Broken Trouble (Broken Storm #1) by Kristan Billups Page B

causing me to spin around.
    How did he do that? He was like a cowboy ninja, you could never hear him coming, even with the spurs on his boots.
                  All the boys straightened and shifted uncomfortably, nodding and saying, "Yes sir," to Chili.
                  Chili's eyes darted to each of the guys, watching them closely before nodding to the house. "I'll finish up here, y'all get up to the house and clean yourselves good for supper."
                  We headed off to the house and I felt Jayden wrap an arm around me, pulling me closer to him as we walked.
    His head dropped closer to my ear, "I can't promise I can keep my pants on around you, Sweetheart. Though I think when you see what I have to offer, you'll be blushing for an entirely different reason."
                  I could still feel the heat in my cheeks from catching a glimpse of Gavin, but Jayden's words made me blush harder.
    I laughed and shoved him away, hoping to cover up my embarrassment, "I'm not blushing, it's just the heat from the sun."
                  Jayden chuckled darkly before grabbing me around the waist, and lowering his face close to mine, "Sweetheart, don't bother lying to me," he lowered his voice even more, so only I could hear, his fingers brushing against my chin to tilt my head towards his, and his eyes intensifying as my breath stuck in my throat. His face, his lips were so close to mine, "I see you."
                  Jayden pulled his head back, rubbing his thumb across my chin before pulling back and walking towards the house. I stood there, frozen in place, watching the guys go inside and leaving me wondering just how much of me could he see.
     
     
     
    ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
     
     
                  I took extra time in the shower, making sure to scrub my skin and hair extra well. I pulled out, several small bits of cement stuck in my hair. The quick scrub down with Polly didn’t get it all out.
                  I rubbed lotion over my body and quickly dressed in my last clean pair of jeans, which were a black pair of studded skinny jeans. I pulled on a Screaming Mercy band shirt, the open mouth skull on the front had flames licking the bones. I found it illustrated how I felt most days, like the world was ripping me apart, slowly burning away my flesh until there was nothing left of me but a ghost of a soul.
                  I quickly brushed my hair and put on my usual black eyeliner, though I opted for chap stick instead of the dark lipstick that I always wore.
                  Examining myself in the mirror, I wondered what the guys saw in me. Why did Dylan like me so much? Did he just like me for my breasts or did he actually see something in my personality?
    Jayden said that he could see me, obviously he didn't mean just with his eyes. If he could see who I was on the inside, even if it was just a tiny piece, why was he attracted to me? I was sure that if anyone knew how destroyed and broken I was, then they would be running.
    So why weren't they? Did they not see how damaged I was? Was Gavin the only one who could see the darkness in me?
                  I sighed and walked back down the hall to my room to grab my shoes. I had to thank Polly for cleaning them. While I was scrubbing the cement off my body earlier today, she was scrubbing it off my shoes. I was glad that most of it came off since they were the only shoes I had, and I didn't have the money to replace them.
                  I went to the kitchen where Polly stood by the counter, patting thick hamburgers, a large pile sat on a platter and my eyes widened at the amount.
                  Polly glanced up and smiled at me, "Honey can ya get the steak sauce from the cabinet over there? The Wilkens are coming over this evening to pick up their cement truck and we're going to grill hamburgers and have us a bonfire. Clay's