Breaking Hearts (Full Hearts #4)

by MJ Summers

  His face fell a little as he looked at her. He reached up his little fingers and wiped her cheeks. “Why are you sad?”

  “I’m not at all sad. I’m so happy to see you that I’m crying. Grownups are funny that way sometimes.” She hugged him close, planting more kisses on his chubby cheeks. “Oh, I can’t believe you’re here! You got so big, rapazinho!”

  Tomas grinned at her. “Yup. I eat my veggies.” He caught sight of the old barn cat stalking through the tall grass and wiggled out of Alessa’s arms to catch her. “Gato! Here, gato!”

  It was just the two of them now, face to face, with so much to say but no idea of where to start. Alessandra looked up at Trey and crossed her arms, closing herself off from him.

  Trey’s eyebrows gathered in and his entire face looked pained. When he spoke, his voice was thick with emotion. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry about Carlos, and I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I should have been here for you.” Tears sprang to his eyes but he didn’t seem embarrassed by them.

  “Yes, you should have. I was so sure you would come, but you didn’t,” she whispered. “Nothing has ever made me feel so alone.”

  Trey took a step forward but didn’t reach for her yet. “I’m sorry. I’ve never regretted anything more in my life. I swear to you, I didn’t get your messages. I ended up in the hospital and I lost my damn phone. I didn’t know about Carlos until last week. Since then, I’ve tried calling the house dozens of times. I should have memorized your cellphone number. If I had known about Carlos, if I could have been here, I promise I would have come.” He raised his hand up to her face, gently wiping away her tears with his thumb. “But there’s no excuse. I should have known. It’s all my fault. I let things get so bad until we were left with next to nothing between us. If I hadn’t done that, you would have known I was injured and I would have found out about Carlos.”

  Alessandra closed her eyes, feeling the touch of his fingertips on her skin, but then something he had said sprang to mind, bringing out the lawyer in her. “How did you know I left messages? If you never got them, how did you know about them?”

  “Your mom told me. She told me about Carlos and about how hurt you were that I hadn’t contacted you. I tried to explain, but I think as far as she was concerned, it was too late. She’s been ignoring my calls since then. And did you know that it’s impossible to find your work number on the Internet if you can’t read Portuguese?”

  “No, I didn’t know any of this. Why wouldn’t she tell me? She just let me think the worst of you, even though she knew how upset I was.”

  “I think she was just trying to protect you. I honestly can’t blame her after how I acted.”

  “So you really didn’t know about Avô?”

  “I promise. I would have come, Alessandra. If I had known, I would have rushed straight here so I could be with you. It kills me that I missed being there for you, to hold you while you cried and to help you get through that. I know what Carlos meant to you. He meant a lot to me too.” Trey wrapped his arm around her back and pressed his lips to her forehead. “I’m so sorry that I let us drift so far apart from each other.” He leaned back to look at her.

  Alessandra closed her eyes for a second, knowing she had a lot to account for as well. “I’m sorry too, Trey. You weren’t alone in letting us drift apart. I could have gone with you, at least to meet up with you on this last trip for a few days. I should have but . . . I don’t know. Recently I realized that I didn’t trust you enough to leave what was familiar for the sake of our marriage. It was too scary for me.” Pointing around her, she said, “This I know. This place, this life. But life with you, I don’t know what will happen next, and I couldn’t handle it. The life of a bull rider’s wife is not at all predictable.”

  “No, it certainly isn’t. Good thing you’re not a bull rider’s wife anymore.”

  “I’m not?”

  Trey shook his head. “Nope. You’re a retired bull rider’s wife. Do you think you could handle that?”

  “I think so.” She nodded quickly. “Yes, I think I would love that.”

  Alessandra could feel herself softening as he held her and his words sunk in. Her anger dissolved, leaving concern for him in its place. She looked up at him. “What happened to you?”

  “Oh, turns out bull riding is a little dangerous,” Trey answered, with a hint of a playful grin.

  Alessandra’s mouth curved up in a smile, but she tried to look serious again and shook her head. “That doesn’t sound right to me. I’ve been told it’s safer than air travel.”

  “Whoever told you that was an idiot.”

  Now she let herself laugh a little. “I’d say he was misinformed.”

  Trey tilted his head and lowered his mouth a bit closer to hers. “That’s a very kind take on it. You must really like that guy to be so generous in your description.”

  Alessandra shrugged. “A little, maybe.”

  “Well, if he’d known what was good for him, he would never have left his wife in Brazil and his son in Colorado to chase some crazy dream. He would have stayed right here, where the perfect life with the perfect girl had been all along.”

  “Yes, he should have.”

  “Am I too late?”

  “You made it just in time.” She reached up on her tiptoes and touched her lips to his, finally letting herself give in to her love for him.

  His kiss was exactly how she knew it would be. It was soft and passionate and perfect. Their mouths moved in unison, reigniting everything that was them, together. The longing and love and desire. They stayed like that for a long, sweet moment before Alessandra pulled back.

  Her face fell as she remembered they had no home to go to. “I just realized we’re going to have to find somewhere to live. The farm has been sold. The new owners are coming today to take over.”

  He gave her a broad smile. “I know.”

  “How do you . . . ?” Her heart pounded in her chest. No, she couldn’t hope for that.

  “I bought it. I hope you don’t mind me making that type of decision without speaking to you first. It was a time-sensitive deal so I had to act quickly, but I promise I won’t do anything like that again.”

  Alessandra threw her arms around his neck, kissing him hard on the mouth. Just like that, in one quick moment, everything in her life had been restored to perfection. She had her husband, her son and now, her home back.

  * * *

  That night, as they stood next to the mattress on the floor that was to be their temporary bed, Alessandra gave Trey a questioning look. She’d just finished putting fresh sheets and pillows on the mattress, with Trey trying to help with one arm. “I have to know. Why the hell didn’t you tell my cousins not to let me pack up and move everything out of here? That was a lot of work.”

  “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know. I asked them to tell the realtor I wanted to buy all the furniture and leave everything as is. I think the message somehow got miscommunicated.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You can’t count on those two morons for anything.”

  Trey chuckled. “They tried. You have to give them credit for that.”

  “Well, I guess it lets us make a fresh start. It’ll be much easier to paint the entire house without any furniture.”

  Trey gave her a look of dread. “Those morons,” he said, earning a laugh from her.

  He pulled her to him and smiled at her. “God, I missed your laugh. And I can’t even begin to tell you how much I missed your beautiful face.” He kissed her on the lips. “And the rest of your body.” Letting his lips glide over her neck, he drank in the scent of her. “And your mind.” His hand travelled down her spine to her bottom, which he gave a light squeeze. “Oh yeah, I missed your beautiful mind.”

  Alessandra burst out laughing for a moment before running her hands down his chest. “I missed you too.” She let one finger trail down to his boxer briefs, pulling at the waistband. “Especially certain parts of you.”

  She tugged them off, l
eaving him standing naked in front of her. Her fingertips ran along the scar on his side. It was still an angry red. “Are you okay? Is there any part of you I need to be careful with?”

  “No. I’m all healed up except for my arm. Well, and there are probably some things I shouldn’t do with my jaw for a few more weeks, but as soon as I can, you can bet I’ll be testing it out.”

  “Sure, I’ll be very happy to help you test out your jaw,” she said, trying not to laugh. “But are you sure you don’t need your sling?”

  “I’m sure the doctor would approve of me leaving it off for this.” He gave her a lingering kiss that he hoped would dissolve any other worried questions on her tongue.

  “I’ll be gentle,” she whispered.

  “Thanks. There might be a few things I need help with.”

  “Like this?” she asked, pulling her nightie over her head.

  Trey let out an appreciative sigh. “Yup, just like that.”

  His eyes gazed at her nude form, his longing for her now an undeniable force as he drank in her curves. He was about to feel those curves pressed up against him, and his cock throbbed with anticipation. Reaching out his hand, he traced his finger carefully over her collarbones, then down her side, seeing her shiver with delight. His lips found hers and he watched as she closed her eyes and listened as she moaned that little moan that said she was all his. He wanted so badly to take her right then, but knowing how long it had been, he needed to make sure she was ready to savour this moment of starting their life over. Her lips parted and he let his tongue search for hers. Soon they were melding together again as though no time had passed, as though neither of them had been hurt. He pressed his body against hers, feeling the silk of her skin and her hands exploring him. They moved together in small, slow steps as though dancing to a song only they could hear.

  Trey brushed the hair off her neck, then planted kisses from the nape of her neck to her ear, stopping to nibble on her earlobe. “I hope you’re not too tired, because I intend to kiss every sexy inch of your body.”

  “I’ll manage,” she said in a sultry tone.

  “Mmm, Mrs. Johnson, how is it that just the sound of your voice makes me hard as a rock?”

  “Then I better keep talking.”

  “Please do.” He lowered his mouth over her right breast, teasing her firm nipple with his tongue before letting his lips plunge over it. Moving to her left breast, he let his teeth graze over her pink bud, feeling it tighten as he closed his lips over it. Lowering himself onto his knees, he ran his lips down her sides and across her tummy to each of her hips. He would take his time getting to know her again.

  Parting her legs with his hand, he angled his face in between her thighs, his fingers gliding along her sex, which was already wet and ready for him. He ran his tongue where his fingers had been, tasting her sweet, ripe essence. Reaching for her hands, he tugged her gently to join him on the floor.

  The look she gave him from under her heavy eyelids was pure seduction. She dropped to her knees in front of him, her mouth finding his in a heartbeat. They gripped at each other’s bodies with a greedy lust now. They were together again and this time nothing would tear them apart. The thrill of this truth was unlike any adrenalin rush Trey had ever had. He was back with his wife, touching her, and he didn’t ever want to stop. He pulled her on top of him so that she straddled him now as he lay on the floor. Alessandra rocked her hips over his hard length before she took him in her hand and angled her body over his. She lowered herself slowly over him and he felt every beautiful inch of their joining. She was so tight, he wanted to explode right then. And watching her as she rode him in long drags was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. “You’re perfect,” he whispered as her mouth hovered over his.

  Their tongues found each other again, mirroring what their bodies were doing and drawing them both deeper into a world of their own. He gripped her hip with one hand and moved her over himself quicker now. Harder. The momentum picked up to an unstoppable force. The rhythm of their breath matched, bringing them to that final moment of perfect unison as they both came undone.

  They held each other there, kissing and moving together slowly as they recovered. Even though they were fully sated after so many months apart, it would never be enough.

  “I love you so much,” she said finally, as she rested her head against his chest.

  “I love you too. You’re mine.”

  Early the next morning, they were finally ready to sleep, having made love again and again. “Are you sure you want to live in Brazil? Won’t you miss your home and your family?”

  “That’s what airplanes are for. I’ll miss them, but that seems like a small sacrifice to be with you. There’s nowhere that is more a home to me than where you are. Besides, I fell in love with this place the first time I saw it, and I can’t imagine a better corner of the world to raise our children.”

  “Children?”

  “You don’t want more kids?” he asked, suddenly looking concerned.

  “I do, but maybe let’s just give it a while, okay?”

  “Whenever you’re ready.”

  Epilogue

  Bora Bora

  Five Years Later

  “I can’t believe we finally made it.” Alessandra smiled over her shoulder at Trey as she let the warm, crystal-clear water lap over her toes.

  “Me neither. Sorry it took me so long to give you a proper honeymoon.”

  “Don’t be. You’ve given me a perfect life. Besides, this was worth the wait.”

  “I agree,” he answered, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her neck. “Should we call and check on the kids?”

  Alessandra leaned back against him. “Not just yet. Betina and Dustin have it all under control, I’m sure. They’ll be fine.”

  “You sure? Three kids plus the farm for eight days is a lot to handle, and I honestly don’t know how much help my brother is going to be to her.”

  “Are you going to spend the whole time worrying or are you going to give me all that wild honeymoon sex you’ve been promising me for five years?” She reached up behind her to touch his face with her fingertips.

  “What kids?” he murmured in her ear.

  Gliding his hands over her body, he pressed himself into her back. Alessandra could feel his erection. “Much better. Shall we go back to our cabin?”

  “I say we’d better. If we do what I have in mind right here on the beach, we’re going to end up back home a lot sooner than I want.”

  Alessandra turned to face him, running her hands over his muscular arms and kissing him hard on the mouth. The thrill of his body against hers hadn’t lessened with time. Instead it had grown more intense with each passing day. Lingering kisses ignited their passion for each other as they stood in the sand, water rolling gently over their ankles, their bodies pressed together. “That bikini might be the best thing you’ve ever worn.”

  “Glad you like it. You don’t look so bad yourself.”

  “Come on, let’s go get you out of it,” he murmured.

  “Okay.”

  Trey smiled. “I love Bora Bora.”

  They walked hand in hand through the water, then up the stairs to their cabin. When they reached the door, Trey picked Alessandra up in his arms and carried her through. “Right foot first. I remembered.”

  “I knew you’d remember how important the little things are.”

  “Only when it comes to you.” He set her on the bed gently. “You know how beautiful you are, right?”

  “When you’re looking at me, I do.”

  “Then I’ll have to keep my eyes on you forever.”

  Secret Scenes Giveaway!

  Breaking Hearts

  ANNOUNCING THE “I WANT MORE TREY” GIVEAWAY

  Need MORE Trey? Here’s your chance!

  I have put together a booklet including two steamy scenes that didn’t end up in the novel. What happens when Alessandra finds Trey alone in the barn? What happens after he carries her int
o their over-the-water bungalow in Bora Bora? Anyone who posts an honest review of the book will get a copy of the booklet—for free, of course! Here’s how to get it:

  1. Post your review of Breaking Hearts at your favorite retailer.

  2. Go to www.mjsummersbooks.wordpress.com/the-books/books/breaking-hearts to get your booklet!

  Happy reading, everyone!

  —MJ

  Also by MJ Summers

  Now Available

  Break in Two

  Book 1 of the Full Hearts Series

  Romantic. Witty. Sexy as hell.

  A story as satisfying as the perfect man—long and thick, with all the right moves at just the right pace . . .

  Thirty-one-year-old Claire Hatley is running from Seattle, having just discovered that her live-in boyfriend has traded her in for a twenty-two-year-old hostess. Devastated and alone, Claire must make a fresh start. She answers an ad to be the chef at a guest ranch just outside Colorado Springs and finds herself face to face with Cole Mitchell, quite possibly the hottest man to ever ride a horse. Common sense tells them to stay away from each other, but their attraction is not to be denied. Cole gives Claire a glimpse of what love should be, but just as she starts to trust him, the past comes back to tear them apart.

  Join Claire and Cole as they embark on the stormy love affair of a lifetime.

  (Oh, and for those of you with husbands or boyfriends, please tell them MJ says, “You’re welcome.”)

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  Don’t Let Go

  A Full Hearts Series Novella

  A sweet and sexy short read

  Readers fell in love with Ben and Alicia’s picture-perfect marriage in Break in Two, but for these two, the road to a happy ending wasn’t always smooth.

  Alicia Williams has been in love with Ben Mitchell since he picked her up out of the mud in elementary school. But baseball-obsessed Ben has dreams to make it to the majors and see the world, and those dreams don’t include the girl next door, no matter how perfect she is. Ben is forced to choose, and he leaves Alicia behind—but dreams can change and regrets can grow. When Ben returns back home to the ranch in Colorado Springs, trying to rediscover the man he was meant to be, will the girl he can’t get off his mind still be waiting?