A Heart Not Easily Broken (The Butterfly Memoirs) by M. J. Kane

Brian as he watched the show. He’d ditched the tie and vest in his truck before loosening the top three buttons of his shirt. His chiseled features deep blue eyes under thick eyebrows, cocky smile, and curly blond hair - were heart-stoppingly handsome.
    My gaze followed the movement of his Adam’s apple down the opening of his shirt. It had been impossible to ignore his hard body as we danced. His rough fingers were strong and sure on my body. His eyes drew me deep into the sea of blue. My initial reaction was to press myself against him because it felt…secure. How could being in his arms have felt right? I barely knew the man.
    Brian’s attention turned back to me. He smiled. “What are you thinking?”
    I straightened in the booth, glad he couldn’t read my thoughts. “Javan is your roommate. You guys are nothing alike.”
    “Are you one of his ‘friends’?” He made air quotation marks, his expression curious and eyebrows creased.
    “Do you mean am I sleeping with him? No, he’s dating my roommate, Yasmine. She’s the one who called you.”
    Relief seemed to dawn on his face. “I’ve never met her, but tell her I said thanks. So, how did you two become roommates?” I reached for my cup of water.
    “We met in college, lived in the same dorm room, and graduated the same year. We decided to rent a house together.” He shrugged. “Economically, it works for the both of us.”
    “Do you guys get along? I don’t know Javan, but…he makes me nervous.”
    Brian’s eyebrow’s creased. “Nervous? How?”
    “I only run into him when he picks Yasmine up. I’ll answer the door, and it’s as if he’s mentally undressing me.” Goose bumps sprouted along my skin at the thought.
    Brian looked away. “Javan plays games with people. He studied to be a shrink and likes to experiment. In college, his favorite past time was finding out how many women he could manipulate.” He shook his head, a look of disappointment on his face. “I figured he’d stop once we graduated, but apparently he hasn’t. Just ignore him, and he’ll move on to somebody else.”
    I hoped he’d do it soon. Telling Yasmine about her new man was the last thing I wanted to do.
    “That’s enough about him. Tell me about you.”
    “What do you want to know?”
    “You’ve got roommates. How did you meet?”
    “Same as you, in college. Kaitlyn and I lived in the same dorm room. Yasmine lived off campus. We bonded like sisters.” I paused. “You’d like Kaitlyn. I’ll introduce you sometime.”
    He appeared baffled. “You want me to meet your roommate? Thanks, but no thanks.”
    “Are you sure? She’s very pretty, blond hair, green eyes, and big boobs. You didn’t notice at the club? Every guy in the room gravitated toward her.”
    Brian remained quiet, his eyes steady on mine. “Are you insecure?”
    “Excuse me?”
    “I’m asking because you don’t understand. I like you. Are you telling me about her because she’s white?”
    My back went up in defense. “No, I’m not insecure. You seem like a nice guy and Kaitlyn would like you. Besides, you guys might have some things in common.”
    Brian’s eyebrows lifted. “Ebony, you don’t know me. How can you say we could have something in common?”
    “Well, you’re both single.”
    His gaze stayed on mine as he drank from his beer. “You and I are both single. I bet we have some things in common, too.” He sipped again. “We’re approaching this relationship differently.”
    I scoffed. “We don’t have a relationship.”
    He sat quietly, watching the remnants of his beer as he swirled it around. “When you look at me, what do you see?”
    I preoccupied myself with the ring on my napkin. “A white man”
    “Obviously,” he said before I finished my thought.
     I forced myself to look at him. “…who is not my type.”
    Brian nodded, drained the last of his beer, and sat back in the booth. When he spoke again, his eyes focused on mine. “You know what I