Shattered by Love

by C. A. Harms

  Riley twisted her hands in a nervous manner and bit her lower lip. “I can’t say anything right now. We decided to wait to tell everyone.”

  “Who’s we?”

  She smiled. “Me and Zander.”

  At that point it was pretty obvious what was going on. A smile spread out over my face, and I chuckled. “I’m gonna be an uncle again, ain’t I?”

  Her eyes met mine and they filled with tears. “You can’t say anything. We just found out and we wanted to wait until after the first trimester to share the news. Mom and dad are the only people that know, and that was by accident.”

  I stood up from the couch and pulled her into a hug. “Congratulations. I won’t say anything, I promise.” I kissed her forehead and pushed back, holding her firmly by the shoulders. “Make this one a boy. I mean, I love my nieces, but a nephew sure would be nice.”

  She grinned. “I’ll do my best.”

  It was crazy that Riley was gonna be a mom. My little sister was going to have a baby. Things around me were changing, and it felt strange. I had never thought about getting married or having kids. It was just something I didn’t let enter my mind. To be honest, the thought had freaked me out before. I wasn’t sure I would ever be ready to be a father; I was just getting used to the idea of being a full-time boyfriend.

  ***

  When I got home, I could hear Tanner upstairs moving around. It was just after seven at night, and I knew he couldn’t have been home long. He had been working late nights to finish up his current contractual job.

  Walking up the stairs, I heard a loud squeal followed by a moan and the bed squeaking. I could only roll my eyes as I walked past his door and went straight for the shower.

  I spent more than enough time with the hot water running over my aching body. I was hoping that, by the time I was finished, they would be, too.

  The aches in my shoulders and back reminded me it was time to start hitting the gym again. I had neglected that over the last of couple months. It used to be my escape from everything, the one place I would find peace.

  Things were quiet when I walked out of my room and went toward the kitchen. There were no lights on, and the sunset had a reddish hue that came in through the blinds.

  Rounding the corner to the kitchen, I collided with a very naked blonde. I grabbed for her shoulders to steady her and she screamed, dropping a can of soda. It landed directly on my left foot. “Mother, god damn son of a…” I hopped around on one foot. I tried to refrain from calling the dumb ass all sorts of names. Grinding my teeth together, I growled.

  Tanner came running down the stairs and entered right behind me. Taking in the view before him, he narrowed in on the girl. “What the fuck, Olivia? Where are your clothes?” He growled, and I could only glare in his direction.

  What if Bree had been here? I was pretty damn sure this would not have been acceptable.

  “I didn’t think anyone else was here.” The girl answered, not even taking the time to cover her body. She was obviously not shy about her appearance.

  “I thought you left already. I told you I was going out.” I immediately recognized his tone. She was being dismissed.

  I hobbled back to my room just in time to hear my ringing phone and picked it up right before it went to voicemail.

  “Hello,” I grunted, as I flopped down on my bed, checking out my red and swollen toes.

  “Hey, is it a bad time?” Bree’s sweet voice filled my ear.

  “No, it’s all right. Tanner’s newest fling just dropped an unopened can of soda on my foot. Other than that, I’m good.” I inspected my foot, and it looked like my toes were slightly turning a shade of purple.

  “How’d that happen?” she asked.

  “I scared her, I guess. She didn’t think anyone else was here.” Bree was quiet. “Did you just get home from work?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  I lay back onto my bed, and I could still smell Bree’s perfume. It was a sweet flowery scent. I closed my eyes, remembering our night together here in my room and feeling her body against mine, our legs tangled together.

  “What are you doing, right now?” I asked her with my eyes still closed. I was picturing her standing in her bedroom, wrapped in a towel with her hair all wet from her shower.

  “I was getting ready to go to bed. I just finished up my paper for Psychology. I wanted to call you before I went to sleep, though.” I heard her moving around and then her breath hitched. “Are you here?”

  “What?”

  “Someone is knocking on my door. I thought maybe it was you.”

  Sitting straight up on my bed, I pulled myself to the edge. Fighting against my overactive ways, I just took a deep breath. “It’s not me, babe. Are you expecting someone?”

  “No. Hang on.” It was silent for a moment, and then I heard her slide the chain on her door. “It’s Lily.” I waited quietly, listening.

  “Hey you, what’s going on?” There was a pause before Bree spoke again. “Lily, are you okay? Come inside.”

  “He’s following me.” Lily sounded like she had been crying, and I was now standing in the center of my room gripping the phone tightly.

  I could barely hear what they were saying, and it had my heart racing. “Baby, what happened? Is she okay?”

  “I’m gonna call you back.” Bree said.

  “The hell you are. I asked you what happened,” I growled.

  “Max, please just let me call you back.” Bree waited a few seconds and then hung up the phone.

  My jaw began ticking, and I was getting more pissed with each passing second. Something was going on with that girl. She said someone was following her. That to me meant whoever it was could have followed her to Bree’s. I sure as hell wasn’t going to sit here waiting for something to happen to either one of them.

  I threw a shirt on and grabbed my keys from my dresser. Tanner was in the kitchen as I rushed past. “Dude, where are you rushing off to?”

  “Something’s going on over at Bree’s,” I said, as I slipped on my shoes. “Lily showed up crying, saying something about someone following her. Bree wouldn’t tell me what was going on; she just said she would call me back.”

  At the mention of Lily, Tanner rounded the counter. “Following her?”

  “Yeah, I guess. I gotta get over there. I’m not gonna sit around waiting for Bree to call.” Tanner started slipping on his shoes next to me. “What are you doing?”

  “What does it look like I’m doing? You’re not going over there alone.” He followed me out the front door in a rush.

  “I don’t need backup, brother.”

  “Well tough shit, because I’m going anyway.” He crawled up into the cab of my truck and I just shook my head. He had something for Lily, I could sense it. He acted weird when it came to her. He didn’t want to admit it, but I think that girl had gotten under his skin. One day he might be able to admit it to himself.

  He was fidgety the entire drive, popping his knuckles and bouncing around.

  When we pulled into the lot at Bree’s apartment, my heart sank. Lily’s car sat at the side of the building and the front windshield was smashed. It looked like someone had thrown something through the center of it.

  I slammed my truck into park and rushed toward the front door. Tanner was already entering the building and was halfway up the stairs ahead of me.

  He beat on Bree’s door, and the look on his face was of pure panic. I stood back watching as his face grew red and his jaw ticked with hate. I silently observed him and knew my previous observation was true. Tanner hid his feelings for Lily, but right now they were front and center. There was no way he could convince me otherwise. He had a soft spot where she was involved.

  The moment the door opened, he rushed forward without an invitation. “Where is she?”

  Before Bree could respond, Tanner rushed toward the couch and took Lily into his arms. He pulled her close and held her against his chest. He never spoke; he just held her in silence
and comforted her as she cried. She gripped his shirt tightly in her fisted hands.

  Bree turned to face me and wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion. “I have no idea. He freaked out when we saw the condition of Lily’s car outside.”

  “What about my car?” Lily lifted her head and looked up at Tanner. She waited for him to answer and, when he didn’t respond, she asked again.

  “What’s wrong with my car?”

  “Someone threw something through the windshield.”

  Lily’s eyes grew big, and the tears began rolling down her cheeks more heavily. Tanner did his best to soothe her, but it was almost impossible. He had no idea how to handle the situation. He looked torn and kept looking up at me for help.

  Welcome to my world, bro. This whole thing was new to me, too. I had no idea myself; it was a learning process, and here was his first lesson.

  How to soothe a panicked and hysterical woman? This situation might just frighten him more. If this night hadn’t been so fucked up, I might have laughed at his lack of experience.

  Chapter Twenty

  Bree

  “Does she have any idea who did it?” Max asked me, as he stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

  “Yeah, she knows him.” I gripped Max’s hand and led him to the kitchen. “He was a friend of her dad’s, Randy.” I paused, making sure that Lily was occupied and couldn’t hear us. “Do you remember that night I told you about when she came over? Right after we started talking again?” Max leaned against the counter and nodded his head. “He showed up at her place and tried to force himself on her.”

  Max’s jaw tensed and he pushed off the counter. “Did she report it?”

  I nodded my head. “Yeah, Carson and your friend, Jason, came over. They filed a report and I’m pretty sure that is what triggered his actions tonight. Logan, her brother, was out of town when it happened. He came back but left again this morning. Randy followed her home from the store, and she freaked out.”

  Max grabbed his phone from his back pocket. I watched as he dialed and placed the phone to his ear. “Bree’s place, now,” he snapped.

  He never let whoever it was reply. He hung up and slipped his phone into his pocket again. He cocked an eyebrow at me and I held my hands out to my sides, indicating I had nothing to say.

  By now I know how to handle Max when he gets in one of his moods. It’s best to just shut up and let him vent. It was really the safest bet for everyone.

  Besides, there were only two people he could have called--Carson or Jason. One of them was about to suffer the wrath of Max. The good thing was that both of them knew how to handle him and his mood swings.

  ***

  Fifteen minutes later, Carson was standing in my living room along with his partner, Jason. They were being lectured by Max about the safety of Lily. I fought against the urge to laugh. Max was such an ass at times but, right now, when his wrath was not directed at me, it was kinda hot.

  “This shit needs to get handled. The fucking asshole followed her around town. Then he threw a brick through the windshield of her car.” He growled, and I shivered. “He fucking knows where Bree lives now. That shit doesn’t sit well with me. Do something about the man, before I handle the dumb son of a bitch myself.”

  Max spun around and faced me. “Get your shit together.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Excuse me?”

  “Now is not the time to get all defensive; you’re not staying here.” He then turned to face Lily. “Your ass is coming with me, too. We’ll stop by your place and get some things. Looks like you two girls are staying at our place until these assholes can get this shit under control.”

  “Where’s your brother?” Carson asked Lily.

  “He travels for his job, and he’ll be gone for another week.” Her voice was barely a whisper. She looked so scared and defeated.

  My heart broke for her. I could tell Tanner was a little worried about her. I know that she and Tanner had kissed at Carson’s the night of the cookout, but that was it. I had caught him watching her at times, but he would never admit to it. Tanner was the brother that I was pretty sure was worse than Max; he never got attached. He never messed with the same girl more than a couple of times. He had no desire to form any bond.

  So I was a little confused with his reaction to Lily. It was almost like he felt protective of her, always keeping a close eye on her but never making it obvious.

  I gathered a few things in a bag and joined the rest of them in the living room. Once we locked everything up, I followed them out to the parking lot. Max tossed his keys to Tanner. “You and Lily take my truck, and we’ll follow in Bree’s car.” He looked over his shoulder to Jason. “Can you get Robbie to tow Lily’s car? We’ll get the windshield replaced tomorrow.” Jason nodded as he pulled his phone from his pocket, dialing as he walked away.

  The drive to Max’s place was a little tense. I was afraid to speak, because I knew the mood he was in. When he finally decided to talk, all I could do was roll my eyes. “You do know you’re not going back home, right?”

  “Whatever, Max,” I looked out the passenger window.

  “What do you mean, whatever?” He snarled.

  “You know what I mean. I’m not doing this with you. You’re in a mood, and I’m not talking about this until you chill out.” I was doing everything I could to bite my tongue, but it was getting harder with each word he spoke.

  He chose to stay silent for the rest of the drive. When we got to his apartment, I got out before he shut off the car. Max’s truck was parked in its original spot, which indicated that Tanner and Lily were already there. Storming off toward the front door, I could hear him running after me, and I attempted to walk faster.

  When his arms encircled my waist, my feet came off the ground. He carried me in through the front door, as I kicked my legs and tried to wiggle away. “Put me down, you dick. I’m serious. Put me down!”

  Tanner and Lily looked up from the couch, as Max stormed by with me on his shoulder. Lily smiled and Tanner laughed. I flipped them both off. “Thanks for the help, jerks.”

  Max kicked open his bedroom door and tossed me onto the bed. I bounced with the landing and hurried across the bed, attempting an escape. Max grabbed my ankles and pulled me back. He crawled onto the bed and held my hands above my head. “Stop acting like a brat and listen to me.”

  “Oh, I’m the one acting like a brat? You’re being ridiculous. What the hell is it with you carrying me around, forcing me to go places I don’t want to go? Get off of me, now.” I bucked my hips against him, trying to free myself. He watched with an eyebrow cocked and a smirk on his lips. It was no use, as he was three times my size and he was not budging.

  “Are you done yet?” He continued to stare down at me and I groaned in aggravation.

  I let out a defeated sigh and he chuckled. Cocky asshole.

  “I don’t want you to stay at your apartment until we figure all this out. That guy knows where you live now. I don’t like that at all. I don’t want anything happening to you.” His face became serious as his eyes locked onto mine. “It’s my job to keep you safe. I couldn’t handle it if something happened to you.”

  It was hard to stay mad at the caveman when he got all mushy on me. “You could have said that to begin with. Instead, you acted like a jerk.”

  He released my hands and brought one hand to rest at the side of my face, lightly tracing my jaw with his thumb. “Yeah, I probably went about it all wrong. You know me, though. I’m difficult.”

  I snorted, “That’s putting it lightly.”

  “Did you just snort?” He chuckled.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Yep.”

  His gaze fell to my lips. “Having you here in my bed could have its advantages, though.” His eyes became hooded and he licked his lower lip. “I could fall asleep and feel your naked body pressed against mine.” He kissed my jaw, trailing gentle kisses along my neck. “Waking up and starting my day off inside of you sure sounds
perfect.”

  I could feel his hardness swell against my leg, and I instantly became wet. I could feel his breath skimming along my neck and chest as he continued to kiss me softly. As he brushed his tongue along my shoulder, I whimpered with need.

  The Max delirium had hit me, as it always did. One moment I could be so angry and frustrated with him, but the next I was putty in his hands and forgetting how to breathe.

  By the look he now held in his eyes, I knew I was in for one hell of a ride.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Max

  I was so turned on, I could barely see straight. All the excitement of the night had pushed me into overdrive. I was scared shitless when we got to Bree’s apartment. Then, after I found out what had happened and who did it, I was beyond pissed.

  Bree had no fucking idea how pissed I was that this son of a bitch now knew where she lived. I went into full-blown caveman mode, with an over-the-shoulder attack and all. Bree was just being feisty, and I had to handle it. I knew if I got her alone, I could get through to her.

  Now here we were and all I could do was imagine burying myself inside her. She lay beneath me, her breasts rising with each breath, and I was growing harder by the second.

  “You forgive me?” I whispered, pressing myself in between her thighs. I could feel her heat pressing against my cock.

  “Maybe,” she said, breathless and needy.

  “I’m pretty sure I could make you forget all about your anger.” Thrusting my hips forward, I slid my erection against her once more. “I can make you forget all about tonight.”

  I ran my tongue over her lower lip and she whimpered. Moving down the side of her neck, I bit at her collarbone. “I love how your body knows my touch. You can’t fight the need you have to feel me against you.”

  Pushing her shirt up, I kissed along her breasts. Pulling down her bra caused her perky tits to spill out from the top. I ran my tongue over her nipple, sucking lightly before biting down and causing her to gasp.