Heartbreaker (Unbreakable #1)(91)
On a steadying breath, face tilting down, I tracked her every move while counting down the seconds. “One nineteen, one eighteen, seventeen…”
Pressing her lips into a firm line, trying to fight her smile, she went into her kitchen and pulled open the nearest drawer under the counter. Then she carefully removed something wide and flat. She held the edges with care before resting it on her dining table.
“Ninety-eight, ninety-seven,” I teased, drawing closer to have a look at what she’d made.
My counting stopped as my jaw dropped open. “Animal,” I whispered.
The beloved Muppet character had been sketched in bold black lines on heavy white paper.
She touched my arm with a nod. “After teaching a few classes, I dug out my charcoals. And…even though we weren’t together, I just…” She took a deep breath. “Drawing him made me feel close to you.”
“I love it,” I rasped out. “Made something for you too.”
I caught the confusion furrowing her brow right before I turned and stepped away from her, facing her bed. I lowered my head, reached a hand over and between my shoulder blades, then grabbed my T-shirt and pulled it off.
Leaving one arm bent up, I rotated back toward her.
She gasped, then came closer. “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s you.”
Her fingers traced along the new crescent of ink, as thick as my crescent. It curved forward over my chest, its point culminating over my heart.
“When?”
“Days ago. Once I believed I could have” —I got choked up with all the things that flashed into my mind: love, happiness…her— “and hoped you would have me.”
She swallowed hard. “I love it,” she whispered.
All of a sudden, a devilish look crossed over her face. She planted both hands on my chest, then shoved hard. I landed flat on my back on her bed seconds before she pounced on me, straddling my body.
She searched my eyes for a moment and hers softened with emotion. Then her lips brushed across mine, once, twice, before they opened further.
I wrapped my arms around her and sighed into our extraordinary kiss, so damn glad I’d chased after the girl who thought she could only handle a one-night stand.
Then I tightened my hold, warmth filling my heart when she murmured against my lips, “Let’s stay here forever.”
Please read on for an author’s note from Stone
Note from Author Stone Bastion
Enjoy your sneak peek of Rule Breaker, the next novel in The Unbreakable Series
Rule Breaker
I’m a drummer.
Why drumming?
It’s the core—the driving force—of every song.
Awestruck by blues and rock greats who gathered at my house when I was a kid for jam sessions, I picked up my first sticks before kindergarten…and never looked back.
Rhythm took root in my veins and underlaid my whole perception of the world. It pulsed a constant soundtrack in my head and still does to this day.
One moment that resonates with me?
My high school’s first ever drum-off.
There were two of us. We were known as the jazz drummer—that was me—and the rock drummer. Everyone knew his strength was power, mine was speed. Over the years, students and teachers alike debated who was the better drummer. The week before graduation, we decided to put the matter to rest once and for all.
A hush fell over the audience before we began.
One of us laid down a short burst of rhythm.
The other matched it perfectly, paused, then volleyed back something new.
He mimicked my jazz.
I mirrored his hard rock.
Each changeup passed with longer and more complicated patterns. The performance continued for a sweat-inducing fifteen minutes, back and forth, tension building to a crescendo.
Until a heavier pause followed our last matched set.
Breaths ragged, hearts pounding, muscles burning, we gave each other a nod. Then we began a rehearsed extended sequence as a finale, commanding every piece on our drum kits.
After the final bass tone echoed into the auditorium, utter silence followed for a few seconds. Then thunderous applause erupted, everyone jumping to their feet.
That day, we proved either of us could hold our own against the other—there was no better.
Life is filled with special moments. That was a good one.
As authors, we weave glimpses of our reality into the stories we write and greatly enjoyed doing so with Heartbreaker. Like Darren, I loved Animal as a kid, drummed on my girl’s (Kat’s) back to rock music, even considered a career in sound engineering…
My wish? That you enjoyed Darren and Kiki’s story and experienced a taste of the passion of drumming in Heartbreaker.
If you did enjoy it, please consider leaving a review for the book. Your thoughtful feedback is greatly appreciated by both us and future readers.
Thank you for reading and sharing Heartbreaker.
~ Stone
Mase…
The wave can kill…or save.
Its staggering force humbled—kicked my ass often. But when I pointed toward the curling crest, shot up from its thundering energy, then caught perfect air…the rest of the world faded.
Breath.
Pulse.
Wind.