Let Me Love You: Beautifully Broken Book 1

by Samantha Wolfe

  "Your car should be done this afternoon," Jensen said, his voice back to normal. "Andy said the guys would drop it off at the coffee shop when it's done."

  "You're not going to pick me up after work?" I asked in undisguised disappointment.

  "No, I'm pretty much stuck at work until six, since I'm going in late today."

  "Why didn't you say something?" I asked guiltily. "My car could have waited. I'm sorry I made you late."

  "Don't worry about it," he reassured me. "That's one of the perks of my job. I can readjust my schedule any time I need to."

  "I don't want to get you in any trouble."

  "Baby, my family owns Hayes Construction," he said. "Who am I going to get in trouble with?"

  "Are you sure?" I asked.

  "Yes. Besides, I had better things to do this morning," he said with a wink and a leer. I blushed and smiled at him.

  "I'm starting to think you like making me blush," I accused him.

  "I do. Do you want to know why?" He turned looking at me as we waited at a red light.

  "Why?" I asked, returning his intense eye contact. He leaned toward me.

  "Because it looks the same as when I make you come," he whispered seductively. I felt my face flush with heat as I blushed yet again. "Just like that."

  I started to glare at him, but he released my hand to slide his hand up my inner thigh and stop mere inches from my sex. I licked my lips and stared helplessly into his eyes as he squeezed my leg gently. His mouth parted as his eyes flicked down to my mouth. His hand started moving higher.

  Just then the sound of a horn behind us jolted us back to reality. We both looked up to see that the light had turned green. Jensen released my thigh and turned his attention back to the road. He readjusted himself through his jeans and cursed under his breath.

  "Holy fuck, woman," he said as he drove through the intersection. "You're killing me. It's going to be a long damn day." I smiled in satisfaction, glad to know I had the same effect on him that he had on me.

  A few minutes later, we pulled into the coffee shop's parking lot, and Jensen pulled into a spot near the door. He reached over and took my hand in his again.

  "Can I come see you tonight?" he asked hopefully. "Maybe I can convince your sister to like me."

  "I'd like that," I said with relief. I had been afraid I wouldn't get to see him again today, and I needed to show Lauren that he wasn't just a fling to me.

  "I'll text you when I'm on my way," he said with a smile.

  "You don't even have my number."

  "I do," he said sheepishly. "I sort of called my phone with yours last night to get it. I'm sorry. I hope that wasn't presumptuous of me." I pulled my phone out of my bag and checked the call log. Sure enough there was a strange outgoing number from last night on my phone. Part of me wanted to be annoyed with him, but I was going to give it to him anyway.

  "That's okay," I admitted with a sigh. "I want you to have it."

  We sat for a moment looking at each other with our hands clasped, neither of us wanting to let go first. Finally, he sighed and let go of my hand to reach up to my face. He leaned in and kissed me softly at first, but the kiss got deeper, and I opened my mouth to let his tongue in to dance with mine. Desire pulsed through my body, and I moved my hands up to his chest to knead the muscles there. He groaned in reaction to my touch and gripped the back of my head, kissing me even harder. A few moments later, Jensen broke the kiss with a sigh of disappointment, both of us left breathing heavily in frustration.

  "I'd better get going before I call in sick from the parking lot." I sighed and grabbed his hand in mine.

  "I'll see you later tonight, okay?" He raised my hand to place a kiss on my palm and then turned his most heart-stopping smile on me. I felt giddy and smiled back helplessly.

  "See you later," I said as I opened the passenger door. He let go of my hand and watched me climb down out of the truck. I stood there, unable to take my eyes off of him.

  "Go on, baby, you're going to be late," he whispered and licked his lips.

  "Okay," I whispered back and closed the door reluctantly. He kept his eyes locked on mine as he reversed out of the parking space and didn't break the eye contact until he drove past me.

  He was right; it was going to be a long damn day indeed.

  Monday mornings at Bean There, Done That were always busy and for once I was happy for the distraction. Except for some ribbing from Yvonne after she saw Jensen and me kissing in his truck, I didn't have a moment to spend thinking about him until my lunch break around one o'clock. I was able to get out to the sub shop a few doors down and scored a table by the window. The view was wasted on me, though, because all I could think about was Jensen. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face, remembered the way his lips felt on mine, the way he felt inside me. I picked at my food on autopilot, and I couldn't have told anyone what my lunch tasted like.

  Finally, I pulled my phone out to text him. I found his number and added it to my contact list, but paused before typing a message. If Jensen was busy, my texts might irritate him. Plus, I didn't want to seem desperate. The knot of tension and trepidation in my gut reminded me why dating sucked, but the more I thought about him and how he made me feel; I realized that I needed to hear from him.

  I'm sitting at lunch thinking about you. I hit send and sat in anticipation. He replied almost immediately.

  I've been thinking about you all day. It's very distracting.

  I smiled, glad to know he still had me on his mind. Feeling mischievous, I decided to torment him a little. What exactly are you thinking about? I hit send with a smile. This time there was a longer wait for his reply.

  Your lips and how I want them around my cock. My smirk suddenly turned into a skin blistering blush, and I looked around in embarrassment at the other people in the restaurant, certain they all could tell why I was blushing. I squirmed in my seat from a sudden throbbing heat between my thighs. It took me several long moments to gather my thoughts into a coherent reply.

  I want that too. Where?

  On your knees in my living room. I'd hold you by your hair and fuck your mouth. He was trying to kill me; I decided. I didn't know I could be so turned on by a text. It was time for a little fun. I typed feverishly and hit send before I chickened out.

  Maybe you could tie my hands behind my back. There was another long pause on his end. I couldn't stop the smile on my face as I pictured his shocked reaction to that text. His reply was unexpected.

  Do you want me to tie you up? Would you trust me to do that?

  My smile slipped from my face. I had been trying to shock him when I sent the text, but as I thought about actually letting Jensen do that, my arousal sparked to whole new level of discomfort. I thought about how he had held my wrists down on the kitchen table, and I could suddenly feel my pulse beating feverishly between my legs. I definitely liked the idea of being restrained, but did I trust Jensen enough to let him do that to me? I thought about it and realized that I felt no trepidation about it at all. I only felt excitement and need.

  Yes and yes. I replied. There was another long pause before my phone suddenly started ringing in my hand. I jumped and nearly dropped it in my lunch. The call was from Jensen. I hit answer and pressed the phone up to my ear.

  "Sydney," his deep growling voice spoke my name, and I felt a shiver run up my spine. "Do you have any idea what you're doing to me?"

  "Um...no?" I answered slowly. I could hear him take in a slow deep breath in and out.

  "Were you serious or were you trying to shock me?" he asked with a seriousness I had never heard from him before.

  "A little of both." I admitted. He took a ragged breath.

  "Does the thought of me restraining you turn you on, Sydney?" His voice got even deeper, and I could hear the tension of arousal in his tone.

  "Yes," I answered in little more than a whisper as my own desire spiked from his voice and the subject matter. Another ragged breath hissed through the line.
>
  "Will you stay with me tonight?" he finally asked with a note of desperation in his voice and the promise of something darker that called to me. I'd never done anything like this before, but God help me; I wanted to do it with Jensen.

  "Have you ever done that before?" I asked him, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer.

  "No," he said softly and I sighed with relief. "I've wanted to, but it's not exactly a subject you can just throw into a conversation without freaking most girls out."

  He had a point. I'm not sure how I would have reacted if a guy started talking about tying me up while on a date, but it probably wouldn't have been a good reaction. With him, it felt right and when I thought about it, in a way, he had been restraining me during sex already, with his hands and with his voice. I loved the way his control made me feel, and I wanted more.

  "Yes, I'll stay with you tonight," I said with all the sincerity I could muster.

  "I'll pick you up after work tonight," he said after a moment, his voice quiet and controlled, but I could sense an undercurrent of lust and desire. "I'll text you when I'm on my way."

  "I can't wait to see you." I whispered into my phone, hoping he understood that I was lost to our mutual desire as well.

  "Me too, Sydney, me too," he said and ended the call, speaking my name with such reverence that I couldn't breath for a moment after the call ended.

  Unfortunately, the afternoon seemed to crawl its way to five o'clock. Every time I checked the clock it seemed only a few minutes had passed. The coffee shop was unusually slow and there was only so much busy work to occupy my time. I ended up volunteering to do inventory in the back room, desperate for something to distract my mind from thoughts of Jensen.

  I was just finishing up when I realized that no one had dropped my car off yet. I glanced at the clock on the wall and was happy to see it was almost four forty-five, but I was wondering how I was going to get home. I decided I'd call Jensen to check on my car. I was pulling my phone out of my pocket just as Yvonne walked through the door. She had a huge grin on her face, her deep brown eyes flashing in amusement.

  "Well, aren't you the popular one," she announced and waggled her eyebrows at me.

  "What the hell are you talking about?" I replied suspiciously.

  "You have another seriously cute guy in here to see you."

  "What?" I asked in confusion.

  "A guy with the most gorgeous blue eyes I have ever seen just walked in and asked for Sydney Harper," Yvonne said with a sigh.

  "That must be the guy dropping off my car," I said with relief.

  "Make sure you get his number," she suggested.

  "I'm not getting another guy's number," I told her. "I can barely handle the one I've got."

  "Not for you, silly." She winked at me. "I haven't tasted vanilla in a while."

  "I'll keep that in mind," I said with an eye roll as I walked past her.

  "That's him by the door," Yvonne told me as she followed me out of the back room.

  The guy turned toward me as I walked across the room to him. Yvonne was right. His pale blue eyes were stunning as his face lit up with a smile. He had short light brown hair spiked haphazardly around his head and a short well-groomed beard and mustache. He was dressed in jeans and a dark-blue button up work shirt with a patch that read Purcell Auto and another that said Andy on it. This must be the Andy that Jensen had mentioned, and I recognized him as the guy Jensen had been talking too at the bar Saturday night.

  "You must be Sydney," he said and held out his hand to me. "I'm Andy Purcell."

  "Hi," I said smiling back at him. His smile was infectious, and I got the feeling that he did it a lot. I took his hand and appreciated the firm hand shake he gave me. I hated guys with limp-wristed hand shakes.

  "I've got your car for you," he said as he held up my keys and jangled them. "Come outside and take a look. I want to make sure you're satisfied with my work."

  "Alright." We headed toward the door, and he opened it for me with a flourish.

  "After you," he said with a wink. I snorted with amusement at him. I had a feeling that he was a shameless flirt. I followed him across the lot, and found my car parked next to a large van. I looked at the hood in relief. It was perfect, like it had never happened. I smiled in gratitude at Andy.

  "It's perfect!" I exclaimed. "I don't know how to thank you enough."

  "No thanks are necessary," he said with another smile.

  "How much do I owe you?"

  "Not a thing. Thanks to you, Jensen owes me one," he smirked. "I have yet to decide how to use that against him." I couldn't help laughing.

  "How long have you know him?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

  "Our whole lives." His smile faded a little, a touch of sadness in his eyes. "Our dads were best friends."

  "So you know him really well," I said.

  "I know him better than just about anyone."

  "Has he said anything about me?" I asked without thinking, unable to help myself.

  "Only that you're gorgeous and that it's none of my business," he answered with another smile. "Which naturally led to me dropping off your car in person, so I could make it my business and see for myself."

  "And?" I asked, humoring him like I'm sure he wanted me to.

  "He got one out of two right," he answered, waggling his eyebrows at me with a smile. I rolled my eyes and laughed, but it kind of bothered me that was all Jensen had to say about me. A frown ghosted across my face, and Andy must have noticed. "Hey, don't take that as a bad thing," he said with a reassuring smile. "When Jensen gets vague that's usually a sign he cares about something."

  "Really?" I asked, slightly ashamed of my need for validation.

  "Yes," he said, his face turning serious. "It's good to see him care about something. He's been in a really bad place recently, as you must know." I nodded in understanding, thinking about Jensen's nightmare last night. I hadn't brought it up with Jensen this morning because I didn't want to embarrass him, and I was pretty sure he didn't remember any of it anyway. "He won't ever admit it," Andy continued as he stepped closer and put a hand on my shoulder. "But he's not holding himself together as well as he thinks he is, and the fact that he has opened himself up to you is a good thing."

  Andy's revelation was no surprise to me. I had been there myself, putting on a brave face to the world, while inside I had been falling apart. I had learned the hard way that stuffing everything down and trying to pretend the bad things hadn't happened never worked. Eventually, it had to come out, and it was better to do it on your own terms instead of waiting for it to explode out of you. In my case, it had led to a suicide attempt that fortunately had failed. God only knew how it would affect Jensen. I hoped not to find out.

  "I understand completely," I said and placed my hand over Andy's. "He's not the only one to have lost someone they love." I met his eyes and tried to convey my sincerity. I saw that he understood when he nodded.

  "Anyway," he said, taking his hand off my shoulder and handing me my keys. "Here's your key. I've got a hungry extortionist waiting for the twelve-inch sub I promised him." He pointed behind himself with a thumb, and I noticed a tall, very muscular, blond guy wearing another blue work shirt. He was leaning against a car in the next row of parking spaces behind Andy. "It's sad when you have to have a bribe to get a ride from a friend," he said the last sentence loud enough that the other guy was sure to hear it. The guy just shrugged unapologetically and smiled. "That's Denny, by the way."

  "Thanks Denny!" I said and waved at him. He nodded in acknowledgment and smiled at me.

  "It was nice meeting you, Sydney," Andy said with a big smile. "I hope to see you again soon."

  "Thanks again."

  "Anytime," Andy said with a bow and a ridiculous flourish of his arm. He winked and walked past Denny, who followed after him as they headed toward the sub shop. I was left smiling and shaking my head in amusement. I liked Andy, and I hoped to see him again too. I took one more
look at the pristine condition of the hood of my car, grateful it had gotten fixed so quickly. I couldn't wait to thank Jensen properly for the help. I think he was going to like what I had in mind.

  I headed back into the coffee shop and was happy to see that it was finally five o'clock. After grabbing my purse from my locker in the back, I waved good-bye to my co-workers and practically ran out to my car with thoughts of Jensen occupying my mind. I opened my driver's side door and tossed my bag onto the passenger seat and froze as I felt a presence behind me.

  "I guess you're an even bigger whore than I thought you were," a venom-filled voice spoke harshly from behind me. I spun around with a gasp to find Clay standing there, trapping me between my open car door and himself. I glanced about in a panic, realizing the large van parked next to my car was blocking us from the view of anyone in the coffee shop. "Who the fuck was that guy?" he asked angrily, his nostrils flaring.

  "Who?" I asked as I met his blue eyes, instinctively trying to back away from the intense anger I saw in them, but I had no where to go.

  "Oh, don't play dumb with me, bitch," he said as he leaned in closer, his voice low and threatening. "That's the second guy I've seen you with in two days."

  "What?" I responded in confusion.

  "How many guys are you fucking?" he snarled at me; his face twisted into something terrifying.

  "I'm not..."

  "Don't fucking lie to me," he interrupted. "I saw you take that asshole from yesterday up to your apartment."

  "It was you. You keyed my fucking car!" I said in anger.

  "Everyone should know what you are!" he responded in kind as he stepped closer. I tried to push him away, but he didn't budge. Sheer panic surged through me, and I reached up to scratch at his face, but he grabbed my wrists with both his hands and held them in a painful grip as I fought to free myself. I took in a breath to scream.