Broken Ground: (Broken Series Book 1) (11 page)

And dangerous.

Once I had my jacket, I tipped the attendant and made my way back to the ballroom to wait for her.

When over ten minutes had passed without her return, I decided to go look for her. Keith and his date had been noticeably absent for the last hour or so, and something in my gut told me he hadn't retreated that easily.

A few minutes later, after pacing the hallway that led to the restrooms, I decided to check the quiet hallways at the far end of the building. I was just about to turn a corner when I heard her voice. "Whatever it is you think you know about me, you don't. So back off."

The reply was a woman's voice, high-pitched and haughty. "Keith told me all about you, didn't you, babe?"

When I heard his smug voice my fists clenched. "Not much to tell, I mean, look at her." He laughed. "Playing dress up and trotting out your boyfriend's checkbook won't make them believe you. You've been marked, sweetheart. Even if you keep your job, they'll never forget. Never. Not even daddy's money can erase it."

"He's not my dad, and I would be careful if I were you, Keith. I'd hate to spill your little secret to your obviously uninformed friend here." Ali was pissed but still in control. I wasn't sure what to do. Did I step into the middle of it and risk pissing her off, or stand there and let them shred her which was pissing me off?

I couldn't fucking win.

"What secret? What's she talking about?" That voice was like nails on a goddamn chalkboard.

He scoffed. "Nothing, she's just trying to deflect attention, hoping that her bullshit will distract you. Ignore her."

Ali wasn't backing down. "Fine. Believe him if you want, you'll find out soon enough. Certain...
shortcomings
are difficult to hide."

"Shut up. Who'd take the word of a frigid bitch like you?" Keith growled. Apparently, he hit his mark because he said, "See? Look at her dropping her head like a damn dog, she's ashamed because she knows it's true. Does the hero in there know he's got himself a cold fish? Guess he's in for a surprise, huh?" He snickered. "I've got to give you credit for making sure he stroked that check before he found out."

I barely heard her when she muttered, "Go to hell, Keith."

That was it. I was done listening to this shit.

I stepped around the corner and took in the scene before me. The hallway looked like a service corridor, none of the high-end art pieces adorning the walls, no exotic plants on silk draped tables, just a few unmarked doors and windows that overlooked the courtyard. Three people stood in the empty hallway, but only two heads swiveled in my direction.

Ali didn't look up, but I could tell from the shift in her posture that she knew I was there. Standing way too close for my liking, Keith and his date backed away from her as soon as they registered my presence. I walked over to stand at her side and turned to face them. "There a problem here?" No response. "Maybe things in the ballroom got stuffy, and you were looking for someplace to get some fresh air." I shifted my gaze back and forth between them, nodding. "I couldn't agree more. That sounds like an excellent idea. How bout we step outside?" I pinned him with a stare, voice deadly serious. "You want to step outside with me, Keith?"

He and his date both seemed a lot less cocky than they had been a minute ago. Must have been something I said.

I stared him down, enjoying the random twitch in his jaw. He was pissed, but he'd never have enough balls to challenge me. Cowards like him rely on their ability to exploit weaknesses, and I didn't have one. Not where he was concerned.

His date, however, seemed to have some balls. She eyed Ali and said, "You boys do what you like, Ali and I can stay here and finish our conversation."

When Ali lifted her chin and met the woman's eye, there was no hesitation. "Absolutely."

Keith shifted on his feet, pulling at his collar and looking nervous as hell. "No, baby," he said to his companion, "We should probably be leaving now. It's getting late."

I couldn't tell if he was more afraid of me taking him outside, or the idea of Ali spending time with his date. Either way, it was pathetic. Such a fucking coward.

His date gave him an incredulous look and turned to leave, obviously getting a good whiff of his cowardice. When she slipped between Ali and I, she bumped Ali's shoulder. Hard.

Fuck. Not a good idea.

Ali's hand shot out and snared the woman by the arm, snatching her back as she stepped close enough that barely an inch separated their faces. The woman struggled to free herself, but Ali held firm. "I'd advise you to watch where you're going. You wouldn't want to get yourself hurt." Her eyes were narrowed, teeth bared. "Either tread a little more carefully, or Needle Dick over there," she pointed at Keith, "will have to carry you to the car. Understand?"

She released the wide-eyed woman, giving her a shove in Keith's direction. Ali and I watched her as she stumbled over to him, and they stood looking at each other, neither seeming to know what to do.

Ali turned to me for the first time since my arrival, a tight smile on her face. "I'm ready when you are." She glanced down at her empty hands. "Well, as soon as I grab my purse. I must have left it on the table."

I nodded, not taking my eyes off of Keith. "You go ahead. I'll be right there." His eyes widened, knowing I wasn't finished with him yet. "Actually, meet me at the bar, one last drink and we'll head out."

I could feel her eyes on me. I knew she didn't want me fighting her battles, and she was probably pissed that I wanted to stay behind. She didn't argue, though. "Alright. Don't take too long or I'll drink yours too." She turned and made her way back to the ballroom, her heels clicking on the expensive marble flooring.

When I could no longer hear her footfalls, I closed the distance between Keith and myself. His date muttered something about meeting him at the car and scurried away, rubbing her upper arm. That left us all alone in the deserted corridor. I could see his pulse in his neck, the vein bulging rhythmically under a fine sheen of sweat. He couldn't quite look me in the eye, choosing instead to look slightly to my left.

Pussy.

He was so pathetic it almost sucked all the fun out of it.
Almost
. I wouldn't make him piss himself tonight though he looked to be on the cusp of it already. No, I had only one point to make and then he could scamper off to make amends with his escort.

I decided I'd made him sweat long enough. The stench of him had become repulsive. I leaned in, bringing my face so close he had no choice but to meet my eye. "Don't worry. I'm not in the mood to get blood on my shoes tonight. I just thought you should know that you're wrong about Ali. She is far from frigid." I smiled as his eyes widened in surprise. "I made her come twice in the limo on the way here, so I'm pretty sure whatever problems you guys had in the sack had nothing to do with her." I leaned back and regarded him with a thoughtful expression, arms crossed over my chest as I studied him. "If I had to guess, I'd say it was operator error. You just don't know how to fuck."

His face turned scarlet, and he dropped his eyes, saying nothing.

"Yep, that's what I thought. Dropped your head like a damn dog, so it must be true." I waved him off dismissively. "Have a good night, Keith. Please pass my sympathies along to your date. It sounds like she's the one who's in for a disappointment."

I walked away without a backward glance, leaving him to tend his bruised ego.

A SHORT TIME
later the two of us were riding in silence back to her apartment, the limo's plush interior providing little comfort. When I'd joined Ali at the bar, she'd said nothing just sipped her drink for a few minutes before draining it and giving me a pointed look, as if to say 'take me the hell home'.

I couldn't be sure if she was angry with me, or still seething from the run-in with her ex. Either way, I wanted to fix things between us before parting company for the night. If she thought I overstepped, I wanted her to tell me, take it all out on me if that's what she needed. Sitting there in the seat across from mine, she looked like she was about to explode, and not in a fun way.

She'd been staring out the heavily tinted windows for several minutes, her clutch held tightly in her hands. The slight furrow of her brow and tensing of her jaw was more alluring than it should have been. I decided I'd wasted enough time letting her work the shit out in her head. It was time for her to talk to me. Hopefully, she wouldn't bite my head off.

I cleared my throat, careful not to be too loud. She stiffened but didn't turn. Frustrated, I started talking anyway. "I know the night wasn't exactly perfect, but I'm still honored to have been your date. You're probably angry at me for what I did earlier and I'd like to tell you I'm sorry... but I'm not." That got her attention. She looked over at me with narrowed eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. It wasn't easy continuing my thought with her cleavage pushed up like that.
Shit. Focus.
I lifted my eyes to hers, realizing she had seen my inadvertent inspection. "I'm not going to apologize for taking him down a notch, he desperately needed it. Hell, he needs much more than that but I toned it down out of respect for the venue."

She nodded almost imperceptibly but still looked angry. "I appreciate that you didn't mop the floor with him. Shame I didn't have as much restraint." She shook her head. "I knew I'd end up letting my temper get the better of me. Dammit."

"Wait, so you're not mad at me?"

"Pfft... you weren't the one who couldn't keep their hands to themselves."

I was so relieved that I almost laughed. I smiled at her and shook my head. "She had that coming. She slammed into you because she thought you could be intimidated. When she realized she failed, she backed down. Typical bully MO. I thought it was hilarious." She quirked a brow at me, looking slightly amused. I threw my hands up, looking sheepish. "Hey, I can't help it. All guys are hard-wired to enjoy girl fights. It's in our DNA."

She laughed for the first time since leaving the Gala. It was music to my ears, but it didn't last long. She looked at me for a moment, a new worry in her eyes. She shifted in her seat and dropped her gaze before saying, "I'm sorry you had to hear all the horrible things Keith and I said to each other. Between that and my temper, I can't imagine what you must think of me now."

There was sadness in the way she said the last sentence, as if something important between us had been tarnished by the events of the evening. I hated that look. I hated that the bastard who put it there wasn't worthy of her.

More than anything, I hated that he had made her believe she was broken.

I slid forward in my seat, resting on the very edge, and reached for her hand. She unfurled her arms, taking her time as she watched me in confusion. When she placed her right hand in mine, I squeezed it reassuringly. "You want to know what I think of you?" She tried to turn away, but I reached up with my free hand and slid my fingers along her chin, turning her back to face me.

It hurt my heart when she flinched involuntarily at the unexpected touch. Keith had done that to her, the son of a bitch.

I pretended I didn't notice her reaction, keeping my hand there and lightly stroking her jawline with the backs of my curled fingers. "I think you're amazing. I think you're strong. I think you're intelligent and hard-working and loyal and beautiful." My gaze flicked to her lips before refocusing on her eyes. "Like I told you before, those people don't know you. Not even him." Her eyes clouded at the reference to her ex. "I think he's the one that knows you the least, Ali. If, in all the time you were together, he didn't see what I saw the first time we met, he's even dumber than he looks." A tear rolled down her cheek, and I whisked it away with my thumb. "You're the warmest person I know."

She took a deep breath, blinking several times to clear away the tears. She squeezed my hand as she said, "Thank you. I know he's just an asshole, and I shouldn't let him get to me." Her voice fell to a whisper. "But he knows exactly where my weaknesses are, and he never lets me forget."

I knew exactly what 'weakness' she was referring to, and I had a strong suspicion that they were both wrong. I'd seen it in her eyes, the heat of desire, the hunger. All she lacked was someone to bring it to its peak and then send her tumbling over the edge. Both Keith's demeanor and Ali's apt nickname for him were clear indications that he just wasn't equipped to handle the job. Instead of trying to learn what she craved, he convinced her she was broken.

I started to speak but wasn't sure what to say. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable by discussing his allegations openly, but I wanted desperately to argue with her, to tell her not to buy into his bullshit. I debated it in my mind for a moment, trying to figure out what to say to convince her and then wondering if she'd even want me to say anything.

The decision was made for me a moment later when the driver announced that we had arrived at Ali's building.

She smiled at me as she released my right hand and glanced at the hand that was still stroking her jawline. "I guess this is it. Thank you for escorting me and for standing up for me, even though you knew it might tick me off." She nuzzled my hand for a moment, sending a jolt of heat straight to my cock. Lifting her head and waiting for me to retract my hand, she brightened. "And most of all, thank you so much for what you did for Outreach Hospice. You have no idea how grateful I am."