Broken Promises (Burning Mistakes Book 1)

by Aimee Noalane

  I bring my wet fingers to my mouth and with a proud smirk, I lick her coating clean. “I think you might be right, Bankes, victory is pretty damn delicious. I have to say, this is by far the finest delicacy I’ve ever had.”

  Another glare. Man, I’m on a fucking roll. I grab the back of her thighs and in one swift lift, I place her on the nearest desk.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” she scolds.

  “You might want to lie down for what’s about to happen next.”

  She runs her nails through my messy hair and pulls on the short strands to lower my mouth above hers. “You might want to go fuck yourself.”

  I run my tongue across the opening of her lips. It still tastes like her needy pussy, so fucking delicious. Her mouth parts, but I pull back before she can reciprocate. “Oh, trust me, baby, on the day my mind graces me with this memory, my hand will do an amazing job of reminding me what it feels like to have you begging for me. Now,” I growl against her skin. “Lie down, because I’m going to make you come all over my tongue.”

  Her eyes drop to my bulge and if it’s even possible, the hungry expression on her face make my jeans tighter. She must notice the change because the corner of her mouth twitches and she pulls away. Placing her palms behind her, she crosses her leg over the other and diverts her attention to the side-window.

  My teeth grind together. Her mind games are driving me absolutely insane.

  “The hard to get thing is getting old, Firefly.” I grab her tress at the hairline and tug on her braid, forcing her to look at me.

  A sharp hiss leaves her lungs.

  I’m hurting her.

  She doesn’t pull back. She doesn’t stop me. She glares; defying me, mirroring the vindictiveness coursing through my veins…

  I catch sight of her blink back the water brimming the corner of her eyes, pretending that everything is fucking okay, and something inside me breaks. The only thing worse than her doubting how much I love her, is her allowing me to hurt her.

  Walk the fuck away from her, Micah.

  Grinding my teeth, I loosen my hold and lower myself to her ear. “The way I see it, right now, you either give me what we both know you want or I’m out the fucking door.”

  Her dilated pupils cut to mine. She studies me for a minute, considers my words as if she thinks I’d actually bluff about walking out on her. She should know better. Or not. Aubrey never met this side of me before. The truth is I might want her, but I don’t fucking need her.

  Walk away, baby.

  Aubrey lowers her gaze and pauses when she reaches my heart, and for a small second, I think she might actually push me away, tell me to leave. She doesn’t. Her legs hook the back of my thighs, and she yanks me flush against her center.

  Lifting the corner of my shirt up, she lets her delicate fingers skim down my sides, along my hard-on.

  I no longer have any self-control. I reach back to unclasp her bra, and a sharp hiss ripples out of me when she unbuckles my belt.

  The vibration in my pocket interrupts us.

  “Do you need to get that?” Her sultry voice is laced with spite.

  I ignore her question. I already know who the phone call is from. She’s called me three times since I sent her my quick text from ICU. She can wait until I’m done.

  “Baby,” My jeans hit the floor and I pull my shirt off. I make sure her eyes bore into mine before I say my next words. “Everything I’ve ever wanted is right here, locked inside these four walls.”

  Aubrey pushes down my boxer briefs, and my head falls back. I close my eyes and relish in the feeling of her skin wrapped around me. Cupping my balls with one hand, she glides her thumb up and down, slowly stroking the vein of my shaft. Her wet lips trace each contour of my abs, skimming the lines that define my chest, and a wave of goosebumps covers my flesh. If I want this to last, I have no choice but to stop her.

  My hands caress their way down her curves and pause at her knees, ready to push her thighs apart. “Let me.”

  Biting her lower lip, she lets herself fall until her back is lying flat against the cold metal. I hook each side of her underwear and sluggishly slide them down her silky legs.

  “Micah.”

  I know what she’s pleading for… but then again, I don’t really care. While I eagerly await the delicious taste of her wrath on my tongue, I savor the sight of every waving curve, and devour the sound of every anticipating sharp hiss. My priority is no longer what was best for her. I want to soothe whatever the fuck is going on inside me and I’m going to take my sweet time doing it.

  The sight of her glistening arousal, makes my mouth water. Lowering my head between her thighs, I slide my tongue up her wet sex and a gasping moan ripples from the back of her throat.

  I take my time, lapping painfully slow, flicking my tongue and savoring her exquisite taste without giving her what she needs to push her over the edge. Aubrey’s skin is like brail. I listen to every sound, follow every shiver, notice every bead of sweat trickling down her flesh. Her hips thrust and roll, searching for a friction I refuse to give.

  Enslaved to her desires but under my control.

  This isn’t for her. This is for me.

  All me.

  All mine.

  Never taking my eyes away from her chest, I run my tongue up her core, I scrape my teeth and lips up her hips and flat stomach, kissing her salty skin until my tip is pressing at her entrance. The urge to thrust inside her overcomes me but I wait. I study the rhythm of her breathing. Every time Aubrey inhales, the metallic string around her neck shimmers. The way the faint morning sunlight reflects on the firefly stone is enthralling.

  I curl a finger around the thin white-gold chain and pull the pendant up so I can admire it. “So fucking beautiful.”

  She freezes.

  Fear.

  Not a rustle of hair, not a hum, not even an ounce of air leaves her lungs.

  It’s ironic how the smallest of things can easily shatter a person.

  I meet her eyes and my lips spread into a wide grin. It’s like she knows what’s about to happen, but doesn’t believe I’d actually go through it.

  How can someone so smart, so beautiful, so fucking perfect: be so naïve?

  For a brief moment, I wonder if she still feels the same way about me. If, now knowing that I’m responsible for her brother getting hurt, for lying to her, she still loves me.

  Would it matter to me if she didn’t?

  Could my heart sustain the idea of knowing that I was going to hurt her beyond repair and lose her?

  And then like a match that burns out, I realize that I don’t care. For too long I’ve been hiding who I really am. Too long I’ve kept the darkness that defines me buried under a pile of lies.

  I always knew Aubrey deserved more.

  More than I could offer.

  More than me.

  But for the first time since I’ve met her, not only do I want her to experience my pain, I want to obliterate everything that permits her to strive so she could suffer more than me.

  As if she can read my thoughts, Aubrey’s eyes slice to the door.

  Go ahead little firefly… tell me to stop. Tell me to let you go. Do us both a favor and leave.

  She doesn’t.

  So much conviction. So much undeserved trust.

  So fucking frustrating.

  “I will shatter you,” I warn.

  She circles her arms around my neck. “No, you won’t.”

  My mouth twitches.

  Hope…

  Hope is such a treacherous thing.

  I give her no time to adjust and push my dick inside her tight opening.

  Her head falls back and when a loud cry of ecstasy escapes the back of her throat, I snap the delicate piece of jewelry in an abrupt harsh tug. Aubrey’s teary eyes cut to mine, and with a vindictive smile curled on my lips, I dangle the necklace in her face before tossing it in the trash.

  She throws herself at me… or at least tries to. She pushe
s against my chest, attempts to shove me away, but her strength is no match to mine. The more she pushes, the tighter I hold on to her, the deeper I drive myself inside her, the louder she moans.

  Confusion, anguish, heartache…

  So fucking satisfying.

  I press my mouth against the delicate skin of her jawline and trail up to whisper in her ear. “Who’s pretending now, Firefly?”

  She bites back the sob lodged in her throat, but can no longer contain the tears she’s worked so hard to conceal from rolling down her flaming red cheeks.

  Her mask has finally fallen.

  My mission is almost complete.

  “I told you,” I murmur in her ear, my thumb circles her clit. Her body jerks, her heels hook the back of my thighs, her nails and teeth dig into my shoulder. I can’t even tell if she’s fighting back or begging for more, anymore. “I warned you that one little mistake was all it would take for this game to be over, Aubrey.”

  The darkest shade of turquoise I’ve ever seen shadows my fiancée’s eyes. Conflict, fear… they’re all gone. The only thing left is anger. “And which one am I, Micah? Am I the mistake? Or am I the pawn in your little game?”

  I lower my mouth above hers and chuckle. “You’re neither, Firefly. You’re a delusion.”

  I sweep her lips with my tongue, and push past the opening she wants to deny me. I kiss her. No hesitation, no tenderness, no love. Only greed.

  I thrust inside her. Selfish. Ravenous. Feeding my deprivation. Saying all the things I’ve always wanted to say but couldn’t.

  It isn’t enough.

  Every stroke, long, deep, ruthless, it isn’t enough.

  “I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with you.” I pull her in, press my lips to the nape of her neck and savor the feeling of being inside her. “I fell, Aubrey. I fell so fucking hard…”

  I broke my vow for you.

  You made me believe I was worthy.

  I allowed myself to love you.

  Maybe I was the pawn all along.

  Maybe I was the fool who got wrapped-up into something I knew I wasn’t allowed to have.

  “Micah?” She cups my face, forces me to lock eyes with her.

  I focus on the rhythm of her heart, the sound of her breathing. I need her there. With me. For me.

  “Let go, Firefly,” I whisper against her lips. The ache reflected in her eyes matches mine, but I push it away. “I need you to let go for me.”

  “Micah, I—”

  I slow down and glide my fingers over the most sensitive part of her core, rolling to the rhythm of my thrusts.

  “Fucking—” Her back arches, but I wrap my arms around, pulling her to me. I need her close.

  Not for her. For me

  Her muscles clench around me and I swallow the most beautiful sound to escape her lips. “Love you.”

  I fucking love you too, Aubrey. More than you will ever know.

  But this…

  I’m fucking done.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Micah

  Present

  “Do you know what’s nice?” Aaryn is waiting for me on the staircase leading up to the hospital doors. Her foot is propped against the lamppost she’s leaning on and her head is tilted up toward the sky, soaking up the morning sunlight. I have no idea how she knows it’s me.

  “Enlighten me,” I reply, scampering down the steps. The truth is I already know what she’s going to say. I’m about to be grilled for not taking her calls.

  She pulls a long drag of her joint, not giving two fucks about where she is or who she’s around, and for a very, very brief moment, when I stand in front of her, I’m more enthralled than irritated by the cloud of smoke surrounding her. Aaryn isn’t the kind of girl who conforms to rules; never was. And while sometimes I do agree with her, getting high less than ten feet away from a hospital door is wrong on too many levels.

  I snatch the joint out of her mouth and drop it to the ground.

  Part of me expects her to throw me an angry scowl when I roll her burning joint between my sneaker and the concrete, but she doesn’t.

  I get nothing.

  “How’s Vince doing?”

  I frown, surprised she cares enough to ask. “Not so good. He’s still out and the doctors say he probably won’t walk ever again.”

  “Shit. I’m sorry.”

  I stare at her, confused.

  “What?”

  “I—” My mouth clips shut. Who the fuck are you?

  “What about Aubrey?” she asks, unfazed by my bewilderment.

  I shake my head.

  “Did you even tell her you were leaving?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Seriously? You’re just leaving without telling her?”

  I don’t know if I should laugh or be irritated by her concern. “Like you care.”

  “She’s your fiancée.”

  “Was.” Less than twelve hours; must be a fucking record.

  “So that’s it? You’re just done?”

  Each and every one of my muscles go rigid.

  Done…

  I grip the firefly inside my pocket and run my thumb over the smooth stone.

  I don’t know if I’ll ever just be done with Aubrey Bankes.

  Aaryn’s prying eyes are on me, roaming my body from head to toe. I must be giving something away because the second our eyes lock again, a slow smile forms at the corner of her red lips. “You were fucking her, weren’t you?”

  “Aaryn.” My hands are clenched tight, and for her sake, I hope she takes the warning in my tone seriously. “Drop the subject and move the fuck on.”

  “Fine.” She unzips the side pocket of her coat and pulls out her pack of Winstons.

  “Seriously?”

  “Relax, dude, it’s just a smoke.”

  “The door is right there.” I reproach when a mother and father walk by with their newborn baby tucked inside its carry-on.

  “Who cares?”

  “Ironically enough, I do.”

  Aaryn rolls her eyes and lights up. Clearly, I’m not going to win this battle.

  “You should think about vaping.”

  She blows out a snort. “Never. Going. To. Happen. And if you ever catch me puffing water out of a robot, do me a favor and fucking shoot me.” Her head falls back as she fills her lungs with nicotine. “You know I called you three times.”

  “Four,” I correct with a side-smirk. I knew I’d eventually get a piece of her mind about dodging her calls. “And I’m not gonna lie, you came out a little needy, Walker.”

  “Says the guy who messaged me to pack up my shit because I was wrong. Am I supposed to bow to each and every one of your little needs now?” She grins for real this time.

  “You’re here now, aren’t you?” I remind her, cocking a brow. A shadow of something I can’t quite make out crosses her face. “Besides, we both know your bag was packed way before you showed up in the backyard of Ethan’s bar.”

  Aaryn’s eyes slide to the trail-pack on my Ducati which is parked two-feet ahead of hers. I know what she’s thinking and I’m not going to lie, it’s scary how well she knows me too. “You know that fourth call wasn’t me. I can guarantee you my ass was on its way here when it came in.”

  Ethan, I think to myself, of course. And by the bitterness bleeding into Aaryn’s tone, I’m guessing they got into it before she left The Devil’s Gate.

  “He wants you to call him.”

  My legs have a mind of their own and start moving toward the parking lot. I don’t want to talk to Ethan. I don’t want her to talk to me about him. I want out. Out of this place. Out of this fucking town. “We’re not calling him.”

  “I told him you’d say that.” She pulls another drag off her cigarette and tosses it in the nearest patch of grass. I swear it’s like she’s testing all my limits today. “So same rule as last time?”

  “Yep.”

  “But what if—”

  “Same rule, Walker. An
d go pick that shit up from off the ground before you start a fucking fire.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Now,” I scold while heading to my bike. My hoodie is still sitting at the foot of Vincent’s bed and I need one for the road. I open my trail-pack hoping the entire contents doesn’t fall at my feet. Thankfully, it doesn’t, but a rolled-up pile of cash is sitting right on top of my clothing. There must be close to twenty-five thousand dollars in one-hundred-dollar bills just sitting there. I grab the stack of money and throw Aaryn a murderous glare. “What the hell is this?”

  “Wild guess? I’d say money.”

  My nostrils flare. Her sarcasm is starting to piss me off and I think she notices because a long sigh leaves her.

  “Ethan.”

  I walk over to her bike and shove it against her chest. “I don’t want it.”

  “He says it’s yours. He disappeared in the garage when I was about to leave and came back with it.” She shoves it back. “You know he blames me for this. He chewed my fucking head off for hours because I’m not trying to convince you to stay.” Her voice cracks a little. “I don’t know if this money really belongs to you or not, Micah, and frankly I don’t give a shit. If you don’t want it, then deal with him yourself because I’m done being in the middle of you two.”

  “I’m sorry.” Wow, where the hell did that come from?

  “I know. And I know it won’t make much of a difference, but he wants me to tell you that this is a stupid idea and that you shouldn’t leave.”

  “Message received,” I bite back.

  Aaryn throws her leg over her seat and before I can stop it, my head falls to the side. Fuck me this is a bad idea…

  “Listen, Micah—”

  “Don’t. Just… don’t.”

  She offers me another one of her sad smiles which I choose to ignore and head back to my ride.

  “Micah?” an unsure voice calls out behind us.

  I spin on my heels and lock eyes with a woman I never thought I’d see again.

  “Would you like me to chase whoever that is away?” Aaryn asks.

  “No.” I run a hand through my messy hair. “I’m good.”