Tattered & Bruised (The Broadway Series Book 4) Read online

  “What in the world is wrong with you, Cori?” Ari hissed at me across the metal table. “You let that man around Axel? Into your life?”

  “Has he done something to offend you?” Who the hell was she to be judgmental? I knew she would be, but dragging Ax and my parenting into it was too much. “I met him because our kids go to dance together. He is a contributing member of society. He’s a nice guy trying to do the best for his daughter.” I narrowed my eyes, ready to argue this one into the ground. Griffin and I weren’t super serious, but she made me want to screw him on the table to seal the deal.

  “He ruins bodies for a living. How is he contributing?”

  “Griffin’s an artist, Ari, and I’m done talking about this. He’s a good guy, his daughter loves Ax. You need to get your head out of your ass. It’s not your business.”

  “He’s around Axel, so it is my business, Corinne. What happens when he’s done with you and you’re too broken up to care for your daughter? Or when he leaves you after a panic attack and someone needs to pick up the pieces?” Arianna’s face read like she had just won the Olympics.

  “Since when do I get torn up about anyone? Again, my private life is none of your business.” I looked down at Ax and Celia. “That little girl has been through more than I have, and Griffin has done wonders for her. So, keep your bullshit opinions to yourself.” She opened her mouth to throw her rebuttal at me but there was shouting from the brick building we had settled in front of. Chaos ensued. Griffin’s rough voice shouting sent a chill through me. His tone bordered on murderous. Several things happened at once. Celia crawled into my lap, Ben came scrambling out of the bathroom, and Griffin slammed a man into the bricks. Ben was pale, with tears streaking his face. I passed Celia to Ari and threw my seat back. I could hear Ben crying and Celia crying, but mostly I heard Griffin yelling a string of profanities at the zoo in front of a lot of kids. He had the man by the collar holding him off his feet against the wall. Griffin made the man look tiny and the fight had obviously started before Griffin moved it outside. There was blood and a fresh bruise on the guy’s face. What the hell happened?

  “Call the police before I kill the motherfucker, Cori,” Griffin’s voice was a low growl. When the man tried to talk, Griffin tightened his grip, shoving him back harder and choking him. The guy shut up. Everything happened in a blur. People gathered to watch, but no one attempted to pull Griff off the man. They would have been stupid to try. A few other men gathered, creating a wall behind Griffin, but I wasn’t sure if they were there to back Griffin up or preparing to take him out. I fumbled with my phone calling 911 and stumbled through the best explanation I could muster with the woman on the phone. It was difficult to answer her questions when I didn’t know what the hell had happened.

  A golf cart with security pulled up and two uniformed men jumped out, demanding answers. “This creep was harassing a boy in the bathroom.” My hand went to my mouth and I took a step back. He could kill the guy for all I cared. The other dads who had gathered took a step in, ready for their turn with the sicko. “Walked in to hear the boy yell. The fucking pervert was shoving him into the stall.” Ari was still at the table with Celia in her lap and her hand on Ben’s shoulder. His eyes were wide and his face was red. Max had Axel in his lap. I didn’t know if I needed to restrain Griffin to eliminate a murder charge or help my sister with the kids.

  I could see the pulse in Griffin’s neck. The muscles in his jaw ticked. Security cuffed the man, insisting Griffin let him go, led him to the cart. They told us to stay put for when the police came. I watched Griffin’s body uncoil, loosening slightly as security took the man from him. Once I was sure justified murder was not on the agenda, I focused on the kids and Ari. Griffin grabbed my arm as I started back to the table.

  “I, uh, I’ll be back in five.” He walked off, leaving me to deal with the aftermath. I watched him storm off without a look back.

  Once I could move, I made my way to Ben, but it was Celia that ended up in my arms. “Where did he go?” The terrified little girl whined into my chest as I petted her hair. “He was so mad.”

  “Not at you, baby. That man did something bad and Daddy stopped him.” It was Ari who answered her as I dropped into the chair. My sister caught my eyes, jerking Ben into her lap, folding him up so he fit. “I’m sorry, Cori. Obviously …” I shook my head.

  Screw her for judging him in the first place. I couldn’t even begin to think of what would have happened if Griffin wasn’t there. Axel was fine with Max, so I focused on Celia, helping her deal with seeing Griffin angry and aggressive, assuring her that her dad would be back. The sweet little girl seemed convinced that Daddy was abandoning her, and it broke my heart.

  Police came, Griffin reappeared, and Celia climbed him to cry into his shoulder. He kept away from us, or Ari, most likely, calming Celia. I heard him promise repeatedly that he would never leave her, could never be angry with her. Axel asked a million questions, mostly questions that were for another time, so I pulled her away to answer her the best I could so Ben couldn’t hear us. We talked more about good touches versus bad touches and I finally satiated her quest for knowledge. Arianna decided to take the boys home and have her husband, Lee, come home from work. I doubted she would ever leave either boy unattended again, but I couldn’t blame her. Before she left, Ari grabbed Griffin, throwing her arms around him. He hugged her back, whispering to her, and patted my nephews on the shoulders. I hugged and kissed everyone, still in a bit of shock. We watched them walk toward the exit. The four of us stood at the table, collecting our thoughts.

  “Do you want to leave? Maybe we should call it a day.” Axel whined at my words, but I shushed her. She didn’t understand what had just happened, and I didn’t want her to.

  “No, I want to see an elephant,” Celia squeaked from her perch in Griffin’s giant arms. At her command, her dad nodded once and started walking, brushing past me.

  I let him brood, let him process, following him with Ax on my back. Griffin didn’t even look at me the rest of the time. I exchanged texts with Ari, checking on Ben, telling her to call if she needed anything. Crowds of giggles moved around us in droves as we walked, but Griffin didn’t say a word to me. I was barely able to concentrate on the good time Axel and Celia were having for the creeper in the bathroom. Axel’s sunshine voice did nothing to help my mood or Griffin’s after another hour, so I called it quits.

  “You guys stay if you want, but I think Ax and I are heading out. I need to cook dinner and get stuff ready for tomorrow.” Griffin finally looked at me, furrowing his brow, shoving his hand in his pockets. The day had sucked, again, which meant attempt number two at spending time together had been a disaster as well.

  “Can Celia come play?” Griffin and I both looked down at Axel.

  Half an hour later, Griffin was unloading at my house, and Axel was giving Celia every detail of our home. My munchkin talked about the swing we used to have on the porch, the color of her room, the new furniture on the patio. I told her to take Celia to her room for some coloring and relaxing while I got ready for dinner. My existence still hadn’t been acknowledged by Griffin so I let him in without a word. He looked around quietly, not looking at me or speaking. The entry room was mostly a mudroom with a shelf for shoes, a small table for my purse, and some pegs for coats. The living room was spacious with big windows covered in navy-colored furniture but everything looked small with him inspecting it.

  Leaving him on his own, I went to the kitchen to take dinner inventory. I was used to two people, not four, so I made sure I had enough of something to feed us all. By the time Griffin waltzed his moody ass back in, I was wrist deep in seasoning for chicken and the oven was preheating. He watched from the doorframe, crossing his arms over his broad chest, keeping his expression unreadable. Maybe Ari was right. I knew he was a genuinely good guy, but maybe he wasn’t ready for the baggage I had. Maybe it was best that Ari had run her stupid mouth and warned him not to get involved with me. I wanted
Griffin, but after two horrible dates, maybe it was all too much.

  It was after I moved to wash my hands that he pressed his front against my back, running his hands down my arms to where I was lathering my hands. I shuddered when he kissed from my ear to my shoulder. Fuck him for making me react to him. Griffin reached across, turned off the water, and spun me to face him.

  Chapter Eight

  Griffin

  It was so sexy how she tried to stay angry at me. I almost expected her to stomp her foot and complain about not getting her way, but instead Cori twisted her damp fingers in the sides of my shirt, resting her forehead on my chest. I was still reeling from the incident at the zoo, but her gentle gesture calmed my need to hit something. I want to punch something, anything. I had wandered around the zoo before the police came, trying to find an outlet for my aggression. I had gotten a few good hits in before I dragged his sorry ass outside, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

  I cleared my head to focus on the upset woman in front of me. My hands rubbed up and down her arms until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I tipped her face up, making her kiss me. There was no way to tell her how fucking bad I wanted her or how sorry I was for shutting her out, so I kissed her. My body stretched down the length of hers and I stroked her cheeks with my thumbs, nibbling her lip until I felt her breath catching. I had never wanted anything so bad in my life.

  Cori jerked away. “Is this a game to you?” Her defiance moved toward all-out anger and she narrowed her eyes at me. Well, shit.

  “No, not at all.”

  “That.” She shoved me back, but I didn’t move. “Your flippant bullshit is what I’m talking about. One second you are all brooding, the next you are shoving your tongue down my throat. I can’t figure your ass out, it pisses me off.” Damn, my girl was cute. “I know the thing with Ben had to piss you off. It pissed me off, but you are the one demanding we spend time together and then shutting me out. You can’t have both. I have no idea why, but I want to know what you’re thinking.”

  “I wanted to kill him,” I admitted through grit teeth. If I hadn’t shut her out, I would have made an even bigger scene in front of Celia, and my daughter was upset enough. “I mean, honest to god wanted to snap the fucker’s neck, but I didn’t. So, yes, I’m brooding now. That anger needs to go somewhere.” Cori swallowed and kissed the spot on the edge of my lip she liked so much. I didn’t let her pull back, though; my tongue slid into her mouth effortlessly, making her whimper and she gripped my shirt tighter. My cock appreciated the gesture a little too much. Her pulse picked up under my hand wrapped around her neck. All I could think about was how wet she was for me the other night. It took god-like self-control to not fuck her next to the river. All those thoughts sent the perv from the zoo out of my mind.

  The oven beeped and she snapped out of the trance I had her in. Cori cleared her throat, wiggling free from me with a warring tension on her face. It was like half of her wanted to stay there with me, but the other half wanted as far from me as possible, “I scared you, didn’t I? You’re afraid of me.” Maybe not me specifically, but the whole idea. Cori’s heartrate was from fear, not desire. Fuck. Her sister had tried to tell me how messed up Cori was, but I didn’t let her words get to me, or I tried not to. Arianna was a stuck-up bitch, but maybe she knew her sister better than I thought.

  The chicken was in the oven and I pulled her back to me. “Not for the reason you’re thinking. You didn’t scare me.” She jumped up on the counter and I settled between her knees. “I wouldn’t call it fear, either. This is just unsettling. I’ve never dated, ever, and I’ve made it my goal to keep men out of my life after Richard. I don’t know what I’m doing.” Cori opened her pretty little mouth to continue, but I grabbed her chin, kissing.

  “I don’t care.” She tried to speak again, but I covered her lips with my thumb. “Celia talks to you, talks to Axel.” Cori stared glaring, so I tried to hurry. Words were not my strong point. “I don’t do this shit, either. I get laid then move on, but you …” I raked my hands through my hair. “It’s been a few days and we have been on two really fucking awkward … outings. But I want to spend every possible second with you. I want you so fucking bad, Cori.” Her glares turned into a cocky smile and she patted my chest roughly.

  “You like me.” I huffed at her taunt. “The man the Jovie called ‘womanizer extraordinaire’ and fessed up to you trying to get in her pants, has actual feelings. Mr. I-Don’t-Treat-Women-Right or I-Don’t-Have-Relationships is getting all soft.” Cori shimmied forward so she was pressed into me, her tits against my chest, making my cock jump to attention. Nothing soft about it. Damn her being so sexy, and damn Jovie for running her mouth. I slid my hands up her back, under her shirt. Cori shuddered. “Say it,” she demanded, a little breathless.

  “What part?” I knew what my woman wanted to hear, but I wasn’t giving in so easily. As sold as I was, I wasn’t a complete pussy. “You want to hear how bad I wanna fuck you right now?” Cori rolled her eyes but her face turned red. “Fine, I want to bury my face between your legs, then I want to bury my dick there.” Her face turned bright red and she shoved me back, trying not to laugh.

  “You’re an animal, Griffin Steele. A Neanderthal.”

  I gathered her up in my arms, leaning as close to her as I could. “Yes, I am,” I whispered the words huskily in her ear. She leaned into me, my touch, despite trying desperately to fight it. “I always get what I want.”

  “I’m a mess, Griffin. Not your typical run-of-the-mill mess, but scared for my life kind of mess.” Cori rested her head on my chest, staring at the space between us. Her words hit me right in the gut. No one would ever touch her again, other than me, I would make damn sure of it. I was a mess too, but I had created my drama, literally. Cori hadn’t asked for any of it. If I ever got my hands on her ex, jail would be a fucking dream for the guy. He was missing his kid’s life by his own hand and had broken the most amazing woman I had ever met. Asshole.

  An alarm beeped, pulling me out of my head and Cori out of my arms. She wiped her face, putting an end to the tears forming in her eyes, and started plating dinner. We called for the girls to come eat. I helped her serve dinner on their patio. Axel talked incessantly, constantly, and without taking a breath all through dinner. I have no idea how the kid even ate with her mouth always moving, but Celia was responding. The kid was cute as hell. Axel was the opposite of Celia, and it was bringing out a side of her I had been hoping for. My princess laughed, answering questions, smiling the entire time. Cori didn’t speak to me or look at me all through dinner. Instead, she put on a happy face for the girls, focused on them, barely touching her food. She laughed with Ax, and Celia told her about school. It blew my mind that Cori had Celia talking so quickly, but Celia answered every question with eye contact and a smile. The girls finished up quickly, then ran into the fenced backyard to play on the swings. I cleared my throat to get Cori’s attention, jerking my head for her to come to me. She did, and I pulled her into my lap. I sprung to attention again when she snaked her hand up my chest and around my neck. I cocked my eyebrow at her, making her giggle and kiss my scar. It took me a few times to realize that she was kissing the scar specifically.

  “What happened?”

  “Bar fight. I was drunk, he was more drunk and was harassing the bartender. I told him to lay off the poor woman then he sucker punched me. Had a big ass football ring.” I ran my finger down the scar on her neck. “Your turn.”

  “I already told you,” Cori snapped, turning back to watch Celia chase Axel with a rubber snake, her jaw clenching. I nibbled behind her ear, down the line until she covered it with her hand. I pried it away, continuing my path to her shoulder. My girl gave up easily, leaning in and closing her eyes. Why was it so hard for me to tell her that I had feelings for her after just a few days? I heard what her sister said and it was complete shit. I wanted all of Cori. The good, the bad, and all the shitty baggage. “It’s getting dark. Should we put on a movie for them? Does C
elia need to go to bed?”

  I grumbled at her, keeping her in my lap. “Yeah, a movie sounds good.” Neither of us moved for a minute, enjoying the closeness. I was nowhere close to ready to go. After I had to restrain so much anger, Cori was exactly what I needed.

  The girls followed us in, Cori put in a movie while they changed, piling blankets in the floor for them to lay on. Axel and Celia were cuddled on the floor while we were on the couch. Something was on the TV, but I was stroking her hair, inhaling her scent, and desperate to get my hands on her rack. Cori swatted my hands away playfully every time I tried, but I was relentless, not the type to take no for an answer. She had to work in the morning, but I didn’t care, I needed her. I needed something.

  Celia and Axel drifted off on the floor as the movie ended and I pulled Cori into my lap, running my hand under her shirt. Her skin was soft, delicate against my callouses from work. I watched her chew her lip before crashing my mouth into hers. Ignoring her protests, I scooped her up, stepped lightly over the sleeping children, and carried her to her room.