Collecting the Pieces

by L. A. Fiore

  “Get your stuff. You’re in my bed tonight.”

  I tried to pull away from him; he touched my chin to study the tears streaking my face before he wiped away the ones still rolling down my cheeks. “You’re shedding tears for me?”

  I was no longer finding happy, I was happy, deliriously happy, and because of that I teased him. “No, for the loss of hearing fuck used in every sentence and in every form of speech. It’s a gift you’ve got there.”

  “Smart ass.” But he kissed me, deeply, with a hint of something that hadn’t been there before.

  The fucker didn’t even ride it out of the shop. He put his brand new, thirty thousand dollar motorcycle on a fucking trailer. He’d probably ride it around once every month and the rest of the time it’d stay in his garage or under a tarp. Unbelievable.

  “Another satisfied customer.” Tiny’s words were deceiving because he was as disgusted as me with our latest customer.

  “Fucker has more money than sense.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Where does D.J. find these douche bags?”

  “Don’t know.”

  “I got to tell ya, I’m getting really tired of sweating over a build for it to go to assholes like that.”

  “Yeah, I’ve noticed you’ve been more of a dick than usual.”

  I didn’t even bother acknowledging that comment. Carly had been moved about a month back to another rehab closer to me. She was over thirty days in for her sixty-day treatment and she was doing well, responding to treatment.

  “Hey, Abel. You’ve got a visitor,” D.J. called.

  “You expecting someone?” Tiny asked as we headed to the office.

  “No, probably another fucking yuppie with more money than brains.”

  Reaching the office, I was surprised as fuck to see Duncan Hellar.

  “Hey, man. What the hell are you doing here?” I asked while taking the hand he offered.

  “You got a minute?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll catch up with you later.” But Tiny was already pulling the door closed behind him.

  “What’s up?”

  “I wanted to ask you...this sounds so fucking lame now.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re here so spit it out.”

  “There’s someone I want to…I know there was something going on between you and her and I wanted to know if the way was clear.”

  What the fuck? What happened to his undying love for Carly? It had been a little over a month since I had last seen Sidney, neither of us could get away, but we talked on the phone every night, so the thought that her feelings had shifted was like taking a fucking dagger to the heart.

  “Yeah, there’s still fucking something going on.”

  “I knew it. Damn it.”

  “Is she interested?”

  “I haven’t approached her, but yeah. It’s in the air, it damn near sizzles when we’re together.”

  That was like taking several punches to the gut. I thought that charge was unique to her and me.

  “I’m sorry, I’ll back off. It’s been there since we were kids. I’d hoped it had faded, but I guess not.”

  Okay now I wasn’t following. “What now?”

  “Carly. I know you two had a thing when we were younger.”

  “We’re talking about Carly?”

  “Yeah, who did you think I was talking about?”

  “Sidney.”

  “Sidney? I’ve never thought of her like that.”

  “Fuck me.”

  Both relief and mischievousness fueled the smile that spread over his face. “You and Sidney?”

  I was tempted to smile like an ass too because shit, the idea of Sidney with someone else. I didn’t like it. Not one fucking bit.

  “She’s not just a hook up?”

  “No fucking way.”

  “I think that’s great.”

  It was a whole hell of a lot more than great. “Wait, you said that Carly and I had something as kids. What are you talking about?”

  “You know how she always used to come to the farm, almost as much as you. And there was that cabin in the woods that we played in as kids.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I saw her coming from the woods one day, the last day she came to the farm actually, and you weren’t far behind her.”

  “You think I fucked Carly?”

  “Yeah and you dumped her so she stopped coming around.”

  “I never fucked her.”

  He sounded as surprised as I felt. “You didn’t?”

  “No, I never thought of her like that and I rarely went to that cabin after the age of eight. If I was coming from the woods, I was coming back from smoking a joint with Carlos. You know the dude that got fired for stealing. You brought girls to our hideout?”

  “Yeah, I thought you were too.”

  “Why’d you think that?”

  “It was being used and not just by me.”

  “What about Jayce?”

  “He was too busy chasing pussy in that piece of shit car.”

  I’d forgotten about that car. Duncan wasn’t wrong, thing was shit on wheels.

  “I kind of wished it were you.”

  “You wished I fucked the girl you liked?”

  “There’s only one other person I’ve seen coming from that cabin. I thought he was just checking up on us, but if it wasn’t you using the cabin to entertain it had to be him.”

  “Who?”

  “Chris.”

  Humor died because what he suggested was disgusting. “Chris Dearly, the barn manager? You think he fucked Carly?” Even liking Chris, if that was true it was going to be hard seeing him and not breaking his fucking neck.

  “No. He wouldn’t have forced her. But Chris was like a father to Carly. If he came onto her, that would have freaked her out.”

  “Yeah, but I can’t see him doing that to her, breaking her trust in him.”

  “Honestly, I can’t either, but I do know he has a taste for younger women. They’ve all been legal that I know of, but just barely.”

  “Speaking of Carly, what’s this shit I hear that you told your dad she wasn’t Hellar material?”

  “Where the fuck did you hear that?”

  “Carly overheard it. That’s why she stopped coming to the farm, that’s why she left town.”

  Duncan’s face completely drained of color. “She heard that?”

  “Yeah. What the fuck was that all about?”

  “I liked her. I thought she liked you. I was nasty. Dad got pissed hearing me say that about her. I took a swing at him, but I pictured your face.”

  “You took a swing at Garrett?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is that why he hauled you off to military school?”

  “Yep.”

  “So the tension between you now, you never apologized.”

  “No.”

  “I don’t know if I should pat your back for taking a swing at a man like Garrett, that took some serious balls, or kick you in the ass for being a dick and not admitting you were wrong. Speaking of being wrong, what about Carly?”

  “I’ve liked her since we were kids. I want to try.”

  “Fucking finally. I know from her own mouth that she would be very receptive to that.”

  “No shit.”

  “Took you long enough brother, but better late than never.”

  Walking into the rehab center, I hadn’t been able to get out of my head the conversation with Duncan from earlier in the week. Carly left town because of Duncan, but was it possible she started drugs because of Chris? If what Duncan thought was true I wanted to ask Carly about it, but I hesitated because I was unsure if confronting someone in rehab with the event that could have caused her tailspin was a good idea. So I was checking in with her doctors. They knew me well enough; I’d been coming around a couple times a week since she’d been admitted. Her head doctor, Dr. Eisner, greeted me in her office.

  “Abel, nice to see you. What can I do for you?” />
  “You and I had discussed what could have been the catalyst for Carly’s addiction during one of our earlier meetings. Recently I’ve received some insight on what that could have been. I’d like to know if there’s any truth to it, but I’m not sure asking Carly is wise at this point.”

  She leaned forward a bit. “How significant is this information?”

  “It’s possible that someone she looked up to as a father figure may have made inappropriate passes at her.”

  “No physical abuse?”

  “I can’t say for sure, but I don’t think so.”

  “I can’t discuss her case with you, but I can work toward that end in our sessions. This is the environment for that, a controlled and safe place where any lingering issues that arise can be addressed before they snowball. Thank you for the insight.”

  “Yeah, no problem.”

  “Carly's had quite a few guests today. In fact her last visitor just left.”

  I hoped it was okay that I was stopping by unannounced, but I wanted to surprise him. I had wanted to visit before this, but I was needed at the clinic now that Doc Cassidy had officially retired. I’d managed to get all my patients seen before I made the drive. It had been just over a month since Carly had been moved and she looked great—her complexion and hair both looked the healthiest I’d ever seen them and she’d put on a few pounds, but more importantly she looked happy. Patricia’s suggestion of moving her had been a good one. Only thirty days into treatment and she looked worlds different.

  Climbing from my car, I stood for a minute and took in Abel’s garage. You’d never know what it was since there was no sign identifying it. No walk-ins for them, only people serious about custom motorcycles.

  And it was while I stood there that I realized I probably should have called first. Just showing up was rude. He could be busy with a client. I turned toward my car with the intent of calling him when I heard that voice.

  “Where are you going, Doc?”

  The sight of Abel walking toward me with that cocky grin on his face was one I liked a lot. The memory of him doing the same without clothes had my body growing warm.

  “Found yourself in my neck of the woods?”

  Leaning against my car, partially because I needed it to keep my balance, I replied, “I just saw Carly, but I really wanted to see you.”

  “So why were you leaving?”

  “I realized I should have called first.”

  He moved right into my personal space as his hands came down on my car’s hood, caging me in. “Any time, Doc. You want me, I’m here any time.” His head lowered, his nose moved over my shoulder and up my neck. My eyes closed as I locked my knees to keep myself standing. He nipped my earlobe with his teeth; his tongue ran along the shell as he breathed softly. “Same goes for me sneaking into your house and into your bed. All access, babe.”

  I couldn’t answer. I was too overwhelmed by him that all I managed was reaching out to him so I didn’t sway.

  His head lifted and I was treated to the sight of his grin. “No need to call first, Doc.”

  I needed to feel him to believe this was real as I touched his beard and ran my fingers over his lips. I’d certainly dreamt about it enough. “I’ve missed you.”

  Burying his hands in my hair, he pulled my mouth to his. He tasted and explored with a need I completely understood and had me forgetting where we were. The need to feel him, all of him, was turning me reckless.

  “Not here,” he whispered against my lips. “Keys.”

  I couldn’t help the giggle with his ridiculous rule about driving, but I still handed them over.

  “My place isn’t far.”

  His apartment door had just closed behind us when he lifted me into his arms. He walked us through his apartment, but I didn’t see anything. I would take time later to check his place out.

  Reaching his room, he lowered me onto his bed and came down right on top of me. For a good while we kissed and petted through the layers of our clothes, but the need to feel his skin against mine had me reaching for his shirt. And when I found bare skin my fingers moved over his chest and trailed down his abs. He wasn’t as gentle with removing my shirt and bra, but then I was okay with that because I had his mouth and hands on me again. Kissing down my stomach, he worked my jeans off and then my panties. Ravenous was the only word to describe the look of him as he pulled me to the edge of the bed, dropped to his knees and buried his face between my legs. Fisting his sheets, my hips moved against his invading tongue. God, I missed this. He knew my body, exactly what I liked because he had me coming in a matter of minutes. He didn’t wait; he rolled on a condom and filled me in one powerful shift of his hips sending me right back over the edge. He was nearly as out of control as me, moving with a single-minded purpose of finding pleasure. And when he came, I watched as it rolled over his features. Hooking an arm around my waist, he rolled us so I sat astride him.

  “We’ll go slower next time.”

  “No complaints here.”

  “How have you been? Doc Cassidy has officially retired, yeah?”

  “Yep, but we’ve got a really good system. I love the work.”

  He touched the hair that hung over my shoulder. “And Cain?”

  “He’s living in the house now.”

  His brow arched. “Really? And it’s all good?”

  “Yeah, though if you intend to sneak into my house, we might need to work on that.”

  “Good idea.”

  “I don’t think it’ll take much since he’s even fine around the cats. They know who their alpha is.”

  “Including Sandbar?”

  “Yeah.” He started to shake and it felt really nice since we were still joined. “Why are you laughing?”

  “I love that an animal you named after me is keeping that little shit in line.”

  “Sandbar is very affectionate.”

  “To you. To everyone else he’d like to slit our throats while we sleep.”

  Who would have thought Abel would be jealous of a cat. I couldn’t help my own chuckle. It dawned that I was in Abel’s bed, he was still inside me and still we could be so natural and comfortable. Even with Jake, it had taken time before we reached this level of comfort and intimacy.

  The pad of his thumb swiped over my lower lip. “What’s put that look on your face?”

  “I thought I’d imagined the easiness of this, but I didn’t.”

  “I’m usually planning my departure before I get the woman into my bed, but with you I can’t fucking stop thinking about you. 325 miles isn’t all that far, but it’s too far for me.”

  “What are you saying?”

  He rolled us again and sunk in deeper, my knees falling to the side as he filled me so completely. “I’m saying I need to think about some things because I want more of this.” He pulled out, my body protesting the emptiness as he handled the condoms, and then he slammed back into me. My spine arched, he lifted my hips and I took his cock repeatedly until my body cried for mercy and gave him what he wanted.

  I was wrapped in his sheet and sitting on the counter in his kitchen, while Abel made us sandwiches. His place, like his cabin, was sparse but clean. Definitely a bachelor pad because it lacked the touches of pictures or knickknacks a woman would add, but I liked it. It was all very Abel.

  “Are you good if you don’t leave until the morning?”

  “Are you asking me to stay the night, Abel?”

  “Yep.”

  “I’ll call Rylee to let her know, though she knew I was stopping by and was hoping she wouldn’t hear from me until tomorrow.”

  That earned me a grin before he said, “Duncan stopped by the other day.”

  “Yeah? He mentioned he wanted to visit Carly.”

  “He thought Carly and I were together as kids. I never touched Carly. She was like a sister. But Duncan has a theory.”

  “A theory about what?”

  He handed me a sandwich before leaning back against the counter opposite m
e. He’d pulled on his jeans, but he hadn’t bothered buttoning them and his hair hung loose around his shoulders. The sight of him was very distracting.

  “He thinks Chris may have made an inappropriate pass at Carly.”

  My whole body went numb as my eyes moved from Abel’s chest to his face. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah, fucked up if he did.”

  “Jesus.”

  “I spoke to her doc, mentioned the possibility, she’s going to skirt around the subject during their sessions.”

  “The farm was like home for Carly and Chris like family.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I hope he’s wrong.”

  “Me too, but it might explain why she turned to drugs.”

  “Poor Carly.” Playing with my sandwich, I couldn’t help but ask because I was so very curious about Abel.

  “I’m guessing your home life wasn’t great.”

  “My dad was a dick, never wanted kids. Got saddled with me, used me for what he could and then ditched me. Tiny took me in.”

  “Thank God for Tiny.”

  “Yeah, you’ve no fucking idea. I was one of the lucky ones.” He pushed his hands into jean pockets. “What about you?”

  “Let’s just say Jake was my Tiny.”

  “Yeah, I kind of got that.”

  “We’d known each other a long time. He was a good man.”

  “Catching a woman like you, he’d have to be.”

  My heart flipped in my chest, but what a thing to say and from a man like Abel. And because of it, I gave him a small insight into me. “As wonderful as he was and as much as I loved him, will always love him, I never felt the electricity with him as I do with you, nor hungered for someone like I hunger for you.”

  Abel closed the distance between us and pulled open the sheet as he lowered me back on the counter. He pushed his jeans down enough to pull his cock free and in the next breath he was inside me. It was different, the way he moved, and the way he watched as my body took him in and out in a gentle glide. He pressed his hand flat against my stomach and moved it slowly up my body as his hips set a pace that created that wonderful friction. Relentless, a sweet, deliberate torture and the orgasm that followed was equally sweet. He pulled from me just before he came, his warmth rolling down my stomach as his mouth settled over mine.