Heart Broken (Game of Hearts Series Book 1) Read online

  “Hello?”

  Puzzled by the number I didn’t recognize, I put the receiver to my ear and sat by, waiting for a response from the other end. I thought it was probably a solicitor.

  “Hi Clara, it’s me, Roger.”

  I almost fell off the couch at the sound of his voice, and the phone actually fell to the floor before I regained my footing. After a moment, I calmly picked it back up and brought it to my ear.

  “Sorry, who is this?”

  No way! He was calling me?! Wait, why?

  “It’s Roger. Remember you cleaned my shirt after spilling coffee on me?”

  Oh, he so totally knew that I knew who he was, and now he was just trying to get at me with something embarrassing I had done to him. The memory brought vivid images of stroking his chest to mind. Oh, that chest. So muscular, and firm to the touch.

  Apparently I took too long to respond, as Roger quickly chimed in to fill the silence.

  “Remember me now?”

  “Yeah, vaguely. From a few weeks ago, right?”

  Sure, play it cool. Let’s see how far that gets us. Good job, weirdo.

  My inner self wasn’t pleased with my response, but too bad. I really wanted to find out why he’s calling me.

  “What’s up?”

  Chuckling under his breath, he answered.

  “I was wondering if we could get together again sometime soon?”

  “Can’t this weekend—I have an exam on Monday. How about sometime next week? Wait, why?”

  “Well, are you still using the program to find someone?”

  “Not really, but I have used it a couple times since last we talked.”

  “Good enough. What do you say about us working on the program together?”

  “Nothing’s changed. What’s in it for me?”

  “Well, I could get you credit for a computer class.”

  “Really? You could do that?”

  “Yes. Beta testing this program will be extremely helpful for the school. I talked it over with the administration and they offered to give you a computer credit in exchange.”

  I was in complete shock as I gaped at the phone in surprise. It would so be worth the spare time I’d be losing in exchange.

  “That’s great! I’ll definitely help you. When? Where?”

  “It doesn’t have to be at any one place. We could work from almost anywhere, so long as they have a Wi-Fi connection we can use, we’ll be all set. How about we start at the coffee shop and go from there? I could so use the caffeine supply while I work, so it would be a win-win as far as I’m concerned.”

  “Works for me. Now, what about when?”

  “This isn’t just a few hours, you know. Beta testing the program and working on it at the same time will require us to spend a lot of time together—probably months. That’s why the university is willing to give you the credit in exchange.”

  “That’s okay, the credited class is welcome anytime, no matter how long it takes.”

  “Awesome. Okay, let’s start on Tuesday if you have the time. Maybe you should give me your schedule, too. Mine is flexible, and I can work around whatever you have available.”

  “Sounds like a great idea.”

  After exchanging email information, I put together my schedule from work to classes that I knew were happening over the next two months. Since the semester was only halfway through, there was about two months left to go. Work went on around those classes, so my nonexistent free time was left after both those things.

  With a plan in action, I sent Roger my schedule, as well as my contact information and address. This way he would be all set with everything he needed. I was deliberately trying to think ahead. Maybe he’d appreciate that.

  He seemed willing to work with me whenever possible in order to fix the program. Now I didn’t have any excuses, though. I had to go along with the meetings.

  If only I could keep from falling for this guy in the meantime, I’d be fine.

  ***

  “With two people already found dead and one seriously injured, the death toll now climbs to four. Police are still unable to figure out how he’s getting into the apartments without leaving a trace behind…”

  Waking from a dream that involved a hot computer guy, I heard the tail end of the newscast as the anchor warned all those in the vicinity to be on alert for an intruder that was killing residents—and apparently stealing only their jewelry. He was taking tokens that were on the victims instead of what was lying around their house.

  Putting the news footage out of my mind, I shut the television off before heading to my room for the evening. Tomorrow was my exam, and I had spent most of the day and well into the night studying hard for it. As I fell into a restless sleep in the complete darkness of the room, I didn’t have a care in the world, other than my exam and the upcoming meeting with Roger.

  I sighed, content, as I curled into my blanket and snuggled up against my pillow.

  ***

  He watched her from the window as she settled in for the night. He could practically hear her sigh of contentment. He thought about what it would feel like to surprise her awake. He sat back from across the street and waited, watching.

  Now wasn’t the time, but someday it would be. She wasn’t ready, and neither was he, but he knew she was the one. He couldn’t wait for it to happen, and he was already fantasizing about it.

  He could see the whole thing happen in slow-motion. He just needed to be patient, but patience was definitely not something he was good at.

  ***

  The exam only took me about an hour, and I was first one out the door when it finished. With the rest of the day free, I thought about contacting Roger to start early, but I decided against it as I made my way to the coffee shop.

  As soon as I walked through the door, I could feel him watching me. He was sitting in the corner opposite the room. I tried to ignore him as I made my way to the counter. I wanted to get there before he saw me noticing him.

  “Medium iced mocha latte and a Rice Krispies Treat, please.”

  “Would you like extra mocha?”

  “Great idea! Yes, please add the extra mocha. I’m celebrating.”

  “Celebrating what? How’d your exam go?”

  Roger suddenly stood behind me. He must have made his over without a sound.

  Startled, I jumped, nearly crashing into the counter.

  “Careful there.”

  He grabbed ahold of my elbow as he removed some money from his wallet to pay for my order.

  “What are you doing? You don’t have to do that.”

  “You’re celebrating, remember? And I’d like to help you celebrate by paying for this.”

  Okay, so that was kinda cute and thoughtful.

  “Thank you.”

  I took my treat and made my way toward the other side of the room, but Roger tried to pull me toward where he was seated instead.

  “So, what are you celebrating? And how did your exam go?”

  “I’m celebrating finishing my exam first out of everyone in the class. It only took about an hour, and I’m pretty sure I aced it.”

  Turning back, I grabbed my mocha from the counter and returned quickly to the seat near him. Then I watched him work on his laptop, typing away.

  “So, what are you up to for the rest of the day?”

  He looked up after finishing the last line of code he had been working on.

  “Nothing. I actually have the rest of the day off, and I’m going to love every minute of it.”

  “Oh.”

  Disappointment registered clear on his face as he went back to burying his head in his laptop.

  “Why?”

  Guilt got the better of me as I slowly pushed the laptop lid down, making him lean over to continue looking at the screen. Finding this amusing, I watched him lean lower and lower as the lid came closer to closing.

  “Don’t even think about it, missy.”

  Laughing at him, I took a swig of my drink as
well as a bite of my treat.

  “Why are you so upset?”

  I was puzzled over his response.

  “I was just… I was thinking that maybe you’d want to…”

  “Want to what?”

  “Want to spend time with me.”

  “On the program?”

  “Actually, no, not on the program. I thought we could spend some time together-together.”

  “Really?”

  I was shocked, and in complete awe as I took in his obvious awkwardness.

  “Yes, really. I like you.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes, I do. You’re smart, funny, and sexy as hell. What’s there not to like? Plus, you don’t take any of my crap, and I like that in a girl. It’s rare for me to find that in well… anyone.”

  I laughed out loud at the thought.

  “I can’t believe…”

  “What? What can’t you believe?”

  “I can’t believe you like me!”

  “Well, believe it. Let me put this to you in a better way. Clara, I would like to spend some time with you. I know you’re not interested in a boyfriend, but I would very much like to get to know you better.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay? That’s it?”

  “Well, I wasn’t expecting this. I didn’t think you liked me!”

  “I do, though. I like you a lot. So, what do you say?”

  “Yes! I say yes. I would like to spend time with you outside of the beta testing work we’re doing, too.”

  “Great, so how about today?”

  “I thought we were already doing that?”

  “Point well made. Yes, we are. Okay then, have a seat, and tell me about your day.”

  For the next several hours, we took our time talking about movies, books, and the things we enjoyed. We both liked comedies, and we had both enjoyed the Fifty Shades books—which wasn’t really a surprise considering the subject matter. We also found out that we both enjoyed the museum and spending time watching the cosmos—though Roger enjoyed all these things more on the computer than in the actual real world. But we still discovered many things we had in common.

  By sunset we were walking toward my apartment. Roger wanted to make sure I was safe and sound inside. He said he didn’t feel it was right not to make sure I was in okay after we had spent so much time together. Even though I vehemently responded that we were not in a relationship, he just disregarded that and asked if he could walk with me anyway.

  I didn’t feel like it was a big deal, so I went along with it. As soon as we reached my building, Roger started fidgeting with his bag. Both of us were uncomfortable in this moment, so I decided to take the initiative by reaching up and kissing him.

  After a few moments, he grabbed my head as well, pulling me into him, surrounding me with his warmth and passion. Feeling dizzy with desire and unwilling to let go, he suddenly pulled away, pressing his head against mine and panting heavily, trying to regain control.

  “That was…”

  “Yeah, it was.”

  “I thought…”

  “I know, but this just feels right.”

  “Can we do that again? Or is that against the rules?”

  “Oh no, we can definitely do that again. As often as possible would be fantastic.”

  “Good, I was hoping you’d say that.”

  He pressed a kiss to my forehead before returning to my lips.

  ***

  He watched her from afar, waiting as he cultivated his craft. This one was special, this one he couldn’t rush into too hastily. He wanted her to be everything he desired, and then some. She fluttered throughout her home with the ease and grace of an angel. His angel.

  The hunt was on. The hunt had been on for a while now, and she didn’t even know it. The time would come soon for her to see—and feel it, firsthand. She was going to be perfect. he just knew it. Those others were just practice while he waited. He contemplated the future afterglow, basking in the possibility of her welcoming embrace.

  He just had to be patient now. He couldn’t rush this. It would all be worth it, if only he could be patient.

  ***

  “Another girl has been attacked in her home, bringing the total count to nine dead. As you may recall, there was one survivor, but the trauma was too severe for her body to handle, and she passed during the night…”

  I’m not sure why I keep watching the news; it’s never about puppies and kittens.

  I laughed at myself for the sheer stupidity I felt in that moment, just thinking that the news could ever be about anything other than gory, firsthand accounts of terrible events.

  Today was Tuesday, one where I’d get to spend time again with Roger. It had been three weeks, with the two of us seemingly inseparable up to this point. The relationship was more than I’d wanted or expected, but the results had been amazing—fun and so exciting. Roger was funny, smart, sexy, and intense in a way that could be intimidating at times—especially when he was working on his program.

  The beta testing was coming along as they found a lot of inaccuracies that were causing the inconsistent results. Roger didn’t have a problem fixing any of these issues, and even updated it in real time to bring the users the greatest experience possible. In the beginning, some of them were reluctant in the kind of response the program could offer with the upgrades. However, Roger met the challenge and led the charge to greater results no one thought possible.

  It was a weird reality whenever responses came into my email, as by week two I felt uncomfortable responding when I already had someone that was perfect for me. Still reeling from our meet, Roger took everything in stride and said over and over that we were just hanging out together and enjoying one another’s company. He did state one night that he’d prefer that we were exclusive while we were hanging out, though, so my responses to the emails from the program were always the same: “just looking for friends to hang out with.” The wording made Roger grin whenever he saw it, since that was precisely what we were doing.

  “Do you want a pizza tonight? Or Chinese food?”

  “Let’s go nuts and get burritos!”

  I stuck my tongue out at him as I reached for the menu, but Roger took it from me, placing it on the side.

  “How about we eat in instead? I’ll cook you something.”

  “Steak and potatoes?”

  “Do you want steak and potatoes?”

  “Can you cook that?”

  “Yes, as well as mac and cheese. So, it’s your choice.”

  “I’ll go with the steak. Thank you.”

  “Great. You’re welcome.”

  “What made you not want to get takeout?”

  “I don’t know, I guess I’m just sick of that kind of food.”

  “I get it. Me, too. Plus, this way I can distract you while you cook!”

  “Oh, yeah? And how would you do that, exactly?”

  “That would be cheating. You’ll just have to wait and see.”

  “Oh, well, I look forward to it then.”

  “Me, too.”

  Now both of us were laughing as Roger pulled out the ingredients for our dinner.

  Reaching for the cracked pepper, I pulled it slightly away from him as he went to reach for it, kissing him lightly on the lips instead. Grabbing the cracked pepper in my hands, I pulled away and walked back into the living room. I heard humming coming from the kitchen as I sat on the couch, looking for something on TV.

  “How about some mushrooms and onions? Would you like that? Or are you an anti-mushroom girl?”

  “Oh no, I love mushrooms. That would be great.”

  I felt silly waiting while he cooked, so I strolled back to the kitchen to watch as he chopped and sliced.

  “How is it you can make cutting and slicing look so sexy?”

  “What did you say?”

  “Sorry, I was just watching you with those vegetables, and you look so sexy.”

  Making his way toward me, he had a hungry look in hi
s eyes.

  “Sexy, huh? You like my slicing skills, do ya?”

  “Well, you can make anything sexy, but right now, watching you chop and slice is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

  He grabbed my head from across the counter and pulled me toward him, our lips exploding in pleasure as they touched. His hand crushed me further into him. Then his kiss electrified, as we couldn’t contain our passion for one another any longer. Food all but forgotten at the moment, we satisfied our hunger by devouring each other, tasting the promise of things soon to come.

  Reluctantly pulling away, he said, “Baby, I don’t want our dinner to burn.”

  Giving in because I was starving, too, I let him go back to cooking, watching him from the counter as he continued his chopping and slicing.

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “How about you grab the potatoes, and I’ll toss them into the oven?”

  “Okay.”

  I prepared the potatoes for baking and set them in the foil. He took them from me, brushing his hip against mine. Already our relationship had evolved beyond anything I had intended, but it just felt too good to be with him, so it was hard to resist the pull. Most of all, I didn’t want to resist the pull we had toward each another.

  Once the prep was set, we had about an hour before it was all done, so we took our places back on the couch, trying to work on the program some more before calling it a night. It was something I was finding a little hard to do, since he was so distracting today. Maybe it was the vegetables or his cooking skills, but the program was just not something I wanted to think about right now.

  My mind drifted back to the memory his lips on mine, and the pull we shared just moments ago. It seemed like an eternity ago as we tried to concentrate on something other than our attraction to each another. I found myself wondering what we could have been doing, instead of what we should have been doing.

  “I’ve redone this line of code ten times, but you’re too distracting for me tonight. I give up trying to fight it.”