Unbroken (The Disclosure Series Book 2) Page 4

  “Now it’s gonna be a party!” Morgan danced in her chair.

  Embry frowned. “I don’t know.” Something was up with those two. She rested her elbow on the table, her chin in her hand, gaze scanning the atrium. Morgan pulled sharply on her arm, demanding her attention. “What?”

  Looking somewhat guilty, Morgan forced a smile. “Yes or no?”

  Frustration clouded Embry’s features. She knew her friends were trying to keep her distracted, keep her mind off of things but— Just then, Morgan’s eyes quickly shot to Jeremy’s once more before darting across the room. Embry turned, following her friend’s gaze, and her chest immediately tightened. She’d seen him just an hour ago, but that didn’t stop her feelings from overwhelming her now, nerves kicking up a storm in her stomach. She wondered for the hundredth time if that feeling would ever go away.

  Luke was standing across the room—blue eyes shining, panty dropping smile lighting up his face—as he spoke to a colleague. Only Embry could see the emptiness behind his smile; it matched her own.

  “Bree? You okay?” Morgan whispered, her voice laced with concern.

  Ignoring her friend, she let out a long sigh, rested her chin in her palm again and stared unabashedly in his direction. It had only been a week since she’d spoken to him, been in his arms, but it felt like forever.

  He looked perfect as always in a pair of slim, dark blue khakis, and an oxford sport shirt tailored to show off every muscle in his arms. His hair was perfectly messy, and she ached to run her hands through it. She watched him wrap up his conversation, wave goodbye to the other professor, then stride through the atrium. She was mesmerized, and she wasn’t the only one. Every female head seemed to turn to track him.

  Abruptly, Luke shifted, his eyes colliding with hers, and her calm evaporated. She expected him to stand still, stare at her with the same pained expression she’d seen earlier, but he quickly changed course, heading straight for her. Instant panic shot through her, and the desire to escape nearly overcame her, but she fought it.

  He stopped directly in front of her, his eyes so intensely trained on hers she had to remind herself to breathe. Electricity crackled in the air between them.

  “Miss Jacobs.” His southern rasp melted over her, smooth and seductive.

  Her mouth went dry, and she struggled to speak. “L-Luke.”

  “How are you?” There was so much emotion behind those three words, so much meaning.

  She struggled with her answer. She wanted to tell him that she was a mess, that she missed him. And she wanted to scream and pound her fists into his chest, ask him how he could’ve hurt her again. But before she could form an answer, Jeremy’s hand shot out, gripping hers, and the moment was ruined.

  Luke’s gaze slowly shifted downward, focusing on Jeremy’s touch, and then turned cold. She quickly pulled her hand away, her eyes burning into Luke’s and hoping he understood that it wasn’t like that. She didn’t know why she felt the desperate need to explain herself, he was the one that needed to explain. But it was too late… she was sure the anguish on Luke’s face mirrored her own. And it seemed as if neither of them knew what to say.

  His hard eyes focused on Jeremy momentarily before he turned his attention back to her. Offering a forced smile and sad uncertainty in his expression, he turned and walked away.

  Jeremy glared at Luke’s back as Embry blew out a breath and let her head fall into her hands.

  “Wow,” Morgan mumbled, eyes wide with astonishment.

  Embry peeked over her hands at her best friend.

  “You two need to talk.”

  “We just did,” Embry answered, her hands falling into her lap.

  Morgan shook her head. “You stuttered his name,” she corrected, chuckling. “Maybe next time we can work on a few more syllables.”

  Embry shrugged. It was all too much. She couldn’t even begin to process her feelings at the moment.

  “Why do you do this to yourself?” Morgan asked.

  “Do what?”

  “You know exactly what.” Morgan poked her side. “You’re making yourself miserable. Just talk to him.”

  “I just don’t think I’m ready.” Once again, her emotions warred within her. Did she talk to him and get it over with? Did she end things, walk away for good?

  Morgan grinned mischievously. “You don’t think you’re ready? Do you need to practice? Want a warm up?”

  Embry rolled her eyes, but a smile snuck onto her face. “A warm up?”

  “Jeremy.” Morgan directed a smirk his way. “You be Luke. Sit there and look pretty, see if you can make your eyes all sparkly and intense like he does. Embry,” she waved her arm in encouragement, “you… be you. Okay. And go.”

  Jeremy shot Morgan a murderous glance before shoving away from the table and storming out.

  Morgan’s eyes widened in mock surprise. “Something I said?”

  “That wasn’t nice,” Embry scolded.

  “Neither was him metaphorically pissing in a circle around you when Luke walked over.” Morgan gave her a pointed look.

  Embry shook her head, but she knew Morgan was right. She let out a heavy sigh. With the way things were going, it was going to be a long semester.

  Sitting in her last class of the day, Embry’s mind drifted off while her professor went over the syllabus. Jeremy was next to her, laptop open, sending her obnoxious and inappropriate emails, all signs of his earlier tantrum gone. Her thoughts took her straight to Luke. She’d made it through the day. A few more minutes of class and she would be home free. She could barely breathe in his presence, but at least she’d seen him, gotten it out of the way. It would only get easier, right?

  A small text box popped up on her computer screen, alerting her to a new email. Professor Coleman. She was back full time and wanted to meet with Embry right away to discuss their research goals for the semester. Embry stifled a groan. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

  She’d been so close to being able to relax on her couch and drown her feelings in a glass of wine, but she figured she might as well get the meeting out of the way. The last time she’d seen Coleman, she was stumbling out of her office broken-hearted. Embry hoped this meeting would go much smoother. Typing out a quick reply, she agreed to stop by.

  When class ended, Embry hurried out, Jeremy on her heels.

  He tugged on her bag, pulling her to a stop. “You okay, Blondie?”

  “Yeah. Sure. Just have to run up to meet Coleman.”

  “Okay.” He sighed and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “I’ll see you later.” His big brown eyes were filled with emotion. It was so sincere it broke her heart.

  She gave him a shaky smile. “See ya, Jer.” Walking away, she mentally kicked herself. Great. Way to fuck things up, Bree. He was the last person she wanted to hurt, but she knew it was going to come to a head sooner or later. She didn’t want to believe his feelings were that strong, but it was becoming too obvious to ignore.

  Setting her concerns aside for the moment, she headed toward the faculty wing and pulled her tablet from her bag to review the research she’d be discussing with Coleman. When she reached her professor’s office, the door was partially closed. Embry knocked once and stepped through, then froze. Her mouth formed a greeting, but the words hung on her tongue as she came face to face with Luke. Again.

  How much more could she take in one day?

  She looked down, twisting her hands nervously. Her eyes traveled back and forth between Luke and her professor as she stuttered, “I—I’m sorry. I—um, I can come back.”

  “Don’t be silly, Miss Jacobs.” Professor Coleman waved her into the room. “I asked Professor Brody to stop in as well. I thought I’d get a better idea of the research you did if I had you both in front of me.”

  Embry was stunned. But Luke’s surprised expression made her realize that he had been caught off guard as well.

  Her mind churned with a hundred thoughts, none of them what she needed at the moment. Pushing the
m away, she masked the pain and confusion on her face and sat down beside Luke. “Professor Brody.” She nodded once in his direction.

  He returned the gesture. “Miss Jacobs.”

  She swallowed thickly as she breathed him in, her head swimming as the intoxicating scent of his cologne washed over her. She fought for control, his close proximity testing her will.

  “How was your winter break, Embry?” Professor Coleman interjected, momentarily breaking the tension.

  Embry glanced discreetly at Luke out of the corner of her eye. “It was… uneventful. Yours?”

  “Maddening,” she said with a wave of her arm. “After that semester long break, I’m happy to be back.”

  Embry smiled, hoping it looked genuine. Happiness wasn’t even remotely close to what she was feeling at the moment.

  “And yours Luke?” Coleman asked.

  Embry felt his eyes on her. “It was quiet, Deb. Thanks.”

  Always those southern manners, even when he was stewing on the inside. She knew him well enough to know he was struggling as much as she was. Or maybe not. She peeked over at him as he continued to discuss the research with Coleman—he was all cool composure. She, on the other hand, was anything but calm. She managed to tamp down her anger and hurt, but sitting so close to Luke was causing other feelings. Her dream from the other night floated through her mind, teasing her—the feel of his hands and lips and tongue all over her. A thrill of pleasure ran through her. It was almost too much to bear, and her body heated as memories slammed into her, one after the next.

  “So,” Coleman said, tearing Embry from her R-rated daydream.

  She felt a blush creep up her neck and hoped her thoughts weren’t apparent on her face. How she managed to get herself into these situations she’d never know. She was stuck in an office with her professor, having sexy thoughts about her kind of ex-boyfriend and previous professor. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Luke smirking.

  Giving herself another mental kick, she forced a smile and responded. “So.”

  “I’ve been over the research prepared by you and Professor Brody,” Coleman continued. “He and I are going to co-author an article based on your findings and I’d like you to contribute.”

  Embry’s eyes widened. Holy shit!

  “Also, I’ll be keeping you busy with some new research this semester when you have the time. Do you think you’re up for it, Embry?”

  She looked to Luke for approval without thinking. A genuine smile crossed his face, and he gave a slight nod.

  Her gaze snapped back to Coleman. “Yes. Yes, I’m up to it. Thank you, Professor.”

  “Wonderful!”

  They discussed the research in depth, touching on major points Coleman and Luke planned to focus on, and Embry set up a schedule with her professor for their meetings. Coleman mentioned that Luke might want to utilize Embry for some extra research, but she hoped it wouldn’t come to that. She wasn’t ready to work with him so closely. She didn’t know if she ever would be.

  Eager to leave, she packed up her tablet and notepad, said a quick goodbye and rushed out the door. She needed to put distance between herself and Luke. Being near him was too hard. She could think of a thousand reasons why they shouldn’t be together, but the minute she saw him it would all go out the window. She needed time to think. And some wine. Lots of wine.

  “Bree.”

  The commanding tone of his voice almost made her stop. Almost. Adrenaline rushed through her as she marched quickly toward the back stairwell. Her body was on fire, fighting against every instinct to turn around and rush back into his arms, his heart.

  I can’t do this. We can’t do this.

  Fighting herself and her instincts, she put as much space between them as she could without breaking into a flat-out sprint. She wasn’t running. Not really. Just strategically avoiding him until her emotions weren’t all over the place. Because at the moment, she didn’t know which way was up. Couldn’t decide what she wanted from one second to the next. And that wouldn’t do either of them any good.

  Apparently, she hadn’t gone fast enough, because she felt his presence behind her seconds before his fingers gripped her arm and he pulled her into an empty office. Shutting and locking the door behind him, he cornered her against the wall, his legs planted wide, his arms caging her in. Embry sucked in a breath, her chest heaving. He was everywhere—invading her space, her life, the very air she breathed.

  She pushed against his chest, but he wouldn’t budge. Fisting her hands at her sides, her nails dug into her palms. “What’re you doing?” she spat.

  His eyes burned into hers, and she was surprised to see anger there. “What I should’ve done the night you ran away from me.”

  “What, act like a caveman and drag me around against my will?” she taunted.

  He slammed his hand against the wall, causing her to jump. Dropping his head, he took a calming breath. “No, Embry. Force you to talk. Fight for you.” His voice cracked, pleading. “Not let you leave again.”

  “I needed space, Luke. I needed to think.”

  “And did you?” His eyes searched her face.

  “Did I what?” Frustration seeped from her every word. She wasn’t in control of the situation, hadn’t had time to sort her thoughts, and her emotions continued to war inside of her. But based on the back and forth she’d been putting herself through all day, she wondered if more time to think was really what she needed. Would it even help?

  “Did you think?” he pressed, his voice hopeful.

  “Yes,” she shot back.

  “And what did you come up with, sweetheart?”

  She glared at him and he raised his eyebrows. He was throwing attitude, but she could see right through it, see the pain beneath.

  “Well?”

  “You lied.” Her voice was laced with the heartbreak.

  “I did,” he conceded, swallowing hard. “I’m sorry.”

  “You should be.” She crossed her arms over her chest and fought for composure. He was way too close.

  His mouth turned downward, a pained expression settling on his face. “I am. I fucked this all up.”

  “You did,” she agreed smugly, and his sad eyes flashed with anger.

  “But so did you, Bree.”

  “Me?” She blinked once.

  “You said you wouldn’t run.”

  “You said you wouldn’t lie!” she countered.

  “Fine.” A muscle jumped in his jaw as he clenched it tight. “I won’t. Want to start right now?”

  “Start what?” Where was he going with this? She didn’t want to start anything. She wanted to go home, crawl under the covers and hide from all these feelings swirling within her.

  “Telling the truth.”

  “I haven’t seen you in a week,” she reminded him, “haven’t spoken to you once, but somehow in that time you’ve found something more to hide from me?” Embry scoffed.

  He sighed heavily.

  “Well?” she threw his question back at him.

  Finally, he dropped his arms, but didn’t move back or give her any space. His expression softened, and she braced herself. He was about to destroy her once more. She felt it.

  “Sydney’s here.”

  He watched as a full range of emotions played out across her face. Her complexion lost some of its color, and he imagined he’d just turned her whole world on its axis… again.

  “Wh-what?” she questioned.

  “Sydney, the girl that—”

  “I know who she is, Luke,” Embry cut him off, her voice harsh. “She’s here?”

  He nodded. “She showed up on my doorstep the night you left.”

  “Oh, how convenient!” She threw her hands into the air. “So you got your happily ever after, then? Back with the girl you loved? The student you lost it all for? The girl whose place I was holding for you?” Her eyes were wide and wild.

  Her words hit him like daggers. “How could you possibly think…” He trailed
off, caught up in his own thoughts and anger. “What about you?” he accused.

  “What about me, Luke?” Her voice shook with anger.

  “You left with Jeremy. I saw the way he touched you today—staking his fucking claim.”

  Her mouth went slack as she stared at him in disbelief. “You think I want Jeremy?”

  “You don’t?”

  “No!” she practically shouted.

  Luke leaned in. He clenched his fists briefly before releasing his grip and reaching up to cup her face. “Who do you want, Bree?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

  She didn’t say a word, just stood motionless, staring resolutely into his eyes. His gaze dropped to her plump mouth. Her lips parted, and with the slight lift of her chin, Luke had all the invitation he needed.

  Without another word, he crushed his lips to hers. She let out a small sigh of protest before opening for him, his tongue sweeping in to tangle with hers. Warmth flooded his body as she responded to his kiss. She gripped his shirt, pulling him closer, quiet noises of satisfaction escaping her lips. Digging his hands into her hair, he tilted her head, deepening the kiss. He tried so hard to maintain control, but his body ruled him as he pushed her hard against the wall.

  “No,” she cried, tearing herself away. Her hands, gripping his shirt just a minute ago, were now fisted and pounding into his chest. “No! You don’t get to do this!” she yelled as she shoved him off. “You don’t get to come in here and charm your way back into my broken heart with your—your—your stupid good looks and seductive southern whatever!”

  Luke stepped back, his eyes wide and blinking. He wasn’t sure whether to be amused or upset. Before he had time to make up his mind, Embry pulled him in again, this time wrapping her arms around his neck as she slammed her mouth against his. He followed her lead, folding her in his arms as she nipped at his lip and slid her tongue into his mouth. She was all he’d wanted—no, needed—over the past week. The lies, his fucked up past, it all seemed to vanish when she was in his arms.

  But then she was pulling away again.

  Slowly, her hands fell to his chest. “No,” she whimpered. Her face was flush, she was beautiful as ever, but when she looked up at him, the pain he saw made him want to fall to his knees and beg her forgiveness. She trailed her fingers down the front of his shirt before pushing away. “Just… no.”