Breaking Her Bad by Michelle Mankin

 

 

 

 

 

Kyle

Four weeks without a leash. Four weeks of Martin-free air.

Well, mostly Martin-free.

I knew he was my uncle. I had to acknowledge that a part of him, a very small one, lived inside me. But I focused on the fact that it was my mother’s DNA in me, not his. Family wasn’t genetics. It was who you would go into the viper’s den to retrieve. Perspective mattered. Motivations mattered. Claire had taught me that.

I tightened my arm around my woman, continuing along the sidewalk toward school. Missy strolled alongside us. A few students waved, calling out to Claire, and she waved back. The class she’d started teaching new students was popular. But then, so was she.

“Yo, Kyle.” A football player jogged up to me. “You got any tickets left for the show on Thursday night?”

“Dunno,” I said. Thursday was a much more serious deal than Tuesdays at Footit’s. “Check with our band manager slash fan-club president.” I hooked a thumb at Missy.

“You’re a lucky guy, Pender.” Missy smiled at him, completely bullshitting. “We happen to have a few left.”

The truth was, we had about a hundred more tickets to move, but she’d move them. She was better at it than I’d ever been with product. It helped to believe in what you were selling.

As Missy veered off the sidewalk, taking Pender with her, Claire and I continued. I was walking her to class. I walked her to class nearly every day. It was glorious.

Inside the building, we went to my locker first. I was a serious student nowadays. Turned out, I had a thing for math. We were going to be a big rock band someday, but I wasn’t going to idly stand back and let a record label swindle us. There were many ways to love and protect my woman. This was only one of them.

At Claire’s locker, I noted Chad’s arrival at Missy’s. He came by every day.

There was no chance for him with her. But then again, I’d had no chance with Claire either, yet here I was.

Not one to waste a moment with Claire, not even one, I framed her pretty face and kissed her. I was always kissing her. Her lips were lush. She was my sweet addiction, one I could never get enough of.

“Enough, Mr. Murphy,” a voice boomed, one that Claire and I both knew well.

“Mr. Garrett.” Peeling my lips away from heaven, I glared at him.

“Get to class, both of you.” A smile played on his lips. “Learn something.”

Mumbling to himself, he moved on.

I took my woman’s hand and moved us on too. We had bigger and better things planned. Or I certainly did. I had a surprise for Claire today. It was my birthday, but celebrating for me meant her. Making her happy made me happy.

“Nice day today,” I said, leaning my elbow against the wall over Claire’s head outside Mr. Schubert’s door.

“It is.” She tilted her head. “There’s something better than just the unseasonably warm weather that’s good about it. But I just can’t remember what it is.”

“Hmm,” I said, playing along. “Could it be your boyfriend’s band kicking ass at Footit’s?”

“Our band.” She narrowed her beautiful brown eyes at me.

“Nominally ours.”

Her mom, Addy, Barry—everyone had an opinion about how to make us better. It was annoying sometimes, but at the same time it was great.

Could you ever have too many people giving a shit about you?

“Better go into class, bestie.” Missy approached us, a gleam in her eye. “Bell’s about to ring. Only forty tickets left.” She grinned before heading in.

Claire beamed up at me. “She’ll have them all gone by lunchtime.”

I nodded. “I’d better get going.”

“Okay. But not far.”

I was never far from Claire. She wasn’t just my oxygen . . . she was the reason I breathed. My dream come true. My reason to do better than my old man did, no matter what happened with the band.

Claire draped her arms around my neck. “See you later.”

I brought mine around her, nice and low. Grabbing her ass, I crushed her to me, then kissed her again. Hard.

Sure, there was a twinge of discomfort from my healing ribs, but I didn’t mind. I turned the pain on its ass. I was where I wanted to be, with who I wanted, doing what I wanted to do—almost as much as I could do.

Yeah, my dick made its intentions known. But I didn’t want to get my girl into trouble.

Not yet. Not until she was naked, and I had plenty of time for us to play.

• • •

 

Claire

Four weeks. Four weeks with Kyle being free. No clouds in his eyes, just smoke and fire for me.

Here, I wasn’t just a girl to protect. In Southside, I was his woman.

At lunch, I leaned into Kyle. Across the table from us, Missy swirled a plastic spoon through the glop of mystery meat stew on her tray while Chad played with a lock of her hair. She pretended not to like it. Tommy sat a little away from the rest of us, drumming on the table with his sticks. He had them in his pocket and drummed practically everywhere.

“We doing my mom’s song again to open?” I asked.

“Definitely,” Kyle said. “That song is gold, especially the way you sing it.”

“I think it’s gold the way you play it.”

“I thought I might add a lick at the beginning before you sing. What do you think?” He eyed me first, then Tommy.

“Go for it.” Tommy lifted his chin. “You always rock it.”

“We’ll just try to keep up with you.” I took his hand and squeezed it. “We trust you to make us look good.”

“Music isn’t just a part of me anymore.” Kyle’s brows drew together. “It’s what I do now, and I love doing it with you guys.”

It’s what we all loved. We ate, slept, and dreamed music. That is, when Kyle and I weren’t finding new and imaginative ways to make love to each other.

“C’mon.” Kyle abruptly stood. “I wanna show you a surprise before you go to band.”

“Okay.” I climbed out and followed him.

Wherever Kyle led, I would follow. Besides the fact that he had an amazing ass shown to perfection in his jeans, his sexy ramble was the beat my heart grooved to.

“But hold up,” I said. “I want to show you my surprise first.”

Kyle frowned at me. “I told you not to do anything big. We need to save up for an amp.”

Squinting at him, I pursed my lips. “Define big.”

“Claire . . .”

“Just come see.” I took his hand and steered him out the back of the school.

He hit me with a questioning look. “Your surprise is in the parking lot?”

“Um, yeah. Tommy brought it in his van. He parked it beside Missy’s Oldsmobile.”

“Holy fucking shit!” Kyle’s mouth dropped open as he stared at the brand-new matte-black KTM motorbike.

Nervous, I twisted my hands. “I don’t know if it’s the make you would choose.”

“It’s perfect.” He looked at me, his eyes swimming with emotion. “How did you afford this?”

“I sold my bracelet.”

“Claire, no.” He shook his head.

Please accept it.” My eyes burned. “I kept the sparrow charm; I just sold the chain. I want to go for rides with you again. Feel as free as we are.”

“Okay.” His eyes were wet and shone like the brightest star. “Thank you.”

Kyle gathered me close, pressed his lips to mine, and all was right in the world.

No.When he kissed me, we were the world.

• • •

 

Kyle

“My turn to surprise you,” I said softly.

“Okay.” Claire dipped her chin. “Lead the way.”

I offered her my hand, and she took it. I led, trusting her to keep up. Not just trusting, I knew she would. Claire didn’t just acclimate to my world. She made it hers too, and she ruled it.

When I opened the door and headed up the stairwell, she asked, “We’re going to the roof?”

“Yes, you’re so observant,” I teased.

“We haven’t been up there since . . .”

“Since I fucked you.” I stopped before opening the door. “Not fucking you today.”

Claire’s smile dropped. “You’re not?”

“No.” I threw open the door and pulled her outside with me. “I’m making love to you.”

“Oh, Kyle.” Her eyes filling, she spun around, taking in everything I’d done, and I spun on magical currents from the look of wonder on her face. “When did you have the time to do this?”

“I had help. We have those lottery-jackpot friends of ours.” I pointed. “Do you wanna try to feed some of them? Sometimes the finches will eat right out of your hand.”

I took her hand again, escorting her to the feeders on the far end of the roof. There were several, plus a bird bath and different potted plants that attracted birds.

“I like watching them do what they prefer to do,” she said.

“Free to fly, to sing, to love when and however they choose, just like we are,” I said, knowing what she didn’t say.

Claire gave me a slow smile. “I love that you get me. There are no bars that can cage our love.”

“I never knew a wish could come true.” I brought Claire closer, always closer, smoothing my hands up her arms. “Or that hope had feathers until I met you.”

I kissed her to show her how deeply I loved her, and her lips harmonized with mine. Claire was my light, but she was also my song.

Arching her body like a perfectly tuned string, she hummed with pleasure as I stroked her tongue with mine. I kissed her some more. Deeper, harder, longer.

Spoiler alert.

I wasn’t finished yet.

I would never be finished with Claire.