Broken #5 (The Broken Series - Book #5)

by Adams, Claire

  “And now, Eric, the man known for terrifying his opponents!” While Eric made his way down to the cage, Jet met my eyes, and they are burning hot for me. My heart started beating harder immediately. Not only was my heart beating faster, but I suddenly feel very aroused by the sight of him. I knew what he was thinking when he looked at me, and it reminded me of the last time we were together. He was primed to fight Eric, but I think that he may be even more primed for me after the fight. I was sure he was going to fight to the death, like he always did, but then he would want to fuck me after, and I was more than okay with that.

  “Wow, he is so hot for you! How do you keep your clothes on with that guy?”

  I giggled. “It's a little intoxicating, to be sure.”

  “No doubt. I think I need to start dating a fighter. So set me up with one, will you?”

  I laughed. “Okay, will do. He's totally going to win this, I just know it.”

  With both fighters in the cage, things were about to get interesting. The bell rang, and everyone in the arena went still as the two fighters approached each other. It really didn’t matter how many times I have seen a fight, the experience is enthralling. It was hard to pinpoint Jet's fighting strategy, as it was always different with every opponent. Jet must know something the rest of us didn’t, because as soon as they moved toward each other, he started hitting fast, super-fast. I heard the pop, pop, pop, from punches hitting their mark as Eric stumbled back from the impact.

  “We love you Jet!” a girl screamed. “Knock him out, and you can have me!”

  I quite literally did turn around in my seat to get a glimpse of that one. She wore his shirt, and she was toned and taut like a female body builder. Where did these girls come from, anyway?

  Jet was up there, fighting like a machine, and I had to admit, he never looked sexier. The fight was in full swing, and my stomach had a million butterflies flying around in it. I was having a hard time breathing, but so far, everything was going right. His muscles were rippling as he hooked with his left and then blocked a punch coming at him. Jet countered with a few jabs, and finished off with a straight punch that slammed into Eric like a freight train. Eric rocked on his heels.

  Jet moved back and watched. It appeared that he was waiting to see what Eric was going to do next. It wasn't long before he found out. Eric charged at Jet, and when he did, Jet feinted as Eric swung right. Jet came back with a punch to the gut, ribs and also the jaw. Eric was starting to look sweaty and bloody; he hadn't been able to pull off much on Jet.

  The girls in the arena were going nuts at that point, and I could barely breathe myself.

  Eric came at Jet and landed a punch on his face, and just as his hand dropped, Jet shot out a high kick and landed it against Eric's head.

  After that, one right hook landed Eric on the canvas, and the next thing I knew, Jet's arm was raised up in the air as the victor for the night. Jet didn’t smile. His nostrils flared, and he looked exhausted, but he had that fire in his eyes. The crowd was going crazy, and once again, Jet met my eyes. He was trying to catch his breath as he watched me, and I could tell he wanted to rip my clothes off and fuck me.

  I couldn’t wait to have him all to myself after the fight. Not only did I want him to take me in the most aggressive way, but I also wanted him to cuddle me, and make me feel warm and safe.

  “Jettt!!” the crowd screamed as he was announced the winner of that evening’s fight. He was pumped―I could see it, and I was so thrilled that my man won the title fight of the finals!

  He came out of the cage, and I stood up as he came to me, and embraced me in a kiss that I would never forget.

  Chapter Six

  Jet

  Shuffling through my drawers, I was determining what to pack for my trip to Natalie's parents’ house. They had snow, and the temperature was supposed to be well below zero. I needed to make sure to pack clothing that would keep me warm.

  I packed some jogging pants, hoodies, and suitable attire for Christmas dinner. I was nervous as hell to meet her parents. In truth, I had never been serious enough with a girl to deem meeting her parents. I wasn't really sure what to expect, or what kind of people they would be. From the sound of things, they were pretty laid back, and that was probably a lot more comforting than Natalie having to meet my parents. I think I could handle laid back, as long as her dad didn't have a shotgun perched somewhere.

  Kyle popped his head into my room as I packed. “Meeting the parents, right? Wow, big change for Jet.”

  I laughed. “Shut up, man.”

  “Are you nervous?”

  I paused. “No, I'm a grown man, for God’s sake.”

  “I'll take that as a yes.”

  I chuckled. “Whatever.”

  “Long drive.”

  “Yeah, it's a hike. We will have to stop somewhere and sleep if we don't make good time.”

  “Ah, a nice little road trip doesn't hurt.”

  “What are you doing for Christmas?”

  “Oh, I'm hitting up family. I have a dinner at my parents’ and then another at my grandmother's house, so I should be pretty fat by the time the holidays are over.”

  “I hear ya. I'll be hitting up the gym hard-core when I return.”

  “No doubt.”

  “Why don't you ask Katie out on a date, man? She's great, and well, I think you guys would do well.”

  “She's totally out of my league, man. I don't like admitting such things, but she is.”

  I looked up from my suitcase. “Just don't treat her like a piece of meat, and you'll do just fine. Men are idiots, you know that. We behave like we own the world. Treat a girl right and you can have any girl you want.”

  “Thanks, man. Have a safe trip, and I'll see ya when you return.”

  I waved him off. I finished packing and headed out the door to go get Natalie.

  She was waiting outside on the steps of her apartment, looking casually beautiful. I got out of the car and met her, giving her a kiss on the mouth.

  “Hey, beautiful. Ready to go?”

  “I sure am. Are you? Or are you having regrets about going with me?”

  I laughed. “Maybe, but I'll deal with it.”

  “Good. I like brave men.”

  “Oh do you? Are you sure you don't want to have a quickie before we leave?”

  She giggled, and it was just about the sexiest thing I’d ever heard. “Not if we have any prayer of getting there by tomorrow.”

  We got on the road shortly after lunch. It had been really hard not to take her to bed with me, but she was right, we had a destination to get to. However, I planned on ravishing her at the hotel that night. She wouldn't be able to get away from me then. It was about a ten-hour drive to her parents’ house, and it seemed as if we kissed for five hours straight. I would have thought being closed up in a vehicle with Natalie for that long would cause us to grow irritated with one another, but the total opposite happened. We talked the entire way there, and seemed to solidify our bond even more. She was nothing like any girl I had ever dated before, and I couldn't believe how lucky I had been to win her over. There were a few times I had to pull the car over, especially once Natalie straddled me and started kissing my neck. I would have killed us both for sure, because the moment she did it, I could hardly remember my own name. She was insatiable, really, she couldn’t get enough of me, and I certainly wasn't complaining. Everything she did drove me a little crazy, and it took everything I muster not to take her right there in the car. But I had to settle with some quick make-out sessions before we headed back on the road. Due to these make-out sessions, we were making terrible time. But it was our Christmas vacation, and if we got there a few hours later, so what? It was a beautiful drive, and the winding roads were breathtaking. There wasn’t enough room on either side of the road to stop, so Natalie had to take pictures from the moving car. It was amazing to be driving along the sides of cliffs, and the view was incredible. I couldn't have asked for a better trip. The sights were grea
t, the company was even better, and I had a few days off from school and training.

  We reached North Carolina at around 1:00 in the morning. We still had a few hours to drive to get to our destination, so we decided to stop at a hotel for the night. It turned out that Natalie had assumed I had booked us a room for the evening, but I hadn't. In fact, aside from thinking of seducing her in a hotel, I hadn't thought much about it at all. So our only other option at that point was to drive around and stop at one. The problem with that, however, was that there were no vacancies anywhere. All the chain hotels were booked up for the night due to Christmas, and so we were left with the motels in the area, and even then, we continued to drive by them, seeing all the “vacancy” lights turned off. I was starting to panic as I saw Natalie's irritation level rising quickly.

  “I just don't understand why you didn't do it. What did you think was going to happen when we arrived in the city during Christmastime?”

  “You're right, Natalie, I'm totally to blame. I do remember you asking me to. But with the fight and everything else, it just slipped my mind. And yes, I did think that I could just drive up to one, and that it would be okay.”

  “It's okay, I'm just starting to wonder what we are going to do. I don't exactly want to spend the night in your car.”

  “We won't; I will find us something.”

  Well the problem with that little promise was that there was nothing out there. As we kept driving, I finally saw a vacancy sign in the distance.

  “There's one,” she practically shouted at me.

  I pulled into the only motel we could find in the area, and to be honest, it reminded me of the Bates Motel. I parked, feeling a little uneasy, and I smiled at her before I got out of the car. “See, we found one.”

  She looked a little unsure of my confidence as she took a good look at the long line of rooms before us. I couldn't blame her; it definitely looked like I had pulled into the scene of the next horror movie. Being stabbed to death in her sleep wasn't exactly her idea of a Christmas vacation, I was sure of that much. I left the car and went into the office to get a room. I was relieved at least when the motel manager didn't resemble Norman Bates.

  “Hey there, I need a room for the night.”

  The manager slid the guest book in from of me like we were still in the 1950s, and I scrawled my name in it. I paid cash for the room and took the key from his hand. I ran back out to the car, drove to Room 21, and parked in front of it. Natalie was looking out the windshield at the room and turned to me.

  “How much did it cost?”

  “It's not important. Let's go.” We both got out of the car and headed to the door.

  “Jet, how much did the room cost?” She wasn't letting it go, and I really didn't want to tell her.

  “Jet?”

  I put the key in the lock, and laughed, as I said, “Fifty bucks.”

  “Fifty! Oh, this is going to be good! Just great, I don't think I've ever heard of a room for rent for that low.”

  “Well, it was a first for me too, but I'm sure it's delightful.”

  She looked at me and shook her head, looking vaguely unimpressed.

  I pushed open the door and it swung open to reveal a dark, musty room. The oldest furniture known to man littered the room, and some of it looked to be falling apart. The walls were yellow from smoke, and the bedding looked like it had never been washed. It was covered with stains. It was one of the most terrifying scenes I had ever seen, and I'm a fighter. Natalie burst out laughing and left the room. I looked after her and wondered if she was planning on coming back. I eyeballed the room, and figured she probably wasn't planning on it. I followed her outside and found her leaning against the hood of the car.

  “I am not sleeping in that room!”

  “Natalie.”

  “Jet, no. Seriously. Go get your money back, we’re leaving!”

  “Baby, where are we going to go? We have been driving around for a half hour, and there's just nothing out there. I'm sorry, we are going to have to tough it out for the night.”

  “Have you lost your mind? Do you want to take another look in there?” She walked back over to the room and pushed the door open again. “That is a roach motel in there!”

  I laughed. “Baby, we have nowhere else to go, you know that. You didn't want to sleep in the car, and really, that would be our only other option at this point.”

  “Jet ... ugh, I'm not doing this!”

  “Baby, are you yelling at me?” I laughed.

  She shook her head laughing. “Find someplace else, and find it now. I don't like acting like a princess, but in this case it's happening right now. ”

  “Sweetie, I know you deserve the Ritz, and if I could find one, I would take you there in an instant, but I can’t; this is it. I fucked up, I know, but this is what we have for tonight.”

  “Jet, I don’t need the Ritz, but did you see the sheets? I’m sure if you did, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

  I grinned. “Wow, how is it that when you’re mad you turn me on, and all I want to do is fix it?”

  She laughed. “Don’t even think about getting lucky on those sheets.”

  “Baby, you make me crazy.”

  “Jet, I’d rather sleep in the car.”

  “Don’t be silly. It’ll be okay, it’s just one night.”

  I took her hand and pulled her in the room, closing the door behind us.

  “Jet, you know this place has cockroaches, it’s inevitable. You also know the moment one touches me your life is over. True story.”

  I growled. “Baby … man, what I wouldn’t do for clean sheets.”

  Natalie burst out laughing.

  “Mmm … there’s my girl. I’ll protect you, baby.”

  “We are so sleeping with the lights on. What a nightmare.”

  I kissed her. “Don’t be mad, sweetie. Let’s make the best of it, okay? It's going to be great, trust me.”

  She gave me a small smile. “Alright, we'll stay.”

  I hugged her to me tightly. “Now, let’s go look at the shower.”

  She groaned.

  Chapter Seven

  Natalie

  We arrived late to my parents’ house on Christmas Eve. Due to our adventure, we didn't make very good time at all. We made sure to get up early out of the roach motel, so that I wasn't exposed to it any longer than I had to be. I still couldn't believe we stayed there.

  True to my word, I kept the lights on all night, in fear that I would find something crawling on me in the middle of the night. The room had been horrendous, and although I didn't see any creepy crawlers, I was sure they were waiting in the wings to attack me as soon as the lights went off. I knew Jet was hoping for a little vacation nooky, but there was no way in hell I was getting naked in the bed. He had attempted to assess the shower for possible sex options, but it had been so overgrown with mildew that we exited it as promptly as possible. It was a wonder the health inspector hadn't closed the place down.

  Jet had spooned me the whole night, however, leaving me in a cocoon of safety as we slept. I loved feeling him so close. He made me feel incredibly safe with no real effort. We departed early that morning, and grabbed some breakfast at a local diner before getting back on the road again.

  Now walking into my parents’ place was like walking back in time. They owned a modest two-story home that needed some updating inside and out. It was very different, I was sure, from the way in which Jet was raised, as was evidenced by the house I went to for Thanksgiving dinner. Wow, what a night that was. I could at least be sure that this time Katie would not be at dinner.

  “Natalie, it's so great to see you. How was the drive? Did you hit any traffic?” my mother gushed at us as she came down the hallway. My father was in tow, but he was a silent type.

  “The trip was good, Mom. We ended up staying in a terrible room last night, though, but we had already been behind at that point anyway. By the smell of things you already have dinner well underway.”


  “Oh, of course. I was up early making stuffing and getting that turkey ready.”

  I turned to Jet. “Mom, this is my boyfriend, Jet, the one I have been telling you about.”

  Jet approached her and held his hand out to my mother to shake hers. She laughed gleefully, and instead pulled him into her arms for a hug. My dad chuckled behind her, and by the look on Jet's face, she had taken him completely off guard.

  “You're family now, Jet. We don't shake hands around here.”

  He laughed. “Fair enough.” He walked to my father and said, “Thanks for having me in your home, sir.”

  My dad looked him over and nodded. “It's nice to meet you, son. I hear you're a fighter, I'm happy to know that you can protect my daughter.”

  “Oh, she's doing pretty well at protecting herself. I have been teaching her some self-defense.”

  “That's wonderful,” my mother exclaimed.

  “Well, you kids can go get settled in if you would like, and then come down and have a drink with me,” my dad offered.

  “Sure, Dad, I'm just going to hit the shower first, and wash that motel off of me.”

  “No problem; take your time.”

  I hugged them both and headed upstairs to my old bedroom. I opened up my bedroom door and walked in, with Jet behind me. He was carrying our suitcases in, and laughed as he entered my room. “Whoa, you sure liked boy bands, didn't you?”

  My walls were pink, and splashed with posters of the bands I liked as a teenager. I had been a little obsessed, but what young girl isn't?

  “You never mind. I don't know why they keep my room like this. I don't come home often, so it's just a waste of space.”

  “I'm sure they just like the reminder of you.”

  We started unpacking what we had into the dresser in my room, and I grabbed a change of clothes to take with me to the shower.

  “If you want to have a shower, too, Jet, feel free.”

  “Can I have one with you?”

  I paused and considered his request wondering, what the chances were that my parents would check up on us. I decided it was likely that they would probably leave us alone until we settled in.