Shattered (Shattered #1) by Heather D'Agostino Read Free Book Online Page A

across the top of my foot was still quite
sensitive.
    “Looks like it still hurts,” he mumbled.
    “Yeah…it does,” I muttered. “It’s nothing in comparison to other injuries
though.” My broken heart was by far the most painful injury I’d had to date.
    I continued to work the muscles loose and avoid making eye contact. I
could feel Nick’s eyes on me, but fear of what he’d see in mine kept me staring
at the floor. I moved so I could wrap the bandage around my ankle, but it kept
slipping. I fought an aggravated sigh as I tried for the third time to get it
right.
    “Let me help you,” Nick sighed as he squatted in front of me.
    I glanced up at him before relenting and placing my ankle in his lap.
His fingers feathered across it almost reverently as he traced the scars from
the accident along with all the surgeries I’d had. Pain marred his face when
his eyes darted up to meet mine.
    “I’m sorry this happened to you. You didn’t deserve to go out like
this,” his voice wavered as if he was trying to hold his emotions in check.
    I nodded in understanding. I didn’t think I could respond verbally
without breaking down. When Nick finished wrapping the bandage and secured it
in place, he released my foot and stood in front of me. He nodded in acceptance
and started to turn and walk away.
    “Wait!” I called.
    He turned with a pained look of his face as he watched me stand and limp
over to him.
    “Thank you,” I whispered as I rose up on my toes and placed a light kiss
to his cheek.
    The moment I made contact, I felt him stiffen. It was as if we were
complete strangers and didn’t know each other’s bodies at all anymore. I began
to lower myself back down, but Nick suddenly turned his head and crashed his
mouth into mine.
    As his lips moved across mine, it was as if the last five years had
never happened. His tongue snaked out and ran along the seam of my mouth
forcing it open. The kiss grew urgent as if he was afraid I’d suddenly
disappear. Our tongues battled one another as he reached down and grabbed me
behind my thighs, lifting me up, and spinning us so my back was to the wall. He
leaned in with this hips and pinned me there as he continued to ravage my
mouth. My head spun out of control with lust and desire for this man. Just as I
reached down to pull his tank up his abs, he wretched his mouth away, released
me, and took several staggering steps back. I stood there in a haze fighting to
find my equilibrium. What had just happened?
    “I’m sorry,” he panted as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“I’m sorry,” he tugged at his hair and turned his back to me. He yanked the
door to the trainer’s room open and stepped through it before uttering the
words that would break my heart all over again, “I can’t do this.”
    Pain, confusion, and utter disbelief surged through me. What had just
happened and how had I let it? I reached out and fumbled towards a chair as I
clumsily sat. I leaned forward placing my elbows on my knees as I let go for
the first time today. My body rocked back and forth as the sobs rolled out if
me. I could not go through losing him again. I was not going to let Nick Sutter
break my heart for the second time.

Chapter 6

 
    Nick
    I can’t believe I just did that. What is wrong with me? Kissing her? Was
that the best idea? No, of course not. Leah had shown me five years ago that I
was not her top priority. She’d agreed to go to Atlanta without even thinking
about how it would affect us. What it would mean to me. Now she seemed to be
working her way back into my system slowly one day at a time. I needed to stay
away. I could not go through that again.
    As I added more weight to the bar, I continued to berate myself, and
laid back down on the bench. I’d already done more bench presses than I should have,
but I needed to get her out of my system. The more I thought about her, the
angrier I was getting. How dare she kiss me like that. How dare she come