Broken Hill Halo (Broken Hill High #2)

by Sheridan Anne

  © 2019 Sheridan Anne.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  All Rights Reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  Cover Design by: Sheridan Anne

  Photograph: Viktor Solomin

  Editing and Formatting by: Sheridan Anne

  Introduction

  I never expected Nate Ryder to change my life the way he did.

  Hell, I never expected to fall in love with the one guy who made my life a living hell for five years, but here I am. He’s the perfect example of something I never knew I needed.

  He’s my rock. My salvation. He’s exactly what I need when my life goes up in flames.

  I thought the worst was over. I thought I was safe to move on from the horrors of the past few weeks, but I have never been so wrong.

  If I knew my life would spiral out the way it did, I would have just stayed in bed with the covers pulled right over my head, but this time, it’s not only my life spiraling out of control. It’s theirs.

  Nobody messes with my boys except for me.

  This time it means war.

  This time I’m pulling up my big girl panties.

  This time they’ll learn not to mess with Tora Roberts and the Ryder brothers.

  This time we’re putting them down and that’s where they’re going to stay.

  WARNING: The Broken Hill High Series is a Young Adult / New Adult Romance filled with LOL moments, teenage angst, and of course, all the swoon worthy moments I know you’re all dying for. This series is recommended for mature readers due to cursing and sexual content. If this offends you, then steer clear of this bad boy romance!

  For everyone else, dive in and have fun!

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Author Biography

  Other books by Sheridan Anne

  Chapter 1

  “You’re cheating,” Jesse yells as he sits up straighter and focuses harder on the screen before him. He scoots forward on the couch and leans onto his knees, hoping that getting closer to the TV is going to help him win

  “Am not,” I argue as I continue pressing the buttons on the PlayStation controller like a boss while whooping his ass. “I can’t help it that I’m better than you.”

  “Bullshit,” he demands while trying to make his assassin shoot me down. “No one is better than me.”

  My ninja princess performs a beautiful fan kick that has his assassin’s gun flying right out of his hands. I laugh as she charges forward and throat punches him before swiftly kicking his ass. “That was a dick move,” Jesse grunts as he tries to recover his character.

  “So was trying to shoot me,” I tell him as my phone sounds on the coffee table for the hundredth time.

  “You deserved it,” he grins, chuckling to himself. “Try and get out of this one.”

  His character throws a grenade my way and I laugh as my ninja princess pulls out a sword and uses it as a baseball bat to launch the grenade right back at him.

  “Fuck,” he grunts as my laughter becomes too much.

  My eyes pool with tears and makes the TV go all blurry. “Shit,” I laugh while trying to use the backs of my hands to wipe the tears away without losing the game. I blink my eyes over and over again, but it’s not working. All I manage to do is give Jesse an opening to decapitate me. “Not fair,” I demand. “I couldn’t see.”

  “Nope,” he cackles. “It’s not my fault you cry like a girl.”

  I roll my eyes and toss the controller on the couch beside me before grabbing my phone off the coffee table. I find four unread text messages. Three from my best friend Brooke, and one from my mom.

  I go to read them when Jesse starts setting up for a new game. “How’d you get so good at this?” he questions. “I thought for sure it’d be an easy win. I had a plan. I was going to rub it in your face and gloat about it all night.”

  I can’t help but grin as I roll my eyes. “I bought a PlayStation for dad last year, thinking it could give us something to do together, but he pushed it aside and said ‘I don’t have time for this childish nonsense’,” I tell him while mimicking my father’s voice. “So, me and mom started playing, and I swear, she’s so good at it. She must practice every day while I’m at school.”

  “Shit,” he groans. “Your mom is so fucking hot. If she wasn’t my mom’s best friend, I’d be trying to hit that.”

  “Ugh,” I cringe, hating that he forgets that I’m not actually one of the boys. I grab a cushion off the couch and launch it at his face. My aim is perfect and the cushion smacks him right in the middle of the face, the best part, he never saw it coming.

  “What was that for?” he grunts as he rips his eyes off the screen.

  “For putting the image of you trying to get with my mom in my head,” I tell him. “I’m going to have nightmares for weeks.”

  He shrugs his shoulders and laughs. “Don’t worry, I’ll be dreaming about it too,” he says with a dirty wink, making my skin crawl.

  “You’re so gross.”

  A sparkle hits his eyes and I know that whatever he’s about to say is going to make him giggle like a little school girl. “It was worth it to know you’ll be dreaming about me while you’re sleeping in my brother’s arms.”

  Just as I thought, he bursts into laughter while I do my best to hold mine in. “You’re such an idiot,” I grin as I get back to checking my messages.

  Brooke – What are you doing? I’m so bored! Maxen has a family lunch and I’m stuck grocery shopping with my mom.

  Brooke – OHHHHHH YEAH!!!!!! PARTY AT PHOENIX’S PLACE TONIGHT!!! You in???

  Mom – Hi honey, just checking in. Haven’t heard from you today. Love you xxx.

  Brooke – HELLO!!! You’re such a skank ass bitch! Stop screwing your boyfriend and talk to me!!! Are we partying with the cheerleaders or what?

  I look up at Jesse. “What’s going on tonight?” I ask. “Brooke says Phoenix is having a party.”

  Jesse pulls his phone out of his pocket and checks something before looking back up at me. “Looks like it,” he says as he hashes out a text on his phone. “I wouldn’t mind a bit of Phoenix tonight. She likes to get wild. She’s a screamer too.”

  “That was information I didn’t need to know.”

  At that, Jesse looks up again and looks around the massive den. “What happened to Nate?”

  I turn around and scan the room as my brows pull down. I could have sworn he was asleep on the opposite couch. I must have really been getting into that game. “Eh,” I shrug. “I didn’t even realize he’d left.”

  “Great girlfriend you are,” Jess scoffs.

  “Shut up,” I laugh as I push myself up off the couch and start replying to Brooke’s message.

  Tora – We’re in! Come over if you’re bored.

  I hit send and she responds instantly.

  Brooke – Be there in twenty!

  I walk straight from the den and through t
he house towards the garage. After living with the boys for over a month now, I’m pretty damn certain that Nate is either in here playing with his car or down in the home gym, and seeing as though he worked out this morning. I’d put my money on the garage.

  I hear music coming through the wall and round the corner to find the internal door slightly cracked. I gently push it open and lean against the door frame as I watch Nate leaning over the hood of his car looking at… well, I actually have no idea in hell what he’s looking at, but I know that he looks damn good doing it.

  I stand and watch him for a moment but it doesn’t take long for him to sense me here. “Are you going to keep staring or are you going to get your fine ass over here and help?”

  I grin to myself as I continue watching him. “I’m good here.”

  His eyes darken as he turns around and leans against the hood of his car. “You have two seconds to get your ass over here,” he warns with a smile playing on his lips even though he’s trying his hardest to maintain his bad boy image.

  I cross my arms over my chest and make a show of getting comfortable. “And if I don’t?” I question.

  He licks his bottom lip as he watches me. “Then I’m going to make you.”

  I can’t help the wide grin that spreads across my face. I love it when Nate is in one of these playful moods. It’s so exciting. I never know what he’s going to do and that alone spurs me on. “I’d like to see you try.”

  His eyes sparkle in the same way that Jesse’s did as he digs into his pocket and pulls out his phone. “You’re not the least bit curious to know what I’ve got hiding on here?” he questions.

  The smile on my face falters as I watch him. I mean, Nate Ryder is the king of getting what he wants and blackmail is not beneath him. Though, the guy claims he loves me so he could be bluffing. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt me, not anymore at least. But embarrassing me? That I have to watch out for.

  To call his bluff or not?

  He starts typing away on his phone and I find myself taking a step forward. “What are you doing?” I ask.

  He grins up at me, but the mischief in his eyes keeps me glued to the spot. “Why don’t you come over here and see?”

  I shake my head. “Nuh-uh. I’m not falling for that.”

  “Falling for what?” he questions innocently.

  “Your wicked charm.”

  I watch him abandon his whole plan of attack as he reaches back and places the phone down on the hood of his car. He slowly walks towards me as his dark eyes begin to smolder. He growls low in his throat as he gets to me and reaches out before pulling me hard against him. “Baby, you haven’t seen wicked yet,” he tells me.

  Within a matter of seconds, his lips are on mine and my legs are wrapped around his waist as I’m pinned against the garage wall. He kisses me deeply and I melt into him. I still have a hard time believing this is all happening. A month ago, he was the guy who made my life a living hell, though turns out every mean thing he ever did was to either protect me or help me in some way.

  This is crazy. Not in a million years would I think I’d be falling hard for Nate Ryder, but here I am, putty in his hands. Every day over the past month has been better than the last… and the sex. Wow. It’s incredible. It’s passionate and intense. Sometimes slow, sometimes fast. It’s hard and desperate, while other times it’s gentle and sensual.

  He reads my body like a map and every single time he gives me exactly what I need even when I don’t know I need it. Surely, it couldn’t be this good for everyone, right? Otherwise, the world will stop. People would be locked up in their bedrooms, a mess of limbs all the damn time.

  My hands slip under Nate’s shirt as he gives my ass a good squeeze. I’ll never get tired of feeling his muscled body under my fingers. He growls low in his throat and presses himself into me, showing that he needs me just as bad I need him.

  My fingers bunch into the fabric of his shirt and start pulling up when a groan beside us has me freezing. “Ugh,” Jesse cringes. “Get a room.”

  “Fuck off,” Nate grunts as he moves his lips to my neck.

  I suck in a breath as the pleasure is nearly too much. “Have it your way,” Jesse says in surrender as he walks past us and over to the bar fridge before pulling out a beer. “But you should know, your precious girlfriend didn’t notice you left the den over an hour ago.”

  An hour ago? No way. Ten minutes tops.

  I feel Nate’s grin against my neck and instantly tense. “Really now?” he murmurs in a tone that tells me I should tread carefully.

  I shake my head and run my nails down his chest. “He’s lying,” I tell him. “He’s just upset because I whooped his ass.”

  “Bullshit,” Jesse laughs. “I won that fair and square.”

  Nate ignores him as he pulls back and looks down at me. He playfully narrows those dark eyes on me and I see that familiar sparkle that has my insides clenching. “My own girlfriend didn’t even realize I was gone,” he says with a wicked grin as he shakes his head.

  I recognize the look in his eyes and I know I need to get out of here fast. If I wasn’t squished between his body and the garage wall, I’d be running as fast as my legs can take me. A grin rips across my face. I absolutely love it when Nate is like this, though, because of his sheer size and strength, I never win, but it’s always fun trying.

  Knowing there’s not a lot I can do, I play along. I walk my fingers up his stomach and chest while acting as innocent as possible. “You know, I can’t help it that the PlayStation is more interesting than you.”

  “Tell me,” he says, trying to hold back laughter. “What else is more interesting than me?”

  “Oh, there’s plenty of things,” I tell him. “Writing a ten thousand word essay. Watching grass grow. Eating plain rice cakes. Watching a documentary on doing your tax returns.”

  “Really? What about your precious books? Are they more interesting?” he questions as his hands lower to my waist.

  “Oh, yeah,” I grin.

  “Your car?”

  “Definitely.”

  I hear a car coming down the driveway and look up to see Brooke behind the wheel. Nate looks up, takes her in then looks back to me. “What about Brooke? Is she more interesting than me?”

  I press my lips together and nod. “Sorry, big guy.”

  His hands tighten on my waist. “Alright, that does it,” he says before lifting me and throwing me over his shoulder. He slaps my ass as he walks back in through the house. “Let’s see how interesting a swim is.”

  “What?” I shriek as I start kicking my legs around. “No. Put me down. I take it all back. You’re so interesting, it blows my mind every day.”

  “Too late,” he laughs.

  “No,” I yell out. I look up when I hear laughter coming from behind us to watch Jesse and Brooke watching the show. I look to Brooke. “Help me.”

  The back stabbing bitch grins and shakes her head. “Cow,” I grunt.

  Nate pushes out the back door and I wrap my hands around his waist, interlocking them at his stomach, hoping that if he can’t get me off him, he might just give in.

  He gets closer to the pool and I hold on even tighter, especially as his hand comes up over my ass and takes my phone out of my back pocket. Oh no. He means business. “No, no, no, no, no,” I start chanting as I feel my doom coming closer and closer. “Please. I promise I’ll be the best girlfriend ever.”

  His only response is his deep, booming laughter.

  As he gets to the poolside, I expect him to start tugging at my hands and trying to pull me off, but instead, he dives straight in. I squeal out as we go hurtling towards the water, take a deep breath, and clench my eyes.

  We hit the freezing water and I swim as fast as I can up to the surface. “Oh my god,” I gasp as the water rocks right through my body. “It’s freezing.” Nate can’t respond as he’s laughing too hard, but a second later, he pulls me back into his arms and refuses to let me go. “You’re such an as
s,” I murmur as he tries to kiss me.

  “An ass that you can’t get enough of,” he tells me.

  I roll my eyes and let him drag me over to the edge. Nate sits me up on the side and my legs dangle into the cold water as he stands between them, looking up at me. I can’t help but swoon over the way the little water droplets cling to his hair and face as he watches me. I mean, wow. This guy is simply breathtaking, he always has been, but now that he’s not a dick, I can fully appreciate it.

  I lean down and kiss him deeply as his hands circle around me. “What do you say we skip the race and the party? I want to take you to bed and never leave.”

  “That’s fine by me,” I tell him.

  “Ahhhhh, yeah. That shit ain't going to fly,” Jesse says from somewhere behind me.

  I turn around to find him and Brooke leaning up against the pool fence. “I agree,” Brooke calls over to us. “I’m not missing a perfectly good party so you two can screw like rabbits.”

  “You’re right,” Nate says as he pulls me even closer. "I'll screw her like a fucking queen.”

  Oh damn. That sounds good. I grin down at him. “I’m in.”

  He smirks back up at me with that cocky grin that I love so much. “I don’t care,” Jesse says. “You can stay if you want, but either way, the Camaro is racing tonight. With or without you,” he adds before pulling Nate’s keys out of his pocket at waving them around. “I’ve always wanted to race it.”

  Jesse gives Nate a grin before turning around and running back inside. Nate’s eyes go wide as he realizes his younger brother is more than willing to go through with it. “Fuck,” he grunts. Nate launches himself out of the pool and races in after his brother as the pool water rushes off him. “Get back here, you little shit.”

  I can’t help but grin after them. These were the boys I knew from my childhood and every now and then, they show me that those little boys still live within them.

  Brooke laughs as I get myself out of the pool area and run in after them. My wet feet slide along the tiles and Brooke latches onto me to hold me up. I hear the sound of Nate’s Camaro starting up and push myself a little faster. If Jesse manages to move his car even an inch, it isn’t going to go well.

 
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