Fractured Lines

by Jen McLaughlin

  I pointed at the half-cut onion. “Nope. I’m feeling hungry.”

  “Fine.” He sighed dramatically and set back to work. “I’ll slave away on this, then, if you promise to be dirty later.”

  I laughed. “We’ll see about that after you take a nap. You need a nap.”

  He glanced up at me, the expression in his eyes so tender and loving that it stole my breath away. Literally, stole my breath away. I clenched my hands in my lap and gave him a small smile back. “If you want me to nap, then I’ll try my best. For you.”

  I gave him a small smile. “I do.”

  “But then after…” He reached out and tugged on a piece of my hair. It sent desire spiraling to the pit of my stomach. “You’re mine to do with as I please. Understood?”

  In the flash of one second’s time, he went from loving to sexy. And the way he was looking at me now…it made me sure of one thing. I understood, all right.

  And I couldn’t wait.

  Finn

  Later that night, I stood in the kitchen, watching Carrie from behind. I’d slept most of the afternoon away, and I felt more alive than I had in weeks. It had only served to prove my theory was right. One touch from her, and I’d slept like a fucking baby. She was the only thing I needed to get better. She was my anchor.

  She would save me.

  Earlier, I’d laid my head on her lap, and she’d massaged my temples until everything had faded away. She’d talked to me, her soft voice slowly sending me into the oblivion of sleep. And as I’d drifted off into dreamless slumber, I’d been sure I knew what heaven felt like.

  It was Carrie holding me. Loving me.

  When I’d woken up, she’d still been there, just like she’d promised. She gave me hope when hope had been lost. Maybe with her help, I’d pull through. Maybe we could go back to normal¸ and the voices in my head would shut the hell up. They’d stop crying out as they died, gurgling and choking on their own blood.

  Maybe my head would be my own again.

  I stepped closer to her, watching her intently the whole time. She had her usual romance book in her hand, and the fire played with the highlights of her red hair. Her lips were pursed together, and her eyes flew over the pages, her forehead wrinkled with concentration. It was the little things like this that got to me.

  She was fucking pretty, sitting there, concentrating on her book. I never wanted to forget the way she looked, doing something as normal as enjoying a Saturday afternoon reading session. Or the way she always curled her ankle over mine in her sleep. Or how she hogged more than half the bed even though she was half the size of me. Or how she snorted when she laughed too hard.

  Those were the things you missed the most when you lost someone.

  I’d learned that twice now in our lifetime.

  She smiled, her eyes still on her book. Inexplicably, without me even knowing why she smiled, I smiled, too. That’s how contagious her moods were. If she was happy, I was happy. If she was crying, then I was a fucking wreck. She didn’t realize how much power she had over everything I did. Everything I thought.

  My whole life revolved around her, and she didn’t even know it.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked, coming around the front of the couch. I picked up her feet, sat down, and set her legs on my lap. We’d done this a million times before, but tonight it felt new. “Do share with the rest of the class.”

  She rested the book on her chest, her cheeks a fetching pink. I’d once teased her about how redheads weren’t supposed to look pretty when they blushed, but she did. “I don’t think a teacher would want me to read this book to the class.”

  I stared at the cover. It had a couple in the throes of passion on it. The man held the woman’s wrists above her head with one hand, and her hair was fisted in the other. “This teacher does.”

  “I’m sure you do.” She laughed. “But I’m not doing it.”

  “What’s in these books anyway?” I reached for it, but she snatched it out of my reach, holding it above her head. “Hey, give me that.”

  “No way,” she said, her eyes wide. “You can’t read this.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s…it’s…” She looked at the book, then at me. “Dirty.”

  “Dirty?” I cocked a brow. “Like, really, really dirty?”

  Her cheeks went even redder. “Yes.”

  “Then I must read it.” I hauled her lower on the couch by her feet, and she shrieked. Hugging the book tight to her body, she kicked and squirmed, but I didn’t release her. “I offer no quarter. Surrender, or suffer the dire consequences.”

  She rolled her eyes, the book still clutched tight to her chest. “What are the dire consequences?”

  “You want to find out?”

  “I’ll take my chances.” She white-knuckled the book. “I’m not scared of you.”

  I grinned. “That’s your first mistake.”

  “Do your worst, sir,” she said, her eyes flashing with challenge. And laughter. Man, I loved seeing that. It had been too long. It felt like fucking ages. “I will never surrender.”

  I laughed, loving this playful side of her that I hadn’t seen since before we’d had Susan. Dropping my voice low and smothering on a Spanish accent, I said, “I am Finn Coram. You took my book from me. Prepare to die.”

  She pealed off into laughter at my Princess Bride reference—a favorite of hers— and I pounced. Knowing her weak spot, I went straight for the armpits, tickling her mercilessly. She lost herself in laughter even more, her squeals and cries mingling into curses and my name and pleas.

  I laughed even harder, my fingers moving over her without mercy. “Surrender!”

  “Oh—my—God.” She arched her back, the laughter taking over again. “Uncle. I cry—agh!”

  I tickled her even harder. “What’s that again? I couldn’t hear you.”

  “I said—ahhhhhh.”

  I nibbled on her neck as I tickled her, breathing heavy and making weird noises. She laughed even harder. Finally, she dropped hold of the book, and it hit the floor. I rolled on top of her, pinning her body between the couch and me.

  With one arm, I grabbed her wrists and held them over her head. Just like on the book cover. “Surrender, wench.”

  “Never,” she said, tossing her head to the side and staring up at me with sparkling eyes.

  Grinning, I smoothed her hair back from her eyes. “In case you didn’t notice, I already won.” With my free hand, I reached down and picked up the book. “Now…let’s see here…”

  “Oh my God,” she moaned, closing her eyes. “You’re killing me.”

  “Oooh, look. A dog-eared page.” I tsked and opened it up. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to do that to books?”

  Her cheeks went even pinker. “Give it back to me.”

  I cleared my throat and read out loud. “Okay, here goes: He pulled my hair and urged me to my feet. I hissed and grabbed his wrists, but truth be told, I loved it. I loved it when he played rough, and I loved it when he took control. It drove me insane knowing that I placed all my trust in him, and he didn’t hurt me. Didn’t fail me. Instead, he brought me endless amounts of pleasure. He dropped to his knees in front of me, biting the sensitive flesh above my core. When his tongue dipped lower, moving over my aching flesh, I—”

  She licked her lips, her eyes now locked on my mouth. “Finn.”

  A fist of desire hit me in the gut, and I tightened my grip on her wrists. I hadn’t expected the words to be so…intoxicating. I didn’t want to stop reading. I wanted to read the whole dirty scene to her since she’d obviously liked it enough to earmark it for easy reading.

  I lowered the book and nipped the skin right below her ear. She shivered, her fingers clenching nothing above her head since I still held them in place. “Still want me to stop?”

  She hesitated, but shook her head.

  Thank fucking God.

  I looked back down at the book, finding my spot quickly. “Where was I�
�ah, yes. I cried out and my legs buckled under me. He slapped my ass, his voice harsh. ‘I didn’t say you could sit down.’ He slapped me again, a little harder this time, and it hurt so good. ‘Please, sir,’ I begged, my panties getting so wet I could feel them. ‘Take me. Love me.’”

  She made a small broken sound. “Keep going.”

  My cock thickened with need.

  “‘Not yet,’ he said, his voice harder than his huge, bulging cock. ‘You need to suffer for your disobedience first.’ With that, he flipped me onto my stomach, pulled me ass first in the air, and caressed my bare flesh. Then ever so slightly, he traced the curve of my slit.’”

  She wrapped her leg around my waist, opening herself up to me. I lowered the book, locking gazes with her. “Jesus, Ginger. You like this stuff?”

  Licking her lips, she nodded. “I especially like it coming from your lips.”

  “Well, then.” I scanned through the next couple of paragraphs, and what I saw made me even harder. Even more desperate for her. I tossed the book aside, and slipped my hand under her sweet ass. I tapped it gently. “Let’s take it out of the fictional world, and make it real. You’ve been a bad girl. Ass in the air, Ginger.”

  She blinked at me. “Wh-What?”

  “You heard me.” I pushed off the couch and gripped my waistband. With a flick of my wrist, I undid the button. “I read what comes next in the book, and we’re doing it. Ass. In. The. Air.”

  She blinked up at me and licked her lips. Her eyes were dilated with desire, and she had the most fetching pink blush across her cheeks. “O-Okay.”

  Standing up, she rested her hands on the top of the couch and spread her legs slightly. I skimmed my fingers over her ass cheek, my entire body throbbing with need. “So fucking hot.”

  She glanced over her shoulder coyly, wiggling her ass the slightest bit. “Thank you.”

  I lightly spanked her, no harder than I’d done earlier today in the bedroom. But it felt dirtier. She shuddered, her fingers flexing on the couch. “Thank you, what?”

  “Finn.”

  “Nope.” I smacked her again, the sound ringing through the silent room, intermingling with the sounds coming from the crackling fire behind us. “Try again.”

  A breathy moan escaped her. “Sir?”

  “There you go.” I caressed her ass, massaging the spot I’d smacked with a soothing hand, and my heart pounded against my ribs. “I like the sound of that on your lips. I’ll expect you to say it again later when I’m making you come.”

  Her fingers tightened on the couch. “Yes, sir.”

  “Such obedience…” I closed my arms around her hips, grabbing the button on her jeans. “I like it. A man could get used to this.”

  “Don’t expect it out of the bedroom,” she said drily.

  “Never.” I fisted her hair, tugging ever so slightly until her head tipped back. “But in it…that’s a different story. In it, you’re mine.”

  She whimpered. “Yes.”

  “Now you need to get naked so I can spank that pretty little ass like you deserve,” I demanded, pulling her hair a little harder. “You’ve been a bad girl, and it’s time for your punishment.”

  She shivered and thrust her ass back, her long red hair cascading down her back and over my fist. “Oh my God, Finn. Yes.”

  And with that, I released her hair, unsnapped her pants, and yanked them down to her knees. She didn’t have anything on underneath. She was blissfully, perfectly, amazingly naked. “Fuck.”

  I fell to my knees behind her.

  Carrie

  I clasped the top of the couch tighter, closing my eyes. Finn was driving me crazy. Crazier than he ever had before, and that was saying a lot. He always drove me insane with want. Always made me crazy for him with nothing more than a look and a cocky smile. But this…

  This was the stuff romance writers wrote about.

  Only it was real.

  After he pulled my pants down, he sank to his knees behind me, his hands on my bare hips. I bit down on my lip, dying to see what he did next. This escape, this release, was what we’d both needed. Yes, he had unresolved issues. And yes, we needed to work on them. But we also needed this. Needed to reconnect.

  “Ginger…” He smoothed his hand over my butt, his touch tender and light. “You have no idea how hot you look right now. The things you do to me…”

  I swallowed hard, my mind turning back on after the haze of desire he’d awoken with his naughty reading. He was my number-one priority right now, and this probably wasn’t the best thing for him. “Are you sure you are okay to do this? Maybe we should just talk.”

  “No.” He smacked me lightly; the sound a heck of a lot louder than it should have been since he barely touched me. “I napped like you asked me to, and I told you all my feelings all fucking day long. Now it’s time for my reward. It’s time for me to have you.”

  I closed my eyes. “Finn, I—”

  “Excuse me?” His hand stilled, a mere inch or so from where I needed him to be. “What did you just call me?”

  My stomach twisted and turned into a million knots. The alpha dominance in his voice came straight out of the book, only hotter because it was Finn. “Sir.”

  “Better.” He chuckled, the tone raspy and sexy. “Much better.”

  He slipped his hand between my thighs, rubbing up against my clit with his knuckles. It was a barely there touch, but the way he did it was freaking hot. “Oh my God.”

  “Uh-uh.” He slid his hand between my thighs and separated my legs again. “I didn’t say to do that. Don’t fucking move unless I tell you to.”

  Before I could even form a reply, he bit the spot at the top of my thigh, right below my butt and toward my inner thigh. My knees buckled, and I almost fell, but somehow I managed to stay upright. He moved between my legs, parting me with his fingers. I was so exposed like this. So vulnerable.

  But much like the character in the book that he’d read out loud to me, I knew that I could trust Finn to take care of me. To pleasure me in ways I’d never imagined before…and more. Despite everything, I knew I could trust him to take this submissiveness of mine, and not take advantage of it. Of me.

  When he flicked his tongue over my clitoris, I cried out and dug my nails into the couch even more. Without warning, he slapped my ass lightly and went down on me, his tongue moving in slow, sensuous circles. His teeth scraped against me, adding a small measure of pain to the pleasure, and I tensed, my whole body already so freaking close to an orgasm that it wasn’t even funny.

  He must’ve sensed it, tasted it or something, because he pulled back and said, “No coming. Not yet. I’m gonna make you beg for it, just like your books.”

  And then he stopped. Just stopped. “What? No. I need—”

  He stood, his hand on my butt. He gripped me tight, his fingers digging into the soft flesh there. “Excuse me? Are you talking back?”

  “N-No.” I licked my parched lips. “I just—”

  He caressed my butt, his fingers gliding over the side and across my thigh. When he closed his hand over my core from behind, his fingers dipping inside me just enough to drive me crazy, I collapsed against his chest. “From now on, the only words allowed out of your mouth are more, yes, please, and sir. Got it?”

  I nodded frantically, silently willing his fingers to move over me. To bring me to the edge again. “Yes, sir.”

  He withdrew, making me want to scream obscenities, but I bit down on my tongue to stay silent. Unless I wanted to beg him, I needed to stay silent. And just like he wanted me to beg him…I wanted him to earn my begging.

  When I heard his belt come out of the loops of his pants, I sucked in a deep breath. I wanted to ask him what he was doing, but I didn’t. I kept silent, because he’d told me to. A moment later, he tugged my pants off the rest of the way, and then he grabbed the hem of my shirt. “Arms up.”

  Without a word, I lifted my arms, and he pulled the shirt over my head.

  He hissed in a br
eath through his teeth. “You were planning on teasing me later, weren’t you? Wearing nothing under your clothes…”

  “Yes, sir.”

  I could say more, like how I’d gotten the idea from him when he’d left his boxers on the floor, but that took more words than I’d been permitted to say. And I was trying to be a good girl so I could be rewarded.

  He chuckled and ran his belt down my back. “Such a tease.”

  I silently bit my lip, waiting to see what he did next. God, dying to see what he did next. If he spanked me with it, I might convulse, shudder, and melt into a puddle on the wood floor never to be seen again. Seriously.

  All of my professional training told me that this was a really bad idea, that even pretend violence could have ramifications, but it was Finn, and this was me, so I trusted him. My training had no place in my marital bed.

  The belt dipped lower, over my butt, and he tapped me lightly with it. “You know what I do with teases?”

  I ran through my permitted words, and opted for, “Sir?”

  “I punish them.” He smacked my rear with the leather belt, hard enough to sting a tiny bit, but not hard enough to actually hurt. He’d never actually hurt me. “And if they’re good for that? They get rewarded very, very generously.”

  “Please, sir.”

  “So eager. So sweet.” He fisted my hair, trailing the belt over my skin again. I whimpered. “You like that, Ginger?”

  I tried to nod, but the movement pulled against his unyielding grasp.

  He tightened his grip on me. “Answer me.”

  “Y-Yes, sir.” I licked my dry lips again. “Please.”

  He slapped my butt with the leather, and he rubbed the spot tenderly afterward. The sting spread over me, making my thighs tremble and my whole body beg for more. I bit down on my tongue, a moan escaping despite my efforts to hold it back.

  “You’re so soft. So flawless.” He dragged the belt over my stomach, creeping lower and lower until he abruptly stopped, right below my belly button. His hand covered the stretch marks I’d gotten from carrying our child. He said he loved them because they were my own battle wounds. Just like his. “I hate to touch you. To make you dirty. But then again…” He skimmed it across my belly. “I love it, too.”