Break Me (Shattered)

by Jo-Anna Walker

  “What do you want?”

  Jose’s gaze flashed to mine and then roamed over my body.

  “You should never ask a deranged psychopath what they want.” Sebastian came up behind Jose and clapped him on the shoulder, smirking at me. Jose laughed in agreement.

  Shock flowed through me at seeing Sebastian there. “Sebastian, what the hell are you doing here?” And why was he all of a sudden chummy with Jose?

  “Oh, I decided to join the fun.” He turned to the other three guys. “You can leave.”

  Turning back to us, he stood beside Jose.

  “You mother fucker cock sucking piece of…” Sebastian laughed, interrupting Brett’s name-calling.

  I pulled Brett’s arm. “Let’s go,” I whispered. I didn’t want to stay to find out exactly what they were doing here. We started backing up.

  “I don’t think so. Brett can leave, but you’re not going anywhere, little one.”

  My stomach fell to my feet, and I spun on them.

  “What do you want with her? You already got your piece.”

  “Brett.” He turned to me, and I scowled at him.

  “Yeah, and then she goes out with you after—kind of a slut move on her part.” Jose glared at me.

  Sebastian and Brett both turned to him. “Hey,” they said at the same time, and they frowned at each other. Sebastian smacked Jose across the back of the head.

  “Ow. I’m just saying.” He rubbed his head.

  Not really knowing why I should defend myself, I did it anyways. “Brett and I were just going to dinner as friends. Sebastian knew that.”

  “You are very lucky it wasn’t me you fucked because I would not let you get away with going out with another guy. You could say I’m kind of possessive that way.”

  Sebastian’s head whipped to Jose, and he glared at him. “What happens between me and Tori is none of your fucking business, Jose.”

  Jose glared back at him, his fists clenching and unclenching.

  “Yeah, well, it wasn’t you, now, was it, so who cares what you fucking think, asshole?” Apparently my filter was broken at this point because the look Jose gave me made me really regret those words that came out of my mouth.

  Jose’s head snapped my way, and he took a step toward me. “Watch it, cochina.” Venom oozed from his voice.

  Sebastian grabbed Jose behind the neck and whispered something in his ear, all the while Jose wouldn’t turn his black eyes away from me.

  “I think you’re letting her get to you,” he said quietly.

  I frowned, confused.

  “Don’t worry about it. I got this.” Sebastian looked at me. He walked up to me, and Brett tensed. Ignoring him, Sebastian grabbed my face with both hands and placed a hard kiss on my lips.

  He leaned down to my ear. “Do you trust me?” he whispered.

  “Sebastian. I…”

  “Do you trust me?” he demanded.

  “Yes, yes, of course, but you being here… It’s confusing me…” My heart pounded against my chest. I didn’t know what was going on, but seeing Sebastian with Jose and acting like they were friends really threw me off.

  Sebastian brushed his lips against mine. “I know, baby. But I need you to fucking continue trusting me no matter what happens.”

  “I…What do you…”

  He kissed me again and turned to Brett. “I don’t like you, and I don’t fucking trust you.”

  Brett scowled. “Feeling’s mutual, asshole.”

  Sebastian smiled. “But I need you to watch out for Tori.”

  My eyebrows rose in confusion. “Sebastian, you said…”

  His head snapped to mine. “I know what I said.” Looking back at Brett, he asked again. “Will you watch out for her?”

  “Of course.” Brett answered.

  “Sebastian.” I grabbed his hand. “Just take me home, or we can go to Keisha’s…”

  “I’m sorry, baby.” He placed another kiss on my lips and headed back in the direction he came from.

  I watched him go, and a moment later my cell phone dinged. I checked it and read Stop staring at my ass. I blushed just as another text came through. I’ll be seeing you soon, little one, and remember, trust me.

  My heart fluttered. Taking a deep breath, I turned to Brett. “Let’s go.”

  Jose still stood in front of me, eyes blazing, setting my nerves on edge. “Give us a second.”

  Brett looked between the two of us, and I nodded. “It’s fine.”

  He started walking toward his car, making sure to keep me in his field of vision.

  Jose took a step in my direction, mere inches from my body. He smelled of cigarettes and cologne, and it stung my nostrils. “Brett’s protective of you.”

  “No, he’s protective of his sister.”

  “Mmm…Yes, Keisha, now there’s someone…”

  “What do you want, Jose?” I interrupted.

  He laughed and leaned down to my ear, hot breath on my skin but not touching me otherwise. “You are very lucky that I’m in a good mood tonight, cochina.”

  I refrained from rolling my eyes and bit my inner cheek, taking a deep breath to keep from punching him in the face.

  He inhaled. “I fucking love the way you smell.”

  I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. “Leave me alone.”

  Jose moaned. “And I so fucking love it when a woman begs. Did you beg Sebastian? I also heard you like it rough.” He grabbed the back of my neck and squeezed, bringing tears to my eyes. He slammed his mouth down on mine and forced his tongue between my lips, suffocating me.

  I pushed against his chest, but he wouldn’t budge, his mouth still invading mine. I heard yelling from behind me as Jose released my lips.

  “Oh, yeah, I can fucking see why Sebastian has taken a liking to you, and if you weren’t with him, I’d take you so hard right now against one of these vehicles.”

  “Fuck you, Jose.” My lips were swollen and tingling from the rough stubble on his jaw. There was no way I was going to admit to this poor excuse for a man in front of me that I was deeply attracted to his partner.

  Jose chuckled and looked down at me. “Oh, cochina, what I wouldn’t give to take you up on that offer.”

  “Stop calling me that,” I snapped.

  “I’ll fucking call you whatever I want to call you,” He said.

  “What the hell do you want?”

  He seemed to think a moment before going on. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

  My eyes widened. “What? No, I’m not.” Was I?

  “Oh, yes you are.” He laughed.

  “You’re sick in the head.”

  His brow furrowed and a malicious smile spread on his face. “Oh, cochina, you have no idea.”

  “Why do you care how I feel about him?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t, but baby, he’s going to eat you up and spit you out. Sebastian Chelios doesn’t commit, never has and never will. Especially if I have anything to do with it.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  His grin widened. “Oh, you’ll see.”

  “Well, I think you’re wrong about him.”

  “Am I? Give it time. You’ll see. He’s just using you, and when he gets bored, he’ll toss you on your ass.”

  Anger made my blood boil, and my fists clenched. “Why do you fucking care?”

  He rubbed his jaw and thought a moment. “Hmm…I haven’t decided yet. I will warn you though, don’t try and stay away from him. He will find you. And as long as you play nice, I won’t hurt you, even though it is fucking tempting.” He leaned down again and ran a tongue up my neck, making my skin crawl. Bile rose in my throat.

  “What do you want from me?” I whispered, heart thudding against my chest.

  Jose lifted his head and looked down at me, a malicious smirk on his face. He winked at me and turned, walking back the way Sebastian left.

  Chapter 12

  I stood there, frozen in place, and I jumped when warm a
rms wrapped around me.

  “It’s just me.” Brett’s deep soothing voice calmed my nerves, and I took deep breaths, steadying my beating heart. “What did he say to you?”

  I swallowed a couple of times before forming the words on my tongue. “I asked him what he wanted from me, and he didn’t answer. He just winked at me and walked away. I…he…I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what he wants.”

  I sighed, not bothering to tell Brett the whole conversation. That would just make him madder, and he probably already knew what a sadistic fuck Jose was anyway.

  “Let’s get you home.” With his arm still around my shoulders, Brett led me back to his car.

  My phone rang as I sat down in the passenger seat, and I saw that it was Keisha. “Hey.”

  “Oh my gosh, I’m so glad to hear your voice. Brett told me what happened.”

  “Yeah…” Sliding into the passenger seat, I watched Brett walk around to the driver’s side. His stance was gruff, tense…concern clearly etched on his handsome features.

  “Are you okay?” Keisha asked, interrupting my thoughts.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Jose is an asshole, and I’m confused all to hell, but I’m okay.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re okay, but why are you confused?”

  “Sebastian told your brother to watch out for me.” I didn’t understand why Sebastian would say that. Clearly he didn’t like him. So many questions pounded in my skull.

  “What? He can’t stand my brother.”

  “I know! That’s what I don’t understand,” I said, exasperated.

  “Listen, why don’t you come over here? We can have a girls’ night.”

  “Can you drive me to your sister’s place, please?” I asked Brett.

  He nodded.

  “We’re on our way,” I told Keisha and disconnected the call. As we drove to her place in silence, I was left with my thoughts. I didn’t know what to do about Sebastian or Jose. I was very confused. Was I falling in love with him like Jose said? I hadn’t thought of it until now. I cared for him deeply, yes, but was it love?

  I had been thinking that we were getting somewhere, and then all of a sudden Sebastian asked the man he hates to watch over me? Something was going on, and I was determined to find out what one way or another.

  Then there was Jose. That man terrified me. Just thinking about him sent ice-cold shivers down my spine. He said he wouldn’t hurt me as long as I played nice. What did he mean by that? Was he going to expect me to do something, and if I didn’t, then he would hurt me? What had I gotten myself into, and how did I get out of it?

  My gut clenched at a thought. Something told me I wouldn’t be able to get out of this, and if I did, it wouldn’t be easy for me. But the real question was, would Sebastian protect me if I needed him to?

  ***

  We parked a block away from Keisha’s and walked the rest of the way. Brett placed an arm around my shoulders, leading me to her apartment building.

  I really needed to figure out what was going on with Sebastian. I also needed to talk to him, but that hadn’t been easy to do yet. Not knowing how long he’d want me, I considered just playing his game. I never doubted the mutual attraction between us, but now that Jose had said something about him only using me, I wasn’t so sure anymore.

  Should I continue sleeping with him until he got bored with me? I wanted to. My body buzzed with memories of our one and only encounter. It craved him and the way he made me feel… I wanted that again.

  All of these questions flew around in my brain. I didn’t even know if Sebastian would want me again, but I knew deep down that he wouldn’t hurt me.

  “Tori.”

  “Hmm?” I looked to Brett, and his brows rose with concern.

  “Where did you go?”

  “I was just thinking.” We approached Keisha’s apartment, and I walked through the doorway as Brett held it open for me. He followed in behind me and grabbed my hand. I stopped and looked up at him. His smile was sympathetic, reaching his eyes. My heart warmed.

  He pulled me into an embrace and lightly squeezed me. “I’m sorry for being an ass earlier, but I am here if you need anything.”

  I wrapped my arms around him. He smelled of light, spicy cologne and soap, but it wasn’t anything like Sebastian’s intoxicating scent of just man and soap.

  “Are you guys going to spend all night in the hall?”

  My cheeks heated, and I turned to the sound of Keisha’s voice. She was standing in the doorway, an amused expression on her face but a hint of suspicion flashed in her eyes. I hoped she didn’t think I wanted her brother.

  Brett placed his hand on my lower back, and I sighed at his soft touch.

  We walked into Keisha’s apartment and sat on her couch.

  “Tori, did you want to put on something more comfortable?”

  I looked down at my tight dress. “Yeah, maybe that’s a good idea.”

  “Come on.” she said quietly.

  Brett sat on the couch while I went with her to get changed.

  She lent me a band T-shirt and sweats. The pants turned into capris since I was taller than her, but they were comfy so they worked. I came out of the bathroom, and she looked me up and down. “It amazes me how you can make sweat pants and a heavy metal band T-shirt look hot.”

  I shrugged. “Yeah, well, it’s all in the boobs.”

  She laughed. “Probably.”

  I smiled, feeling somewhat better about tonight’s whole ordeal. Before leaving her room, she turned to me, accusation written all over face. “I just have a question for you, and please don’t take this the wrong way. What do you want with my brother?”

  I had expected this. Knowing I slept with Sebastian and then went out with Brett definitely didn’t look good from an outsider’s perspective. “I just want to be his friend. I’m not interested in him.”

  She nodded. “I know you two just met, but I can see that he already cares for you. Just…please don’t hurt him.”

  Biting back a scoff, I put on a fake smile. “I don’t intend to.”

  If anyone was going to do the hurting, it would be him. I appreciated her protection over her brother, and I respected her more for that, but if she knew that he was keeping things from her, would she be so willing to protect him? Would I be so willing to protect him if I actually knew what those things were?

  A moment later we left her bedroom, and I joined Brett on the couch, curling my feet under me. He placed an arm behind me on the back of the couch. “You okay?”

  “Yup.”

  “Okay, so what the hell happened tonight?” Keisha sat on a lounger that was in the corner across from me.

  “I think Tori should be the one to tell you. She was alone with Jose…”

  “What? You left her alone with him?” Her eyes widened and her voice rose.

  I felt him tense beside me. “I told him it was okay. Jose wanted to talk to me alone, and Brett was nearby.”

  Keisha turned to me. “Fine, what happened then?”

  I took a deep breath. “Jose pretty much guaranteed that Sebastian will not leave me alone until he’s done with me.”

  Keisha frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Damned if I knew. “The way he put it to me, and I really have no idea why he was telling me this, but he said that what Sebastian and I have will be on Sebastian’s terms, and it will end when he wants it to end. Jose also said that if he has a say in the matter, Sebastian and I will never be together. Sebastian doesn’t commit apparently. Not that I was looking for a relationship or whatever, but still. And apparently, no matter where I go, he’ll find me.” That last sentence sent shivers down my spine. Was Sebastian a stalker? My libido jumped at that thought.

  Keisha rolled her eyes. “So dramatic.”

  I laughed lightly. “Yeah.”

  I got up from the couch and started pacing. I had to move, get control of the nerves running through my body.

  “Now why does he want Brett to
protect you?”

  I stopped pacing. “I…I have no idea.”

  We both turned to Brett. He shrugged. “How the hell am I supposed to know?”

  “I think you know more then you let on,” I said quietly.

  Keisha gaped at us.

  Brett’s gaze snapped to mine. “What the fuck are you implying?”

  I shrugged. I had questions and I needed them answered. “I’m just saying. You seemed pretty chummy with Jose at the coffee shop the other day.”

  He leaned back in his seat with his ankle on his knee, smirking. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Placing my hands on my hips, I stared back. He was lying, and if I had to call him out on it in front of his sister then I would. “Really?”

  Keisha rose from her chair. “Um…I don’t know what the hell is going on, but someone better do some explaining right now.”

  I motioned for him to say something to her, but he didn’t. “Did you want to tell her or should I?”

  “Tori, shut the hell up,” he bit out.

  “Hey, that’s my friend you’re talking to.” Keisha glowered at him.

  “It’s fine, Keisha.” I don’t know what came over me at that point, but I snapped. “Did you know that Jose and Brett are buddies?”

  Her eyes widened.

  I laughed once. “Yeah, I didn’t think so, and Sebastian wants him to protect me. Please. He must be desperate, and I have a feeling that pretty boy over here knows exactly what is going on.”

  “Fuck you, Tori.” Brett rose from the couch and shoved past me, heading for the door.

  “You think you don’t need protection? Fine. But so help me God, if something happens to my sister, I will make it my dying duty to come after you and your fuck buddy.”

  I gave him the middle finger as he slammed the door shut behind him. Turning to Keisha, I winced at the shock etched on her face. I sighed, bracing myself for her reaction. “I am so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know what’s going on with him. He’s been so secretive lately.”

  “I thought I was the only one that noticed.” I walked past her and sat on her couch. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to blow up like that. I usually have more control of my temper.”