Broken #4 (The Broken Series - Book #4) Read online

  BROKEN #4

  Book 4

  By Claire Adams

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2014 Claire Adams

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  Chapter One

  Natalie

  I woke up and recognized immediately that I was not in my own bed―that I was in fact in Jet's bed. This time, however, there was no fuzziness, no hangover clouding my thoughts. I woke up feeling refreshed, and my body hummed. It had been pleased a great deal the night before, and I could still feel Jet's touch all over my body. I was a little sore as well from the sex, but it was certainly the kind of sore I didn't mind having. I was actually glad to be there in bed with him. Usually I would have been slinking off in the early morning hours, but I didn't feel the need to do that at all. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that I normally ended up there drunk and waking up hung over, and filled with shame.

  I looked over to watch Jet sleeping and realized that something had changed that night. Something had shifted between us. I wished that I knew if it was good for me or not, this shift. I smiled as I remembered the night before, when Jet had pulled me in to kiss him at the bar. His kisses were so hot and powerful they stole my breath instantly. I warmed up just thinking about them. We shared a powerful connection that ignited those kisses in the most delicious way.

  Katie must have wanted to climb the walls when she saw him kiss me. She had been dry humping him when I walked into the bar, and thought she had her claws into him. I noticed her watching us when he came over to talk to me, and she paced the floor talking to Kyle the whole time. So by the looks of things she was pretty upset that he stopped dancing with her to come to my aid. So imagine what she must have felt like seeing Jet pull me in for a kiss, and it didn’t end as a simple kiss; we had full on made out at the bar. It was one of the hottest moments of my life, no question about it.

  I felt bad for Katie. It wasn’t like she had done anything wrong to me, and I certainly had nothing against the girl, but it was clear she wanted Jet for herself. And since I hadn't snapped him up, he was essentially far game, so I couldn't really blame her for wanting to grab him while he was still available. She must have thought I was crazy for not having done it sooner.

  Jet's chest rose and fell as I watched him, and I wondered if I had been stupid for not snapping him up immediately. Why did I have to be so scared all the time? Scared of being hurt, scared of having the past repeat itself.

  And then there was Julie―a whole separate issue I would have to deal with. I smiled as I shook my head. Imagine siccing Jet onto me to avoid a drunken night, and then disappearing. I hadn't been sure if she had bailed on me or if she was just in the bathroom, but sure enough she had left me there with Jet. So what had her game plan been? Did she think that Jet would make me forget all about Tom? Had he?

  I checked my phone and realized it was time to get up and go to school. I had photography class, and the teacher was not a fan of tardiness. I rolled out of bed, went in search of my panties and found them inside my jeans. I slid into both of them and started buttoning my jeans. I found my dress top and my bra, as well. I snapped my bra into place as Jet roused from sleep. He rubbed at his eyes and sat up in bed. I pulled the shirt over my head as he ran his hands through his hair.

  “You're not sneaking out again, are you?”

  “No, I was planning on waking you. I was just getting dressed. I need to be in class very soon.”

  “Now that's a shame.” He reached over and pulled me into the bed, wrapping his arms around me. He bent down and kissed me, and it was exactly as I had remembered it. The kiss continued until my tongue was in his mouth and he moaned softly. That was probably my cue to get out of there before things got out of hand.

  I sat up. “I really have to go, Jet. I don't want to be late.”

  “Alright, I'll let you go, but only under one condition.”

  “Oh? And what's that?”

  “Be my girlfriend. For real; no fooling around, no more talks about how we need to be friends. I want you to be mine and only mine.”

  Stunned, I smiled at him. I had not expected that at all. Even though I knew that Jet liked me all along, he had never used the term girlfriend, or even suggested that he wanted that from me. It certainly changed my opinion about whether he was just trying to use me for sex or not. But just because I was his girlfriend, it didn't protect me from getting hurt. If anything, it made the possibility more likely. After all, look what Tom had done, and we had been together long enough to be married. Maybe I wasn't making the right decision, but for once I was going to go for it. I would hope for the best and see where that took me.

  “Yes, I will be your girlfriend.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Seriously?”

  I nodded.

  “Finally! Man, what does it take to get a girl to say yes! What's it going to be like if I ever propose? Will I have to literally bring you the moon first?”

  “Whoa, cowboy, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s make sure we don't kill each other first.”

  “Okay, deal. Have a good class; I'll see you soon.”

  I nodded. “I also need to do the next drawing of you, so figure out a day that works for you.”

  I bent down, kissed him, and headed out the door.

  Chapter Two

  Jet

  I lay in bed for some time after Natalie left, pretty much lying in my own bliss. Man, it had taken quite some time to get that firecracker to agree to be mine. Definitely a first-time experience for me. Usually I didn't even have to ask; it was just assumed the girl wanted to be with me. I had never fought so hard to be with one girl before; for a while there it had seemed like Natalie could either take it or leave it. I didn’t think it mattered to her either way if I was her boyfriend. That was definitely a hit to the ego for a guy like me. I was used to girls falling all over me, and Natalie wasn't that kind of girl. She chose the men she wanted. She didn't chase money, popularity, or looks. A guy could have all those things and she would just turn him down. Trust me; I knew that much.

  It made me wonder what would have happened if Natalie had not shown up at the bar―would I still have had to chase her longer? And what was the deal with this ex? I would have to discuss that with her at some point, even if I didn't want to. As far as I knew, things were over between the two of them, but she had been very upset that he had contacted her. Given what Julie had told me, it sort of sounded like he wanted to rekindle their relationship. So the question was, was there a part of Natalie, however small, that wished she was back with her ex?

  But she had shown up at the bar, and I made my move before the beautiful thing could get any alcohol in her system. Sad but true―I just wanted to make sure that if she kissed me that night, it was because she wanted to, and not because she was drunk. It had been nice waking up for once without seeing an empty bed, although the girl had come darn close, and I wasn't sure I believed her when she had said she had planned on waking me up before she left. She was a sneaky little vixen, and I almost had to tie her down to get her to sti
ck around. Hmm ... tie her down...

  I shook my head; there was no point in getting my head in the gutter right now. The lady was gone for the time being. I had to get up out of bed and attempt to be productive for the day. As I rolled over, I realized just how sore I was after the fight. I would need a very hot bath that day, for sure. Now that Natalie was my girlfriend, I would try to get a massage out of her as well. Those were the sort of treats a guy was supposed to get from a girlfriend. But in the meantime, I would need to consider acupuncture, and my brother was just the person to do it. He had studied up on it many years ago when we had first started fighting amateur fights. It had become invaluable to both of us.

  There was a knock on my door, which would have been a first from Kyle, but maybe he was finally learning.

  “Yeah?”

  “Can I come in?”

  “Yup.”

  Kyle peeked his head in and looked around. “Did she slink out on you again?”

  I laughed. “No, she just had a class to get to.”

  “Your brother is here, man.”

  “Perfect, just the guy I was looking for.” I slipped into some flannel pajama pants, and headed to the living room. I hoped my brother had his acupuncture kit with him, as that would be a lifesaver. I had not spoken to him since the dinner disaster, so I could just imagine what the visit was all about. It would be nice if he had come to visit me for once, without any ulterior motive. But chances were that he was there on my father’s behalf.

  I walked out into the living room where he was sitting on the couch. Kyle was putting a pot of coffee on, which I thought was a brilliant idea.

  “Hey, Jet, congrats on the fight last night. I'm sorry I couldn't have been there. I had to work.”

  “No problem; Mom was there, but still no Dad.”

  “Yeah, he's not going to let it go easily, Jet, you know that.”

  “Well, one day he will realize that fighting is what I was meant to do, and nothing else. But by then he will have lost a son.”

  Craig frowned at me. “Well, I hope it never comes to that.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t suppose you have your kit here with you, ‘cause my body is pretty broken right now.”

  “Yeah, I do, but it's in my truck. Let me run and get it.”

  “Cool; I'll get you some coffee.”

  Kyle pulled out a bunch of mugs and poured coffee into them. He took care of his own cup while I added cream in mine, and cream and sugar into Craig's mug.

  I sat down at the kitchen table and considered my breakfast options. I was in so much pain that it was really hard to care about food at that point.

  “Hey, I'm making sandwiches,” Kyle said. “Do you want me to just make a bunch?”

  “That's cool, man, thanks. I was just trying to figure out what I wanted to eat.”

  Kyle took a sip of coffee and stared at me. Confused, I stared back until a smile formed on his face.

  “What the heck happened last night, Jet? I've really been trying to figure you out for a while now, and I just don't get it.”

  I laughed. “That sounds pretty heavy, Kyle. What's to figure out?”

  “You and Katie.”

  “What about me and Katie? In fact, there is no me and Katie, so what's the issue?”

  “That's just it. All night the two of you are hot and heavy on the dance floor, and the next thing I see is you making out with Natalie. Now normally I'm all for threesomes, but I don't think that was what you were really going for.”

  I just stared at him, growing annoyed.

  “Katie is like every fighter’s wet dream. She's ridiculously hot, like fire with breasts. Her body is insane, and if all that wasn’t enough, she's one of the coolest chicks we know, by far. She can outtalk most guys about fighting, never mind the fact that she kills it every time she's in the cage. Most guys would kill to fuck that girl and claim her, and you barely seem interested. Our teammates are dying to date her, and you get the chance to go home with her, but instead you start making out for the hundredth time with a girl who flakes on you all the time.”

  “Are you done? Why do you care who I sleep with?”

  “I don't know. Katie was pretty upset last night when you left with Natalie. Do you care about that?”

  “No, I don't. There has never been a thing between Katie and me. Maybe she always had some hope, but the girl had already asked me out, and I told her I was interested in Natalie. So if she continues to pursue me, how is it my fault if she gets hurt? I was just dancing with her last night, that's it. I had no intention of taking her home, whether Natalie showed up or not.”

  Craig had walked back into the apartment in the middle of the conversation, but decided to stay quiet. He began to set up his kit while I pulled off my shirt. I got the mug of coffee I had made for him and passed it to him. He just smiled as he waited for our conversation to continue.

  “It's Katie!” Kyle protested.

  “So you date her.”

  “Oh, I would if I could, but she's hot and bothered for you.”

  “So you're really more annoyed that you can't have her.”

  “No. Look, if you and Natalie would have started things off, that would have been one thing. But she's been dragging you around on a dog leash, and then fucks you and runs off like a guy.”

  “She happens to be my girlfriend now.”

  “Really? Since when?”

  “Since today.”

  Craig interjected himself into the conversation. “What's wrong with Natalie? I met her; she seemed really cool.”

  Kyle threw his hands up in the air. “I think Jet can do better, and better has been stalking him, but he's just ignoring her.”

  I just shook my head.

  “After the stunt you pulled on Natalie at dinner that night, I'm surprised she is still talking to you. So she must really like you. Who cares about this other girl?”

  “I don't, which has been my whole point here.”

  “Just forget I said anything,” Kyle said.

  “Look, I want you to back off of Natalie. She's my girlfriend now and I want you to start treating her with some respect. She's never done a thing to you ever, and you’re lobbying against her and trying to get me together with Katie.”

  “I just think that Natalie is a bit flaky, that’s was all I was saying, Jet. She hasn't exactly been warm and fuzzy when it comes to you.”

  “She's just been through a lot. Things are different now. I want you to know that.”

  I lay down on the couch, and Craig went to work on me. I felt the little pricks as he inserted needles into my body. It felt weird at first, but that went away soon enough. I felt my muscles begin to relax as the acupuncture did its work. I planned on taking a hot bath right afterward, so I hoped this would do the trick.

  “Well I hope you're right, Jet, and the girl is gonna stick around.”

  “Oh, she's staying put, don't make any mistake about that. Why don't you go after Katie since you seem so interested in her?”

  Kyle snorted. “Whatever, man.”

  “So you and Natalie are official now?” Craig asked.

  “Yes. Thank God. It took me forever to get her to trust me.”

  “Well just don't blow it, because the girl seems like a keeper to me.”

  I sat up with the needles still in my body. I felt good, really good at that moment.

  “So what brought you here, Craig, or dare I ask?”

  “Easy, Jet. I really just came to hang. I miss you, and we haven't talked since the dinner. I don't blame you for walking out. Dad was a jerk that night. I just wish that you guys could find some common ground, ya know?”

  “Don't even bother to ask me to go to another dinner. It's pointless, and I'm not into being badgered when I'm trying to enjoy myself.”

  “Don't worry; I'm not going to do that. Not anytime soon, anyway. Dad screwed up, and I know there is no talking you into going there.”

  “Good. If you ever want to have dinner with Natalie and me,
you can bring your girl and that would be a much better night, I think.”

  Craig laughed. “You're probably right. So the nationals? That's pretty awesome. I will be cage side for that one, for sure.”

  “Yeah, I just need to make sure I can heal properly. I am really sore after that bout, and I don't want to have any injuries. The nationals are insanely important, and I don't want anything screwing them up.”

  “You're going to do fine man; no worries.”

  He started taking the needles out. I stretched, and felt so much better than I had before. Kyle had finished making the sandwiches, and we all sat down and dug in. The sandwiches were man sandwiches, filled high with meat, cheeses and tomatoes. Just what I needed.

  I was looking forward to relaxing in the tub, but better than that, I was looking forward to my MMA future, and Natalie.

  Chapter Three

  Natalie

  Photography class had been awesome. We spent the entire class in the darkroom, which was something most schools didn’t even teach anymore. With the way digital technology had advanced, there was no need to develop film or use a darkroom. Everything was done digitally these days, downloaded onto a computer, and edited through Photoshop.

  There were still plenty of old-school photographers out there who had never turned in their SLR for a DSLR. They believed film still provided the best quality photographs out there. Those were the people still using darkrooms and the original methods of editing. My professor was one of those people. Although the class for the most part surrounded the digital world, she believed that we should know where it all originated from. How to turn a negative into a work of art, how to Photoshop something inside a dark room with methods such as dodging and burning; the possibilities were all still there. Great art had been created without the use of digital cameras. I never once considered it important until I went in there, and then I didn't want to leave.

  The darkroom was an oasis of darkness where you can lose hours if you weren't careful. I found the whole process fascinating, and to see what you could create within those walls was astounding. I loved the red light that protected the film from exposure, yet allowed you to see in the dark. For others outside of the darkroom, there was a light that alerted them that the darkroom was in use, so they would not enter, bringing in the light with them. That light would destroy photographs, and those could not be retrieved again, as were digital.