UNBROKEN: A Bad Boy MMA Romance (Midwest Alphas) (Book 2) Read Free Page B

to assist Charlie with chores. I was coming down from withdrawal, the remnants of a long-forgotten drug problem.
    Now, I easily fall asleep before midnight. Last night was the first time in a long while that I’ve stayed up so late, but when I wake up with Tobias in my bed, it’s hard to complain about a little bit of exhaustion.
    I feel his arm lying around me long before I even open my eyes. A smile creeps across my lips as I turn around to look at his sleeping face. The morning sun shines through the window next to the bed, casting his skin a precious orange. My eyes move down his bare torso and I take in the sight of his tattoos along his skin. I recall the first time I saw them. It was my first full day in the house and I accidentally walked in on him in the bathroom, half-nude with only a towel wrapped around his waist. Back then, he was covered in red and purple bruises. Now, they’re gone, leaving behind a perfectly toned, strong abdomen. The only evidence left behind of his days as a prized MMA fighter is the scar on his left side where Pike stabbed him. I reach out and run my finger along the stiff scar tissue. I never want to see anything as brutal as that ever again.
    Tobias stirs in the bed as his eyes slowly start to peel open. He blinks to adjust to the sunlight shining in and smiles as he recognizes my face. “Hey…” he whispers.
    I return his smile. “Hey.”
    A quick knock strikes the door. “Hey, Claire—”
    Tobias bolts upright, his entire body instantly wide awake as his father’s voice carries into the room from behind the door. He rolls out of the bed and takes two long strides towards the closet and silently hides inside as Charlie pushes the door open.
    “You awake yet?” he asks me.
    I force a yawn and carefully watch Charlie’s eyes for suspicion, but he seems blissfully unaware. “I’m up,” I say. “Just a bit slow today, is all.”
    “You and Amy get back late?”
    I nod. “Yeah, she insisted on stopping to eat first before coming back.”
    Charlie rolls his eyes. “Well, that sounds about right.” He grabs the door knob again. “Get some coffee in you. Lots of errands to run in town today.”
    “Okay.” I push the blankets off of me and plant my feet on the floor as he closes the door again. I stand up and walk over to the closet.
    Tobias flinches as I pull the door open quickly. “I fell asleep,” he says through clenched teeth.
    “I know.” I lean back against the door frame. “I think we’re getting a little too sloppy.”
    “Think he noticed?”
    I shake my head. “But it’s Charlie… if he hasn’t already, he’ll notice eventually. ”
    “True.” Tobias steps out of the closet. I reach around him and grab a shirt off the rack, one of Mary’s old shirts.
    He’s never given up hope. I’ll catch him sometimes, set adrift in a moment of quiet reflection, his eyes wandering the world around him. Every piece of his life is a constant reminder of the sister he lost, including me. It can’t be easy for him to mourn with me living in her room, wearing her clothes.
    After Tobias told me what happened to her, it felt wrong to use her things, but the both of them insisted that it was all right. I didn’t bring very much of my own wardrobe down here with me. I don’t even remember what I left back in Chicago anymore, as the life I left behind has no place here. Charlie’s not one to be wasteful. He told me I might as well get some use out of her old stuff, including her vast collection of cheesy romance novels scattered about the room. I’ve already read over half of them, but there’s not much to entertain myself with around here with the lack of internet and basic cable.
    I get dressed and cautiously open the door to look for Charlie. I focus my hearing and I quickly narrow the sound of his boots down to the first floor. “He’s in the kitchen,” I whisper to Tobias.
    He lingers behind my shoulder and sneaks a kiss before stepping out into the