Free Broken #2 (The Broken Series - Book #2) by Claire Adams

study session.
    I slung my bag over my shoulder,
and headed out of the library into the sun. It was a cool fall day, but the sun
was shining brightly just the same. I put on a pair of sunglasses to avoid the
glare, and just as I did, I saw Jet not far from me, limping awkwardly down the
sidewalk. He looked like he might be in a lot of pain. I jogged over to him,
and walked alongside him, with a smile on my face.
    “Hey, Jet.”
    “Hey, Natalie, how are you?”
    “I'm great. Just
got finished studying ... kinda . Where are you
coming from?”
    “Class, believe it or not, but I
think I should have just stayed in bed today.”
    “Why? What happened to you?
What's with the limp?”
    “ Ahh , I
had a fight the other night, and I hurt my back. Not exactly an ideal situation,
but not much I can do about it. I have spasms in my lower back, and they’re just
killing me. I could not sit comfortably in class; I had to get up and leave.”
    “That's shitty, sorry to hear
that.” He smiled at me, and I was starting to really
like his smile.
    “It's all part of the game, I'm
afraid. It'll heal. I think I need to go have a very hot bath.”
    “I probably have a better
solution.”
    “What's that?”
    “I can't believe I'm saying this,
but my mom is a massage therapist, and she taught me how to give a pretty damn
good massage. I could give you one.”
    He stopped in his tracks. He literally
stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk. I almost stumbled over him. “Seriously? You want to massage me, ‘ cause that's the best news I've heard in a really long time.”
    “Take it easy there, cowboy,
let's not get ahead of ourselves.”
    “You just offered me a massage,
and I am accepting it 100%.”
    “Well, hold on. I'm not just
offering you a massage. I'm not that foolish. I want a little give and take.”
    He raised an eyebrow at me. “Well,
what do you have in mind, little lady?”
    “Here's the thing, I was invited
to go to a wine tasting event with my friend, Brenda. She was the girl in the
booth with me the day you bought that picture.” He nodded. “Well, she's going
to be bringing a guy, sort of like their first date, but she's really nervous
about the whole thing. She doesn't date a lot, and she asked that I go as well,
to make sure he's not some weirdo,” I laughed nervously.
    “That's a little weird,” he
chuckled.
    “Maybe, but I can understand. A
group event relieves the pressure, ya know?”
    “Actually, I don't know,
Natalie.”   We laughed together.
    “I guess maybe you don't. But
it's also different for girls; it's not always safe to go off alone with a new
guy.”
    “So what do you need me for?”
    “Well, I'm not really the third
wheel type, ya know? Plus, it might be a little awkward for the guy for me to
be there. But a double date wouldn't seem like a bad thing, right?”
    “Oh, I see where this is going.”
    “Come on, be a sport. You'll get
the pleasure of my company, plus you’ll get a massage.”
    “Wine tastings aren't really my
thing. Who is this guy, anyway? What kind of guy takes a girl to a wine tasting
on their first date?”
    I shrugged. I knew he was just
playing hard to get, and that he would cave instantly if I told him to forget
the whole thing. “She likes the guy, that's all that matters. So ... are you in
or are you out?”
    He stared at me, and I could tell
that the wheels were turning in his head. I wondered if he was thinking about
my hands on his body. Would that be the deciding factor? The thought of me
touching him intimately, was that what was going through his head? I almost
blushed at the thought.
    “Please, Jet, this is a win-win
for both of us. Don't make me go to this thing alone.”
    “Okay, I will go. It's not my
thing, but you are certainly my thing. So I will do it for you.”
    “Thank you. You don't even know
how much I appreciate it,” I couldn't have felt better about the situation; the
last thing I had wanted was to go to the wine tasting alone.