Broken Wings (The Broken Series Book 3) (22 page)

“Belay
on,” Kadyn replied.

I
took a deep breath, then let it out. “Okay. Climbing.”

“Climb
on,” Kadyn responded.

I
could feel him tighten the rope as I found a foothold and pushed myself up to
the crevice I had found for my right hand. I tucked my left hand into a crevice
and glanced down as I felt for a higher foothold for my left foot. As soon as
both feet were secure, I sought new crevices for my hands, ones that would be
within reach once I straightened my left leg.

“Do
you want a practice fall?” Kadyn asked.

I
continued studying the rock face. “No. I’m good.” I pushed myself up with my
left foot and reached for the next crevice with my right hand.

“I’m
really enjoying the view,” Kadyn remarked.

I
dug my fingers into another crevice. “Gee, thanks,” I responded sarcastically.
I sought another foothold and avoided the urge to look down. “Frankly, I’m
surprised you didn’t ask me to wear a dress, Kadyn.”

He
laughed. “That thought did cross my mind…”

I
found two more crevices and felt another foothold within reach so I pushed up
again. My heart stalled when I lost my footing, but Kadyn tightened the rope
until I found a better foothold. “I’m good,” I called down, and he loosened the
rope.

My
arms were aching by the time I reached the top. An exhilarating sense of
accomplishment fell over me as I sat and shook out my arms. “Hey, I think all
those Karate kicks are paying off. My legs don’t even hurt!” I called down to
Kadyn.

“You
were using your arms to balance most of your weight. That’s why your legs don’t
hurt. Next time you need to put more weight on your legs,” He called back up.

I
rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see me. “
Now
you tell me,” I
mumbled as I began massaging my arms.

My
breath caught when I realized I didn’t have a belay device to help Kadyn climb
up the cliff. I didn’t even know how to belay from the top. I only knew how to
belay from below. I crawled over to the edge of the cliff, then scrambled
backwards as Kadyn pulled himself over the top.

I
scowled at Kadyn. “You scared the crap out of me!” I looked down at the rope
that was tied to my harness. “I didn’t even feel you tug on the rope.”

Kadyn
laughed. “I untied the rope.”

I
shook my head. “Free climbing? Seriously? Do you have to be good at
everything
?”

Kadyn
stood and pulled me to my feet. “Did you enjoy climbing?”

I
grabbed his face and planted a firm kiss on his lips. “That was awesome! I
can’t believe I climbed up a real rock!”

He
yanked me by the harness when I tried to back away. He kept a firm hold on the
harness as he held me flush against his body.

I
narrowed my eyes at him. “You’re enjoying the harness a little too much.”

He
shook his head. “Not nearly enough.” The smile slid from his face as he lowered
his lips and coaxed me into a more provocative kiss.

I
braced my hands on my knees when he finally released me. I was trying to catch
my breath. “I think your kisses may be getting a little too cocky.”

He
chuckled softly. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

We
unhooked the harnesses as we walked back toward the trees. I handed him my
backpack, then dropped next to him on the ground. “What did you pack for lunch?”

He
looked inside the backpack. “Tell me you love me…”

I
punched him in the arm. “You know I love you!”

He
shook his head as he zipped the backpack back up. He hadn’t removed a single
item of food. “You know the punching bit? That sends a slightly different
message. I’m not sure I believe you.”

I
raised an eyebrow at him. “Really? You’re refusing to feed me until I convince
you?”

He
nodded. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

I
huffed out a breath. “You do realize this is blackmail?” I shoved his knees
flat against the ground before straddling his lap. I gathered his face in my
hands and fit my lips to his. I kissed him tenderly at first. Then I teased his
tongue with long, seductive strokes.

He
pulled my hips more firmly against his before taking control of the kiss. Kadyn
hardened, and my entire body began to hum. Suddenly, the kiss wasn’t some
lighthearted joke.

I
moaned softly as Kadyn eased me against the ground. He shifted his weight until
I was pinned firmly beneath him. He broke the kiss and searched my eyes. His
eyes darkened with desire. Then he completely ravished me with open-mouthed kisses.

Kadyn
reached under my shirt as his lips consumed my neck. I arched against him as
his thumb teased my breast.

 “Kadyn,”
I gasped. “Not here. We can’t do this here. Someone might see us.”

His
eyes grew determined as he lifted my shirt and sports bra. His warm mouth latched
onto my breast. His hand rested possessively on the other breast, then clenched.

My
eyes slid closed as my back arched once again. Heat flooded my lower abdomen
and thighs. “Oh, God! Kadyn you have to stop.
Please!
”

Kadyn
tugged my bra and shirt back into place. He layered kisses all along my neck
before reclaiming my mouth. He draped one leg over mine as he broke the kiss
and slid to the ground alongside me. He propped himself on his elbow as he
rubbed his thumb across my swollen lips. “Now, you had something you wanted to
tell me?”

I
stared at the clouds while I waited for my breathing to slow. A confusing array
of emotions jockeyed for position… desire, love, hope, fear, guilt, and
sadness. I slowly turned to face Kadyn. My eyes filled with tears when I
realized he wasn’t joking any more. My heart hurt when I finally spoke the
words he longed to hear. “I love you, Kadyn.”

 His
eyes remained fixed on mine. “I know,” he whispered. “I just needed to hear you
say it.” He pulled me against his chest as he rolled onto his back.

I
tried to relax as I breathed in the clean, crisp scent of his cologne, but the
fragrance seemed off. I should have found it comforting. It was the same
cologne Kadyn had always worn, but for some reason the scent seemed all wrong.

He
sighed as he stroked my hair. “This is where you belong, Kri… right here in my
arms.”

I
blinked back tears. Kadyn’s arms didn’t feel like where I belonged, not
anymore. My body seemed agreeable enough, and no memories had gotten in the
way, but being with Kadyn still felt wrong… and I still didn’t understand why.

*
* * * * *

I
dove into the shower the second I got home, and it wasn’t because of the dirt
and leaves in my hair. I turned the water up as hot as it would go. I figured I
might as well get used to the scalding heat since I was quite certain I was headed
for hell if I continued dating both Kadyn and Rafael.

Kadyn
had made it clear he wanted to sleep with me again, but I was already sleeping with
Rafael. I had agreed to give that relationship a chance before Kadyn expressed
an interest in dating again. So I couldn’t shake the feeling that if I slept
with Kadyn, I would be cheating on Rafael.

I
leaned against the shower wall as I watched the dirt and leaves swirl around
the drain. I couldn’t cheat on Rafael. The guy was completely devoted to me,
and he was bending over backwards to make our relationship work despite the
fact that I was dating Kadyn again. But how was that fair to Kadyn? Was I
cheating on Kadyn when I was sleeping with Rafael?

I
shook my head in disgust. I was afraid to lose Kadyn, but I was equally afraid
to lose Rafael. I couldn’t deny that I was attracted to him. I felt safe with
him. He was easy to be with, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with him. I
believed Rafael when he said he would never leave me, and that meant something
to me… especially after being rejected by Michael and Kadyn.

I
sighed as I turned the shower off and reached for a towel. This was an
impossible situation. Neither relationship was going to work if I was seeing
someone else. I needed to choose before every single one of us ended up getting
hurt.

I
glanced at the clock on my nightstand as I tugged a silk camisole and sleep
shorts on. It wasn’t even nine o’clock yet. I had ended my date with Kadyn
early so I could sift through my feelings. I knew it was time to make a
decision, I just didn’t know how to go about doing it.

I
wandered back into the bathroom so I could brush my teeth and run a comb
through my hair. I eyed the medicine cabinet, then reached for my bottle of sleeping
pills. Maybe this wasn’t the best time to choose. A decision as monumental as
this required a clear head... and for that I needed sleep. “
Sleep,
” I
murmured longingly. I slid the tiny pink and blue capsule onto my tongue,
reached for a glass of water, and threw my head back.

*
* * * * *

A
warm hand slid soothingly down my back. “Hey, sleepy head, wake up.”

I
tried to open my eyes but couldn’t. “What time is it?” I mumbled.

I
could feel the chuckle riding low in Rafael’s chest as he bent over to kiss my
cheek. “It’s one minute after midnight.”

“No,”
I moaned. “I can’t get up. I’m too tired. I took a sleeping pill. I need to
sleep.”

“You
can sleep in the SUV,” Rafael murmured in my ear. “Where’s your swimsuit?”

I
tried to point, but my hand wouldn’t move. “Over there,” I mumbled irritably.

Rafael
laughed as he rose from the bed and began digging through my dresser drawers.
“I found it and a change of clothes.”

I
opened one eye just as he began stuffing my clothes into a backpack. “Where are
we going?”

He
glanced at me before turning toward the bathroom. “To the beach.”

I
groaned. “That’s like three or four hours away from here.”

Rafael
chose to ignore my whining. “I have your toothbrush and deodorant. Do you need
anything else? Oh, I know! Sunglasses and sandals.”

I
pulled the pillow over my head. He was entirely too enthusiastic. “Don’t you
ever sleep?” I mumbled through the pillow.

Rafael
stood over the side of the bed and laughed. He tossed the top blanket over his
shoulder, then scooped me up into his arms. “Come on sleeping beauty. Don’t
turn into a pumpkin now.”

I
wrapped my arms around his neck and snuggled into his warm chest. “I think that
was Cinderella… and I don’t think she turned into a pumpkin. That was her
carriage.”

Rafael
nuzzled the top of my head as he made his way downstairs. He snagged a couple
of bottled waters from my refrigerator as we passed through the kitchen. “If
you say so.” He carried me down the last flight of stairs and deposited me in
the front seat of his Lincoln Navigator, which was parked right outside my
garage.

I
smiled as he draped the blanket over me. “Oh. The seat warmers are on. I love
seat warmers.”

Rafael
reclined my seat back before shutting the door. He walked around the front of
the SUV and folded himself into the driver’s seat. “Good. Maybe it will help
you go back to sleep. I don’t know what you were thinking when you took that
sleeping pill. I warned you I was coming over at midnight so we could jump
start our date.” Rafael pulled out into the street.

A
soft sigh escaped my lips as my eyes closed. My thoughts grew jumbled as sleep
beckoned me. I began mumbling. “I couldn’t think… I needed sleep… I have to
decide.”

Rafael
reached over and brushed the hair from my face. “Decide what?”

“Who
to choose,” I whispered groggily. Then I drifted back to sleep.

“Choose
me,” Rafael responded softly.

Then
everything fell silent.

*
* * * * *

I
woke to the soothing sound of waves colliding gently against the shore. I held
perfectly still so I could study Rafael. He was staring out the front
windshield at the darkened beach. “Hey,” I whispered softly.

He
turned and smiled at me. “You woke just in time.” He swung his door open,
climbed out of the SUV, and grabbed a bag from the back seat. He made his way to
my side of the vehicle, opened my door, and stretched out his hand.

I
glanced down at his hand. “I’m still in my pajamas.”

He
laughed. “We’re the only two people on the beach.”

I
stepped gingerly from the vehicle as I reached for his hand. My feet sank into
the sand. I tugged the blanket around my shoulders with my free hand. “It’s
still dark outside.”

Rafael
pulled me close as we trudged through the sand. “That’s why we left so early. I
thought you’d like to see the sun rise over the ocean.” He picked a spot a few
feet from where the waves met the shore. He pulled me into his arms and kissed
me before sliding the blanket off my shoulders. “Let’s lay this on the ground.
You’re not going to need it now that you have me to keep you warm.”

We
each grabbed an end as we spread the blanket over the sand. I kneeled on the
blanket and peered at the dark waves. “You do the most amazing things, Rafael.”