Broken Pieces (Riverdale #2) Read online

  His hands traveled down her back, cupping her heart shaped ass in his palms. Her body slid along the length of his as her tongue brazenly explored his mouth. She was the one setting the pace this morning, and he was going to let her. He liked the change in her, the way she took control of their mouths. Her teeth grazed his lower lip as he pressed her against his erection. She groaned into his mouth as she took his mouth greedily.

  Nick kept one hand on her delectable ass, while he slid the other toward her pussy. He let his fingers glide over the seam, his thumb pressing against her clit. She was wet already with need for him and that only urged his dick to grow more. He slipped two of his fingers inside her, before he teasingly withdrew them. He repeated his actions a few times driving her crazy. She pulled her mouth from his and leaned her forehead against his as she worked her pussy against his hand. She rotated her hips and then he withdrew his fingers again.

  Sam sat back on his thighs, straddling him. She grabbed his fingers that had been toying with her and urged them to her opening again. Her eyes were on his the entire time, even though his were busy ogling her breasts. She grinned as his fingers dipped inside her. She cupped her perky breasts in her hands, her thumbs working her nipples

  “Sam…” Nick ground out through clenched teeth. His dick was straining against her as he removed his fingers and gripped her hips. He lifted her off of him a bit so he could ease her down onto his cock. She took him inside of her, inch by glorious inch.

  “That’s more like it.” She said as she took a seat on his engorged cock. Her tits bouncing up and down as she rode him. He steadied her movements with one hand as he pinched one of her pink nipples with his fingers.

  “Best fucking morning ever,” he said in a raspy voice before he held her hips and without pulling out of her, flipped her onto her back. Her eyes widened as he forced her legs wider to accommodate him. Clear blue eyes peered up into his chocolate brown ones, and he could have sworn she stared at him with something more than lust in her eyes. He leaned down and pressed his mouth softly against hers. He worked her lips carefully, and when he slid his tongue into her mouth, he took his time, savoring her taste.

  Her hands elegantly trailed up and down his back as he thrust himself in and out of her. Her ankles locked around his waist as she arched her body to meet his. His mouth left hers and worked its way down her neck.

  “Nick, I can’t hold out anymore…” Sam cried out as she raked her nails over his broad shoulders. She held on as her body began to convulse. He felt her walls constrict around his cock and he pushed deep within her one more time, his pelvis slamming into hers.

  “Come for me baby girl.” He whispered. He pushed her hair behind her ear and took her earlobe between his teeth. Her body stilled as she called out his name. That sent him to ecstasy right along with her. He pumped himself into her once more as he came. Once her body had taken every drop of him into her, he collapsed against her limp body.

  He took a moment before he pressed soft kisses against her shoulder, and then flipped over on his back beside her. They both stared at the ceiling for a moment, trying to control their raging breath. He reached down for her hand, because anything else would take too much strength, strength he couldn’t find even if his life depended on it.

  Their fingers laced together and Sam was the first to speak.

  “That was incredible.” She said wistfully. She had to agree with him it was indeed the best morning ever. She glanced over at him and smiled slightly. “You know what would make this morning even better?” She asked hopefully as she propped her head up with her hand.

  Nick eyed her out of the corner of his eye. “What’s that?”

  “If I remember correctly, if I stayed the night you were going to teach me how to make a decent pot of coffee.” She said. Then she leaned down and kissed his temple.

  “Not decent, proper. I said proper pot of coffee, and that was providing you were a good girl.” He turned around so he could face her fully.

  “Was I a good girl?” She asked innocently.

  He ran his finger along her jaw as he studied her for a moment. “You exceeded all my expectations.” He pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose before he sat up and threw his legs over the edge of the bed.

  Sam chewed on her bottom lip as she watched him walk towards the door naked. She wondered how many times throughout her adult life she had pictured him like this. He padded to the dresser and pulled open one of the drawers, grabbing a pair of basketball shorts. He turned around and faced her as he dressed.

  He laughed at her as she ogled him, as if she just didn’t have him. “You know you’re going to have to get out of bed if you want to learn how to make coffee.” He said amused.

  She frowned, but sat up. “But the view is so much better from the bed.” She winked and reluctantly untangled herself from the sheets that were twisted around her tanned legs. He turned and grabbed a T-shirt of his from the same drawer and threw it.

  “Catch!” He said as the shirt flew through the air and landed on the mattress. She stood up and grabbed the shirt.

  “I’ll be right out, just want to use the bathroom.” She said as she pulled his T-shirt over her head.

  He nodded and headed towards the kitchen. Sam dragged her fingers through her hair, hoping he had a brush, knowing the odds weren’t in her favor. She flicked the light in the bathroom on and turned around to stare at herself in the mirror. Her eyes widened at the reflection that stared back at her.

  Her hair was, well a wild mess, didn’t even seem to describe it right. It was a disaster. She would need at least a half a bottle of conditioner to get all the tangles out. Thanks Nick, she thought. She sighed and took in the rest of her appearance. Her cheeks were rosy and there was a certain glow to her face. She supposed it was the effects of a woman who was well sexed throughout the night and into the morning.

  She braced her hands on the counter and leaned closer to get a better view. Could it be? She wondered. The woman looking back at her didn’t only look satisfied she looked happy and well… she looked loved. Sam swallowed, startled that she allowed her mind to think those thoughts. She turned around, having enough of the truth that stared back at her. Time to go back to my bubble, she thought, the bubble where love couldn’t touch her, or break her heart.

  She could feel the panic attack begin to take shape inside her. She started to feel as if the walls were closing in on her. The only thing that she kept replaying in the back of her head was the phone conversation she had overheard when they were in Atlantic City. Nick was not a sure thing. He would crush her heart without even trying. She didn’t think he would intentionally ever hurt her. No, in his mind, he would be doing the right thing, by leaving her. He’d think he wasn’t good enough or that she deserved better and there wouldn’t be a damn thing she’d be able to do to change his mind.

  She threw her head into her hands and felt like she was going to fall to the floor in a puddle of tears. The truth was that she and Nick together in a relationship was a beautiful fleeting thing. They would never last though; it just wasn’t in the cards. She had survived her broken heart once, but she’d never survive it again. There was only one thing she could do, to save the both of them a lot of pain and angst. She needed to end what was happening between them and she needed to end it now. It wasn’t just physical. She had been lying to herself when she had said that it was. She crossed that line last night or maybe she crossed it the first night she had sex with him.

  Tears fell from her eyes, unable to hold onto them any longer. There was a knock and she glanced at the wooden door, with regret and sadness.

  “Sam? You okay?” Nick asked from the other side.

  Sam couldn’t find her voice and Nick opened the door, a concerned look etched across his masculine features. He stepped towards her, reaching out with his forefinger, he tilted her chin up. The tears spilled from the corners of her eyes as she met his gaze.

  “What’s wrong?” He asked. She thought she saw a
larm in his eyes.

  She looked down at her bare feet because she couldn’t bring herself to look into his face.

  “I can’t do this anymore, Nick.” She whispered as her words tore her heart into shreds.

  “What?” He asked incredulously. How was it that she went from hot to cold so damn fast? Was she really doing this after the night they had just shared? Of course she was, because that was typical of her. The minute he made any progress with her, the minute he thought he was reclaiming his past was the minute she flicked the switch. He felt as if he was spinning in circles.

  “Look at me.” He demanded and when she didn’t lift her head immediately he cupped her chin and lifted her head. “The least you can do is look me in the eye.” He said coldly. He couldn’t help his tone. She had him in knots. He ignored the tears that fell from her eyes. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Because if I don’t, I will fall in love with you.” She answered honestly and drew in a shaky breath as she stared into his eyes. They softened at her words, and the broken pieces of her heart, shattered a bit more. “Please just trust me, that, no good would come from me falling in love with you.” She shook her head sadly. “No good at all.”

  “I never expected you to be such a coward.” He said flatly and dropped his hand from her face. He ran his hand over his head and contemplated her words. He leaned against the wall and stared at her. She wiped at her cheeks with the backs of her hands.

  “Nick, I didn’t plan this. I didn’t come here last night…”

  “You didn’t come here last night expecting to stay the night.” He said and then sighed. “We got closer than you anticipated. You’re just freaked out, Sam. C’mon.” He said, hoping he could defuse her nerves. “It’s just you and me.” He pushed off the wall and took another step closer to her. He wanted to reach for her but decided to give her space. He didn’t want to push his luck. He just wanted her to listen to what he was saying.

  “We’ve known each other forever, babe. We’ve danced around our feelings for years, you’re just scared. But I promise you, you have nothing to be scared of.” To hell with space, he decided, and took her hand in his. He watched her look down at their hands and then slowly she lifted her eyes to his. He whispered; “We can be good together. I know we can, but you need to be willing to go all in, because I won’t have you if I can’t have all of you.”

  She wanted to believe him. The look in his eyes was telling her his words were sincere, but she had been the broken-hearted girl before. She reached up and touched his cheek.

  “You’re right.” She said and watched the hope spring to life in his eyes. “I am a coward, Nick. When it comes to you, I am the biggest coward there is on the face of this earth. This thing between us is my Kryptonite. I want it more than anything, but it will destroy me.” She dropped her hand. “I can’t survive anymore loss, and losing you in the end will break me.” She swallowed hard.

  “There’s no changing your mind.” He stated. There was no reason to pose it as a question when her eyes told him the answer. He cupped the back of his neck and looked around the small bathroom, because if he looked at her anymore, he wouldn’t be able to control the need to throw her over his shoulder and make love to her until her mind stopped working.

  “I don’t want things to be weird between us. We gave it a shot, we’re still friends, right?” she asked hopefully.

  “We gave it a shot?” He asked and tried not to laugh in her face. Yeah, they gave it a shot alright, while they were at it, they should write a how-to guide on relationships, because hey they gave it all they had, right? He thought sarcastically. “Yeah, Sam, we’re still friends.” He said appeasing her. The last thing he wanted was to be her friend.

  “Nick…” She said softly, but didn’t know what else to say. He looked at her longingly. His chest rose and fell, with a strangled sigh. Before either of them could think of the right words to finish whatever they had shared he kissed her. It was a quick kiss, a gentle meeting of their lips. He pulled away and swallowed hard against the lump in his throat.

  “You should go.” He said hoarsely. He needed her to go, before he never let her go.

  She nodded sadly, feeling the loss already. She found her footing, and walked out of the bathroom to gather her clothes. Nick’s fist collided with the counter top and he leaned his forehead against the glass of the mirror. The one woman he wanted, he’d never have. He wanted to drown his sorrows in the bottle of Jack that he tucked safely away after she decided to spend the night with him, he should’ve just let her go and had his pity party.

  He mumbled a slew of curses. She was straightening her clothes that she hastily threw on when he opened the door. He leaned against the doorjamb and watched her. She had one sandal in her hand and was desperately searching for its mate.

  He sighed and threw back the comforter that had fallen off the bed. He grabbed her sandal and let it dangle off his forefinger.

  “Here you go.”

  She looked up and avoided looking into his eyes. She took the shoe he offered. “Thank you.” She mumbled.

  Nick held onto the shoe, forcing her to meet his gaze. “You claim you want to be friends, yet you can’t even look at me. Tell me, how’s that going to work?” He raised an eyebrow, questioning her.

  She shook her head. “Don’t you get it? I’m trying hard not to mess things up between us Nick. I’m not strong enough to walk away from you, I’m barely holding on by a thread.”

  “Seems like an awful lot of work to walk away.” He said and eased off his hold on her shoe.

  “Please.” She begged and balanced herself on one leg as she slipped her sandal on.

  “Please what? Let you go?” Nick asked.

  “Yes.” She whispered, her voice squeaking with emotion.

  The silence was deafening until Nick found his words. “Fine,” he whispered. She let out a breath and nodded slightly before starting for the bedroom door.

  Suddenly he felt much as he did the day he left Riverdale all those years ago, helpless. He had to walk away from her then, and now he watched as she walked away from him. He followed her into the living room and didn’t say a word. She grabbed her purse. Deep inside, he hoped she would find the courage to stay, the courage he had never been able to find. He crossed his arms against his bare chest and watched as she stopped at the door. Her hand was on the doorknob, but stood still on the brass. He held his breath and waited for her to make a move.

  Slowly she turned around. She felt as if there was a greater force pulling her back to him, a force she had never encountered before. She met his stare and wasn’t sure what to say. What was adequate enough for what she was feeling? She didn’t want to leave. She wanted to run into his arms and be the brave soul, she claimed to be. She wanted to risk it all and to hell with the consequences. Then she had a thought. What if she asked him about Seattle? What if she came straight out and asked him to stay? Would it matter? She bit her lip as she thought about whether or not she should really go that route.

  “You don’t want to leave.” He said hoarsely, pulling her out of her train of thought.

  “Did you want to leave when you left me?” She asked, her voice barely a whisper.

  He wanted to say he didn’t leave her. That's what they were to each other back then was different compared to what had transpired between them now but that would be wrong. Because seven years ago, he felt the same pull he felt right now. It hadn’t diminished with time, if anything it grew stronger. He did leave her seven years ago, along with everything else he cared about.

  “No.” He murmured. “I didn’t want to leave you.”

  “But you did because you had to.”

  “I came back because I wanted to.” And he hoped when she had time to process everything, she would too. “I’ll be here.” He promised.

  She closed her eyes at his words. They were empty promises, God, how she wished they weren’t. She turned around and opened the door. Before she allowed herself to believe
that he wouldn’t leave her again, she hurried out the door.

  Nick stared at the door for a moment before he closed his eyes. How was it that he kept losing her? He shook his head and supposed he’d never know why.

  Sam leaned her head against the door and cried. She was walking away to protect her heart from him, yet little did he know, he already owned it.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Two weeks later and Nick had successfully avoided Sam. He had been drowning in memories of her the whole time. The way her hair had smelled and the softness of her curves. He felt tortured by the memory her body and how it fit just right with his. When he closed his eyes at night he was haunted by her blue eyes and how they stared up at him as he made love to her. He pulled out a bar stool next to the one he found Luke occupying. They had decided to meet at Rudy’s for a few drinks.

  Nick sat down and peered at his friend. Luke hadn’t even acknowledged that someone had sat beside him. He seemed to be too busy staring at the beer bottle he clutched in his hands. Nick cleared his throat and signaled for the bartender that was at the other end of the bar.

  Luke glanced at him, a delayed reaction. “Hey.”

  “Hey, yourself.” Nick responded. He may have been in a world of his own, consumed by the memories of Sam, but he wasn’t completely oblivious to his surroundings. Something had been off with Luke since his brother’s death. At first Nick didn’t pay much attention to it. For two reasons, the first being everyone grieved differently, and Nick expected Luke was grieving his brother. The second was that, well he had been too wrapped up in Sam to pay much attention to anything else lately. However, now, it was painfully obvious there was something else eating away at his best friend.

  Luke tipped back his beer and took a hearty sip. The bartender made her way towards them and smile brightly at them.