Broken Bond by C.J. Primer

34

CALLUM

A gust of warm air whooshes into my face as I push through the door to exit the squad complex, the summer sun beating down relentlessly overhead. We’re in the middle of what feels like an endless heat wave. The grass of the practice field is crunchy underfoot as I step out onto it, dying of thirst and begging for rain, and despite the fact that I just showered off the sweat I worked up while training, my t-shirt is already clinging to my body like a second skin by the time I reach the outer gate to head for the parking lot.

“Yo Cal, wait up!” a voice calls from behind me, and I swivel to see Logan jogging my way, his clunky motorcycle boots thudding against the ground.

I pause to wait for him, idly twirling the keys to my Corvette around a finger.

He flashes me a smile as he approaches, two rows of straight white teeth gleaming and a pair of dimples sinking into his cheeks. Handsome fucker. “Think you can find some time this week to finish my chest piece?” he asks, fingers trailing over his left pec where he’s sporting my ink beneath his shirt.

“Yeah, for sure. My schedule’s wide open these days.” I rake a hand through my hair. ” Just let me know when you’re up for it.”

His eager grin widens. “Shit, I’d do it right now, but I’m headed to Westfield to see Jax and Quinn. Maybe tomorrow?”

“Sure,” I shrug, though truthfully, I’m just as eager as he is. I’ve been fucking around with my tattoo gun on myself for a while now, but the only other person I’ve ever tattooed is Nessa. That is, until Logan and I got to talking about our ink while we were away on the mission. When he found out I’d done it all myself, he asked if I’d do one for him, and I jumped at the chance. There’s

just a certain thrill that comes with seeing my art come to life on someone else’s skin.

Logan claps me on the shoulder and the two of us start toward the parking lot, falling into an easy stride with one another. “So can we count on you for the next mission?” he asks, swinging his gaze to me. “The IT unit

thinks they may have identified another

offshoot of the shadow pack, wants to send a team to investigate.”

“Nah, man,” I grumble. “Think I’m gonna stick around here for a while.”

He arches a brow in surprise, stopping short in front of his motorcycle parked at the curb. I swivel to face him as I palm my keys.

“Any particular reason?” he asks, a knowing smirk pulling at his lips.

Yeah, Logan knows about Ness. He was tasked with leading the mission, and he’s the one person on our team that I really connected with- we’ve got a lot in common.

with our mutual passion for art and ink. He noticed all my sketchbooks lying around the dingy motel rooms we holed up in while we were away, and when he thumbed through one, he happened to see a sketch or two of!!!! my muse. Or fifty. I can’t help that all my recent sketchbooks are full of her face.OTR

He doesn’t wait for me to answer because he

already knows. “You get her back yet?”

“Working on it,” I grunt.

Logan gets a mischievous glint in his eye,

his smirk deepening. “Was that what you were doing at the swimming hole yesterday?” 3

Shit, I’d actually deluded myself into thinking Nessa and I had been discreet. Then again, I can’t remember the last time I drank that much- it’s not exactly like I was firing on all cylinders when I jumped her in the water.

I reach up to rub the back of my neck, wincing. “You saw that?”

“You two all over each other?” he snorts.

Yeah, hard to miss.”

While a natural reaction would probably be to feel something akin to embarrassment, for some reason, I get a surge of smug satisfaction, my wolf preening with pride for publicly staking our claim. Not that I have any right to, not after the way I left.

“I still don’t know where we stand,” I admit, heaving a sigh. “We were both a little drunk yesterday. I have a feeling she might have woken up this morning with second thoughts.”

“Ah, you’ll figure it out,” Logan says with a cavalier grin. “Take her out to a fancy dinner or buy her something nice. Girls love that shit.”

I shake my head, chuckling wryly. If only it were that easy. “Not this girl,” I mumble.

Even if I could afford to do that, Nessa’s not the type to be impressed by flashy presents or fine dining. It’s more about the little things with her. She’d take a scenic view over a stuffy restaurant any day, or a drawing out of my sketchbook over expensive jewelry. The things that make her eyes light up are the ones you can’t put a price tag on.

Logan shrugs, stepping up to his motorcycle and kicking a leg over. “Find another way to get back on her good side, then. You’ll think of something.” He starts the engine, the deep hum vibrating through my body as he revs it a few times. “Flowers usually help, all girls like flowers. There’s a floral shop in Summervale.” I wrinkle my nose at his suggestion and Logan shrugs again.

before she has a chance to sit and stew about yesterday. You

sweat after spending ten fucking minutes out in this oppressive heat.

away from the curb.

my Corvette as I hear the roar of the

seeking out Nessa, the longer she’ll have to overanalyze what happened yesterday; the longer she’ll have to decide that

to come up

clutching the edge of the heavy wooden front door of the Norbury packhouse like a shield as she peers out at me

swagger, but it’s all false bravado. I’m

and my heart is pounding so hard that it feels like it’s about to burst from my chest and splatter into to a pulpy mess at my feet.

Cal from six months ago would slap the shit out of me right now for being such a pussy and getting all awkward and nervous around a girl. This isn’t just

hidden behind the back of my thigh. I lift the small bouquet of white

take them from me. “Aw, I love carnations,” she breathes, her

about flowers or have ever bought them for someone before. I didn’t even think to ask the florist at the shop in Summervale what kind they

I ended up walking out with, I thought I was getting a deal.

for me at the garage while I’m waiting for my stipend from the mission to hit

smiles, pulling the door open wider and taking a step backwards. “Just

Logan. 5

while Nessa carries the

the sink. “So where are you taking me?” she asks over her shoulder as she puts the flowers in the glass of water and arranges them just so, fussing over

“You’ll see.”

but I keep my

waist to slip them on her feet, giving me a nice view of her ass in the little white pair of

glimpse of her ass, but it’s not my fault my gaze immediately drops to drink in another eyeful. It really is a perfect ass, perky and round. I get the flash of a memory of squeezing it in my hands, my fingertips

we approach the Corvette, her expression twisting. It doesn’t register at first, but bile crawls up my

beauty of the old, restored car that I had poured so much sweat and effort into. When she climbed in, I remember how she took in every detail of the dilapidated

it with apprehension, all the good memories painted over by the

it and pressing my

in shock as they ping between the set of keys in her hand and my face. “Really?”

turns to look at the Corvette, her expression slowly shifting from apprehension to excitement. “But this car’s like your baby,” she points

else behind the wheel of this car makes me a little bit queasy, but I shove that down because I’m really trying here. It’s a gesture, one that I’ll hope she understands for what it

to stare into her eyes earnestly. You gave me your trust before, but I didn’t give you mine. I should’ve trusted you with my secrets and let you make your own choice. And I should’ve trusted myself to keep you safe rather than just bailing out on you.” I reach up to touch her face, running my thumb gently along the curve of her jaw. Her throat bobs beneath my knuckles with a hard swallow. “I know I fucked up everything when I left, but I’m trying to make it right. Figured the first step

her little tremble of

Corvette. I watch Nessa climb in behind the wheel, her long tan legs slipping inside, her lithe fingers gripping the key as she turns it in

of the few things in this world that I give a shit about, and relinquishing control of

killing you, isn’t it?” Nessa giggles from beside me, darting me a glance and clocking the tight

I tip

the end of the driveway and

My lungs constrict.

way?” she asks, braking a little too hard at the stop

to the left. She takes the turn, and I lean forward to hit the button for the radio, cranking up the volume to calm

the main forest road, still not giving up our destination. She takes a few of the turns a little too fast for my liking, my hands scrabbling for purchase on the ceiling of the car, which she finds fucking hilarious. Although my heart’s in my throat, her giggle soothes my nerves like music to my ears. Nessa’s laugh is one of the things I missed most about her while I was away, and I’ll trade my discomfort for her happiness any

a narrow one-lane road with sporadic places to pull off to let other cars through. There’s hardly ever any traffic, but the last thing I want is for her to chance it by going too fast and send the

appreciate. If we can make

I instruct as we near the peak, barely restraining myself from reaching over and grabbing the wheel. “The road ends

eyeroll. She does slow down, though, and when the Corvette finally rolls to a stop and she cuts the engine, I blow out a long breath, my muscles sore from being bunched so tensely

seatbelt, throwing it off my shoulder. “C’mon,” I

suit, climbing out of the drivers’ side

I grin when she shakes her head, taking her hand in mine and tugging

I hop up onto the top of the stony plateau, offering her a hand to help her up. As soon as she climbs up to join me and looks out at the scene spread before her, Nessa’s eyes round in awe,

she breathes, her head on a swivel as she takes it all in.

the whole six-pack territory. From this vantage point, you can see the swell of nearby mountaintops and the snow-capped peaks of those in the distance. The lush foliage of the forest is spread out below, teeming with life, and the wide river that borders Stillwater’s territory stands out in contrast, a winding

face as she drinks in the

amazing,” Nessa murmurs closer

her arm, tugging her back before she can take another step. “Careful,” I warn, nodding toward

her lips. “So you didn’t bring me

I flinch.

it. She doesn’t, though. The smile drops from her face, her cheeks flushing. “Shit, sorry, I didn’t mean …” Nessa rushes out, stumbling over her words. “I was just kidding around, I didn’t think…”