Unbroken (The Disclosure Series Book 2) (2 page)

“You’ve always been so nice to me, even after… everything.”

Luke let out a snort. “After everything? Let’s just lay it all out there, shall we? What you really mean is after manipulating me, taking advantage of me, and then trying to use what happened to ruin my career and advance your own, right?”

She lowered her head, and for a second Luke almost believed that she felt a small degree of shame over her actions.
Almost
.

“Everyone in Savannah hates me; they blame me for what happened. My reputation is shit, and I can’t find a job. I overheard some of the faculty talking, saying that you’d gotten a position at a school up here.” She bit her lip nervously, but it didn’t have nearly the same effect on him as when Embry did it. “And I thought you could help.”

“You thought
I
could help.” He shook his head in disbelief.

“It took two of us that night,” she spat, her eyes narrowed at him.

There it was. Her innocent façade finally faded and her true personality clawed its way to the surface. Sydney was the queen of manipulation, pouting her way through life to get what she wanted. He’d fallen for it once. Never again.

“You’re right, Sydney. Thank you for the reminder. That night was the biggest mistake of my life, and I’m still paying for it.” He turned his back on her and slammed the door, ignoring her continued pleas.

Leaning back, Luke scrubbed his hands down his face. His head throbbed as his mind spun and the ache in his chest intensified. He wanted Embry—needed to lose himself inside of her and not think about all the mistakes he’d made. She was the one thing he’d done right.

He breathed out a heavy sigh as his mind went to the last night they’d spent together before the hearing. He pictured her on her back, her body soft and welcoming beneath his as he pushed inside of her. Those bright emerald eyes focused on him as if he were her world. Then before he could stop it, his memory quickly morphed and he saw her as she was just a few hours ago—tears staining her cheeks, sad eyes filled with the hurt that he had caused.

Frustrated and disappointed in himself, he lifted his gaze to the ceiling and banged his head back against the door. All the pain, all the problems he’d dealt with over the past year and a half, it all came down to one thing, one person—Sydney.

Overwhelmed by his anger, he exploded from the door, launching himself toward the entry table. With a loud bark, he threw his arms across the surface sending everything flying. A small lamp, a decorative ceramic dish, pictures of him and Embry, of his family, all crashed to the floor. He walked past, shattered glass crunching beneath his feet as he made his way to the liquor cabinet.

Embry let out a soft moan as she snuggled into the warmth of the strong arms around her. She was exactly where she wanted to be, and for the first time in almost a week, she felt content, happy… except for the slight pounding in her skull.

She cracked her eyes open, peeking out from beneath her lashes only to slam them shut again when the sunlight assaulted her too-sensitive vision.
Ouch.
She lay in the bed, waiting for the hazy fog to lift and her eyes to adjust to the bright light of day.

The arms around her tightened and their owner let out an unfamiliar, sleepy groan. Embry stiffened and her eyes popped open. Suddenly, the sweet warmth of his body was a searing fire burning her bare skin and sending her into a panic. Slowly dragging herself from his embrace, she sat up in the bed. Her gaze traveled the room, taking in her surroundings before looking down at herself and realizing her clothes were missing, save her barely-there bra and panties. Taking a deep breath and bolstering her resolve, she turned to glance over her shoulder at the man asleep next to her. He lay on his back, his arm thrown over his head, hard-lined chest and abs on display.

Embry’s stomach dropped violently and tears began to fall freely from her eyes.
Jeremy
.
Oh no. No, no, no.

Pulling her knees to her chest, she searched her memory, trying and failing to put together the pieces of the previous night. Tears coated her cheeks as she ran through the possibilities.

She’d been staying with Jeremy since the New Year, partying her pain away and desperately trying to drink Luke from her mind. But it hadn’t worked, and now she was feeling emptier than ever.

Her heart ached for him, and she was starting to realize that no matter how far she ran, she’d never get away. In truth, she didn’t want to. She was inexplicably tied to him. Bound. He’d fuck up and she’d run, but could she really keep her distance? She needed him. Too bad this epiphany was coming after possibly doing something that meant he’d never want to see her again.

A soft caress on her back caused Embry to jump. She turned and stared back at Jeremy, her eyes red-rimmed and wet with tears.

“Bree?” he asked, his voice thick with sleep.

She stared back, unable to speak.

He sat up slowly, his wary eyes never leaving hers.

“Did…” She choked on the words as the tears came faster and her chest heaved. “Did we… did I…”

Pain sliced across Jeremy’s face before hardness crept over his features. “No, Embry,” he said, words sharp as a knife. “We didn’t.”

“Oh! Thank God!” The breath whooshed from her lungs as she sagged in relief and turned to leave the bed, missing the hurt on her friend’s face.

“Would it have been so bad?” he mumbled behind her.

Embry paused to look back at him, but she couldn’t form a response. Convincing herself that she’d heard him wrong, she started to stand when his fingers wrapped firmly around her arm, pulling her back.

“Embry,” he said, his eyes boring into hers.

She glanced away, unable to hold his gaze. Sadness swept through her and a tidal wave of emotion followed, causing fresh tears to escape down her cheeks. How much easier would it be to fall for Jeremy? He was handsome, sweet, caring, and there was no denying it anymore, he adored her. There would be no sneaking around, no lies, and she was sure he’d do everything in his power to make her happy. But as much as she wished she could feel something more for him, anything, it just wasn’t there. Her heart no longer belonged to her. It was with Luke.

Jeremy reached up, his thumb sweeping away a stray tear on her cheek. He pulled her into his chest, his strong arms surrounding her, and she let him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

He kissed her hair and rested his chin on her head. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.”

She pulled away, looking up into his kind eyes. “I don’t know what to say, Jer.”

He smiled sadly and lifted his shoulder in defeat. “You don’t have to say anything, Bree.”

“I love him, Jeremy. I—”

“It’s fine. I know,” he assured her. But she knew it was far from fine.

Embry looked down at her mostly naked body, then over to Jeremy’s bare chest. “If we didn’t… then how did I—?”

Jeremy shook his head. “You were wasted again.”

“So you decided to take my clothes off?” she joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

Jeremy rolled his eyes, his mouth tilting up into a sly smile. “Yep, you know me. I’ll take it any way I can get it.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t put it past you.” She swatted at his chest. “If we slept together, we both could’ve scored big bucks on our bets with Morgan. Talk about insider banging.”

His expression turned serious. “If we slept together, Embry, it would have nothing to do with a bet.” He pinched her side, playful again. “Go put some clothes on before I change my mind.” His tone was teasing, but she could see the desire darkening his eyes.

“Fine, fine.” Embry got up from the bed and rooted around the room she’d been staying in, looking for the duffle bag full of clothes that Morgan had sent with Jeremy’s driver a few days earlier. She groaned and held her head as her hangover took over.

“Just for the record,” Jeremy stated, “I was the one that tried to get you to stay in last night. But nooooo.” He dragged out the word, his mouth forming a perfect “o” as his eyebrows rose.

She chuckled. “I needed drink and dance therapy.”

“Yeah, and a naked cuddle with your best friend?” he said with a pointed look.

“How
did
we lose our clothes?” she pressed, still curious.

“You came crawling into my bed, saying you didn’t want to be alone and dragged me back here. You had already lost your clothes at that point,” he said, eyeing her bare body, “and I sleep like this.”

“There better be something on under that sheet,” she only half joked.

Jeremy raised an eyebrow and slowly began to lift the sheet. “Wanna find out?”

“Keep that sheet where it is, buster.” She pointed a stern finger at him.

“Or what?” he challenged.

Embry shook her head. She was glad she and Jeremy were able to fall back into their banter so easily without any awkwardness. Though maybe she was feeling a little too comfortable around him in her bra and panties. With that thought, she grabbed her duffle and headed to the bathroom to pull on some clothes. When she came out, Jeremy had gone from the bedroom. She packed up the rest of her things and carried them to the living room. Jeremy was lounging on the couch in a T-shirt and shorts, staring intently at the computer on his lap.

“Whatcha up to?” She dropped her bags and melted onto the couch next to him.

“Grades,” he said, his eyes never leaving the screen.

“Grades?” She leaned closer, catching a glimpse of the display. Her stomach was suddenly in her throat.

Jeremy nodded.

“Grades,” she repeated, this time not a question. She’d been so wrapped up in her own world, doing whatever she could to numb her pain and ignore her reality. “How could I have forgotten?”

Jeremy lifted his arm and pulled her to his side. “You’ve had a lot going on, Blondie. Want to see how you did?”

Embry snuggled closer, wishing that Jeremy’s warmth would fill the emptiness inside of her. She shook her head and rested her chin on his shoulder, peeking at the screen. “No. How did you do?”

Jeremy tilted the computer toward her. “See for yourself.”

“B plus, A minus, B, B minus…” She read the grades aloud, her eyes widening with each letter. “Jer, you did great!”

He smiled down at her. “I know, I can’t believe it.”

“I can.” She beamed up at her friend.

“Yeah, yeah.” He brushed off the compliment. “Time to check yours.” He logged out and put the computer on Embry’s lap.

Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she began chewing furiously. Did she want to know? Could she handle it? What if she’d done horribly? Shaking her head, she handed the computer back to Jeremy and started pacing. “No. Yes. I mean I do… but, no.”

Jeremy was smirking at her.

“What?” she asked frantically.

“Nothing,” he chuckled.

“Shut up.”

Jeremy’s hands shot up in the air. “I didn’t say anything!”

“But you were thinking it,” she accused, jabbing her finger in his direction.

His expression was suddenly serious, the playfulness gone. “You have no idea what I was thinking, Embry. I guarantee it.”

She sighed inwardly. Nothing good would come from continuing
that
line of conversation, so Embry went back to the grades. “Fine. Can you look for me?”

Jeremy’s eyebrows shot up. “You want me to check your grades for you?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “I can’t look.”

“Serious?”

Her eyes popped open again and she glared at him.

“Okay, okay,” he relented with a sigh. “Give me your info.”

She recited her username and password, then proceeded to wear a path across the living room floor as he logged into her account.

“Ready?” he asked, softly.

“Yes.” She gulped anxiously.

“Okay, Crim law—”

“Wait! No,” she interrupted.

“No turning back now, B. I’ve got your grades in front of me.”

She stopped pacing and stared at Jeremy. “Okay, fine. I’m ready.”

He read the grades off one by one, carefully watching her. “Crim, B plus.”

She let out a relieved sigh.

“Legal Writing, A minus.”

Her eyes widened.

“Torts, B plus.”

A small smile grew across her face.

“Contracts…”

Jeremy’s pause frightened her. Could Luke have messed with her grade? Would he do that? Was it even possible? Had she been so caught up in him that she bombed the final?

“A,” he said simply, breaking through her thoughts.

“What?” she asked, distractedly.

“A.”

“A?” A slow smile spread across her face.

Jeremy nodded, grinning from ear to ear.

When it finally sank in, Embry’s hands flew into the air as she whooped and jumped up and down. “Holy shit! We did it!”

“We sure did.” His lips curved into a wide grin as he stood from the couch.

Embry jumped into his arms, wrapping herself around him and squeezing him tight. “We did it, study buddy!”

A soft laugh vibrated in his chest as he held her.

Pulling back, she grabbed his face, beaming. “Oh! I’m so happy, I could kiss you!”

Jeremy froze. His expression fell, pain and longing replacing excitement. And just like that, the moment was shattered. He loosened his arms, letting her slide down his body until her feet hit the floor. Then he backed away quickly and sat on the couch, busying himself with his laptop.