Phoebe: Book One of Broken Girls Series

by J. A. Hornbuckle

  “Phoebe?” He cut her off, knowing she was mentally off and running with her plans. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

  “What? The music? Because I was thinking Beta’s stringed quartet for the processional and a DJ for the recep—”

  “No, baby.” Ryker took in a deep inhale and cupped her cheek, redirecting her focus off the spreadsheet he knew she was mentally preparing and back onto him. “You never answered. Will you marry me, Phoebe Marquette?”

  She did a long, slow blink before her lips tipped up in a soft smile. “Yes, Ryker Santiago-Adams. I would be honored to become your wife in six months.”

  Pulling her close, he sealed the deal with a fusing of their lips and tongues as his body demanded a deeper union with her. Sliding his hands to her fulsome ass, his hips punched up to slide himself over her mound gaining him a moan he felt down to his balls.

  She rocked against him, pressing her breasts to his chest.

  Jesús! He was already so hot for her and he wasn’t even inside yet.

  In that moment he kinda wished she wasn’t on the Norplant because the interruption of putting on a condom would’ve provided him with the time he needed to get his body under control. Madre de Dios, she was going to be the death of him! On hands shaky with need, he lifted her a bit as she worked a warm, soft hand between them to grab his cock, sliding him to the place he hungered to be. While he tried to ease himself in slowly, his body couldn’t wait and he filled her slick, hot channel in one satisfying thrust.

  “Oh Ryker,” she moaned, and bracing her hands on his shoulders, she sat up straighter as she began to ride him.

  “You feel so fucking good,” he growled back, his hips moving in a counter-rhythm to hers, his hands continually urging her on as he plunged into her again and again. But he was so goddamn close, too close and needed to get her to the same point or he was gonna come before she found her own bliss.

  He slipped a hand between their bodies and reached for the hard pearl between her legs. Concentrating on it and not his dick was the perfect distraction so he circled and pressed, rubbed and flicked as her hips took up a heavier cadence.

  “That’s it, mi cariña,” he urged. “Give me that fucking beauty.”

  Her moans and his growls filled the room which overshadowed the sound of their flesh connecting again and again. “I’m gonna come, honey.”

  Her admission brought his own simmering need back to a blaze and he sat up and brought their mouths together. In only seconds, her sweet walls began to pulse and her head fell back as her entire body stiffened.

  And gave his body all the permission he needed. And with only another couple of thrusts, he joined her as their combined ecstasy took over, leaving them both limp and sated.

  After more than a few minutes of soft kisses and tender touches, Phoebe raised her head from his chest to look at him. “Do you think married sex will be a much fun as the premarital kind?”

  Ryker threw back his head and laughed at her nonsensical question. But he realized his mistake when she didn’t join in. So he quickly did damage control by speaking from his heart.

  “Every day with you, mi amor, is gonna be made up of good things and bad things but it’ll be one hell of a ride just because we’re together.”

  She nuzzled back into his chest. “I love you, Ryker.”

  “And you are my world, my Phoebe.”

  She was quiet for a moment. “But just to let you know, I’m not taking the whole hyphenated last name. Phoebe Adams works just fine for me.”

  “As long as you take some part of my name, are wearing my ring and make me a part of your forever, baby, I couldn’t give a shit what you call yourself.”

  “A r-ring?”

  He chuckled at the hitch in her breath, her stammer. “Yeah, mi cariña. Need a symbol to show the fucking world you’re mine.”

  “Oh Ryker…” she moaned before sliding up his chest to join her mouth with his and giving him permission to initiate a delightful, energetic round two. Then she rocked his world with her next words when she pulled back to stare into his eyes.

  “Maybe, just maybe, we can try sleeping with only the nightlights burning tonight.” He pulled back in order to scan her face. Ryker knew what she was suggesting even though she didn’t exactly say it in detail.

  Would he be able to fight the night-demons of her heart, the ones who hid in the shadows of each room?

  Tightening his arms around his girl, the one who made his heart sing even as his body exploded in waves of delight. “Lights on or lights off, mi cariña. I want to sleep by your side every night for the rest of our lives.” His eyes stared into hers and got caught on the sudden flare in her blue-eyed gaze. “Let me protect you, Phoebe. Allow me to fight your shadowed devils so you can find your rest. Will you let me, cariña?”

  “I will,” she whispered without hesitation. “I absolutely will, Ryker.”

  Smiling, Ryker dropped his head into the pillow while drawing her even closer into his body. In the whole of it, his incarceration and learning to live in the ‘real world’, he couldn’t have ever imagined a woman like Phoebe would be the one to complete his life.

  But, fuck if she didn’t.

  Closing his eyes and aiming a kiss to the top of her head, Ryker realized his heart had finally found a home.

  And he reveled in it.

  Epilogue

  Vonnie sat back in her office chair, scrolling through the pictures she’d downloaded from the memory card of her baby, her money-maker, the Canon EOS T6i SLR camera that’d cost a freaking whack. And had been worth every penny.

  As evidenced by the photos from the night before at Phoebe’s wedding shower. Held at Diana’s house with all of Phoebe’s friends in attendance, it had been the party to rival each of their ‘girl’s night’ get-togethers.

  And Vonnie had done it right in setting up her camera in a corner and programming the timer to take snaps at four minute intervals. As she scanned the photos, she found herself smiling as the different shots captured the highlights of the evening: guests arriving, forming and re-forming into groups of smiling, chatting women and Phoebe amid wrapping paper and bows as she opened her gifts with a delighted laugh. In fact, if Vonnie wasn’t mistaken, laughter was the main ingredient of the party and the pictures proved it.

  She stopped at the shot of Diana and Maggie, Ryker’s mom, their arms around each other as they both giggled over something Vonnie couldn’t remember. Although she did recall being shocked the little Hispanic general could let go enough to be merry. The woman was a force unto herself and scared Vonnie more than a little bit.

  Although after most of the guests left, leaving only their core group to clean up, the party turned into yet another wedding strategy session.

  To tell the truth, Vonnie was sick of it.

  She knew she was the official wedding photographer and didn’t need to give her two cents on Maizie’s selection of wedding or bridesmaid’s dresses. Much less on Tonya’s planned menu for the reception or Beta’s selections for music at the hall Phoebe and Ryker had rented. Just as she decided enough was enough and was thinking to pack up her stuff, Diana approached.

  “Why don’t you let me take one of all of you girls? Don’t think we’ve had one for a while.”

  Without thinking about it, Vonnie handed the camera over and went to each of the girls to gather them together. Although it didn’t stop their chatter or their fun.

  Diana reviewed all the buttons on the main unit and Vonnie hoped the woman didn’t change any of the settings, especially the one set for auto focus. “All you do is point and shoot,” she advised and Vonnie got a head nod and smile in reply.

  Scrolling through the different frames, Vonnie’s professional eye caught on one in particular. One of the six of them huddled together, with bright eyes as they smiled at one another.

  It was, she had to admit, one of the best pictures she’d seen in a while made even more so because it was completely un-staged. Yet it more than
displayed the uniqueness of each of them, the beauty every individual woman held inside, had built despite their early beginnings.

  And Vonnie couldn’t help hitting the print button even without doing any edits.

  Just as she’d do another five times, so the six of them, the bevy of broken girls brought together by fate, could see the gorgeous goddess every damn one of them had grown up to be.

  #.#.#.#.#.

  Thanks for reading Phoebe’s story, the first book in the Broken Girls Series. Read on for a taste of Vonnie’s novel due to be released late August 2016.

  Chapter One

  I woke up with a start, my eyes flying open and my heart beating hard while wondering what had awakened me. As a long time insomniac, I treasured whatever sleep my body afforded me and jealously guarded whatever few hours I might get at any one stretch. Moaning into the pillow under my cheek I waited, listening to determine exactly what cut my rest short this time.

  I didn’t have long to wait before the insistent knocking on my front door resumed.

  What the hell?

  Flopping over onto my back, I wondered if I just ignored it, would whoever it was just go away and maybe to come back later? Or if I had my way, not return at all. But as the knocking turned into more of a banging sound I realized I was going to have to address the issue. Tossing my legs over the side of the mattress, I shook my head ruefully. It wasn’t often I started the day with an ass chewing, but the person behind the pounding begged for one.

  Stomping my way out of the bedroom, storming down the hall to my front door I unlatched the three locks and threw it open, parting my lips as I took a deep breath in anticipation of lam-blasting the asshole that dared interrupt my sleep. But my eyes fell on a tiny, fluffy dog wearing a bright pink and rhinestone collar who I could swear was smiling at me. Taking in the long forearm and massive palm that held her, I allowed my eyes to roam upward. A long, long way up, over a huge chest covered in a dark gray thermal stretched tightly between the widest set of shoulders I’d ever seen in my life.

  By the time I got to his neck I noticed it was bracketed on either side by sheaves of straight black hair. As my eyes crawled further upward I took in a chin adorned with a trimmed goatee framing a full mouth as well as a flashing earring half hidden by his shoulder-length locks. His straight nose led me up to his eyes and that’s when all the air in my lungs died an early death.

  Because his dark, dark brown eyes, surrounded by thick eyelashes any girl would kill to have, were warmly scrutinizing me in much the same way I was doing to him. Creating pinpricks of awareness in the hills and valleys he ogled.

  Then there was my brain who insisted he kinda looked familiar but in my half awake state I couldn’t remember where I’d seen him before.

  And when my brain kick-started itself, it supplied portion of a name…something catchy and unusual. A name you didn’t hear every day, something along the lines of Brio or Dio or some such. When my mind chewed over his name, I suddenly remembered where I had met him and that alone shot me from pissed off to downright mad in seconds.

  “What the hell are you doing here banging on my door at the crack of dawn?” I sneered.

  He glanced at my door, looking at the ‘2D’ emblazoned on it before turning his gaze back to me. “You’re Miss James, the dog sitter, right? And I believe it’s nine in the morning, hardly the crack of dawn. In fact when I was in the military, I would’ve considered the day half over at this hour.”

  Of all the nerve! However the words ‘dog sitter’ helped explain who he was and why he was filling my entrance at such an ungodly hour. Looking at the fur-ball in his arms I defiantly raised my chin and glared up at him. Shit, no one should be as good-looking as him. That tiny dog in his massive arms should have made him look silly, instead of unbelievably manly in jeans, biker boots and that goddamn thermal stretched so tightly across his muscled chest. Just noticing how hot he was made me even angrier. “Anytime before my 1st cup of coffee I consider to be the crack of dawn,” I shot back. “And yes, I did receive a call to engage my services as a dog sitter. But somehow I thought Daisybelle Milliken would be a woman.”

  “She’s my secretary.” I didn’t like the grin he was wearing, or maybe it was how when my eyes caught his half-assed smile, my knees got weak. “I had her call to book your services. Why don’t we take this into your apartment? No reason to entertain your neighbors with our private business.”

  Begrudgingly I beckoned him in, and closed then locked the door behind him, my eyes roaming over his magnificent ass as he stood in the center of my living room. I told myself that as a photographer I was only checking out his butt with a professional eye. And from what I could see it was a really good one because it was both muscular and round, just exactly the kind of ass that begged to be captured on film.

  Uh huh. Maybe I framed his picture in my mind’s eye just a little too much and for a shade too long, when his voice came again, made me jump. “Next time, check the peephole before you open the door, Miss James. Don’t ever open it without knowing who is on the other side, yeah? As a woman living alone, I’d think you’d know that by now.”

  “First of all, just who the hell do you think you are to come into my house and tell me what to do? You may have been able to order people around when you were in the service but I’m not one of your men.”

  “Darlin’ I would never mistake you for one of my men.” His eyes again ran over me from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, leaving a trail of goose-bumps in its wake. “I mean it about the door. Don’t let me catch you opening it without verifying who is on the other side again. Understand?”

  I couldn’t believe he’d repeated himself and done it in a ratty, bossy tone of voice, like I was one of his minions. I was so mad I was shaking. “Listen to me Mr…ah, Mr…”

  “Ironcloud.” His voice was a deep arrogant rumble within the confines of my apartment. “Rio Ironcloud, but you should’ve remembered that from the last time we met.”

  “I remember you tried to take my keys from me and cost me 35 bucks for a cab ride home after telling me I was too drunk to drive.” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. “As for your name or what you look like, I’m sorry. You just weren’t that memorable for me.”

  I was lying through my teeth. I did remember him, his size but more accurately his bossy attitude regarding me driving myself and Beta home after girl’s night out at the Surly Snowman pub. Mainly because I didn’t want to get pulled over by Grantham’s finest.

  He raised a sardonic eyebrow as he smiled again; only this one was a full smile, showing off his perfect white teeth. And at the view, my stomach dipped a little. In response, I turned on my heel and stomped into the kitchen. I needed coffee in the worst way; especially if I was gonna deal with a hot-looking, alpha asshole. Of course me being me, I just had to have the last word and muttered, “Kiss my ass,” under my breath as I made it to my coffee maker.

  And just as quick, I heard his rejoinder offered on a much softer voice than he’d used before. “Oh little spitfire, I wouldn’t mind kissing your ass and any other delectable parts in between it and your sassy mouth.”

  I glanced over my shoulder to see him standing next to the small breakfast bar, wondering if he’d actually said those words. But the fact was I wanted to punch that smile right off his face. Except, shit, I’d need a freaking stepstool to do any sort of damage.

  Throughout our entire exchange, both at the door and inside my place, his little dog never made a sound, but swung her face back and forth between us as we spoke. In my experience most small dogs tended to yap a lot. But the one in Rio’s arms seemed calm and content to simply observe what was happening in front of her.

  Turning back to the coffee pot I completed my ministrations and switched it on with the realization I was attracted to the man behind me, even though I didn’t want to be. Number one he was way too tall, standing well over six feet and then there were all those muscles. My dating experience was compr
ised of shorter guys and I would never call any of them built.

  But the real reason I didn’t want anything to do with Mr. Rio Ironcloud was because I didn’t know if I could keep him at arm’s length like I did the others. Being strong-willed and with a penchant for being in charge, my other boyfriends knew that to be with me, I needed to run the show. Meaning, if they wanted to stay with me they did what I wanted. And I wasn’t sure if Soldier Boy would fall into line in that regard. He was just a little too arrogant, bossy and full of himself to just hand over the reins to a mere woman.

  Catching my wayward thoughts, I backtracked to try and figure out how I’d gotten on that certain loop of thinking. He was nothing more than a client, not a potential slap-and-tickle partner. While it was true I hadn’t had sex in a while—had given it up really—I still had my handy bedside tools. The ones who never failed. And they sure as shit never gave me any attitude either.

  Sighing I made my way over to where he stood, gaining a soft ‘arf’ from the little beastie he held. “Listen, I can’t sit for your dog.”

  “Why, Miss Veronica Millicent James, are you reneging on a deal? Because I know your prices are steep but I can more than afford them.”

  Wait, what?

  I took a step back as my heart began to bump inside my chest. “How do you know my name, my full name?”

  Frowning, he shoved his little dog toward me in such a way I had no point but to gather the soft fur-baby in my arms. “I’m an investigator. You don’t think I would leave my dog with a perfect stranger, do you?”

  Another thought occurred to me and true to form I blurted it out without thinking about it twice. “Just how did you know I was a dog sitter?” It was a valid question since it was a new endeavor for me, another business I’d started at Diana’s suggestion. My other two businesses kept me busy but as a web designer and part-time photographer, I still had time on my hands and after Phoebe had moved out I found being alone was just a little too lonely. Plus I’m a sucker for dogs. I like them better than most people. I even like cats better than people, and could probably include the whole animal kingdom in that statement. Well, except for my adopted family and Abe, of course.