Too Hard to Break (2 page)

“Shit,” he whispered.

He was close enough for his warm breath to ghost across my
mouth. I sighed and gave a little laugh I didn’t feel before backing away. He
grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back to his chest for a swift
heart-stopping kiss before abruptly letting me go.

“I-I gotta get ready for work,” I mumbled.

He just nodded before grabbing the phone off the counter.
“Hello?”

The annoyance in his voice made me smile as I left the
kitchen with one hand over my racing heart. We’d been dancing around each other
for months, him walking on eggshells as I learned to adjust to my new freedom.
The hot-and-heavy petting session we’d experienced at Declan’s apartment might
have never happened, except it filled more of my dreams than I’d like to admit.
The memory of Hank’s touch was killing my resolve to keep it friendly between
us. Each day that I lived with his hot body within easy reach and him touching
me in small ways, I forgot why I’d decided saying no was a good idea.

I shook away those thoughts and dressed for work with the
determination to live today to its fullest and not worry about anything else.
That was pretty much what I’d been doing the whole time I’d been in Hank’s
care, and was a big part of the problem.
Hank’s care.
As if I were a
child or a woman who simply couldn’t care for herself. True I’d made a few
horrible decisions when it came to Declan. But five full months had passed and
it was obvious to everyone I’d never go back to the abusive jerk. That was
definitely the right decision and one of the best I’d made in a long time.

I grabbed my purse and keys and jogged out of my room,
finding Hank in the living room. He was on his cell phone, pacing back and
forth in agitation. I watched him unnoticed for a few seconds, admiring the
play of muscles beneath his tucked-in polo shirt and dark blue jeans. The man
could make any outfit look classy. He waved his free hand around as he talked,
gesturing as if the listener could see him. It made me smile and ache for him a
bit more. I needed to make a decision soon or my heart would most likely get
shattered into pieces. I couldn’t expect a man like him to wait forever.

He finally turned my way and stopped talking mid-sentence. I
smiled and waited while he said an abrupt goodbye to his caller.

“Hey, baby, getting ready to head out?”

“Yeah. You?”

He snorted and ran a hand through his thick, black hair as
he closed the distance between us. “I don’t know why. This storm’s gonna put my
whole schedule back a week.”

I nodded sympathetically and straightened an errant lock of
hair hanging over his forehead. He smiled down at me and lowered my IQ.

“Yeah, I know. I get paid tomorrow and you know I’d be happy
to—”

He placed his finger against my mouth to shut me up. “Just
stop right there. I’ve already told you I’m not taking your money.”

“Damn it, Hank. Why the hell not? I’ve mooched off you long
enough already—”

“You are my guest and here at my request, not a moocher. Are
you sure you want to have this conversation right now?”

The look in his eyes was a warning and I immediately decided
no, I definitely did not want to have that conversation right then. With a sigh
I shook my head and took a step back. His heat was distracting.

“I gotta get to work,” I mumbled.

He just grinned in a way that melted everything solid inside
me. I took a deep breath and another step back.

“I’ll walk you out since I better get going too,” he said.

I just nodded and headed for the door with him right behind
me. The storm had calmed a bit so my light jacket was enough cover from the
slow drizzle. Hank held his own jacket over my head all the way to the car
door. I rolled my eyes but knew it would be pointless to argue. The man was a
gentleman through and through and I was always his first priority. Why in the
hell I had a problem with that was a mystery to me too.

“Call or text me when you get to work,” he said.

I nodded and shut the car door so he would move the
protection of his jacket over his own head. He just smiled and jogged around
the front of his truck, parked beside my much older car.

I couldn’t keep the smile off my face the whole way to work.
I texted him as soon as I parked my car, before jumping out into the rain and
running inside.

The gym where I worked was always busy on rainy days, so I
wasn’t exactly surprised by the full parking lot when I got there. I jogged
through the light rain to the front door from a space at the very back of the
large lot. By the time I got inside my hair was plastered to my face and I was
shivering.

“Hey, Elle.”

I looked up to find my coworker Ben ogling my wet t-shirt.
Luckily it wasn’t white but I cursed under my breath at not remembering to zip
up my jacket.

“Hey, Ben,” I said while crossing my arms over my chest.
“Busy today?”

He shrugged and looked over his shoulder at the gym beyond.
Our station was right at the front double-glass doors. As soon as members
walked in we greeted them, and watched them check into the electronic system. I
usually felt like a monkey at the switch.

Ben sat behind the counter and I walked around to join him.
I had to bend over to stash my purse and jacket beneath the counter, his gaze
burned through my clothes. Ben had only asked me out once since I ended things
with Declan but he let me know on a regular basis he was still interested
despite my rejection.

“Stop staring at my ass, Ben.”

He chuckled but hadn’t moved a muscle by the time I stood
back up. I glared but couldn’t keep my face serious for very long. Ben always
made me smile.

“I can’t help it, hot stuff.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Have the mermaids been in yet?”

“Nope. If the rain gets any worse those ladies will probably
stay home. There’s no water aerobics scheduled today anyway.”

“Yeah but they still use the pool every afternoon.”

He shrugged again and leaned back in the chair, raising his
arms to clasp his hands behind his head. Firm biceps bulged beneath his short
sleeves, distracting me for just a second. A few months ago I would have
blatantly ogled his arms and the well-defined chest straining against his
shirt. However, living with Hank had seriously skewed my perception. Ben simply
didn’t measure up physically. He was close, but not quite up to par with the
older, stronger man in my life. I sighed and turned away as a customer walked
in, putting on my brightest smile.

The rest of the day dragged on without anything significant
happening. It was almost time for me to clock out when Megan and Sean walked
through the doors.

“Elle!”

My best friend ran around the counter and I met her halfway.
We hugged as if we hadn’t seen each other in years. Sean rolled his eyes and
shook Ben’s hand.

“You’d think they were long-lost siblings,” he said.

I laughed as Megan frowned at him.

“You know how much I’ve missed her,” she said.

The look he turned her way held all the love I prayed to
know someday. He grinned as if she had said something supremely clever.

“I know, babe. Just kidding.”

She smiled back and something passed between them that had
my heart sinking into my stomach. Would I ever have that?

“Well, I’m so glad you stopped by even though I’m going to
see you Wednesday,” I said.

That brought Megan’s attention snapping back to me. “What
about tomorrow?”

“I took the day off.”

“Oh?”

I laughed at the suspicion in her voice but she didn’t even
crack a smile.

“Uh, yeah. I was going to meet my sister for lunch but Hank
talked me out of it.”

She scowled. “Good for him. At least I know he’s still
thinking of your best interest some of the time.”

“Megan,” Sean said in warning.

She gave him a look I couldn’t decipher and I wondered about
her choice of words.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

She bit her lip in a telltale sign of nervousness and looked
at the guys. Ben raised a brow in question as he leaned against the counter,
arms crossed against his chest. If she wanted privacy he wasn’t going to
comply. Sean seemed a bit worried, but it was hard to tell. He was very good
about keeping his thoughts from his face.

Meg cleared her throat and looked at her watch. “It’s almost
time for you to clock out, right?”

I glanced at the clock on the wall and nodded. “Yeah. Why?”

“Well, we came to work out but I want to talk to you about
something before you leave.”

“Oh, uh…okay.”

She gave a weak smile before hugging me again. Sean walked
up as she stepped back and gave me a one-armed hug.

“Good to see you, Elle.” He turned to Meg. “I’m gonna hit
the weights, babe.”

“Okay,” she said before kissing him.

We both watched him walk away and I giggled as she sighed.

“So, how is it getting to watch that all the time without
worry of getting caught?”

She laughed too and glanced guiltily at Ben, but he just
grinned and turned away. “It’s great. Not that I cared about getting caught
before, you know?”

I snorted. “I remember. Poor Sean never had a chance.”

“Nope, and he knew it.”

We both laughed before I had to help Ben with a stream of
incoming members.

Ten minutes later I clocked out and walked over to where Meg
sat on a stationary bike. She was barely peddling as she flipped through a
fashion magazine.

“You’re never going to break a sweat like that,” I said.

She smiled. “Yeah, I know. I depend on Sean to help me break
a sweat.”

We both laughed as she followed me out of the gym to my car.

“So, what’s up, buttercup?” I asked.

Instantly her demeanor changed, all humor completely gone.
“Uh…how are things with you and Hank?” she asked.

I frowned in confusion and shrugged. “Okay, I guess. Not
much has changed really.”

“You’re still staying with him, right? I mean…nothing has
changed at all?”

We reached my car and I stopped to face her, crossing my arms
around me. I didn’t like where this was going but had no clue why she was going
there.

“Yeah, why? Is something wrong?”

She bit her lip again and looked over the parking lot as if
searching for words. Dread settled in the pit of my stomach. Megan was my best
friend in the world and a really good judge of character. She had liked Hank
well enough before.

“Well, I don’t really know how to say this gently and I sure
as shit can’t keep it from you…”

“What, Megan? Just tell me.”

She took a deep breath and huffed it out before looking me
in the eyes. “Sean and I stopped for lunch once we hit town today and Hank was
at the restaurant with another woman.”

All the oxygen drained from my body and the immediate
vicinity as her words slowly started to make sense. I leaned against my car and
fought to breathe.

“What? Uh…okay, I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable
explanation.”

She nodded quickly. “That’s what Sean said. I wanted to go
confront him and at least find out who she is, but they were in a booth on the
other side of the restaurant. I only saw them when we were walking out and Sean
grabbed my arm. They were huddled over the table with their heads kinda close
and then she started laughing and put her hand on his arm.”

Nausea hit me hard and I squeezed my eyes shut, throwing one
hand over my mouth.

“Elle? Has he got a sister, a cousin, some female family
member who lives close?”

Megan’s quiet voice, filled with concern, came from far
away. I forced my lungs to drag in air and slowly opened my eyes. Meg was staring
at me wide-eyed with her face flushed.

“N-no. No, all his family is back in Abilene where he’s
originally from.”

“I’ll kick his ass if he’s cheating on you, Elle. Or better
yet, I’ll make Sean do it.”

That surprised a laugh out of me. Sean had a few issues with
his temper that had led to violence he was seriously ashamed of. It had almost
come between them not so long ago. I shook my head.

“No. No, that’s definitely not an option. Besides, he isn’t
cheating on me.”

Her brow creased in confusion. “He’s not?”

“I haven’t committed to him, Meg. I’m still living in one of
his fucking guest rooms.” I couldn’t keep frustration and anger from my voice
but they were directed at me, not Hank.

“Oh,” she replied. “Uh…oh.”

“Yeah. I’ve been putting him off for months. I really can’t
expect him to wait forever.”

But I wanted him to, and we both knew it.

“Fuck that,” she said with venom. “He invited you into his
home knowing you needed help and special care. He said back then he was in for
the long haul. Five months isn’t that fucking long.”

I loved her so much in that moment. She knew exactly what I
was feeling, since she had been through the tough times with me. She had tried
to warn me about Declan when we’d met him, both at the tender age of nineteen,
but I hadn’t listened. And like any great best friend, she had muddled through
the hard times and smiled through the good times. She had always been there for
me with my asshole ex. I knew she still would be no matter how badly I fucked
up a good thing with Hank.

“I know, Meg. I pretty much agree with you, but we gotta be
fair. I’m the one putting him off.”

She huffed out a breath. “Fuck fair.”

That made me laugh until tears streamed down my cheeks. When
she pulled me into her arms I realized the tears weren’t just from laughing.

“It’s okay.” I sniffled. “I’ll be okay.”

“Of course you will, Elle. You lived through an asshole like
Declan. Getting over Hank will be a piece of cake. And you never know, there
really could be a perfectly reasonable explanation.”

I pulled away and nodded before glancing over her shoulder.
“Sean’s coming for you, hon. You better go.”