Broken Free (The Broken Series) Read online

  He snorted and kissed her cheek. “You want a midnight snack?”

  “Like ice-cream?”

  “God, no, like yogurt.”

  “Ugh, I’m sick of healthy stuff. I need chocolate.”

  “I have healthy chocolate—”

  “Ew, no, that’s not what I call chocolate, that’s more like dirt. I want some bad chocolate, the kind that’s not good for you and tastes heavenly. I want a sugar cookie, Daniel,” she whimpered.

  “You want sugar diabetes, you said?”

  She slapped him. “One cookie?”

  “But what happens after one cookie? Two happen. Then three and four and a hundred. Then you’re dead.”

  Sofia cracked up. “It’s called self-control, dear.” She turned her face as he nipped along her jaw. “I can’t wait to see what Dara looks like.”

  “Me either,” he murmured, clearly not interested in anything but her neck now.

  “Are you going to do me in the baby’s room?”

  He pulled up with a contemplative gaze. “We probably should, to bless it.”

  “Bless it?” she laughed. “With sex. The new holy water?”

  “In my book it is.” He kissed her on the mouth, his lips still only nibbling.

  “Do we have any olives? And sardines?” Sofia wondered.

  He pulled back, smiling at her. “How would we use those?”

  She giggled. “I’d eat them.”

  “Mommy’s really hungry?”

  “Yes. I am. Can I please have some Lays potato chips? I dreamed about them Daniel. I think I read too that if you crave things and you don’t—”

  “Superstition.”

  She punched him in the shoulder. “You shoot down everything I want. I hate this!”

  “Because I love you,” he defended.

  “Oh please, you don’t need to pull out the big guns, it doesn’t always have to come down to “I love you.” She marked the air with finger quotes.

  He threw his head back and laughed, leaning back against the wall, next to her. She suddenly became very aware that he was only in his BVDs.

  “Don’t try and get all gorgeous either.”

  A mischievous look accompanied his grin as he pulled the front of his underwear down.

  “Oh. My. God,” Sofia whispered, staring at his erection, her pulse plummeting into her vagina. “Are you always horny like this?”

  He took hold of his cock and stroked himself, making it stand tall. “When you’re in the same room, yes.” He lowered his eyes. “Show me your tits.”

  She bit her lip. “Ummm, for a price.”

  “Name it.”

  “Sugar cookie.”

  He smiled and raised his eyes. “No deal.”

  She reached down and rolled her nipple through the thin cotton fabric of her tank top, making it hard. “Please?” She stroked the other one.

  Daniel hissed and thrusts his hips, shaking his head. “Those are not yours to bargain with.”

  “They’re not?”

  “No.” End of discussion tone.

  Sofia went and locked the door then she returned and dropped onto her knees a few feet away, watching him deliberately make her horny with sexy moans, even letting his drawn up leg fall open, begging her.

  Getting on all fours, she crawled toward him until her face was right above his cock. She looked at him and his countenance said suck me. Right now.

  She lowered her head and he opened his legs more, his hips rolling erotically. She placed a kiss on the top of his length, sliding her tongue firmly and slowly all over the silky hard muscle.

  “Fuck, yes,” he breathed. “Suck it deep.”

  Sofia happily obliged and he thrust his hips, grunting when he hit the back of her throat.

  “Fuck me Sofia. I think about it all the time.”

  She moaned with an insane hunger all over him. Wetting her finger, she buried it between his cheeks, teasing at the entrance. He gasped and begged her for it. Sofia closed her eyes and focused on devastating him, moving her mouth up and down with a tight firm suction as she worked her finger in and out of him. Daniel opened his legs wider, moving his hips like he did when he fucked her slow and deep, making the muscles in his stomach flex and shudder. His ecstasy came out in desperate gasps and long groans that literally tickled Sofia’s clit. He was so. Fucking. Sexy.

  She wished she had the little cock, she’d get between his legs and jack him off and just watch him. God she could play with her clit. Yes. Definitely.

  She came off his cock with a gasp and said, “Come in my mouth,” before diving back on him.

  “Oh fuck,” he breathed, grabbing hold of her head and pumping his hips in time with her rapid sucking. She moaned all over him and plunged her finger nice and deep then picked up the tempo.

  Daniel growled her name and bucked wildly under her mouth, pulling her hair hard while the orgasm seized him. He choked and thrashed his way through the pleasure while Sofia let him fill her mouth. Nothing tasted more divine than her husband’s essence, all over her tongue and lips. The very essence that created their sweet baby.

  Chapter Seven

  “Another dream?”

  Sofia nodded across from the little breakfast table, not looking at him.

  “Baby, you’re going to have weird dreams, it’s completely normal.”

  “It was scary.”

  “I know sweetheart, they can be, but women dream of the most insane things while pregnant. Later we’re going to do a Google search and you’ll see what I mean, their dreams will make you feel a whole lot better, I promise.”

  “Don’t you even want to know what I dreamed?”

  “If you want to tell me, yes.”

  “But don’t you want to know?”

  “I don’t put much stock in dreams, Sofia, that’s the only reason I’m not at the edge of my seat. Why would I be anxious to know about something you clearly need to forget?”

  “Well, maybe talking about it will help me.”

  “Yes, and in that case, if you feel like it will help you, baby, tell me.”

  “You’ll just think it’s stupid.”

  “Tell me the dream, I want to know.”

  “No you don’t.” Daniel sighed and Sofia looked at him. “Well you don’t.”

  “I do.”

  “You do now, yeah.”

  “Yes, I do now because I see it means a lot to you. Why are you angry?”

  “I’m not angry.” She stirred her coffee, annoyed. “I’m just…” she shook her head. “Nothing. So what are we doing today?”

  “We’re talking about your dream.”

  “No, I don’t want to.”

  “Sofia.”

  She met his concerned gaze with her stubborn resolve. “Daniel.”

  “Are you pissed about the cookies, because we can bend the rules a little, I was just joking about absolutely none whatsoever.”

  She snorted. “No you weren’t.”

  “No, but if it means that much to you, then you are free to eat whatever you like.”

  “It’s not the damn cookie Daniel, okay?”

  “Baby, it’s normal to be scared, remember? This is all new, you’re supposed to think of the worst things that can happen, that’s all part of your mother instincts, so you’re right on target.”

  “Well I don’t like it. I’m scared all the time.” Sofia realized her mistake the minute she said it and Daniel went quiet. Shit, no doubt pissed at her for not telling him how bad it was.

  “Who is scared all the time, did you see more cockroaches? I can’t understand why they have to be so damn ugly.”

  “Gammie,” Sofia said as Daniel hurried to help her guide the walker through the dining door.

  “Morning Rachel.” He kissed her forehead.

  “Morning to you too handsome. What all is wrong with my Sofia?”

  “Just normal first time pregnancy jitters.” Daniel helped her into a chair.

  “Aw, now don’t fret, that’s a good sign
, means you’re gonna be a mother goose like I was. I didn’t let anybody even hold my baby for the first week. And when I finally did, I sat at the edge of my seat watching with my guts tied in knots, worried they’d drop ‘em.” She gave a light giggle. “Your daddy would try to feed Laura and I wouldn’t even let him rock, too worried the baby would choke.”

  Sofia frowned, trying to remember a Laura in the family while ignoring Daniel’s persistent gaze on her. She felt terrible for not being transparent with him but she also felt stupid and scared all at the same time. She didn’t like being scared, didn’t want to be scared, wasn’t trying to be scared, she just fricking was. Stupid hormones? Estrogen? Maybe she was having a boy and was making testosterone and her body didn’t know how to handle that. She’d ask Daniel. She knew one thing. No matter what he said, or how normal it supposedly was, it didn’t make her feel better.

  “Gammie, we have some good news,” Sofia said. “Are you hungry? Daniel cooked omelets.”

  “Of course I’m hungry, that’s why I’m here, the man’s cooking woke me from dream land. What’s the good news?”

  “Want some tea Rachel? I have your favorite ready for you.”

  “Dara is coming,” Sofia said.

  “Oh dear.” Her lower jaw bobbed a bit before she turned a bright smile to Daniel. “Tea would be lovely. Thank you.” She nailed her gray blues at Sofia. “I hope to hell she’s not going to be cooking, I don’t think my gall bladder will survive another god-awful Russian meal.”

  “Gammie! Romanian, and she cooks great. Plus she’s pregnant!”

  Gammie raised her brows. “I knew it. I nearly asked her how many months she was when she was here but wasn’t sure she wasn’t just fat. One can never be sure these days.”

  “Oh my God Gammie, I’m glad you didn’t, no, she just found out she’s pregnant, she’s only like two or three months!”

  Gammie appeared horrified. “She’ll be a brick house before it’s over with.”

  Daniel’s stifled snickers came from behind a cabinet door where he was no doubt hiding.

  “Okay, you guys stop, she’s lost weight by the way.”

  “Well thank the good Lord for that. The halls are already narrow here. Is she going to be staying here? I hope she doesn’t shed worse now that she’s pregnant, I could make a wig with the amount of hair I found in the tub after she bathed.” Gammie took the cup of tea from Daniel who went behind Sofia and massaged her shoulders. Her grandmother grew suddenly serious. “Oh my.”

  “What?”

  She put her tea cup down. “Who’s the father?”

  Uh-oh. She didn’t want to say she thought it was Seth. Dara said it was him and Sofia believed her. “Seth.”

  “Oh my Lord,” she gasped, her words frail. She looked at Daniel and Sofia looked up at him, finding his gaze lowered. “Seth’s going to be a father. Does that sweet boy know?”

  “I told him when I visited him.”

  “What’d he say, is he happy?” Gammie asked.

  “Yes,” Daniel said quietly. “Very.”

  “But…”

  “We’re working on getting him out Rachel. We have a plan.”

  Her eyes brightened with hope. “Of course you do, I never doubted for a second that you had a plan. What’s the plan?”

  “I don’t think Dan—”

  “It’s okay.” Daniel squeezed Sofia’s shoulders then filled her grandmother in on all the newest details, surprised to hear him not leave a thing out.

  “I knew there was something fishy about that whole story, that boy is a good boy, I knew it all along in the bottom of my heart, no doubt about it. A better boy than I’ve seen in a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of boys in my time. Well, aside from you Daniel. When do you go to find this girl?”

  “Today if I have my way.”

  “You will have your way. Sofia make sure Daniel gets his way, will you?”

  Sofia patted his hand and smiled up at him. “Yes Gammie, I will give Daniel his way.”

  He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips then helped her up. “Shower?”

  “Better go make sure there’s no cockroaches first Daniel,” Gammie said, skimming the front page of the newspaper on the table. “She’s gonna mark that child with terror if she keeps getting traumatized by those nasty things.”

  Daniel handed Sofia her saucer of daily vitamins along with a huge glass of whole organic milk. Yum. Sofia downed it then handed the glass back to Daniel who leaned and kissed her, or more like licked the milk from her lips.

  “Keep that up and I’ll come back home with a man, you watch,” Gammie mumbled.

  Sofia giggled. “And where will you find a man?”

  “I have prospects.”

  Sofia cracked up. “Where do you have prospects?”

  “At Church bingo.” She sipped her tea, appearing for all the world like the perfectly healthy grandmother, her spectacles perched on her nose.

  “You don’t go to Church bingo!”

  “I’m thinking about it.”

  Sofia looked up at Daniel, excitement coursing through her. “Really Gammie?”

  She sighed and licked her finger, turning the page. “Might as well, watching you two has sort of inspired me to live again. I’m not that old you know.”

  “No, not old at all,” Daniel chimed in. “When are we going? I think we should all go. As a family. Church bingo sounds like the perfect tradition to start.”

  “Oh my God, really?” Sofia couldn’t believe her ears.

  “Yes, absolutely. Dara too.”

  “And my boy Seth when he comes home,” Gammie said, head lowered to peer at them over her glasses. “I’ll need some new clothes if I’m going to snag me a man.”

  “Oh my God!” Sofia laughed at hearing her grandmother talk that way.

  She quirked a gray brow over the rim of her glasses. “Your grandmother’s got some moves, I should warn you.”

  Daniel and Sofia both laughed and hugged. Church bingo. How frickn romantic!

  Chapter Eight

  “Wow, look at this place. So quaint,” Sofia whispered as they pulled up at a cute yellow house in the middle of a quiet middle class neighborhood.

  “Yeah,” Daniel muttered, shutting off the car.

  “You think she’s home?”

  “Baby, how would I know that? I’m hoping if she is, having you with me will make her feel comfortable enough to at least talk to us.” Daniel noticed Sofia smiling at the house.

  “Aww, such a cute house.”

  They got down and Daniel eyed the friendly looking neighborhood. His brother had been smart. Daniel stood at the door with Sofia and rang the bell. The window panes were clean, the paint looked fresh. A very nice place to call home Daniel would think, after living in that Amityville horror of a house.

  A girl peered out the window, startling the shit out of them. Sofia gave an animated wave and huge smile. But the flash of a guarded look in startling green eyes said they were twin killer clowns. Sofia called out, “It’s Daniel and Sofia, Seth’s brother and sister n-law. He asked us to come check on you, uh, he gave us the address.” She hissed, “What’s her frickn name again?”

  “Sarah,” Daniel whispered quickly.

  “Sarah!” Sofia glanced up at Daniel with a pained expression. “We should’ve rehearsed,” she whispered.

  Daniel sighed when seconds passed and nothing happened.

  Sofia knocked softly. “Please, we’d just like to welcome you to the family.”

  “What?” Daniel hissed.

  Sofia widened her eyes at him. “What do you want me to say, we’d like to put you in jail?” Sofia mostly mouthed.

  They both straightened at the sound of locks being disengaged. After the third lock, Daniel and Sofia exchanged amazed glances. The door slowly cracked open.

  “Sarah? I’m Sofia, and this is Daniel, Seth’s brother.”

  She nodded. “Seth tells me about you.”

  Daniel could hardly believe the
sound of her voice, like a child.

  “Yes,” Sofia sang, “and he’s told us so much about you. Good stuff, and we just wanted to drop by and say hello, let you know how Seth is doing?”

  Her perfect brows furrowed and she hit Daniel with that intense green gaze. “How is he?”

  Okay, that kind of emotion in a woman’s voice was a good sign.

  “He’s worried about you,” Daniel said. “Asked us to make sure you’re okay.”

  She opened the door and stood as though presenting herself to them to look at or examine. She wore a red sundress with tiny yellow flowers all over it. She finally stepped aside. “Come in. I put on tea.”

  They went in and she locked the doors back and directed them to sit in the small living room through the beautiful cased arched opening on the right. Daniel was surprised at how clean it was. Immaculate. Like maybe she didn’t touch a thing since she’d moved in.

  Sofia leaned in as they made their way to the floral couch and whispered, “Wow, she’s beautiful!”

  Daniel regarded her at hearing the suspicious tone in her voice. Like he should have told her? He merely raised his brows as he sat next to her, not sure how to respond. She raised one of her brows back at him and Daniel guessed he’d responded poorly.

  “Just let me do the talking,” Daniel whispered.

  She gave him more suspicious eyeballing and he turned her face for a soft kiss. “I love you,” he whispered. “Don’t look at me that way.”

  Her lips smiled beneath his and he pulled back at hearing Sarah coming.

  She set the tea on the table and they went through the motions of normalcy while Daniel waited for the right moment, hoping for the right words. Tact. He still had that. Somewhere in him.

  “Mmm, the tea is yummy, very nice,” Sofia sang, like her best friend.

  “Thank you.”

  The words were jerky sounding, like she’d not said them very much in her life and worried she was saying it wrong. Fucking sad. “Sarah,” Daniel began, careful with his tone. “I’m not sure if Seth told you or not but…he’s looking at spending life in prison.”

  Sarah froze where she sat, her bright green eyes filled with anguish and horror. She shook her head. “He say no, he say he is coming out.”