Unbroken (The Disclosure Series Book 2)

  Unbroken

  COPYRIGHT © 2014 by Rose Hunter

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, incidents and places depicted are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or publisher.

  Editor: Megan Hand

  Interior Design: Angela McLaurin, Fictional Formats (https://www.facebook.com/FictionalFormats)

  Cover design: Mae I Design and Photography (http://www.maeidesign.com)

  Cover photo © Tomasz Zienkiewicz Photography (http://zieniu.pl)

  Cover Model: Paula Tumala and Marcin Kłos

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  EPILOGUE

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  To second chances…

  The bartender poured another two fingers of Scotch and walked away. Rolling the tumbler in his hand, he stared intently into the bottom of the glass before throwing his head back and downing the shot. Liquid fire burned his throat and warmed his insides as the alcohol made its way into his bloodstream. He signaled the bartender for another.

  Sitting in the middle of the crowded bar, he was dealing with his feelings the only way he knew how —slinging back Blue Label until his mind was so foggy that he could no longer focus on the thoughts plaguing him. His brother had left an hour ago. He’d promised he was okay, that he’d head home soon, but he couldn’t make himself move. The stool was his lifeline, the drink his salvation.

  The grand jury had handed down its indictment earlier that day, sealing his fate. He’d known it might be coming, but part of him had held onto the tiny sliver of hope that he wouldn’t have to risk everything to protect his family. His father was being charged with corruption—bribing local government officials to direct millions of dollars’ worth of contracts to the company. Now it was up to him to fix it.

  In order to do that, he’d be forced to put everything on the line, including his license to practice law. It went against everything he believed in—truth, honor, ethics— everything he’d been taught. But family came first. Blood was thicker and all that bullshit. All this time he’d avoided any involvement in his father’s company, wanting to go his own way, but now he was left with no choice.

  He waved the bartender over for another. One more pour, one more shot, the numbness taking over.

  “Might want to slow it down a bit,” came a sugary sweet voice to his right.

  He swiveled on the stool, squinting and willing his blurry eyes to focus. Trouble had just walked in. She stood next to him in ridiculously high heels, short shorts, and a loose tank top. Try as he might, the alcohol made it impossible to ignore the curve of her ass and the lift of her tits.

  She waited patiently as his greedy eyes traveled her body. She’d been pursuing him all semester, what started out as harmless flirtations quickly turning into inappropriate comments and advances. His office hours had become an exercise in restraint as her skirts got shorter and her necklines dipped lower. She’d made it clear on many occasions what she wanted, but he was determined not to give in. He may not have had the best track record when it came to women—he’d never had trouble finding a body to warm his bed—but he refused to cross that line. Not with a student.

  As she slid onto the stool next to him, her eyes widened with fake innocence, her hand drifting into his lap. “Rough night?”

  “You could say that.” The alcohol had muddled his brain, sending his judgment right out the fucking window, and he suddenly couldn’t remember why he’d fought so hard to stay away.

  Her tongue darted out, trailing across her bottom lip and drawing his attention to her full, pouty mouth. At the same time, she slowly walked her fingertips up his thigh, closer to where he shouldn’t want her. He reached down, stilling her hand in his lap and making sure she felt exactly how she was affecting him. He would soon be compromising everything he believed in to defend his father. Why not toss his morals too?

  Fuck it.

  Rolling out of bed the next morning, he pried himself away from the body wrapped around him and planted his feet on the floor. His head was spinning, his stomach churning. He wasn’t a stranger to one-night stands, but he usually had a bit more memory of what had happened the night before. He’d have to lay off the Johnnie Walker if he was going to make it through his father’s trial.

  He ran a hand through his hair and sat back in the bed. He’d give himself a minute to wake up, and then hightail it out of there. A mass of blonde hair was spread out on the pillow next to him, but he was focused on the whale tale of her thong peeking out from beneath the sheets. Damn.

  He reached for his phone on the nightstand to check the time when she rolled up onto his chest.

  “Mmm, good morning, professor.”

  His heart ceased in his chest. “Sydney…”

  Luke stared at her, and she gazed back expectantly. His mind churned. How the fuck do I get myself into these situations? Embry had just left him and driven off in the arms of another man, partly because of the girl standing in front of him, and now here she was on his doorstep.

  His breath came in short bursts, his windpipe constricting in panic. “What—” He clenched his jaw, then paused, taking a calming breath and running a hand haphazardly through his hair. “What are you doing here, Sydney?” His voice was harsh and cold, but he couldn’t help himself. She was the last person he wanted to see, let alone hear from ever again.

  “You’re not happy to see me?” she asked, her usually sweet southern twang grating on his already frayed nerves.

  “I—” He rubbed at the back of his neck, considering how to answer and decided on the truth. “No, Sydney, I’m not. What do you want?”

  She reared back as if he’d slapped her, clearly not expecting his reaction. Luke’s southern manners were nowhere in sight. In the past, he’d always been kind to her, even as she’d sold him down the river. Not anymore. He had enough shit in his life. He didn’t need her bullshit.

  “I just, um, well, I had nowhere else to go.” Her eyes widened into pools of blue innocence, and her lips formed a perfectly practiced pout, but he knew her too well. She was so good at playing her part; it was impossible to distinguish when she was actually being serious.

  Good thing he didn’t care either way. He didn’t care about her—period. “And somehow you decided that I was the right perso
n to turn to? Sorry if I find that hard to believe.”

  “You’ve always been so nice to me, even after… everything.”

  Luke let out a snort. “After everything? Let’s just lay it all out there, shall we? What you really mean is after manipulating me, taking advantage of me, and then trying to use what happened to ruin my career and advance your own, right?”

  She lowered her head, and for a second Luke almost believed that she felt a small degree of shame over her actions. Almost.

  “Everyone in Savannah hates me; they blame me for what happened. My reputation is shit, and I can’t find a job. I overheard some of the faculty talking, saying that you’d gotten a position at a school up here.” She bit her lip nervously, but it didn’t have nearly the same effect on him as when Embry did it. “And I thought you could help.”

  “You thought I could help.” He shook his head in disbelief.

  “It took two of us that night,” she spat, her eyes narrowed at him.

  There it was. Her innocent façade finally faded and her true personality clawed its way to the surface. Sydney was the queen of manipulation, pouting her way through life to get what she wanted. He’d fallen for it once. Never again.

  “You’re right, Sydney. Thank you for the reminder. That night was the biggest mistake of my life, and I’m still paying for it.” He turned his back on her and slammed the door, ignoring her continued pleas.

  Leaning back, Luke scrubbed his hands down his face. His head throbbed as his mind spun and the ache in his chest intensified. He wanted Embry—needed to lose himself inside of her and not think about all the mistakes he’d made. She was the one thing he’d done right.

  He breathed out a heavy sigh as his mind went to the last night they’d spent together before the hearing. He pictured her on her back, her body soft and welcoming beneath his as he pushed inside of her. Those bright emerald eyes focused on him as if he were her world. Then before he could stop it, his memory quickly morphed and he saw her as she was just a few hours ago—tears staining her cheeks, sad eyes filled with the hurt that he had caused.

  Frustrated and disappointed in himself, he lifted his gaze to the ceiling and banged his head back against the door. All the pain, all the problems he’d dealt with over the past year and a half, it all came down to one thing, one person—Sydney.

  Overwhelmed by his anger, he exploded from the door, launching himself toward the entry table. With a loud bark, he threw his arms across the surface sending everything flying. A small lamp, a decorative ceramic dish, pictures of him and Embry, of his family, all crashed to the floor. He walked past, shattered glass crunching beneath his feet as he made his way to the liquor cabinet.

  Embry let out a soft moan as she snuggled into the warmth of the strong arms around her. She was exactly where she wanted to be, and for the first time in almost a week, she felt content, happy… except for the slight pounding in her skull.

  She cracked her eyes open, peeking out from beneath her lashes only to slam them shut again when the sunlight assaulted her too-sensitive vision. Ouch. She lay in the bed, waiting for the hazy fog to lift and her eyes to adjust to the bright light of day.

  The arms around her tightened and their owner let out an unfamiliar, sleepy groan. Embry stiffened and her eyes popped open. Suddenly, the sweet warmth of his body was a searing fire burning her bare skin and sending her into a panic. Slowly dragging herself from his embrace, she sat up in the bed. Her gaze traveled the room, taking in her surroundings before looking down at herself and realizing her clothes were missing, save her barely-there bra and panties. Taking a deep breath and bolstering her resolve, she turned to glance over her shoulder at the man asleep next to her. He lay on his back, his arm thrown over his head, hard-lined chest and abs on display.

  Embry’s stomach dropped violently and tears began to fall freely from her eyes. Jeremy. Oh no. No, no, no.

  Pulling her knees to her chest, she searched her memory, trying and failing to put together the pieces of the previous night. Tears coated her cheeks as she ran through the possibilities.

  She’d been staying with Jeremy since the New Year, partying her pain away and desperately trying to drink Luke from her mind. But it hadn’t worked, and now she was feeling emptier than ever.

  Her heart ached for him, and she was starting to realize that no matter how far she ran, she’d never get away. In truth, she didn’t want to. She was inexplicably tied to him. Bound. He’d fuck up and she’d run, but could she really keep her distance? She needed him. Too bad this epiphany was coming after possibly doing something that meant he’d never want to see her again.

  A soft caress on her back caused Embry to jump. She turned and stared back at Jeremy, her eyes red-rimmed and wet with tears.

  “Bree?” he asked, his voice thick with sleep.

  She stared back, unable to speak.

  He sat up slowly, his wary eyes never leaving hers.

  “Did…” She choked on the words as the tears came faster and her chest heaved. “Did we… did I…”

  Pain sliced across Jeremy’s face before hardness crept over his features. “No, Embry,” he said, words sharp as a knife. “We didn’t.”

  “Oh! Thank God!” The breath whooshed from her lungs as she sagged in relief and turned to leave the bed, missing the hurt on her friend’s face.

  “Would it have been so bad?” he mumbled behind her.

  Embry paused to look back at him, but she couldn’t form a response. Convincing herself that she’d heard him wrong, she started to stand when his fingers wrapped firmly around her arm, pulling her back.

  “Embry,” he said, his eyes boring into hers.

  She glanced away, unable to hold his gaze. Sadness swept through her and a tidal wave of emotion followed, causing fresh tears to escape down her cheeks. How much easier would it be to fall for Jeremy? He was handsome, sweet, caring, and there was no denying it anymore, he adored her. There would be no sneaking around, no lies, and she was sure he’d do everything in his power to make her happy. But as much as she wished she could feel something more for him, anything, it just wasn’t there. Her heart no longer belonged to her. It was with Luke.

  Jeremy reached up, his thumb sweeping away a stray tear on her cheek. He pulled her into his chest, his strong arms surrounding her, and she let him. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  He kissed her hair and rested his chin on her head. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have.”

  She pulled away, looking up into his kind eyes. “I don’t know what to say, Jer.”

  He smiled sadly and lifted his shoulder in defeat. “You don’t have to say anything, Bree.”

  “I love him, Jeremy. I—”

  “It’s fine. I know,” he assured her. But she knew it was far from fine.

  Embry looked down at her mostly naked body, then over to Jeremy’s bare chest. “If we didn’t… then how did I—?”

  Jeremy shook his head. “You were wasted again.”

  “So you decided to take my clothes off?” she joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

  Jeremy rolled his eyes, his mouth tilting up into a sly smile. “Yep, you know me. I’ll take it any way I can get it.”

  “Hey, I wouldn’t put it past you.” She swatted at his chest. “If we slept together, we both could’ve scored big bucks on our bets with Morgan. Talk about insider banging.”

  His expression turned serious. “If we slept together, Embry, it would have nothing to do with a bet.” He pinched her side, playful again. “Go put some clothes on before I change my mind.” His tone was teasing, but she could see the desire darkening his eyes.

  “Fine, fine.” Embry got up from the bed and rooted around the room she’d been staying in, looking for the duffle bag full of clothes that Morgan had sent with Jeremy’s driver a few days earlier. She groaned and held her head as her hangover took over.

  “Just for the record,” Jeremy stated, “I was the one that tried to get you to stay in last night. But nooooo.” H
e dragged out the word, his mouth forming a perfect “o” as his eyebrows rose.

  She chuckled. “I needed drink and dance therapy.”

  “Yeah, and a naked cuddle with your best friend?” he said with a pointed look.

  “How did we lose our clothes?” she pressed, still curious.

  “You came crawling into my bed, saying you didn’t want to be alone and dragged me back here. You had already lost your clothes at that point,” he said, eyeing her bare body, “and I sleep like this.”

  “There better be something on under that sheet,” she only half joked.

  Jeremy raised an eyebrow and slowly began to lift the sheet. “Wanna find out?”

  “Keep that sheet where it is, buster.” She pointed a stern finger at him.

  “Or what?” he challenged.

  Embry shook her head. She was glad she and Jeremy were able to fall back into their banter so easily without any awkwardness. Though maybe she was feeling a little too comfortable around him in her bra and panties. With that thought, she grabbed her duffle and headed to the bathroom to pull on some clothes. When she came out, Jeremy had gone from the bedroom. She packed up the rest of her things and carried them to the living room. Jeremy was lounging on the couch in a T-shirt and shorts, staring intently at the computer on his lap.

  “Whatcha up to?” She dropped her bags and melted onto the couch next to him.

  “Grades,” he said, his eyes never leaving the screen.

  “Grades?” She leaned closer, catching a glimpse of the display. Her stomach was suddenly in her throat.

  Jeremy nodded.

  “Grades,” she repeated, this time not a question. She’d been so wrapped up in her own world, doing whatever she could to numb her pain and ignore her reality. “How could I have forgotten?”

  Jeremy lifted his arm and pulled her to his side. “You’ve had a lot going on, Blondie. Want to see how you did?”

  Embry snuggled closer, wishing that Jeremy’s warmth would fill the emptiness inside of her. She shook her head and rested her chin on his shoulder, peeking at the screen. “No. How did you do?”