Shattered: A Billionaire Romance Series (Contemporary Romance Novels)

by Love, Michelle

  They both laugh at me. Max sighs. “You remember the first time you ever laid eyes on Peyton, Kip?”

  He nods and picks up the beer sitting on the patio next to him. “Like it was yesterday. I know you remember the first time you saw Lexi.”

  Max leans back on his palms and looks up at the clear blue sky. “That was so fantastic. Well not the first time I saw her. The poor girl didn’t have a clue and was hidden behind clothes that were too big and a nerdy look. Once I got her out of those clothes and the damn bun pulled out of her hair that was when I knew she was the one for me.”

  “Damn it,” I murmur. “I’m done for.”

  They both nod and Max hands me a beer out of the little ice chest next to him. “I hope it goes a hell of a lot smoother for you than it did for either of us, guy.”

  “What do you mean by that?” I ask. “How can it go bad?”

  They laugh again and Kip pats me on the back. “Don’t even ask that, mate.”

  I take a long drink and watch Rachelle pull the little boy up on her shoulders and he jumps off them, squealing in delight. Zoey paddles up to Max and splashes us.

  “Daddy, come in and let me jump off your shoulders like Zane’s doing with Chellie.” She splashes a little more water at us.

  Max gestures for us to follow. “Come on guys, time to get wet.”

  We slide into the cool water and make our way to the women and children. I glide up beside Rachelle as Zane is trying to climb up her to get back on her shoulders.

  I take his little body and pick him up on my shoulders. “Please allow me to help you out with this one, Rachelle.”

  “Hey,” Zane whines. “I want Chellie.”

  “Give her little shoulders a break, dude. Mine are a lot more sturdy.” His little toes dig into my flesh and I look at her in amazement. “Wow! You didn’t even flinch when he climbed on your shoulders. His toes are like Eagle talons.”

  She giggles. “I guess I’m not as wimpy as you.”

  Wimpy! Damn!

  The kid jumps off, and the force pushes me a little and my shoulder bumps her breast. I know I’m beat red as she clutches it. “Oops! God, Rachelle, I’m sorry.”

  She looks at me with a frown as she rubs her boob. “That’s okay, Blake. But ow.”

  My hand juts out to help her and it’s on top of hers as she rubs it. “Hey,” little Zane screeches. “Don’t touch that!”

  Max turns back and lets out a loud laugh. Kip shakes his head and I look up to see Rachelle’s mouth wide open. She steps back. “I got this, thanks, Blake.”

  I’m an idiot!

  Rachelle

  The aroma of cilantro fills the large kitchen as Hilda and I make her famous enchiladas and my famous ceviche. She has Spanish music playing as we cook and we dance around the kitchen.

  A tall shadow fills the doorway. “Need any help?” Blake asks.

  I look up to see him freshly showered, his blonde hair hanging in damp curls. The smell of him assaults my senses. It’s woodsy and all man. I fight not to inhale deeply as he comes up next to me.

  A tight, black T-shirt he has on, along with some tight, blue jeans that hug his muscular legs. His large stature next to me has butterflies moving all over my insides. I gesture to the wooden block full of knives.

  He takes one out and looks at me. “Now what?”

  I can’t seem to find my words for some reason. He has me a little wobbly in the knees. This never happens to me. I’m friends with a ton of cute guys. None of them have this effect on me.

  I swallow hard and point to the jalapenos. “Can you cut those up?”

  “Sure,” he says as he takes them and looks around. “A cutting board?”

  There’s one right behind him and I point at it. “There ya go.”

  He looks back and grabs it. Hilda places a beer in front of him. “Here you go Blake. Do you like to cook?”

  “I think I might like it, if I knew how to make a few things. I eat mostly take out and frozen dinners since my Mom isn’t around to cook for me anymore.” He slices the pepper down the middle. “Like this, Rachelle?” His elbow nudges my side and little electric jolts run through me.

  I reach across him, accidentally grazing his chest with my breasts and pick up a pepper. My body is quivering and I fight to regain some damn composure. “Like this,” I say as I place it on his cutting board and dice it up into tiny pieces.

  His body is tense as he watches me. “Okay, I got it now.” He looks at me and smiles. “I like your dress. Coral looks good on you.”

  A little smile breaks free and runs across my face. “Thank you. Blacke looks good on you.”

  He looks around and says, “Thank you, Rachelle. You don’t drink? I noticed you haven’t had anything. You want something else. Maybe you don’t like beer.”

  “I’m not old enough,” I say and continue to chop the cilantro.

  “Oh!” He stops chopping and looks me up and down. “How old are you?”

  “Twenty. Tomorrow is my birthday.” I stop myself from saying anymore. I haven’t told anyone that. I hate for people to make a fuss over me and birthdays are one of those times people will fuss if they know about it.

  “Tomorrow! Well, what’s the plan for your special day?” He turns towards me and waits for my answer.

  I shake my head. “No one else knows. To be honest, I don’t want anyone else to know. I don’t know why I told you that. Forget about it, okay.”

  “I doubt he will and neither will I,” Hilda says as she places the large pan of enchiladas in the oven. “What’s your favorite flavor of cake?”

  I shake my head. “Really. I don’t want anyone to bother. I kind of hate birthdays.”

  Blake turns and leans back on the counter, his arms crossed in front of him and it makes his large biceps flex. “Why would you hate them? And it’s your twenty-first birthday at that. That’s a big one. I know, I turned that last year and me and my friends partied hard.”

  “Well, I’m not a party type of girl so let it go,” I say and take the cilantro and toss it into the large, stainless steel bowl.

  His eyes never leave me as I walk away to take the tomatillos to the sink to wash them. I catch him and Hilda exchanging looks and it pisses me off. At myself mostly. I should’ve kept that to myself.

  When will I ever learn?

  Hilda grabs some linens out of a cabinet. “Do you have this, Rachelle? I need to go and get the dining room ready.”

  I wave her away. “Yes, go do what you need to.”

  Blake seems to have cooled towards me. It’s best anyway. He lives in another state after all. Me in California and him in Texas. That’s how it happens most times. I refuse to let anyone in, much. Once a guy realizes that, they move on to the next girl.

  “You know I can almost hear the gears in your head grinding,” he says as he moves in behind me. “Max told me you spent a little time in the children’s home. Just because your mother wasn’t a good one, doesn’t mean you have to live life trying hard not to be a nuisance to anyone.”

  I spin around and find he’s so damn close I can smell the shampoo he used. It’s crisp and clean and I’d love to run my hands through those damp curls and get that smell all over them. But I won’t. “He shouldn’t have told you that.”

  “People talk, Rachelle. People tell each other things. It’s what friends do.” His fingertip touches my cheek and he runs it over my cheek bone. “You have beautiful bone structure.”

  I blink as I look into his blue, brown eyes. “You’re forward.”

  “Your prefect,” he says in a whisper.

  “Oops!” I hear Kip say as he walks into the kitchen. “I just have to fill Pax’s bottle with milk then I’ll be out of your way.”

  He goes to the fridge and pours milk into a bottle and I move away from Blake. “No reason to hurry, Kip. We’re just cooking in here.”

  “It smells awesome,” Kip says. “Get back to it, you two.” He leaves and I feel Blake’s warm body come up behin
d me.

  His hands slip over my arms and my knees nearly buckle as his lips graze my shoulder. “I find you fascinating.”

  My heart stops and my body quivers. He’s just too much. It’s too intense, and he’s most likely a huge player. “Look, I know you must always get your way with the females but I’m not easy. I’m really a waste of your time.”

  My hair he pulls back, warm lips touch my neck and I moan.

  Crap! That was a mistake!

  His arms run around me and he rocks me gently as he trails kisses down my neck, lingering near my ear. “Want me to stop, Rachelle?”

  Hell no, I don’t want him to stop. It feels amazing!

  “Stop,” I say. I try to tense my body up, but the damn thing is rebelling against me as he holds me to him like this. It refuses to tighten up in his strong arms.

  He lets me go and I have to lean on my hands on the countertop to hold myself up. My brain is screaming at me to turn to him and throw my body back into his huge arms. I can’t though. The pain of what will surely happen isn’t a thing I want in my life.

  “School is my focus. I can only focus on one thing at a time and my career is what that is right now,” I say as I pull myself together.

  “Hmm,” he says as he moves further away from me. “School, huh? Only one thing at a time, huh? Sounds dull and you seem anything but dull, Rachelle.”

  “I am dull. Dull as they come. You’d be very dissatisfied with me. I can assure you.” I wipe away a stray tear that got away from me somehow. “That’s what always happens. They all leave.”

  “How many?” he asks as he leans over the counter and looks at me, but keeps his distance across the island.

  “How many what?” I ask, focusing on cutting the tomatillos.

  “How many men, or boys left you?” he asks as he threads his fingers together and leans his chin on them as he props his elbows on the countertop.

  “All of them.” I look up at him and glare. “All of them, okay? Happy now? I’ve been dumped by all I’ve dated. I’ve never been the dumper, only the dumped. So, you see I don’t want to get hurt again. And let me tell you, Blake, you would hurt me bad. I can feel it clean to my toes, you’d be the one who’d break what’s left of this heart.”

  He straightens up and frowns at me. “How can you be so damn sure of that? I’m a good guy. I’ve dated only a couple of girls and we parted ways in very amicable manners. We still exchange pleasantries when we accidentally meet. There are no hard feelings on either side. So, what makes you so sure I’d hurt you?”

  I look down and don’t want to answer him, but my mouth opens up anyway. “Because the moment I saw you, I wanted you. I wanted all of you in a mere instant. That’s why I know you’ll hurt me.” I run from the kitchen and mentally kick myself.

  Never have I not had control over letting my true feelings out. I always keep the real things in. It’s what I do. That man has some kind of magic over me and that’s nothing but dangerous.

  I need to get out of here right now!

  Blake

  I watch as Rachelle runs from the kitchen and know I should just let her go. I should pack up and leave. She’s got a lot going on in that pretty little head of hers.

  Only I can’t stop my feet from following her. I can’t stop myself from wanting to show her how wrong she is and how I would never hurt her. If she would give me the chance, I would never leave her.

  I see Hilda in the dining room as I walk by it and lean in. “Hey, I kinda upset Rachelle. Looks like you have to finish up dinner. I’m sorry.”

  Hilda nods. “That’s okay. She’s a fragile girl. Max was much the same way until he found Lexi. She just needs a good man in her life. A good person to show her not everyone is like her mother and father. Not everyone leaves them alone with nothing but a bunch of strangers to care for them.”

  I nod in agreement. “It’s a terrible thing some parents do to their children.”

  “It is,” she says then turns stern eyes on me. “Blake, I don’t know you. I’m not one to butt in, but this girl. Well, she’s had a difficult life and if you can be no more than another brick in the wall which surrounds her heart, leave her be.”

  I nod and smile before I walk away. Hilda’s right. If I can’t go all in, I need to leave her alone. Rachelle told me she knew I could break what’s left of her fragile heart. I don’t know the future, there are no guarantees.

  One step I take after another until I find myself in my bedroom. I hear something in the bathroom that’s connecting Rachelle’s bedroom to mine. My feet take me towards it and I stop just outside the door.

  I should turn back. I should leave her alone. My hand touches the door knob and I twist it to find it unlocked. I should walk away. The last thing I should do is open the door on her privacy.

  The hell with it!

  I hear water running in the sink so I know I won’t catch her with her pants down, so to speak. I throw open the door and she flips around, her mouth open and her cheeks stained with tears.

  “I’m sorry,” I say as I walk straight to her and take her in my arms and bring my mouth to hers.

  Her body stiffens, and she presses her hands against my chest. I wrap a section of her long hair in my fist and pull it back, making her lips part under mine. My tongue moves into her mouth and the low moan she makes fills me with relief.

  She likes it!

  My body is on fire for her. Never have I felt this way. I lift her off the floor and wrap my arms around her tiny waist. Back to my room, I carry her. Her arms run around my neck and she returns my kiss.

  Lying her back on the bed, I never let our mouths part. She might bolt again and I need her to trust me, to believe in me, to want me like she’s never wanted anyone before.

  Her hands tangle up in my curls as I run my hand down her shoulder, over her arm then over her side. She trembles and when I run my hand back up her arm I can feel the goosebumps which have sprouted over her skin from my touch.

  I move my body a little so I can run my hands over her thigh. One of her hands moves over my back and she moans into my mouth, sending vibrations through me. I go at her more hungrily, touching every place in her sweet mouth, feeling all I can possibly feel. I have no idea if she’ll ever let me this close again.

  The skin on her thigh is soft and supple. I push her short dress up a bit and run my hand up and over her flat stomach. It twitches beneath my palm. She’s warm and inviting as I keep moving my hand until I hit a breast.

  A perfect mound of taut flesh I find which drives me to want so much more. Over her silky bra I run my hand and cup her breast. One of her legs moves over mine as she presses her soft core to me.

  There are things that should be asked, but I’m so damn afraid of pulling my mouth from hers it’s unbelievable. My hand flows around her to the back of the bra and I unclasp it, releasing the part of her body that’s intrigued me from the start.

  With the bra loose, I run my hand back to the breast I had before and move the bra, touching her soft flesh and finding her hard, erect nipple. I press it with my fingertips and she moans again.

  My God what will actual sex feel like?

  Rachelle

  My heart’s pounding so hard I fear I might pass out. My body is reacting so differently to his. I can’t stop myself from running my hands all over him. For the love of all that’s holy, I’m pressing my body to his like I have to have it to live or something.

  I didn’t even flinch when he undid my bra and cupped my bare breast in his large and sure hand. I’m putty in the man’s hands. Never has this happened to me before.

  His kiss softens, and he pulls his mouth from mine. My God, I’m lifting my head and cupping the back of his neck to make him bring that luscious mouth back on mine.

  Who am I?

  His eyes are dark and full of desire, his lips are swollen from our hard kissing and I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life. If he’s about to walk away from me I may have to kill him.

&
nbsp; His finger traces my lips. “Baby, I didn’t bring any protection.”

  My mind says to stop this now. Never do I allow a man to have intercourse with me without a condom, even though I’m on the pill to regulate my periods. This one though…

  “Have you been tested? Are you clean?” I ask.

  His lips curl into a smile. He nods. “Are you on some type of birth control?”

  I nod and his smile goes wider. He looks into my eyes as if he’s looking into my soul. He swallows hard and says, “I don’t want to do this until you trust me, Rachelle. I want you to feel safe with me.”

  “So, we aren’t going to continue this?” I ask, my voice full of disappointment.

  He smiles and chuckles. “I’m glad to see that disappoints you.” He tweaks my nose. “I was beginning to get the distinct impression you wanted none of this.”

  “I know I’m closed off, Blake. I don’t give my whole self to anyone, or never have before. You terrify me.” I look right into his eyes so he can see how real I’m being with him. “This isn’t like me at all.”

  “We don’t have to take this fast. We can go as slow as you need to.” His hand runs over my chest and he takes a breast in his hand. “We can mess around some more if you want. But I won’t ask anymore from you until we know each other better.”

  My God this man is fantastic!

  I bite at my bottom lip. “You’re different, do you know that?”

  He nods. “So are you.”

  I cup the back of his neck and pull him to me. His lips fall soft on mine and he swirls his tongue into my mouth as he gently squeezes my breast and runs his thumb over the nipple, teasing it.

  His mouth pulls away from mine and he trails kisses down my neck and over my chest, then he takes my breast into his mouth and suckles it. It sends shock waves through me and I arch up and groan.

  I’ve never really liked my breasts sucked on, but he’s doing it so much better than anyone ever has. His other hand finds my other breast, and he massages it while he sucks on the other.

  I run my hand over the back of his head, threading my fingers through his curls. The other hand I run over his tightly muscled back. Relishing the contours of his corded muscles.