Unbroken (The Disclosure Series Book 2)

by R. E. Hunter

  And that was all the answer he needed.

  The ride home was nearly unbearable. Embry was drowning in Luke’s silence. Dying for just a word, a look, anything to know what was going on in his head. Instead, she settled for watching him, the only clue to his mood the slight jump of the muscle in his cheek as he clenched and unclenched his jaw.

  Her stomach was twisting in knots and her head was spinning, trying to make sense of the events of the night, of Jeremy’s words and accusations. Could it be true? Had she really crawled into Jeremy’s bed and begged him for… anything? And if she had, why would he have kept that from her?

  She didn’t have much recollection of that night, but even as drunk as she’d been, she couldn’t believe that she’d done anything more than cuddle with Jeremy. She’d been too distraught over Luke.

  Before Luke, she would’ve believed it. Drunken hook-ups were her game. After all she’d been through with Jack, she hadn’t wanted any attachments, hell she didn’t want to remember at all. But not after Luke. Never.

  Not helping, Bree. She shook her head, pushing away painful memories of a different time, a different Embry.

  “Luke?”

  Silence.

  “He’s… I don’t… I didn’t…”

  His eyes quickly shot to hers before landing back on the road.

  She swallowed hard and tried again. “What I’m trying to say is…” What was she trying to say?

  She had no memory of that night. Other than leaving for the club and waking up in just a bra and panties with Jeremy beside her. The time in between, the rest of the night, was a blur of dancing and alcohol. That was it.

  Defeated, she let out a heavy sigh and leaned her head back against the seat. He would come around. She hoped.

  They pulled into the driveway and made their way into Luke’s house. Still silent. After all they’d been through, all they’d overcome, and now they were unraveling once more.

  She shrugged out of her coat and walked into the kitchen, fighting for composure as her emotions threatened to spiral out of control.

  “I try so hard,” he said quietly behind her.

  She turned, nodding, her lips forming a sad smile. “I know you do.”

  “Do you know what it was like for me?” he asked, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Having you leave like that?”

  Embry shook her head. They’d never really spoken about it. She’d been happy not to revisit her own experience while they’d been apart, and she’d never wanted to push or question him.

  “I tore myself up over losing you, Bree.” He took a seat on a stool at the counter.

  She stood silently across from him, waiting, knowing he had more to say.

  “That night… I came home to find Sydney waiting for me.” He shook his head, seemingly lost in the memory. “It was like a cruel joke, the reason you ran showing up on my doorstep, reminding me of everything I’d just lost.” He let out mirthless laugh. “I turned her away, slammed the door in her face and shut myself in. I didn’t go out drinking… I didn’t do anything. I was afraid I’d do something stupid, something to fuck things up more than I already had. So I sat here,” he said, indicating the stool he was sitting on, “drinking from that bottle of Johnnie Walker you gave me, and trying to figure out how I had fucked up so bad.”

  Her heart ached for him, for the loss he felt. And while he’d been sitting at home, thinking he’d lost everything, she had been out partying her pain away. Way to handle it like an adult, Bree.

  “You know what kept me going?” he asked, breaking into her thoughts.

  Embry shook her head again.

  “You said you needed time. I kept replaying those words over and over in my head, giving myself hope that maybe I hadn’t lost you, maybe you’d come around.”

  “And I did.” She smiled slightly.

  “You did.” His eyes turned cold. “But now to find out—and from Jeremy—that the entire time I sat here, drinking myself into oblivion, praying that you’d come back to me, you were in his arms, in his fucking bed.” He shook his head, hard lines of anger forming on his face.

  She shook her head. “No. I didn’t… I wasn’t…” Why couldn’t she get the damn words out?

  He fixed his gaze on her. “So he was lying?”

  Embry worried at her bottom lip. “I don’t know,” she answered quietly. “I woke up in his bed, in my underwear. He was wrapped around me.” That last part she practically whispered.

  Luke cringed, but she was too upset to react. The memories of that morning were crashing into her, intensifying the already sick feeling in her stomach.

  “You have to believe me, Luke,” she pleaded. “I had my own room, my own bed. N-nothing happened with Jeremy. When I woke up next to him that one morning… I was a mess. I thought I’d made a mistake, drank too much and slept with him—” She stopped herself abruptly. She didn’t need to dig herself a deeper hole. It sounded bad no matter how she explained it, and she saw it all over Luke’s face—anger and pain warring in his eyes. But he deserved to hear the truth.

  The tips of his ears were beginning to turn red, a sure sign anger was winning. “How could you?” he asked, scary quiet.

  For some reason, those words, that question, set her off. “How could I? You broke us! Broke me!” she cried. “I was lonely. I missed you so much, I ached for you. But how could I come back to this?” She waved her hand around wildly.

  He stood from the stool, glaring down at her. “If you’re going to move past it, Bree, then move the fuck past it. Throwing my mistakes in my face to justify your actions… I thought we were beyond that.” He turned and stomped back toward the front door.

  She followed him, her hands fisting at her sides, trying to maintain some self-control. “That’s not what I’m doing, Luke. You asked and I told you. I didn’t go out drinking and fall into bed with some stranger for a sloppy hook up! I was lonely in the middle of the night and asked a friend to come sleep next to me.”

  He whirled around, his eyes intense and burning. “I’ve been trying so hard to show you how much I love you. To make up for all the hurt I’ve caused. And I’m still fucking terrified it’ll never be enough. I was killing myself over hurting you, and the entire time you were finding comfort in someone else.”

  “Luke, I—”

  “What if it was me, Bree?” His blue eyes pled with her. “Imagine what you’d feel if it was me in someone else’s bed.”

  He shook his head, the muscle in his jaw jumping again before he yanked the front door open.

  “Luke, no. Where are you going?”

  “For a drive,” he said icily. “I need space.”

  With that, he disappeared. The door slammed behind him, and a moment later she heard the low growl of the engine turning over, saw the flash of headlights shining through the window as he pulled out of the driveway.

  Sadness swept over her. She couldn’t believe how quickly the night had turned to shit. Pushing it all away, she let numbness take its place. No more tears to cry. No more feelings to feel. It was all too much.

  Grabbing her coat and purse, she quickly realized she didn’t have her car. Shit. She considered calling a cab, leaving and giving Luke the space he needed, but she couldn’t bear the thought of having to spend the night alone in her apartment, knowing she’d left things unresolved. Deciding to stay, she set her coat and purse back down before trudging up the stairs, pulling off her clothes and sliding into Luke’s bed.

  She lay awake and alone, staring into the dark. It’d been over an hour and he still hadn’t come home. She considered texting or calling, but he had asked for space and she’d give it. After all, he’d given her plenty when she’d needed it.

  As she replayed the events of the night in her head, her stomach began to knot all over again. She was still in shock over Jeremy’s revelation, but she couldn’t bring herself to believe that she’d thrown herself at him. Even if she had though, nothing had actually happened. That she was sure of.

>   Although in Luke’s book, he was probably just as upset that she’d found comfort in Jeremy at all. She’d spent the night snuggled in his arms, desperate to fight off the loneliness of losing Luke. And the fact that she’d woken up in her underwear, believing that she’d slept with him, well… it sounded bad… it was bad. And Luke was right, if the tables were turned, she’d be reacting the same way.

  Shaking the thoughts away, she rolled over, punching her pillow and trying to get comfortable. Tomorrow was Valentine’s Day. Great. Their first V-day together, and it would be spent hashing out all of this bullshit. They could never win.

  Shutting her eyes, she pushed away the thoughts plaguing her. She’d just begun to doze off when she heard the beep of the alarm and Luke entering the house. She listened to his quiet steps on the tile floor of the foyer, making his way up the stairs and across the landing. Then the bedroom door opened and she wanted so badly to jump out of bed, fling herself into his arms and apologize profusely for everything. Instead she lay in bed, wondering which Luke she’d get.

  Was he still hurt? Angry? Or had he calmed down?

  She took quiet, shallow breaths and pretended to be asleep while listening to his movements—walking in and out of the closet, the water running as he brushed his teeth, feet padding toward his side of the bed. She held her breath as the sheets rustled, the mattress shifting as he crawled into bed beside her.

  She was curled up on her side, facing away from him, the covers tucked tightly around her. Cool air bathed her bare skin as he lifted the sheets so that he could move closer, his naked body, solid and warm, wrapping around her.

  “I’m sorry I left, baby.” His breath tickled her ear. “I just needed time to cool down.”

  “Are you still angry?” she asked, her voice shy.

  She felt his head shake against hers and relief flooded her system.

  “No. You didn’t deserve my anger,” he said, his voice thick. “I was the reason… you never would’ve left if…”

  Embry twined her fingers with his, tugging on his arm and pulling him tighter against him. “I’m sorry, too.”

  “The thought of you with someone else, his hands on you—” Luke drew his fingers over her shoulder, down her side, following the naked curve of her hip and eliciting chills all over her body. “—seeing you how I see you, I couldn’t handle it.”

  “I’m yours, Luke,” she assured him. “Nothing happened.”

  “Mine,” he said huskily. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, trailing his tongue up to her ear and nibbling lightly as he pushed against her, his erection nudging her from behind.

  “Only yours.” She sighed as she pushed back against him.

  His breath was hot on her neck, and his arms wrapped tight around her as he sunk into her, reclaiming her, stealing her pleasure and reminding her where she belonged.

  Embry woke in the dark, gulping in deep breaths, trembling and calling out for Luke.

  “Whoa, hey, I’m here,” he soothed, cradling her in his arms.

  She pressed her face against his chest, inhaling him. “I had a bad dream.”

  He traced his fingers down her spine, drawing lazy circles around contours of her back. “What happened?”

  She shook her head. The moment she’d awoken, the images of the nightmare had already begun to fade, but the sick feeling in her stomach remained. “I can’t really remember. I think it was about us. You not coming home.”

  He tightened his arms around her and brushed his lips across the top of her head. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, don’t be. It was just a dream.”

  He let out a heavy sigh. “I shouldn’t have left, but I was too wound up. I was angry and hurt, and I didn’t want to take it out on you.”

  “I know.” Luke was all about dealing with things head on, talking them out, not running away from a problem. She knew that if he left, it was to handle his temper, to cool down, not because he was leaving her.

  His mouth connected with hers, his lips soft and warm, as his tongue stroked in, swirling and exploring.

  “Mmm,” she hummed. “What was that for?”

  She felt him shrug. “We’re going to get mad and argue, Bree. It happens. But I promise you, even if I leave, I’ll always come back. As long as you’ll have me, I’ll always be here.”

  She snuggled closer and nestled into his chest once more. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Being the best Valentine,” she whispered.

  “It’s still dark out.” She heard the hint of a smile in his voice. “Valentine’s day hasn’t even begun.”

  She grinned into his chest. “Well, thank you for starting it out so nicely.”

  His arms left her, and he rolled away. She felt empty and cold at the loss. Then the lamp on his nightstand came on, and she slammed her eyes shut against the intrusion. “What’re you doing?”

  “Getting something.”

  She pulled the covers over her head and hid. “Can you get it without that horribly bright light?” She called, her voice muffled by the comforter.

  He chuckled. “Don’t think so.” The mattress shifted as he rolled back toward her and she felt the covers being pulled from her head. His lips tickled her cheeks, her eyelids, then the corners of her mouth. “Open your eyes,” he whispered.

  She let out a long groan, scrunching her face up and keeping her eyes shut tight. “I don’t want to.”

  “You have to,” he argued.

  “Why? Why are you torturing me for Valentine’s Day,” she whined dramatically.

  “Because I have something for you.”

  Before he could even finish his sentence, Embry’s eyes popped open. She squinted for a moment, allowing her eyes to adjust, then turned to Luke. “You have something for me?” She was beaming.

  Luke shook his head, mumbling something about only children as he reached behind him on the nightstand. He came back with a small mason jar filled with the most gorgeous pink peonies and a card. “Happy Valentine’s Day, beautiful.”

  Embry blinked. “I thought you said it wasn’t Valentine’s Day yet?”

  He shrugged and smiled sweetly. “It’s V-day when we say it is. And who says we can’t celebrate at—” He checked his phone on the nightstand.“—three-nineteen in the morning.”

  She pulled the jar to her face, inhaling the sweet floral scent. “My favorite,” she sighed, looking up at smiling blue eyes. “How’d you get peonies this time of year?” Her favorite flowers bloomed in the spring and very early summer, but somehow he’d managed.

  “Special order. I’ve had them hidden in my fridge since yesterday.” The admission rolled off his tongue as if it were the simplest thing in the world, but no one had ever gone out of their way for her like that before.

  She stared at him in astonishment. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Open the card,” he encouraged, taking the mason jar and setting it back on the nightstand.

  She tore open the red envelope and pulled out the card, her eyes going wide. “I’m only in this for your cute butt,” she read aloud, then narrowed her eyes at him. “Really, Luke?”

  He gave her a cheeky grin before crawling on top of her and pushing her into the mattress. He reached beneath her to cup her butt. “It’s true,” he laughed, nuzzling her neck. “I love your ass.”

  She tried swatting him away, but he stayed put, teasing kisses up her neck.

  “Open the card, baby,” he urged. She held the card up over his head as he continued his exploration of her neck and then moved to her collarbone. She was expecting to find more silly comments and maybe a line or two of something sweet, but what she found left her speechless.

  Embry,

  How do I do this? Explain to you what you mean to me. I’m not sure it’s possible, but I’ll try. Without you, my heart would continue beating, but I don’t think I’d ever feel alive again. You give my life meaning. Your heart, your laugh, your gorgeous smile… You’re so goddamn beaut
iful, some days I have trouble believing you’re mine. All I want is to have you in my life, my bed, to feel your body beneath mine. Always. I’d give up the Dawgs, root for the Gators, and swear off macaroni n’ cheese if it meant you’d be mine for the rest of my life. I’d give it all up for you, and more. Happy Valentine’s Day, beautiful. Every day is Valentine’s Day to me with you in my life. I love you.

  Luke

  Her heart to swelled in her chest, tears lightly falling into her hair as she read it again. “Luke?” she whispered.

  “Mmmm?” he hummed against her neck.

  She set the card down and pushed at him until he rolled over. Climbing on top of him, she crushed her lips to his, pouring all of her feelings into the kiss. “I love you so much,” she said between kisses. “So, so much.”

  “I love you too, baby.” He grinned. “Always.”

  Luke walked into the living room, searching for Embry. She was curled up on the couch, snuggled into one of his Georgia sweatshirts, and he couldn’t help but smile. He loved it when she wore his clothes. Her laptop was resting on her thighs, and she was so engrossed in whatever she was looking at that she hadn’t heard him. He watched as a sexy half smile lifted her lips and pink stained her cheeks.

  Goddamn. What is she looking at?

  As he stalked toward her, he finally got her attention. But the minute her eyes met his, they widened in surprise, and she slammed the laptop shut.

  “What were you looking at that put that sexy smile on your face, baby?” He picked up the laptop and set it on the coffee table.

  Embry tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear and stared at her lap, trying to hide her smile. “Nothing.”

  “Doesn’t look like nothing,” he countered, leaning in and dropping a sweet kiss on her lips.

  Embry swatted at his chest and pushed him away. “You ruin everything.”

  “Me?” he asked innocently. “What’d I do?”