Unbreak My Heart (Rough Riders Legacy Book 1)

by Lorelei James

  So here I was, trying to implement a plan of attack on the fly.

  The irony of this situation? I’d had meetings scheduled in Phoenix before Sierra and I had crossed paths.

  That had to be a sign.

  Had to.

  Maybe that was wishful thinking on my part. But no one has ever accused me of being an optimist—I’d lived with the “Brooding Boone” moniker since my third birthday.

  Could Sierra see me beyond who I used to be? The borderline bad boy who’d left her after admitting I’d hidden my feelings for her from the start?

  But you aren’t that kid anymore.

  So I’d changed. Big deal. It’d be a sad situation if I hadn’t. I could thank the United States Army for the significant improvements in my life and the opportunities that joining the military had afforded me.

  Way to sound like a recruitment poster, douche.

  Fuck.

  Where was my confidence? I was educated. I’d expanded my language skills. I’d become a team leader. I’d learned the art of compromise and negotiation. I’d effectively erased most of that punk I used to be.

  But what if that’s the guy she wants?

  Fuck that. I could offer her things now that I couldn’t before. I had a career. A pension. A nice car. A bright future.

  She always had those things that you worked so hard to get. What can you give her that no one else can? What makes you special?

  My mind blanked.

  I heard a crack and realized I’d been grinding my teeth so hard my jaw had popped.

  All of this speculation meant squat.

  My male pride assured me I’d come this far and she wouldn’t refuse to see me. It kept reminding me I’d had a connection with Sierra I hadn’t experienced with anyone else. Unfortunately, my pride also had a sadistic streak. It suggested I’d never gotten over Sierra because she’d never really been mine in the first place.

  My pride was a total dickhead most of the time.

  The GPS reminded me to turn right at the next intersection and then announced my destination had been reached.

  After I parked in the visitor’s lot, I bent down and peered through the bottom of the windshield so I could see the Daniels Development Group office building from the ground up.

  I’d always known Sierra came from money. Yet I also knew that Gavin Daniels had been responsible for that financial success after expanding the business he’d inherited from his father. Did Sierra feel pressured to make an equal—or an even bigger—mark with her role in the family business? She had the brains to do it, but did she have the drive?

  Thinking back, I didn’t remember that she’d been interested in carrying on the family legacy. Then again, who knows what they want out of life at age sixteen? Just because I’d known her then, didn’t mean I knew anything about her goals, aspirations and responsibilities now. And I couldn’t wait to find them out firsthand.

  As I crossed the parking lot, I figured it was a good time to remind myself what I did know.

  Sierra worked in Daniels Property Management on the tenth floor.

  She wasn’t in a relationship.

  My brain hit pause. What else?

  When nothing came to mind, I realized that was all I knew about her.

  Sort of pathetic, really.

  But Sierra had roughly the same basic knowledge about me, so we’d be on equal ground.

  The thought of getting this second chance with her quickened my stride as I entered the lobby.

  As I rode the elevator, various scenarios ran through my mind of how this would play out.

  In the movie version of our reunion, we’d be running toward each other in slow motion, through the rain. We’d kiss like mad, pausing only to tearfully confess our eternal love for each other as the scene fades to black.

  In my version, after I promised to spend the rest of my life making up for the past seven years we were apart, we’d end up on the rain-soaked ground, so hot for each other we fucked right there in the mud. Or I fucked her up against a tree. Or I bent her over a park bench. Oh hell yeah. That one was really good. Especially when I imagined my hand twisted in that gorgeous dark hair of hers, pulling just hard enough to make her gasp as I whispered dirty, dirty promises in her ear.

  Jesus man, get a fucking grip. You really want to stroll in sporting wood? And is sex all you really want from her?

  Well, no. But I sure as hell wouldn’t pretend I wanted to be her friend either.

  The elevator stopped on the tenth floor and the doors slid open.

  For just a moment, I froze. Was I truly ready for this?

  Don’t be a pussy. You’re a fucking soldier. You’ve dodged sniper fire and IEDs. This? This is cake.

  I wiped my sweaty palms on my khakis before I strode to the receptionist’s desk. I bestowed my most charming smile on her. “I’m here to see Sierra McKay.”

  Tuesday was my busiest day of the week.

  I’d been scrambling to catch up after my absence. I’d gone to Sundance to see Marin, my BFF from high school, and meet her new baby boy. And have a heart to heart with my father about my place in the company. But because I’d gotten sick I hadn’t seen Marin or her sweet baby. And I hadn’t had that talk with my dad, either.

  Mostly because I’d chickened out. Again.

  In addition to my tasks at Daniels Property Management today, I had a presentation to prep for next week for PCE—Phoenix Collegiate Entrepreneurs—a woman’s business group we organized at ASU when we realized there weren’t any support groups for our demographic: women starting home-based businesses or women in jobs where their colleagues were predominantly male. Ten business admin students, all female, all who’d had some level of success in starting a business, had banded together and pooled our knowledge so we could help each other. Within six months our group had fifty members and a dozen women in the community who’d volunteered as mentors.

  Being a founding member of the group was one of the things I was most proud of. I still spent a considerable amount of time volunteering for PCE because creating a better business environment for women remained my passion.

  I just wished I could do that here; reignite the passion I’d brought to this job. I couldn’t blame my restlessness on a lousy salary. Or limited opportunities for advancement. Although I was Gavin Daniels’ only heir, I’d insisted on an entry-level position at DPM. I could’ve gone to work for several other companies after graduating from college—I’d been heavily recruited due to my impressive resume, my work founding PCE, my GPA and the connection to my father. But since I’d indicated an interest in taking over both Daniels Development Group and Daniels Property Management when Dad retired, I figured I had at least a dozen years to learn how to run everything. Since I’d spent more time at DDG over the years, I wanted to understand DPM from the ground up.

  That didn’t mean I was a third-generation slacker with entitlement issues and zero work ethic. During college I’d worked as my father’s virtual intern. No pay but what I’d learned had been invaluable.

  There’d been resentment after I’d officially been hired at DPM. Management passed off the lowest-priority clients to me. I had bigger goals for myself than being a glorified landlord. So I convinced those clients to let me implement my ideas for total automation. Everything from direct deposit for rent collection to vetting potential service providers. Since DPM had a decent profit margin with the management fees we charged, when I cut new deals with the vendors on behalf of my clients, I passed the savings on to them.

  When other DPM clients got wind of the changes…they demanded the same type of deals. Which was exactly what I’d banked on. So my first year as a glorified landlord I’d completely revamped the entire DPM payment system.

  Color the CEO impressed. But he’d also been agitated that none of his long-time managers had attempted to modernize an outdated business model. So he’d rewarded me for my innovative thinking by granting me a promotion—a big promotion—from entry level to upper management.