Unbroken (The Disclosure Series Book 2) (37 page)

Another shiver racked her body and suddenly she felt too exposed, sitting outside on the dock in plain sight. She gathered up the photos—holding the past four months of her and Luke’s relationship in her hands—grabbed her wine and hurried inside, locking the door and setting the alarm.

She settled on the couch with her wine and tossed the photos onto the coffee table. She no longer cared where Luke was or if he was in the middle of the trial of his life, she had to tell him. She pulled out her phone and shot him a panicked text.

I need you. ASAP. 911. Now.

The alarm beeped in the background, and Luke’s voice came from far away. “Bree? Bree, where are you?”

Her sleepy mind refused to process anything. Her eyelids fluttered, but she was pulled back under.

“Embry.” A warm hand grasped her shoulder, lips touching her face.

She stirred, her brain foggy as she slowly came awake. Then her eyes blinked open to find Luke kneeling beside the couch where she lay.

“Hi.” Her voice was thick with sleep.

He cupped her face, the pad of his thumb trailing gently across her cheek. “Hey, you okay? You texted me 911, then didn’t answer your phone.”

“I passed out.” The events of the day came crashing into her at once, and her emotions kicked into overdrive as a fresh wave of alarm shot through her. She shook her head rapidly, her wide eyes finding his. “No, Luke. I’m not okay. Nothing’s okay.”

His eyebrows drew together with worry. “What’re you talking about?”

She motioned toward the coffee table, and Luke stood and turned. She watched his body go tense, his eyes slowly igniting with anger as they traveled over the photographs. A string of curses fell from his mouth as he rubbed the back of his neck and turned back toward Embry. “What is this?” he asked quietly, a chill hanging on the edge of his words.

Embry gulped. “Sydney was a judge for my oral argument today.”

His mouth fell open in astonishment.

She nodded toward the photographs, smiling sardonically. Her fear had morphed into anger now. She was no longer trembling. Instead she wanted to hurt something, someone, do damage. “And she left me with this lovely parting gift.”

He snapped his jaw shut. Gathering up the photographs, he attempted to shove them back in the envelope, but his hands, visibly shaking with rage, couldn’t manage. He threw the photographs back on the table with a shout. “Jesus H. motherfucking Christ!”

Embry jumped, startled into gasping silence.

He turned to her, his face dropping. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. I’ll take care of this, I’ll—”

Something in her snapped then. All of the hurt and pain she’d been feeling, all of the anger she’d been suppressing, clawed to the surface, all directed at Luke.

She stood and threw her hands in the air. “You’ll what, Luke? Fix this?” She was sick of hearing “I’m sorry”. She wanted normal. She wanted happy. She wanted free. And with Luke it was always something.

His eyes hardened. “You’re putting this on me? You think I want this, Embry?”

She stalked toward him, leaning in. “How did she get on to campus, Luke? Who offered her a position to judge the oral arguments? The only connection she has is you. Think about it…”

His lips parted, as if ready to throw his anger back at her, but he stopped suddenly, his eyes widening in realization. “Fuck.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Fuck me.”

She looked on, waiting, wondering.

“I recommended Chuck,” he said quietly. “He’s interested in teaching. I suggested him as a judge. He must’ve had a previous engagement and sent her in his place. Fuck, Embry. I had no idea.”

She shook her head in disgust and pushed past him. It didn’t matter anymore. Whatever his excuses or reasons, she was tired of hearing them.

“Embry.” He followed behind her as she climbed the stairs.

She ignored his pleas. She was seething, her entire body a ball of tension and anger that had nowhere to go except at Luke.

“Embry.” His voice was forceful and his hand shot out, gripping hers.

“What?” She whirled on him, ripping her hand away from him, her words dripping with disdain. “What do you want?”

He stared at her quietly.

“She tried to ruin you, Luke.
Ruin
you! And what did you do? You found her a job, gave her a reason to stay here, to meddle, plot, plan, and play whatever fucked up game she’s playing.”

He scrubbed a hand down his face, his eyes tired and sad. The mask of anger had slipped from his features, and she could now see the pain behind his eyes, the full weight of the guilt he was carrying for bringing her into this.

But she didn’t care if he hurt, she didn’t care if he didn’t deserve her anger, she didn’t care about anything. She wanted to expel the fear and the rage; not feel anything anymore.

Angry tears stung her eyes as she continued. “She took pictures of us. Of our private moments! Doesn’t that scare you? Fuck with your head just a little? This isn’t some girl with a crush, anymore. She’s a crazy bitch who has some kind of twisted, fucked up vendetta against you, and I’m caught in the crosshairs, because of you!”

He visibly bristled, the anger returning. “Right,” he said, glowering at her. “It’s all on me. Because dealing with your crazy fuck of an ex was a walk in the motherfucking park.” He turned his back on her and stormed down the hall.

She reared back as if slapped.
How dare he.

“You lied, Luke. You broke us, and now she’s here to finish the job!” She hurled the words at his back, but he didn’t react. He simply stomped into the poolroom and slammed the door shut behind him.

Luke flew into the room in a rage, slamming his hand against the rack in the corner and sending pool cues flying. Then he collapsed on the couch in the corner with his head in his hands, his chest heaving with the effort to reel in his anger. He was choking on his fury, overwhelmed with the need to break something, hurt something. Unlike Embry, he refused to unleash it where it didn’t belong.

A hollow ache filled his chest. He’d never let someone close enough to hurt him, but Embry’s words had ripped a hole right through him, filling him with emptiness and dread. She knew exactly what to say to bring him to his knees.

But it wasn’t even the words, not really, it was the truth behind them. She was angry, scared, hurting. She didn’t have a malicious bone in her body, and he knew she was probably sitting in their bedroom, beating herself up right now. But that didn’t lessen the sting of truth behind every accusation she’d thrown at him.

He hadn’t protected her, kept her safe. He hadn’t even been aware of the threat, and that was like a punch right to the fucking balls. He’d rid Jack from her life just to replace him with someone even crazier and completely unstable, and he hadn’t kept her safe, sheltered her. Instead he’d launched her right into the eye of the storm.

He felt like an idiot for listening to Camden. He knew his brother meant well in suggesting he get Sydney a job. And Luke had agreed with the logic, thinking that if he just helped her out maybe she’d get out of his hair. Their mistake was treating her like a semi-normal girl with somewhat misguided feelings, when really she’d been a fucking psychopath all along.

A chill ran through his body as he pictured Sydney sneaking around his property, following him and Embry, stalking them, invading their privacy. Documenting and destroying their most intimate moments. She’d crossed every line imaginable. Obliterated every social boundary.

He wasn’t playing nice anymore.

When the door opened, Luke was dragged from his thoughts. A sliver of light from the hallway seeped into the room, illuminating Embry’s face. Her skin was red and tearstained, her eyes filled with regret and apology. She stood timidly in the doorway as if seeking permission to enter. He dropped his head again, his thoughts weighing him down. He wanted to be angry with her, yell and scream and beat his chest, show her how much of a man he was, but he couldn’t. All he could feel was the heaviness of his failure.

She padded across the room until she was standing before him. He didn’t move, his head hanging heavy between his shoulders.

“Luke?”

Not knowing what to do or say, he kept his gaze locked on the floor.

Her fingers dug through his hair, gripping his head and forcing his face up, and he stared into her green depths, his throat burning with emotion.

“Do you hate me?” Her voice quivered.

He shook his head slowly, his gaze clinging to hers as a million emotions passed between them—hurt, anger, pain, sadness, fear. He lifted his arms and wound them around her waist, resting his forehead on her flat stomach. Her arms came around his head, holding him tight to her and she let out a weighty sigh, a combination of sadness and relief.

He held her close and breathed her in, fighting the sting of tears against the back of his eyes. He couldn’t lose her, not again. He’d do whatever it took to fix this, to keep her safe. Lifting his head he found her eyes once more. Her fingers flexed in the back of his hair, love and need, anger and pain in her gaze.

“I’m sorry, Embry.” The words meant nothing, he knew that. He wished he could fix it… take it all away.

Her fingers tightened in his hair, tugging slightly. “No. Stop. You’ve done nothing wrong. I was so overwhelmed and scared, but I never…” She lifted a hand to her face, swiping at the tears that had begun to fall anew. “I never should have treated you that way. I took it out on you because it was safe. Because I knew you’d let me. Because I knew you’d still love me.”

He shrugged. “I’ve got broad shoulders. It’s fine.” And it was. Her words hurt, the truth hurt more. But her hands on him, her warmth pressed up against him, made it all fade into the background.

“No, it’s not. I just…” She blew out a long breath, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. “I feel like the universe is fighting against us. Jack coming out of the woodwork and now this. It’s too much. I don’t know what to do with it, how to handle it.”

He pulled her into his lap, her long legs straddling his thighs. “You’re my universe, Embry. You’re the only thing that matters. I don’t give a shit about anybody, any
thing
else. The world can fight against us and I’ll fight back.”

Her eyes searched his, filling with longing and tenderness, before she leaned in, her soft lips brushing against his.

His heart turned over in his chest. The touch of her lips, the feel of her body, was pushing him over the edge. He ached to lose himself inside of her, forget the troubles plaguing them and just be.

“Help me forget, Luke. Please. Just for tonight.”

It was all he wanted—needed to hear. Driven by a sense of urgency, he stood, taking her with him, her legs coming up to wrap around his waist as he walked her toward the pool table. Setting her to rest on the edge, he quickly stripped off her shirt and unhooked her bra, dragging it down her arms. His hands explored her beautiful body as his mouth covered hers hungrily, devouring her softness.

Breaking the kiss, she tugged on his shirt, her eyes pleading, as if she couldn’t bear to have the layer of fabric between them any longer. With a low grunt, he reached behind him and pulled his T-shirt over his head, then crushed his body to hers. The warmth of her skin set him on fire. He had to have her.

She stared intently into his eyes, need warring with pain, as he lifted her, stripping away her pants, and taking her thong with it before setting her back on the table. He pushed his pants down his hips, kicking them aside, and stepped between her legs. Fisting his cock, he teased her, dragging it through her wet center, loving the tortured sounds that escaped her lips.

“Please, Luke. Now. I need you now.”

He wouldn’t make her wait any longer. He needed her, too. Maybe more. He needed to know she was his, always would be. Sydney wouldn’t ruin them and he wasn’t going to let anything else come between them, either. He was going to fucking fix this.

He eased her down on the pool table, the sharp clack of the pool balls echoing through the room as they scattered across the felt. Spreading his palm across her stomach, he held her firmly as he sunk inside of her.