Broken Bond

Chapter 17

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Miles wasn’t kidding about holding up his end of our bargain. Even though I repeatedly told him the stupid bet over Nessa was off, I get an unexpected call from the garage in Goldenleaf on Monday morning. The owner, Brady, has been kind enough to allow me to store my Corvette there for the past several months in exchange for helping him out with simple mechanic jobs when I’ve got time. He doesn’t hold me to a schedule or

anything, so when I see the incoming call from him on my screen, it catches me off guard- even more so when he tells me to come down because my car’s ready to be picked up.

I catch a ride to the garage with Alec, not disclosing why I’m going. He doesn’t ask, either, because it’s not unusual for me to get a ride to the garage to work for an afternoon, either on my own car or on something for Brady. He pulls up to the garage, idling as I hop out of his truck and toss him a wave over my shoulder. Gravel crunches underneath his tires as he drives away, and I shove my hands into the pockets. of my hoodie, trudging up the driveway and into the garage.

The motion sensor chimes as I cross the threshold and Brady peeks out from behind the open hood of a car in one of the bays, his lips spreading into a wide smile when he sees me.

“I was wondering when you’d show up,” he chuckles, wiping his oil -stained hands on a cloth and trudging toward me. “Thought you’d be here hanging over my shoulder when I dropped that transmission in.”

“If I knew, I would’ve,” I grumble, striding across the garage to meet him halfway.

Brady’s brow furrows. “You mean your friend didn’t tell you?”

I give a little shake of my head, frowning. While Miles told me he’d pay up on the bet, he didn’t say it’d be this soon. I thought I’d still have time to talk him out of it. Now that Nessa and I are a thing, there’s no way this won’t come back to bite me in the ass. 5

Brady whistles, shaking his head. “Damn, boy. Wish I had a friend like that. He had the transmission delivered from Denver on Saturday and paid me extra to get it dropped in ASAP.” 3

My frown deepens. Paying for the install wasn’t part of the deal.

“C’mon,” Brady calls, turning on a heel and waving for me to follow him. “It’s in bay three. I’m sure you’re dying to see it. Wait till you hear the way that engine purrs.”

While I’m uncomfortable about this whole thing, Brady’s right- I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the Corvette. I’ve been working on it for the better part of a year, and the anticipation of finally getting it running has me itchy, my fingers twitching at my sides as I follow Brady across the garage.

My heart thumps faster when my car comes

into view. It still needs a new paintjob, but it looks like Brady has waxed and polished the body for the big reveal, the original black paint shining under the fluorescents overhead.

“Keys are already inside,” Brady supplies, grinning from ear to ear as he observes my reaction. I trail my fingers along the fender, approaching the drivers’ side and pulling the door open. The interior still needs some work, too, but that can come later- the priority has been to get this baby running again. For me, this is a lot more than a car. It’s freedom. No more asking for rides to get around; I can go wherever I want, whenever I want. My pulse continues to race as I lower myself into the seat, finding the keys already in the ignition. 2

“What are you waiting for?” Brady laughs, patting the hood of the car lovingly. “Fire her up!”

I hold my breath as I turn the key, reveling in the roar of the engine coming to life. The car vibrates beneath me, purring smoothly as I hit the gas a few times to rev it up. Brady was right- it sounds like a dream. It sounds like sweet freedom. I can’t believe it’s

IN running, and I can’t wait to get it out on the road and take it for a spin.

My eagerness must be written all over my face, because without prompting, Brady hits the button for the door to the bay the Corvette is parked in. A low hum sounds out as it begins sliding up.

“Have fun!” he calls, backing away and tossing me a wave.

I rev the engine again, nodding to Brady in appreciation before shifting the gear into reverse and backing out of the garage.

As I shift gears at the end of the drive to start down the road, I realize there’s only one thing that could make my first ride in this car better- one person, rather. I pause to shoot her a text, then rev the engine again, the tires squealing as I take off in the direction of Riverton.

“Is this yours?!” Nessa asks excitedly as she pulls open the passenger door of the Corvette and slips inside. She runs her hands. over the leather seat beneath her, eager eyes taking in the interior of my car.

“It is,” I reply proudly, unable to keep from cracking a smile. “Been working on it for a while and was finally able to get ahold of the last part I needed for the engine to run.” 3

“It’s sexy,” she comments, throwing her long hair over a shoulder and tossing me a wink.

“You’re sexy.” I lean over the gearshift, grabbing her chin in a hand and pulling her lips to mine. I swallow her little gasp of surprise, claiming her mouth in a quick and dirty kiss before pulling back with a grin and resting a hand on the wheel. “Buckle up, sweetness,” I drawl with a lift of my chin.

The dazed look in her eyes is cute as hell, but she quickly regains her composure and reaches for the seatbelt, dragging it over her lap and clicking it into place. She’s casually dressed in jeans and a sweater, but damn is she a knockout. Vanessa Diaz is hands down the most beautiful creature I’ve ever laid eyes on. My gaze lingers on her for a moment longer before I turn back to look out the windshield, revving the engine.

Nessa squeals in excitement and her enthusiasm is contagious. A wide grin spreads across my lips as I pull away from the curb, the engine roaring beneath us as we take off down the road.

It’s strange- I used to wonder if I even had the capacity to truly care for another person 4 outside of my close-knit group of friends.

I’d kill or die for any of them, no question, but part of the closeness that we have comes from our history together and our understanding of one another. Our solid bond based upon the common ground we share.

Miles may push my buttons more than the others, but I know it comes from a place of insecurity, growing up as the son of such successful parents. He’s always making wagers with us because when he wins one, he feels that it proves his worth. He doesn’t realize that he doesn’t need to prove anything to us; we value him exactly as he is. 3

Levi’s arrogance and over-the-top charm is insufferable sometimes, but he’s that way because he’s always felt like he was in Chase’s shadow. The two of them are similar, but Chase has always had the edge as the alpha’s son. He’s always been taller, stronger, better looking. Levi’s constantly comparing himself to Chase, overcompensating because he feels like he can’t measure up. He doesn’t need to, though- he’s funny as fuck and he’s the life of the party. Levi’s the one that brings the fun.

Chase is stubborn and hard-headed at the best of times, but he’s smarter than he seems, clever and courageous like his father. He may act out more often than the rest of us, but deep down, the guy

always has the best intentions. He puts on a hard front, but he’d give someone the shirt off his back if they needed it. It’s what’ll make him such a good alpha when he steps up to lead our pack. Leading comes naturally to him; he’s been the unofficial leader of our group for as long as I can remember.

Alec and Dare are both more sensible and cautious than the rest of us, partly owed to their strict upbringing. They’re the balance that our group needs, always working out every possible angle and outcome when we set out to do something foolish- which is more often than not. They’re also the glue that holds our group together, mediating when we have disagreements with one another so that no rifts between us ever last long. They’re our anchor.

I understand my friends and we all share similarities. Nessa, on the other hand, is my polar opposite. She’s everything I’m not- sweet and idealistic with this naïve innocence that completely boggles my fucking mind. It’s like she only sees the good in the world, even when the bad is staring her in the face. Even when it’s sharing her bed.

By all logic, the two of us shouldn’t be compatible. We don’t make sense together. Yet I’m completely captivated by her; utterly enraptured in her presence. She makes me feel like I could be someone else. Someone… better. Someone without a dark past staining their soul, harboring a monster inside that strikes fear in others. Despite everything, she’s never been afraid of me.

4

I know I care for Nessa in a way that I’ve never cared for anyone else. I know I’d protect her with everything I have if it came down to it. But what if the person she truly needs protecting from winds up being me? We’ve got a good thing going, but how can it last when we’re so fundamentally different? 2

That’s the question that keeps turning over in my mind as we drive through the forest, the rumble of the engine echoing through the woods around us. I used to wonder how some people could seem so damn happy all the time when life is an endless shitshow, but right now, driving down the open road in my

Corvette with my girl by my side, I think I finally get it. This light feeling in my chest must be what happiness feels like. It’s a feeling I want to hold on to as long as I can.

I slide a glance to Nessa in the passenger seat and for the first time, I’m reconsidering the mission I’ve been selected for. I still haven’t told her about it, and there’s still the better part of a week left for me to back out.

Miles would jump at the opportunity to take my place, so I wouldn’t be leaving the rest of them high and dry if I decided not to go. All I wanted before was to get away from this place, but the girl beside me has me rethinking everything.

“Are you taking me out to the woods to kill me?” Nessa teases as I turn on a narrow forest road that winds up a mountain, the gravel crunching underneath my tires.

I smirk, darting her a glance. “The chances are low, but never zero.”

“The dangers of dating a bad boy,” she sighs, sliding her hand over to rest on top of mine. I turn it over, lacing my fingers with hers in a gesture that feels so natural that it unnerves me a little bit. Then again, I’ll take any opportunity to touch this girl, even if it’s something as cheesy as holding her hand.

My phone vibrates in the cupholder and Nessa glances down at it, stifling a giggle.” Who’s Fuckface?”

I groan, unlacing my fingers from hers and reaching down to silence the call. “Troy.”

Her brows shoot up. “Your stepdad?”

“Yeah.”

She’s quiet for a moment, her stare practically burning a hole in the side of my face. “Do you need to call him back?”

“No.”

I hit the brakes as we approach one of the scenic overlooks on the mountain, pulling onto the shoulder so we can get a better look at the view. It’s a tactic to distract Nessa from the current conversation, and it works like a charm. Her eyes widen as she takes in the landscape, leaning forward in her seat and resting her hands on the dash as we roll to a stop.

“Wow. This is beautiful,” she breathes.

She’s looking at the picturesque scenery, but I can’t look at anything but her. I wish I could see the world through her eyes. I watch her long lashes blinking, her big brown eyes scanning the view before us. Then she turns to me, the corner of her mouth quirking up into a little smile and a faint blush staining her cheeks.

“What?” she asks.

I smile, reaching over to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re beautiful.” Her blush deepens, then I remember our conversation at the hot springs, quickly tacking on an explanation. “Not just on the outside, but the way you look at the world,” I add. “Like you see the best parts of everything.”

Nessa unbuckles her seatbelt, a look of determination in her eyes as she climbs over the center console toward me. It’s a little bit clumsy given the tight space we’re in, and even though she knocks her head against the ceiling on her way, she somehow makes it look graceful. She climbs onto my lap, straddling me, and takes my face in both hands, grazing her thumbs along my stubble. “How is it that you always say the right things?”

I smirk, shrugging a shoulder. “Just speaking the truth.”

She leans forward, capturing my lips in a kiss so searing hot that it steals my breath. Her mouth slides against mine, her tongue slipping past the seam of my lips to meet my own. I plunge a hand into her hair, pulling her closer and tilting my head, devouring every pout of her full lips, every stroke of her soft tongue. She tastes like cherries dipped in sin, and the way she’s grinding against my lap has me breathless by the time we come up for air.

Nessa licks her lips, gazing down at me with lust-filled eyes. “Should we go back to your place?”

My dick twitches beneath her at her suggestion. To think that a few days ago, she was a blushing virgin, and now? The girl’s a damn temptress.

“To do what?” I tease, rubbing the pad of my thumb along her lower lip. I want to hear that sweet mouth speak filthy words. It gets me going like nothing else.

She leans closer, pressing her cheek to mine while her lips hover beside my ear. “I think you know,” she whispers.

I slide my hands down to rest on her hips. You’re gonna need to be a little more specific, babe,” I murmur.

She captures my earlobe between her teeth, tugging at it. I groan, squeezing her hips beneath my fingertips. Her warm breath fans my ear, her whispered words barely audible. “I want you to make me scream, Callum.” 2

Fuck. Me.

A growl tears from my chest as I lift her by her hips, wrenching her off my lap and depositing her back in the passenger seat

“l beside me. If there was enough space in this car, I’d take her right here, right now. She lands with a little ‘umph’ and I press the brake, wasting no time in shifting the gear into drive. 2

“Buckle up,” I command, shooting her a deviant glare. “Let’s see how fast this car can go.”