Broken Embrace

  Brian watched as Reed walked to the other side of the Foyer with Matt. "Where's Ali?"As if he summoned her, Ali pulled open the glass door and entered the school. Her eyes darted from face to face, looking for Melissa. When their eyes met, she exhaled in relief.

  "I'm fine," she said as Ali knelt down to hug her.

  When Ali pulled away, she glanced around at the two officers then at Brian. "Are you okay?"

  "Yes, fine. Will you take Erin home and keep an eye on Melissa? It was a pretty bad fall."

  Ali's eyes widened. "What the hell happened?"

  "She tried to break up a fight between me and Jeffries. He knocked her down trying to get away." Brian gestured to her left arm and the trail of bruises.

  "I'm fine, Ali. They're going to arrest Brian. Can you go with him? He'll need an attorney."

  "Melissa, I work for the DA. I'll be lucky not to have to prosecute him."

  "Don't you know someone?"

  "Yes, I'll make some calls." She glanced over at Erin, who was sitting on the ground and leaning back against the wall. "Erin was a mess when I talked to her."

  Brian closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm not sure what was going on, but I plan to find out."

  "Detective Hammel?" Officer Cain approached. "We still need statements."

  "Yeah, thanks, Cain." Brian glanced at Erin then at Ali. "Ali, will you sit with Erin while Officer Cain takes her statement? Melissa and I can't."

  "Of course." She stood and followed Cain over.

  "Melissa, do you feel up to giving a statement?"

  She nodded with a grimace as she tried to bend her ankle again. "Yes. They better arrest Jeffries."

  "I'm sure he'll be charged, too," Brian said as he leaned in and scooped her up in his arms.

  "Jesus, Brian. I can walk."

  "Shut up and let me help you." He set her down sideways on the bench next to the gym door. He removed his jacket and folded it up and laid it on the opposite arm rest, then he lifted her feet and rested them up over the jacket. "Stay put until EMTs check you over."

  "EMTs? Come on, who called an ambulance."

  "Probably one of the officers." Brian waved a hand at her. "Just behave yourself and let them look you over. Be a good patient for once in your life."

  ~

  After Melissa and Erin had given their statements, the EMTs examined Melissa and released her to go. "Ms. Parker, you should follow up with your doctor and get x-rays."

  "Thank you so much for your help." She examined the tight dressing they'd wrapped around her ankle and tried to shift the freezing ice pack they'd tied to it.

  "Leave it be, Melissa. You need to let the swelling go down," Ali said. "Are you ready to go?"

  "Ali," Brian leaned in and whispered, "will you get Erin out of here in case they do arrest me?"

  Ali nodded and took Melissa's arm as Melissa stood.

  "I am fine," Melissa said, but when she put weight on her foot, she nearly collapsed.

  Brian gestured to Matt and said, "Do me a favor and help her out to the car."

  Matt nodded and took the arm Brian had abandoned.

  "Come on, Erin," Melissa said. "Our babysitters are taking us home."

  "What about Daddy?"

  "I have to go down to the station. I'll be home later."

  "I'm sorry, Dad. This is my fault."

  "Erin, don't do that. We'll talk when I get home. I want to know what you were doing with him and why you were crying." He reached down and pulled her into a tight hug. "Don't worry about it now, okay? Take Melissa to our house and keep an eye on her. Don't let her walk around on that foot."

  Erin nodded again before following Melissa, Matt, and Ali out of the school.

  "Melissa," Brian said before she stepped out the door. She turned toward him. "Sorry about our plans. Maybe tomorrow night."

  "I'll see you later?" she asked, looking over at the officers waiting for Brian.

  He waved her off. "Yes, it's fine, don't worry."

  Matt helped Melissa into the car then turned concerned eyes on Erin. "You going to be okay?"

  Erin nodded. "Thanks for helping."

  "No problem. I'm going to follow you guys to the hospital in case you need me."

  "Thank you, really, Matt. I'm so sorry you've been mixed up with all this."

  "No, God, don't worry about it."

  Erin slid into the backseat and closed the door, rubbing both hands over her face.

  "Okay, Erin, what's going on?" Melissa asked, turning her head slightly toward the backseat.

  "Why did you bring Daddy?" she asked with a whine to her voice.

  "He called when I was already on my way and asked if I wanted to go out with you guys this evening. When I told him where I was going, he wanted to meet me here. Why were you with Jeffries?"

  "He won't leave me alone. The last couple of weeks, he's been trying to get me back on the water polo team."

  "Why haven't you told your dad?" Ali asked

  "You saw why. I don't want Daddy in more trouble."

  "Erin, why does Jeffries want to talk to you so badly?" Melissa asked.

  "I told you, he wants me back on the team. He keeps acting like he cares about me, asking me how I'm doing. I try to avoid him, but now he has my friends trying to get me to agree to come back."

  Melissa shifted again to look into the backseat. "Is Matt one of those friends?"

  "No, he hates Coach."

  "Smart kid." She faced forward again. "Why didn't you tell me?"

  "That's why I asked you to pick me up. I was going to tell you today. I thought he'd back off if you talked to him."

  "Tonight, when Brian gets home, we're telling him everything."

  "We shouldn't tell him. I don't want him in trouble."

  "Erin, who's picking Cody up from school?" Ali asked.

  "Gran is."

  "Okay, I'm going to take Melissa to the hospital to get her ankle checked out. Then I'll go check on your dad."

  "I don't need—"

  "Yes, Melissa, you need x-rays. Erin, can you keep an eye on Melissa for me if I leave her at your house?"

  "Yeah, can you keep Daddy out of jail?"

  "I'll see what I can do, but you may need to file a harassment charge against Jeffries."

  "No, I can't do that."

  "I thought you wanted him to leave you alone."

  "Maybe you or Melissa can talk to him."

  "Erin, what are you leaving out? There's obviously something you're not telling us," Melissa said. She couldn't erase the feeling that something was missing from her explanation, or maybe Melissa's headache had just clouded her judgment. She wanted so bad to just lie down in a dark room.

  "Nothing. I really asked you to pick me up, hoping you would talk to him."

  Melissa nodded, closing her eyes and laying her head back on the seat.

  When they arrived at the hospital, Ali helped her inside. "I'm fine, Ali. Please go take care of Brian."

  "I can't leave you here without transportation."

  Matty lowered himself down into the chair next to Erin. "I can take everyone home."

  "Really, you don't mind?" Ali asked. "You don't need to be anywhere? This could take a long time."

  "Nope, I have nowhere to be."

  Ali glanced between the three of them and finally nodded. "Okay, call me if you need me. I'm going to the police station."

  ~

  When they got to Brian's house, Matty helped Melissa upstairs and into Brian's room at Erin's insistence.

  "I don't need to be in a bed. The couch is fine."

  "No, I think this is better." Erin pulled the covers back and Matt laid her down. Then she gently lifted her leg and tucked a pillow under her injured foot. "I'll get some water so you can take your pain pills."

  When Matt was gone, Erin rushed around for another ten minutes then appeared with a glass of water and a bottle of meds. "It says to take two." Erin handed her two pills and a glass.

  Melissa felt like she was
being handled. It'd been a long time since someone had put her to bed and gave her medicine. She smiled and swallowed the pills, thankful for Erin and proud at the same time.

  "Thanks," Melissa said when Erin finally left her alone. She settled into Brian's bed and moaned at the increasingly achy pain throughout her entire body. She glanced over at the pill bottle and snatched it up, taking another pill and chasing it down with the water Erin had left for her. Prescriptions were always conservative, if it said two, she should be able to take three without a problem.

  She then wrapped herself up tightly in Brian's thick comforter. She inhaled deep and sighed. "Smells like Brian," she whispered. "I sure hope they don't put him in jail." She looked over at the phone on the nightstand and wondered if Ali would call her cell or the house phone. She rested her head back down, knowing Erin would wake her if someone needed her.

  Chapter Twenty

  When Brian got home, he expected to find Melissa and Erin waiting for him, but the house was quiet. Cody was crashed on the couch with the videogame controller still in his lax hand. He walked through the downstairs, but couldn't find Erin or Melissa.

  He went upstairs and knocked on Erin's door, but she didn't answer. He turned the handle and peeked in. She was crashed on her bed with her headphones stuck in her ears and her iPod blasting.

  "Erin," he said. He yanked out one of the earbuds and shook her. "Erin!"

  Her eyelashes batted open and she jumped. "Dad, are you okay?" she asked yanking out the other earbud.

  "Yeah, babe, I'm fine. Why didn't you put your brother to bed?"

  "Sorry, I fell asleep."

  "Change and get into bed. We can talk in the morning. Where's Melissa?"

  "She's in your bed. She took her pain medication then knocked out."

  "Okay, get into bed."

  Brian put Cody to bed then went in search of Melissa. When he walked into his bedroom, it was pitch black. Instead of turning on the bright lamp, he switched on the bathroom light. He walked over to the bed and pulled the comforter off Melissa's head. She didn't stir in the slightest. He picked up the pill bottle and frowned as he read the instructions. One to two pills when needed for pain.

  "Melissa." He shook her lightly. "Hello," he said in her ear. "Melissa, wake up." He leaned close, inhaling her soft, powdery scent and cursing himself for doing it.

  He lifted the comforter off her completely and removed the now warm cold pack from her foot. The swelling had gone down a bit. He then examined her left arm, lifting her sleeve as he eyed her black and blue shoulder. Melissa still didn't stir as he rubbed a hand down her arm to feel for any other swelling.

  He leaned in again. "Melissa?" God damn, she was going to be the death of him. "Are you trying to kill me or what?" he whispered before lowering his nose to the crook of her neck. His lips brushed across the soft skin below her ear lobe, and he wanted to melt into the bed next to her.

  "God help me, Melissa, if you weren't so damned incredible, I could get through this in one piece." He brushed the hair off her face and wondered how many of those pills she took.

  "Lissa, wake up," he said with a little more urgency this time. He shook her harder, but she didn't move. Brian kicked his shoes off and lay down next to her, propping his head up on one elbow. "Melissa Parker, I need you to wake up, honey," he chanted singsong-like in her ear.

  He cupped her neck and checked her pulse before resting his hand on her cheek. Melissa turned toward him, and he breathed a sigh of relief. She reached her arm out and wrapped it around his waist, leaning closer and rubbing up against him. A little shiver traveled up her body. Brian reached down for the comforter to cover her back up, praying she woke up before he got himself in trouble.

  "Melissa?" he said louder this time.

  "Shh," she whispered. "I'm sleeping."

  Brian chuckled. "Melissa, look at me."

  Melissa lifted her chin and looked at him through half-closed lids and with a faint smile. "Humm…what?"

  "Babe, how many of those pills did you take?"

  "You smell so good," she purred, inching closer to him.

  "Whoa, cupcake, how many pills did you take?"

  Her smiled widened. She lifted a heavy hand and dropped it on his chest. "You called me cupcake."

  "Yes, and can you tell me how many pills you took?"

  "You haven't called me cupcake in years," she slurred. "Three."

  "Three years or three pills?" he asked, gripping her chin to keep her eyes on his.

  "Pills." She leaned in, kissing him. "God you smell good," she slurred into his mouth, pressing against him.

  "Melissa, those pills are too strong for you. You should've only taken two, or uh…maybe only one."

  "But I feel better."

  "Yes, but now you're asking for trouble," he said through the kiss. Melissa's hand traveled up his torso and cupped his neck, pulling him closer. An entire gymnastics team tumbled around in his stomach at her touch. Her warmth was too inviting, natural and warm, her lips so soft. She leaned over him, and her hair fell around her face and brushed his cheek.

  "Sweet Jesus, Melissa, are you trying to kill me?" he asked, pushing her face away carefully. Her scent, her touch, her lips, the sultry sound of her voice, he had to stop this now.

  "I would never hurt you." A smile spread across her face. "I love you."

  "Lissa."

  "Brian."

  "You're high from the pills, babe." He couldn't hide the gritty heaviness of his voice. God, she felt so good. It'd been too long. He just wanted to sink into her, but, hell, he knew he couldn't.

  Her hands slid under his t-shirt. "I feel better now."

  Brian gasped when he felt her hands travel up his bare chest. "Please stop," he pleaded. "I'm only human. I can only take so much here, sweetheart."

  When Melissa's tongue brushed the base of his neck, his body jolted from the sensation. He moaned, grabbing her wrists. He flipped her onto her back with her hands above her head.

  She looked at him, and her serene face had a smile he hadn't seen in many years. He could no longer think about when, where, why, or how. He could only think about who. Melissa—whose smile lit the room and scored his heart. He never thought he'd see that smile again. He was sure he'd rubbed it out of her when he'd broken her heart. She arched into him, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't resist the urge to grind against her, making her purr in pleasure and push back against his body.

  Their eyes were locked and—God he wanted her. "I love you, too, Melissa, do you understand me?" She bit her lip and nodded her head. "When you wake up tomorrow with a headache from those pills, will you try to remember that?" Melissa smiled again. "Remember I love you. Okay—"

  Melissa cut him off when she lifted her head and parted his lips with her tongue.

  "Ah fuck." He pushed himself against her, lost in the sensation of her body against his. "God damn it!" he shouted at himself. "I have to get out of here." He gritted his teeth. "I can't do this." He cupped her face and held it. "You don't even know what you're doing."

  Melissa's smile faltered, and she half-heartedly tried to free her other hand. He recognized the confusion in her eyes and the hurt staring back at him.

  "Don't leave," she whispered as a frown touched her lips and a hand came up to touch his face.

  "Melissa, if I don't leave, you're going to hate me." His voice faltered. "I finally got you back in my life. I can't lose you again."

  She shook her head and tried to talk, but Brian cut her off. "You love Chase, remember? You're going to marry him. You only want me because you took too much pain medication. When you're awake, you'll thank me."

  Melissa squeezed her eyes closed and pushed him away weakly as she rolled away from him, then she curled up into the fetal position.

  "Good night," he whispered, but she never looked back at him.

  ~

  "Brian," Melissa whispered, twisting one of his curls in her fingers. "Wake up." She giggled quietly. Brian swatted at
her hand and she laughed again. "Good morning," she said brightly when his eyes fluttered open.

  He glared at her for a second before rolling over and tucking his face into the couch cushions. She ran her finger along the slope of his ear and he swatted at her again. "Go away, evil woman," he groaned, covering his face with his hand.

  "I made coffee," she teased. "I brought you a cup."

  Brian stuck his nose out and sniffed. "One cream, one sugar?" he asked.

  "Yep, just the way you like it."

  He twisted and sat up as Melissa sat down next to him and put the coffee on the table. "Why didn't you wake me up last night? I thought we were going to talk to Erin when you got home."

  "I did wake you up." Brian sipped his coffee. "Why are you—how did you get down the stairs?"

  She lifted her left foot and knocked on the boot she'd been given. "I have hardware."

  "You still shouldn't be up walking around and making coffee."

  "I'm fine." Melissa stared at him for a moment, not sure what prompted the bad mood and the scowl. "What is wrong with you?"

  "Nothing. Out of sorts from the couch."

  "Sorry about that, but you should've woke me up."

  "Melissa, I tried. You took too much medication, and they kicked your ass. You weren't going anywhere last night."

  "I'm sorry, Brian." Melissa's stomach dropped at the angry tone in his voice, taking her off guard. She hadn't intended for him to sleep on the couch.

  "Forget it."

  "Okay, uh…I'll go home. You can go back to bed since you didn't sleep well. I guess I should have stayed with Ali last night instead of stealing your bed." Heaviness pressed on her chest as she stood to leave.

  He reached out for her. "No, you don't have to leave."

  "Yes, yes I do. I'll see you later." She walked toward the door, but Brian grabbed her arm, surprising her.

  "I'm sorry, really. I'm not trying to chase you off. I'm not mad about the bed. I'm worried about Erin, and I got suspended from the department last night, amongst other things." He tugged on her arm. "Please don't leave."

  "They suspended you? Couldn't Ali do anything?"