Let Me Love You: Beautifully Broken Book 1 Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Let Me Love You

  By Samantha Wolfe

  Copyright © 2015 Samantha Wolfe

  All rights reserved.

  To Leah for her ideas and enthusiasm in my vision, to Mandy for her encouragement and belief in me, and to my husband Jason for his love and constant inspiration. I love all of you!

  CHAPTER ONE

  Sydney

  "Time to stop wallowing!" my sister yelled. I jerked awake as my blankets were suddenly yanked off of me. I opened my eyes to blinding light, groaned, and pulled my other pillow over my head.

  "Go away!" I mumbled.

  "You've been in here all day haven't you?"

  "Leave me alone, Lauren," I pleaded, knowing it was a losing battle. My pillow was ripped from my grasp, and I glared up at my sister's face. She smiled at me, oblivious to my irritation, until I couldn't keep up the glare any longer. I sighed with resignation. "Okay, okay, I'll get up."

  "Good, you need to get cleaned up because we are going out tonight!" My glare returned with a vengeance. "Don't give me that look, Sydney. You know hiding in your room isn't going to help." Her face softened with concern. I knew she was right, and I didn't want to worry her any further.

  "Fine!" I replied as I sat up in bed. "But I am not going out."

  "You better get in the shower." She ignored my comment as she walked through the doorway. "Adam is picking us up in an hour." I continued glaring at the empty doorway after she had left, knowing I had probably already lost the battle.

  The sudden chirp of an incoming text interrupted my ire. I leaned over and snatched my phone off my bedside stand. I stared at the screen, seeing yet another text from Clay. There were fifteen of them now. How long had I been asleep? I glanced at the time at the top of the screen. Shit, it was almost six o'clock; I was in here all day. I scrolled through Clay's messages with growing annoyance. All of them were just varying degrees of his manipulation, as he tried to get me to answer his texts or to call him. Why couldn't he take a hint? His guilt trips and sweet talk weren't going to work on me anymore. I tossed my phone on top of the comforter in front of me and stared at it sullenly. Damn him! Why couldn't he just let it go?

  "Syd?" I looked up to see Lauren in the doorway again. "Are you okay?" Her eyes were soft with concern. A twinge of guilt stung me. I knew she worried about me, especially considering my past problems.

  "Yeah, I'm okay." I nodded. She walked back in and sat on the bed facing me. She reached out to take my hands in hers and gripped them tightly.

  "Are you sure?" Her blue eyes bore into mine. I felt her fingers brush against the faint scars on my wrists and knew what she was really asking me. I stared back unflinchingly.

  "Lauren, I'm upset about having to dump Clay, but I'm okay with it. It was for the best." She looked at me for a few more seconds, then sighed with relief.

  "Good." She leaned forward to wrap her arms around me. "That guy is an asshole."

  "Definitely an asshole." I smiled and returned the embrace.

  "Come on," she said as she let me go and stood. "You need to get cleaned up. You smell."

  "Thanks," I replied sarcastically, noticing her wrinkling her nose at me. She grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the bed and onto my feet. She pushed me down the short hallway to the small bathroom we shared.

  "Don't come out until you're clean," she admonished. I stuck my tongue out at her and shut the door in her face.

  I spent the next ten minutes in the shower trying to figure a way out of Lauren's plans. Being the third wheel with Lauren and Adam sounded like a nightmare evening at best, especially so fresh from my breakup with Clay last night. Despite the pain of breaking up with him, I was actually proud of how I had handled myself. Several years ago, I probably would have stayed with the jerk out of fear of being alone. Now I had just gotten angry and told him what he could do with himself and his lies. A small smile of satisfaction drifted across my face as I stepped out of the shower. Progress indeed!

  I dried off quickly, wrapped a towel around myself, opened the door, and walked back to my bedroom. I opened the closet door and stared at my clothes with resignation. A sudden idea popped into my head and with a smirk, I grabbed an old T-shirt and jeans. As I threw them on the bed, I heard the sound of Lauren clearing her throat.

  "Really, that's what you're wearing tonight?"

  "Uh...yes?" I answered her tentatively.

  "Nice try." She snatched my poor choices off my bed and pushed past me into the closet. I couldn't help smiling as I heard her mumbling under breath about my absurd decision-making skills with my wardrobe. A few moments later, she emerged with something she deemed appropriate.

  "Here." She handed me a low-cut black halter top with ruched sides and my favorite pair of dark skinny jeans. "This will show off the girls and your ass."

  "I'm not planning on needing to do that!" I protested, refusing to take the clothes from her.

  "Trust me. Looking hot is the best revenge." She continued holding the items out to me. "And that doesn't mean you have to pick someone up." I begrudgingly admitted to myself that she had a point. I jerked the clothing from her hands with a frown, ignoring her triumphant smile.

  "Good. Get dressed and dry your hair." She turned to leave, pausing in the doorway. She frowned back at me. "Would it help if I curled your hair for you?"

  "Yes," I answered petulantly. She nodded to herself and went back down the hall to her room. Once she was out of sight, I smiled to myself. I loved it when Lauren did my hair. She often started mothering me when she was worried. It was her way of coping with anxiety. I was more than willing to indulge her if it made her feel better. God knows I had caused her enough worry in the past.

  After putting on a black strapless push-up bra and matching thong, I grabbed the halter top and slipped it over my head. It was snug and Lauren was right; the girls looked great. I pulled the jeans on and padded barefoot back to the bathroom.

  By the time my hair was dry Lauren walked in wearing a short royal blue cowl necked cocktail dress that showed off her fabulous legs. She sat the folding chair she had dragged with her to the middle of the bathroom and told me to sit. She picked up the already warm curling wand and went to work. I enjoyed the comfortable silence as she fussed over me. By the end, my hair looked fantastic, with waves of loose dark curls cascading around my face and down onto my upper back.

  "Perfect," Lauren said with a nod. "Now, go do your makeup, so I can fix my hair."

  "Yes, ma'am." I stood and walked back to my room.

  Just as I finished the last touches of my makeup in my mirror, Lauren walked into my room in a pair of black stiletto heels and carrying a pair of strappy silver heels. She looked beautiful. Her blond hair was pulled up onto the top of her head with curls spilling artfully around her face. Adam's tongue was going to fall out of his mouth when he saw her.

  "Want to borrow these?" She held the silver shoes up.

  "Yeah," I answered enthusiastically. I had been plotting to steal those very shoes for quite some time now. I took them from her gratefully and slipped them onto my bare feet. "How do I look?"

  "Fabulous, Syd." Lauren's face lit up with approval. Just then the door bell rang. "There's Adam, come on, l
et's go."

  I took one last look at my bed with a resigned sigh, and we walked out the bedroom door together.

  The bar was packed by the time we arrived. Dinner had taken longer than it should have, and it was already almost nine o'clock. Adam and Lauren walked ahead of me holding hands, making a path through the throng of bodies. I trailed along behind them and had to admit they looked good together. Adam wore a white dress shirt rolled up to his forearms with a gray vest and slacks. His short dark blond curls were styled perfectly, and his ass looked amazing. I could see why Lauren was attracted to him, but I preferred my men a little more casual with a bit of bad boy thrown in.

  He stopped and turned his head back to look at Lauren, his dark blue eyes drinking her in. It made me smile. She deserved a man who adored her. He leaned down to her ear and said something I couldn't make out over the loud music of the band that was playing. Lauren mouthed the words "come on" to me and grabbed my hand. Adam led us to a small high table near the back that had just been vacated. I noticed that the bar was nearby and gave Adam a thumbs up. Having a tall guy around had its advantages. Lauren and I climbed onto the high bar stools around the table.

  "What would you ladies like to drink?!" Adam shouted over the music.

  "Vodka cranberry please!" Lauren replied. I pointed at myself and showed Adam two fingers.

  "Two vodka cranberries!" he confirmed. He leaned forward to kiss Lauren's cheek then turned and headed toward the bar.

  "You are spoiled," I said into Lauren's ear to keep from having to shout.

  "You like it," she answered with a smile. "It gets you free drinks."

  "And dinner, too." I smiled back.

  "Are you doing okay?" Lauren's eyed me with concern. "We haven't made you feel like a third wheel?"

  "No, dinner was great." The two of them had made sure I didn't feel left out, including me in conversation throughout the whole meal. It helped keep my mind off Clay and the shit that went down last night. There would be time to dwell on that again when I was alone, but for now I was going to enjoy myself.

  We both turned toward the stage, and I was pleased to find that the stools were tall enough that we could see the band. It was a cover band, but they were very good. They were playing Radioactive by Imagine Dragons, and I found myself singing along. Adam came back with our drinks and sat next to Lauren, so he could put an arm around her. We sat together enjoying the music for a while, and Adam bought us several more rounds as we finished them. I was starting to get a good buzz from the vodka, and I could relax, and just have fun.

  Movement over by the bar caught my eye, and I glanced in that direction. I saw a guy turning away from the bar with a beer in his hand. My gaze locked onto his face, and my breath caught. He was the hottest man I had ever set eyes on. I raptly watched him put the bottle up to his full lips; his piercing green eyes focused on the stage. I noticed a Celtic knot tattoo circling the well-defined bicep of his raised right arm. A dark T-shirt hugged his upper body, defining the sculpted muscles of his chest and shoulders. His short dark hair was carelessly styled in a way that made me itch to twist my fingers into it. My eyes drifted down his body to the jeans slung low on his hips. I jerked my eyes back to his face when I realized I was staring at his crotch. Unfortunately, those green eyes were now looking at me.

  His eyes pulled me into them against my will. I sensed a deep well of pain lying hidden just below the surface that mirrored my own. The intensity of his gaze felt like it was drowning me, and I couldn't look away. Just then a drunk girl staggered into him, ending the spell I was under and almost spilling his beer. He steadied her with a firm grip and raise his beer up out of her way. I seized my moment and tore my eyes away.

  Lauren was watching me when I met her eyes. She looked past me to see what I had been looking at. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she leaned toward me.

  "You know who that is don't you?" I shook my head. "That's Jensen Hayes!"

  I stared back at her in confusion.

  "He was in that horrible car accident a couple of months ago," she replied. "I saw it in the paper. His brother died and then two days later his dad dropped dead from a heart attack."

  Now that she mentioned it, I did remember reading something about that accident. There had been high speed involved, and it had been horrific. That explained the pain I had seen in his eyes. I was all too familiar with the effects something like that can have on someone.

  "Doesn't his family own Hayes Construction?" It was a well-known local business with signs all over town.

  "I think so." She turned her attention back to the band as they were just wrapping up their set. I stole another glance in Jensen's direction to find him talking to another guy who was several inches shorter with a full beard. The smile he had on his face seemed forced to me. He started to turn his head in my direction, so I quickly looked away.

  After a few moments, I couldn't help myself and looked again. Another man had come up to Jensen and this time I realized this guy looked familiar. It took me a few seconds to realize it was the lead singer from the band. I had been so preoccupied that I had missed the band leaving the stage. What the hell was going on with me? No one had ever gotten to me like this before. The lead singer gave Jensen one of those man-hugs that involve a lot of back slapping. I think I was the only one who noticed Jensen's body tense slightly during the interaction.

  "Hey, Syd." Lauren drew my attention away from Jensen. "Adam and I are gonna go dance. Do you want to join us?" I noticed that dance music was now pumping through the room.

  "No, I think I'll finish my drink." I lifted my drink and swirled the liquid around in the glass. "Maybe I'll join you in a bit." I really just wanted to keep watching Jensen. The compulsion was overwhelming.

  "Okay." Adam stood and offered Lauren his hand with a ridiculous flourish that made her laugh. I watched them walk off through the crowd toward the dance floor with a sigh. Sometimes the sweetness of their relationship was a bit much, or was that just jealousy rearing its ugly head.

  I surreptitiously looked in Jensen's direction again. He was still chatting with the singer. I wondered what his voice sounded like as I watched his lips move, and I also wondered what they would feel like kissing me. A sudden surge of desire caused me to squirm on my stool. Damn, this was getting absurd. I shook my head and grabbed my phone out of my back pocket. Pointedly ignoring the new texts from Clay, I opened Facebook and spent the next few minutes staring at the screen, comprehending nothing of what I was looking at. All my thoughts were on Jensen and sex.

  Suddenly, I felt a presence next me. My heart rate accelerated with a rush of adrenaline, and I looked up from my phone, hoping and dreading that it might be Jensen. I stared up into an unfamiliar face, and I was filled with unexpected disappointment. The guy was handsome in a boy-next-door kind of way. He was tall with short blond hair, and his blue eyes were glassy from drinking. I could smell the alcohol on his breath as he began to speak.

  "Hey, beautiful! Can I buy you a drink?!" he slurred with a smirk.

  "No, thank you!" I smiled tightly at him, hoping he would just go away.

  "How about a dance?!" He tried again, this time leaning into my personal space. I tensed with growing discomfort. Where was Adam when I needed him?

  "I'm good right here. No thanks!"

  "Come on, babe. You know you want to!" This guy wasn't getting the hint. He put a hand on my upper arm. The forced smile slipped from my lips, and a trickle of fear surged through my body.

  "Here's your drink, baby!" a deep masculine voice spoke to my left. I looked over to see Jensen placing another vodka cranberry next to my half-empty glass. I stared up at him blinking in disbelief. "Vodka cranberry, right?" he asked me, but his eyes were pinned to the guy, that was still touching me. The smile on his face did nothing to disguise the barely suppressed rage in his eyes. Unfortunately, the drunk idiot didn't seem to notice since his hand was still on my arm.

  "Um, y...yeah," I stammered. "That's right." Jens
en's smile abruptly died, and his eyes glanced down to where the hand rested on my arm and back up to the drunk's face. The pure menace in his gaze was mesmerizing, and I watched the muscles in his jaw clench and unclench. I could feel the anger radiating from his body like heat. The drunk guy must have finally realized he was in trouble as his eyes widened in comprehension. He broke eye contact with Jensen, pulled his hand away, and took a step backward. He mumbled an apology to me and staggered away. I let out the breath that I hadn't even realized I had been holding in. Jensen took a few deep breaths with his eyes closed, to calm himself. It seemed to take a real effort on his part to let the anger go.

  "Th...thanks!" I said, still staring at his face. His eyes popped open and focused on me. The weight of his attention was unnerving, as if I was the only person in the room, yet I couldn't tear my eyes away.

  "No problem, that guy was a real asshole!" His voice was deeply masculine with a slight sexy rasp that made me think about dirty pillow talk in the dark. Shit, what was this guy doing to me? "Mind if I join you?" He gestured to the empty stool next to me.

  "Not at all!" I pointed at the stool and watched him slide onto it. He placed his half-empty beer next to my drink. He stretched his right hand toward me.

  "I'm Jensen, by the way." A genuine smile lit up his face, and it was glorious. I had thought he was gorgeous before, but that smile did unbelievable things to him. He had just enough stubble on his face to add to his sexiness and not cross the line into unkempt. I felt my face grow warm.

  "I'm Sydney." I reached up, and he took my hand in his. His grip was warm and firm. I felt an almost electric surge of desire course through me from our contact and settle down low into my pelvis. I wondered what his touch would do to other parts of my anatomy. I blushed with sudden embarrassment and hoped it wasn't visible as I felt the warmth in my face increase. He released my hand, and I grabbed my drink and took a few sips from my straw to settle my nerves. He watched my mouth with avid interest, and I realized I wasn't the only one effected by our interaction.