Dangerous Beauty: Part Four: Beautifully Broken

by Michelle Hardin

  “Did she?”

  Kyle nodded emphatically. “She praised you. Insisted I do whatever I could to get to you as soon as possible.”

  Reanna broke. A soft, sweet laughter fell from her full lips, as she gazed up at him with the softest smile.

  “What could I possibly do to protect you from any monsters, Kyle?” She shrugged. “I’m not much of a warrior like your sweet Sofia.”

  Smiling, Kyle took a small step closer to her—making sure, though, to remain on the outside of her door.

  “Well …” he said, gazing into her eyes. “The funny thing is that you don’t have to do anything, Reanna. Sofia and I believe that your presence alone is enough to defeat them.”

  She gave him a small smile of disbelief. “Just my presence, huh?”

  “Yes,” Kyle answered with a nod, then remembered yet another piece of his brother’s advice.

  Don’t be afraid to reveal how much you need her.

  “We feel that these monsters have only flooded my dreams because I’ve been a bit … distressed lately.”

  Her eyes widened in concern again. “Distressed?”

  Kyle nodded. “Yes,” he answered truthfully. “And it seems that you are my only hope in achieving solace.”

  “Me?” she murmured.

  Kyle lowered his eyes, then lifted them back to her once again. “Yes, baby … I miss you,” he confessed. “Desperately. And it seems that peace won’t come back to me until I have you in my arms again.” Reaching forward, he took her hand in his. “This is why I’ve come to you, mia colomba.”

  Reanna caught her bottom lip between her teeth as they stood for a moment, staring deeply into each other’s eyes. Kyle was anxious, nervous even, but only because he’d just put himself out there emotionally, which was something he’d never done before.

  It wasn’t until her hand tightened on his, and the door opened wider that his heart immediately began to calm. She pulled him into her home, released his hand when he entered the living room, then closed the door behind them …

  He’d done it. He’d charmed his way into her home. On to the next step.

  ~*~

  He was in distress … He missed her ... He wanted her in his arms again?

  Every single word that came out of his ridiculously perfect mouth made her ache for him.

  This was what he did to her—wrapped her up in a nice little fantasy of what it would be like to truly be wanted by him, needed by him. To be the woman that his heart ached for. And he was so freaking good at it, too. From the way he looked at her, smiled at her, to the way he made every word that came out of his mouth his bitch, manipulating them so incredibly to get the results he wanted. Charm, charisma, his looks, his personality, the humor she loved so much, and the unrelenting desire to be needed by him. He’d used all of it against her and obliterated every bit of resolve she’d developed over the past two weeks in the snap of a freaking finger!

  Dammit!

  It was like she had no control of herself around him. This was not what she’d wanted. She’d wanted Braden to be at that door, not Kyle. Braden was free, he was single, and best of all, he was in love with her. Kyle wasn’t. Kyle just … Reanna didn’t even know! She didn’t know what he wanted from her because he’d never told her before. All he did was throw her a host of mixed signals on an unhealthily regular basis.

  ‘Reanna I need you, I miss you, you’re beautiful, you’re sexy, mia colomba, I want you in my arms … but not right now, though. Right now I need you to babysit so that I can screw Aniyah Clark. But then I promise we’ll cuddle, okay, baby?”

  No.

  No. No. No. No!

  No more! Reanna put distance between herself and Kyle for a reason, and the reason was simply because she lacked brain faculties when he was around her. She did stupid shit, like invite him into her home in the middle of the night because he so obviously needed her, and gave him the pair of sweat pants she’d once taken from his apartment months before, then tell him to go take a hot shower in her beautiful sanctuary of a bathroom while she stayed in the kitchen and made him some dessert that she knew he’d love to eat with a warm glass of milk before she then took him to her bed …

  Nope. A smart woman wouldn’t have told a man that had a girlfriend—that also happened to be her dear friend—to do all of that. Absolutely not. A woman with all of her faculties working in perfect harmony would tell that man to go home, or better yet, go call the woman he was sleeping with and tell her what he was up to!

  “Oh God …” Reanna cried softly as she cut Kyle a hefty piece of chocolate cake.

  She was hopeless, a mess. This wasn’t going to work out, she had to tell him to leave.

  “What are you in here pouting about woman?”

  With a startled jump, Reanna gasped, quickly turning to face Kyle when he suddenly entered the room. “When did …” Her words faltered as soon as she laid eyes on him.

  Yep. Grey sweat pants, no shirt … definitely her favorite look for Kyle Valente.

  One by one Reanna’s ‘faculties’ began to kick rocks until the idea of asking that beautiful, half-naked giant to leave was nowhere in sight.

  “When did, what?” he asked, walking into the kitchen. “You didn’t finish your sentence.”

  Reanna took in a deep breath, shaking her head. “It’s nothing,” she lied, then motioned toward one of the tall seats at the kitchen island. “Sit down.”

  “Sit down,” he repeated.

  She looked up at him, nodding her head. “Y-yes,” she stuttered. “I made you something to eat …”

  He stood, staring at her for the longest time, and for a second, Reanna was almost positive that he could read her thoughts.

  She swallowed.

  Some people would hate that. Hate when someone looked at them as if they knew every secret they’d ever had, and usually, Reanna despised such attention. But not with Kyle. She couldn’t explain why, but she loved when he looked at her like that, like he knew what she was saying even though she hadn’t said a word. It was that freaking connection that she had with only him. That intimacy that she didn’t want anymore—not because she genuinely didn’t want it, but because without the complete fulfillment of truly having all of him, the intimate relationship they had with one another caused her too much pain.

  “Kyle,” she said, getting his attention.

  She needed to limit the long gazes, and the reading of each other’s thoughts for the remainder of their time together tonight. Her only goal right now was to sever their connection, not revive it.

  But how can one revive something that never died? her conscience asked her.

  Reanna lowered her eyes. She didn’t need to think like this, not right now. She just needed to get through tonight without slipping back into the way things were. Then tomorrow, she’d have a talk with him. Set some boundaries if they were to remain friends.

  That would be better.

  Trying not to look up at him, Reanna motioned for the chair once again. “I’ll be over there in a second …”

  With that she turned away from him to complete her task. One slice of cake, one glass of milk, and one fork. After gathering the items, she took them to where Kyle sat.

  “I know how much you and Sofia love my chocolate cake,” she chattered mindlessly. She was making small talk; it was a desperate move, but she wanted to keep the conversation light and friendly. Walking up beside him, she set the items down on the counter in front of him. “It never fails,” she remarked, smiling. “Every time I feed you two cake and warm milk, you both sleep like babies.” And that was what Kyle needed. To sleep. Once she sat his cake on the table, she sighed, wiping her hand down the front of her clothes. “Soo … you go ahead and enjoy this, and I’ll head to the back and change.”

  She’d stepped away from him, but paused when his hand gripped onto her arm.

  “Reanna,” he spoke low, pulling her back in his direction.

  Reanna’s breath caught in her throat, and her h
eart began to speed up once again. Closing her eyes, she bit down on her bottom lip as she stumbled back until she stood between his long legs.

  Shit.

  “Don’t go,” he said softly, giving her arm a gentle squeeze. “Stay. Spend time with me.”

  Spend time with me, he says. Well that couldn’t happen. Reanna didn’t know how to spend time with Kyle without wanting him. And it was inappropriate to want him. He was Aniyah’s.

  Pushing past her nerves, Reanna laughed softly, feigning nonchalance as she kept her eyes lowered to his chest. “I should change, Kyle.” She motioned toward her clothes. “My outfit is a bit too … revealing.”

  “You’re perfect, baby.”

  Perfect? Reanna frowned. Not even close. She was far from perfect.

  “I’d just … feel more comfortable if I—”

  “Why do I feel like you’re trying to avoid me, Reanna?”

  The question caught her off guard, and she had no choice but to look in his eyes. Unable to answer him with words, she shook her head. It was a lie; she actually was trying to avoid him, but she didn’t feel the need to tell him so.

  For a second, Kyle’s disappointment was more than evident on his face. He seemed upset with her, like he wanted to say something, but as suddenly as the emotions had come, they vanished, and his expression softened once again.

  Releasing her arm, he took hold of her hand, then brought it up and placed her palm flat against his chest. “Reanna,” he sighed, and hesitated for a mere moment before continuing, “I just … I want tonight, okay?”

  When she looked away from him this time, he gripped her chin with his free hand, and turned her back to face him.

  “Please,” he whispered, leaning closer to her face.

  And there went her heart, speeding up again. Oh God …

  Kyle placed his forehead against hers as he released a tired breath. “I haven’t seen you in weeks, baby. I wasn’t lying when I said that I missed you.”

  “I know you weren’t,” Reanna whispered, trying her best not to sound too breathless.

  He was too close.

  “Then what about you?” he asked, moving back a bit. His brow furrowed slightly in question. “We’ve barely spoken, not even on the phone.”

  “And I’ve missed you every second,” she confessed. Only because she had to. She couldn’t bear the thought of him believing she no longer cared about him. She would always care, she just couldn’t … go back to the way things were with him. “I want to spend time with you, too, Kyle. But it doesn’t mean I should.”

  “And why shouldn’t you?” A deep frown appeared on his face as he searched her eyes. “Why would you think you and I should stay apart from each other, colomba?”

  Reanna shook her head, unwilling to answer that question. Such a conversation was better had between two rested individuals. It was late, and she was too tired to deal with all of that heavy stuff tonight.

  He wanted her to stay, he wanted to spend time with her, and honestly, Reanna wanted the same things as well. So if tonight—just tonight—was all he was asking her for … then she’d give it to him. Not just for him, but for herself, too.

  Sighing deeply, she relaxed herself. And allowed herself to remember just who Kyle was to her. He was her best friend. Her silly, complex, scary yet wonderful best friend, and she missed what they had. So tonight, instead of continuing her quest to sever their bond, she would allow herself to become lost.

  Tonight it’d be just like old times between them, and Reanna couldn’t be more pleased with her decision to let go …

  “Okay,” she murmured, allowing her hand to slide up his chest, then his neck, then his cheek, and finally into his hair.

  She smiled when his eyes closed and he leaned into her touch. She loved when he did that.

  Kyle was not the touchy type. He found discomfort in familiarity, and had never been a fan of intimacy … except with her. Sometimes, on a good day, he’d actually take Reanna’s hand and place it on his gorgeous chest, and just lay back while she gently ran her fingers over his scars. He said it gave him comfort … and honestly, it kind of gave Reanna comfort, too.

  “God, I missed you, bella colomba. I missed you so much …”

  Reanna laughed softly. “That must be the fatigue talking,” she teased. “How long has it been since you last slept?”

  When he opened his eyes, she smiled wider; that famous wicked smile of his made his eyes shine bright.

  “It depends,” he answered, a devious grin pulling at his lips. “How long has it been since I last had you in my arms?”

  Giving him her slyest smile, Reanna bit her bottom lip, then gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. “Can’t remember,” she lied, and laughed inwardly at the slight widening of his eyes. She loved teasing him. “But I do remember the last time I had you snoring in my ear, soo—”

  Her words cut off with a surprised squeal of laughter when Kyle abruptly turned her away from him, wrapped his arms around her waist, then held her tightly against his body.

  “Kyle,” she laughed, giving his side a light nudge with her elbow, “let go!” She was full of it. She didn’t want him to let go. “Stop your flirting, you monster.”

  He laughed softly. “Am I supposed to believe that you really want me to stop?”

  Though she just wanted to roll her eyes at the shameless arrogance in his tone, she couldn’t—she was far too busy attempting to fight against the chills shooting down her spine.

  Oh dear Lord help me; this is so wrong.

  So wrong, but so very freaking right at the same time. Reanna was in heaven, wrapped in Kyle’s arms. For far too often she’d dreamt of being in this position with him again, to feel him so close.

  “I do want you to stop,” she lied, rather weakly. “You have not earned the right to hold me like this, Kyle Valente.”

  “Mmm,” he moaned, his arms tightening around her … and Reanna may or may not have allowed herself to wrap her arms over his. “How then?” he asked, leaning closer to her ear.

  Reanna fought off a shiver as her eyes fluttered shut. “How what?” she asked, her voice now a bit breathless.

  Kyle leaned in even closer until she swore she felt his lips against her ear.

  Oh God …

  “How can I earn the right to hold you as often as I like, la mia dolce colomba?”

  Never … never, underestimate the pure sensual power of a beyond gorgeous man speaking an insanely sexy foreign language directly against your ear. Such an act will drive a woman wild … did drive a woman wild.

  And that woman was Reanna.

  Dear God. There was no fighting the shiver that shook her body this time, try as she might have to resist it. It hit her with a vengeance as if it were angry at her for resisting it the first time around, shaking her to her core, and setting off a chain reaction in her body. And heaven, did it feel so good. Her body warmed, her nipples hardened, and she had the most overwhelming urge to turn in his arms and slam her mouth against his in a desperate kiss, but … Dammit! The little sanity she had left whispered in her ear, alerting her of every single thing she was doing wrong at this moment. The biggest thing was she was in his arms. Not just in his arms, either; she was actually allowing him to hold her, very close, while his perfectly soft lips were grazing over her ear … in the most satisfying of ways might she add, but that wasn’t the point. The point was it was happening. It was happening while she wasn’t only nearly naked, but she was also incredibly horny, which meant they were not safe!

  This was a danger zone, right now, in this position. It would be very easy for her to lose herself in this moment and do something extremely stupid.

  That couldn’t happen.

  So though it pained her more than anything at this moment, Reanna quickly turned in Kyle’s arms, then pushed out of his embrace.

  Gazing up at him, she pasted on a friendly smile, ignoring the confused look on his face. “There’s nothing you can do to earn that right, Kyle Valent
e,” she answered, wagging her finger in perfect, friendly, playfulness. “You have a girlfriend. My friend Aniyah,” she whispered, lifting herself on to the seat next to him. Turning to the side, she faced him, then crossed her legs, placing her hands in the safety of her lap. No touching the man, Reanna. He is not yours, she reminded herself. “Plus,” she added, forcing a smile. “I’m sure you get plenty of hugs from her.”

  It pained her so freaking much to say those simple, stupid words, but she had to remind herself that Kyle Valente was in a relationship with her friend. It was for the best.

  Keeping her forced smile in place, she watched Kyle’s unexpected reaction to her resistance. It was interesting to say the least. He looked annoyed at her, a bit frustrated even. The muscles in his chiseled jaw ticked as he sat back in his seat, dropping his arms in his lap.

  “Really, Reanna?” he asked, lifting a brow in question. “Is that how we’re doing this?”

  Reanna wasn’t going to lie, she had no idea what he was talking about. She also had no intention of asking him about it. She needed to keep this simple tonight. They could have a good time together, catching up and whatnot, without touching.

  So instead of asking what he meant by his question, she just nodded her head. “Yes,” she answered, then smiled again, motioning toward his cake. “Now, eat your cake.”

  That, she knew he’d enjoy. Reanna had never been one to toot her own horn, but she made bomb ass chocolate cake. There was no denying that.

  Kyle looked over at the cake, then back to her. “You want me,” he pointed to himself, “to eat that cake,” he pointed to his cake, “by myself?”

  Reanna frowned. “Yes,” she answered slowly.

  Why wouldn’t he?

  Kyle nodded, then looked to the cake again, then back to her. “So you want me to eat that cake,” he pointed to the cake, “alone, without you,” he pointed to her, “feeding it to me,” he pointed to himself, “even if you know it means, you will not be getting a bite of my cake, woman? I will literally make you get up and get your own piece.”