Undone: A New Adult College Bad Boy Romance (Mature Young Adult Fun Contemporary Romance) (10 page)

~

After an hour of picking up all the shredded underwear and haphazardly tossed clothes, Gemma had taken a shower and she was now lying in bed next to Brody’s scorching hot body. They’d made love two more glorious times and her body was still singing the praises of his sexy body and his obvious skill. The way he used his mouth, his hands, tongue and that beautiful dick was magic. He was able to play her body better than any man she had ever been with. Even now, hours later her body still hummed with excitement. Still wanted him.

It was almost good enough to make her forget that someone had rifled through her underwear and ripped them apart. She couldn’t believe Tad had the gumption to actually follow her to Indigo Dreams, never mind actually cause any real damage. But his behavior
had
been odd and Brody seemed to think it was worth worrying about. He was so worried she’d heard him talking to her father on the phone when she stepped out of the shower.
Her
father. He would never let her out of his sight now.

Why would Tad want to threaten her? Did he honestly think threatening her safety would force her back into his arms? Besides, Tad had money of his own. Her thoughts were interrupted when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her body and pulled her up against a hot wall of muscle. “What’s got you thinking so hard?”

“I was just thinking that I don’t think Tad is brave enough to do this.” She was also thinking about what they had been doing and what it meant after the island.

“You never really know what a person is capable of until they’re back is pressed against the wall.” He’d seen all kinds of shit as a Ranger and very little about people surprised him anymore.

“But what could he want? His family has money and he has a six figure salary.”

Brody pulled her close and kissed the side of her head. “He has debts Gemma. Huge gambling debts.”

She turned quickly and the surprise was written all over her face. “What?”

“My partner called me back and said your Tad owed a lot of money to a few of the wrong kind of people.” He sighed, hating to tell her the rest. “Your father confirmed the gambling addiction. Apparently it’s kind of an open secret in your social circle.”

“What? No!” How could she not have known? Was she that oblivious to the world around her? “How can that be?”

Brody shrugged. It was his experience that people only saw what they wanted to see. “No offense Gemma but he’s good looking, has a lot of money and probably showered you with gifts and attention. That’s what you wanted last time I knew you.”

“I can’t believe you!” He’d hit pretty close to the mark but who in the hell did he think he was?

“I’m not judging you Gemma, I’m simply saying that he was what you wanted so you had no reason to think he was more than that.”

She thought about it for a moment. “You’re right.”
Am I really that shallow?

“It’s not just you. It’s most people, Gem.” He placed a soft kiss on her lips. “I’ll keep you safe. Don’t worry.”

Famous last words.

Chapter Four

“Hello Gemma.”

She gasped and whirled around at the familiar voice she’d almost forgotten about. Tad stood a few feet away from her with a menacing glare in his eyes. His khaki pants were wrinkled, shirt was stained and his normally shiny hair was greasy and mussed. “Tad. What can I do for you?”

He smiled at her dismissive tone. “I’m glad you asked Gemma.”

“It was a rhetorical question Tad.” She had been home from Indigo Dreams for more than a week and there had been no threats and no surprise visits from Tad. Gemma had, mistakenly it turns out, figured the problem was over. She’d spent nearly every night with Brody and she’d spent her days working on finishing her manuscript. In fact she had just come from a meeting with her agent.
Leave it to Tad to ruin a great fucking day.

He shook his head. “Gemma, Gemma, Gemma. Why do you wound me so?” He took a step closer to intimidate her but Gemma stood tall and didn’t flinch, even though she wanted to. “You know what I want Gemma. You.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know what your game is Tad but I know it’s not me you want.”

He laughed, “I guess your meathead boyfriend told you that?” Her eyes widened slightly but he caught it. “Oh you didn’t think I knew you were slumming it, Gemma? With a soldier?”

Gemma laughed. She was loud and the laugh was so long she had to fan herself and catch her breath. “Oh that’s a good one Tad. A soldier,” she mumbled, still chuckling to herself.

“I guess your source didn’t tell you he wasn’t a
soldier
but an Army Ranger.” She laughed at his now surprised look. “And I guess they also didn’t tell you that he was a security and
surveillance
expert? He literally wrote the book on it.” She smiled at the tense look in his face. “I guess not.”

He came even closer. “Well he’s not here now, is he?”

She shook her head. “He isn’t. Not yet. My guess is he will be soon.”

Tad laughed this time, only it was bitter and shrill. “Nice try Gemma. You know, you’ll have to get better at making shit up if you want to be a real writer.”

Her laughter sounded loud in the parking garage. “Well funny you should say that asshole. I have an agent and a publishing deal so,” she shrugged as if it were no big deal.” She gave him a
screw you
smile. “But I’m afraid I wasn’t making it up.” This time she stepped forward as she dug in her purse for the pepper spray Brody had given her a few days ago. “You see Brody knows all about the guys who you owe money to,” she
tsked
and shook her head at him. “Turns out they’ve been following you all over Vegas which means they’re probably close by.” She smiled brightly. “And
that
means Brody is also nearby.”

Tad looked around the empty parking level with wide eyes. He was terrified but he needed Gemma to make this go away. “Come here Gemma.” When she shook her head at him, Tad pulled out his insurance policy. “Now Gemma. Get over here now.”

She gasped when he trained the gun on her and took a step back. “Sorry Tad, I’m not interested in whatever scheme you’ve cooked up to pay back those loan sharks.”

Tad lunged at her and yanked her arm until she was flush against him. “You see, Gemma, I don’t
need
you to be interested. I just need you to say ‘I do’.”

She laughed but quickly stopped when he pressed the gun into her ribcage. “Sorry Tad that isn’t happening. You can shoot me first.”

“I just might but not until after you’re my wife and I can get my hands on that inheritance.”

Ah so that was his big plan. Marry her and kill her so he could get his hands on the Rochester fortune. “Sorry to disappoint you Tad but my trust isn’t available until I turn 35.”

“That’s okay sweetheart,” he planted a rough kiss on her mouth and cursed when she bit his lip. “Bitch. I’m sure Kurt won’t have a problem loaning money to his son in law.” When she laughed he jammed the gun into her side even harder. “What’s so funny?”

Gemma looked at her watch. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Daddy confirmed for Brody your gambling debts and he and all of his friends have already requested a new financial planner. My guess is when, or
if
you return to work you’ll find yourself out of a job.”

“You bitch!” He cracked her on the head with the butt of the gun. It wasn’t hard enough to knock her out,
pussy
, but it was enough to stun her. He shoved her into the car and ran around to the other side. “You’re going to marry me Gemma so I can pay off these debts. And you may or may not make it past the first year of our marriage.” He peeled out of the parking spot with an evil glint in his eyes. “I’ll be sad of course, but I’ll find a nice stripper to heal my wounded heart.”

“You’ll be wounded alright,” she grumbled.

“Don’t you think your bravado is a little misplaced considering where you are?”

She shrugged. “Not at all. In fact I think it’s you who have a bit too much false courage.” She pulled out the pepper spray and aimed it straight at his eyes. He screamed and the car swerved, causing a barrage of horns and curses. Gemma’s miscalculation had her own eyes watering. Maybe spraying him in the confines of the car wasn’t such a good idea. She felt around blindly for the door handle. “Got it.” She pulled and tucked her body as Brody had taught and rolled out of the car.

“Dammit Gemma you could have gotten yourself killed!”

She sagged in relief, “Brody, thank goodness you’re here. Finally.”

“Well that parking garage has shitty service so it took a while to pinpoint your location, sweetheart.” He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her hard. “You scared the shit out of me Gemma. Don’t ever do that again. I don’t know what I’d do if,”

“If what?” She was eager to hear what he had to say.

“If I lost you dammit.”

She smiled. “Aww Brody you love me.” She felt around for his face and screamed as ice cold water rushed over her. “Dammit what was that for?”

He laughed. “Sorry sweetheart, I needed to rinse that pepper spray out of your eyes. Dab,” he handed her a bandana.

She patted her eyes until she could mostly see and turned at commotion behind her. “I guess Tad doesn’t need a wife anymore.”

“No but I do.”

She turned and saw a purple velvet box open in the palm of Brody’s hand. “Brody!” She looked at him, uncertainty in her eyes.

“Look Gemma I love you and I’m pretty sure you love me too. I have money now and we’re great together so, will you marry me?”

She punched him on the shoulder. “Brody you idiot, it was never about the money. Not really. My friends got in my head about my lifestyle and I was scared so I said those awful things to you. I’m really sorry about that.” She held his face in her hands and laid the softest kiss on his sexy mouth. “But you are right about one thing, I do love you. So much and I can’t wait to make you my husband.”

He smiled and picked her up off the street. Brody kissed her fingers and slid the diamond and emerald engagement ring over her finger. “I can’t wait to make you my wife.” He kissed her mouth slow and sweet. “But first we need to talk to the police about your asshole ex. Then I’m going to take you home and lick your pussy until you scream my name, then I’ll make love to you until we both forget our names.”

“Promise?”

He smiled and pulled her in for a hug. “Always.”

The End

The heat was unbearable. Sand rushed into Ryan's eyes as he moved through the storm. He had to be careful, take it slow. After all, the ground was littered with mines. His job was simple; locate the mines, disable them, collect them. It had become routine over the last two years, but it still made his heart pound within his chest when it had to be done. Explosives had always interested Ryan. He'd been told more than once that it was because they resembled his personality. Mild, dormant, then all at once a loud bang with curling smoke and destructive results.

Ryan tried to keep anything on his mind, but what he was doing. They hadn't expected a dust storm. There had been no talk of one, no reports. They were deep into the field of mines when the wind picked up throwing choking dust into their lungs, blotting out their vision. Ryan should have listened to Desmond, he realized. The man had told him they should turn back, but Ryan was stubborn. He wanted to get the job done.

“Desmond?”

Ryan squinted his eyes, but he couldn't see. He stood still, knowing he was reaching the border of how far they'd gone the day before. Ahead of him, there would be countless mines just waiting for him to step foot on them. He turned in circles, his eyes seeking out some flicker of small movement, his ears trying to pick up some sound over the howl of the wind that rushed against his body.

Standing there, Ryan thought, as he often did, if he'd ever see Stacey again. Her plump, pink smile flashed in his mind. The thought of her round, hazel eyes made him calm down. If he got through this for no one but her, that would be enough. Ryan stood still as the storm raged around him. He wasn't sure how close he was to death. As the time ticked by, his thoughts were savaged with concern for her, for Desmond, for himself. He knew the horror stories, sand storms lasting for days with no reprieve. Panic rose up in his throat, but he made himself stay calm.

As quickly as the storm had come up, it was dying away. The howling dissipated to a whisper. Ryan wiped his goggles, a thin film of sand still on them as he looked around. Shock ran through him as he saw the man a few feet ahead of him, standing in place. Ryan moved to him quickly, but Desmond held out a hand towards him.

“Move back!” Desmond yelled. Ryan could hear the trembling in his voice.

“What’s wrong?” He asked as if he didn’t already know.

“I’m standin’ on one of the sons of bitches,” the man said with a laugh. “If I move this foot,
boom!
We both go up, buddy.”

Ryan was shaking his head furiously, sweat pouring down his face as he edged closer. “I can disable it.”

“Now, we both know that’s a damn lie,” the man said as he held out a hand. “Gimme a smoke.”

Ryan reached into his pocket, pulled out a hand rolled cigarette. He barely smoked, usually just after a successful mission, but he always kept one on hand. He stuck the tube between his teeth, struck a match and watched the smoke curl into the air. Taking a deep drag, he passed it over to Desmond with a trembling hand.

“Our last smoke together,” Desmond mused as he took in a thick breath, “I always said we’d quit together.”

Ryan nodded. He knew that it was his last smoke, no matter what happened. They smoked in silence, passing the cigarette back and forth until it was nothing. Ryan snubbed it out beneath the toe of his boot.

“Maybe I can go back, get help,” Ryan said slowly.

Desmond laughed. “Ain’t no hope for me and you know it. Do me a favor? Tell my wife what happened and check on her. Keep an eye on her and my daughter. Okay?”

“I will.”

“Good. Now, get the hell out of here.”

Desmond’s voice was rough, but the trembling of it betrayed his fear. Who wouldn’t be afraid to die? If it happened unexpectedly, that was one thing. It was what they’d signed up for. This way however, it was worse. The knowledge that as soon as you moved that you’d be dead was enough to rattle the bravest of men and Desmond was one.

“Get out of here!”

Ryan made up his mind that he would run back to camp. There had to be someway to help him. Someone would know. He turned, ran. As he trudged through the sand, he threw a glance over his shoulder. Desmond was winking into the distance, his back tall as he looked up into the sky. Ryan could only pray that he’d hold on a while longer. That he wouldn’t take that step.

Pushing, his lungs burning in protest from the smoke and sand, Ryan knew it wouldn’t be long. Camp wasn’t too far. The sun blinded him, made him sweat in sheets of salt. All the while the silent mantra ran through his mind.
Just hold on. Just hold on. Just hold on.
He heard it.

Boom!

Ryan turned, mouth open as a plume of sand shot into the air. The sound was deafening. From where he stood, Desmond’s spot was empty. He wanted to run back to him, but men were pouring out of the camp, surrounding him.

Hands held him in place. Ryan fought through the crowd. He was running back, the heat of the afternoon almost suffocating. He hadn’t heard the noise, didn’t see the men with their guns. Something struck his leg, made him crumble into the dirt. He was still moving, crawling towards Desmond when his vision began to fade.
I’m going to die.

~
 

Ryan tossed his gym bag on the floor. He could hear Stacey in the kitchen, singing her heart out in time with the radio. He grinned. In a life that was overwhelming, Stacey was a constant. He walked into the kitchen.

She stood at the stove, a spatula in her hand as she flipped an egg. He watched her move. Stacey's curves were one of the things that always drew his eyes. Round hips, ample breasts, thick thighs and a plump belly. She grinned when she noticed him staring.

“Hi, honey. How was the gym?”

“Sweaty,” he mumbled as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Ew, take a shower then!”

Stacey squealed as he kissed her cheek. She waved him off to the shower making him laugh. His hands ran through her black hair before he finally gave in and headed to the bathroom.

“Lunch will be ready in two minutes. Shower fast!” She called as he rounded the corner.

Ryan turned on the water, let it steam up quickly from the Arizona heat. He knew she was serious, lunch would be ready in two minutes and she'd wait patiently for five. As he stepped into the water, he pushed blond hair out of his face. The water should have been relaxing, but it wasn’t.

As he squeezed shampoo into his hair, the memories flooded him. Heat. Desert heat. The threat of a land mine at every step. Ryan's throat tightened. Thinking about Iraq was always enough to send him into a panic. His hand curled around the soap. To keep from thinking about it, he washed quickly before he hopped out of the shower and dried off with a thick, green towel. After slipping into a blue tank top and jeans, he headed back to the kitchen.

Stacey was sitting at the table, his plate in its usual spot. He kissed the top of her head. The smell of rosemary and mint from her shampoo filled his nose. When he set down, he sighed.

“That's for lunch, honey.”

At the age of thirty-two, Ryan was still hard muscle from his days in the army. Tanned skin, blue eyes, blond hair, made him easy on the eyes. Stacey gazed at him as she popped a piece of fried egg between her plump, pink lips.

“Don't start,” he said before she even began.

“You don't even know what I'm about to say.”

“You're going to start in on that future and baby stuff.”

“Am I wrong for wanting more out of life? Am I so awful for wanting to know how you feel about me?”

Ryan sighed. “You know how I feel about you,” he reached a hand across the table. “I love you.”

“Then why aren't we married yet? I've been patient,”she said as she watched him stand with his plate in hand.

“We'll talk about it later.”

Ryan left out of the kitchen before she could protest anymore. He couldn't take the constant talk on the marriage and baby subject. As he settled onto the plush, blue couch in the living room, he sighed. He wanted to have a baby, but not right now. Not when the only thing that he could think of were horrible memories. His hand ran over his leg as if thinking about the memories triggered the pain of his old injury. He loved Stacey, but talking about a future only overwhelmed him at the moment.

Stacey sauntered out of the kitchen, curled up at his side. She laid her head on his shoulder as he ate, quiet. He could tell that she was thinking. When his plate was empty, he ran a hand over her hair.

“We will seriously talk about it later. I promise.”

Stacey sighed as she walked away from him. He watched her retreating form, instantly plagued by guilt. She’d been by his side since he’d been honorably discharged. The woman had stood by his bed through the nightmares, depression and the pain of him having to heal from a gunshot wound. Still, he couldn’t give her what she wanted. Not yet.

Ryan rose from the couch. He wandered into the kitchen, pushing his plate into the sink. In the freezer, there was a bottle of scotch. He wiped the frost from it before carrying it over to the counter. Reaching up, he pulled down a thick glass and filled it almost to the top. Ryan settled at the table with it and the bottle.

Once upon a time, he’d have lit up a smoke to go with his drink. Not anymore. Even the smell of cigarettes made him sick. As he drank, he could hear the sound of Stacey shuffling around in the bedroom. He could imagine her folding the newly washed clothes angrily. She always cleaned when she was pissed off.

Halfway through the bottle, he heard the bedroom door creak open. The sound of her feet moving along the hardwood floor made him raise his head. She gazed around the kitchen, saw him sitting there and scoffed.

“I thought we were done with this,” she said as she moved to pick up  the bottle.

Ryan snatched it out of her hand. “I won’t drink as much.”

She rolled her eyes. “That’s what you’ve said before,” her eyes watered. “Seriously, Ryan,” her hand ran over his. “I wish you would talk to somebody about what you’re going through.”

He pulled his hand away, tipped the bottle into his glass. Amber liquid filled the cup, the longing that Ryan felt for the impending numbness enough to keep the guilt at bay.  Still, he reached a hand out and gripped hers as she started to walk away.

“I’m sorry. I’ll call Natalie tomorrow.”

Natalie was five feet, two inches of hell in heels. She was also his therapist. The red haired woman had been seeing him for some weeks now, but now Ryan kept putting it off. He didn’t want to talk about what had happened, didn’t want to think about Desmond standing out in that field, his eyes on the sky…

Looking at Stacey, he could see relief on her face. Ryan knew that despite her acting tough, she was concerned about him, always. She sat across from him, letting him taking her hand. It slowed down his drinking a bit at least.

The alcohol burned his throat, clouded his vision. When he could no longer pour another drink without spilling the contents of the bottle all over the table, Stacey took it from him. He could hear himself mumbling that he was fine, but she wasn’t buying it. He leaned against her as she led him down the hall to their bedroom. When he was in bed, she covered him with a light sheet before kissing his head.  She turned to move away, but he grabbed her hand, held it tightly.

“Don’t go,” he mumbled.

She must have seen the distress in his deep, blue eyes. Pulling back the sheet, Stacey climbed in with him. He knew that she’d lay there, curled up beside him, until he fell asleep. Then she would wiggle her way out of the bed. He felt the guilt rise in his chest. He needed her. Ryan pulled her closer, tucked his arm around her waist as he drifted off.

The sound of gunfire made him jump out of his sleep. Sweat covered his body as he sat up and threw his legs over the edge of the bed. For a moment, he couldn’t understand why the world was tilting and shifting. The thought of the Scotch came back to him. Ryan’s fingers ran over his temples as if he could rub away the headache that lingered there.