Unbreak This Heart

by Betty Shreffler

  “Those ones will work.”

  “Good choice.” Pulling a green pair off the peg, he carries my gloves to the register, leaving me tagging behind and still unable to escape his distracting presence.

  “Give her my discount,” he tells the clerk.

  The shaggy-haired fella nods and rings up the gloves.

  “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “I do it for all my clients,” Carter smiles and traps me in the pool of deep blue.

  “Of course. Thank you.” Embarrassed, I hide my flushed cheeks by digging my wallet out of my bag. Carter watches me as I check out. His lingering is causing a twitch in my jaw and my weight to shift from one foot to the other.

  “So, I’ll see you Tuesday evening then?”

  “Hmm? Oh, yes, Tuesday’s session. Thanks for everything today. I’ll see you then.”

  Carter taps the counter and makes his way back into the gym. I let out a breath and stare at the clerk, almost forgetting why I was there in the first place. He hands me my bag and I dart out of the gym. Before I make it to the car, I’m dialing Jane.

  “Hey, babe! What’s up? How was your first sess?”

  “Jane Marie Anthony. Private lessons? That had to have cost you a fortune!”

  “Eh, don’t worry about it. It’s a gift from Kyle and me. You mentioned it so many times, I thought it was time to make you do it.”

  “And the trainer? Have you seen him?”

  “Oh, yes. Carter,” Jane laughs. “He’s great. He’s friends with Kyle. Kyle suggested him, and when I met him, I thought he was perfect for you.”

  “What do you mean perfect for me?” I ask, leaning my weight against my car.

  “Well, you know? He’s hot and single, and you’re hot and single. Figure it out, babe.”

  “Jane, you know I can’t even fathom a relationship.”

  “Honey, you won’t know until you try. You do think he’s cute though, right?”

  Shuffling my foot, I let out an exasperated breath. “Yes, he’s gorgeous and his eyes… Jane, he has the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen.”

  A tap on my shoulder sends me spiraling and falling into Carter’s arms. I move like lightning to get out of his grasp and gather my exploding emotions.

  Oh my God, did he just hear that?

  Carter stabilizes me, then waves my water bottle in the air, grinning ear to ear. “You forgot this.”

  I can hear Jane giggling through the phone.

  My hand grabs the water bottle as my expression no doubt reveals how mortified I am. Carter doesn’t say anything about the comments I’m sure he just heard.

  “Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?”

  Heat rises to my cheeks. I know my face is a solid, rosy red at this point.

  “I can’t. I’m sorry.” Turning away from him, I dive into my car and leave before I embarrass myself any further.

  ***

  “You seriously bolted after he asked you to dinner?”

  Jane brings her freshly filled wine glass to my table and sits across from me, her long, lengthy legs wrapping around each other. She takes a sip, and I fidget at the sight of her bold, brown eyes scrutinizing me over the brim of her glass.

  “Yes. I’m not ready. It’s too soon.” Raising my glass of wine to my lips, I pause. I hadn’t expected to feel a tinge of regret at saying no to Carter. Am I ready to date again? Have I laid my demons to rest enough to be able to give my heart and body to a man?

  “If you think any harder, you’re going to form permanent wrinkles on that pretty face of yours.”

  I chuckle before letting the refreshing liquid soothe my edginess.

  “He’s the first man you’ve been attracted to. Why not give it a try?”

  Jane’s persistence is understandable. She knows me better than anyone even better than I know myself sometimes, but the thought of opening myself up emotionally and physically is terrifying. My apprehension and fear are a gap that lays between us, and she’ll never be fully able to understand it.

  “One step at a time. I’d like to conquer my first goal and make it through my classes. Trying to date my instructor would only make things more complicated.”

  “Sure, babe,” Jane agrees, tapping her manicured nails on the table, “one step at a time.”

  I glance at her emotionless face. I know her too well not to recognize the intellectual wheels turning behind the expressionless mask.

  She’s not going to let this go.

  CHAPTER TWO

  —

  ALEX

  Entering the gym for my Tuesday evening session is more difficult than I expected. My hands tighten on the steering wheel as I take calming breaths. No doubt Carter will want to know why I said no and ran after hearing me gush about how good-looking he was. It’s the potential questions that create a fist-tight ball in my gut and make me stumble over my words. You can’t come out and explain you were a victim of rape and haven’t been touched by a man since. It’s not something anyone is ready to hear nor do they know how to respond. They stare at you with a mix of shock, pity, and an expression that says, What the hell do I say to that? The usual go-to is, I’m sorry. Yes, thank you, so am I.

  Gathering as much gumption as I can muster, I grab my bag and head into the gym. The young dark-haired girl waves hello. Stepping to the counter, I smile.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name last time.”

  Her smile widens. “I’m Rachele.”

  “Rachele, it’s nice to meet you.”

  “You too, Miss DeMarco.”

  “Call me Alex.”

  “So, you aren’t married?”

  My head snaps in the direction of Carter’s voice. Curiosity brimming in his eyes, he smiles as my cheeks grow warm. Rachele bows her head with a grin then busies herself with work.

  Stumbling over my cement tongue, I manage to form words. “No, I’m not married.”

  “Boyfriend?”

  “No.”

  “Girlfriend?”

  His barrage of humorous and entertaining questions pulls my lips back into a smile.

  “No girlfriend.”

  “Well then, what made you bolt like a scared kitten?”

  I go for a simple and satisfactory explanation, one I’d come up with this morning while I debated coming back to the gym. “You’re my trainer. I don’t want to complicate things.”

  Carter nods, clearly defeated. He turns on his heels, and I follow, feeling like a total asshole. I tell myself it’s better this way. The alternative options are unsettling.

  As I pull out my gloves, Carter joins me and offers to help put them on. Blue eyes survey me, roaming over my face, causing an unfamiliar sensation to twist in my gut and trickle down to my core.

  “You’re very pretty, you know that?”

  His subtle compliment jolts my attention back to him. I smile awkwardly as an unusual flutter of excitement does a loop-the-loop in my belly.

  “Thank you.”

  “You sure you don’t want to have dinner with me?”

  “Carter…” My head drops and guilt punches its way into my gut.

  “I can guarantee if you have a terrible time on our date, I’ll still train you. I’d even get you a new trainer if you decided you never wanted to see my face again.”

  The humorous undertone brings the smile back to my lips.

  “I’m gonna wear you down, Alex. You should save yourself the torture now,” he quips.

  “It’s complicated. I’m not open to dating right now.” My smile morphs into a frown. “Can you respect that?”

  Carter’s jaw tightens as he nods. Giving a blow to his ego felt as bad as it sounded.

  “Sure, I can respect that.” He motions toward the mats and I step forward. “For now.”

  Glancing over my shoulder, I take sight of his sexy smirk and bite my lip to keep from giggling at how cute he looks.

  “What’s the plan for today?” I ask, taking our conversation in a ne
w direction.

  “Same as the last session, but today, we’ll also do some exercises to focus on strengthening your core.”

  Following Carter’s lead, he guides me through a circuit exercise. Each activity is focused on building up the muscle strength in my abdomen and back. As soon as he says, “Time” I drop the ropes and step off the yoga balance ball. Lifting my water bottle to my lips, I guzzle the water and stop myself from pouring it all over my face. Carter tosses me a towel.

  “You continue to impress me. You don’t balk at anything I have you do.”

  “No pain, no gain, right?”

  Laughing, he takes a seat on the bench next to me. The scent of his cologne mixed with his masculinity is all too enticing.

  “Yeah, it’s true. You’re gonna be really sore tomorrow. I have a massage therapist I can recommend.”

  “Yes!” The word massage has me tuning in intently. “I’ll gladly take you up on that offer.”

  “I’ll get you her number before you leave. So, what is it you do for a living?”

  “I’m an operations specialist at Kevlar and Kline. They make the vests for law enforcement officers and military personnel.”

  “That’s a cool job,” Carter’s eyes widen, “an important job.”

  “For a while there, I thought I was going to lose my job, but I’m finally getting my shit together.” Carter studies my face, and I realize I divulged too much information. “I had a rough patch with some personal issues,” I backtrack.

  “I get the impression you’re focusing on you right now, that’s why you’re not dating.”

  “Yeah,” is all I say. It’s not completely off from the truth.

  “You ready to practice a few rounds with me?”

  Nodding, I grab my gloves out of my bag. Raising my glove-covered fists, I prepare for his instruction.

  “Double punches, left, right, duck, left, right.”

  As I repeat the words, I pound the gloves into his mitts. He lowers the mitts after the last round. “Let’s correct your form.”

  He motions for me to follow him to a boxing bag. Demonstrating on the bag, he shows me how I should place my feet and move my body. I move in and replace him in front of the bag as he steps away. Replicating his movements, I punch the bag. I startle when his hands briefly take hold of my hips and adjust their placement. A warming sensation spreads through me and my cheeks flush.

  “Good, Alex. Another twenty.”

  When he calls time, my arms drop like limp noodles. Carter runs his hand along my arm and gathers the glove in his hand. With his free hand, he removes the wrist wrap. To my surprise, I don’t jump at the contact.

  “You did great today. Like I said, you’re gonna be sore tomorrow. I recommend a lot of water, an easy run or jog to loosen your tight muscles, and I’ll get you Connie’s number for the massage.”

  “You’re a great instructor.”

  Carter’s smile is sweet. “You’re a good student.”

  His affectionate praise creates an unusual warmth in my chest.

  “After we stretch, you’re free to go.”

  Once I put my gloves away, I join Carter on the mats. He reaches his hands out for me to take. Hesitantly, I place mine in his palms. He pulls me forward, stretching my hamstring.

  “Lay back.”

  Lying back on the mat, I look up at Carter with no doubt a deer in headlights expression as he moves forward and takes my leg in his hands. Pushing it forward, he stretches the muscle. It’s a relief as much as it is painful.

  He does the other leg, and I shift when I feel the length of him accidentally brush up against the backside of my thigh. My body’s reaction shakes my reserve. Arousal ignites in my gut and travels south. Easing my leg down, he reaches out his hand for me to take. I’m frozen in his gaze as he smiles down at me.

  “See you at our next session.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  —

  ALEX

  After shimmying into my skinny jeans, I pull my green sweater over my chest. One look in the mirror has me tearing it off and throwing it to the floor. My phone buzzes on the bed, and Jane’s face lights up the screen. I know she’s anxious for me to arrive at her St. Patrick’s Day party.

  “Where are you? Don’t be late. Just pick something out and go with it.”

  Moving to the closet, I rummage through my shirts. “Everything I own looks terrible on me.”

  “Go with the long-sleeve green shirt, the V-neck with slits in the arms.”

  “How is it you know what’s in my closet better than I do?”

  “I’m in that closest nearly as much as you are. Now hurry up. Don’t keep me waiting. I made Jell-O shots!”

  Finding the shirt, I pull it from the hanger and finish dressing before her calls become sequent, rapid-fire dials. A quick look in the mirror, touch up of my lipstick, and I’m grabbing my purse, rushing out the door.

  My nerves combust as I step up to Jane and Kyle’s home. Music is thudding, and several cars are parked outside already. I barely get a couple knocks on the door and it’s swinging open. I’m dragged inside by Jane’s long arms. Squeals erupt from her as she shoves a green Jell-O shot into my hand.

  “Get in here! You have catching up to do.”

  Taking my hand, she pulls me into the kitchen as I slurp down the Jell-O shot. As we enter the kitchen, I take note of the people standing at her kitchen island, taking shots and another handful at the makeshift beer pong table in her dining room. My eyes focus in on one person in particular—Carter.

  My gaze sweeps to her, and she winks and shrugs. Carter waves at me, and I shyly wave back. He misses his next shot as his attention is on me and not the cups in front of him.

  “I’m out,” he says to a friend before eliminating the space between us.

  “Alex.”

  “Hey, Carter.”

  “It’s good to see you outside of training. You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” His penetrating gaze makes me shift in my heels. “You look great too.” In an effort to hide my awkward staring, I lean over and grab another Jell-O shot. His long-sleeved, black shirt with wheel tracks across the front is pulled up to his elbows and semi-tucked into a pair of worn jeans, sporting a silver buckle on the belt. A brown leather band covers his wrist, and his look is completed with brown boots. He looks even more delicious outside of the gym. His style is sexy, it’s a mix of edgy, rocker, country boy. A style I didn’t realize I found so appealing until now.

  “Want a beer?” he nods to the fridge.

  “Can’t stand the stuff. I’m a liquor or wine gal.”

  “Jane, you got any wine?”

  She looks over from the other side of the kitchen with an expression of amusement. “Ah duh! Yeah, I have wine.”

  “You mind getting Alex a glass?”

  “You didn’t have to do that.” The chivalrous gesture tugs at my lips. “I could have drank what she had out.”

  “You’re special, Alex. You deserve special.”

  Heat flushes my cheeks. He’s really putting on the charm, and it’s affecting me whether I want it to or not. The affectionate look in his eyes holds me hostage, and I begin gnawing on my lip.

  “I’m glad you’re here tonight.”

  “You are?”

  Jane hands me a glass of wine, then bolts, leaving me behind like a comrade too far gone to save.

  “Yeah, I was hoping you’d be here so I could get to know you better.”

  I take a strong gulp of wine as my nerves start to fire like pistons.

  “Do I make you nervous?” Carter suddenly asks, his brows pinched inward.

  It must have been the liquor and wine hitting me because my mouth opened and spilled out the words.

  “All men make me nervous.”

  Carter’s expression twists as his thoughts take shape. “What do you—”

  His words are cut off as Jane shouts. “Blindfolded coin search time! Pair up with a partner.”

  “Would y
ou like to be my partner?”

  “Yes, she would.” Jane’s hands take hold of my shoulders. “Everyone has to play. Everyone needs a partner.”

  She sprints off in search of something, I assume the blindfolds.

  “All right, then,” I laugh. “I guess the answer is yes.”

  Carter leans against the island. “How do we play this game?”

  “One of us is blindfolded and the other one directs the blindfolded person around the room in search of gold chocolate coins. The coins will have little messages on them with tasks for us. The first couple to find five gold coins and complete their tasks wins.”

  Jane returns and hands out the blindfolds. She places one in Carter’s hand and smirks at me. She’s too clever sometimes. She probably orchestrated this entire party around getting Carter and me together.

  Carter holds out the black blindfold. “Do you trust me?”

  Apprehensively, I nod and turn. The blindfold is gently placed over my eyes and tied. He places his hands on my shoulders and leans in close.

  “You can trust me. I won’t let you fall,” he whispers.

  The heat of his body so near and the touch of his hands on my shoulders turns my stomach into a tight knot. The blindfold, his heated breath, it’s too much. Tears threaten to escape my eyes, and I tear the blindfold off.

  “I can’t do this.” I rush out of the room, trying not to draw any excess attention to my panic attack.

  “Shit,” I hear Jane say behind me. “Kyle, tell everyone the rules. I’ll be back.”

  My body trembles as he ties the blindfold over my eyes. The cuffs around my wrists keep me from being able to remove it. He’s taken one of my senses from me, leaving me terrified and blind in the dark. His hand grazes along my inner thigh, and I try to squirm away from his grasp, but he presses his weight down on me, trapping my legs beneath him. He straddles me, pinning me under him, and I feel his finger swipe across my cheek and gather my tears.