Through The Pieces (6 page)

"Goodnight, Buck."

"Goodnight, Claire."

Chapter 9

Scott

Scott got into Claire's new place through the kitchen window. He found a box of pictures while he was going through her belongings. She had their wedding pictures in a box. Scott was so pissed, he taped it to the closet wall after he scratched out her face. Stupid bitch! How dare she hide their life in her closet? He was furious, and she would pay for making him so angry. His hands began to shake. He ran to Maggie's room and grabbed a few of her toys--he would need these later. He was about to rummage through the kitchen for something to eat, when he heard her bitch of a sister coming up the stairs. He quickly went out the way he’d come in and climbed down the emergency exit to his truck. Thank God he’d bought this old truck. Claire didn't know to look for it. He climbed into it and dropped the few toys he took on the passenger seat. He stared up at the window and waited to see when she found the photograph. She would definitely look around her apartment and check all the windows. This brought a smile to his face
. You can't hide from me, Claire. I am your past and your only future.

Scott cracked open a can of beer and guzzled it down. He crushed the can in his hands and tossed it on the floor. He was opening another when he noticed her at the kitchen window.

"Yes, Claire, I came in through the window." His dick began to throb. He would have her back soon. He watched as she locked the window and walked away. Everything was falling in place, and she would pay for all the anger she had caused.

"You can't ever get away from me, Claire. I won't let you," Scott muttered to himself. He sat in the truck for a couple of hours and polished off a twelve pack of beer, observing as she and Annie left. He thought back to the day before when the dickhead saved her from falling off the porch. It pissed him off so bad, he punched the dash, leaving a crack in it. Then he just sat there and waited for her to return. Soon he would go talk some sense into her. When she finally did return, she parked near his old truck and he had to slide down in his seat so she wouldn't see him. She got out of the car, wearing heels. Scott's blood began to boil. Why the fuck was she dressed up? Was she meeting that dickhead again? Just then, Annie emerged from the other side and they walked down the alley away from the apartment.

"Where the fuck are you going, Claire?" He waited until they disappeared around the corner and got out of his truck. His head was a bit fuzzy from the beers. He followed behind them, pulling his baseball cap down low on his head. He stopped as they entered a bar another block down. He quickly made his way back to the truck and drove over to the bar. He parked across the street and tried to decide if he should go in.
What the fuck is she doing here all dressed up like a whore?
With that last thought his body was out the door. He walked across the street and looked into the window. He spied her by a table. She looked like a complete whore in that red dress. His hands tightened into fists as he watched her smile and laugh. Hot anger boiled inside him. He went back to the truck, a slight hitch in his gait as the rage continued to mount. He was standing outside his truck when it bubbled over, and he punched the truck door, leaving a dent in the driver’s side door. The throbbing in his hands relieved some of the fury.
Fucking Claire.

He returned to his truck and decided to leave before he charged in the bar and claimed her. He needed to do this the right way, or she wouldn't come back. That bitch, Annie, would get in the way. He drove out of town and called the whore. She answered and he informed her he was on his way. She sounded hesitant, but he didn't give a fuck. He needed to hurt something, and she would do.

Scott pulled next to her trailer but she didn't greet him this time. He walked up the steps and opened the door. Whore was sitting in the living room on the couch smoking a cigarette and nursing a bottle of cheap whiskey. She was fully clothed and it pissed him off. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey from her and chugged it. She looked up at him and the fear in her eyes made his cock hard. He returned the bottle to her and she accepted it hesitantly.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Whore said. He backhanded her across the cheek. She yelped in pain. He smiled.

"Please just leave," she begged.

Scott grabbed her by her hair and dragged her to a standing position. She immediately began to cry, looking up at him in terror. He found himself more turned on. He liked the way she feared him. With his hand in her hair, he dragged her to the back room. The louder she cried, the more he laughed. He pushed her through the entry to her room, and she stumbled forward onto the floor. Scott shut the door with his foot. A smile played on his lips and adrenaline coursed through his body. He began to unbuckle his belt, while she sat there crying and begging him not to hurt her. He ordered her to take off her clothes and get on the bed. She crawled up on the bed, and he commanded her to get on all fours. She obeyed him, but her cries got louder. Scott grabbed his belt and wrapped it around her neck. When she attempted to scratch at it, he just pulled it tighter.

"If you don't do what I ask, I will strangle the life out of you," he growled in her ear. "Now, are you going to be a good girl?"

She tried to say yes, but it came out a gurgling noise. Scott held onto the belt with one hand and with the other unbuttoned his pants. She whimpered so he yanked hard on the leather. He forcefully plunged inside her. She let out a cry, and he pulled harder. She tried to decrease the slack in order to get some air, but with his free hand, he pushed her head down. Scott could hear her struggling for breath, so he loosened the belt. He continued to pound into her as hard as he could. She was beginning to whimper again, so he increased the pressure again and pushed her flat on the bed, head down. He could feel her fighting for air and it made him excited. He could feel his orgasm building. She continued to struggle and he finally released the tension. She gasped for breath as he exploded inside of her.

"I think you were wrong, this was definitely a good idea," he said, pulling his cock out of her body. She lay on the bed and sobbed. Scott slowly made his way to the living room, where he took a big swig of the whiskey. He would have to do this again. He smiled and went to the bathroom to take a shower. He puffed his chest out in satisfaction. The water cooled his skin and washed away some of the anger that made his muscles tense.

Chapter 10

Claire

I awoke the next morning in a daze. We’d returned to Annie’s house in the wee hours of the morning, Buck’s kiss still tingling on my lips.

"OH MY GOD!" Annie shrieked as I took my place at the breakfast table. "You are totally thinking about Buck!"

“I guess I am,” I giggled. I poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.

Matt walked in and gave Annie a kiss on the forehead. "So, you and Buck, huh?" he asked with a smile.

"It was only a kiss."

"Only a kiss?" Annie got all animated. "Buck was sticking his tongue down your throat. That was
not
only a kiss."

"Annie!" I was stunned.

"Oh, don't you play shy now, you tramp." She took a sip of her own coffee and winked at me. I smiled into my cup, knowing she was just teasing.

"Man, I missed something last night." Matt looked between the two of us, confusion in his eyes.

"You had your own night, with my own tongue, I might add," Annie retored.

Okay, too much information. I needed to wake up Maggie and get to our apartment. I couldn't wait for her to see the hard work Annie had done in her room. I waved my hand in the air to say goodbye, but Annie apparently wasn’t done talking yet.

"Well you have to at least tell me if he is a good kisser."

"Yeah, is my best friend, Buck, a good kisser?" This query came from Matt.

Just as I was about to climb the stairs, Buck strode in the front door. He looked absolutely breathtaking. I had to prevent myself from running to him and planting a kiss on those perfect lips. When he saw me, his face lit up, and my stomach fluttered. He smiled that beautiful smile and I wanted to melt where I was. Matt and Annie continued talking in the kitchen. They hadn’t heard him come in.

"Claire, did your knees go weak when he kissed you?" Matt called from the other room.
Oh God, please stop.

"I already told you she was floating on cloud nine last night and couldn't shut up about him. So I am sure she got weak in the knees and probably wet in the panties," Annie snickered.
Just kill me now.
I know I turned fifty shades of red.

Buck towered over me and his smile grew bigger. "So, that kiss made you float on cloud nine?" He leaned in closer, and I closed my eyes. I could feel his body heat. The fragrance of his body wash and aftershave swirled around me, making me lightheaded. Then just as he was about to place his lips on mine, the smell of death and decay hit my nose. Dang it all, Boris! I gagged on the stench coming from the mood-killing dog. Buck was obviously offended by the smell as well, his face pale as he fanned away the lingering fumes. I pulled my tank top up and covered my nose. The movement caught Buck's eyes. He glanced down at my exposed stomach, his fingertips grazing my skin, sending goose bumps across my midriff.

"I’ll take a rain check on that good morning kiss," he murmured as he pulled his hands from my stomach and walked into the kitchen to greet Annie and Matt. I gave the stink eye to Boris and turned to head up the stairs. Once in my soon-to-be-old room, I quickly changed and put the remainder of my belongings into a duffel bag. I went across the hall to wake up Maggie. She was peacefully sleeping, her blonde curls were splayed out over the pillow. The room looked bare without all her toys and books. I sat down next to her and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Good morning, Maggie. Today is the day we move into our own house," I whispered.

"Just you and me?" She stirred and answered without opening her eyes.

"Yep, just Mommy and Maggie."

"Can Boris come visit?"

Yuck. Hell no, I wanted to say. "We can discuss that, but first we need to get you ready and have some breakfast okay?"

She opened her eyes up and gave me a smile. "Okay Mommy!" She was up and ready to get going.

"Oh wow, and you definitely need to brush your teeth." She giggled as I fanned the air.

"Give me kisses, Mommy!" By now she was coming at me with that stinky breath.

"No, No, not till you brush that stinky mouth." Gah, she got me with a sloppy kiss. I smiled and kissed the top of her head. pulling her close in a hug.

When we got to the apartment, Maggie had to check out each room and closet at least ten times. For supper, we ordered a pizza and sat on the living room floor on a blanket and had an indoor picnic. Later, we watched Frozen and snuggled up on the couch. I could not be any happier than I was at this moment. When she fell asleep during the last ten minutes of the movie, I carried her to bed and tucked her in, placing her favorite teddy bear next to her. Now to pick up our mess. I smiled knowing it was
our
mess and this was
our
place. I threw the pizza box in the garbage and left the dishes by the sink. No one would get mad at me for leaving them out. I looked back at the garbage and took out the pizza box and set it on the counter.
There
. No one would hit me for leaving a mess. I left the blankets on the couch in a crumpled mess. No one would wake me in the middle of the night and make me fold them. I turned off the lights and went to my room, feeling stronger than I ever remembered feeling. I was in charge of my own life.

I was preparing to place my phone on the charger, when I noticed a missed text message. It was from Buck. Smiling, I opened it. He must have texted me an hour ago.

Buck: Hope you are enjoying your new place

I quickly responded: Yes I love it!! Thank you for all your help!

Within a couple seconds I received another text: Anytime. Can I ask a question?

Me: Of course

Buck: Did you have a nice time last night?

Me: Yes

Buck: Am I moving too fast?

Me: No

Buck: Can I come and visit you and Maggie at your new place?

Me: Yes

Buck: Good. Did you like the feel of my lips on you?

Umm, yes!

Me: Yes. Very much, you?

Buck: More than you will know. One more question, did I make your panties wet like Annie said?

Oh. My. God! I had completely forgotten she said that. Crap. Did I tell him the truth or just not respond? My lips begged to have him kiss them again.

Buck: I will take your silence as a yes. Goodnight Claire. Sweet dreams!

I fell back onto the pillow and closed my eyes. My body was flushed with need. It had been so long since I felt this. I turned off the lamp, a smile playing on my lips. My first night in my new place.Life was looking up Maggie and I would be just fine, and if that included Buck in our life, I would take it. Maggie already adored him, and he was kind of like a part of Annie's family. So he was a part of mine and Maggie's now, too.

Chapter 11

Claire

The next few weeks flew by leading up to Christmas Eve. Sadly, except for a few visits to Bookworm, I did not see Buck much during those weeks, although we always ended up texting each other every night. Annie and Matt were having a Christmas Eve get together at their home, and as soon as I closed the bookstore, I was going over. I looked forward to spending the night with family. I hadn't seen Mel and her family since Thanksgiving. She and her husband, Josh, had stopped over earlier that morning to pick up Maggie. They had three boys under the age of ten: Luke, Logan, and Landon. They were quite a handful, so I always understood her lack of time when it came to the sisters hanging out. I had my gifts all ready and wrapped. I just had to stop at home and grab the dessert I’d made. It was close to closing when Buck strode in. I regretted not reapplying lip gloss, but tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and walked to the front of the store to meet him. He eyed me hungrily as I approached, and I felt my cheeks burn.

"You look beautiful tonight, Claire," he chuckled.

I looked down at my black fitted sweater and black boots that came up to my knees over my skinny jeans. I’d spiraled curled my hair that morning and put it in a high ponytail from which strands were now escaping. I had even put Maggie in a matching outfit and put her hair up in a high ponytail. I could only imagine Maggie’s hair was falling out by now. But with her curls it looked adorable.

"Thank you. You are looking pretty good yourself." I smiled and made a how of looking him up and down. He was wearing jeans that hugged his body perfectly, a button down white shirt that wasn't tucked in and a leather jacket. "What are you doing here Buck? I was about to close."

"Annie invited me and asked if I would pick you up. She said I would need to hold onto a present for Maggie until Christmas morning. She said we could pick it up tonight."

“Oh, I thought Annie was going to keep the present for me.” I was so excited for Maggie's gift. Maggie had always wanted a kitten, but Scott hated cats so it was never allowed. As an added bonus, we could not have stinky Boris over for a visit if she had a kitten. I shrugged. "Okay, I just have to close up and grab the presents and dessert at my place. Then we can go. Are you sure you don't mind having Maggie's gift at your house?"

"Not at all. When do you want me to bring it over?"

"Well, I want to wait until noon tomorrow to give it to her, or she won't want to open anything else. Then if you don't have other plans, we are going to eat brunch and watch A Christmas Story. You're more than welcome to stay and hang out. Unless you have plans with your family, in which case I completely understand." Why was I rambling?

"No plans with my family, and I would love to spend the day with you and Maggie. Thank you."

"Great, then it's a plan. Oh, why don't you spend time with your family?"

He shifted his gaze, glancing down at his feet, and abruptly changed the subject. "How about I go warm up the car while you close the store?"

He exited the building, and I was left wondering if I had upset him. Curious, I wondered why he didn’t see his family during Christmas and why he never spoke about them.

I closed up the shop and ran across the street. Buck helped me load up the car with the gifts and dessert, never saying a word. As we headed towards Annie and Matt's house, I broke the silence. "Buck, I am sorry if what I said upset you."

He kept his attention focused on the road so long, I thought he wasn’t going to respond, but eventually he slowed the car and pulled to the side of the road. "Not many people know this but my father is physically abusive to my mother. He would beat her on a weekly basis when I was younger. I would patch her up. My mother would never leave my father. She still won't, so I don't visit. I am afraid I will hurt him now that I am older and I know how wrong it is. I have begged her to leave, but she won't. She always chooses him. That's why I had to cut the ties with them. She didn't even seem sad about it. My father has also forbidden her to see me."

My heart broke for him and for the boy that had to witness such abuse. I turned in my seat and cupped his face, urging him to look at me. His eyes met mine reluctantly, the pain palpable. I wanted to kiss it away.

"Buck, I am so sorry you had to go through that." I understood why this man was protective of me and Maggie. All of his concern for us made sense. "Is that why you don't go by your first name?"

He only nodded.

"Thank you for helping me and Maggie."

He closed his eyes, and this time when he opened them, hope had replaced the grief. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against mine with a passion so intense that time stood still. My body was addicted to this man's mouth. I deepened the kiss and he gladly responded. A car honked at us, breaking the spell. We laughed.

"I think we should get to Annie's while I have some restraint left," Buck whispered.

"Oh, yeah, we better get there before people think we got lost." I tried but failed to compose myself.

"Claire, would you do me the honor and go on a date with me?" Buck asked.

"Yes." I could not hold back the smile that spread across my face.

He grabbed my hand, brought it to his mouth, and kissed each of my fingers, setting them on fire. "You have the most incredible smile, Claire. The date is for a New Year's Eve bash the hospital puts on. Cocktails at six and dinner at eight, then some dancing."

Oh, I would definitely go for more dancing with him. "Sounds perfect," I answered, feeling excited.

We arrived at Annie and Matt's, and everyone greeted us at the door--even stinky Boris. We ate turkey with all the fixings, then went into the living room and drank coffee as the kids opened gifts. Buck sat next to me. I had never been so happy. I smiled at Annie and Mel, who took turns winking at me. Everything felt so right, so natural.

The night flew by too quickly, along with the laughs. Mel and her family needed to get back home, and I found Maggie curled up on the floor next to Boris. The sight of her sweet, sleeping form pulled at my heart. I loved her so much. While Annie got Rose up to bed, I tried to figured out how to get Maggie in the car without waking her. Then Buck knelt beside her and scooped her up in his arms. How caring and kind he was. I went upstairs to get Maggie's gift and brought it down. Buck and I said our goodbyes and got into his car. I turned to see Maggie fast asleep, buckled in the back.

"Thank you for carrying her."

"Anytime, Claire."

"So, you’re sure you don't mind bringing the gift over around noon tomorrow?"

"Not at all. I look forward to spending the day with you two." Just then Maggie's present decided to make itself known. "What was that?" Buck asked.

"Maggie's kitten. I thought Annie told you."

"Nope, not even a peep."

Great I hope he didn't have a thing against cats. Or worse yet, an allergy. "If it's a problem, I could keep him in my room," I quickly added.

"No, I just don't know how to take care of kittens. Just tell me what to do to keep it alive."

I giggled at his remark. He was adorable when he looked worried. "Well, give her water and food and show her where the litter box is. It’s all there together, so you'll be fine. Just whatever you do, don't try and wash the kitten in the washing machine or tub. Oh, and kittens hate the microwave. So keep her out of the microwave," I teased.

"Okay, Miss Smarty Pants. I think I can handle it. Does this kitten have a name?"

"Nope, that is for Maggie to pick. It's all she's ever wanted. I want her to pick it."

He nodded as if to acknowledge why it was so important. "I will take good care of the kitten and be at your place by noon."

We drove in silence the rest of the way. He left the car running so the kitten wouldn't get cold While he carried Maggie up the stairs and through my apartment to her room. He placed her gently on the bed and she barely woke. I placed a kiss on her forehead and tucked her in tight. We closed the door and went into the living room. I walked him to the door and he turned to me and grabbed me around the waist, pulling me to him and planting his lips on mine. It was a sweet, short kiss, then he was off, murmuring that he didn't want to leave the kitten alone for long. Smiling happily, I went to get ready for bed.