Beautifully Damaged

by L. A. Fiore

  The morning after our night at Sapphire there was a delivery for me. I opened the box to find two dozen cake-pops and a note that simply read, "Thinking of you. -Trace"

  I lost a little part of my heart to him that day.

  A week later, I was home reading when there was a knock at the door. I pulled it open and gasped to see Trace, who had clearly been in a fight, a particularly nasty one from the look of him. I spoke the first thought that popped into my head.

  "We need to get you to a hospital."

  "No."

  Pigheaded, stubborn man. "Why?"

  "I hate them."

  It wasn't so much his words but the fierceness of them that took me by surprise. I held the door open wider as I stepped aside. "Come in. I'll get my first aid kit and meet you in the kitchen."

  I was shaking as I walked down the hall to the bathroom. I grabbed my kit and the peroxide before joining Trace in the kitchen where I found him bare from the waist up. Despite the fact that I loved his body, I couldn't avert my eyes from the purple welts along his ribs. I knew he fought in ring matches but this damage was more savage.

  "What happened?"

  "I had a disagreement with a few guys."

  "A few?"

  "Four."

  "Four against one?"

  "It was good odds."

  "Wait, what?"

  His grin was wicked when he said, "I was the only one to walk away."

  "Why did you fight them?"

  He shrugged but didn't answer.

  "Where did you fight them?"

  "In an alley behind a bar."

  I had so many more questions but held my tongue.

  "Do you mind if I take a look?"

  I saw as the heat flashed in his eyes. He was apparently just as eager to have my hands on him as I was to have them on him but it sucked under the circumstances because I was feeling for broken parts.

  As soon as I touched him, he tensed and closed his eyes, and I knew that it wasn't from pain but pleasure. His skin was so smooth but hard and the muscles were so perfectly defined that I had to consciously remind myself not to linger too long in any one spot. He was beautiful, this man. It took effort to remove my hands from him and when I did his eyes opened and stared into mine. He wanted me, too.

  My voice was a bit hoarse when I offered, "Well, you've got two cracked ribs and a broken nose. I can wrap the ribs and tape the nose but maybe you'd like to get a shower first."

  I blushed then at the thought of helping him shower, of running my hands over his beautifully chiseled body. The thought was so very tempting. He seemed to know where my thoughts were when a smile cracked over his face.

  "Don't worry, I can manage the shower, Ember."

  "I'll put out a towel for you. I have a robe; it's one of my dad's old robes, so you can wear that until I get your clothes washed."

  He stood as I started from the kitchen but his softly spoken words stopped me. "Thank you."

  I turned back to him to reply but my words stuck in my throat when I looked into those steely-blue eyes. There was pain there but there was something else, too, something darker, and the sight of it had tears burning the back of my eyes. I managed to hold his gaze as I replied,"You're welcome, Trace."

  I couldn't sleep that night and not just because I was on the sofa but because Trace was sleeping in my bed. The thought of him in there, well, it was a very nice thought. I had envisioned him in my bed more times than I could count but in every one of those I was in the bed with him. I insisted that he stay the night because if he was internally bleeding I wanted to be able to get him to the hospital. I couldn't get that look in his eyes out of my head. I knew he had secrets but that look made me wonder what heinous thing from his past still had the power to haunt him?

  I turned over, pulled my blanket over my shoulder and tried for sleep. It took a good hour before the sandman had his way.

  The following morning I woke to the smell of coffee and bacon. I peeled my eyes open and deeply inhaled that lovely combination of scents, and then I sat straight up and just stared. Trace was standing in the living room bare-chested, thankfully -- or maybe not -- he had already put on his jeans. It was a nice way to wake however I couldn't appreciate the view because the man was folding my laundry, my underwear to be more exact. I jumped from the sofa and grabbed the pair he was currently folding. I couldn't deny when I wore these I was going to be thinking about his most excellent hands but at that moment I was too mortified to enjoy that visual. I heard the chuckle which had me looking up into laughing blue eyes.

  "I thought I'd fold these for you since you were kind enough to wash my clothes."

  I immediately folded my arms around the pile of my unmentionables, my face flaming red, as I started to my room.

  "Thank you but I'll finish this later."

  I dropped everything on the bed and noticed that Trace had made my bed. When I returned he was in the kitchen, scrambling up some eggs to go with the bacon.

  "Are you hungry?"

  I moved to join him as I reached for a mug. "Yes. It smells good."

  He turned his head to me with a slight smile on his face before he said, "It's just eggs and bacon."

  "Yes, well, when your normal breakfast is a granola bar, this is gourmet."

  His smile in response was beautiful. He plated us each a mound of fluffy scrambled eggs and several strips of perfectly cooked bacon that he set at the table before he folded his large frame into the chair across from me. His eyes found mine and I smiled.

  "This looks wonderful, thank you."

  "Thank you for last night."

  "How are you feeling?"

  "Sore but I'll live."

  "Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

  He didn't have to answer since his body's reaction to the question answered for him. No, he didn't want to talk about it.

  "Can I ask why you came to see me instead of going to Rafe?"

  He held my gaze for a moment before he replied, "It was instinct. I started walking and ended up at your front door."

  My heart twisted in my chest as I replied, "I'm glad that you did."

  After breakfast, Trace helped me clean up and I wanted him to stay -- really wanted him to stay -- but I knew he would go. He'd been here all night and in Trace's mind that was pushing it. I had the sense that he believed his time with me had a limit. He started for the door, grabbing his jacket as he went.

  "Thank you, Ember."

  "Any time, Trace, I mean that."

  He held my gaze for a minute and then with a small smile, he turned and walked out the door. I walked over and flipped the lock as I turned and leaned up against the door as my heart tripped in my chest.

  A week later Lena and Todd had invited me to join them for an evening out. I really didn't want to go but Lena had been making an effort to be less bitchy, albeit not a great effort but one nonetheless, and besides it was just dinner. Todd picked us up in his Mercedes and we drove to a popular eatery in the Village. It wasn't until we walked up the front path of the restaurant that I realized this was a setup because standing by the hostess podium was a man, who clearly knew Todd.

  "Dane, I'm so glad that you could make it." I heard Todd say but I was too busy pulling Lena to the side to hear Dane's reply.

  "A setup?" I was angry especially since Lena knew I was painfully shy.

  "If you knew you wouldn't have come."

  "No, I wouldn't have."

  "Em, please. He's Todd's friend and he's new to town."

  "You lied to me, Lena."

  "I'm sorry but you'll stay, won't you?"

  It's not like I had an option to leave without making myself look like a fool, or a freak, so I clenched my teeth before I said, "Yes, I'll stay."

  Lena joined Todd and I followed behind her almost, but not quite, dragging my feet.

  "Ember, this is my friend, Dane Carmichael. He's just relocated from LA and doesn't know a soul."

  Dane was looking at me like I was a partic
ularly delicious morsel and I had to curb the urge to look down at myself to see what he was ogling since I was dressed very conservatively in wide-legged black trousers, a burnt-orange sweater and black leather boots, so what was the look for? I realized he was still watching me expectantly so I forced a smile before I said, "Hello, Dane. It's very nice to meet you."

  My heart was pounding and I felt a headache coming on. This was so not how I wanted to spend the evening. The awkwardness between Lena and Todd was bad enough but I agreed to dinner to try to smooth things over and instead I was going to have to sit through idle conversation with a stranger.

  "Likewise, Ember."

  As the hostess showed us to our table, I tolerated Dane's hand at the small of my back but I had to give him credit, he had manners as he pulled my chair out for me before taking his own seat. Orders were placed and then Lena and Todd started whispering which had Dane looking at me expectantly, again. I silently cursed my so-called best friend before I forced my eyes to his and asked, "How are you finding New York City? Is it much of a change from LA?"

  "It is, actually, but I'm finding I like it very much. Are you a local?"

  "No, I grew up in Philadelphia."

  "Really so what brought you to New York?"

  "I'm a writer."

  "Ah, how's that going."

  "To pay the bills I work as a waitress at Clover."

  His laugh was nice and so was the way his warm brown eyes sparkled from it. "Clover, nice place...too rich for my blood though."

  I was curious about how he knew of the place since he had just moved here but Todd had taken Lena so he probably learned of it from him. "Mine, too."

  "Have you always wanted to be a writer, Ember?"

  Before I could answer, Lena spoke up from across the table. "Em's been writing since we were kids. I can still see her with her second-hand clothes and knotted hair, her little tongue out as she concentrated on her stories. Her dad and his friends were her biggest fans, always encouraging her, always loving everything she did."

  I thought I heard a touch of sour grapes in her address and had the sense she wasn't exactly being flattering to me and then Todd asked, "Is she any good?"

  Hello, I'm sitting right here.

  "Well, she certainly tries really hard."

  My eyes flew to Lena's who was looking at me like an angel but I didn't miss the contempt burning deep in those green eyes.

  "The full, academic scholarship to college that I won through The New York Times would suggest that some in the literary world would put me in higher standards."

  "Oh, don't get upset, Em, I'm just playing around. Of course you are a very talented writer."

  I didn't know why I never saw it before but my dad and Trace were right. Lena was not much of a friend. Dane reached for my hand under the table and lightly squeezed it and I found the gesture to be oddly very comforting.

  After dinner we went to Sapphire and while Lena and Todd dry humped against the wall, Dane and I sat at the bar. Luke was working and he winked at me as he made our drinks. Once they were placed before us, Dane turned to me and lifted his glass to mine before taking a sip.

  "I hear you play the piano."

  "I do, yes."

  "I'd like to hear you sometime."

  "Yeah, okay. What brought you to New York?"

  "I'm a freelance graphic artist. An assignment brought me here."

  "Oh, graphic artist, that sounds like fun."

  "I enjoy it and not just the work but getting the opportunity to meet new people."

  I held his gaze as I asked, "Did you know this was a setup?"

  I saw the grin a second before he answered, "I did, yes."

  We spent the next half an hour talking and though on the surface Dane seemed like a great guy, there were a few things that really rubbed me the wrong way. One, his hand shake was wimpy; two, his eyes were constantly drifting about eight inches below my eyes and three, he was too agreeable. When he excused himself to use the restroom I was actually grateful for the reprieve.

  "How are you doing, beautiful?" I looked up into the smiling gray eyes of the bartender.

  "Hi, Luke. Can I hide behind there?"

  "Sure thing."

  He leaned over to rest his arms on the bar before he asked, "Blind date?"

  "Blindsided. I thought I was going out to dinner with my roommate and her boyfriend."

  "Not cool."

  "My sentiments exactly."

  "If you want to hide, Ember, you better do it now because here he comes."

  "My father taught me never to cower." I offered with a little smile.

  "I think I'd like your dad. Do you want another drink?"

  "Water would be great, thanks."

  "You got it."

  Dane slid back into his seat with his hand coming to rest on my thigh.

  "Are you about ready to go?"

  "Ah, I was just getting a glass of water."

  "I've got to be up early but I'd like to see you home, safe and sound."

  "Oh, okay. Where's Todd and Lena?"

  "They've already left. They're staying at Todd's tonight."

  Luke returned then with my water.

  "Thanks, Luke." I said as I reached for the glass. I saw the look that Dane gave to Luke and that he seemed almost too much in a hurry to leave.

  "If you're in a rush I can catch a cab."

  "No! I mean that wouldn't be very gentlemanly of me."

  There was definitely some weird vibe coming off Dane and I knew I wasn't the only one to sense it because Luke kept glancing over at me. I finished my water and as soon as my glass touched the bar, Dane immediately reached for my hand and pulled me from my stool. Before we could move from our spot I heard my name in a familiar baritone coming from behind me.

  "Ember."

  I turned to see Trace. He was in his favorite outfit of faded jeans and a t-shirt. The bruises on his face were almost completely gone: only a slight discoloring under his eyes lingered. He looked beautiful but then I noticed the look in his eyes. He looked almost possessive and even though I wasn't a fan of possessive men, I think with Trace I wouldn't mind so much.

  "Hi, Trace."

  He reached up and ran his finger over my cheek and down along my jaw as a smile touched the corner of his mouth. He then pulled his hand away and balled it into a fist as he turned toward Dane. His eyes took on the properties of the metal they resembled, hard and cold.

  "Who's your friend?"

  "Dane."

  "How do you know Dane?"

  It was rude to talk about someone when they were standing right there but something in Trace's manner had me curious enough to ignore manners and answer honestly.

  "I don't, really. Lena and her boyfriend decided to surprise me with a setup."

  His eyes turned to mine and, damn, I had to give Dane some credit for not peeing his pants because Trace looked positively murderous.

  "You don't know him at all?"

  "Nope. Met him for the first time a few hours ago when we arrived at the restaurant and he was standing there, waiting."

  For some reason that seemed to piss Trace off even more because he slowly turned his head to Dane and took a step closer to him. "So Dane, are you partial to your face?"

  Dane's voice cracked -- no surprise there -- before he managed, "Who are you?"

  "Trace Montgomery. So, tell me Dane do you generally end your dates with a felony? Why don't you tell Ember what it was you and Todd were discussing in the restroom?"

  I actually heard Dane gulp.

  "No? Not feeling like the big, bad-ass now, are you, Dane?"

  Trace then tilted his head from side to side stretching the muscles in his neck before he lifted his hands and started cracking his knuckles. The muscles in his arms flexed and, oh my, have I mentioned that I really love his arms? His eyes were burning holes into Dane with a look that was so feral it had my heart pounding in fear and I wasn't even the recipient of that fierce stare.

  "You're
a sick motherfucker but I'm feeling generous so I'm going to give you to the count of three to get the fuck out of here and if you, or your friend, ever come within a five-mile radius of Ember, I'm going to break every fucking bone in your body."

  It was like watching a cartoon; the stool was still spinning but Dane was gone. I pulled my eyes from the stool to look up at Trace.

  "What did I miss?"

  "I overheard him talking with Todd in the men's room, planning."

  "Planning what?"

  Trace pulled his hand through his hair but held my stare when he offered, "He didn't just want to take you home, Ember. He was planning a sleepover regardless if you wanted one or not."

  I knew I paled since I felt all the blood drain from my face and my knees suddenly couldn't hold my weight as I dropped onto the stool behind me. Trace hunched down in front of me and took my cold hands into his.

  "He won't touch you, Ember, I won't allow it."

  "If you hadn't been here, I..." I couldn't finish as my lower lip trembled and tears filled my eyes. "Thank you."

  His face looked positively fierce as he reached up to wipe the tears that escaped my eyes to roll down my cheeks.

  "I need to find a new apartment."

  "I think that would be wise."

  I looked at my watch and it was past two in the morning. "Too late to get a room. Lena's probably at Todd's tonight anyway. I'll look for something in the morning."

  "You can't go home, Ember, for all you know Dane is hiding out waiting for you. A man like that doesn't like to be made to look like a coward. He won't come at me but I get the sense he isn't that smart and will try to come at you."

  "I have no where else to go."

  "Come home with me. I owe you"

  Not really since according to my count I was down two when it came to saving but I didn't want to go home so I held his gaze and nodded my head in agreement. He kept my hand in his as he stood and pulled me from the stool. I looked over my shoulder to see Luke watching us but his expression was not one I could discern.