Broken Course (Wrecked and Ruined #3)(14)

"Hey! What’s wrong with Batman?"

"I didn’t think it was possible for you to become any less attractive after last night," she says, tangling her legs tighter with mine.

"Liar." I smirk and grab the remote, flipping through the on-demand movies. "Okay, let’s see if we can find this Vanilla Ice Cream porno you are so eager to watch. But…you have to come over here by me if you want me to watch this crap."

"It’s not crap. I love this movie," she responds as I press play.

"Come on. Get up here." I scoot over to the edge, allowing her just enough room to squeeze in next to me. She doesn’t move, so I just shrug and hit the menu button on the remote. "Okay, looks like Vision Quest will be playing at the James Cinema today after all."

"This is blackmail."

"Just a little," I reply, patting the couch next to me.

She groans before crawling forward and tucking herself into my side. She rests her head on my chest but keeps her arms at her sides. I almost find it comical. However, before Tom Cruise even starts running through Times Square, she drapes her arm across my chest and begins stroking up and down my side.

We spend the rest of the day lounging on the couch. We talk, sleep, and laugh—a lot. We both feel like utter shit, but I’ll admit that I’m actually enjoying my time lying around with her. It is a million times better than being miserable alone. She is always touching me. It isn’t sexual, but it is definitely flirty. And it doesn’t feel forced or awkward either. It feels, well…normal.





"THANK YOU for calling the Chicago Tribune. How may I direct your call?"


It’s an endless cycle.

"Please hold."

All day.

"Thank you for calling the Chicago Tribune. How may I direct your call?"

Fuck my life.

I’ve worked this job for approximately two point five days and I’m officially ready to quit, but unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury.

"Please hold."

"Sarah!" I hear the Wicked Witch call from her office. "Time for lunch," she informs me then quickly begins explaining, for the third day in a row, how to forward the calls to one of the secretary’s desks. It’s two buttons. Not exactly a difficult task, but she clearly doesn’t think I can handle it.

It’s only a lunch break, but I walk out of the building eager for all sixty minutes of freedom before I have to reenter that hell. No sooner than my feet hit the sidewalk do I get an eye full of a gorgeous man leaning against a motorcycle, waiting for me.

His delicious lips lift in that genuine smile I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.

"I didn’t take you for the stalking type," I tease, stopping in front of him. "Or a biker."

Fucking hell. Leo leaning against a Harley is a sight to be seen.

"Stalking isn’t usually my thing, but I was willing to make an exception for you." He reaches forward, pulling me against him and wrapping me in his arms. This man and his freaking hugs. I would complain if I didn’t enjoy every single second of them.

When Leo dropped me off around ten on Sunday night, he gave me a quick kiss on the cheek then promised to call. We made plans to go out again on Wednesday since he would be gone on business in Indianapolis until then. True to his word, Leo called both nights that he was away. He listened to me ramble about the new job on Monday. Then, on Tuesday, I listened to him complain about one of the new guys he’d had to fire for hitting on a client.

Up until now, I was a little concerned about the direction this thing with Leo was headed. During our phone calls, he never once became the flirty man I have grown to know. He called to chat like an old friend. Granted, we don’t know each other well. It’s not like I was expecting him to whisper sweet nothings or anything. It just felt like the heat in his voice was gone. However, now, as his hand drifts over the small of my back, I know I couldn’t have been more wrong.

"Hey," I finally respond, taking a step away, but Leo doesn’t release me.

"How long do you have for lunch?" he whispers into my ear, sending chills down my spine.

"Um, an hour." I grab his biceps for balance and, for some strange reason, turn my head to give him access to my neck.

A small moan escapes my throat as his breath teases my skin. Leo and I haven’t even kissed yet, but I’m completely okay if he wants start with my neck…in the middle of the street…in front of my office. Shit.

I clear my throat and back away, fully expecting to find him smirking at me. Only Leo looks just as affected by our brief moment as I feel. His eyes are hooded and full of absolute trouble.

He sucks in a deep breath. "Okay, so I’m going to take you to lunch—sans food poisoning this time. Then we are going to discuss that moan tonight over dinner," he says bluntly.

As much as I would like to be shy and timid in this moment, I can’t resist the impulse to deflect his flirty advance. "Oh, we are most definitely not talking about that. Besides, if we are going to talk, we should start with how long you sat outside waiting on me," I respond with a sarcastic laugh.

"You’re probably right. Talking would only prevent me from making you moan again. I like the way you think." He winks before grabbing my hand and walking down the street.