A Shattered Heart (Live & Love Series Book 1) (6 page)

Chapter 10

2 years, 7 months, 10 days

A few weeks had passed, and I had to say that living with a bunch of guys had been easier than I had thought. I would have to remember to thank Laurel for raising her boys right. They all cooked and cleaned, and they weren’t big on clutter. I was worried I was going to be a maid to a bunch of slobs, but I had to say the transition had been mostly stress free.

Josh and I were becoming closer, although we hadn’t shared any more intimate moments. I thought he was giving me my space to work through my head, and I greatly appreciated it.

You would think spending all day and all night with these guys would get old, but there was never a dull moment. We liked to play a lot of games, which helped to take my mind off things. I didn’t feel as guilty as I used to when I laughed and smiled. I used to think I was betraying my family by having a good time, since they weren’t here to celebrate it with me. However, I had slowly come to terms with the fact that they would want me to move on.

The guys were big jokesters with each other, and I mostly refereed arguments as well as friendly bets and challenges. It made for a lot of laughs. In the beginning, I wondered if they were putting on a show for my sake, but as time went by, I found that was simply them—a playful bunch. I was glad I had moved here.

Today was one of the few days the guys were out of the house; therefore, I thought I would do some major cleaning. We all kept it pretty neat, but sometimes a good, deep cleaning was good. You know, the kind where you washed walls, every window, moved furnisher, and rearranged things to clean every nook and cranny. That was what I was up to today.

I changed into my yoga shorts and a tank top, put my hair up in a messy bun, and then started working my way through the house. Making good progress, I decided to leave the vacuuming to last.

I went to grab my MP3 player. I had pretty eclectic tastes, so depending on my mood, I had different music I liked. Today was an eighties day. I turned on Heart and headed into the living room.

I was vacuuming and singing my heart out, listening to “Magic Man,” dancing along to the tunes. I had a pretty decent voice, even if I did say so myself, so I loved to sing along with the music.

I belted out the tune and shook my ass in time with the beat until I turned around and screamed as loud as possible. All three guys were standing there with giant grins on their faces, whereas my own face turned a furious shade of red.

“H-how long have you guys been standing there?” I asked.

Mark and Daniel looked at each other before Mark said, “Enough to know you want to get ‘high a while,’ ” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

Daniel chimed in with perfect pitch and added in, “Yeah
,
” just like in the song.

I looked at Josh, who was looking back at me with a gleam in his eye, and we both burst out laughing.

“That was seriously hot, babe,” Josh said as he walked to me then pulled me in for a hug. “I’ll be your Magic Man anytime.” He chuckled as I smacked him across the chest.

“Holy eighties, batman,” Daniel remarked. “Haven’t heard that song in ages, and man, you got a set of pipes, sister. What else is on your player?” He was already holding out his hand.

“Have a look for yourself. I’m going to change my clothes, and then I am going to bury my head in the pillow and die of embarrassment. See you guys in a few,” I said as I headed up the stairs with them chuckling behind me.

A few minutes later, a knock was at my bedroom door. I walked over and opened it to find Josh standing there.

“Hey, you got any plans tonight?”

“No, nothing but the usual—hanging out here. Why?” I asked

“I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me,” he offered, seeming somewhat shy.

“Like a date, date?” I asked, just teasing him a bit.

“Yes, a date, date,” he responded.

I straightened my back and looked directly at him, holding his worried gaze. I took in a deep breath and slowly blew it out, drawing out the moment for several beats. I was totally messing with him, because I think thought it is was totally cute and traditional to knock on my door and ask me out, even though we lived in the same house and see saw each other every day. I should probably let him off the hook, as since he looks looked like he’s he was about three seconds away from falling to his knees and begging me for a date

“Of course I’ll go out with you,” I said with a giant smile.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “You made me wait on purpose, didn’t you?”

I raised my eyebrows. “Maybe…” I sing-songed.

“You’ll pay for that.” He raised his eyebrows in a suggestive way, smiling.

Surprisingly, I was actually looking forward to date night and whatever came my way. Maybe it really was time to start to move on.

Chapter 11

JOSH

I couldn’t believe she had delayed her answer just to see me suffer. She did it on purpose, the little scamp. I had been very close to begging, but that was okay; I would make her pay in one way or another.

I started to think about all the ways to pay her back, but then I realized Daniel was staring at me.

“Dude, don’t think about that shit in the presence of another dude,” Daniel said with a horrified look on his face.

I laughed. “Don’t look at me, then.”

“Ugh, I don’t want to know what’s going on in your head.” Daniel shivered as he walked away.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Shane’s friend came through and did some sort of Matrix type thing on the number you provided. Turns out, it belongs to a”—he brought out his phone and scrolled through the messages—“Robin Turrcutt”

“Robin Turrcutt?” said Natalie, who was coming down the stairs. “How do you know Robin?”

“The more important question is, how do you know Robin?” I asked, tilting my head slightly.

“Robin was our receptionist. She was always really nice. A bit clingy, but nice. How do you know her?” Natalie asked, confused.

“We did a trace on the phone number the texts you were getting are coming from, and they all come back to her,” Daniel answered.

“All?” she asked. “I’ve only gotten one.” She looked at me.

Uh oh
, I thought.

“Actually, you got a second one on the night we told our parents about your past. I had the message forwarded to me and deleted it off your phone. I didn’t think you needed the added stress that night.”

She didn’t respond right away, only looked at me and held my stare.

By the subtle way she ground her teeth together and the way her eyes smoldered with anger, she was pissed.

Daniels gaze darted back and forth between us, waiting to either watch the show or protect me, although I wasn’t sure which one.

She took a deep breath before saying, “I understand why you felt like you had to do that, but you overstepped your boundaries. I should have been informed. This is my problem, and while you all have offered to help me out—protect me or whatever macho thing it is that you’re doing—I assure you that I can take care of myself.” She stretched her hand out before asking for my phone.

I wasn’t sure what she was planning on doing, but like a good boy, I handed it over. I valued my balls more than the phone, and she was seething mad.

She took my phone, scrolled through a few things, typed something in, and then handed it back. I looked at the phone and tried to swipe it open, but it wouldn’t work. I looked back at her with a what-the-fuck expression.

“Nosy people have restricted access to their phones. It is a privilege, not a right. I changed your password, so until I have a sufficient apology, you have to ask permission to use your phone.” She dared me with a look to challenge her.

“Oh, snap!” Daniel whooped. “She just mothered your ass, dude.” He was trying to hold back his laughter. I glared at him, and he said, “Would you look at the time. Gotta go.” He then hastily made his exit.

“Are you serious? You password protected my phone?” I asked.

“You bet your ass I did. Maybe next time you’ll think about the consequences before you make decisions for other people.” She harrumphed as she sauntered back to her room.

I watched her ass as she walked up the stairs and smirked. That was two things I would pay her back for, and believe me, it would be the best thing that ever happened to her.

Chapter 12

2 years, 7 months, 10 days

I got in my room and locked the door. How dare he invade my privacy like that! I was very close to stomping out of the house and never looking back. On the other hand, at least I knew who had been sending me those messages.

I couldn’t believe Robin would do that to me. I knew she was more Jake’s receptionist than mine, but she knew we were married; she was at the wedding, for Christ’s sakes. What do I do now? Did I confront her? I hadn’t been back in two years. Could I handle it?

Maybe I could set up a meeting of sorts, just to see how she was doing. Would it look suspicious? I should probably do this on my own, especially if it was a misunderstanding. Maybe her phone was stolen or something. I couldn’t imagine she would hurt me in this way. We had been friends. Not close, but we still had done things together. She had been really into our lives and genuinely interested in my family. She would come over for dinners, play with the kids, bought us gifts, etc. I couldn’t imagine her doing this.

I thought about making a trip back home to visit my parents. Then I could kill two birds with one stone and get together with her for old time’s sake.

I was making my plans when I heard a knock on my door. I walked over and opened it up to find Josh on his knees with his hands clasped together in front of him.

“Please, my fair lady, am I forgiven?”

I stifled a laugh, put my hand on my hip, and used my index finger to tap my lips.

“Hmm…” I exaggerated. He looked so hopeful I had to give in. “Fine, but do you understand how upset I am with you?” I lifted my hands in the air and sent him a knowing look.

“Yes, I understand. I’m not going to apologize for protecting you, but I can see that it upset you, and for that I am sorry. I also promise to include you in any future decisions that affect you,” he stated. “Are we still on for tonight?”

“Yes,” I replied. “But it better be good, mister.” I wagged my finger at him playfully.

“Yes ma’am.” He grinned at me. “Pick you up at seven,” He threw over his shoulder as he walked away.

“You do know we live in the same house, right?” I called out to his retreating back.

“Yes, but I am trying to be traditional here, woman, so hush up. I’ll be at your door at seven.” He winked at me as I closed the door.

That man was going to be the death of me.

I lay back in my bed and started to mentally plan my trip back home, drifting off to sleep shortly thereafter. A little nap never hurt anyone.

Sometime later, I startled awake to the sound of knock and looked at my clock. Holy shit, it was seven p.m. already, and I hadn’t even gotten ready.

I smacked my face as I heard, “I know you are in there, Natalie. Are you ready to go?”

Holy shit!

I bolted out of bed and grabbed the halter sundress I was going to wear, quickly slipping it on and tying it around my neck. Putting my hair in a messy bun and applying lip gloss and mascara, I then checked the pits for stink. None, check! That had to be a record for getting ready for a date.

Once I flung the door open, and it hit the wall with a bang, he looked me up and down with a suppressed smile.

“What?” I asked nervously.

“Um … well … Either you got dressed in the dark, or it’s a new fashion statement, but your dress is on backward and inside out, and the tag is hanging out front here.” He made a grab for it, but I jumped back and slammed the door in his face.

Oh, my God, how embarrassing.

I repositioned the dress then looked at myself in the mirror, just in case there were any other faux pas. Satisfied, I reopened the door to see Josh leaning against the jamb.

He looked me up and down, smiled, and said, “Better.” Then he offered me his arm, and we headed downstairs.

After a short drive in his truck, we pulled up to a fairly fancy restaurant.

“Here we are,” he offered.

“Wow. Thanks for taking me here. It’s been a while since I’ve been anywhere nice.” I smiled.

“I know it’s not Fifth Avenue fancy, but this will have to make do. I am hoping the company will be what matters most,” he replied.

“Of course.”

Once we were situated at our table with the wine poured and left for us, he started talking.

“Again, I apologize for the text message fiasco. I was only trying to protect you from more stress, and while I planned to take you out, anyway, let’s take this time to start over. I want to do things right with you, so cheers to our official first date.” His eyes smoldered at me as we clinked glasses.

I didn’t know what to say, so I simply nodded my head and shyly smiled.

“All right. We’re going to play an ice breaker game for our date night,” he stated proudly.

While I gaped at him, wondering if he was serious, he only smiled.

I rolled my eyes at the look on his face. “Okay, I’ll play.”

“Great. This game is called truth or fiction. I’ll start by giving you a statement, and you have to decide if it is the truth or not.” His eyes twinkled.

I eyed him warily yet agreed. “O … kay.”

“When I was ten I broke my arm trying to prove myself to a girl by skateboarding behind a car.”

I looked at him to gauge if he was lying. Knowing that his brothers and he were trouble makers, this seemed like a probable scenario.

“Truth,” I stated.

“Fiction, actually.” He rubbed his arm absently. “Fell down the stairs chasing after Daniel when he stole my teddy.” He smiled and winked.

I burst out laughing and quickly tried to cover my smile with my hand.

“Are you laughing at the fact that I had a teddy?” he asked playfully.

“No, never,” I replied with innocent eyes.

“Ummm-hmm.” He took a sip of wine. “Your turn.” He waved at me.

“Hmm…” I tapped my lips before I looked him dead in the eyes and said, “I streaked across the stadium field at a college football game.”

He eyed me for a few moments. “Fiction,” he said with a smirk.

“Totally true,” I responded.

He gaped at me. “You, Miss Prim and Proper, streaked at school?” He titled his head as if trying to figure me out.

“Sure did. I was very adventurous in my youth.” I smiled.

“Wow … I would have paid to see that.” He smirked devilishly.

We continued this game back and forth, learning about our pasts and laughing at each other’s antics growing up. Eventually, it was getting late, so he paid the bill like a gentleman, offered his arm back to the truck, and even helped me up.

Once we got back home, he walked me to my bedroom door, chatting about nothing in particular. It was romantic that he was trying to make this a real date, even though we lived in the same house.

I found that I loved the sound of his voice. He could read me the phonebook, and I would have been captivated.

“I had a great time tonight,” I said shyly, hoping he would kiss me.

“Me, too.” He looked at my face. My lips. My eyes. I thought he was waiting for an invitation or hesitation on my part, so I decided to be bold.

I launched myself in his arms and crushed my lips to his. He was momentarily surprised yet quickly recovered and dove into the moment with me. We both became more and more frantic by the moment. His hands roamed up and down my back, alternating between cupping my face and pulling me toward him.

He pulled away. “I’m trying to be noble here. I don’t want to push you, but fuck, Natalie, if you don’t tell me to stop, I won’t. I’ve waited for too long to have you like this. I really want it, but you have to tell me if I am moving too fast,” he panted out, alternating between kissing my jaw and lips gently while waiting for my response.

My hooded gaze bounced from eye to eye. I saw lust, passion, and possessiveness, a heady combination that was much more powerful than I had expected. I wanted what he was offering so badly my body was on fire for it. Strangely enough, I didn’t feel guilty at all, either.

I had figured, when the time came to start moving on in my life, I would feel this crushing guilt, and to some extent, maybe I would, but right then, I felt nothing except warmth and passion igniting my senses.

“Don’t stop,” I whispered.

He looked at me, holding my face tenderly in his hands, as he eyed me to make sure I was not hedging or scared. When he finally met my eyes, he must have seen what he needed, because he released my face, grabbed my hand, and instead of going inside my bedroom, we walked down the hall to his.

As we reached the door, he opened it for me, and I stepped inside, not hiding the fact that I was breathing like I had just run a marathon. His own breathing was ragged as he took off his jacket and threw it on the chair in the corner. He then stepped in front of me and grabbed my hands to gently pull me forward until our bodies were touching.

He very slowly brought his hands up and moved my hair over my shoulder before placing tender kisses along my exposed neck. I gasped as he nipped at my pulse.

He was still holding my hair in one hand when he slightly tugged it down, asking me to give him more of my neck. I moaned in agreement as he licked and nipped his way across my neck and jaw.

I lifted my arms up around his neck and ran my fingers through his hair, tugging gently. I felt the warmth of his hands on my shoulders before he slowly slid them over and undid the knot of my dress, maintaining his tender kisses along my jaw, face, ears, and neck.

Slowly, he pulled my dress down without breaking contact with my mouth and neck. As my dress made its way to my waist, he palmed my breasts and slid his hands around to undo my strapless bra. In one smooth motion, my bra fell away, and then he slid his hands around front again as he rubbed his thumbs over my hard nipples.

I broke away from the kiss at his touch and arched my back into him, begging for more. He trailed kisses from my mouth to my neck then down chest until he finally reached my aching breast.

“So beautiful,” he whispered before taking my nipple in his mouth then sucking and tugging, making me press into him harder. I grasped his head and held tight as he continued his sweet torture on my breasts.

“Please,” I begged.

“Not yet, baby. I have fantasized about this for a while now, and I am going to make my dreams a reality.”

He pulled away from me, leaving me feeling cold and suddenly alone. My body was on fire, and I couldn’t help the whimper that escaped while he gazed over every inch of me.

Slowly getting on one knee to tug my dress all the way down, he then glided his hands up and down my legs, kissing my belly as he felt every inch of my body. He grazed his hands up the backs of my thighs, all the way to my ass, which he gently squeezed. Then he slipped his fingers under the elastic of my thong and slowly dragged it down my legs. Once it was on the floor, he ran his hands once again up my legs and finally reached my core.

“So wet, baby,” he whispered then grunted his approval as he traced his fingers along my damp seam.

My moans were guttural at this point, and my legs were close to buckling.

“I got you, baby. I got you,” he murmured to me, feeling my legs shaking.

He got up and cupped my face, pressing an urgent kiss to my lips as he walked me backward to his bed. Then he gently pushed me, but I didn’t fall back as he wanted me to.

“Hold up, cowboy,” I said seductively. “You are still fully dressed. Don’t I get a turn?” I tried my most seductive look.

He smirked then opened his arms, as if to say,
Have at it, honey
.

I prowled up to him slowly and made sure I kept my eyes on his, showing the desire in the depths of my gaze.

At an agonizingly slow pace, I undid each button of his shirt and kissed my way down. Midway, I popped back up. I smirked at the look of surprise on his face while I skimmed my fingers lightly along his jawline and up around his ear then down his cheek and onto his lips.

He closed his eyes with a light hiss, the feeling of his hardness becoming firmer against my stomach. When he opened his eyes, they were hooded and heavy with desire, but he didn’t make a move, almost like he wanted this to be my show as much as it was his.