In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) (3 page)

Cenia
skirted the table and gave me a hug. “Thank you, Kri. We are going to have so
much fun, just you wait and see!”

The
waitress returned with our food a few minutes later. She set the mango chicken
salads in front of Cenia and me before handing Kadyn, Jase, and Roger their
bacon cheeseburgers.

 I
swiped a French fry from Kadyn’s plate. He caught my hand mid-air and forced it
to his mouth so he could eat the fry. “Kadyn!” I exclaimed indignantly.

Jase
laughed before offering me one of his fries.

“Thanks,
Jase,” I replied. I gave Kadyn a smug look and popped the fry inside my mouth.

Kadyn
just rolled his eyes.

Roger
waited for the theatrics to die down before narrowing his attention to Kadyn.
“I asked you here for the same reason. I’d like you to be my best man.”

Kadyn
grinned. “I’d be honored, Roger. Have you guys set a date, yet?”

Roger
nodded. “November seventh.”

The
smile fell from my face. “Of this year?” I exclaimed. “Are you guys insane? That’s
less than three months away!”

Cenia
laughed. “Don’t worry. My mom’s got most of this covered. We just need to pick
out invitations, a dress, the tux, Roger’s ring, and a cake. I’ve got a whole
slew of aunts and cousins who’ll be helping my mom manage the rest.”

“Where
are you getting married?” I asked, digging into the salad.

“McAllen,
Texas,” Cenia replied, stabbing a chunk of mango with her fork.

“McAllen,
Texas? I was just in McAllen, meeting with their border patrol agents and
customs officers. I didn’t realize your parents live that close to the border,”
Kadyn confessed.

“How
are you liking your new job with Customs and Border Protection?” Roger asked.
He sank his teeth into his burger while waiting for Kadyn to respond.

“So
far, so good,” Kadyn replied. “I’ve been traveling a lot, trying to familiarize
myself with the security needs of the various sectors along the southern
border, but I’ll make sure CBP doesn’t schedule any trips the week of your
wedding.”

“When
do you want to shop for dresses?” I asked Cenia while the guys continued to discuss
work.

Cenia
tucked a strand of gleaming black hair behind her ear. “I’ve made an
appointment at David’s Bridal for next Saturday. Can you join me?”

“Sure,”
I replied over the top of my drink.

She
narrowed her eyes at me. “Don’t you need to look at your calendar… make sure
you don’t have anything else scheduled?”

“Are
you kidding me? I’d reschedule anything that might conflict. I’m not missing
this,” I replied emphatically.

Cenia
exhaled softly. “Good, because I’ve heard this place can get a little crazy.”

“How
crazy can it be?” I asked. “Everyone’s giddy with love, excited to be searching
for that perfect dress…”

Cenia’s
eyes widened. “Maybe you should watch Bridezillas before we jump into the mosh
pit.”

*
* * * *

“How’d
your lunch date go with Cenia?” Rafael asked. The muscles in his shoulders and
arms rippled as he climbed into bed. We were staying at my place tonight.

I
set my Kindle on the nightstand. “Good. Roger and Cenia are getting married in
November. She asked me to be her maid of honor.”

Rafael
motioned for me to roll over. “Who’s the best man?” he asked. He straddled my
hips as I rolled onto my stomach. He shoved my camisole up and began massaging
my back.

I
moaned as I sank into the pillows. “You are,” I mumbled, thoroughly enjoying
the massage.

Rafael
laughed. “I’m Roger’s best man?”

My
eyes popped open. “No, of course not. Roger asked Kadyn to be the best man.
Roger and Kadyn were there today when Cenia and I met for lunch.”

Rafael
massaged a little deeper as he worked a knot out of the tissue that ran between
my shoulder and neck. “November isn’t very far off.”

“No,”
I agreed. “Sounds like Cenia’s mom has it all under control though. She’s
already reserved the priest and the hotel. Cenia and I are going dress shopping
next weekend. I’m going to help her address invitations the weekend after that.
Then she and Roger will head to McAllen to choose a wedding cake and firm up
the menu for the reception.”

“They’re
not getting married in Virginia?” he asked, kneading between my shoulder
blades.

“No.
They’re getting married in the gardens of some fancy hotel in McAllen, Texas…
Casa de Palmas… I think…” My voice drifted sleepily. “Keep this up, and I won’t
need a sleeping pill.”

Rafael
chuckled. “That would be my goal.”

“Kadyn
and I are going to be dancing,” I confessed warily.

Rafael’s
hands stalled. He pressed his thumbs into my lower back when he resumed the
massage. “I figured as much, since you’re both in the wedding party.”

I
rolled over to look at him. “No. I mean, we’re taking ballroom dancing lessons
with Cenia and Roger. Roger refused to do it unless Kadyn agreed to suffer
through it too. Cenia’s got her heart set on dancing a waltz for their first
dance as husband and wife, so I’ve agreed to be Kadyn’s partner for the dance lessons.
We’ve got a standing appointment for the lessons, every Thursday night,
although we won’t be starting for a couple of weeks.”

Rafael
groaned as he collapsed onto the pillows. “I know you’re not asking me to share
you with Kadyn again.”

I
sat up and peered down at him. “No. I’m not asking to date Kadyn again. We’re
just enrolling in dance lessons for the wedding reception.”

Rafael
shook his head. “Still, you’ll be in another man’s arms. First Michael, then
Kadyn, then Maxim, now Kadyn again. When does this end?” he grumbled irritably.

“It’s
not like that,” I insisted. My breath caught as Rafael pinned me to the bed. He
was suddenly straddling my hips again. Both of my wrists were clenched in his
hands, my arms locked over my head. “What are you doing?” I gasped.

“I’m
only human, Kristine. A man can only take so much,” he warned, anger flashing
in his soft brown eyes. “I’m done sharing, Kristine. You’re mine. You don’t belong
in anyone else’s arms.”

His
long dark hair formed a curtain around our faces as he leaned forward to kiss
me. My pulse quickened when his lips captured mine. He let the full weight of
his body settle on top of me. He released my wrists and clutched either side of
my face, angling my head while his tongue swept possessively through my mouth.

Fear
shot through me as he nudged my legs apart and settled his hips against mine. I
broke the kiss. “Rafael, I can’t,” I protested breathlessly. My body was
pinging with desire, but I was too scared to take this any further. I’d felt
Rafael harden against me. I could feel his need, his desire, and frustration as
he sought to restore this part of our relationship, but I wasn’t ready to go
there. I was terrified it might hurt, worse yet that I wouldn’t be able to feel
anything after what the SVR had done to me.

“Kristine,”
he groaned as his lips trailed down my neck. “Your doctor said it would be
fine. I promise I won’t hurt you. I’ll go slow. I’ll stop if it hurts.” He
nipped at my breast through the fine silk camisole before lifting the top and
capturing my breast in his mouth.

I
scrambled to pull my camisole back down. “No! I’m not ready. I’m not ready for
this.” My body was already shutting down. The fear that had been snaking
through my mind had finally seeped into my blood, shutting every last nerve
ending off.

Rafael
rolled onto his back and pulled me into his arms as I began crying. “
Shhhh
.
Baby, it’s okay. Please don’t cry. We don’t have to do this tonight. We can
wait until you’re ready. I didn’t mean to push you. It’s just… it’s been two
months. I thought you would be okay with this.”

I
began crying even harder. “I’m not okay, Rafael. I’m never going to be okay.”

“Hey,
Shae,” I greeted, glancing up from my cell phone.

“Hi,
Kri… Jase,” she replied. She joined us in front of Dr. Sandstrom’s office. “I
can’t believe summer semester ends next week,” she marveled, leaning against
the wall.

“I
know. If I hadn’t started working on those courses when I was in Saint-Tropez,
there’s no way I would have gotten all those research assignments done. How are
you coming along on your final papers?”

Shae
lifted her shoulders in a delicate shrug. “Good. I’m almost done. I would have
been in a world of hurt if Paul hadn’t extended that sabbatical from work. Are
you going to continue working at Seeds for Peace?”

I
sighed softly. “I haven’t decided yet. Rafael thinks I should just focus on my
coursework, but there’s this part of me that really hates the idea of letting
evil people rob me of the opportunity to do some good with that job. It’s like
I’m letting the SVR steal another part of me.”

“Speaking
of which,” she whispered softly. “Have you…”

I
glanced nervously at Jase. He was talking to Chance, one of the bodyguards
Rafael had assigned to Shae.

I
edged closer to Shae. “No. Every time we’ve tried, my brain shuts everything
down. I can’t handle the thought of anyone or anything touching that part of
me.”

Shae
nodded. “That’s exactly how I feel, not that I’ve had much opportunity to do
anything with Konstantin in Ukraine.”

“When’s
the last time you talked to him?” I glanced toward Dr. Sandstrom’s office as
the door swung open.

Shae
pushed away from the wall and took a step toward the office. “Two nights ago. He’s
supposed to call again tonight.”

Our
classmate, Michelle, strode out of Dr. Sandstrom’s office. “Hey, Kri. Hi, Shae.
I’m looking forward to that personal risk seminar in October. Let me know if
you need any help.”

“Thanks,
Michelle,” Shae and I replied. We ducked inside Dr. Sandstrom’s office.
Michelle continued walking down the hall. Chance and Jase remained standing in
the hallway.

Dr.
Sandstrom rose from his desk to shake our hands. “Well, if it isn’t my two
favorite students,” he greeted with a sparkle in his eyes.

I
laughed. “Dr. Sandstrom, you say that about all your students.” Shae and I
settled into the chairs next to his desk.

He
chuckled softly as he dropped back into his chair. “Yes, but I truly mean it
with the two of you. How is the seminar coming along?”

“Good,”
Shae opined. She handed him a copy of the agenda. “This is a rough draft of the
agenda. We’ve already begun writing lecture notes. We’ll begin developing the other
training materials once you’ve signed off on the agenda.”

I
glanced at Dr. Sandstrom. “I’ve lined up two guest speakers. My friends, Kadyn
and Cenia, have agreed to review parts of their SERE training from the Air
Force Academy. Both have recently separated from the Air Force. Kadyn works at
Customs and Border Protection now. Cenia’s working at the Department of Defense
in some position she’s not at liberty to discuss.”

Dr.
Sandstrom nodded. “I think the Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape Training
they offer in the military will dovetail nicely into what we are trying to do.
Military men and women face a lot of the same risks that peacekeepers do.
That’s a well-thought strategy, Ms. Stone. I’m happy to hear you’re including guest
speakers who can offer both the male and female perspective.”

“I
think the most difficult part of this seminar will be opening up to our
classmate about what happened to Kri and me, but we both agree we should share
those experiences. When our classmates hear the dilemmas, the risks, and the
torture we faced, I think they’ll have a much better understanding of the risks
they’ll be up against in international peacekeeping,” Shae confessed.

Dr.
Sandstrom’s bright blue eyes softened. “I was hoping you would share some of
those experiences, but I understand if you need to temper the details a bit.
Have you both seen the school counselor?”

I
nodded. “Yes. Thank you for recommending her. She’s been wonderful.”

“What
about including a therapist in the training that specializes in PTSD?” Dr.
Sandstrom inquired. “That would help students gain some insight into the long
term implications of these types of experiences.”

Shae
made a notation on her iPad. “I think that’s a great idea. A therapist could offer
insight on where people who experience this kind of trauma can go to get help.”

“I
met with a therapist who specializes in PTSD after Justin kidnapped me. I can
see if she would be willing to participate in the seminar. Are we able to offer
any kind of stipend, or are we limited to people who will volunteer their
time?”

Dr.
Sandstrom’s face knit with concern. “You’ve been kidnapped twice?”

“You
don’t know the half of it,” Shae muttered under her breath.

I
instantly regretted mentioning it. “That kidnapping occurred two years ago,
before I began graduate school.” I paused briefly while weighing whether to
disclose anything further. “I’d rather not talk about it. What do you think of
the stipend?”