Broken and Beautiful

by Ryan, Kendall

He looked me square in the eyes. “No. Just because I’ve let you have your way most of the time, doesn’t mean I always will,” he cautioned before returning to the game, setting it up in two-player mode.

  “It doesn’t matter if I’m Mario or Luigi. I’m still going to kick your ass.”

  “You think so?”

  “I know so.” I clapped my hands and rubbed them together with glee. “I haven’t played this game in forever.”

  “Neither have I.”

  That familiar music started, and since he was Mario, he got to go first. I patiently awaited my turn, living up to all the boasting I was doing.

  My excitement grew when we got to the third world, and I was up. Daniel was beyond impressed I knew the trick to rack up an infinite amount of lives; the surprised look on his face was priceless. I gave him a knowing smile, and he shook his head as if nothing I did could catch him unawares at this point.

  “All right, I’ll bite,” he said. “How did you get so good?”

  “Not too shabby for a girl, am I?” I couldn’t stop grinning. “How did you know I loved this game?”

  “I asked you a question first,” he said, concentrating on the screen. “Shit.” He’d almost jumped into a green pipe with one of the things that popped up and spit fire. “You’re all right,” he conceded, capturing the flag to get to the next level.

  “The only kids close to my age in the neighborhood where I grew up were the boys next door. If I couldn’t keep up, they wouldn’t let me play.”

  “Bet that changed as you got older.”

  I cut my eyes over to Daniel and missed a jump over a beetle, turning back into a little Luigi. “Damn.”

  Daniel snickered. “If you’d been my daughter, I sure as hell wouldn’t have let you play with the boys next door.”

  “My parents didn’t care.” I found a mushroom in the game and got big again. “Unless I interfered with their plans.”

  “What plans?” Daniel’s tone turned serious.

  I finished my level and tossed the controller on the sofa beside me. I studied him for a moment as he started his turn. Did I want to get into this with him? I pulled my knees to my chest and rested my chin on top.

  “Apparently, we still live in the sixteenth century in Texas,” I started dryly, “because once I was old enough, my parents arranged a marriage for me.”

  Daniel paused the game, his eyes fierce when he looked at me. “You’re married?”

  I wrinkled my nose. “God, no. But if it were up to them, I would be.”

  “That’s why you came to New York,” he surmised.

  “No. I came to New York because I earned the internship with Hamerstein. It just happened to conveniently be far away from Dallas.” I stared at the floor as bitterness crept up on me.

  “Why didn’t your betrothed come with you?” he gritted out, and I jerked my head toward him in surprise.

  “I never let it get that far. Even if I hadn’t gotten the internship, I wouldn’t have.”

  He relaxed a fraction at that. “Not the marrying kind?”

  “I wanted to be an accountant. You’d think that my parents would have figured out by now that when I want something, I don’t stop until I get it.” When had they ever really taken the time to get to know me anyway? “Instead of being proud of me for the internship, my dad was pissed off.”

  “Because you didn’t conform to the plan?”

  “Yeah, I guess.” I threw up my hands. “Who knows? I was fool enough to date the guy they wanted me to marry.” I scrubbed my hand across my forehead. “I thought they wanted me with him because he’d be good to me. Because they wanted me to find happiness. What if I hadn’t figured out what a jackass he was?”

  “Did he hurt you?” Daniel growled.

  I shook my head. “No. No. Nothing like that.” I took in a deep breath and angled my body toward his. “Have you ever felt like a pawn in a game you didn’t know you were playing?”

  His eyes softened. “All too well.”

  “When I graduated from SMU a few months ago, I thought I was on my way. But being near the top of my class wasn’t enough for them.” I grabbed a pillow and shoved it between my legs and my chest. “Dad didn’t care if I got a degree. He just wanted me to marry Johnny Caldwell so he could get all of his daddy’s business.”

  “And your mother didn’t try to stop it?”

  I lifted my eyes toward the ceiling. “The only thing my mother worries about is how much gin is left in the bottle. And meddling in my father’s affairs.” I sighed and picked at a string on the corner of the pillow. “That’s not really fair. She cares about me the best she knows how.”

  Daniel’s fist balled on his leg. “Where does this alliance stand?”

  “It doesn’t. DeGraw Electrical Supply and Caldwell Construction will have to continue as before. I’m not marrying Johnny. I’m not going back to Dallas to be a puppet, despite that my daddy thinks I’ll crawl back on my knees,” I finished with a scowl.

  “If he tries to force you—”

  “He won’t even speak to me.” I set the pillow aside. “I don’t get it. He already does a ton of business with the Caldwells. Why does it matter if I marry into their family?”

  “It cements the relationship.”

  “I think Mr. Caldwell must have offered him a piece of the company or something. Which would be huge considering they’re one of the biggest contractors in the state.” It was the only thing that made sense, but I’d kept a distance from my father’s business.

  Daniel’s jaw worked, pure venom in his voice when he spoke. “You’re worth more than that.”

  We went back to the game and eventually saved the princess—well, he did, so I guess technically he won. But he didn’t gloat, declaring we were a pretty good team. After we high-fived, he slung his arm on the back of the couch, an invitation to come to him. I snuggled into his side, and he caressed my shoulder.

  Sparks traveled through me, desire chasing after them. I looked up at him. His lids were heavy, eyes as dark as I’d ever seen them.

  “I can’t stop thinking about that kiss,” he said, his voice deeper.

  “You mean peck?” I sassed back, even as I scooted closer.

  He traced back and forth along my lower lip. “It was more than that, and you know it.”

  I shivered, sliding my hand up under his shirt and across his stomach. His muscles flexed, and my mouth turned up in triumph. I wasn’t the only one affected, no matter how minimal the contact.

  “I do know,” I admitted, inching my face towards his.

  “Let me see.”

  I frowned. “See what?”

  “How wet you are for me.”

  My lips parted, a rush of air escaping. I wriggled, uncomfortable on a couple of levels. I wanted him, there was no denying that, but if we took even a baby step forward, there would be no coming back. His thumb pressed on my lip, his fist tilting my chin up so I couldn’t look away. “Do you think I would ever hurt you?”

  My shoulders relaxed. “Not intentionally.”

  A shadow crossed his face, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. Daniel kissed the pad of his thumb and pressed it to my lips. My skin burned in that spot, but it was a poor substitute for what I wanted. His mouth.

  “When I have you, it will be when I can take my time. But I need to make you come, Vivian.”

  I pouted. “How am I supposed to resist that?”

  He grinned. “You aren’t.”

  I let out a harmless growl, and his smile only broadened. “I foresee this being a problem.”

  He moved so he was slouched in one corner of the couch. “Come here.” He positioned me so I was seated between his legs, my back to his chest. “What’s the problem?” He nuzzled my cheek.

  I leaned my temple against his. “Me not being able to say no to you.”

  His lips found my hair. “That’s not a problem at all.”

  “Not for you.”

  A large palm cupped my breast, kneadin
g. I thrust my chest out, already aching for more.

  “What if I can’t say no to you?” he asked, his other hand joining in.

  I gasped as he rolled my nipples in his fingers. The fabric of the shirt I was wearing only added to the stimulation.

  “You’d better not.” The words came out throaty, seductive even.

  “Your cunt wants my fingers inside of it. I won’t say no to that,” he breathed in my ear.

  My hips arched of their own accord. Any doubt I’d had only a moment ago vanished. Need for him overruled everything else.

  “Ask me for it,” he demanded.

  My face flushed, a fine sheen of perspiration breaking out across my forehead. He’d worked lower, teasing my mound on the outside of my clothes. I gripped his rock-hard thighs, unable to stay still.

  “For what?” I rasped, impressed I had the wits to tease him back. A riot was happening inside of me, all my cells at war over which way to go.

  He pinched my nipple, and I squeaked. “Don’t play with me.”

  Goosebumps broke out across my skin. “Isn’t that what you’re doing to me?”

  “No.”

  His movement between my legs slowed to the point where it was almost nonexistent. I whimpered in protest.

  “Ask me, Princess, or this stops.”

  The command had me desperate to obey. “Put your fingers inside my cunt.”

  “I didn’t hear a please.”

  “Please,” I grated out, setting aside my pride.

  “You could work on your tone, but it will do.” He threw my words back at me, but I couldn’t be mad.

  His hand disappeared inside my pajama pants and skated over the cotton of my underwear. His middle finger ran up my slit, pressing the fabric between my swollen lips. He hissed as my hips bucked.

  “You flatter me,” he said, teasing around my clit in a lazy circle. He was barely touching me. It was maddening.

  “How so?”

  “You’re soaked for me.”

  The smug expression on his face both infuriated and excited me. His confidence was intoxicating. The man knew exactly what he was doing, my body one gigantic sensation, only for him.

  “What happens if I do this?” he asked seductively in my ear, pinching the throbbing bundle of nerves.

  My back arched, but he held me anchored against him with his other hand across my stomach. Electricity bolted from my core out to my limbs, the need for something more building.

  “Hmm. I do believe I can make you come without ever touching that sweet flesh,” he murmured.

  He pushed inside, panties and all. My grip on his thighs tightened. “Daniel.” It was a plea for mercy, for more. I needed him like I’d never needed in my life. It had been building from the second we met, one long-ass game of foreplay. No wonder I was almost there.

  “I like how my name sounds coming out of your mouth.”

  I lifted my hips, urging his finger to move. Easing my panties aside, he complied, and I rocked against him, each time burying his digit to the root. His other hand slid under the waistband of my pajamas, pressing against my clit.

  My walls pulsed around his finger as he crooked it against my g-spot. He edged me closer to the brink.

  “Turn your face so I can see you.”

  I obeyed without thought, our eyes locking. With a pinch and a thrust, he sent me over. My legs stiffened, there was a pause before release overtook me. I trembled with the power of the orgasm.

  When the fizz and sizzle subsided, I leaned up and pressed my lips against his cheek before collapsing against him. Daniel massaged my most intimate place for a few minutes before wrapping his arms around me.

  “Vivian,” he started, and I tilted my face up to look at him. His expression was serious as he touched my cheek. “Don’t listen to anybody that tries to tear you down. You can do everything you want and more. The people that say otherwise don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about.”

  I swallowed the knot in my throat. All my life there had only been one person on Team Vivian, and that was me. It felt like someone else had joined now, someone who would be strong when I needed a break. And I had to admit, I was firmly on Team Daniel, there to support him when he needed it whether he accepted it or not. I had a feeling that from that point on, there would be no more Team Vivian and Team Daniel. Team Vivian and Daniel was born somewhere in the skies high above the Earth.

  19

  Daniel

  Present

  “Angelone approached me.”

  Donato and I moved at a sluggish pace through Battery Park. We weren’t the only ones in suits, though most of the runners and walkers that passed were decked out in yoga pants or sweats. I couldn’t handle being cooped up in the apartment another second, so I’d asked Donato to meet me here. The wind off the river was chilly, but I barely felt it. Nothing could compare to the chill of Vivian removed from my life.

  “He knows better.” The threat in his tone was an undercurrent working it’s way to the surface.

  “He wants in on the jaune.” I’d turned this over in my mind a thousand times since Angelone had come to me. Why would he show up now after all these years, and how the hell did he know about the diamond? I could not make those pieces fit any explanation that made sense.

  Donato hesitated, though he resumed his pace immediately. “Is that what he called it?”

  “Exactly.” I looked out over the water to a barge loaded down with cargo. “What I can’t figure out is if it’s someone on our side or the owner’s who betrayed us.”

  “Could be the buyer,” Donato reasoned.

  That was a definite possibility. The man wanted the diamond, but if it was him who spoke to Angelone, it wasn’t a smart move.

  “Do you think we should move forward with this deal? It’s getting too complicated.” I shoved my hands in my pockets. “Angelone claims I owe him for the time he spent in prison, and this is how he wants repayment.”

  “If I were him I’d want revenge too. One thing for sure, the man is patient and never forgets.” Donato’s mind had shifted into high gear. His eyes always squinted a fraction when he was deep in thought.

  “I keep asking myself why now. We haven’t had direct contact with Angelone in years. Now, he just appears from nowhere to collect his due?”

  Donato shrugged. “We’re all watching each other all the time. He’s found the opportunity he’s been waiting for. It’s not that surprising.”

  My irritation ratcheted up a notch. His knowledge of this deal wasn’t surprising. It was shocking. Only the most trusted in the family were in on this. We were talking black, black market stuff here. I didn’t know exactly how the current owner had come into possession of this diamond, but I didn’t think she’d picked it up at Tiffany’s.

  “I don’t believe in coincidence. It’s too convenient that he shows up when the other shit is going down,” I argued. “He wants half. And if we don’t let him in on it, he’s threatened to make you suffer. And my family too. He knew about Vivian, by name.” I balled my fists, getting angry all over again. If anything ever happened to Vivian or Muriella because of me…the thought alone had me desperate to lay eyes on both of them, now.

  “I’ll make sure nothing happens to your girls.”

  “Can either of us really do that?” I looked toward the sky. “We’re not invincible. If Angelone wants any of us dead, he can do it any time he pleases. Just as we can to him.”

  “There are ways.” Donato stopped walking and faced me. “I won’t let him near either of them.”

  “What about you?” I challenged. “Angelone also said he can make your ‘situation' go away. Do you think he’s got anything to do with your other problem?”

  “Possibly, possibly not. He can do his best. I can handle it.”

  We strolled along the cracked concrete pathway in silence for a few minutes. I shoved my hands in the pockets of my overcoat to stave off the cold. A woman bounced past, giving me a once over. I turned my head away f
rom her.

  Donato chuckled. “Another disappointed lady.”

  “There’s no comparison.”

  “Why don’t you marry her?” Because I’ve left her.

  I ignored the pain in my gut and sidestepped the question.

  “Maybe have your guy on the inside check it out. Angelone has the motive, after all.”

  He let out a long breath as if worn out by the whole situation. “True. I’ll see what I can find.”

  “I’ll let you know if he contacts me again.”

  “He will. Make no mistake about that.” Donato started in the direction we’d just come from. “I must go. We’ll talk soon.”

  He cut across the grass, his steps determined. I leaned against the railing and watched until he became no more than a black speck in the distance. Everything was building to the point where I didn’t know if I could stop the explosion. Vinny was behaving worse than usual. Angelone had appeared after years of radio silence. The threats to Donato kept mounting. Worst of all, I’d had to give up Vivian. What more could I lose?

  “You’re overdressed for a stroll in the park.”

  My body immediately came to life at the sound of her voice. I was surprised I hadn’t sensed her. Do not engage. Do not engage. “Do I look like I’m walking?” I couldn’t stop myself; falling back into our way was so easy with Vivian.

  She stepped in front of me, head tilted back to meet my eyes. They slayed me the second I looked into them. I was lost. Desperate. And a fool to believe I could ever resist her for any length of time.

  For the first time since I’d last seen her I could breathe again. Yet I could hardly catch my breath at her beauty. Her raven hair shimmered in the afternoon sunlight. I itched to run my fingers through the silky strands. Instead I clutched the lip gloss she’d left in my pocket until my knuckles ached.

  “More like stalking.” The corner of her lips lifted, and for a fraction of a second, it was just us again, with none of the shit that I’d heaped on top of us. Then a thought I was certain I wouldn’t like caused her mouth to flatten and hurt to shadow those eyes. “How did you do it so fast?” she whispered.