for good.
Thankfully Braden didn’t have to wait long and he found that extremely reassuring. His woman was looking for a fight and a person only fought when something was important to them. He heard the buzzer on his door and strode down the hall to see Jocelyn glaring into the camera. Satisfaction roared through him as he let her into the building.
He stood in the doorway, waiting for her, knowing he appeared more casual than he actually felt. As soon as the lift doors opened, that casualness threatened to disappear. Jocelyn strode out, those gorgeous eyes blazing with indignation. He stepped back to let her into the flat, smirking as she spun so fast on him she almost lost her balance. Yes, she was good and angry.
Much, much better than indifference.
“This isn’t funny,” she snapped as he wandered by her into his large sitting room.
He scowled at her. “I know it’s not bloody funny. Believe me.”
She held out a hand. “Give me my ticket, Braden. I am not even kidding.”
Seething, but holding onto his control, he merely nodded and pulled the ticket out of his back pocket. “This ticket?”
“Yes. Give it to me.”
Wanting her to understand succinctly what he thought of the whole fucking ridiculous situation he casually tore the ticket to pieces, letting little bits of paper fall to his floor. “What ticket?”
And then she lost it. More so than he ever thought possible.
Jocelyn flew at him, her face contorted with pain and anger as she shoved at him. So fueled by emotion that she used to force him back into a stumble. “I hate you!”
The words cut even though he didn’t believe them.
She spun away, her shoulders shaking as she tried to control her breathless sobs. “I was fine until you!” She looked back at him with so much pain it almost took him to his fucking knees. “Why? I was fine. I was safe and I was fine. I’m broken, Braden. Stop trying to fix me and just let me be broken!”
NEVER!
The sight of her tears made his own eyes bright as he shook his head slowly. As much as her agony wrecked him, he knew this was good. She needed to get this shit out. Unable to bear being even this far from her, Braden walked toward her like she was a wounded animal and when he touched her, she closed her eyes, her pain momentarily disappearing. The fool woman didn’t even realize he was exactly what she needed.
He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her soft curves melt into him, and the desperation to take away her pain made him tremble as he whispered, “You are not broken.”
Her eyes opened, those startling, magnificent eyes, and he saw only sorrow for him in them. “Yes I am.”
Realizing she pitied him for loving her, he shook her in anger without thinking. She was twenty fucking two. She was too young to give up. “No, you’re not.” God she killed him. “Jocelyn, you are not broken, baby.” His voice turned hoarse, but a whisper as he pleaded with her to fight. “You’ve got a few cracks in you, but we all have some.”
Fresh tears spilled down her soft cheeks. “I don’t hate you.”
Agony blazed in her eyes.
No. She loved him.
That’s what hurt so fucking much, he knew.
His anger turned to passion. Need for her blazed through him, quicker than a match to tinder, and that same need was mirrored in her eyes. They reached for one another, his mouth covering hers as he pulled at the clip in her hair so he could feel the silky strands fall through his fingers as he devoured her.
As he made her his.
For good.
And just like that the kiss became a culmination of all their emotions. Their anger leading the charge. It turned it bruising, punishing, and suddenly they were ripping at their clothes.
Braden pushed her up against the wall, needing to kiss, touch every inch of her and remind her just who she belonged to. Remind her of who she really was. That she was stronger when she loved and allowed herself to be loved.
He hooked her thighs around his waist, his hard cock throbbing against the seam of her jeans between her legs.
“Fuck,” Braden murmured hotly, his mouth dipping to the rise of her breast. He loved everything about this woman, but he really did have a particular fondness for her spectacular tits. He held her up with one hand on her pert backside, the other peeled her bra down,