Breaking Dragon (2 page)

Book 1

By:
  Jordan Marie

Chapter 1

Nicole

It’s Sunday. That shouldn’t be a momentous thing because you get one of those every week, if you’re lucky enough to survive. Still it is. It is because today is the day that Dani and I are picking up the last of our boxes and moving out of Blade. Blade, Kentucky was a small hole in the wall with less than one hundred people living there. Bet you didn’t know places like that existed, did you? Well they do. We have a city hall, one bank, a gas station-outlet tobacco store and a volunteer fire department. That’s the grand total of all the buildings in Blade. The few kids that live in Blade are driven by their parents to a school one county over. I’ve lived here my entire life and even though it may sound like it, I’m not really complaining. I love Blade. It’s living with my parents I don’t enjoy.

My parents really shouldn’t have settled down here. After all, there are no country clubs, no private dining facilities, none of the amenities befitting their station. Yes, that is sarcasm you detect. Those were words I’ve heard a million times coming from my mother’s lips; lips that had never kissed the top of my head when I was sad, nor spoke words of encouragement when I failed, lips that have been painted deep ruby red for as long as I could remember and brought to mind a cold and lifeless corpse.
 

You might be realizing there is no love loss between my mother and me—you would be right. The simple truth is my parents remain in Blade because my dad, Marcus Samuel Wentworth the second, owns the sole bank in the city and the one in the neighboring area of Burkesville. Here, my parents are important, specifically my mother. If she moved away, she would lose that distinction and Gwyneth couldn’t handle that. Father too for that matter, he was a step or two up from mother dear, but that’s not really saying much. Sometimes, I wonder how I could be their daughter. I would have thought I was adopted except for my hair. The dirty-blonde hair I have is the same color as my mother’s. For that reason alone, I put dark caramel color through it, darkening it so that now it looks nothing like hers. She hated it. I celebrated it.

I’m getting all dragged down talking about the parental units. That’s enough to depress me and that can’t happen on this awesome day. Today, Dani and I are moving to London, Kentucky. See? Momentous!

Okay, well it isn’t that far away to be honest, but it is at least three hours and that’s good for now. It’s a two bedroom house on the outskirts of the city and it’ll be far away from my parents. Dani and I have jobs. I’m going to be a waitress at the Wolves Den, she will be dancing. I’d never have the nerve to dance for several reasons. First, Dani makes me brave, but she can’t make me believe I don’t have mega flaws. Dani is drop dead gorgeous. Me? That’s reason number two, I have boobs that are a little too large, and my ass is just a tad too wide. My thighs aren’t my favorite thing ever. I’m a size fourteen. I’ll never fit into Dani’s size eights. I used to want to but as I got older I decided I like who I am well enough. So screw it. Plus, I’m pretty outspoken at times, but I’m way too freaking shy to be a dancer. My girl makes me brave, but there’s not anyone able to make me brave enough to bare my boobs and ass to a bunch of strangers. It’s going to be hard enough getting used to the mini booty shorts and black tank that shows way too much of the aforementioned boobs, but I’m determined.

I want to branch out into real life and live. So I’ve made the decision to not let my conscience get the better of me and just experience the different things that are out there. It’s silly and a decision that may bite me in the ass.

I’ve never really been the type to want to go to college. That’s an issue my parents bring up regularly---as just another one of my failures among a long list. I’ve never really had aspirations to do something with my life other than enjoy it. Maybe I’ll make plans later on. I don’t know and frankly at twenty-four I probably should, but I don’t really care right now. It took too long to break away from Blade. I’ll figure it out as I go along.

“Woo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Dani hollers as we’re speeding down the interstate in my convertible Mercedes.

Her hands are waving in the air and I can’t help but laugh over the pounding of the radio. I love my car. It’s a shit hot baby blue Mercedes E350 Convertible and it’s the only thing my parents gave me that I love. It’s the last gift they gave me. It was when I was graduating from high school and they still thought they had a chance of molding me into who they thought I should be. Luckily, it was in my name and paid for when they gave me the keys. One month later, they found out I wouldn’t be going to college to find myself a future doctor or lawyer as a husband. Yes, that was the reason given for why I should enroll in college. I refused, and then I was pretty much cut off. Luckily, I had Dani. She had always been there for me. We were as different as night and day and honestly, there is no
reason
why Dani and I are friends. Some things just happen. Dani walks to the beat of her own drum. She is a force of nature, a hurricane, a category five hurricane. She inspires me. She scares me. She makes me happy. I love her. She took me in and I lived with her and her brother Roy, who was a nice guy and cute as hell. Too bad he was also gay. That was just my luck.

We did okay there, working to save every bit of money we could until we had enough to make a big move. Three hours away might not be a big move for some, but it sure as hell was for us. We pooled our money and had the rent paid for three months plus the safety deposit. We had enough to stock the fridge good and live and pay utilities until we got paid from our new jobs. Roy had a friend who worked as a manager for Wolves Den and got us interviews. We nailed the jobs and told them we needed two weeks to give our former employers notice. We didn’t really, but it takes time to move and get settled. It happened so quickly once we made the decision, that my head is still kind of dizzy, but I’m happy. I looked over at my best friend for life and smiled—really happy.

“Hey,
I’m thirsty!”  Dani hollered
.

“We’re just thirty minutes or so away!” I yelled back, not crazy about stopping.

“Big damn deal, let’s get some drinks and chocolate girl!” She yelled back.

I frowned and looked down at my gas gauge. I could use some gas. I gave my signal to get over and took the upcoming exit. We had to take it anyway to get to where our new home would be. So off I go. We pulled into the first gas station I saw. I cut the engine off and pushed my hands through my hair shaking it out, because hello, interstate driving, convertible. Enough said.

“Whatcha’ want bitch?” Dani asked and I shake my head at her. She’s yelling over the music. Ludacris is blasting through the speakers.

“Pepsi, fountain if they have it,” I yell back, looking around. I notice there’s a bunch of men on bikes by the entrance, and they’re looking over at us laughing as I open the door, cutting off Ludacris as he screams out about his woman riding his dick. I can feel the heat rising up in my face and turn my eyes from them immediately. Shit!

Our “on the road” play list is very eclectic and the Ludacris’ offering is one of Dani’s choices. Don’t get me wrong, I like it. I like a bit of naughty and I like the beat, but it’s not my usual thing. Lorde’s Team is next. That’s me, but what the hell. I don’t know the men that are laughing, maybe they aren’t even laughing at me. It felt like they were though. I hate this about me. I am so self-conscious I automatically take things personally and find myself lacking. Dani isn’t like that. She’d flip the bikers off and go about her business. I wanted to be like that. I just had never achieved it. They are laughing harder now, but I turn around to the pump and run my card through and ignore them. In my mind I’m wondering if my ass is hanging out of my cut offs and if that’s why they are laughing. Can they see the small catsup stain on my pink shirt from the fries we had shared in the car earlier? I set the pump to go on its own and start cleaning the trash out of the car. I’m mostly trying to keep myself busy and ignoring the bikers. It takes awhile; my conclusion is that my girl and I are pigs.

I walk over to the garbage can and throw the crap in. When a deep gravelly voice from behind me sends chills up my back.

“Damn I’ve heard of it, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it.” I turn slowly and look up to see one of the bikers standing in front me. I bite my lip and move back a small step. I ground my teeth into one corner of my lip and my hands go to the back pockets of my shorts as I take him in, and damn there is a lot to take in. Holy Mother of God, standing before me is a man that towers over me. He’s at least a good 6’4” or 6’5”. His mocha skin glistens in the sun and he’s wearing a black t-shirt that’s worn to the point it’s almost gray, and over that he has on a leather vest. Weird, because it’s like eighty freaking degrees today, but I can’t deny it’s sexy. I think maybe he could wear a feed sack and it’d be sexy.

The vest has the word Savage written on it in dark red letters and underneath it looks like a rabid wolf. It’s kind of scary looking. Underneath that is the word President. I move my eyes up from his massive chest and the biceps covered in tattoo’s, to look into the most gorgeous eyes I have ever seen in my life. They are a deep, dark, sparkling brown, and I think I could drown in them and be happy. His hair was cut short to his head with just enough left you wanted to see how the texture would feel against your skin.

I let go of my lips and lick them because my whole mouth has gone dry.

The god before me would be a good way to let go and experience life
.

Bad Nicole whispers in my head, and the sane part of me agrees. I wouldn’t mind a piece of what stands before me, not that I’d ever have a chance of holding onto him, but still.

“What’s that?” I ask and shit does my voice sound breathless.

“A barefoot Kentucky girl,” he says.

I look down at my feet, realizing I left my flip flops in the car. I hate shoes and I absolutely hate driving with shoes on. I tend to wrap my toes around the pedals of a car and you can’t do that with shoes on. I forget to put them back on all the time. I once went to the grocery store and got all the way there before I noticed I was barefooted.

I look back at him and turn my head to the side in what I hoped was a flirty action.

“You must be new to Kentucky.” I’m feeling warm all over; can he see the heat rising on my face?

“No Mama. Been here awhile seen a lot of girls, in a lot of places. Don’t believe I’ve ever seen one pumping gas barefoot.”

“Glad I could be your first.” I grin, wondering if he could pick up on the sexual innuendo. I’m subtle, way too subtle sometimes, as Dani likes to remind me constantly.

His lush, full lips widen into a smile and his bright white teeth are visible for a minute. It’s a good smile. Damn good.

“What’s your name Twinkie?” He asks. The boys with him laugh harder. I don’t know why, maybe it was just a sixth sense, but I don’t think I like that name. Now when he had called me Mama? I’m pretty sure I drenched my panties.

“Does it matter?” I ask a little confused with the situation coming at me.

“I like to know the name of the woman who took my virginity.” He quipped, his long arm leaning against the post by the gas pump.

Guess that means he picked up on my innuendo. Only now with his boys laughing, I got the feeling this was some kind of game, and that disappointed me. I had been the butt of too many jokes, way too often, mostly because of my size.
 

The pump kicked off and I reached down to take the nozzle out when he did it for me. His hand brushed mine. I felt a charge of electricity at that small touch and my nipples harden in reaction. Damn, that had never happened before and this guy was the wrong person for it to be happening with.

“How about you just call me mystery, that way you won’t get me confused with the millions of girls that come after me,” I smiled, though it probably didn’t reach my eyes, but he wouldn’t know that.

“Damn Nic, when I said I wanted chocolate you didn’t have to go all out bitch. Hello there Tall Dark and Do me all over.” Dani piped up, as I closed the gas lid and shook my head.

I turn back around to see him look Dani up and down and I don’t miss the interest flair in his eyes. I sigh, yep no competing with Dani. I take my pop from her hand while she is still staring at stud muffin.

“Dani meet Stud, Stud meet Dani. I popped his cherry while you were in the store,” I say walking around to the driver’s side of the car. The men laugh harder, I continue to ignore them. Dani laughs and opens the door, careful not to hit him as she gets in; I notice he closes her door. Damn. Yeah, that’s jealousy I feel, dang it. Stud doesn’t move away either. His hands are firmly propped on the passenger door and he leans in the window. Damn Dani and her sexy size eights. Still, when I look up, his eyes are on me.

“Me and my crew,” he said, and jerks his head in the direction of the men who had finally stopped laughing, “are having a party this Tuesday. You girls should come. It’s the least you can do for stealing my virginity and all Nicole. I was saving that,” he said stressing my name to let me know he had it now.

“Sorry Stud, we just moved and have some stuff to do before we start work Friday.” I reply, starting up the car. Immediately, Ludacris fills the air again, but I reach down and mute it quickly.