Let Me Love You: Beautifully Broken Book 1

by Samantha Wolfe

  He moved his hand back to my hip and thrust into me harder and faster triggering another climax right on the heels of the last. This one rose even higher, and I screamed out in ecstasy as this one went on and on, my insides spasming and rippling around his cock. His other hand grabbed the back of my neck in a firm grip as he pounded into me. He let loose a low growl as his own orgasm hit him, and I could feel him pulsing inside me as he came. I could feel the air from his harsh breathes against my skin as he ground his climax out with several slow deep thrusts.

  "Now, it's a good morning," he panted out next to my ear.

  All I could do was nod in agreement in the aftermath of our pleasure. I wouldn't mind having every morning start like this. He put his arms around me and curled into me, our bodies still connected. I could feel his face burrow into my hair, breathing my scent in and out, and I sighed in contentment. I wiggled my hips back into him, and he thrust against me again.

  "You better stop that," he whispered, "or we'll never make it out of bed today."

  "Is that supposed to be a threat?" I asked as I wiggled again. His answering growl made me shudder with delight. He hugged me close again, and I felt myself starting to drift off to sleep.

  "Are you falling asleep?" he asked with amusement.

  "No," I mumbled in denial.

  "Good, it's rude to go to sleep right after sex, especially when I need to cuddle and talk."

  "It's not my fault you've worn me out," I answered with a giggle.

  "Then I'll take your sleepiness as a compliment," he whispered as he nuzzled his face into my hair again. He pulled himself out of me with a deep sigh, and rolled onto his back. I turned over to face him and pressed my body up against his side. I lay my head on his shoulder and began rubbing my hand in slow circles across his chest, enjoying the feel of soft skin over hard muscle. The arm I was using as a pillow, wrapped around my shoulders and his fingers began gliding up and down the skin of my upper arm.

  "I'm glad you remembered to set an alarm," I said.

  "Part of me wishes I hadn't," he replied with a sigh. "I could stay like this all day."

  "Me, too." I lifted my leg and draped it over his, rubbing my calf up and down his. He turned his head and placed a soft kiss on my forehead.

  "I think I might go home and get cleaned up, drop your key off for Andy, and then come back to take you to work," he suggested.

  "That sounds good," I answered him, still admiring his chest.

  "You're going to have to let me up to do that, baby," he said with regret in his voice.

  "Fine," I said with a huff and rolled away from his side. When he stood up from the bed, I was treated to a fantastic view of his backside. Staying in bed all day was starting to sound like a much better idea, but I had to go to work. I climbed out of bed as Jensen got dressed, and walked over to grab my robe off the hook on my door. I turned facing him as I slipped it on, giving him one more look before tying it around my waist. He smiled knowingly as his eyes traveled up my body to my face, and I enjoyed one last glimpse of his chest as he pulled his shirt down over himself.

  "Did you want something for breakfast before you leave?" I asked after I told him the security code so he could get back into the building.

  "No, I'm good," he said as he pulled on his boots, and then gave me one of his devastatingly sexy grins. "I already had what I wanted for breakfast." I felt a blush begin to heat my face as I smiled back at him. He stood, grabbed his phone off the nightstand, and came over to me. He looked down at me, his right hand coming up to caress my cheek. His eyes were like pools of green fire. I met his eyes and couldn't look away as he kissed me softly, his lips making me weak and dizzy. Sweet Jesus, this man was going to be the death of me. He ended the kiss and rubbed his thumb across my lips. I thought I might melt into a puddle of goo on the floor.

  "Walk me out?" he asked as he released his hold on me. I nodded, still unable to speak. He took my hand, opened the door of my room, and led me out into the living area. As we walked past the kitchen table, I felt myself blushing again. I hoped this wasn't going to happen every time I set eyes on the damn kitchen table. I'd end up eating in my room. Jensen paused by the door before leaving and pulled me into his arms. He pressed his lips to mine again, this time lingering longer as his tongue slipped into my mouth. When he finally pulled away I was breathless with need.

  "I should be back by seven-thirty or so," he said between harsh breaths. Apparently, I wasn't the only one deeply affected by our physical contact.

  "Okay," I answered softly, finally able to speak. I gave him my car keys from out of my purse then watched him open the door and meet my eyes one more time before he shut the it behind him. I locked the door and leaned my back against it with a deep sigh. I missed him already.

  It was almost seven-fifteen, by the time I was ready for work. I was sitting on my bed putting on my shoes when I heard the front door being unlocked. A flash of panic swept through me. It had to be Lauren. I hadn't thought she would be showing up at home until after work tonight. Thank God Jensen already left. I did not need a lecture about moving too fast with a guy.

  "Syd?!" Lauren's voice yelled. "Syd!"

  "I'm in my room!" I hollered back, tying the last knot on one of my shoes. I rose and walked out of my room, nearly colliding with Lauren in the doorway.

  "Oh, my God, Syd. Your car!" she blurted out as she grabbed my shoulders. "Someone vandalized your car!"

  "I know," I sighed.

  "Who the hell would do such a thing?" she asked in anger.

  "I'm pretty sure it was Clay," I answered, my own anger starting to rise as I thought about him again.

  "That son of a bitch! Did you call the police?"

  "No," I said. "I don't have any proof it was him."

  "Well, you should at least take pictures of it before you get it fixed," she said as she started to calm down.

  "I will," I agreed. "What are you doing here? I didn't think I'd see you until tonight?"

  "I left my laptop here," she said as she turned going to her room across the hall. I followed her into her room, my brain trying to figure out a way to hurry her out of the apartment before Jensen showed up again. I didn't want her to know about him until I could explain what had happened yesterday. I didn't want her thinking that I was reverting back to old habits. Jensen was not a one-night-stand.

  "Do you need a ride to work?" she asked as she retrieved her computer bag off the floor next to her bed.

  "No, I got a ride lined up," I answered vaguely. "Someone from the body shop is going to pick the car up today, too. That way, I don't have to drive it."

  "You got it in to be fixed today?" She looked impressed. "That's fantastic. I was afraid you'd end up driving it around like that for days."

  "I got lucky," I said, wincing inside at my choice of words. I pictured Jensen's sexy smirk in my head and hoped the dim light in Lauren's room hid my blush.

  Luckily, she walked past me without noticing my discomfort, and I followed her out to the kitchen. She paused as she passed the kitchen table and scooted it over a couple of inches with her hip, moving it back to where it usually sat with a befuddled look on her face. Thank God Jensen picked the silverware up off the floor last night.

  "You better hurry if you don't want to be late," I blurted out before she could put too much thought into the how the table had moved. I was glad she hadn't noticed the pair of dirty plates sitting in the sink. She glanced at her watch and nodded.

  "How about I fix you that dinner I promised tonight?" she suggested as she picked up her purse and keys off the small table by the front door.

  "Okay," I answered quickly as I ushered her to the door. "I'll see you tonight."

  Lauren turned the doorknob and pulled the door open to reveal Jensen standing there with his hand raised to knock on the door. We all stood in startled silence for a moment as Jensen looked uneasily from Lauren to me and back again. Lauren looked at Jensen in confusion. I just stood there staring speechlessly a
t Jensen, unsure what to do. Thankfully, Jensen came to his senses first.

  "You must be Lauren," he said with a tense smile. "I'm Jensen; it's nice to meet you."

  "Um...it's nice to meet you, too," my sister answered awkwardly, and then turned looking at me, her eyebrows shooting up toward her hairline. I avoided her eyes and looked at Jensen again.

  "Just let me get my purse, and I'll be ready to go," I told him, desperate to escape this situation. The sudden tension between Lauren and me was practically palpable. I could almost feel her intense stare piercing into me. Lauren's confusion was quickly turning into suspicion as her eyebrows dropped into a scowl.

  "Uh...okay," Jensen said uncomfortably. He glanced back and forth between my sister and me again, as if he was looking for some cue to tell him what to do. "Why don't I wait for you down in the lobby," he finally said. I looked at him, pleading with my eyes not to leave, but he merely shrugged at me. I guess he was smart enough not to get in the way of a family problem, especially if it involved sisters.

  "Yeah," Lauren said without looking at him. "She'll be down shortly."

  "Alright," he said and the coward fled down the hall after mouthing "sorry" to me. I couldn't blame him. I would have run away if I could have too.

  "Well?" Lauren said as she closed the door and looked at me expectantly.

  "Well, what?" I asked defensively. I'm a twenty-four-year-old woman I don't need to explain anything to her.

  "Oh, I don't know, how about why Jensen Hayes is here to take you to work?" she asked in exasperation, her voice rising.

  "That's none of your business," I retorted with annoyance and crossed my arms across my chest.

  "It is when you're riding around with someone who, as far as I know, was a compete stranger two days ago!" she said angrily as she thumped her bag and keys back down on the small table by the door.

  "If you must know, we went out on a date yesterday," I said. "We spent practically the whole day together, and he's a really nice guy."

  "When did you meet..." she trailed off as her eyes widened. "Oh, my God. Was that why you were so upset Saturday night? What did he do to you?"

  "He didn't do anything to me!" I defended Jensen. "We just really hit it off, and I needed to get away from the temptation of falling into bad habits."

  "Okay," she said waiting for more.

  "He came into the coffee shop yesterday morning, and I agreed to have dinner with him. He was with me when I found my car like that and offered me a ride to work today." I didn't tell her about his offer to fix the car. She'd tell me I couldn't accept the offer.

  "Please tell me you haven't slept with him already," Lauren said as she closed her eyes and swept her right hand down her face.

  Here was my dilemma. Did I follow old habits from the past and lie, or tell her the truth and live with her reaction? In the past, she always found me out anyway, and if I wanted to prove to her that I was beyond all that now, the truth was pretty much my only option. Plus, the idea of sneaking around with Jensen behind Lauren's back, just felt wrong. He deserved better than that.

  "I can't tell you that," I said with resignation. Her eyes snapped open and stared at me in disbelief. Frankly, my admission shocked me as well.

  "Are you fucking kidding me?" she finally asked in shocked anger. "You literally broke up with Clay on Friday, and now you jump in bed with the first guy who comes along?"

  "It's not like that," I tried to explain. "We have a real connection."

  "My God," she said in exasperation. "Do you hear yourself? It's just like high school all over again."

  "I'm not that person anymore!" I yelled at her.

  "Really? Because this whole conversation sounds really familiar to me!" she yelled back.

  Her words stung as if she had slapped me across the face. I felt my eyes start to sting with tears, and I couldn't deal with this anymore. I turned, grabbed my purse off the dining chair I had hung it on, and pushed past Lauren to the door.

  "Where are you going?!" she asked, her voice still angry. "This isn't over!"

  "Yes, it is," I answered vehemently.

  "You can't just walk out of this conversation!"

  "Yes, I can. I'm an adult and you aren't my mother," I said, hoping to hurt her like she had hurt me, as petty as that was. My words had the effect I wanted. Lauren's mouth snapped closed and she said nothing more, her face looking just as hurt as I felt inside. I opened the door and left without looking back.

  When I reached the elevator, I pounded the down-button with the bottom of my fist, and was grateful when the doors opened immediately. Hot tears began sliding down my cheeks against my will as I stepped in and hit the first floor button. I watched the door close through a curtain of tears. Would my past haunt me forever? How long would Lauren keep assuming the worst in me? My suicide attempt was almost five years ago, yet she still treated me like the fucked-up teenager I had been, when I didn't behave the way that she thought I should.

  The elevator doors finally opened on the first floor, and I carefully rubbed at the tears that threatened to mess up my makeup. I stepped out into the lobby to find Jensen leaning against the wall next to the elevator, looking down at the screen of his phone. He was wearing jeans, scuffed up work boots, and an open gray button-down shirt over a black T-shirt. His sleeves were rolled halfway up to his forearms, and he looked sexier than Clay ever had that way. He looked up at me and started to smile, but his face changed to concern when he saw that I was crying.

  "Sydney?" he asked as he put his phone in his back pocket and turned toward me. I rushed over to him, and he opened his arms without another word as I threw myself into him. I snaked my hands under his gray shirt and wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my cheek against the soft cotton of his T-shirt. He pulled me tight against his big warm body, and I instantly felt better. I breathed in the divine scent of clean laundry and man for a few seconds before looking up at his face.

  "Can we go?" I asked him. "I don't want to see Lauren again right now." I needed to get out of here before she came down to leave.

  "Okay," he answered and glanced over at the elevator with a glare that changed back to tenderness when his eyes met mine again. "Come on." He kept one arm around my shoulder as we walked out the doors leading to the parking lot. His presence was just what I needed to pull myself together. By the time we had crossed the lot, and he had opened the passenger door of his truck for me, I was done crying. Unfortunately, now I was just angry again. I sat glaring out the windshield as Jensen walked around to the driver's side to open the door and climb into the truck.

  "I don't want to piss you off more than you already are, but you look really hot when you're angry," Jensen said as he turned toward me in his seat. I turned my head to glare at him, but the amused smile on his face was so adorable that I snorted and shook my head, the anger fading a little.

  "Ha, ha," I replied with a small smile. He made it so hard to hold on to the anger.

  "Come here," he said, his face becoming serious. I leaned toward him as his left hand came up to cradle the right side of my face. He kissed me softly, our lips melding together deliciously. The kiss deepened, and I moaned with desire as his hand moved to the back of my head and gripped my hair. I grabbed handfuls of his shirt and pulled him toward me, and Jensen growled into my mouth. He abruptly broke the kiss, and I tried to pull him back for more.

  "I'd love to take you home right now and let you take your anger out on me," he said with a disappointed sigh. "But we both have to get to work."

  "Fine," I huffed. "I guess we'll be responsible today." He smiled again, reached across me to grab the seat belt, and brought it across my body to click it into place. His lips brushed mine one more time, then he belted himself in and started the truck. He said nothing until we were on the street headed toward the cafe.

  "I'm going to assume your sister doesn't approve of me," he stated suddenly. I snorted.

  "Apparently, she doesn't approve of me right now, either," I
grumbled, the anger returning. "I'm so tired of her treating me like a teenager. I'm an adult for fuck's sake. I can sleep with whoever I want."

  "You told her we had sex?" he asked with wide eyes. "No wonder she hates me!"

  "She doesn't even know you," I assured him. "She's mad at me for moving too fast with you."

  "I guess she has a point, not that I'm regretting anything we did."

  "Me either, but she keeps acting like I'm the same person I was in high school. I did a lot of things I regret back then, and it seems like I'll never live it down," I said as I shook my head, my eyes welling up again. He reached over and took my left hand and squeezed it.

  "Don't worry, once she gets to know me better; she won't be able to resist my charm," he said as he raised my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. His eyes danced with amusement. I smiled and shook my head at him. He was pretty charming, but I wasn't sure it would be enough to win Lauren over. She could be pretty stubborn when it came to my well being. I really wish she could accept that I wasn't a kid who needed to be mothered all the time anymore. I felt my smile slip away. I would have to have a serious talk with her about it. I just hoped it would go better than this morning's conversation had gone.

  We lapsed into silence for a few minutes as Jensen kept my hand in his, occasionally rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand in comforting circles. How did he almost always seem to know what I needed? I watched his profile for a while as he drove, admiring his straight nose, kissable lips, and the light dusting of freckles across his cheeks and nose. His beautiful green eyes turned to me and lit up with a grin.

  "You like watching me drive, don't you?" he asked. I blushed and looked away with embarrassment. "Hey, don't be embarrassed. You can stare at me anytime you like. I love the way you look at me." His voice deepened with need at that last sentence, and I turned back to look at him again. His eyes had darkened, and I caught my breath at how much he obviously wanted me. It was a heady drug, being desired like that. He turned back to the road and squeezed my hand again.