Broken and Beautiful

by Ryan, Kendall

  She watches me shove the brush into my back pocket. I can feel her eyes boring into the back of my neck as I exit the room. The look on her face is sour as hell, but I have a feeling that will change any second.

  When I come back a minute later with a glass of wine in my hand, she tries to hold back a smile as she reaches for it. “You had wine just sitting around?”

  “Nope. I picked it up today between jobs.” I keep my attention on the wall, focusing on not screwing up around the trim. “I figured you’d need it.”

  She’s silent long enough to take a huge, and probably much needed—because of me—gulp of the red wine. “You’re completely right. I hope you grabbed a big bottle. Actually, scratch that. A huge one. Because of you my phone has been blowing up all evening.”

  “Is little Douglas jealous you’re fucking another man?”

  “I’m not,” she says quickly.

  “No.” I turn away to wet the brush, my eyes landing on hers. “But you will be.”

  Cami

  We’ve been painting for nearly thirty minutes now and his response still has my insides heated with desire for a man I don’t even like. In fact, being around him is nothing short of painful. The two glasses of wine I’ve had doesn’t help that situation much either. They seem to have gone straight to my vagina.

  He’s been looking at me as if he knows this. As if he’s confident we’ll indeed be sleeping together before we’re done fixing this place up.

  I don’t think so, jerk.

  I can’t take the silence anymore; not if we’re going to be alone together, because the more his trap stays shut the more physically attractive he becomes. He needs to talk to remind me not to do anything stupid.

  “Why do you want me here when it seems what you really want is to be alone?” I ask, breaking the silence. “Do you want me to be miserable with you? Because if so, it’s working.”

  He smirks but doesn’t answer my question. Instead, he dips his brush into the paint and gets right back to work as if I don’t even exist.

  “Okay, you know what? Don’t answer that. I already know the answer.” I stop painting to take a drink of my wine and look around the room. Any distraction from my current thoughts is needed at the moment. “This is much better. I can already picture my white desk and futon in here. All I need are a few bookshelves and it’ll be perfect. I can kick back with a glass of wine or two and grade some papers before relaxing with a book to finish the night off. How long before it’ll be ready again?”

  “Three weeks,” he mutters, as if annoyed that I’m talking.

  The excitement of having my own place is finally kicking in now that I can imagine myself being here. I’m not going to let Jensen’s permanent sour mood ruin it for me either.

  “I’m thinking maybe an ice blue for the master bedroom. I could go and pick out the paint and some bedroom furniture tomorrow after work. Maybe Veronica can help me paint so you can work on other things and we can get done quicker.”

  “No.”

  I look across the room to see Jensen staring at me, his jaw tight. “Why not? It’d be much better than the two of us having to work in the same room. Clearly, we can’t stand each other, so why suffer if we don’t have to?”

  “Because I said so. Now, can we go back to working in silence?”

  No. I think I’m in the mood to talk. Or maybe I just don’t want to give him the satisfaction of getting what he wants. He’s used to that, and if I’m going to be stuck here helping then he’s going to be stuck listening to me talk. Maybe it will make him change his mind about Veronica helping out.

  “Did you grow up here in Highland? My parents lived here a bit when I was a kid, but we moved a lot due to my father’s job. I came back when I turned twenty but ended up finding a nice affordable apartment in Jamestown.”

  “Yes,” he says stiffly. “No more questions.”

  “I need more wine.” I grab my empty glass and walk to the kitchen to get away from Jensen for a minute or two, or five. I don’t know. I just need to not see or smell him right now. He’s incredibly gorgeous and his scent has my mouth watering. Or maybe it’s the wine. I don’t know.

  A few moments later, Jensen joins me in the kitchen to grab a fresh beer from the fridge. With his icy blue eyes on me, he unscrews the top and brings the bottle to his mouth.

  Why is he so sexy with a beer between his lips?

  “What’s the deal with you not being able to have a decent conversation?” I pour myself another glass of wine and look up, waiting for his answer. “Is it that painful to get to know someone?”

  “I work in silence. I always have, and that’s not going to change just because I have a partner that can’t stop talking.” He tilts his beer back again, and just like before, I find myself staring at his sexy mouth. “Besides, if I have to listen to your sassy mouth for one more second I’m going to put mine in places that’ll make you scream. So you should probably stop fucking talking.”

  “Ha! You’re delusional to think I’d let you.” I slam my wine glass down and narrow my eyes at him. “I’m only here because you’re forcing me to be, not because I want to. I don’t like your mouth when it’s in the same room, nor do I want it on or anywhere near me. Get that through your arrogant head.”

  He watches me grab my glass and down the rest of my wine before he comes at me and grabs it from my hand.

  “What are you doing?” I ask as he sets the glass aside. “I’m going to need that back unless you expect me to drink straight from the bottle.”

  He tilts his head and grips my waist, lifting me onto the counter just like the last time we were alone. My heart speeds up with excitement I didn’t expect to feel. Not again.

  “What you’ve been wanting me to do since the last time I had you in this fucking position. And don’t try to deny it, because your body was proof that you wanted me to taste you.”

  “You don’t know shit about my—”

  His hand skims up my leg and I make the mistake of letting out a quiet moan of pleasure. He uses that as an invitation, because he has my panties on the ground and my legs spread wide open for his viewing before I can stop him.

  “No more talking.” He lets out a deep growl, before moving his tongue along my bare thigh. My head is screaming for me to push him away, but my body is buzzing with need, and it’s winning at the moment.

  Once he reaches my pussy, he bites down right beside it, causing me to squirm and grab onto his hair for support.

  Preparing to yell at him for biting me, I moan out the moment he slowly and teasingly slides his tongue along my aching pussy instead.

  I know I’m going to hate myself for this later, but right now my body is loving me.

  Jensen works his tongue slowly at first, taking his time to taste me. He’s teasing me gently, knowing in the end I’ll be begging him to make me come. He might be right about that. His rhythm is precise and controlled, as if he knows exactly where to taste me to drive me crazy with a need I’ve never felt before.

  In the five years we were together Douglas never made my body feel this damn good.

  I moan out again and pull his hair hard when he slides his tongue into me and begins fucking me with it, rubbing circles over my clit with his thumb.

  I’m so close, and I don’t know whether to slap him or just let him finish me off. It feels so good it doesn’t matter that I hate him right now. All that matters is my need to come against his mouth.

  He continues to move his tongue in and out for a while, getting me close to climax before he slips his tongue out and moves up to suck my clit into his mouth. He sucks gently at first, before moving his fingers up to slide into me, driving me wild.

  “Oh God…” I grab his head and begin grinding my hips into his face, taking control. “Keep… going. D… don’t stop.”

  He growls against my clit and shoves his fingers in one last time, causing me to scream out in pleasure as I come all over them.

  “Holy fuck!” I scream, my bo
dy shaking as he slowly pulls his fingers out of me with a satisfied grin. “You’re an asshole for doing that,” I say out of breath. “This never should’ve happened.”

  “I’m not done being an asshole yet. So why don’t you wait until I’m finished to comment.” He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me down to my feet, before bending me over the kitchen island and gripping my ass cheeks in both hands.

  He moves in behind me, letting me feel his thick erection against my ass before he moves one hand around to grip the front of my neck. I let out a breathless moan as he slides his hand up the back of my skirt and begins finger fucking me from behind.

  His dick is hard and thick and I’m sure he can tell I’m imagining his fingers were his rock-hard cock taking me rough and deep by the way I’m moaning out each time he digs it into my ass.

  My landlord’s fingers are inside of me, and oddly, that thought arouses me even more.

  In less than two minutes I’m gripping onto anything I can get my hands on and coming around his fingers for a second time.

  Keeping his hand around my throat, he pulls his fingers out of me and slides them into his mouth, being sure to watch me as he sucks them clean.

  Breathing heavily, I watch him with hatred as he leans in to whisper beside my ear, “Now do you hate my mouth? I bet not so fucking much now. You’re welcome.”

  “Get off me.” I push him away and quickly adjust myself. My heart is racing so fast that I can hardly catch my breath. I’m an idiot for letting him go down on me. I’m stupid for even agreeing to be alone with him. “I can’t believe I let that happen. Move. I need to leave. You can finish this place yourself.”

  Swallowing, I grab the bottle of wine and rush toward the door, needing to get away as quickly as possible before I make an even bigger mistake that I’ll regret.

  As soon as I get outside, I slam my back against the door and grip the bottle of wine, tilting it back.

  Veronica is good at reading me. Too good. If I go back now she’s going to take one look at me and know something went down with Jensen.

  “Shit, what did I do?” I push away from the door and head toward my car, but I stop once I remember that I’ve had three glasses of wine already. “Crap!”

  I change direction and head toward the back of Veronica and Peter’s instead. Hopefully they won’t look for me for a while and I can get my thoughts together and put on a straight face.

  It only takes two minutes of me sitting out here to realize I left my students’ papers on the kitchen island and five minutes to realize that I’m screwed. Whether I like it or not I’ll be seeing a lot of Jensen over the next three weeks.

  When I drove away from Douglas over the weekend the last thing I thought I’d be doing is letting some jerk I can’t stand, possibly even more than him, go down on me.

  I shake my head, before walking over to toss what’s left of the wine into the trash at the side of the house. I need to get those papers back, but I don’t think I can face Jensen right now. Not when my taste is all over his mouth.

  I do the only other thing I can.

  “I need you to go next door and grab my students’ papers.”

  Veronica is sitting on the couch watching Bates Motel when I burst through the door. She looks up with a confused look. “What? What are you talking about? And why is your face so red? Are you okay?”

  I run my hands down the front of my dress and exhale.

  “Oh honey.” She jumps up from the couch and brushes a loose hair behind my ear. “What happened?”

  I shake my head, and she smiles at me. “No need to be ashamed, babe. You’re single now. There’s nothing wrong with a little fun.”

  “There is when that fun is with an arrogant asshole. Shit, Veronica. What did I just do?”

  I’m sure she’s wondering the same thing.

  “Hopefully something that felt good. A new person can be exciting. You deserve a little fun.” She pulls me toward the couch, before sitting down and slapping the cushion beside her. “I want details. Every juicy one.”

  “Veronica, no.” I plop down beside her and bury my face in my hands. “The only thing I’m worried about at the moment is how I’m going to get my papers back without facing him. Can you help me or not?”

  She opens her mouth to respond, but stops the moment a knock comes from the front door.

  “I’m not here!”

  “He knows you are!” She shakes her head and stands up when another knock comes. “You better face your new landlord and get those papers back, babe.”

  “Veronica,” I whisper yell to her back as she slips away into the kitchen. “You’re the worst.”

  I consider saying ‘screw the papers’ and not answer the door, but I swallow my pride and open it to find Jensen leaning against the porch railing with a serious look on his face.

  He walks over and hands me the papers as if nothing sexual happened between us less than twenty damn minutes ago. “I’m busy tomorrow night. Meet me at the house Wednesday at six to work. Don’t be late.”

  All I can do is stand here speechless as I watch him walk away and light up a smoke. I don’t know who he thinks he is, but there’s no way in hell I’m showing up on Wednesday.

  Nope.

  Not a chance.

  Moments later, his eyes meet mine as he flicks his cigarette across the street before disappearing into the house.

  Aggravated, I slam the door shut and grab some clean clothes to take a long, hot shower to wash his asshole mouth off of me. It’s the first and last time it will be on me.

  That’s a promise.

  Jensen

  My nerves have been shot all day, and being stuck in this office taking care of the shit my employees slacked on last week isn’t helping my anger any.

  I meant to spend the day doing physical labor to the point my body couldn’t take it, not sitting here on my ass where it allows me too much time to think in between catching up.

  If I stay here any longer, I’ll blow up and break something. That thing most likely being my fist against the desk.

  I glance up at the wall clock and stop pacing. Shit.

  “Where’s Ben?” I poke my head out the office door, searching for my manager of Blake Rentals. Kim, the receptionist, looks up from whatever she’s doing at her desk and shrugs, nervously. “As soon as his ass gets back from doing whatever the fuck it is that he shouldn’t be doing, tell him to come to my office.”

  Ben Scott is my oldest friend and the biggest pain in the fucking ass. He’s the only one brave enough to test me, because when it comes down to it he’s just as big of an asshole as I am. Maybe even a bigger one.

  “I think I just heard his motorcycle pull up outside, Sir.” She stands and swallows, looking nervous. “I’ll tell him to hurry. I’ll go right now.”

  I nod and slam the door shut.

  Minutes later, the door opens to my old friend walking inside and setting his helmet on my desk. “What’s the deal? Kim is freaking the fuck out about me leaving. I had a few errands to run.”

  I flex my jaw and watch as he takes a seat across from me with a shit-eating grin on his face. “You can get laid on your own fucking time. There’s shit here to be done and I need to take off. Got it?”

  “Calm your balls, Man. I knew what time you needed to take off. Why do you think I’m back? I had plenty left to do.” He stands and reaches for his helmet, before giving my shoulder a squeeze. “Kelly Moore says hi, asshole. I can’t believe you shoved her into Austin’s car instead of taking care of her needs. But I can’t complain. I had fun fucking you out of her system.”

  This motherfucker is really pissing me off right now, but I grab my jacket and slip it on before I waste more time here. I can’t be late. “Just get shit caught up here and do your job. I’ll be checking in with Kim in a few hours. I have to go.”

  Looking down at the time on my phone, I rush outside to my truck before jumping inside and driving off. I have less than ten minutes to get to a destin
ation that is fourteen minutes away.

  I made a promise to never be late, and I’m not about to break that promise just because Ben is a dumb fuck. He’s one screw-up away from getting fired. Oldest friend or not.

  Once I pull up outside the school, I jump out of my truck and rush toward the doors. The bell rings the moment I reach it, and a pile of kids rush outside, screaming and laughing.

  My eyes search the group of kids, a smile crossing my face when Benny comes into view. He’s busy looking down at his backpack, but smiles and rushes toward me once he notices me in the crowd.

  “Jensen!” He gives me a high-five, jumping as high as he can, before he fixes his backpack and waves goodbye to a couple of his friends. “Grams didn’t tell me you were picking me up from school today. Are we doing something fun?”

  I nod and place my hand on his shoulder, guiding him through the fence where I’m parked. “Yeah, buddy. That new ice cream place on Kennington opened up today. You down for a sundae before your homework?”

  “Heck yeah!” The kid is fast at just eleven years old, beating me to the truck and jumping inside before I can even reach into my pocket for my keys. “I want to be the first one in my class there,” he says once I climb inside. “Go! Go! Go!”

  I laugh as he struggles with buckling his seatbelt, missing the buckle two times before actually getting it. “Hang on a minute. We can’t just race through a school zone to get there. You trying to get me in trouble just for some ice cream?”

  He chuckles and unzips his backpack to put something inside. “I guess not. I just wanted to beat Wes there. He’s been bragging all day to the whole class about how he’s going to be the first one to get ice cream from Patty’s Dairy and he always gets what he wants. He’s such a big jerk.”

  I shove the key into the ignition and turn it. “If I get you there first you have to promise to be good for your Grams all week. No bickering when she asks you to do something, even if it’s cleaning your room. No one likes cleaning their room, but it’s your responsibility to keep it clean. Deal?”