Unbroken

Chapter 17: A Date... Sort of

After laying it on the bed, I glared at it. It wasn't that bad, was it? It was certainly more revealing than my old one piece had been. Ugh. Shoot me now. I threw it into a tote bag, along with a few other items, and then dashed back downstairs and to the car.

Nix stood against the car, one foot propping him up. "You okay?"

Putting on a cheery smile, I nodded. "Yep!"

His dark eyes searched my face for a moment, his brows furrowed. Finally, he gave a nod and opened my door for me. I thanked him and he smiled briefly before heading for his seat.

Once we were all situated, Rook twisted slightly in his seat so he could see me. "What took so long?"

"Rather not talk about it," I grumbled. My sister wasn't their problem, however, the closer we got to Kacen's, the bigger the knots in my stomach felt. Could I reveal that much skin with the guys around?

That's when I felt it. The nausea welling up in my stomach. Crap, crap, crap. Not now! Breathe in, hold, exhale. My whole body shook, my throat and eyes burned while trying to hold my tears at bay.

Drawing my legs up, I buried my face against my thighs, sucking in another deep breath.

I wasn't really aware of anything going on around me. Nix's voice was sharp, penetrating my foggy brain. "Kace, stop the car."

It didn't sound like Kacen questioned him as the car rolled to a stop, but all I could hear was the blood rushing through my ears as my heart thudded rapidly. Before I knew what was happening, my seatbelt was removed, and I was pulled onto a lap with Nix's spicy scent surrounding me. God, why couldn't I control this?

Nix's voice was little more than a rumble as he spoke, but I couldn't understand much of what he said.

My thoughts tumbled around in my head, going over and over the confrontation I'd had with Ari. She probably thought I was the worst sister in the world for yelling at her like that. But why did she think it was okay to do the things she did? Was it my fault she walked all over me like that?

Something brushed against my hair as I gasped for breath, attempting to slow my breathing. Control. You're fine, Em.

The door behind me opened, and then I was being lifted out of the car. In this moment, I hated myself! I hated that I couldn't stop this, whatever this was.

Deep breathing didn't seem to be helping. I hiccupped, and then tried holding my breath. Choking, I released it as I was set on the trunk. "Put your head between your legs, Em." Rook's gentle voice reached my ears, helping me calm slightly. And then the car bounced. Someone sat behind me, running their hands through my hair.

God, why did this have to be so difficult? All I wanted to do was stop thinking and breathe. Inhaling deeply, I forced myself to hold it again, despite the spasms in my diaphragm.

"B-b-breathe." Kacen's whisper against my ear surprised me into doing as he said, and his fingers tapped out a rhythm against my stomach.

When I inhaled, his arms tightened around my waist, pulling me against his chest. His lips against my against my neck brought my thoughts to a screeching halt. Had I just imagined that?

As I began to come out of it, I glanced up to find Rook directly in front of me, his brows drawn in concern. Oh, god, I was such an idiot. My cheeks flamed as I dropped my head against my knees again.

Biting my lip hard to keep the tears at bay, I let out a soft groan. I'd made a complete idiot of myself for absolutely no reason.

"Talk to us, Emma." Rook's thumb brushed against my chin. "How can we help?"

I tried to say something, but as soon as I opened my mouth, my lungs spasmed, making me cough instead. "S-sorry," I managed to mutter.

"T-t-take your t-t-t-time."

Nix hopped off the car, pacing as he ran his fingers through his dark curls. "Fucking shit."

The tears I'd been fighting made a silent trail down my cheeks. I knew it wouldn't be long before they realized I was too high maintenance and left for good.

My stomach knotted with dread.

"Nix, knock it off." Rook's voice startled me.

With a glance at me, the anger left Nix's expression. "Em." Hopping back onto the trunk with us, he took one of my hands.

Butterflies were at war with my anxiety. This was new, and different, and under other circumstances, having the three of them so close would probably make me giddy.

"This is bullshit, that there's absolutely nothing we can do to make it better for you."

Wait. I sniffled, my gaze jumping up to rest on his face. Did he truly mean that? Rubbing my stomach, I murmured, "I'm sorry I ruined your day."

His dark eyes narrowed. "You didn't ruin a fucking thing."

Kacen raised his head, and a few seconds later, Rook said, "Nix isn't wrong. You've helped us or put up with our issues, and we just want to make this better for you."

Rubbing at my eyes, I replied, "You do?"