Broken Wings (The Broken Series Book 3) (12 page)

My
eyebrows furrowed. “Head butt you in the nose?”

He
smiled. “Good. You could also hit me in the neck or gouge out my eyes.”

The
smile slid from my face. The thought that someone would try to hurt me again…
that I might truly have to defend myself… scared the crap out of me. There had
been too many near death experiences. I could not go through that again. My
pulse quickened as I began to panic.

Rafael
still held me pinned against the wall. “Shins, groin, neck, eyes,” he repeated.
“If you can’t reach those areas, do the unexpected.”

The
unexpected
. My mind flitted to what I’d done to get away from
Justin. I grabbed Rafael’s shirt and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. My
head fell back against the wall when he broke the kiss. “Do you know how long
I’ve been fantasizing about this mirrored wall?” I rasped wantonly.

Rafael
blinked back his surprise. His body instantly hardened against mine. “You want
to have sex against this wall?”

I
bit my lip and nodded.

Rafael
released his hold on me. He bracketed his arms on either side of my head as he
leaned in for another kiss.

I
ducked under his arm and made a break for the door. I made it halfway down the
hall.

He
was laughing as he tackled me onto the floor. “I didn’t give you nearly enough
credit, baby. That was very, very good.” He rolled me over and eased his body on
top of mine until we were touching in all the right places. “Now about that
mirrored wall…”

*
* * * * *

I
smiled as I pulled the cork from a bottle of Pinot Grigio. Rafael and I had
gotten a little sidetracked on the self-defense lesson, but the feel of his
warm body pressing me against that cold glass wasn’t something I’d soon forget.
I was secretly hoping all our self-defense lessons would end on that lovely note.

I
had wandered back over to my place so I could finish pulling dinner together. I
asked Rafael to come by when he was done with his phone call. He was stuck on his
computer troubleshooting some problem for his security team. He pulled his
attention away from the computer long enough to warn me that our lesson wasn’t
over. I wasn’t sure whether he was referring to the punching bag or our romp
against the wall.

I
sliced the French bread, wrapped it in tinfoil, and tossed it inside the oven.
I was reaching for the dinner plates when two well-muscled arms snaked around
me. One hand covered my mouth while the other arm wrapped tightly around my
waist. The plates shattered against the granite countertop as he dragged me across
the floor.

I
knew it was Rafael. I could smell his cologne, and his body was familiar enough
to me by now. Still, I panicked. Justin had held me in this same position when
he kidnapped me. Suddenly, it wasn’t shattered plates scattered in front of me,
it was Diwa and Habib huddled in front of his cab. I closed my eyes against the
image and whimpered.

Rafael
nipped at my ear. “How are you going to get away when someone grabs you from
behind, love?”  

I
tried to slow my breathing, to blink back the memories that still poisoned my
mind.
Rafael. It’s only Rafael
, I repeated over and over again. I tried to
break free, but he only tightened his hold. I stilled as I sifted through the
instructions he’d given me. Then I tried stomping on his foot.

Rafael
shifted to a wider stance, easily avoiding my foot. “Come on, Kristine.
Think
.”

He
still had my mouth covered, so I couldn’t ask any questions. I couldn’t breathe
a single word. I raised my knee so I could kick him in the shin. The move was
pointless because I didn’t have any shoes on.

“Bite
me,” he growled.

My
eyes widened in shock. I shook my head as best I could. No way was I biting
Rafael.

Rafael
grabbed me by the shoulders as he spun me in his arms. He looked frustrated,
annoyed, and a little angry. “Kristine, you do what you have to… to survive.
You do everything you can to get away. Nothing is off limits. You bite, spit,
pull hair, and rip your nails through his eyes if you have to. Do you
understand me?”

I
started trembling. “Stop,” I whispered. “Please stop.”

Rafael
swung his leg behind mine, and suddenly I was falling back toward the floor. He
caught me just before my back and head hit the ground. He eased me to the floor.
He pinned my legs with his knee as he shoved his forearm under my neck. “Your
attacker won’t stop, Kristine. He won’t stop until one of you is dead.”

I
couldn’t even see Rafael’s face in front of me. Tom’s abuse… Justin’s attack…
the drowning… a million violent images rained down on me at once.

 “
Get
off!
” I screamed.

“Make
me,” he responded flatly.

I
bucked violently against him. “
Get the hell off of me!
”

Suddenly,
Rafael was gone. I heard a loud crash as I scrambled to my feet.

Kadyn
had Rafael pinned against the wall. His hand was pulled back.

I
stumbled toward them. “
Stop!
” I screamed.

Rafael
shoved Kadyn in the chest, just as Kadyn’s fist connected with his face.

Blood
spurted from Rafael’s nose, then streamed down his mouth and chin.

I
lunged for Kadyn’s arm as he pulled back to throw another punch. “Kadyn, stop.
You have to stop. He wasn’t trying to hurt me.”

Kadyn
scowled as he broke free.  “He was. He was trying to hurt you, Kri.”

Rafael
swiped the blood from his face.

I
continued tugging at Kadyn’s arm. “No. This is Rafael. Remember? I told you
he’s teaching me self-defense.”

Kadyn
stumbled backwards. “
This
is Rafael
?” His entire body shook as he
pulled me into his arms. “God, Kri. I thought he was trying to rape you. I
heard you scream.”

I
immediately began crying. “No. I just got scared. I just… the memories… I
wasn’t expecting this to bring back all of those memories.”

“You’re
okay?” Kadyn rasped.

I
nodded as I swiped at my tears. I pulled away from Kadyn so I could help
Rafael. “Are you okay?”

Rafael
glared at Kadyn. “I’m fine.”

I
tried to wipe the blood from Rafael’s face with my hands. “I’ll get you a warm washcloth
and some ice.” As I turned to retrieve the ice, I stumbled over a bouquet of lavender
roses that was lying on the floor. My heart tripped right along with my feet.
Kadyn had come by with roses.
Why?

An
awkward silence filled the room as I filled a Ziplock bag with ice. “I’m
thinking formal introductions aren’t needed at this point, but Kadyn, this is Rafael.
Rafael, this is Kadyn.”

Both
men grunted their acknowledgement as I pulled Rafael to the couch and washed
his face. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered. I wrapped the ice in a dishtowel and
held it up to Rafael’s nose. I winced at the same time he did. “It doesn’t look
crooked. Do you think it’s broken?”

Rafael
shook his head. He took the ice from my hand and nodded toward Kadyn. “How did
he get in here?”

“She
gave me a key,” Kadyn growled. He picked up the roses and tossed them on the
counter. He eyed the broken plates. “What the hell is going on, Kri?”

I
glanced nervously between Kadyn and Rafael as I rose from the couch. “I told
you. Rafael is teaching me self-defense. He was trying to catch me off guard. I
didn’t hear him come in. I thought he was still over at his place.”

Kadyn’s
eyebrows rose along with his voice. “
He
has a key?”

“He
owns the place,” I reluctantly confessed.

Kadyn’s
fists clenched as he turned to face Rafael. “I knew it! He
has
been
manipulating you, just like Michael.”

“I’m
nothing like Michael,” Rafael gritted. “I was just trying to keep her safe.”

“
Stop!
”
I yelled.

Kadyn
and Rafael gaped at me.

I
lowered my voice. “Just. Stop. We’re going to talk through this like adults.
There will be no more fist clenching, no more raised voices, and no more
hitting. Kadyn, please, sit over there.” I pointed to the chair by the television.
“Don’t say another word to each other until I get back.” I gave them both a
stern look, then bolted to my bedroom.

I
stalked across the room. I couldn’t figure out what to do next. I wanted to
talk to Kadyn, but I couldn’t ask Rafael to leave. We had a date. If I asked
Kadyn to leave, I might never see him again. I couldn’t even believe he was here
now…
with roses.
I shook my head. This was so not going to end well. “
Argh!
”
I screamed. I pounded the heel of my hand against my forehead. “Think,
Kristine, think."

I
fell back onto the bed and immediately scowled. I felt under my back as I tried
to figure out why I’d fallen on something hard.
My phone
. I stared at it
for a few heartbeats. Then it hit me. I bolted upright, scrolled through my
contacts, and hit send.

“Hey,
Kri. I thought you had a hot date with Rafael tonight.”

I
groaned. “Shae, I need your help. Can you come over?
Now?
”

“Sure,”
she responded hesitantly. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”

I
took a deep breath and blew it out. “Rafael sort of had me pinned to the floor.
He was trying to make a point about self-defense. Kadyn came over unannounced, and
he let himself in when he heard me scream. God, Shae. He hit Rafael. I don’t
know what to do. Both of them are downstairs seething mad. Kadyn brought
flowers. I can’t believe he’s even speaking to me. Holy, crap! What am I
supposed to do?”

“I’ll
be right there,” she quickly responded before disconnecting the call.

I
collapsed onto the bed. I shot upright as the timer on the oven sounded.
The
lasagna!

I
ran downstairs. My eyes flitted toward the living room as I rushed toward the
stove. Both men were still sitting where I’d left them.
Good.
I turned
the timer off and pulled the lasagna and bread from the oven. I took a deep
breath, mustering as much confidence as I could, before turning to face Kadyn
and Rafael. “I don’t want to hear any arguments from either of you. I put a lot
of time into this seafood lasagna, so we’re going to talk over dinner.”

Rafael
shot me an incredulous look. “You want me to eat dinner with a guy who just
punched me in the face?”

I
fisted my hands on my hips. “And why was he punching you in the face?” I
prompted.

Rafael
rolled his eyes. “He was trying to protect you.”

I
raised a single eyebrow. “Hmmm. Looks like you guys have something in common.
We can begin our conversation there. Kadyn, why don’t you grab a Sprite from
the refrigerator? Rafael, you grab the wine and three glasses. I’ll gather the
silverware, napkins, and plates.”

Both
men appeared stunned by my sudden bossiness, but they did as I asked. They hovered
behind two chairs on opposite sides of the table as I set out the silverware
and plates.

Kadyn’s
eyes narrowed. “Why are there four plates?”  

I
huffed out a breath. “Because my friend Shae is on her way over here, and it
would be rude to eat in front of her.” Both men stared at me questioningly, but
I refused to elaborate.

I
glanced at Kadyn as the doorbell rang. “Do you mind answering the door while I get
the lasagna? Rafael, will you grab the salad, dressing, and bread?”

Rafael
followed me into the kitchen. He boxed me in when I approached the counter.

My
fingers strayed to his nose. “I’m so sorry.”

His
face knit with concern. “What’s going on, Kristine? He brought you flowers.”

I
shook my head. “I don’t know, but I think we’re about to find out.”

He
kissed my cheek, then whispered, “Just so we’re clear… there’s no way I’m
letting you go.”

I
handed him the salad and bread as he pushed off from the counter. “I don’t want
you to,” I replied.

He
nodded once before walking into the dining room.

I
trailed behind him with the lasagna. I set the pan on the table before turning
to greet Shae. I froze mid-step. “Is that
Scrabble
?”

Shae
laughed. “Yep. I love this game, and I never get to play. I thought I’d take
advantage of the fact that you have a full house and make you all play with
me.”

“I
don’t play Scrabble,” Rafael replied as he returned from the kitchen with the salad
dressing.

Kadyn
grinned. “What’s the matter? Don’t know any big words?”

“Kadyn!”
I gasped.

“Oh,
I know plenty of words,” Rafael retorted, “and in eight different languages.
How many languages do you speak?”

Kadyn’s
jaw clenched as he pulled out his chair. He didn’t bother answering the
question.

Shae
set the game on the buffet cabinet before sinking into the chair at the end of
the table. “Smells great, Kri. What is it?”