Breaking You (Blackthorn Elite 2)

Warren tells them to shut up and runs his fingers through my hair.

Easton and Cameron continue to talk, but eventually, their voices get quieter, telling me they’ve left the room. Now that we’re alone, I start to sink deeper like a stone sinking into the dark waters.

Just before I fall off the deep end, I swear I hear Warren say… I love you, and somehow, that tells me everything is going to be okay. Even though his dad hates me, and we haven’t exactly been on great terms, I know Warren wants me. He’s always wanted me, and maybe this is our chance, our chance at forever.

15

Warren

We walk up to the apartment building Harper used to stay in. The thought of her sleeping in this dump still enrages me. I am so glad she hasn’t been here in over a week. Instead, she’s been staying at my place, in my bed with me… where she belongs. Where she’s always belonged.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and without even looking, I know who it is. My father has been calling and texting me nonstop, wanting me to come to the house and talk about Harper. He doesn’t want me to see her, thinks I’m making a mistake. He says it’s because he is worried about me getting hurt again, but part of me knows damn well that he thinks she is beneath our standards. He thinks I should date someone in our class. What he doesn’t realize is that Harper has more class in her little finger than most of the girls here.

“You okay?” Harper asks, holding out her now healed hand to me.

I take it before answering, “Yeah, I’m good. I’m just glad you don’t live here anymore. Let’s get all of your stuff, so we don’t have to come back here ever again.”

“Fine by me. I like it at your place better… someone cooks for me there.”

“And I like you at my place ’cause that means someone keeps my bed warm for me,” I tease, making her giggle. We walk up the stairs, the sound of her laughter still echoing through the sad-looking staircase.

When we get to her room, she gets out the key and opens her small apartment. The moment she steps in, I can feel her tense up next to me. She doesn’t like being here, and again, guilt hits me. I sent her back here the night after I fucked her. After I already knew what a shitty place this is. Even knowing that someone broke in here, I made her sleep here again.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asks, concern for me lacing her voice, and the irony is not lost on me.

“Yeah, let’s just get this over with, and just so you know, you are never going to stay in a place like this again.”

“If you say so,” she gives me a tiny smile before turning away from me to pack up her stuff. She gets a suitcase out of the wall closet and places it on her bed. She doesn’t have many clothes. In fact, the entire contents of her dresser fits into her one suitcase. I zip it up and put it beside the door for now.

I try and help her as much as I can without getting in the way, but there really isn’t much for me to do. When she goes into the attached bathroom, I start looking around for stuff to pack.

The kitchen, if you can even call it that, has nothing in it that we can’t buy her new. Plus, she has everything she needs at my house. No use for rusted pots and pans and mismatched cups and plates. Sweeping the room again, I catch sight of a pink box peeking out from under the bed. Curiously, I walk over to the bed and sit on the edge of it. It squeaks under my weight, and I reach down and pull out the box. I take the lid off slowly. I feel like a kid sneaking downstairs to open a Christmas present three days early.

I mean what could really be in this box…

As soon as the lid is pulled off enough for me to reveal the contents, I freeze. Hell, I almost drop the box when I see the small assortment of vibrators inside it. There isn’t anything crazy in there, but still, I’m somewhat shocked to find a box of vibrators under my sweet Harper’s bed.

“Are you snooping?” Harper appears back in the open space.

Like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, I slam the box shut and sit it on the ground in front of me, as if I never touched it at all. Harper starts laughing, and I won’t lie; she looks, so sexy smiling.

“What, you’ve never seen a vibrator before?”

“I’m just surprised,” I shrug, doing my best not to make a big deal out of it.