Heartstrings: A Dirty Affliction Novel

by Regina Frame

  "Why don't you go choose a movie, and I'll grab the popcorn?"

  "What are you in the mood for?"

  It was such an innocent question. I wondered what she'd say if I told her what I was really in the mood for.

  "Careful there, sweetheart. That's a loaded question," I teased.

  "Butter," she replied, a little breathlessly.

  "Butter?"

  "Yes, and lots of it," she insisted.

  "You got it."

  I watched as she turned and walked toward the den, her ponytail bouncing as she did. I could get used to that. Having her there.

  I grabbed the bowl of popcorn in one hand and a couple of beers in the other. I looked for the dog and found him asleep on his bed in the corner. I was sure he'd be in to beg for popcorn soon enough.

  When I rounded the corner to the den, I had to stop for a moment, just to take it all in. She had turned off the lamps, and the only light in the room was the flat screen T.V. and the glow of the Christmas tree, along with the lights on the mantle. It looked like a picture you would see on a Christmas card. But the most beautiful of all, was Honor. She was sitting on the sofa with her legs tucked beneath her.

  The soft glow from the Christmas lights reflected off her pale blonde hair, making her look like the angel that she was. She was breathtaking. She looked at me and smiled, and patted the empty space next to her on the sofa.

  "I hope you like Christmas Vacation."

  The excitement in her voice caused my heart to flutter in my chest.

  "It's my favorite," I admitted, because Chevy Chase was the bomb. He was the king of all comedy.

  When it came to the part in the movie about the "jelly of the month club", we recited every word of Clark's rant together without missing a beat, and then burst into a fit of laughter.

  Half way in to A Christmas Story, Honor fell asleep with her head on my shoulder. Her pink, pouty lips were parted, and every now and then a little puff of air would escape. It was adorable.

  I reached into my back pocket and fished out my phone, careful not to wake her. I snapped a picture before scooting down on the sofa so that we were both reclining. I pulled the blanket from the back of the sofa and covered us both, even though it wasn't cold. She sighed in her sleep and snuggled deeper into my chest. Never in my life had I wanted a relationship, but I could definitely get used to that.

  "You're so warm," she mumbled without waking.

  I ran my fingers through her blonde hair, letting the silky strands curl around my fingers. My body relaxed against hers and for the next few hours, I lied there and watched a little boy get his tongue stuck to a frozen pole on the playground while an angel slept in my arms.

  It was the first time in months that my father hadn't plagued my dreams.

  ***

  The next morning, I woke to smacking sounds. Like when you give the dog peanut butter and then laugh your ass off while it sticks to the roof of its mouth. I felt Honor shift against my side and mumble something I couldn't understand. It was fucking adorable. When I heard the smacking sound again, my eyes moved to the floor where Booger lay with something yellow in his mouth. I studied him for a moment, trying to figure out what he had, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. Lace. Unfortunately, I was too late. It hit Honor at the same time. She jumped to her feet and shouted.

  "Booger! Is that my underwear?"

  Holy hell! I watched for the next five minutes as Booger waddled around the den on his stumpy little legs with Honor hot on his stubby little tail while trying to get her thong from him.

  "Shit, Chance!" she shouted at me as she circled the den again.

  I had to hand it to Booger, because he moved pretty fast giving the fact that he was overweight according to Honor. He ran around me like his tail was on fire. I wrapped my arms around my stomach and laughed until tears were streaming down my face.

  "Good boy Booger." I chuckled, earning me a glare from Honor.

  "You could help, you know!" she scolded.

  I stood up straight and cleared my scratchy throat when I noticed Honor standing in front of me, the scrap of yellow lace dangling from the tip of her finger.

  "Damn, Sparkles." I snorted, which did not make things better.

  "Do you have anything to say?"

  She tapped her bare foot on the floor and looked between me and my dog. If her eyes could shoot laser beams, I'd be dead by now. Her face and neck were an adorable shade of red, and, for the life of me, I couldn't stop grinning. I tried to force a scowl, but it didn't work. I laughed again, and then cleared my throat several times before I could speak.

  "I took you for a pink kind of girl."

  That was what I came up with? For the love of God. That didn't remotely help at all. She pulled back the elastic, much like a sling shot, and hit me square in the chest with it. I watched as the tiny scrap of lace bounced off my chest and landed at my feet.

  "That was my favorite pair!" she scolded with her hands on her hips.

  I bent over and scooped it up before she could get her hands on them. I held the panties above my head as she bounced on her toes, trying to grab them.

  "Give that to me!" She reached for it, but I was quicker. "Those belong to me." She hissed with her hands on her curvy hips.

  "That's good to know, because they sure as hell aren't mine."

  "Damn it, Chance! Hand it over now."

  "Nope." I switched them to my other hand.

  "You need to teach your dog not to take things that don't belong to him."

  "He's probably pissed because you called him fat. This is just his way of getting you back for insulting him." I snorted.

  "I'll buy you some more. Hell. I'll buy you the whole damn store if you'll buy some pink ones." Okay. That slipped out.

  "How do you know that I don't already own pink ones?" She narrowed her gaze, and mischief danced behind her pale blue eyes. My dick twitched as I pictured her sexy ass in pink lace. She looked over at Booger where he lied flat of his back on the rug. "You're in big trouble, tubby. No more tummy rubs for you if you don't stay out of my stuff." Even she couldn't keep a straight face while looking at my over weight beast of a bulldog.

  "You're not playing fair, Sparkles." She giggled as she turned and walked down the hall toward her bedroom. Damn. "How can I get one of those tummy rubs!" I shouted as she disappeared into her room without another word.

  I was left alone standing in the middle of the room with a dick hard enough to pound nails.

  Chapter Seven

  Honor

  I had woken with my body pressed against a mass of warm lean muscle. It took me a moment to rid my brain of a sleepy fog, but when it cleared, I realized that I'd fallen asleep on the sofa while watching Christmas movies with Chance last night. It felt good. Actually, it felt very good.

  I had been looking forward to seeing my aunt and uncle for the holidays, but ever since I'd been grounded by the doctor, I'd been depressed about it. Chance had accused me of moping on more than one occasion, but I couldn't help it. The anniversary of my parents’ death had come and gone with a lot of tearful nights. Then there was our accident that never should've happened in the first place, and wouldn't have happened if the other driver hadn't been so reckless. It was all closing in on me at once, and even though Chance hadn't said anything, I knew I was hard to be around.

  I think I snapped at him more times than not, and I felt like shit because of it. Finally, he got tired of it and took matters into his own hands. He had done everything within his power to take my mind off it by doing things I loved the most. It proved to me that he actually listened when I spoke, and took note of the things that meant so much to me. That was something that no one had ever done for me.

  I was seeing a side of Chance Roberts that others didn't get to see. He was not the person the media painted him to be. He was so much more.

  I was falling for him, and falling fast. Heaven help me. I needed a shower and some alone time with my magic bullet, because just t
hinking about how his body felt against mine made me extremely horny. It had been months since I'd had sex, and I was wound tighter than a rubber band. I was ready to snap at any moment.

  After a hot shower and two self-induced orgasms later, I was feeling better. At least I was until I checked the messages on my phone.

  Trevor had texted me several times, asking me to please call him. There was also a voicemail from him, telling me how worried he was about me after the news had reported the car accident a couple of weeks ago. I breathed out a heavy sigh and plopped down on the side of my bed. My shoulders hunched as I contemplated my options. I may as well go ahead and get it over with and just call him. I'd let him know I was fine and tell him to stop calling me, because I'd ended it with him months ago, but for some reason, it hadn't sunk in to his thick skull just yet.

  My finger hovered over his contact information for what seemed like forever before I gathered enough courage to press the phone symbol on the screen. After the third ring, I was hoping for voicemail. I'd just leave him a message, letting him know that I was okay, and ask him to please not contact me again. My hopeful bubble burst when he answered on the fourth ring. Damn.

  "Thank god! I've been so worried about you," he said, desperately.

  "I'm fine. Chance is taking very good care of me."

  It was out of my mouth before I could stop it. Shit.

  "I bet he is." He growled, but immediately tried to smooth it over. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm glad you've got someone looking out for you while you're there," he said, He was probably yanking at his hair, the way he did when he was upset. "I was thinking about coming out. I miss you terribly," he declared.

  I was trying to be calm, to be an adult and not go off on him, but what the hell?! We broke up months ago, so why couldn’t he let that sink in?

  "That's not a good idea."

  "Why not?" he bit out, his tone sharp.

  "Because we're not together, and haven't been for months. I've moved on, and you need to also."

  I heard him swear under his breath.

  "Are you fucking that damn guitar player? You must be fucking blind if you don't see the type of guy he is," he spat. "You've worked around entertainers for most of your life. You know what they're like."

  He was right about some of my dad's clients, but not all of them. Don't condemn them all for the actions of a few. What happened to being innocent until proven guilty? He had no fucking clue what kind of person Chance was. He only knew what the damn tabloids painted him to be. I was so sick of people always jumping to conclusions without knowing the facts.

  "You know what? This conversation is over, just like us. Over. Don't contact me again."

  With trembling fingers, I ended the call and blocked his number, knowing that would piss him off, too. My body practically vibrated with anger. I couldn’t believe I ever dated that guy. What the fuck was I thinking?

  I opened my bedroom door, and heard voices coming from the kitchen. When I stepped into the room, I couldn't believe my eyes. I screamed with excitement when I saw my best friend, Harmony, sitting on one of the barstools, drinking a beer.

  "Oh my god! What are you doing here?" I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed. I had missed her so freaking much.

  "I couldn't pass up the invitation to spend a few days with my best friend."

  Her eyes moved to Chance where he stood watching us from across the room with a smile on his face. His muscular arms were folded over his broad chest.

  I couldn't believe he'd done that for me. I didn't waste any time crossing the room and wrapping my arms around his waist. I buried my face in his chest and inhaled his intoxicating scent.

  "Thank you," I murmured against his chest.

  His lips pressed against the top of my head in a kiss.

  "You're welcome. I couldn't take all that damn mopie shit another day," he teased, but smiled when he said it. I slapped him playfully on the arm. I knew he was joking as he did about most things. He was just being Chance. I was falling hard, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. "Well, I'm outta here for a while. I got somewhere I gotta be." He paused and looked down at his phone when it chimed with a text. "Shit. I'll see you guys later." He half mumbled to himself as he walked toward the door.

  Once he was out of hearing range, my best friend looked at me and mouthed the words, "Oh. My. God."

  "I know. Right?" I beamed, feeling giddy.

  "Have you slept with him yet?"

  My brows shot up to my hairline, and I sputtered around a "Wh-What?"

  "You whore! You totally did. You should see your face. It's as red as a tomato!" She pointed at me with her beer bottle and smiled, just like she always did when she thought she was one up on me.

  "It's not what you think. I swear! I may have fallen asleep with him on the sofa last night while watching a movie. That's all," I explained.

  "Well, why the hell not? You're clearly into each other." She sat her bottle down on the bar and watched me fidget like a specimen under a microscope. She loved to make me squirm, and she was pretty damn good at it.

  "I saw the way he was looking at you a few minutes ago, and I know you've had a thing for him for years. You told me so yourself." She was right about one thing. I had fanaticized about him for three years, and being close to him had only caused those feelings to grow. "You should Google him. See what you're missing." She winked.

  "I'm not searching social media for details on him, or anyone for that matter. The paparazzi paints a one-sided picture, and it's usually the farthest from the truth. So, no thank you. I'll get to know him by spending time with him like we've been doing."

  "He has a pretty impressive package, if you know what I mean. I'm talking weapon of mass destruction." She held her hands out in front of her, suggesting the length of said package.

  "Would you just stop already!"

  "Whatever." She rolled her eyes.

  I saw the opportunity to change the subject, so I did.

  "How long will you be able to stay?"

  "I'm here for a few days. I promised my mom I'd be home Christmas day." Her brows dipped, and she frowned. "I'd rather be stung by a thousand bees than I spend five minutes with Bob. That fucker gives me the creeps," she declared, while rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

  I couldn’t say that I blamed her. Harmony's dad died a few years ago, and her mom met this "Bob" character at some of the grief support groups that she attended. He was a short, potbellied man with a greasy comb over. I shivered just from the thought of him. Harmony seemed to think he was just with her mom because of the life insurance money she got, and she was probably right.

  I'd also seen the way he looked at Harmony when her mom was not looking, and it was downright creepy. I'd only been around him a handful of times, but always felt as if I needed a shower afterward to wash away the slime.

  "When am I going to get to meet the rest of the guys?" she asked as she took a cookie from the glass container on the counter. I didn't answer at first. I was too busy watching her expressions as she took in Chance's artistic handy work. She snorted, and then burst out in laughter. Her face turned red, and she was trying to catch her breath from laughing so hard. "What the hell is this?" she turned the cookie around so that I could see it.

  "That's a penis," I said, nonchalantly.

  "Holy shit. That's hilarious." She wiped the tears from her eyes, and then flicked her tongue over the frosted penis. "Look. Ginger head!"

  That time, I laughed.

  "Oh. That's nothing. Wait until you see this one." I lifted the glass top and took out one of the gingerbread cookies with the boobs drawn on it in frosting and held it up for her to see.

  "You're making x-rated cookies now?" she asked, covering her mouth as she spoke. "You guys need to go ahead and have sex. Hell. Make a sex tape. You know that drummer? What's his name? He ended up marrying that blonde chick that was a lifeguard." She was now snapping her fingers and getting more frustrated by the minute.
"Oh! Who gives a shit what his name is? You know who I'm talking about." She bit a leg off the gingerbread man, and pointed at me with the remainder of it. "You've both got a lot of sexual energy floating around this place. It would be off the charts!"

  I choked on the cookie I'd just shoved in my mouth.

  "You're nuts. We've just gotten to be good friends. That's all." I picked at a few cookie crumbs on the counter. "We're comfortable around each other. Kind of like you and me."

  I watched as she shook her head in disbelief.

  "You and I might be good friends, but I don't want to have sex with you. He does."

  "He doesn't, and if I remember correctly, you groped my boobs the last time we were together."

  She shrugged her shoulder and clucked her tongue as if it were no big deal.

  "You've got great boobs. What can I say?"

  ***

  "Would you look at his ass?" Harmony practically shouted in my ear, startling me, causing me to spill my beer down the front of the khaki shorts I was wearing.

  "Good job, Harmony," I scolded, trying to wipe it away. "I look like I've pee'd on myself."

  Did I mention that my friend was drunk? How the hell could you get sloppy ass drunk off two beers?

  I thought back to that night at Johnny Walkers before I left to come here. She had gotten snockered off a couple of shots that night and made a fool of herself by begging one of the bartenders to let her take a shot off his abs, which he was happy to let her do.

  Chance decided to have a few friends over, along with the band, giving her the opportunity to meet everyone before she had to leave in a couple of days. She'd been stalking Jinx ever since he got there, and I was pretty sure there may have ended up being a restraining order in place before the night was through.

  "Can I have everyone's atten-attention pleeease." Oh no. She shot up out of her chair and waved her arms in the air. No matter how hard I yanked on her arm, the bitch wouldn't go down. This could not be good. "I just wanted everybody to know," she hiccupped, "my friend, Honor, here…" She jabbed her finger in my direction, causing her to stagger toward me.