Broken Hero Read online

  The garage door opened as we approached, the late morning light pouring into the cave-like space as we pulled out onto the busy streets of Williamsburg.

  It was amazing. The fresh air felt like it was straight from heaven, and the sun was just the right amount of warm on my face. Fresh spring air mingled with the usual scents of the city, making me feel right away like I was back where I belonged.

  And the bike…that was something else. Garrett expertly weaved through traffic, driving just adventurously enough to keep my heart rate up. The feeling of his body pressed against mine coupled with the vibrations of the engine had quite the effect on me. I was turned on and thrilled all at once.

  We made our way up through Greenpoint, crossing over into Queens. Once there, Garrett took us to the Queensborough Bridge. The city crested over us, Manhattan looking as much like the center of the universe as ever. And now that I’d spent the last few days indoors and away from it all, I appreciated the sights even more.

  I squeezed Garrett hard, savoring the feeling of his solid body through his leather jacket. My arm moved down a few inches, and I felt the outline of his gun. It was a sharp reminder of the fact that while we were out to enjoy ourselves, there was still real danger around us. Our lives were at stake, and I told myself to never let that fact stray too far out of mind.

  It wasn’t long before the green of Central Park was visible down the long lanes of Manhattan. Garrett slowed the bike as we approached the border of the park, and excitement began to run through me at the idea of being out in nature. Or, at least, New York’s closest approximation of it.

  After finding a spot, he brought the bike to a halt and killed the engine, the usual din of the city replacing the throaty growl of the Triumph.

  I hopped off the bike and took a breath of kind-of-fresh air.

  “How is it so far?” he asked.

  “I feel like I’ve been cooped up for ages,” I said, adjusting the bag on my back.

  Garrett nodded toward the park, and we were off. Pedestrians moved all around us, and soon we were just two people like any other making our way through the city.

  “Makes me realize how much I’d been totally addicted to my routine,” I said. “Just a little time away from it was enough to make me feel like I wasn’t myself.”

  “And how do you feel about that?” he asked.

  Truth be told, it wasn’t only being in isolation that was getting me thinking. It was Garrett, too. Being around him, a man who cared about me and wanted to protect me, made me realize how much I’d wanted someone like him in my life.

  “Good,” I said, keeping the rest of my thoughts to myself. “But now I’m getting hungry.”

  “We planned for that,” he said.

  As we drew closer to the park, I spotted a food vendor nearby. The sweet smell of roasting nuts drifted into my nose and I closed my eyes to take it in.

  “Hold on,” I said, fishing in my purse as I headed over to the food cart.

  Moments later I was back at Garrett’s side, a small packet of honey-roasted nuts in my hand. “These things are my one weakness,” I said, popping a few into my mouth. “And I’ve been craving them nonstop.”

  “Is all right in the world now?” asked Garrett, offering me his arm.

  “Something like that,” I said with a smile as I took his arm into mine.

  Yeah, I thought as I fixed my eyes on the park ahead.

  Something like that.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  GARRETT

  Sitting on a blanket near the reservoir lake, the midday sun high in the sky and warm on my face, a beautiful woman curled up next to me, I felt like any other New Yorker out enjoying a beautiful day. The food had long been eaten, the plates and silverware packed up into the canvas bag that Natalie had brought.

  It was her and me, and no one else. I’d even told the crew to hang back and be on call if I needed them.

  It was strange and exciting all at once. For a little while I was able to pretend that I wasn’t living a lie, that I wasn’t about to get on the bad side of one of the most violent men in the city, that my sister wasn’t in danger.

  But as soon as I realized that I wasn’t thinking about those things, they came back hard.

  “You OK over there?” Natalie asked.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, worried that it had been that obvious I was stressing.

  Natalie’s eye’s flicked down to the grass. I followed her gaze and saw that I’d been pulling clumps of grass into my fists. I relaxed my hands as soon as I noticed and took a deep, slow breath. Ahead, a group of kids at play sent laughter drifting out. I did my best to focus on them and not the issues running rampant in my mind.

  “Just noticing that you’re ruining the very nice landscaping of this park one fistful at a time.”

  “It’s nothing,” I said. Then I quickly corrected myself. “Nothing that you don’t already know about.”

  Another lie. Every day seemed to bring both fresh lies out of me and rehashes of old ones.

  But there was something about Natalie, something that had begun to cause me almost physical pain whenever I looked her in the eyes and spun out another deceit.

  “Just the usual issues of working as a bodyguard to a woman being targeted by an organized crime gang?”

  “That’d be it,” I said.

  I didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Ever since I’d begun to realize the extent of my feelings for Natalie, I’d realized that there was going to be an end point to how much I could deceive her. Each moment with her wore me down just a little bit more, and it was only a matter of time before I cracked and let it all out.

  And if I did it too soon, before making sure everything was in order, the consequences would be dire. To say the least.

  But the more time I spent with Natalie, the more I’d begun to realize that I didn’t have any other option.

  “Central Park always reminds me of my first week in the city,” she said, resting her head on my shoulder.

  “Oh yeah?” I asked.

  I was happy to let her talk. Not only would it get my mind off the subject, but I wanted to know everything about Natalie that I could. I was entranced by her, fascinated by her. No sense in pretending otherwise.

  “Yep,” she said, her eyes fixed ahead. “Back when I was thrilled and scared and everything else about moving here. I moved into some tiny place the size of a shoebox—had to spend nearly every dollar I had just for that—and once I was all moved in, had all my cheap IKEA furniture set up, I plopped down on the couch and thought, ‘OK, what the hell am I supposed to do now?’”

  I listened, blocking out the entire world aside from Natalie and her voice and her words.

  “Sure, I had my first job lined up and all that, but as far as living, being on my own? I was totally clueless. I’d spent high school and college and law school studying like crazy, and now that was over. I’d gotten so used to having syllabi to follow and teachers to point me in the right direction that being the master of my own fate was scary as hell.”

  I said nothing, a small smile on my lips.

  “So, I got up off the couch and decided to go see the city. All I knew about New York was Central Park and the Empire State Building and all the stuff I saw on TV, so I decided that Central Park was as good a place as any to check out. I left my apartment building and just started walking.”

  “All by yourself?” I asked.

  “Yep,” she said. “Looking back, doing that as some clueless twenty-five-year-old probably wasn’t the brightest thing in the world to do, but I’d gotten it into my head that I wanted to do it, so I did it.”

  I let out a soft laugh.

  “Something funny?” she asked, giving me a playful poke in the ribs.

  “Just like seeing proof that you’ve always been the same stubborn girl.”

  “It’s how I was built,” she said.

  “I know,” I said. “And I love it.”

  She flashed me one more sm
ile and went back to it. “So I wandered up from Bed-Stuy, over the Williamsburg Bridge, and into Lower Manhattan. For some reason I’d gotten it into my head that the walk would only be a quick jaunt, but by the time I got into Midtown my legs were killing me. But that didn’t stop me.”

  “I bet it didn’t,” I said.

  “Yep. I kept on and eventually got to Central Park. As soon as the fresh air hit my face and I was away from all the chaos of the city, I knew I’d made the right call. I plopped down right about here, in front of this lake, and watched the world go by.”

  Natalie swiveled her body toward Midtown behind us. She pointed up at the gleaming, skinny towers in the center of the city, near the area where she lived.

  “I turned around and saw those buildings and told myself, ‘Natalie, you might live in a rat trap now, but one day you’re going to be up in one of those, looking down on this exact spot.’”

  “And now you do,” I said.

  “Now I do,” she said. “Got the apartment less than five years later and made damn sure that the view looked right out over Central Park.”

  She glanced down and shook her head.

  “But now…” she said.

  “Yeah?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” she went on. “I was so damn happy when I signed for the apartment and had what I’d wanted for so long. But as soon as the thrill wore off, I realized that there was still something missing inside of me, something that wasn’t going to be filled by an apartment, no matter how nice. Or a job, no matter how successful.”

  “And what did you think would do it?” I asked.

  “I had no idea,” she said. “And I still don’t. Trying to fill that hole was the reason I got involved with the series of jackasses that culminated with Joey. But now…”

  She trailed off, as if trying to stop herself before she said something she didn’t want to let slip out.

  “Let’s hear it,” I said.

  “You’re going to think it’s crazy,” she said.

  “I can handle crazy,” I replied.

  “OK,” she said. “Because what I’m about to say…makes me feel crazy.” She turned her eyes back to me. “Ever since meeting you, Garrett, I’ve felt different. From the moment you walked into my office, I could tell that there was something special about you. At the time, I wrote it off as just thinking you were really, really hot. But now…”

  “You know that it was something else.”

  Her gorgeous eyes opened a bit wider. “You sound like you know what I’m talking about.”

  “It’s because I do,” I said. “When I came into your office and laid eyes on you—” Then I corrected myself. “Actually, to be fair, it was your ass that I laid my eyes on first.”

  “Very professional of you,” she said with a smile.

  “Hey, I couldn’t help it,” I said. “It was pointing right at me when I walked in. If it helps, it was about the best ass I’d ever seen in my life.”

  I reached under Natalie and gave her booty a quick pinch. She let out a squeal and playfully slapped my hand away.

  “Hey now!” she said with a laugh.

  “But seriously,” I said. “There was something there other than me just thinking you were about the most gorgeous woman I’d ever laid eyes on. And I didn’t know what to make of it. So, I just—”

  “—focused on the job, acted professional, and tried to forget about your feelings.”

  I was surprised. She’d taken the words right out of my mouth.

  “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience,” I said.

  “Always been how I handled my feelings,” she said. “Treated them like distractions. But since being with you, I don’t want to do that anymore.”

  “And what do you want to do?” I asked.

  She glanced down and chewed on her lower lip slightly.

  “Specifically?” she asked. “No idea. And that’s just as scary to me. I’ve always been the type of woman to have it all lined up in front of me, like in a nice list. But with you, I don’t know. I look into the future, and all I can see is this vague, hazy…something.”

  I knew exactly what she meant.

  “Like looking into a mist,” I said. “Like something you can’t see through. But you know you want to go through it.”

  Her eyes went wide in realization. “Right!” she said. “And rational me knows that walking into a fog would be the stupidest thing I could do. Better to wait until it clears, or at least until I can get a better sense of what the hell is in there.”

  “But you’re there,” I said. “You’re standing next to me, and your hand’s in mine. And I know that as long as you’re with me, as long as you’re by my side, I don’t need to worry.”

  She nodded slowly, her eyes locked onto mine.

  “Yeah,” she said. “It’s exactly that. Exactly. You’re there, and just you being there makes all the difference.”

  She looked away and shook her head. “But I know that’s stupid and silly and goes against exactly how I like to live my life. I’m independent—I don’t need anyone. Just me and what I can earn with my own two hands and my brain, and I don’t need a guy there to make the picture complete, and I’ve even tried that before and—”

  She was rambling. She was so cute when she rambled.

  I shut her up with a kiss.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  GARRETT

  The kissing got very hot, very fast. Seated at our spot near the lake, we pulled each other close, our lips locked and our hands exploring one another’s bodies.

  Just as always, she tasted like heaven. But this time, I was in no rush. I savored her, let her sweet taste linger on my tongue, let the floral scent of her silken hair wrap around me like a cashmere scarf, let my hands take in every inch of her soft curves through her blouse.

  My cock was stone-solid from the moment our lips touched. Her hands went right to my zipper, pulling it down and then moving her hands quickly onto my chest. Natalie’s fingertips traced the outline of my pecs, and through her kiss I could feel a small smile form on her lips as she did.

  “Something funny?” I couldn’t help but ask.

  “Nothing,” she said. “Just love the way you feel.”

  Good answer.

  I kissed along her neck, her skin breaking out in goose bumps as I did. One hand on the back of her neck, the other moved down her bare shoulder, then over her breast. The sundress she wore pushed her breasts out like a pair of delicious, ripe fruit.

  My hand moved down, down along her stomach, then to her hips, then finally to the hem of her dress.

  I knew I needed to be aware of my surroundings, to keep in mind where we were. But I couldn’t resist. A quick glance out of the cracked-open corner of one eye, I saw that no one was nearby, and no one was looking.

  The coast clear, I let my hand drift up the soft skin of her inner thigh until I reached the thin fabric of her panties. Natalie took in a sharp gasp as I touched her, one that was equal parts pleasured and scandalized.

  Slowly, I moved the thin strip of material to the side, exposing her wet, hot pussy under her dress. My lips still locked onto hers, I let my fingertips graze over her lips.

  But I was careful—we were in public after all. If she wasn’t down for what I had in mind, I wanted to give her time to let me know. But instead, she opened her legs just a bit more, signaling with her body what she wanted.

  After one more quick peek to make sure no one was looking, I slipped a pair of fingers inside of her.

  Natalie took in another sharp gasp of air, her fingertips digging into my jacket. I began moving inside of her, in and out, stimulating her in the way I knew she loved from our many, many lovemaking sessions. She felt like velvet, her pussy wet and warm and wonderful.

  She breathed slowly and steadily as I fingered her, her cunt growing wetter by the moment. Before too long, her legs began to shake as I penetrated her—it was clear she was using every bit of restraint she had to keep it together.


  I opened my eyes to see her slowly chew on her lower lip, to see her tantalizing cleavage rise and fall, to see her eyes shut hard in what looked like intense concentration. And I kept at it, focusing my attention on her G-spot and bringing her closer and closer to orgasm by the second.

  There was something so fucking hot about watching her hold back, try to restrain the pleasure that I knew was taking hold of her. Her legs began to twitch harder, her pussy clenching on my fingers, her breaths growing shorter and shorter.

  I leaned in, my mouth only inches from her ear.

  “I want you to come for me,” I growled. “Right here.”

  “I’m, I’m so fucking close,” she moaned. “Please don’t stop.”

  I had no intention of stopping. Natalie grinded her hips into my hand, angling herself in such a way that I was right where she wanted. A little moan slipped out of her mouth, one she couldn’t keep back.

  “Oh, oh fuck,” she said. “I’m…com—”

  Next came an “ah!” and then I felt it. I felt her cunt grip me as an orgasm exploded through her body. She shivered on me, the orgasm flooding through her. When it finally faded, she took her body from mine, my fingers slipping out of her.

  “Fuck,” she moaned. “That was…”

  Then her eyes locked onto me again. There was an animal hunger in them, one that sent the message that she wasn’t done. She wanted more.

  And so did I. My cock was so stiff and solid in my jeans that it was almost painful. Watching her come never failed to get me so turned on that I could hardly think straight.

  “I want to do some things right now,” she said. “But they’re most definitely not suitable for a place like this.”

  “Same here,” I said.

  “But I’m going crazy,” she said, her cheeks flushed. “And I can’t wait to get all the way back to Brooklyn. Or hell, to my apartment.”

  “Yep,” I said.

  “Then what are we going to do about this predicament?”

  I swiveled my hips and looked around. Then, off in the distance, I caught sight of the answer. It was a tall tower of glass and steel, a slim shape looming over the east end of the park.