Heartbreaker (Unbreakable #1)

by Kat Bastion

  The next time I glanced up, there she stood. In the middle of the dance floor.

  I instantly abandoned my booth and strode through the crowd toward her.

  She broke into a wide smile the moment her gaze fell on me.

  My steps slowed as the hilarity of her outfit finally made it past my need to be near her.

  “What…are you wearing?” I blinked, turned on in a shocked kind of way.

  “It’s my 70’s getup.” She danced backwards, one step for every beat, shoulders and hips working the rhythm. “Do you like it?”

  “Yeah.” My voice broke as my gaze roved downward from the foot-high bobbing Afro wig on her head.

  “Amazing how fashion comes around. These are my favorite yoga pants.”

  My favorite too.

  Bell-bottom cuffs let her purple-polished toenails peek out. But the black fabric snugged in at her knees, clung to those sexy hips and thighs, then tucked inward at her trim waist—a waist I hadn’t seen before. Slight defined vertical cuts began somewhere under the waistband of those pants and ran upward, toward her ribs.

  “You’re staring at my boobs.”

  My lips quirked up. “Can’t help it. They’re bouncing.”

  Yep. Hidden from view only by a clingy band of sparkling silver held up by two tiny straps.

  “It’s vintage.”

  Coolness edged her tone. As if she had no effect on me. That my throat hadn’t gone dry. That my cock behind my tightening jeans hadn’t grown hard. For her.

  “Can’t believe I found it in a thrift shop,” she continued, oblivious. “Only needed a few extra sequins sewn on.” She talked about the bangles on her wrists. Then she described her other thrift-shop finds while showing off her shoes.

  I’d stopped actively listening. Because it was her face, the glow in her cheeks and the bright shine in her eyes, that had stolen my attention.

  Until she nodded her head so hard her outrageous hair shifted halfway down her forehead.

  She pressed her lips together, fighting a smile as she straightened her wig.

  “Kiki!” Kristen called out to her, waving.

  Her face fell, like her sister had spoiled her fun. “I have to go.”

  “Me too.” I hiked a thumb back toward the sound booth.

  We parted ways, Kiki to her event duties, me to mine. During the next hour, I stole glances at her while she danced around and mingled with guests.

  I’d been watching her solidly for the last few minutes. She stood with her sisters and Hannah as her body bounced to Kool & the Gang’s “Ladies’ Night.”

  The moment I changed songs, Kiki broke away from the girls and jumped up onto a low table. Her hands flew into the air as the first electro-funk bars of The S.O.S. Band’s “Take your Time (Do It Right)” blared out. Yeah, it hit the charts the summer of 1980, however I wasn’t a 70’s purist and it was close enough.

  But had I known what the song would do to Kiki? Would’ve been the only one I played all night.

  Another huge smile broke out on her face.

  She stared at me the entire time she mouthed the words to the song.

  And in that moment, it struck me. She struck me. A bolt of realization shot from the essence of who she was through my chest, straight into my heart. It thudded hard. For her.

  I didn’t remember leaving the sound booth.

  The crowd on the dance floor parted as I worked my way through dozens of gyrating bodies.

  She tracked my every move as I stalked her.

  Her gaze at me intensified as I came within touching distance. “One life is all we have to liiive,” she belted out.

  On a deep breath, fully committed, I reached up and wrapped my arms around her thighs, lifting her from the table.

  Her eyes widened a fraction as I let her slowly slide down my body.

  As she lowered, when the inside of her elbows reached my ears, she wrapped her arms around my head. Her fingers combed through my hair before clasping behind my neck. Her lips parted as the song continued on without her.

  Then on a whisper, she repeated the last verse, “Our love is all we have to giiive…”

  She swallowed hard and stared into my eyes. Those words hung between us, heavy with importance.

  I blew out a slow exhale. “I want you.”

  The corners of her luscious mouth twitched. “It’s the getup. I’m rockin’ a deadly ’fro.”

  “No.” I sucked in a deep breath, gaze hardening, never more certain of anything in my life. “I want you.”

  Her expression sobered. “You do?”

  She trembled in my arms.

  I tightened my hold around her. “Not for one night. All the way, Kiki. Starting tonight…more than friends.”

  When her mouth opened, I sensed a protest coming. So I kissed her.

  A tiny squeak escaped from her throat before her lips softened.

  The kiss was brief, but effective.

  I left her there, staring at me with a stunned expression, her lips slightly parted. She looked amazing. Good enough to devour. But the party pulsed on all around us. Our time together would have to wait a little longer.

  The night dragged on. Each time I felt like another hour had passed, I’d check my phone to see it had only been another thirty minutes.

  Song after song, I watched her dance. Occasionally, she’d mingle through the crowd with a pink drink in her hand. A wide smile brightened her face every time she glanced my way—which was often. Every now and then, her sisters would pull her away to talk to a partygoer or handle the cake cutting.

  When midnight loomed close, Cade dropped by the sound booth. “You look anxious.”

  “Do I?”

  “Yep.” He tipped his beer bottle back, took a long pull.

  I shrugged and forced myself not to glance Kiki’s way.

  “Don’t suppose it has to do with your eyes glued to Kiki every chance you get.”

  “That obvious?” No way was I going to deny it.

  “Lil’ bit.”

  “I’ll do right by her.”

  “Don’t doubt it.” Cade gave a short nod.

  “Good.” His blessing meant something to me.

  “Party’s wrapping up. No point in you hanging around. I’ll man the booth and lock it all up after.”

  “You kicking me out?” Best news in hours.

  “Somebody better. We only do PG parties. Go.”

  I hesitated, staring at him. “So, you’re okay. With me…and Kiki?”

  He shot me a deadpan expression. “You two have been fooling no one but yourselves. Kendall and Kristen all but ordered me to come over here and talk some sense into you. We know you and Kiki were meant to be more than just friends. Go. Do something about it.”

  A relieved breath whooshed out of me. Hadn’t realized I’d held it. “Thanks, man.”

  By the time I turned around, Kiki faced me from the other side of a thinning crowd. Her sisters formed a wall behind her. Then she stumbled forward, like they’d given her a gentle shove. Her eyes narrowed and she glanced back toward them, but she was laughing by the time she faced me again.

  Body vibrating with anticipation, I crossed the floor with determined strides.

  Her smile widened as she reached out, then grasped my hand. “We’re being kicked out.” She pulled off her wig, then handed it to Kendall as her hair tumbled down over her shoulders in loose waves.

  I tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “Guess we’ve been bad.”

  She stared up at me, her beautiful blue eyes darkening. “Or about to be…”

  Yeah. I led her out of there, holding her hand tightly. We burst out of the double doors at the entrance into the dimly lit parking lot.

  When I turned us toward the truck, she tugged on my hand. “Mind if we walk?”

  I calculated the distance. Her place was three and a half blocks away. Then I glanced down at her high heels. “You sure?” A few minutes by truck. About twenty by foot.

  “Yeah. There’s a
place on the way I want to show you.”

  Make that maybe an hour, or more. I took a deep breath. I’d been waiting a very long time for Kiki. Another hour? I could do.

  The night was mild as we walked hand in hand down the cobbled sidewalk. Without warning, she dropped my hand, skipped ahead, then popped onto the curbing around the last lamppost on the street. A breeze stirred the ends of her softly curled hair, then calmed again as she wrapped her hands around the wrought iron pole.

  She stared off into the darkness of a neighborhood park as tree leaves rustled overhead. “This is perfect.” She scanned the sky. “It’s a moonless night.”

  Didn’t argue. Any night with her was perfect.

  With a slight squeal, she grabbed my hand and rushed forward. The clicks of her heels disappeared the moment we hit grass.

  I couldn’t see jack shit, but I jogged after her, barely keeping up. “Don’t step into a hole.”

  “There are none. I’ve snuck out here every night this week.” She stopped so suddenly, I crashed into her. She giggled, then half-turned as she reached up, lifting the end of a branch. “Be careful, low bridge.”

  Intrigued by what would capture her attention for a whole week of nighttime visits, I ducked under the branch. We picked our way through thick bushes and low-hanging limbs. “A wilderness hike?” This part of Glenhaven was on the outskirts of town, bordering forest land.

  She slowed her steps, then stopped altogether. “Close your eyes.”

  “Seriously?” I snorted. “Can’t see a damn thing.”

  “Close them.”

  Her stern tone made me smile. “Fine. They’re closed.”

  She led me forward while insects chirped and sang in the trees around us.

  “Okay.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Now open.”

  I did. Then I blinked, not quite processing what I saw. Thousands of greenish lights glittered against a black backdrop.

  “Wow.” All I could say. “Fireflies?”

  “Yep. Aren’t they amazing?” She leaned against me, touching her head to my chest, just below my shoulder.

  “Can’t believe they’re here this early.” I rested my hand on her hip.

  “Right?” She glanced up at me, then back out again. “Must be the really warm early spring. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen them in April.”

  In silence we stared at the spectacle. Tiny lights blinked on and off. If you stared in one spot, the lights would dance, swaying in a ripple anytime a slight breeze would catch them.

  “It’s like the miracle of a first snow on…” Her voice turned breathless with wonder.

  “Christmas Eve.” I remembered.

  I now felt it too, understood firsthand what she’d meant—that quiet moment of before, when anticipation wound tight inside, about to explode.

  She let out a sigh. “This is our Christmas Eve.”

  I wrapped my other arm around her, brushing my lips along the top of her ear. “Please tell me I get to unwrap my present tonight.”

  She shifted in my hold, then stared up at me with dark wide eyes. The weight of the moment crackled with intensity as she pressed her hands to my ribs, then ran them up my chest. In the light of the fireflies, her halo of dark hair shimmered pale green around her face.

  “That depends,” she whispered.

  “On?” My hands tightened, pressing on her back.

  I stared at the incredible girl in my arms. Soft tempting curves. A heart full of wild wonder. One whose first wish tonight was to share her secret miracle. With me.

  Nothing on earth had ever made me feel so lucky.

  “On whether you’re bad or good.”

  I dropped my head, pressed a kiss to her temple, then dragged my lips to the top of her ear. “Bad,” I growled. “I plan to be very bad.”

  Her entire body shuddered in my arms. “Good answer.”

  I eased back and savored the moment, staring down at her.

  Over the rustling of leaves and singing of insects, only our heavy breaths were heard. I swallowed hard. She licked her lips.

  Then she bit the plump lower one as she stared up at my mouth.

  I lost it. Dipping down, I captured her lips with mine. The kiss was hungry. Insistent. She exhaled a sigh into my mouth as I thrust my tongue forward. She tasted sugar sweet, remnants of those pink drinks she’d been holding.

  Groaning, I buried my hands into her soft hair.

  Her weight leaned against me as she relaxed in my hold. Our tongues explored, mine dragging alongside hers, hers tangling over mine.

  My hands fell lower until they gripped her hips. Unable to stop myself, I ground against her.

  A fucking delicious little moan came from her throat.

  Then a shudder tripped through me, the impact of our kiss shocking me down to my bones.

  When we pulled apart, she blew out a slow breath through pursed lips. “Wow.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Ready to open your present?”

  “Fuck yeah.”

  I scooped her up into my arms. “Which way to your house?”

  She kicked her feet, fighting my hold. “I can walk, you know.”

  “No. I’m about to tear off at a dead run. Those heels will only slow us down.” I shouldered past the low-hanging branches, turning her away to shield her. “Direction. Now.”

  Laughing, she gripped my shoulder and biceps and nodded her chin up the street. “Next block up. On the right.”

  With a quick toss of her slight weight, I adjusted my grip then made good on my word. Holding her tight, I ran the fifty yards to the nearest street corner.

  She pressed her face into my neck. “A right here. Second drive.”

  I already spotted the white picket fence. Aimed for the alley before it. At the corner, I paused and leaned against a lamppost, catching my breath.

  She smirked. “Out of shape, big guy?”

  I grunted. “Need to work in hundred-pound girl carries.”

  “You’ll be carrying no other girls. And it’s a hundred and seventeen.”

  “No wonder.”

  She smacked my pec loud enough to sting.

  “Need your stance on condoms.”

  Her brow furrowed. “Right here?”

  “The info, yeah.” I straightened from the lamppost, hoisted her up, letting her slight frame leave my touch for a fraction of a second, then caught her again. “’Cuz the second we hit your place, all rational talk is out.”

  “I like condoms,” she blurted when I crossed half the distance down the alley.

  “Any other birth control?”

  “I’m on the pill.” Her voice lowered.

  “Ever go without condoms?”

  “No.” A whispered word.

  “Me either. Got tested in March. Clean bill of health.” My words were clipped. All I could manage with blood rushing south.

  “Me too. Last November.”

  She hadn’t been with anyone since then. Almost two years she’d said.

  “No condoms, then.” Her voice had a breathless thoughtful tone.

  An excited breath gusted out of me—at the thought of skin to skin, her wrapped around me with nothing between us.

  Everything from that point on blurred. Didn’t even remember passing through her gate. When I lowered her to the ground, she fumbled with her keys at the front door. Then we were inside. The metal clanged shut, the bolt thrown.

  A few lights had been left on; their dim glow from farther inside cast shadows on the expansive warehouse. But I saw Kiki clearly, my gaze pinned on her.

  She tugged at the bottom of her skimpy silver top, taking backward half-steps away from me. “Do you want to do the unwrapping?” A tiny smirk twisted her lips, her hips swaying as she automatically sidestepped around her metal sculptures.

  I swallowed hard and shook my head. “No. You.”

  Her pace picked up once we cleared the metalwork and stepped into the wide-open main room. As we passed her living room, she tore off her
top then tossed it onto the sidearm of a couch.

  Then she paused.

  I stopped walking. Stopped breathing.

  A light blue lace bra cupped her breasts. Dusty pink nipples showed through, erect.

  She reached back, stretching the barely-there fabric. Her fingers slipped under her waistband at her hips, but paused. Her head tilted, a single brow arched. “Now you.”

  Fuck yeah. No slowing down now. I gripped the back of my shirt and yanked it over my head. Jeans and boxers were stripped off together seconds later.

  She blinked, staring at my body. “Oh. My.”

  “Five seconds,” I growled. “Naked. Or I’m tearing off the pretty wrapping.”

  Her eyes widened. Her breaths quickened. But she didn’t move.

  “Four.”

  I could practically see the gears turning in her head as her pupils darkened.

  “Three.” I stalked forward, closing the distance.

  She squealed when I came within reach, stumbled a few steps back, then dropped her pants, jumping out of them before running toward the metal stairs that led up to her loft.

  My mouth went dry. The barest scrap of blue lace stretched over her hips, then disappeared between two glorious butt cheeks.

  “Damn,” I breathed as I watched her run up the stairs.

  Flashes of her breasts bouncing etched into my brain.

  I raced up the stairs two at a time and reached the middle landing as she paused at the top. When she opened the door, a flash of brown fur blurred by, brushing against my leg. Focus trained only on Kiki, I jogged up the rest of the stairs, pushed the closing door open, then strode inside, letting it slam behind me.

  At its banging echo, she turned right as she reached the edge of her dining room. Then she backed up a step, bright smile on her face, chest heaving from her exertion.

  Two quick strides and I had her in my arms.

  Her hands planted on my chest. “Don’t you want me to finish unwrapping your gift?” A slender brow raised as she slipped a finger under the delicate lace at her shoulder.

  “No,” I growled.

  I gripped her shoulders, guiding her until the backs of her legs were stopped by the bed. Then I kissed her, devouring her lips, her mouth. I explored with hungry sucks and gentle bites.