Break My Fall (33 page)

“Yes,” I said my spine stiffening.

He was not going to fuck me in a side ally and leave me there.

The jerk could at least drop me home.

“Lee I…” he began as he moved toward me, and then stopped.

Running his hand through his most definitely just fucked hair he exhaled loudly.

“My truck is up here,” was all he said before turning away.

I blinked back the tears that threatened to spill.

Struggling inside to maintain control of my tattered emotions, I followed slowly after him as he strode through the side ally.

Until this moment, I had not known a heart could break in so many pieces.

I kept my own pace.

It was clear from his stiffened posture that he did not want me to catch up with him.

When I reached up to him, he was leaning against his truck.

I was surprised when he opened my door for me.

“Thank you,” I said.

Refusing his outstretched hand, I attempted to get up.

It wasn’t the easiest task on a normal day, but with slippery cowboy boots and a belly full of alcohol, it was impossible.

I couldn’t reach the damn step; my legs were too short and my skirt too tight.

I muttered a curse and I tried to jump up instead.

I grabbed the seat with my arms but I couldn’t hoist myself up.

I must have looked a sight with my ass hanging off the seat because I heard him laugh.

I lost my grip slipped back onto the sidewalk.

Kyle caught me by the waist.

“Let me help you,” he chuckled, “before half of Louisiana sees your girly parts.”

I forgot he had my ripped my panties off me.

I glowered at him, cheeks burning.

He picked me up by the waist and plopped me onto the seat.

“Mind your fingers,” he joked before closing the door.

Ha-ha very funny, mind my fingers as if I was a freaking toddler.

He was cracking jokes now?

I could not keep up with the man’s mood swings.

He climbed in beside me and put the keys in the ignition.

He paused for so long that I snapped.

“Problem?”

He smirked over at me, that damn dimple making an appearance.

I wanted to lick it.

“Belt up,” he said grinning.

Bastard.

He knew I couldn’t work the damn thing.

I huffed and pulled the belt around me, I tried to snap it into place but it was one those god damn three point turn thingy’s.

“Come on, come on,” I muttered, pulling and tugging at the belt, willing it to fasten.

“Oh I bet you think this is hilarious don’t you,” I snapped, dropping my hands to my sides in defeat.

Grinning, he leaned across me.

His hand brushed against my breast as he fastened me up.

I sucked in a sharp breath.

His hand paused on my heavy aching breasts.

He stared at me, leaned his face to mine.

He pressed his lips to my jaw and inhaled deeply.

I twisted my face to meet his, but he pulled back.

“All set.”

His voice was raspy, he turned the key and the truck roared to life.

He pulled off, and I curled up as far away from him as possible.

The drive back to my house was too long and too short.

When we pulled into my yard, Kyle kept the engine running.

“You’re not coming inside,” I said flatly, it was more of a statement than a question.

“No, I have something I need to do,” was all he said.

“I bet you do,” I muttered anger boiling inside me.

I couldn’t open the damn belt again.

“Shit,” I hissed, frustrated.

He leaned over and unclipped me.

He opened his door and I wanted to scratch his eyes out.

“Don’t,” I warned him.

“Don’t bother. I don’t know what I have ever done to you to make you want to torture me like this, but I can’t take it anymore.”

He threw his head back against the headrest and sighed, “Lee you don’t understand…”

“You’re right, I don’t understand. I thought we were friends Kyle,” I shouted, “But friends don’t treat each other to the way treat me and friends don’t fuck.”

I paused for a moment, taking in his scrunched up face.

He closed his eyes.

“That’s it Kyle close your eyes and pretend I don’t exist, you’re getting really good at it.”

I opened the door and half-shimmied half fell out.

I stormed towards the house, not looking back.

I heard his truck rev up and pull away.

I reached the porch steps and collapsed, my body raking with tears.

I couldn’t move my body, it was shutting down, or maybe that was my heart.

I stayed right there on the steps.

The cold was seeping through my bones, but I didn’t care.

I was broken.

Chapter Thirty-three 

KYLE

When I pulled the truck out of the drive, my pulse was racing.

My emotions were raging a war inside of me.

My fucking heart was screaming at me to go back and get her, do whatever I had to do to fix this, because I swear to god when I saw her lying on the porch steps, so tiny and fragile, I feared I had broken her, worse than her bastard of a father.

However, the other emotion twisting inside of me was more forceful.

It was the one that had been swelling inside me since Lee’s confession and now compelling me to drive until I was at the bar we’d been in earlier.

The phone call I’d gotten from Cam back in the ally, confirmed that he was here.

It was shit timing, but I had to find him.

“Perry Franklin?” I asked, approaching a group of three guys leaning by the bar; his fucking henchmen no doubt.

“What’s it to ya, preppy?” The broad one said, eyeing me up and down.

I had on jeans and a black button up shirt, but I guess I did look well groomed next to his dirty wife beater and denim shirt.

He was the tallest of the three, and I had a good two inches on him.

I knew him.

He was the guy in the picture Cam had sent to my phone.

This was him.

Perry stepped right up to my chest, and I smiled at him, wanting him to goad me.

I needed this.

I was going to rip his fucking head off.

I could see Derek approach us from the corner of my eye but I shook my head.

This one was all mine.

“I said what’s it to ya, pretty boy?” he growled, pushing me back with his meaty hands.

I laughed once, before my fist connected with his face.

There was a sickening crunch, as blood sprayed from his nose.

He staggered back and I wasted no time.

I rushed him, knocking him to the ground, punching him repeatedly in the face.

“That’s for touching my girl, you fucking sorry excuse of a man.”

A pair of arms held me back long enough for Perry to get a sucker punch in.

I spat out the blood that was pooling around in my mouth.

He covered his nose with his hand, “Are you fucking crazy? What are you taking about?”

I broke free from his friend’s grip, and lunged for his throat.

“Lee Bennett? Ring any bells you fucking serpent?”

Perry’s face paled, and his eyes widened for an instant, before twisting into a sneer.

“That bitch is crazy. You’re welcome to her. But she sure tastes good doesn’t she?”

He was a dead man.

His friends’ grabbed me as I tried to get to Perry, and it was my turn to take an ass kicking.

They held me down, as Perry returned the favor.

I struggled to break free, but the bastards had me trapped, with my arms behind my back.

His fist cuffed me, and my neck snapped back.

“Oh hell fucking no,” I heard Derek shout, as he dragged Perry’s goons off me.

All hell broke loose and there was a lot of screaming and kicking and punching, before a tap of beer sprayed all over us.

I looked up and saw Cam standing on the bar, holding the beer tap in her hands.

“Stop Kyle,” she shouted, “Think about Lee. He’s not worth going to jail for.”

I took a sharp breath and looked down at Perry, who was lying on the ground beneath me.

His eye was swollen shut, and blood was trickling from his mouth.

But he was conscious, which was a lot more than he deserved.

“I’m gonna take you down for this,” I hissed in his ear, before staggering to my feet.

The bouncer rushed towards me with a bat, and I held up my hand, “We’re going.”

Derek helped Cam down from the bar and we walked towards the door.

I kept my back to the door, watching Perry and his henchmen every step of the way.

“You know you really should be more selective with who you serve in here,” I said when we reached the door.

“Rapists are bad for business.”

I pointed at Perry’s stunned face and walked out.

I drove back towards Lee’s house, convincing myself that it had been at an hour; she was bound to have gone inside.

But when I pulled back up outside her house, she was exactly where I left her.

I slammed the steering wheel with my palms.

Fuck, this was gone beyond complicated.

My legs carried me towards her, but I shitless.

I didn’t know what to do.

When I heard her sobbing the closer I got, I darted forward, pulling her into my arms.

I didn’t think about it, I just held her.

“Shh baby, don’t cry.”

I would have given a kidney to stop the pain for her.

I knew how she felt; I was feeling it too.

It shredded me to know that I was the cause.

I was destroying this amazing girl, piece by piece.

She clung to me like a child, and I held her tighter.

Her eyes were clenched shut; she couldn’t look at me either.

“I can’t help it, Kyle you’re hurting me so bad,” Lee said and I swear that was a new low point in my life.

“I don’t want to hurt you baby,” I whispered, hoping she’d believe me.

“But that’s what I do, I fuck things up. I’m not good for you Lee, I’m destroying you.”

I needed her to walk away from me, while I could still let her go.

But she held onto me even tighter, her frail fingers clasping my shirt.

“I love you,” she whispered.

Her eyes met mine and my heart fucking leapt out of my chest.

“Im so in love with you, please, please don’t leave me again,” she repeated.

I was drowning in an overwhelming cocktail of emotion.

My heart was bouncing between utter possessiveness and sheer adoration for her.

Fuck staying away from her, I couldn’t do it anymore.

I wanted so bad not to let her down again.

I wanted to deserve her love.

I stood up with my new found resolve and carried her inside.

“Shh baby I’m here, I’m not leaving anymore.”

I wasn’t.

I couldn’t.

I carried her upstairs, taking her to her room; there was no fucking way I was leaving her tonight.

I sat her on the bed and undressed her, then undressed myself.

Tonight there would be no more barriers.

Lee had blown them clean out of the water anyway.

I pulled back the covers and laid her into bed, then climbed in beside her and drew her into me.

I felt her body relax against mine, and then I did something with Lee that I had never done with anyone before.

I made love.

Chapter Thirty-four 

LEE

I knew I was asleep, but on the cusp of waking up.

The wonderful dream I was having pulled further away from my reach, as I was dragged into consciousness.

Sun light poured into the room, I tried to twist myself up but couldn’t move.

I was trapped under six feet two inches of man and muscle.

Kyle’s face was tucked into the crook of my neck, his arm and leg thrown over my chest and legs, and he was naked.