Fractured

by Sydney Landon

  “Don’t even start that with me, baby. You aren’t my housekeeper, and you’re not going to be.” When I start to protest, he suddenly looks serious. “Please don’t worry about paying for some broken glassware. What you bring to me just by being in my life is priceless. Hell, baby, I owe you if anything. I should be your housekeeper because I’ll never be able to repay you for what you’ve given me.”

  “No, no, no,” I whisper as my eyes water. He lifts a brow, looking bemused by my reaction to his sweet declaration. “Um…sorry, I just don’t want to cry again. It seems like that’s all I do anymore. You’re just so sweet to me.”

  He looks slightly offended and then just downright …wicked when he steps between my parted thighs and presses his quickly hardening cock against my core. “I’ve got your sweet right here…”

  I drop my head onto his shoulder, shaking with laughter. “You did not just say that. Hello, Lucian Quinn, some horny high school boy called and wants that line back.”

  “Oh, really,” he purrs against my throat as he thrusts tighter against me. “How many ‘boys’ have that?” I’m helpless to contain the moan which works its way from my throat. He turns his head and bites my ear, causing a jolt of pleasure to shoot straight to my core.

  “Don’t start anything we can’t finish,” I warn him as I wrap my legs around his waist to pull him even closer. My panties are flooded as I rub myself against his hard length, completely lost in the moment.

  In the blink of an eye, he pulls back, causing my legs to drop. “You’re right; we don’t have time for this now. Lock and load ‘em, baby,” he says as he walks out of the room, leaving me stunned and not just a little frustrated.

  “WHAT. THE. HELL?” I say to myself as I continue to gape after him, thinking he’s going to suddenly turn and come back to put me out of my horny misery. What a perfect end to a messed-up day. I wreck Lucian’s apartment, cry more than a newborn baby, and finally leave crotch drool all over his granite countertops. Okay, maybe the last part is a little bit exaggerated, but if not for my layers of clothing, it would be true. Now, dammit, I can’t get down. Couldn’t he have set me next to one of the stools? Well, I could jump, but I’m afraid of jarring the cast on my wrists or my fingers if I land wrong. I’m shifting onto my stomach so I can try to shimmy down when a loud smack on my ass has me squealing. Luckily, the arm now wrapped around my waist sets me gently on my feet before I can fall on my face. “Ouch,” I grumble, holding my stinging butt cheek.

  He looks completely unrepentant as he says, “You know you loved it.” All right, so what if I did—I’m not about to admit it to him. Instead, I take the tennis shoes he is holding out to me and wedge my feet inside them without untying the laces. He just shakes his head but wisely holds his tongue. “We’re going to meet Detective Michaels at Max’s house. I told him our apartment was in the middle of renovations, and we needed another place.”

  I stick my tongue out at his continued playful jabs over my earlier tantrum. The man is truly not right; otherwise, he’d find nothing amusing about having his multi-million dollar apartment trashed by his crazy girlfriend. “So, where does Max live?” I ask, picturing something similar to Lucian’s home.

  “Actually he has a house a few miles from my aunt. He hates the downtown area. He never understood why I bought a place here.”

  I realize I know nothing about the man who is Lucian’s friend, as well as his lawyer. Curious, I ask, “So, he’s not married, right?” Okay, so maybe I’m interested for Rose, in the name of sisterhood and all that.

  “Nope,” he replies without expounding on his answer.

  “Has he ever been married, or like, involved long-term with anyone?”

  “Nope, and not in years.” Geez, again with the vague answers. Would it be so hard for him to just tell me a little about Max without me pulling it from him?

  “Why not? I mean…Oh, no! Does he actually like women? I mean, like them for you know…sex?”

  “As far as I know.” When I just stare at him, he huffs out, “Yes, I’ve seen evidence to support that fact.”

  I know I’m pushing my luck when I ask, “So, you know him well then? Is he seeing anyone right now? Do you think he’s interested in a relationship, or is it just all casual with him?” Yikes, I think I went too far with the last line of question. Lucian is standing in front of me now, his hands on his hips and a frown on his face.

  “You know, baby, I’m really trying not to read too much into the fact that you’re displaying an unusual amount of interest in my lawyer. Is there something we need to talk about?” I go all gooey inside. Jealous Lucian is seriously adorable and even hotter than usual. I want to beg him to throw me back on the countertop and fuck me…hard. However, I hold it together. Partly because I know he doesn’t want to be late to meet with the police, and also because I feel strange about begging for sex after my meltdown just hours earlier. Something must surely be wrong with me lately because I’m either crying or horny. There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground right now. I settle for wrapping my arms around his waist and grinning innocently up at him.

  “Come on, Luc; work with me here. If I’m not interested in Max for myself…which I’m not in the slightest, then why would I be asking questions about his personal life?” He absently rubs circles on my back as he ponders my question. I see the exact moment the dots all connect for him.

  “No, Lia,” he says sternly as he begins shaking his head at me. “We aren’t meddling in Max’s love life. Besides, he thinks your friend is off her rocker.”

  “Lucian…” I pout. “Don’t you think there’s something there? I mean, look at how crazy he acts where she is concerned.”

  “And you think acting crazy is a good thing?” He takes my hand and starts pulling me toward the front door. “I mean it, baby; we’re not getting in the middle of those two.” I try to hide my smirk as he closes the door behind us and we walk into the elevator.

  “I promise I’ll be good,” I say sweetly. “I will be good; I just can’t guarantee Rose will be.”

  Lucian

  True to Max’s prediction, our interview by Detectives Michaels and Haynes is brief and uniform. I get the feeling without her putting it into words that their department doesn’t like expending valuable time and resources on someone like Jim Dawson. With the testimony that first Lia, and then her mother, provided the police, they have a clear picture of the type of person he was. Unless someone runs up and down the street in front of the police station yelling ‘I’m guilty,’ this case will be closed in short order.

  I was proud of Lia. She answered each of Detective Michaels’ questions clearly and concisely. When the detective was leaving, she dropped a hand on Lia’s shoulder, saying, “This wasn’t exactly the way I had planned to get justice for you, but…” I was sure the other woman wanted to add something like, ‘the Lord works in mysterious ways,’ but she refrained from it. I thanked Max for allowing us to use his home and rushed Lia out the door before she could arrange a double-date with him.

  I’ll admit I was a bit pissed when she started quizzing me about him earlier. She’s never asked me that many questions about Aidan or even Sam. I haven’t felt jealousy over a woman in many years, and even though I enjoyed the normalcy of it, I didn’t want to feel that way again where Lia was concerned. She was mine and I wasn’t letting her go.

  She had worried me earlier when she’d first been so resistant to the news that her stepfather was dead, and then she had completely snapped when it finally hit her. People process grief in different ways, and I know that venting was her way. Her grief was not for Jim Dawson, but for the death of her innocence all of those years ago at his hands. At some point in their lives, every person carrying around rage inside eventually needs an outlet to purge it from their system. Lia had been fueled by hate for so long that the crash was inevitable.

  I’m not naive enough to believe that just because he’s dead everything is suddenly perfect in her world. Her childhood was
ripped from her hands, and she’ll never be able to fully erase the scars that were left behind. I also know that it’s ironic that I’m sitting here pondering her ghosts when I haven’t dealt with my own. I plan to start taking steps in that direction tomorrow, though. I’ve arranged to meet my aunt at the coffee shop down the street in the morning. I am going to tell her about my cocaine addiction and ask her to help me overcome it. I’ve long denied to myself that I’m an addict just because I don’t use every day, which is bullshit. If I wasn’t addicted, I would be able to walk away from it…and I can’t. I have to find the strength for myself and for Lia to leave my crutch behind. It has enabled me for years to push my demons aside instead of dealing with them. To be the person she deserves, I have to be the person I once was before Cassie and I ruined each other’s lives.

  After I speak with my aunt tomorrow, I plan to talk to Lia about Cassie. It’s time she knew the complete story there. It’s not fair that I constantly preach full disclosure on her thoughts and feelings, yet I continue to avoid any of her questions about my past. What she must think I can only imagine, but sadly, I fear it’s not even close to the web of lies, hate, and betrayal that consumed my last year with Cassie. For all of the hate I feel for her, I know I’m to blame, as well. It’s likely that my actions were even the catalyst for her final break with reality. Some would call it survivor’s guilt, and I suppose that analogy is correct in a way. Out of Cassie, our child, and myself, I’m the only one who really still lives. Cassie may be alive, but she has been so lost in her own mind for the last eight years that she may as well have been dead. I think, in the end, as evil as she had become, she couldn’t deal with what she did so she retreated in the only way she knew.

  “Luc…Luc…LUCIAN!” I jerk as Lia pokes me in the side. “Good grief, where did you go?” she jokes as I focus my thoughts on her. Sometimes it’s rather scary how you can drive a car for miles and be so deep in thought that you don’t remember the trip. I wonder if Lia was talking to me, while I’ve been ignoring her.

  “Sorry, baby,” I say lightly as I shift the Range Rover into park and cut the engine. As usual, Lia had joked that she couldn’t believe I was driving and not having Sam take us in the Mercedes. I noticed Sam and Cindy leaving the office together earlier, so I didn’t think he would appreciate being disturbed on his date…or whatever the hell they do together. I don’t even want to go there. “I was just thinking over everything that has happened today.” I want to take those words back when I see her smile dim slightly. I’m sure the last thing she wanted was to have another postmortem on her stepfather.

  She sighs, letting her head fall back against the headrest. “Yeah, it’s been a hell of a day, hasn’t it?”

  I chuckle, tweaking her nose before opening my door. “That it has,” I say as I hurry around to help her out. Putting my arm around her as we walk toward the building, I lower my voice, saying, “All I want to do is get you naked and fuck you till you beg me to stop.”

  She stops in her tracks, blinking up at me like an owl. She licks her plump lips and surprises me by saying, “What if I never want you to stop?” Then she drops her hand, cupping the hardening bulge in my pants. “How long do you think you can keep going?” She blushes adorably at her own bold question, making me almost blow my load in my fucking pants.

  Pushing her against the building, I lower my body, letting her feel how much I want her. I rim the shell of her ear with my tongue, smiling as she shivers against me. I keep my mouth there as I whisper, “Don’t confuse me for a boy, Lia. After I fuck you once, you’ll feel it for a week. You’ll think of nothing but my cock tomorrow when you’re walking around with that sweet burn between your thighs. That’s all me, baby.”

  “Ohhhh, myyy,” she moans and nearly sags to the ground when I suddenly release her.

  I swagger away, calling nonchalantly over my shoulder, “Are you coming, babe?” I can’t help but notice, as I look back, that she’s already walking funny. Apparently, I don’t even have to fuck her to cause the sweet burn I was just enticing her with. She catches up to me just before I reach the door, wrapping her arms around me from behind and snuggling into my back. We stand there for a moment just enjoying the feeling of peace, which has been so elusive lately.

  “So, Max was looking good tonight, right?” she teases before releasing me and running. I’m left standing on the sidewalk with my mouth hanging open. The little minx got me back. I grin and take my time catching up with her. She probably hasn’t realized that I still have the upper hand. Unless I’m mistaken, she doesn’t have her purse, which means she probably doesn’t have a keycard to the elevator so she’s not going anywhere.

  As I stroll leisurely into the lobby, she’s standing at the locked doors with a look of chagrin on her beautiful face. “I saw that going so much better in my head,” she whines as she kicks the steel doors.

  I pinch her ass, causing her to shriek…quite loudly. The concierge glances up from her desk in the corner frowning. I suspect that she never has sex and thinks we’re pigs because we obviously do. Hell, I’d almost do it right now against the marble walls of the lobby just to see how long it would take her to call the cops. Owning a penthouse here probably wouldn’t save me. Of course, what she doesn’t know is that I’m pinching the ass of her boss’s, Lee Jacks, daughter. That might actually buy me some serious ass-kissing…or not. She appears to hate men in general. Sam is terrified of her.

  We make it in the door of our home with only some light groping in the elevator. “Clothes off,” I instruct Lia as I throw my keys on the entryway table. She walks toward the bedroom grumbling under her breath. Even though we’ve had sex against the glass windows in the living room, she still shies away from walking through this part of the apartment nude. My little Lia might talk a good game at times, but she is still modest at heart.

  I’m moving to follow her when it finally hits me that everything has been cleaned up. I had completely forgotten about the service that was to arrive this evening to handle the removal of most all of my glassware. Looking around, I am impressed. I had to give them credit; they might cost a small fortune, but everything looks just as it did. Well…other than the missing pieces which would need replacing. No wonder I was getting the evil eyes from the concierge. She had to let them in and no doubt thought Lia and I had had some out-of-control party.

  I walk into the bedroom just as Lia upends a duffle bag onto the bed. I’m getting ready to comment on the fact that she’s still wearing clothes when I do a double-take as one item from the bag rolls out front and center. I move closer, thinking I must be imagining what I think I’m seeing until Lia hisses, “Oh, shit!” She reaches for the big, purple vibrator just as I grab it from the bed and eye it before looking at her in question. She is blushing furiously. “Oh, my God, Luc, give that to me!”

  I hold it out of her reach, shaking my head as I cluck my tongue. “My, my, Miss Adams, what do we have here?”

  “It’s nothing, just give it back!” she cries as she tries to reach high enough to wrestle it from my hands. “Luc!”

  “Tut, tut,” I say, waving it around. “It looks like a big, purple cock to me. Now, whatever have you been doing with this?” Taking in the length and girth in my hand, I’m secretly relieved to know I still have the biggest dick in this house, but it’s damn close.

  “I can’t believe Rose did this to me! She was only supposed to bring my underwear.” She’s now given up trying to get her plastic friend back, and she’s standing there with a hand over her eyes, looking mortified. I want to tell her that this is tame compared to some of the things I’ve seen women use in the name of pleasure, but I don’t think she’d appreciate that right now…or ever.

  Shaking the vibrator, I say, “Well, obviously Rose thought you might need your purple friend here. Come on…tell me, have you missed using it?” She shakes her head, still refusing to look at me. “Ah, come on,” I continue to tease, “you’re not going to hurt my feelings by admitting it.” Okay,
maybe that’s bullshit, because it probably would wound me a bit to know she was pining for a battery-operated boyfriend while sleeping beside the real thing.

  She falls face-down on the bed, lying across the pile she had just tossed out of the bag. I barely make out her muffled voice saying, “This is so humiliating.”

  I hate to admit to myself that I’m suddenly even more turned on imagining what I could do to her with the toy I’m holding. Yeah, I’ve used all manner of things with women before, but not with Lia. I want…no, I have to see her take this purple dick deep into her pussy. I only hope she’ll agree. For a moment, I wonder if tonight is the best time to be thinking of kinky sex with all that has happened today, but maybe we both need the stress reliever. It’s sad, really, to think of the reasons why, but Lia bounces back amazingly swift from the blows life throws at her. I know it’s because she conditioned herself to do just that years ago.

  I drop the vibrator onto the bed and lower my body slowly over hers. I hold the brunt of my weight off her slim frame, allowing my cock to nestle against her backside. I nip the outer shell of her ear with my teeth and smile as she shudders. Pushing my denim-covered cock into the cleft of her ass, I purr, “Feel how hard I am. That’s all you, baby. Just thinking about watching you pleasure yourself is driving me out of my mind. I’ll make you good and wet, and then I want you to take over. Can you do that for me?”

  I hear her groaning into the bed, and I have no idea if it’s in embarrassment or desire. I wait with bated breath to see what she’ll do. I half-expect her to hit me over the head with the big vibrator and run, so I’m pleasantly shocked when I hear a muffled, “Um…okay.”

  Holy hell, my cock is on the verge of busting through my zipper at her reply. It takes all the strength I have to keep from jerking both of our pants down and plunging into her from behind. There is no way I can miss this, though, regardless of the discomfort in my pants. I roll to the side and let her turn to her back. Her face is bright red, but her nipples are hard and pressing against her shirt, and her knees are shifting together, which I know is a sure sign of her arousal.