BEAUTIFUL BROKEN MESS (Broken, Series #2)(70)

“What are your plans for the day?” she asks.

“I seriously have to get to the gym today or Jaxon’s going to be able to kick my ass soon.” I laugh to myself before adding, “Nah, that won’t ever happen, but I do need to get in there.”

Her fingers outline my stomach muscles and she says, “Hmm...well, we wouldn’t want to lose any of this, now would we?” Her voice is low and seductive and starting to amp me up again.

I grasp her fingers tightly. “We’ll never get out of this bed today if you keep this up. Besides, I have to take this hot girl out on a date tonight. I’m kind of hoping she’ll agree to be my girlfriend,” I say, smirking at her.

A sexy blush creeps up her neck and dusts over her cheeks. “And what if she says no?” she challenges.

I lean in and whisper from her neck up to her ear, “Then she must not have heard me right, because I’m pretty sure she’s just as crazy about me as I am about her.”

With a quivering voice, she responds, “I don’t blame the girl. Lucky bitch.”

“If anyone’s the fortunate one here, it’s me, babe.” Slowly, I push myself up to get out of bed because if I don’t, I’ll end up lazing around all day with her in my arms. I’m not sure why that’s a bad thing though. “What are you up to today?” I ask.

“Not much. I have a few errands to run, and I think Em and Quinn wanted to meet up.”

“You’re seriously going to have to tell me how that friendship came about at some point. Don’t get me wrong, I love Em to death so I think it’s fantastic. It’s just not something I ever would have expected.”

“Trust me, it’s still a bit strange for me when I really think about it. Em was just...Em, you know? We hit it off.”

“She is pretty great,” I say, while searching for my clothes.

Her eyes narrow at me and I swear I see a hint of jealousy. “Did you ever have feelings for her? Honestly.” Bingo. Nailed that one on the head.

“Babe, one of the first times I ever heard Em’s name was out my brother’s mouth, who had already practically proclaimed his undying love for this stranger. Which by the way, was on our very first day in California. I never viewed her as anyone but my brother’s girl. Sometimes I like to egg him on, but it has always been purely platonic between us.”

“And what about me? Do you still see me as your brother’s girl?” she asks quietly.

“Never. You were never his girl,” I rush to say. She lets out a sigh of frustration, so I quickly continue. “Babe, I know I’m trying to lay low about us. Trust me, I want to scream it from the rooftops. But I just want to approach this in the right manner with Jax. We made promises to one another. I just need to figure out a way to bring it up without him feeling betrayed.”

“I know you need time, Jace. I said I was willing to give that to you, but I won’t wait long,” she states confidently.

“And I won’t make you wait long.” I lean down and tug gently on her necklace while advancing toward her lips. I kiss her slowly, hoping I can convey how much I feel for her.

“I’ll be back to get you at seven tonight, okay?” When she nods her approval, I head out the door, right after I shout my goodbye to Lane down the hall.

  - Twelve -



AUDREY -

The errands that I briefly mentioned to Jace earlier are a little bit more complicated than I let on. When I step into the shop, the sterile smell is what hits my nose first. I guess that’s a good sign. The clean, black-and-white checkered tile floor catches my eyes as my feet move up to the front counter. The deep blue walls are calming and the decor is tasteful. Definitely not what I expected to find. There are large leather couches and bulky portfolio books scattered on the tables in a waiting area. There aren’t any designs on the walls to choose from like I’ve seen on television.