Forever: Broken #3 Read online

  His thumbs dig deep into my neck, pushing the oil around the surface of my skin, nudging the aches away. I groan loudly, unable to contain it, and I feel his boxer clad cock harden. It taps against my thigh and I smile into my arm. I love that I can still turn him on just by being me.

  It makes me feel powerful and beautiful. It makes me feel sexy.

  “So, was it as terrifying as you expected?” His voice is soft, lulling me as I drift on a wave of relaxation.

  I hum a yes.

  “Was he nice to you?”

  “There was no time to be nice to each other. From the second the restaurant opened it was mayhem.” I mumble. “I just passed ingredients to everyone and familiarised myself with the kitchen.”

  “Good.” His hands dig deep trails down to my hips and then circle around to my navel before coming back again. “We missed you.”

  “Did Tommy use his potty yet?”

  “Not yet.”

  We both sigh. He’s proving extremely difficult to potty train. “He’ll get there when he’s ready,” Nathan adds and I really hope he’s right. “At least they went to bed easily enough.”

  “That’s because you stuck to the routine.”

  “Exactly.” He grins and circles his strong fingers around my arse cheeks. “You have the smoothest skin.”

  “Stop tracing my tiger stripes,” I snap, as his fingers follow the stretchmarks on my hips.

  “They’re beautiful.”

  “I’m getting a spray tan to cover them first thing.”

  His slick hand connects with my right arse cheek. I squeal and buck as the sting tingles across my skin. “You’ll do no such thing. Besides, that orange spray women insist on getting transfers onto their poor husbands.”

  “I love how you just assume they’re all married.”

  “I’m an old fashioned kind of guy. Now hush and let me rub you.”

  “Rub away,” I insist and close my eyes. “I love you.”

  “I know,” he mutters playfully and tickles gentle patterns on my ribs.

  “Are you going to make me shower before bed?”

  I hear the smile in his voice. “Naturally.”

  Sighing heavily, I close my eyes again. “Well then, don’t stop rubbing until there’s not a single spasm of pain in my body.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “You spoil me.”

  “Are you hungry? I didn’t even think about that.”

  “No, I got to taste more food than I can cope with during work.” I wet my lips at the memory. “It is so good. You just don’t find the quality ingredients they use in the local supermarket, you know?”

  He shifts down my body and works on my legs. “I want to kiss every inch of you but you’re all oiled up.”

  Grinning, I wriggle my butt at him. “Just keep rubbing then. If I’m still oily then you’re not done.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Is it twisted that I love it when you call me that?”

  “Yes.” His slippery, leather clad fingers slide around to my navel. A gasp escapes me when I’m hoisted up at the hips a few inches and another pillow is placed under my groin.

  “Mind if we do this old style?” He asks, his voice playful and deep. Before I get the chance to respond, I feel him pushing against me, parting my folds with his thumbs. I release a moan of pure pleasure as he sinks into my depths. Every inch of him brings me a tingling ache that I doubt I will ever get used to. “So good.” His hands move back to my hips and rub deep patterns.

  I feel torn between sleeping from the slow massage or bucking against him so as to get him to move faster. My body is a mess of contradictions.

  “I have been waiting all night for this,” he admits. “All week, even.”

  “Has it really been seven days?” I ask. We normally don’t go more than two but both of us have had so much to do this week. “You’ve stopped moving.”

  “It’s been a week,” he tells me as way of explanation.

  “And?”

  “And…” His hips join my arse, burying his full length into me. He groans; I groan and I feel his length contract inside of me. “I’m so close to finishing.”

  I shouldn’t laugh but this hasn’t happened before. “I feel that good, huh?”

  “You do.” He misses the joke entirely, or maybe he didn’t and he’s joking too. “Now stop talking; you’re distracting me.”

  “How can I distract you? You’re literally balls deep.”

  His laughter vibrates through his body and directly into mine. I think I’m as close to coming as he is right now. What an odd pair we make. He begins thrusting slowly and his hand continues massaging. Then suddenly he sobers and snaps, “Also, stop calling me SpongeBob.”

  “Well that was random.” I try to look at him over my shoulder but his hand pushes my head into the pillow. Ouch. “Smothering me here.”

  “You like it.”

  He’s not wrong. Fingers tangle in my hair and pull sharply until my head comes back. I push myself up with my hands.

  “Now shut up while I fuck you,” he orders and picks up his speed. I push backwards to meet him and every time I do, the deep burning spreads through my limbs and navel until it dances along my spine and pulses through my veins. “You need to get there.”

  “I’m there.”

  “Now,” he begs. I imagine him gritting his teeth in a strain to gain some semblance of control.

  As if my body is rigged to his command, I shudder and my womb ripples with pleasure. My chest tightens and I find it hard to breathe.

  “Ugh…” Nathan grunts, hammering his hips into mine so hard there will probably be bruising but I don’t care. It’s intense. “Christ, I love you. I love this. I love doing this.”

  “Me too,” I grin, flopping into the pillow as my orgasm dissipates, leaving me breathless and sated. He stands almost immediately, leaving his boxers on the ground. “Shower?”

  “It’s the oil; I’m sorry. It’s everywhere.”

  “It’s a good thing I love you.” I drag myself to my feet, yawning unattractively, and follow him into the darkened hall and up the narrow, steep staircase which creaks on the fourth and tenth steps.

  Chapter Two

  I balance Dillan on my hip as we both watch Nathan attempting to feed Emily. She’s too fussy. It’s not that she doesn’t like food; it’s just that she likes to feed herself. I don’t think Nathan is quite ready to accept the fact that she’s now at the age where we’re supposed to teach her to use a spoon.

  “Open,” he coos in a happy, baby talk voice. “Open wide. Ahhh.”

  I hear the spoon clatter onto the highchair and wince.

  “You’re naughty,” he laughs, still using his happy voice. He turns to me, his smile gone. “She’s impossible.”

  I nod my agreement. “She’s your daughter.”

  “Hair,” Dillan says softly and nuzzles his face into my locks.

  “I love it when he does that.” He’s so warm and soft and he looks exactly like Caleb. As he grows, looking at him is hard and, even though I have Nathan, I still struggle with the fact that Caleb is missing out on so much life. He’s missing out on his son and his son is missing out on him. Though Nathan is an excellent father, Caleb will never have that level of happiness in his life.

  “He’s obsessed,” Nathan points out. “He loves hair.”

  “Yep,” I agree. “Our kids are weird.”

  He stands, giving up and handing the bowl and spoon to Emily, who makes a mess within the first five seconds. Her light, wispy hair is already covered in the orange gloop we’ve chosen for her lunch. “Are you looking forward to your second day?”

  I crinkle my nose as a way to show him that I’m honestly dreading it. “I don’t think I’m cut out for kitchen life.”

  “All jobs are hard in the beginning.” He leans in to kiss my lips and Dillan protests by slapping his cheek with a chubby hand. “You’re just training. This time next year you’ll be better than Kerim. You�
��ll see.”

  I find that so hard to believe but I appreciate the support all the same. “Your faith in me is astounding.”

  “Well, we still have three hours before you have to go.” He takes Dillan from my arms and places him on the ground. Emily remains strapped in her highchair to the left of me, happily squishing the lumpy orange bits in her bowl with her hands. “What do you want to do?”

  “Well, there are lots of things I’d love to do, or, more importantly,” I step into him, wrap my arms around him and tuck my fingers into the back pockets of his jeans, “someone I’d love to do…”

  “You are insatiable,” he whispers and my eyes drift closed in anticipation of his kiss that I know will come. He sucks my lower lip into his mouth. “I wish I could bend you over this counter…”

  Smiling, I pull back and raise a pointed brow. “You’re really into that at the moment, aren’t you?”

  “It has its perks.”

  “You just like pulling my hair.” My mouth falls open. “You don’t think Dillan has seen…”

  “No!” Nathan practically yells, looking horrified. “Of course he hasn’t seen us!”

  “I was kidding,” I soothe, realising my error. To say that Nathan still has issues with regard to his horrifying upbringing would be an understatement. We’re working on it. “I’m sorry; that wasn’t a good joke.”

  He pulls away and I know that the moment has gone. He just needs time.

  “Come on, sweetie,” I say softly to Emily and unclip her confines. “Let’s clean you up.”

  Nathan pretends to be searching for something in the fridge but I can tell he just needs some time alone.

  “I love you,” I call over my shoulder as I move into the hall. Dillan follows, clutching his toy train tight to his chest.

  “I wuv oooh,” Dillan copies and I smile down at him.

  Nathan doesn’t respond; he just continues staring into the fridge. Sighing heavily, I take Emily up the stairs, closing the stairgate behind me to keep Dillan from following and quickly wash her down in the bathroom sink.

  It’s not until I’m back downstairs, clean and clothed baby in my arms, that Nathan has finally gotten over his fun. He kisses me the second he can grab me and all is right in the world.

  So we’re not perfect. We’re dealing with it the best we can.

  “I love you too,” he responds. It’s late, but he responds.

  “You don’t have to tell me. I already know.” I assure him and place Emily on the floor. She immediately seeks out her brother. Their love-hate bond is beautiful until one of them is screaming.

  “I like telling you.”

  “I like you telling me, but you show me enough every day.”

  “You’re so not needy, and you wonder why I want to marry you?” His lips find my jaw. “Let’s go and permit the kids to use us a climbing frame as we watch endless amounts of colourful TV shows with dancing parrots and puppets.”

  “Oooh, our lives are so exciting,” I snort and we move to the living room.

  “Have you put any more thought into the wedding?” Nathan asks after tangling his body with mine on the couch. Emily climbs up his legs and demands to be played with. As always, he acquiesces. Her little giggle as he draws her to him and nibbles on her neck melts my heart.

  “I umm…” I snap myself back to focused. “I’ve got a few venues for us to look at but…”

  “What?”

  “Well, we don’t really know anybody to invite,” I admit solemnly. “And I don’t want to hire a huge venue for a tiny wedding.”

  “We could always elope.”

  “Hmm…” It’s romantic but I love the idea of planning a wedding.

  “Intimate weddings are nicer, aren’t they?”

  I roll my eyes. “At this point it’ll be me, you, the kids and my mum.”

  “And Tommy and Sasha.” He grins and I let out a grunt when Emily crawls over to me. Dillan, seeing his sister get close, immediately becomes jealous and demands that I lift him. “Don’t worry.” Nathan strokes the side of my cheek with his nose. “It’ll all work out. Just hurry up and let me give you my last name.”

  “I will.”

  “When?” His thumb tugs on the ring on my left hand.

  “Let me focus on training, okay?”

  He smiles, leans in and kisses the tip of my nose. “Okay, you’re right. Too much pressure.”

  “Do you want me to make you something for dinner before I go to work? You can warm it up later.”

  “Another reason I want to make you my wife.” I’m practically shoved off the couch. “I don’t know if you noticed but I got you all of the ingredients to make that chilli pasta that I love.”

  I laugh, roll my eyes heavenward and move to the kitchen. I hope that I’ll never lose my passion and love for cooking, despite the stresses my new job may put on me.

  “You’ll get faster,” I’m reassured as I botch slice a potato.

  “If you say so,” I mumble.

  I feel my arm snap backwards as I’m spun and my boss… head chef guy… is directly in my face. “What kind of talk is this? If you don’t have faith in yourself then why should I have faith in you?” He drops a knife beside the potato and his brown eyes narrow with annoyance. “Fucking cut the thing and cheer up about it or get the fuck out of my kitchen.”

  I hate him. He swears too much. Now I understand why Nathan hates me swearing. It’s such an unattractive language add on. At least he has pretty eyes and his breath always smells minty. If he was yelling in my face with horrible breath, I’d have quit already.

  “He has a point,” Patience says, shrugging one shoulder. “You’re slowing us down as it is.”

  “Such a joy isn’t she?” A young guy who introduced himself as Sean smirks from the other side of the table. He’s peeling the potatoes that I’m chopping, though he’s actually the designated cleaner.

  I don’t comment. I don’t want to slag off the people I work with on my second day, or at all for that matter. I simply smile and concentrate on the potatoes.

  Potatoes.

  Just potatoes.

  Talk about starting at the beginning. I’m just so nervous; I don’t want to mess up.

  I don’t want to let anyone down. I know I can do better than this.

  I mean, I know how to peel and chop a bloody potato. If I was alone, I’d slap myself.

  “We need onions diced,” Kerim yells when I finish my last potato. “Quickly.”

  “Yes, Chef!” I call over the noise of the kitchen and pop a piece of chewing gum into my mouth. A little trick to stop your eyes from watering is to chew on gum as you chop onions. Although when I grab the bucket full of onions, I realise I might need more than chewing gum in my arsenal to stop my eyes from watering. I want to cry just from seeing the mountain. Fortunately, I’m an excellent dicer. I know I can do this quickly.

  I get a fifteen-minute break when the restaurant settles at eleven PM. Normally I’d call Nathan but I have a feeling he’ll be sleeping, so instead I call Sasha to check in. It’s been a few days since we talked properly. I know she’s definitely awake due to the fact she just updated her Facebook status two minutes ago.

  “Hey, stranger,” she greets me immediately, her tone happy.

  “I don’t have long; I’m on a break.” I sip my drink and check the time on my phone. “I have exactly six minutes left.”

  “I’m honoured to be chosen.” She laughs a little. “How’s work?”

  “I’m exhausted.”

  “It’s only day two; you’ll get over it.”

  “Gee,” I grin. “Thank you for the support.”

  “You’re welcome. How is Nathan coping?”

  “Better than I would be,” I admit, thinking of the handsome man with whom I’m spending my life. “I love him. He’s so good to me.”

  “Yeah,” she agrees. “Speaking of partners, I think Tommy is going to ask me to marry him.”

  My jaw hits the floor. “You’re kidd
ing?”

  “No, he’s been all jittery recently and he keeps fiddling with something in his pocket.”

  At that, I snort. “You’re sure he’s not just playing with himself?”

  “Hardy, har.”

  “We need you back inside,” Patience yells through the double doors. “Now!”

  Sighing heavily, I stand. “I have to go.”

  “I heard.”

  “We’ll talk more about Tommy and his pocket fiddling tomorrow.”

  “Love you, bitch.”

  “Love you more, asshat.”

  I hang up and rush inside from the cold. I was enjoying sitting. I’m so tired.

  “Eat,” Kerim demands, sliding a peculiar-looking red dish in front of me. “It won’t poison you.”

  “Thank you,” I murmur, not meeting his eyes as I spear a piece of aubergine with my fork and place it on my tongue. Oh my god. I can’t fight the groan. That’s so good.

  “You like it?”

  “It’s amazing.”

  I spear a piece of lamb and onion and chew them slowly to savour every second. I didn’t realise how hungry I was.

  Kerim cocks his head to the side as he watches me eat and I find it a little unnerving. “Finish it all. Have a coffee. I need you to stay until four.”

  Blink. “But we close at midnight.”

  “Yes,” is all he says before going back to his work. I stare after him, wondering why on earth I’m being forced to stay so late. I shan’t argue though, as tired as I am. I want to be here. I need to be here. Maybe this is a test to see if I have what it takes to make it in his kitchen. I sure hope I do. All I can do is try.

  “Okay, Chef,” I mutter under my breath and finish my delicious food.

  Midnight comes around and clean up begins. Mostly we have somebody designated to clean as we go along through the evening, but we all pitch in at the end of the day. It’s not until all the lights are off, apart from the dim white light above the central unit, and everybody has left that Kerim finally reappears from the staffroom.

  “Come.” He beckons me to the large metal surface under the light. “Tonight I will teach you two things.”