Fractured

by Wendy Byrne

  Landry had his arm around her, pulling her in as close as he could given her injury, as they slow danced. For the first time in a while, Isabella let herself relax and gave in to the sense of protectiveness she felt around him.

  He was a good guy. He was smart and sexy and fun to be around. He made her laugh. He also made her crazy, too, but right now she didn’t want to focus on that. They were good together both in and out of bed. Well, maybe the bed thing overrode a lot of other things, but that had to mean something. Chemistry, physical attraction, magnetic pull, call it whatever, they had it in spades.

  Times like this she was hard pressed to remember anything wrong about their relationship. Then again, a half hour from now and she’d be able to recite a litany of the troubles dating back from the day they met. But for right now, she’d breathe in that minty scent of his and relish in the moment.

  Grandma and Grandpa Taylor walked past them on their way out. “You be careful with her, Landry Shaun Taylor, or I’ll have your hide. She might hurt her arm even more.”

  He took it in stride. “Don’t worry, Grandma, I’m being careful.” After they said their goodbyes and left, he whispered into Isabella’s ear. “I think my grandmother likes you more than me.”

  “I wouldn’t count on that. She feels sorry for me because I’m a gimp.” She rested her head on his shoulder and wallowed in the relaxation. “The Taylor clan seems to have adjusted to the Italians moving in. No high drama or fist fights. I’ve got to tell you I’m a little disappointed.”

  He chuckled. “Everyone’s on their best behavior tonight for some reason.” He slid his hand up until it rested at the base of her skull and tilted her head back slightly. When he kissed her, she felt the tingles shoot up one side of her body and down the other.

  “Hmmmm. That was nice.” She smiled as the mellowness of the evening slid through her.

  “Too bad it looks like they’re going to kick us out in a few minutes.”

  When she glanced around the room, she noticed only a few die-hards had remained. Most of his family had left except for some cousins and their dates.

  He grasped her hand as they strolled back to his car. When she forgot everything else wrong with her life, being like this with Landry felt like the rightest thing in the world. Unfortunately, that kind of bliss never lasted very long.

  “Thanks for tricking me into coming. I had a good time.” She stopped outside the car door and turned. Winding her one good arm around his neck, she pulled him close and kissed him. She put everything she had into the kiss, relishing in the warmth and comfort it brought her. The tingle permeating through was the added bonus.

  He nuzzled her neck. “Are you up for anything tonight? Cause if you are, I think I could manage to go a round or two.”

  “Is that a proposition?” Her breath hitched in her chest. It had been a long time.

  “If you want it to be.”

  “I think we have to. It’s been a long time for me.” She slipped inside the car and waited for him to get into the opposite side. “But you…not so much. Let’s not forget the nameless, pink-thong lady.”

  “Who shall still remain nameless, so don’t think you’re going to get anything out of me.” He started the car and pulled away from the curb.

  “Maybe I can worm it out of you when you’re at my mercy. While that will satisfy my curiosity, it will really piss me off.”

  He chuckled. “Let’s put it this way: Pink-thong lady and I went out on a couple of dates and she slept over one night. I didn’t see her after that.”

  “Ah-ha, you got what you wanted and then dropped her like a hot potato.” She huffed. “Men. You’re all alike. Did she have a few extra pounds beneath her clothes, no boobs, some cellulite, or was she…gasp…bad in bed?”

  “Not exactly. It didn’t work out.”

  She wanted to press further but was afraid. She didn’t know what he might reveal. “Keep your man secrets. That’s fine by me. Just tell me you washed the sheets since then.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  God, he wanted her. In fact, Landry didn’t think he’d ever wanted a woman this much in his entire life. Everything about her drew him in from the way she looked, to the way she moved, to the way she smelled. He even suspected he was making some progress getting her to trust him, as she hadn’t relied on that handkerchief for comfort since he’d picked her up in Chinatown earlier. That had to be a good thing.

  Except that the trust she doled out in teaspoonfuls had been sorely misguided. Everything about who she was, she laid out for everyone to see. Never did she hide parts of herself from view. Unfortunately, he couldn’t say the same thing.

  Somehow he’d managed to keep the guilt at bay while they were at the wedding celebration, but now that nagging sensation started to crawl up his spine. Part of him wanted to lay everything out on the table. But he knew with Isabella he’d crossed that invisible line of hers. He’d betrayed her. In more ways than one. And, to her, that was unforgivable.

  But it wasn’t like he could change who he was or decisions he had made. He had to go full steam ahead and let the chips fall where they may. In the end, if he had to do it over again, he’d make the exact same decision.

  He pushed back any lingering guilt as he pulled up to his apartment and came around to help her out of the car. Impatient, he pinned her against the car and kissed her. His chest squeezed with emotion until he remembered that more than likely there was a Fed watching.

  It had been a rough couple of days. Even though, he felt a need to savor every moment. “I’d ask you if you were sure about this, but I don’t want you to change your mind.”

  Thankfully, she shook her head and smiled. “Not a chance.”

  “Good.” He ushered her up the steps and into his apartment. It seemed like it took forever to get the door open. Once inside, he pressed her against the front door, sucking her into a deep kiss. Memories from the good times flitted through his brain as his body rose to the occasion. He flicked his tongue into her mouth and she responded like a woman on a mission with a foray of her own. She tasted of wine and Isabella. Just as he remembered.

  When he shifted his hand under her shirt, the heat of her skin on his fingertips made them tingle in anticipation until he stroked her breasts. Pulling down the cups of her bra, he rubbed his fingers around her nipples relishing in the soft moan of pleasure she emitted.

  She reached around her neck to pull off the sling. “This will only get in the way.”

  As gently as his raging hormones would allow, he stripped off her clothes until she was down to her underwear. He pushed away slightly so he could see her as well as touch her. As beautiful as he remembered, her latte-colored body was an incredible mix of slight curves and tight muscles on a petite frame.

  His fingers trailed a line from her shoulders, to her breasts down her torso to between her legs. Her whole body trembled as he explored. He nuzzled her neck.

  “You haven’t lost your touch, Landry.” She threw back her head to allow him full access.

  He could feel the vibration in her throat as she spoke. “I’m just getting started.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m planning on.”

  “You and me both.”

  Isabella gave him a cheeky smile. “But you have to promise to be gentle with me.” Going up on her tip toes, she kissed him letting her tongue slide into his mouth ever so slowly. Her fingers trembled as she reached down to unsnap his pants. “You have on way too many clothes.”

  At that moment, Landry felt like a virgin. Every brush of her fingertips felt intense, consuming near to the point of being overwhelming. His dick showed its appreciation by getting harder by the second until the throbbing sensation seemed to rumble through his entire body. All he could think about was being inside her.

  Not five minutes from now. But now. Instead, he sucked in a deep breath and forced his mind to take control.

  He moved her towards the bed, clumsily losing his pants and shirt in the process. Tu
mbling onto the mattress, he pulled her on top. With her thighs surrounding his hips, the devilish glint in her eye, and the slight arch to her back, she looked like a vixen. She didn’t have to say a word for him to get the message. She was in control and liked it that way.

  He unclasped her bra and slid it off her shoulders. She began to kiss her way from his neck to his mouth while simultaneously keeping an erotic rhythm with her hips. He felt her sex through the meager cloth of her panties which only made him even harder.

  How long would he be able to win this brain/dick war?

  “It’s been a long time,” she whispered into his ear right before her lips blazed a trail down his chest.

  Stopping at his nipples, she played with them with her tongue before moving down his torso. She wasn’t even to his belly button when his dick jumped in anticipation. She giggled.

  “You’re laughing and I’m dying here.”

  She glanced at him. “You don’t look like you’re dying,” she said as she ran her fingers down the length of him. “In fact, I’d say you’re quite healthy.”

  When she pulled down his boxers and set him free, his dick cheered while he grasped the sheet and held on. After she covered him with her mouth, he thought maybe he’d died and gone to heaven.

  He moaned, gasping for breath while simultaneously hoping the glorious sensation never would end. But every flick of her tongue and touch of her fingers on his balls brought him closer to the promised land. Way too soon for that.

  His brain re-engaged enough to maneuver her onto her back. “You didn’t even give me a chance to make my move.” Without another word, he nibbled on her neck while his hands slid down her body as he valiantly fought for control.

  Isabella shuddered. She didn’t want to be a slave to her hormones, but Landry was doing a bang-up job of making that nearly impossible. Especially when his fingers slipped off her panties, slid along her and pushed inside. She wanted to weep from pure hedonistic pleasure. When his mouth covered her nipple and tugged she felt dangerously close to a climax.

  “Oh…my…friggin’…God.” Her breath came out in pants. “Landry, now you’re killing me.”

  He looked up and smiled. “Wanted to remind you what you were missing these last couple of months.”

  Before she could respond to his cockiness, his body slid down hers until his breath hovered between her thighs. When his tongue took over where his fingers had been, the first orgasm rocked through her. While her body was still a mass of nerves, he kissed her legs, starting with her inner thigh and working his way to her ankle and back up again. Then he went back to work on her breasts until he’d stoked her fire once again.

  She opened her thighs to guide him. “Please, Landry. I need you inside me.”

  “You keep touching my balls like that and I’m going to finish before we start.” He got down on his elbows and nuzzled her neck.

  At this point, she wasn’t against pleading. But it turned out she didn’t need to as she felt the tip of his penis throbbing against her before entering with agonizing slowness. Once settled inside her, he gave her the deepest, most soul-wrenching kiss reminding her once again how good this part of their relationship had always been. Pinpricks of tears littered her lashes.

  “You okay?” He brushed the hair back from her face and stared at her.

  She nodded and pushed away the unexpected rush of emotion. “More than fine.”

  He hesitated a second before he bent his head to kiss her. She closed her eyes and savored the moment. As she breathed in the scent of him and felt the sensation of his skin against hers, something foreign and scary squeezed inside her chest. Seconds later, the elusive feeling passed. She couldn’t decide if she was relieved or not.

  Her arm felt cumbersome, but twisting it out of the way didn’t work, either. More than anything she wanted the full weight of his body on hers, but due to circumstances that was impossible.

  “You feel good.” She touched his cheek with her fingertips then brought her hand down his back to his thigh and butt.

  “Believe me, the feeling is mutual.” He kissed her slowly at first, while his hips established a rhythm.

  Her body felt consumed by a force stronger than she could ever have anticipated. Every nerve ending, inside and out, wanted some relief from the building pressure. Each time he slid in and out another tingle sprung to life. While his mouth and tongue felt incredible, him being inside her brought the sensation to a whole other level. She closed her eyes wishing this feeling could last her lifetime. But knew somehow, as always, it never could.

  When her body started to tremble, he reached between them, tantalizing her to the point she thought she might go crazy before her body gave in. But seconds later the quivering started to take over in earnest until she was pure animal sensation, no thinking involved.

  Just the way she liked it. Sometimes thinking was overrated.

  He moaned. Then she moaned as everything started to spiral out of control all at once. Her release came quick and delightfully hard as he pumped to his own completion.

  Seconds, minutes, hours, later—she’d lost track of time—they both lay spent. She cuddled up into the crook of his arm as best she could, her arm across his chest, her top leg over his thigh. “That was amazing.” It took all her energy to talk. She didn’t think she could move even if the house had been on fire.

  “Glad to see we didn’t lose any of our mojo. We are a whole six months older than the last time we did this.” His fingers traced lazy circles on her thigh.

  “A couple more years and I should be reaching my sexual peak, whereas you…hmm…not so much.”

  He gave her leg a pinch. “Hey, don’t make assumptions based on some crazy scientific study. I can still go a couple more rounds, no problem.” As if on cue, his dick started to come to life against her thigh.

  Her fingers played with the hair on his chest. “I was thinking, we like each other—at least most of the time—we’re good friends. I tell you more than I tell anybody else, and we’ve got this good sexual thing between us, amazing really.” She drew in a breath. “Maybe we should…I don’t know if it will work…”

  “Spit it out, Isabella.”

  “Oh God, this sounds weird.” She gulped. “I think maybe we should be each other’s booty calls.”

  * * *

  If Landry wasn’t so pissed, he’d laugh. He should have figured she’d try to keep the emotion out of their relationship.

  “You know you call me when—”

  “I know what a booty call is, Isabella.” He flexed his jaw and tamped down the rush of anger. “You want us to be screw buddies. That’s what you’re saying.”

  “That makes it sound so…” Her voice trailed off. “It’s obvious we’re good at it. I mean, at least together we are.” She still had yet to look him in the eye. “It would be sort of like friends with benefits.”

  Friends? Could this woman be any more thick-headed about what was between them? “Let me get this straight. I go out on date and the woman won’t put out, so I give you a call and we screw. Is that it? You’d be okay with being sloppy seconds?” Given her proposition, he couldn’t see calling it anything else.

  Her head nodded slowly against his chest. He could only hope she was re-thinking her crazy proposition. “Kind of. I mean that makes it sound so—”

  “That’s what a booty call is. You’re horny, and your vibrator needs batteries so you give me a call. And I show up like a plumber. I clean out your pipes.”

  “Something like that.” She sighed, her breath swirling along his chest hair. “But you didn’t mention that I might get shut down after a date and give you a shout-out to scratch my itch, so to speak.”

  He laughed as the anger started to slide away. “Big problem with that scenario. First off, no guy is going to say no to sex. Sorry, it’s imbedded in the chromosomes somewhere. Second, the date’s not going to happen because sooner or later you’re going to be honest and admit you can’t live without me.”
<
br />   He felt her lips curve up in a smile before she kissed his chest. “You’re awfully sure of yourself.”

  “Damn straight.”

  Until she found out about the real Landry Taylor and what he’d been doing behind her back. If she did, then all bets were off.

  * * *

  Having sex with Landry was like coming home after a very long vacation. It was kind of like that ahhh feeling deep down inside that doesn’t go away. For some reason she couldn’t stop smiling even the next morning when she awoke, despite any lingering concerns about the ramifications.

  When she’d made the suggestion about the booty call, he’d seemed mad at first. But eventually he kind of warmed up to the idea, especially after the third, or was that fourth, time of absolutely, positively, knock-your-socks-off incredible sex.

  But now she had to wonder if he’d really meant it about the no-strings approach to their relationship. While he seemed sincere at the time, given the heightened sexual intensity, he probably would have agreed to anything. She certainly would have.

  Now, in the light of day, she had second, third, and fourth thoughts. Getting a little separation between them seemed to be the prudent thing to do, even though her hormones were definitely trying to convince her otherwise. Spending the day in bed with him, making love, listening to music and talking sounded perfect. But she’d learned the hard way long ago that nothing is ever perfect.

  Instead she snuck into the shower while he still slept, hoping to avoid any morning awkwardness. But when she emerged a few minutes later wrapped in a towel, he was lying in bed awake. The covers hovered below his torso and he was propped on his elbow. He looked so sexy, she barely resisted the urge to jump back into the bed with him. Instead, she sucked in a breath and deepened her plan for forced separation.

  “I’m going to take the El home.”

  He watched her dress through hooded lids. An embarrassed flush rose on her skin, which seemed ridiculous considering all they’d done last night.