Beautifully Broken

by Christa Simpson

  She refuses to admit that their flame did not die when the ambulance stole him away. There’s more to a relationship than sex. She knows he was way beyond under the weather, while battling for his life, but it still to this day irks her that he’s never looked her up. Sex is the only thing they’ve ever connected over. This conversation stuff is just not working.

  Matt finally speaks up, so she doesn’t have to. It’s not much help. "That's it, Felicia. Kick me while I'm down. Hey, Sky. Can you pull the bus up? I'm sure my partner here would love to throw me under it."

  "I'm not your partner, so think of something else to call me, okay?" Felicia sucks in a breath and blows it out in a steady stream of air, but still she feels anything but calm.

  Jensen starts to rub her back again, but she swats him away. He really has to stop doing that. Jensen lifts his hands in surrender and walks away.

  Felicia glances apologetically at Matt. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I can't keep my mouth shut sometimes."

  "It's a good mouth. I'll give you that," Matt admits, smirking at the situation even though it’s totally serious.

  Destiny’s still not impressed with the way either of them are acting. “Felicia, come with me.”

  Felicia puts her foot down and props her hands on her hips like a scorned child. “Why should I? It's not going to change anything.”

  Destiny raises a brow like her angry sixth-grade teacher used to. It takes a lot to get her heated, but it looks like Felicia has succeeded.

  “Because you're being incredibly rude and I won't have it. Not at my wedding. Not with my new brother-in-law.”

  Destiny takes Felicia's hand and tugs her from the room, her force and speed telling everyone to watch out.

  As soon as they’re a fair distance down the hall, she shouts. “What are you doing in there? How can you be so rude? It’s because he's in the wheelchair, isn’t it?”

  Felicia rolls her eyes at that. “Oh, please. I told you before, I'm not that shallow.”

  “What is wrong with you? You’re obviously judging him because of that. Recall that Matty had no control over what happened. He didn’t ask for this. You, of all people, should understand that.”

  “Give me a little credit,” Felicia rebukes, but she’s lost all her steam.

  “I'm finding it hard to do that right now, with the way you've been acting ever since he showed up.” The way Destiny flags her hands around shows how angry she is. “What's going on between you two? You hit it off so well while we were on vacation. What’s happened between then and now that’s done this to you?”

  Felicia draws disbelief from every inch of her body. "What happened? That’s a dumb question, Destiny. Really?"

  “That’s it, huh? You're going to punish him even more. As if he hasn't suffered enough with losing the use of his legs. Then you bring Jensen into it just to add salt to his wounds.”

  His wounds? Felicia shakes her head solemnly, finally showing her regret. She was only thinking of herself.

  Her voice sounds as solemn as her heart feels. “It's not safe for Matt to be around me. I’m protecting him—from me. I wreck things. There's little left for me to harm with him.”

  “I think you're wrong, and maybe you should allow him to make his own decisions. Luckily, Matt’s as stubborn as you, so I doubt he’s given up so soon.”

  “Given up on what?”

  Destiny smirks. “Not what. Who. He's not going to give up on you, Felicia, without a fight.”

  Felicia shrugs a determined shoulder. “He’ll have to when I walk away.”

  “Felicia.”

  Matt rolls toward them, but stops as soon as he hears the heated discussion. Neither Felicia nor Destiny realizes he’s spotted them, so he backs away to remain out of sight.

  “That weekend was a mistake. It should have never happened,” Felicia spews.

  Destiny smirks again at her friend. “Funny, you weren't saying that before the accident. In fact, if it weren't for you two connecting that weekend, none of us would be here today, now would we?”

  Felicia turns away, unwilling to show Destiny the colorful emotions playing on her face. “Whatever. I'm not going to fight with you about it.”

  Destiny sighs, with exhaustion settling into her words. “Will you please just talk to him? Maybe you'll see that nothing much at all has changed. Or maybe it has. I don’t know. Just figure it out. Can you do that?”

  “Doubt it. But I'm not about to argue with the bride.”

  “All you have to do is talk,” Destiny points out.

  “I’ll talk to him. Happy?”

  Destiny sighs. "Yes. Thank you."

  Matt quietly leaves the room, before anyone realizes he was ever present.

  “But know that I'm only doing it for you,” Felicia says. “If he tries anything . . .”

  Destiny laughs. “You're a big girl. I'm sure you can figure it out.” With that, Destiny walks off, leaving her standing there with too many memories and a heart that aches with a loss all too familiar.

  She bolts from the hall and returns to the gathering, plastering a fake smile on her face for Destiny and her guests as she seeks out Matt. She doesn’t want to prolong this any longer than she has to, so she walks straight across the room and confronts him face to face.

  “We need to talk.”

  Matt smirks smugly at the guys next to him. "Then talk."

  "Privately." She points her thumb at the door like she’s hitchhiking.

  He raises his eyebrows and smiles again. “You want to get me alone, take out all your frustrations on me. Is that it?”

  “You wish.”

  “Every night.”

  That has his friends laughing.

  She huffs and storms off.

  Matt settles into his wheelchair with help from a cane. “She wants me.” He chases her into the hallway, through the library and onto the Juliet balcony that overlooks the gardens. He eases out of his chair to cross the threshold and shuffles closer to her before throwing a slanted smile her way.

  "You wanted me?"

  Felicia scowls at his choice of words, but admits it. “Yes.” She continues to stare at the well-manicured gardens. They’re beautiful . . . the trees and flowers and fountains. The atmosphere helps her clear her head, but her hormones still rage. She turns to face Matt. He’s leaning against the castle wall, looking fairly uncomfortable on his feet.

  Still, his smile has become no less smug than the day she met him. It almost bugs her the way her body responds to him.

  He flashes her a smile. “Come and get it. It’s all yours.” Using his hand, he presents his body as if it’s her own personal playground.

  Angered by his behavior, she makes a stealthy approach and closes the distance between them. She doesn't care if he’s practically crippled. That mouth hasn’t changed one bit. She reaches out for his shoulders and slams his back against the stone wall. Her knee flags his body, pinning him there, so he can't escape even if he wants to.

  "You're going to drop this attitude for the weekend. You got it?” She can still see the confidence oozing from him. Nothing has changed, except for the determination. He hadn’t needed that last time. Their relationship had been fun, casual and easy. Now everything seems so hard.

  “Quit trying to get fresh with me. I'm not interested,” she adds, when he doesn’t speak.

  His slanted smile remains in place as his eyes become fixated on her lips. She feels that smile touching her entire body. Her blood seems to flow for him, pumping endorphins from limb to limb.

  “So, that guy you’ve brought along—,” he starts.

  “Jensen.”

  He smirks again, forcing her to connect with his eyes. “He’s your lover?”

  Matt knows he should be worrying about the way Felicia's pinned his bad leg, but all he can think about is the tightness of her nipples and the flare in her eye when he provokes her. The man she’s brought along, Jensen, means nothing to her. He’s not a threat to Matt, that is clear as
day. And then there’s Carter. Carter’s but another way for Felicia to manipulate him and make him jealous.

  I’m the one she wants. I know it. He grins with that knowledge.

  Felicia’s got him against the wall. She is in control right now. His curiosity is burning a hole through the castle wall while she struggles with what to say to him. The urge to kiss her is overwhelming.

  “I'm sorry. Okay?” Felicia acts like it is such a difficult thing to say.

  Still he remains silent. It seems to make her sweat. She deserves every second of it. The longer he waits the more flustered she grows, but she doesn't let him go. If anything, she only tightens her grip.

  “I said I'm sorry,” she repeats. “I’m so very sorry. What I said was just plain mean. I don’t want you to hate me. I just want—”

  Her words break off. She’s not prepared to tell him that, but what exactly? When he senses the feistiness drain from her words, he knows the time has come. Her words sound weak and exhausted now.

  She tries to make sense of her feelings. “I'm sorry for tonight and I'm sorry . . .”

  It only takes a tilt of his head to seal his lips to her pretty little pout. He releases her mouth slowly, but when she doesn't back away he takes that as his permission to swoop in for another kiss. Their mouths collide and her tongue slides over his, as if they’ve not missed a beat. They exchange smiles, in between tongue, but as he leans into her for more, Felicia backs away, and she moves so fast he nearly crumbles to the cobblestone floor.

  He's glad she turns away, so she can't see his wince or the way he's hunched over in pain now that she’s released him.

  “Promise me you won't do that again.” Felicia's voice regains its firmness, but her fingers hover over her lips and her eyes remain downturned, showing him exactly what he needs to know.

  Matt finally speaks after taking it all in. “I promise.”

  She recovers just enough to tell him how it has to be. “I will walk with you down the aisle, but only because Destiny wants me to. Once you deliver me to the altar, we'll both go about our own lives as if this moment never happened.”

  “If that’s what you want.” The expression in his voice is enough to tell her that this agreement is one-sided.

  She turns to face him and sears him with emotion. “This isn't going to happen, Matty. It will never work. So dry your tears and suck it up.” She blasts past him, cooling his core with the frost from her voice.

  The only tears shed tonight would be hers.

  Chapter 12: Shit Happens

  Felicia rushes from the balcony, acting angry, but truly she's upset and doesn’t want Matt or anyone else to know that.

  I know Destiny knows.

  She has no idea how Destiny figured it out, but she can see it in her eyes. It’s like a constant warning to act on it before it’s too late.

  But that’s not me. I don’t act on emotions.

  No, she much prefers to leave them to fester. Matt doesn’t make it any easier for her either. How he manages to get under her skin so well is anyone’s guess. Everything he says and does has her hair prickling and her body vibrating with need.

  She’s done what she had set out to do—apologize to him for being so cruel. It was heartfelt too. She’s only ever had to live through something so painful once before in her lifetime.

  His accident.

  She hurries through the hall and passes by the common area, following the path toward her room in the west wing. She’s relieved to avoid anyone she knows on the way but, the closer she gets to her room, the stench of smoke grows thicker. Something is definitely burning.

  She prays it's not the wedding cake and clutches onto her door handle. The knob scalds the tips of her fingers and her entire palm. She screeches and pulls away, but the damage is already done. She quickly flattens the back of her hand against the door and just then realizes what is happening.

  "Felicia!" Matt hollers down the hall. "Hold up."

  She wishes she could crawl under a rock, but instead she must figure out how to fix this problem.

  "What's that smell?" Matt asks, as he rolls closer.

  “Burning flesh.” Felicia tugs off her top and grabs onto the door knob once again.

  “What are you doing?” His shouting doesn’t expose his intrigue, but his eyes are wide with excitement.

  “Trying to get in the door!”

  Her thin scrap of material does nothing to combat the heat from the knob.

  Matty pulls off his shirt and tosses it to her. “Here, use this.”

  She takes a second to adjust to the new scars marring his body; one of them wraps right around his ribs. With renewed confidence, she takes the shirt from him, wraps it around her hand and cries out as she forces entry into the flaming room. She was hoping to save her bridesmaid dress, but it's much too late for that. Smoke storms out of the room like a violent tide of grey and black, sending her back out the door. She instantly starts hacking and hunches over, just as a burst of flames licks the upper frame of the door.

  Matt gets to his feet and dives toward her, knocking her to the floor, just as flames blast into the hall.

  She's stunned. She can't believe what he's just done.

  He can't believe she's being so stupid. "Put your shirt back on. I'm sure back-up will be here any minute."

  "How do you know?" She shoves him away, thankful, but determined to rescue something.

  After pulling on her shirt, she drops to her knees and crawls back inside the smoky room. She finds something blue in her charred coat pocket, just inside the door—a clip for Destiny’s hair. She hasn’t even found the right opportunity to give it to her yet.

  “Felicia. Get out of there!”

  “The dress!” she shouts, between coughs.

  “Forget the dress!”

  She clutches the pin in a palm and crawls back out of the room, coughing hysterically. “We need to call the fire department,” she hacks.

  Matt climbs over her, to protect her from the flames. He cups her cheek, then wipes the sweat from her brow and the hair from her eyes. "Help is already on its way. There's no way the staff missed that explosion. The folks in town probably heard that explosion.”

  She realizes then that he's yelling. Her ear drums are ringing from the tension in the air.

  "What the hell were you doing?" He releases her face to grab at his side with a wince. He’s slouched against the wall, looking like death warmed over.

  It makes her feel guilty for being so selfish. "I wanted to save Destiny’s dress,” she admits sadly. “Now it's ruined."

  Matt fights through the physical pain he’s in. "You're lucky I saved your ass, or your face would be ruined. How do you feel about that?"

  She's too flabbergasted to respond.

  "You're welcome. Now we're even. You saved my life, I've saved yours."

  When he turns away from her, the anticipation doesn't fade. She thinks he's going to be too weak to get back to his chair. "Let me help you."

  He takes her hand, but it's not for help. He rushes past the dangerous door with a double hop on his good leg. She grabs onto his chair and spins it around. "Get in. I can help you."

  There's no time to argue. His abs flex as he gets in the chair and they hightail it out of there, as the flames make chase.

  When they turn the corner, they crash into castle staff. Matt’s wheelchair slams sideways and Felicia takes a dive over top of it, injuring her knee. The large wheel continues to spin as they all stare at each other, trying to grasp what has just happened.

  "Go!" Matt hollers. "The goddamned castle is on fire."

  “Get out of the way!” Carter hollers, bounding down the hall toward the fire. The men garbed in fireproof suits regain their footing and race down the hall as if the crash was but a minor disruption in their approach. Within a matter of seconds, Felicia’s alone with Matt again. A long, flat hose snakes next to their faces.

  Felicia leans back, looking worried about surveying the damage. �
�Did you break anything?”

  “Your fall,” Matt admits devilishly.

  “I meant bones.”

  “I’m so broken, sweetheart, I wouldn’t know if I had.”

  Instead of telling him how sorry she is, without thinking it through, she leans over and kisses him. He isn’t expecting it when her lips hook onto his, so it’s awkward, but it quickly turns into magic and it’s like they’re experiencing their first kiss all over again, passion and attraction uniting.

  When Felicia breaks the kiss, Matt remains staring at the high vaulted ceilings. He’s now smiling. "Tell me again why you keep knocking me on my back. If this is your way of getting in my bed, there are much easier methods."

  "How could you even think about sex at a time like this?” Her hand absently slides over his naked abdominal muscles. He’s lost his shirt to the fire because of her.

  “Life goes on,” he reminds her.

  Felicia shakes her head to disagree with him. “Destiny's wedding could very well be ruined and it's all my fault."

  "You really have issues with that sort of thing. You need to quit blaming yourself for everything. Shit happens."

  "I know. But why does shit always have to happen to me?"

  Chapter 13: Just One Kiss

  Felicia thinks she has life rough; she should try walking one day in my shoes.

  Matt tries to focus on that, but it’s hard with those pretty little hands sliding over his aroused body. She kisses him. She kisses him.

  I knew it. She wants me.

  Felicia rights Matt’s wheelchair and helps him into it. He hates that he’s being so dependent, but she seems to enjoy taking care of him and he actually likes it too. Since he’s already gotten a kiss out of the deal, he’ll keep up the wounded soldier act a little longer. She slowly pushes him down the hall, until Destiny hurries toward them in a panic.

  “My dress?” she cries out.

  Felicia shakes her head side to side, with tears forming in her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

  Destiny narrows her eyes at Felicia, as if it’s all her fault. She points an angry finger. Felicia’s lower lip begins to tremble as Skylar bursts around the corner, catching Destiny in his arms.