Our Broken Love

by Terri Anne Browning

  She helped me get my GED and then took me to my first self-defense class when I had confessed my reasons for running away. Mel became the mother I needed, and I became something more to Mel—a daughter, a confidant, a friend.

  I stayed with her until I was eighteen, and then I started handling everything. Bartending on the weekends, organizing her life through the week. Then Mel had gotten sick two years ago, nothing terribly serious, but I had stepped in and conned her into taking some time to herself. I had everything covered, the bar was making more money than it had when I first started working for her, and she knew that Safe Haven was in good hands.

  The ringing of my doorbell, followed by the pounding on the door, woke me. I rubbed sleep from my eyes and glanced at the clock. Three thirty. I groaned and grabbed my robe on my way to the door. My apartment was small, so it didn’t take long to reach it. I knew who it was, but I took time to take a peek to make sure before opening it.

  “Yeah?” I yawned, resting my head on the door and closing my eyes, fighting my way out of the sleep fog.

  There was a long pause, and I opened my eyes to find Kieran Stone staring at me with… Was that lust in his eyes? There was certainly something, an electricity coming off of him that drew me to look at him. I pushed my hair from my eyes. My real hair, the red tresses with the gold and sunshine natural highlights, not the black wig I wore to work. With no makeup and simple pajamas on, I looked nothing like Reese Graves, Goth Girl, and ruler of everything inside of Safe Haven.

  I looked like an older version of Rebecca Daventry.

  “Rebecca?” he asked, his voice deep and just a little rough around the edges, completely different from his voice from the night before. When he said that name, I had that same strange feeling again, the deep-muscles-coming-alive feeling. I didn’t like it.

  It terrified me.

  “That would be me.” I rubbed a hand across my face, trying to get completely woken up. “Kieran Stone.” I stepped back. “Come in.” I turned and let him shut the door as I moved into the little kitchen to start some much-needed coffee. “Want some?” I asked when I found him standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

  His eyes were taking in everything about me. It was unsettling because the only person who had ever looked at me like that was The Pervert. But there was something different about the look in Stone’s eyes, completely unlike that of my stepfather’s. It wasn’t leering, and it sure as hell didn’t disgust me. I found myself sneaking appraising glances of my own as I went about making the pot of coffee.

  “Your friend Reese must have told you I was coming.” He shook his head, a smile on his face. It was so not fair that he was that sexy. His white tee stretched over his bulging muscles, with jeans that hung low on his hips. His face was not run-of-the-mill handsome, not with that nose that had been broken at least twice, but I couldn’t help thinking he was the most appealing man I had ever come across.

  I blinked, completely surprised that Stone hadn’t realized that I was Reese. I mean, yeah, sure, I had been Goth Girl the night before. But couldn’t he see beyond the paint to the girl beneath? That dead-muscle-coming-to-life feeling tightened, and I busied myself making the coffee to hide the hurt and anger. Anger directed solely at me for being hurt in the first damn place.

  What the hell was the matter with me?

  “Yeah, she told me,” I bit out as I loaded my mug with sugar and cream while the coffee perked. “So how is the old man?” I asked, my tone full of everything I felt for Greg Daventry. It wasn’t a pretty sound, my feelings. The coldness, the anger, the hurt… Mostly the hurt.

  He shrugged those bulging muscles that were his shoulders, and despite my new dislike for this beast of a man, I found my gaze compelled as I watched the smooth movements. “He’s good, I guess. Honestly, I don’t really know. Like I told Reese, I’m the messenger, nothing more.” He pulled a thick, yellow vellum envelope from under his arm, and I saw my name scrolled across it in handwriting I vaguely remembered as that of my grandfather’s. “He asked me to give you this.”

  I didn’t reach for the envelope, and after a moment, he just set it on the counter beside him. “He also asked me to tell you that he is sorry.” There was something in Kieran’s eyes, something that told me maybe he understood my anger and didn’t judge me for it. I would have felt comforted by his understanding if my heart hadn’t been aching so much from the hurt he had inflicted on me mere moments ago.

  I clenched my jaw, but I didn’t say anything. Finally, the coffee was done, and I poured it into my mug. When I offered him a cup with a wave of the pot, he just shook his head. “Well, thanks for delivering Greg’s message and the paperwork.”

  He stiffened at my dismissive tone. “Am I keeping you from something, Rebecca?” He glanced around, as if looking for something—or someone. His steel-gray eyes were narrowed a little, and I noticed a ticking in his clenched jaw.

  “Yeah. I have to get ready for work.” I took a big swallow of the coffee, not caring that it burned my tongue, welcoming the pain. “So, if you will excuse me?” I crossed back to the front door and held it open.

  He frowned down at me as he passed, seeming reluctant to leave. But I really wanted him gone. His nearness affected me, made me nervous and, admittedly, excited. Both emotions pissed me off. “Are you working at Safe Haven tonight?”

  “I practically live there,” I informed him truthfully.

  He seemed to relax a little. “I’ll stop by tonight, then.”

  I gave him a cold smile. “Sure.” Once he was out the door, I slammed it in his handsome face.

  “Jerk!” I muttered to myself as I went back into the kitchen to retrieve my coffee. “And to think I had actually liked that loser.”

  As soon as those words left my mouth, I stopped, frozen in my tracks, and gasped. I liked Kieran Stone? I tasted the truth of those words and clenched my fists. “Stupid!” I scolded myself as I snatched up a mug of coffee and, after a brief hesitation, the envelope with my name scrawled on it.

  ***

  I was sorting through some bills that needed my attention a few hours later. The bar didn’t open for another hour or so. I was caught up in the papers spread out before me, taking occasional bites of the dinner I had picked up on my way to work and not really paying attention to much else.

  So the hand that landed on my shoulder made me squawk, and I instinctively grabbed for the baton strapped to my thigh. A feminine laugh made me relax before I had even flicked my wrist to extend the steel bar, and my heart started to slow its erratic beating. “Mel!” I exclaimed, both happy to see my mentor and friend, as well as annoyed. “I nearly brained you!”

  “Sorry, kid.” She dropped down into the chair by the door in the small office, still laughing. When I first met Mel, she had rarely laughed. But I think I changed her. Now, five years after meeting her, she laughed all the time.

  She tossed her bangs out of her eyes and watched me as I returned to my seat in front of the desk. “How has it been?” She had been on a vacation for the last week or so. A real vacation, with sandy beaches and warm water. Something I had tricked her into doing because I had wanted her to really relax and have a good time.

  I shrugged my slender shoulders, concentrating on my dinner and trying to push all thoughts of Kieran Stone and Greg Daventry out of my mind. “Business has been good,” I assured her, knowing it wasn’t what she was really asking, as I stuffed my mouth full of the grilled salmon salad.

  “Yeah, big surprise there.” She gave my profile a long, appraising look, seeing under my Goth makeup like she had always done. “How about you? You seem tense.”

  I lifted my head, met her gaze for half a second, then turned my blue eyes to the one-way mirror that was behind the bar. Some of the bouncers were setting up. Turning on the music, carrying ice for me, putting chairs into place around the many tables, straightening up the balls and pool sticks in the back. It was safer to concentrate on what they were doing and not the feelings churning in my
gut. “I had a visitor last night,” I surprised myself by saying. I hadn’t planned on telling Mel about Stone, but it was just bothering me so damn much.

  Mel set up a little straighter, and her shoulders stiffened a little. “Oh, yeah?”

  I reached for the envelope on the desk. The one Stone had dropped off earlier in the day with all the things that made my skin crawl, my heart ache, and my stomach churn. The salmon sat hard in my stomach, and I pushed the takeout container away before handing over the thick envelope. “You know Kieran Stone?”

  She blinked at me for a moment before the name rang a bell. “The MMA guy?” she asked, pulling out documents and a letter from the envelope without glancing at them yet. “That Kieran Stone?”

  “Yes.” I leaned back in the chair and glared up at the ceiling. “He came in last night. He was looking for Rebecca Daventry.”

  “What?” she exclaimed. “Reese, you never said that you knew him.” She was a big fan of MMA, and Kieran Stone was a favorite of hers.

  “I had never seen the guy before in person. He was looking for Rebecca because he owed Rebecca’s grandfather a favor. Hence the hundred and one legal papers in your hand.” I popped my knuckles, one of my stress relievers. “Greg needed someone to do his dirty work.”

  Mel finally glanced down at the papers. The top sheet was a letter, to Rebecca from Greg. It was handwritten on Daventry Corporation letterhead and dated three days ago. I had only read the thing twice, but I knew what it said almost verbatim.

  Mel read the letter and then gasped as she raised her head and met my gaze. “He had no idea that you ran away until two years later? How the hell is that possible?”

  I shrugged. “He was always busy. Either with work or his hobby. I doubt I crossed his mind much. And if I had, I’m sure my mother was too terrified of the monthly support checks that Greg sent her being cut off should he find out I was gone.” My smile was bitter. “Those support checks bought her cocaine, after all.”

  Mel grimaced. “I hate that woman,” she bit out.

  “Yeah, me too,” I assured her.

  She took a peek at the next sheet of paper, a document. “So he wants to see you. How do you feel about that?”

  I bit my lip, thankful that my black lipstick doesn’t come off easily. “I don’t know. Part of me wants to see him just so I can punch him in the face. Another part of me wants to shred the letter and forget I ever knew the man.”

  Mel was quiet, reading through the documents. I let her, knowing that the legal papers were just as upsetting as the letter had been. There was a checkbook in the mass of legal papers with the name Reese Graves on it and a ludicrous number written in as the balance. Another legal document said I owned thirty percent of the stock in Daventry Corporation. Five years ago, the stock had been worth an astronomical amount, and I couldn’t even guess what it was worth now.

  A copy of the deed to Safe Haven was in there. Signed and sealed and one hundred percent paid for. Greg Daventry had paid off the mortgage for the bar. It now belonged to Mel, completely. I had been beyond shocked. Safe Haven had been in the black for a while now. The profit margin had been steadily rising since I had started working for Mel. But she still had a good twenty years left on her mortgage.

  It was a thank you for taking me in and keeping me safe when neither he nor anyone else had.

  Mel lifted shocked brown eyes. “Reese… How is this possible?” she whispered as tears gathered in her eyes.

  “You read the letter, Mel,” I murmured. “He said he wanted to do something to repay you for helping me. This is his way of thanking you because he’s bad at saying the words. His answer to everything is to throw money at it.”

  “I can’t accept this!” She jumped to her feet, tossing the deed and other documents into the chair she had just vacated. She began pacing in the small office, her hands raking through her short, dark hair. “I do not want repayment for helping you. I have never wanted anything in return. You are the daughter of my heart. Mothers do not take payment for such things!”

  My heart lifted at her words. I loved Mel more than anyone in the world. I had known she felt the same, but to hear her say those words was heartwarming and more than a little overwhelming for me. I grasped her hand as she passed me, and I pulled her to a stop. “You are the mother of my heart, Mel. Without you, I don’t know what would have happened to me. Please don’t be offended by Greg. He doesn’t really know how to deal with things other than by throwing money at them.”

  Her eyes misted at my first words, and she pulled me into a tight hug. She knew I didn’t like being touched or having my personal space invaded, so the hug didn’t last long. But I felt safe the few seconds her arms were around me. “Fine. So I will consider myself well and truly thanked. This does not mean that you have to give the guy five minutes of your time if you don’t want to,” she told me firmly. “You do what you want to do, and screw the rest of the world.”

  A rare grin spread across my face. It felt odd at first, but soon I found myself enjoying the feeling of my lips being upturned. “I have always loved that philosophy of yours, Mel.”

  three

  It was ten when Stone showed up.

  Mel was tending bar with me because the place was almost at capacity. I could have handled it if she hadn’t stayed, but I was really glad she was there with me. Music was blaring, people were coming more than going, and I was up to my eyeballs in rum because that seemed to be the drink of choice tonight.

  Bubba was once more in attendance and had parked himself in his usual spot at the end of the bar, closest to me. “That was a great show last night, Goth Girl,” he told me as I put his second beer in front of him.

  “Thanks, Bubba.” I rolled my eyes at him.

  He only grinned. “The way you broke that one fucker’s arm sure did make this old heart flutter.”

  A small laugh escaped me. “I’m here to please,” I assured him with a wink as I moved on to the guy seated two stools over.

  “Reese.”

  I turned with a frown as Mel put a hand on my arm. “What?” She looked both concerned and amused. The amusement teasing at the corners of her eyes had a small smile hinting at my lips. “Someone telling good jokes?”

  “He’s here,” she murmured, taking a step closer. She didn’t have to explain who the “he” was. I glanced over her shoulder and saw him seated at the bar.

  Well, hell.

  My heart skipped a beat as my gaze drank him in. He made my mouth water just looking at him. His black MMA shirt seemed to be painted over his torso, it was so tight. Muscles were spilling out of the sleeves. Those steely eyes of his were smiling at me, and I found myself wishing he had been different. For the first time in my life, I wanted a guy, was already crushing on him—and hating him just as much.

  “He’s here for Rebecca,” I told Mel. “He was seriously attracted when he stopped by the apartment.”

  Mel’s eyes were seeing all the things I didn’t want anyone to see. She was reading my hurt, my anger…my lust. “So, introduce him to Rebecca. Then make him regret his own stupidity for not seeing a good thing when it was right in front of him.” She grinned. “Then if that doesn’t make you feel better, kick his fucking ass.”

  A small laugh escaped me. Fierce I might be, but Kieran Stone was a champion mixed martial arts expert. I couldn’t think of a time over the years when he had ever lost a fight. I doubted my chances were good if I took him on. “I’ll keep that in mind.” I stepped around her and up to the bar in front of Stone.

  His eyes darkened as I leaned forward on my elbows. “So…” His voice was just as I remembered—deep, rough, sexy.

  I raised a brow at him. “Mel says you came looking for your girl again.” My tone was cold, leaving little doubt that I was anything but pleased to see him.

  He grimaced. “I’m an ass.”

  I blinked at him, not sure I was hearing him right. “Excuse me?”

  “Rebecca. Reese. Two hot females. The same ki
ller body.” He shook his head. “I must have taken one too many blows to the head, babe. It wasn’t until I left your place that I realized what a complete idiot…jerk…ass, I am.”

  Some of the hurt that had been clenching in my chest eased, and that stupid muscle that had been quiescent for so long was pulsing to life in a really bad way. All because this lethally sexy man was apologizing to me? I pulled back a little. “Yes, you are an ass. But then, I expected nothing less. Anything else you need?” My tone had only grown colder if anything. I was terrified of my feelings, and I had only seen him three times! How could I be feeling this strongly about this guy?

  “I’m sorry, Rebecca…Reese…” He broke off and ran a hand through his short hair when I stiffened at the first name again. “What do I call you, damn it?”

  “My name is Reese. Or Goth Girl. Use either. But call me that name again, and you can find the exit with some help.” I straightened completely. “So you want a beer or what?”

  His jaw clenched, and I could see something dark in those eyes, but I refused to look close enough to identify the emotions. “Yeah, beer is fine.”

  I grabbed him a Bud, set it in front of him, and walked off without a backward glance. Mel came up beside me as I stopped in front of Bubba and started lining up two shots of tequila for him. “So?” She shot a glance over her shoulder in Stone’s direction.

  I shrugged. “He figured it out on his own earlier today. He apologized in a roundabout way, and I gave him a beer.” I avoided her gaze, knowing she would see all too clearly how close to the edge I was just then.

  Bubba downed the shots, and I offered him two more. But the biker knew his limit tonight and shook his head. He needed at least half an hour before he could handle more and still stay somewhat clear-headed. I had to respect the guy a little for that.