of his and
beg him to fuck me senseless, while pulling my hair hard. A shiver
runs through me, making me close my eyes; I squeeze my thighs
together and smile at the sensation of feeling turned on for the
first time since he left. I want to feel real passion. I’ve dreamt
of him, and woke up hot and sweaty, but seeing him in the flesh,
God, I still love him. It hurt hearing him talk so flippantly about
leaving us. I know he struggled when he saw Danny claim me, but he
didn’t even come to me to talk, to ask me why. He didn’t fight for
me, he didn’t save me.

I enter the
living room and see Blaydon sitting on the worn leather couch. He
looked spaced out, his eyes are unfocused, his posture
slouching.

“Hey, sis.” He
rises from the couch. “You always look happier when Danny’s not
here. Are you happy with him, Riv?”

I stop walking.
He has never asked me if I’m happy with Danny, he just accepted
that Danny and I bonded over our secret. Blaydon has no idea I’m
only with Danny to protect him.

“Don’t be
silly, Blay.”

I walk into the
kitchen and pour myself a drink of water, and Blaydon appears in my
view. “I know you and Sammy always had a thing for each other. He
didn’t know I knew, but fuck me, Riv, I’m not blind. I could see
the way he looked at you, and you at him.”

I gulp down the
remaining water in my glass. “That was a long time ago.”

He sighs. “I
know, but I just don’t want you to think you have to stay with
Danny out of loyalty to what he did for us.”

A tear escapes
my eye. Four fucking years it’s been, and only now does he say
these things to me. It would break him if he knew what happened
with Danny, and why I’m with him. I walk over to him and smile. I
stroke his cheek and he leans into my hand. “I love you, brother of
mine.”

He nods his
head. “I love you too, sister of mine.”

A knock at the
front door breaks our moment. “It’s Maria, for me.”

He frowns and I
shake my head. “I thought you cut her loose?”

He shrugs. I
roll my eyes and head to my room. I strip off my dancing outfit and
slip on some jean shorts and a tank top. I shake my hair loose from
the bun and pull my brush through it, leaving it hanging loose down
my back. I leave my room to make food for Blay. When I enter the
kitchen I find Maria rummaging through the cupboards.

“What are you
looking for?” I snap, making her leap a foot in the air.

She clutches
her chest and stares at me eyes bulging. “Holy shit, River! You
scared the crap out of me.”

“What are you
doing?”

She looks at
the cupboard and then at me. “Oh …erm, just looking for something
to eat.”

My eyes study
her and she squares her shoulders. “Blaydon hasn’t eaten. I was
going to make him something,” she mutters.

I snort at her.
“You cook? Please. What are you really doing? Because if you’re
looking for things that belong to Danny, you won’t find them in the
kitchen cupboard.”

Her face turns
red, her lip curls in a sneer. “Then where, River? He didn’t leave
Blay enough!” I walk closer to her.

“He gave Blay
enough for him. You need to supply your own.”

Maria’s
breathing increases. “Whatever, River. This is bullshit! You think
you’re so fucking great just because you’re in Danny’s bed. Let’s
see if you’re still smirking when I take your place!”

She barges past
me and I let out a huge laugh. She is crazy. If only she
could
sway Danny into bed, she would be doing me a favour.
If she only knew how much Danny despises her and how much he loves
me. In some twisted, fucked up way, he really does love me. He
feels like he needs me to live. He’s so messed up from his
upbringing, lost just like Blaydon, just like me. We’re all lost
and broken.

I make Blaydon
a turkey sandwich and chips, pour him a glass of soda, and tap on
his bedroom door. “Blay, I left you some food out here. I’ll be
back soon.” I wait for him to shout “okay,” then go next door to
make pasta.

I climb the
stairs to the porch and tap my knuckles to the door before opening
and walking in. Jase and Sammy are sitting on the couch, eating a
pizza from a takeout box. Sammy looks over the couch at me standing
there with my hands on my hips, and chuckles.

“Mmm, yummy,”
he croons, shoving a huge bite of pizza into his mouth.

I walk into the
kitchen and pour a glass of water before sauntering back into the
living room and standing in front of Sammy. “You need a drink with
that?” I ask, tipping the glass, letting the water pour all into
his pizza.

I beam at him,
proud of myself.

He jumps up,
scooping me over his shoulder and running with me into the kitchen.
I don’t get a chance to react straight away, but when I see him go
towards the back door, I scream and pound my tiny fists against his
back. “Put me down, asshole,” and he does. He opens the back door
and throws me onto the grass where I land with a bump. I scowl at
him as I lay sprawled out on the grass, my thighs slightly open.
His eyes zone in between my legs. “You want me to get you wet,
Twink?”

I gasp and bite
down on my bottom lip, pushing my thighs together, trying to ease
the throbbing between them. He looks me over and a knowing smirk
lifts his lips. He bends down and before I can scamper away, he
switches the hose on and points it at me. Freezing cold water
blasts my body, and I gasp and splutter. Sammy laughs. “Mmm, I like
you wet, Twink.”

I can’t help
heating up from his innuendos, despite the freezing water causing
me to shiver.

“Oh, God,” he
groans.

I follow his
eyes down to my soaking wet, now see-through top, my nipples
slightly tenting the material. I quickly put my hands over my
breasts, and look back at Sammy to see him grinning from ear to
ear, before turning his back on me to go back inside. I don’t think
about what I’m doing, I just rush him and leap onto his back. I
shake my hair all over him and press my drenched body into his,
soaking as much of him as possible. He stumbles forward a little,
and then grabs my thighs that are firmly wrapped around his waist.
I squeeze them and he grunts, “Loosen your grip, you’ll crack my
ribs!”

I laugh.
“That’s the plan,” I whisper into his ear.

He reaches his
arm around, grabbing at my waist and pulling me around so I’m
straddling his front. He lunges forward with me pinned against his
front and crushes me into the wall. I exhale all the air from my
lungs as my back hits the concrete.

“Want to play
dirty, Twink?”

“Isn’t that the
fun way to play?” I ask in a sultry voice, not recognising myself.
Sammy bringing out confidence I thought had been lost years
ago.

I’m flirting;
Danny would literally kick my ass if he knew I’m wrapped around
Sammy’s waist right now. But he isn’t here, and for the first time
in four years, I feel free. Sammy’s eyes search mine then drop to
my lips, and then to my heaving chest. He closes his eyes, and when
he re-opens them, they’re cold. All the lust from before has gone.
“You couldn’t handle dirty, Twink. But you have always liked to
play games.”

I let my legs
loosen and lower them to the ground. “That’s such bullshit, Sammy.
You have no fucking clue,” I say, through clenched teeth.

I push against
his chest, but he doesn’t move, so I reach up again to add more
force. He grabs my wrists and holds them above me, pinned to the
wall. I squirm, trying to get him to release me, but he leans in so
his hard body presses against me. “So clue me in, Twink, please.
Clue me in because I never understood what happened.” He breathes
against my face, his breath heating my wet skin.

My body shakes
with anger as I glare into his eyes. “Clue you in? Now, Sammy? Four
fucking years later? You never understood because you bailed on us.
You didn’t care enough to come to me, to save me!” My voice cracks
at the end, and I drop my head. His grip loosens and I use that to
my advantage to twist free. I run.