Broken In Pieces: Billionaire Stepbrother Romance (Wounded Hearts Book 1) Read online

  “I promise, if you just let it go tonight, I’ll eat a big breakfast in the morning.”

  She relents but you can tell she doesn’t want to. She grabs me gently and hugs me tight, “I love ya, chick. I’m always here for you.”

  “I love you too,” I hug her back.

  Donna heads to bed but Blade stays. He turns down my bed, “Lay down here, baby girl.” I do as he requests and he covers me up. Then he goes around to the other side of the bed and lies down beside me, on top of the comforter. He must notice my surprise. “I’m not leaving you. As long as I’m here, I can make sure you’re safe,” he pulls me close into his side. Lying there beside him, with his arms around me and my head on his chest is the most peaceful place I can ever remember being. It’s as though the world outside has melted away and all the bad is gone. I fall to sleep quickly.

  No! Stop! Don’t touch me! “No!!” I scream as I sit straight up in bed.

  Blade darts into the room, sits on the bed and pulls me into his lap. “It’s okay. You’re okay. You’re safe,” he rocks me gently and stokes my hair.

  Donna comes running into the room. “What’s wrong?! What happened?!” she sleepily demands.

  “I went to the bathroom. I only left her for a second,” he almost apologizes. “It must have been a nightmare,” he lifts my chin and wipes my tears.

  “Are you okay, Sher?” Donna questions me.

  “I’m okay. I have these nightmares all the time,” I explain as I catch my breath.

  “Bless your heart,” she sits down and takes my hand. “You’re okay now. That monster’s in jail, where he belongs, and you have no more secrets to hide. It’s time for healing. We love you and we’re right here,” she reassures me.

  After I pull myself together and convince Donna I’m okay, she heads back to bed. Blade picks me up, puts me back to bed and climbs in beside me. “You’re trembling baby girl,” he whispers as he holds me tight.

  “Don’t leave me again, please,” I whisper back.

  “Never. I will always be here,” he kisses me on the forehead. Being curled up in his arms, I feel that peace again and drift off to sleep.

  The next morning, I wake in the same position I fell asleep in. Blade and I wrapped around each other as if I swaddled in my security blanket. Other than the one nightmare, I’ve had the most restful night of sleep that I’ve had since the rape. My eye is aching and nearly swollen shut. I lift my hand to touch it and Blade wakes up. He seems startled, “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I reply softly.

  He gets his bearings and puts his hand to my face. “That eye looks really bad, baby girl,” he strokes just below it with his thumb. “Come on, let’s go get some ice or frozen vegetables on that,” he smiles. We untangle ourselves from one another and head for the kitchen.

  Donna’s already up and in full momma mode this morning. She has a huge breakfast waiting on the table. “I was just gettin’ ready to roust you two out of bed,” she smiles. “Breakfast is served,” she continues as Blade heads to the freezer for something to put on my eye.

  As I sit down, I start to protest, “I know I promised to eat but I….”

  Her eyes flare as she interrupts me, “Oh hell no. Just shut the hell up Sheridan Paige and start eating. You’re beginning to look like death eating a fucking cracker and I’m not having it. Now eat.”

  Blade sits down and chuckles. I shoot daggers at him with my eyes. “What?” he says as if he doesn’t know. “I’m just wondering if all you southern women have tongues as sharp as knives,” he laughs. This makes me recall the day I let him have it in his office and I can’t help but laugh with him.

  Both of them keep pushing food at me and when I have eaten all I can absolutely manage, I rise from the table. “Where you headed,” Donna asks.

  “I’ve got to get ready for work and try to cover this eye with some concealer,” I answer as I turn to leave the room.

  “Wait just one damn minute, Miss Stollings,” Blade barks and stops me in my tracks. I turn to him with my eyes shooting daggers again and my arms folded in front of me.

  “You’re abso-fucking-lutely not going to the office today. I’ve already called and told them we wouldn’t be in. So you can go ahead and put the thought right out of that pretty little head of yours,” he continues his barking.

  “We?” I ask, surprised.

  “You heard me. You two aren’t the only ones with a sharp tongue who mean what they say.” I throw my hands up in defeat and mumble ‘motherfucker’ under my breath as I leave the room.

  I flop down on the bed and horrible thoughts of yesterday invade my mind. Blade comes in and sits beside me. He reaches over and pulls me into his lap again. “I know you’ve been through a lot, baby girl. I was scared to death yesterday and all I wanted to do was kill that son of a bitch. You’re going to have to let me be in control for just a bit. The thoughts of anything happening to you make me sick and angry, all at the same time. I have to make sure you’re okay,” he stares into my eyes. I nod yes because I know he wants to keep me safe and he cares about me. We lie back on the bed, he holds me close and before I know it, I have drifted off to sleep again.

  I feel his hand stroking my face. “Come on sleepy head. Let’s get this day started,” he’s smiling down at me when I open my eyes.

  “What time is it?” I ask.

  “It’s almost noon and we have to get ready.”

  “Ready for what?”

  “It’s a surprise. Just get ready,” he smiles.

  “A surprise? I’m not sure I like surprises,” I frown.

  “You’ll like this one. Just wear some jeans or something, nothing formal,” he orders. I give him my exasperated look and get up to take a shower.

  After I’m showered and dressed, we go into the living room where Donna is on the phone with Styx. I hear her telling him that I won’t be there tonight because I’m not feeling well. When she is saying her good bye, I hear this giddy school girl sound in her voice and it makes me smile. “It’s about time you sorry asses climb outta bed,” she says with a huge smile. “I was just letting Styx know you won’t be there,” she continues. Then she turns to Blade, “Are you staying tonight?” He nods yes. “Styx has invited me to come on over to practice. Since Blade will be here with you, if it’s okay, I thought I’d go.”

  I nod, “Of course it’s okay. I’m fine. And Blade, there’s no need for you to stay. I’ll be just fine on my own.” My proclamation is met with harrowing stare and all I can do is giggle.

  Donna heads out in my car to do some errands before practice. Blade and I embark on our surprise journey and I keep asking where we’re going. He keeps teasing with obscure hints. He has me laughing the whole drive. We turn off the main road and travel about a quarter of a mile when we turn into a lane marked Hawthorne Heights.

  We stop at the security hut just outside a huge iron gate with two huge H’s in the middle of it. “Good afternoon, Stanley. Everything good?” Blade greets the man in the hut.

  “We’re all good, sir,” Stanley smiles as he pushes a button to open the huge gate. Stanley is a black man who looks to be about thirty with a military style haircut and a very sharp uniform. He seems friendly enough but very professional.

  We drive up a large, circle driveway and pull up in front of an enormous mansion. Blade opens my car door and leads me inside. As we get through the doorway, an older lady dressed in an immaculate maid’s uniform approaches us. “Sarah, this is Ms. Stollings,” Blade says as Sarah reaches to shake my hand.

  “Just call me Sheridan, Sarah,” I insist.

  “Sheridan will be spending the rest of the day with us and she’ll be here for dinner,” Blade continues.

  “Yes, sir,” Sarah says.

  “Sheridan, you make yourself at home. I’m going to speak to Sarah about the menu then take a shower and we’ll continue our day,” he heads into the kitchen with Sarah.

  I wander through the spacious rooms. They’re gorgeously de
corated with lots of mahogany wood, like the office. Almost every room has its own fireplace. Exquisite art covers the walls, mantles and tables. The back room of the first floor is a large work out room with a fully equipped sauna and hot tub. The windows run floor to ceiling; glass doors along the back wall open up onto a large pool area. I stroll outside and the grounds beyond the pool are immaculate. There’s a garden full of trees, flowers, statues and shrubbery. It’s absolutely breathtaking.

  “Are you enjoying the view,” Blade interrupts my thoughts.

  “It’s wonderful,” I gush.

  “I’m glad you think so. Come, let’s have some lunch,” he holds up a picnic basket and takes my hand, leading me out into the garden. He picks the perfect spot under some trees and spreads out a blanket. The picnic basket is loaded with wine, grapes, cheeses and crackers. We eat and talk forever. He’s so different outside the office that it’s mind numbing.

  “What’s something that you’ve always wanted to do,” he asks.

  “You mean what’s on my bucket list?” I laugh.

  “Something like that,” he smiles.

  “I’ve always wanted to fly to Paris for breakfast. I heard that once in a movie and there’s even a movie ‘Breakfast In Paris’, although I’ve never seen it. It always sounded so magical,” I answer. “What about you? What’s something on your bucket list?’ I ask.

  “I don’t really have a bucket list. If I get a notion to do something, I generally just do it. However, I have never flown to Paris for breakfast,” he almost giggles.

  We’re lying on our stomachs when he sits up and pulls me into his lap again. I seem to be in his lap a lot lately but I like it. I feel safe, like a child, there. He brushes my hair back and runs his fingers down my cheek, “No more secrets, baby girl. Secrets will shatter you into a million broken pieces and leave no resemblance of who you once were. You can tell me anything. Nothing will change the way I feel about you.” He stares deeply into my eyes, moves in and his tongue begins a merciless dance with mine. The passion is so strong that it feels like he is going to consume me. Electricity shoots through my body.

  A loud clap of thunder startles us both and there’s an instant cloud burst. It’s pouring so Blade jumps up, grabbing all the picnic clutter and shoving it in the basket. “Come on!” he takes my hand and begins to run.

  I jerk free and begin to laugh. “Why?” I question as I stretch out my arms and lean my head back. “You won’t melt,” I giggle as I begin twirling in the rain. He stands there dumbfounded and then lets out a laugh from deep within. It’s a wonderful laugh that I’ve never heard from him before.

  “Oh, you like the water, do you?” he smiles and I nod yes. He drops the basket, picks me up and starts running back to the house.

  “Put me down,” I squeal just as we enter the pool area again.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he sternly says as he slings me into the pool.

  “I can’t believe you did that,” I scream as I resurface. Then he jumps in and swims to me. I can’t help but laugh. He gives me a quick kiss on the lips and leads me out of the pool.

  We enter the exercise area laughing like two teenagers. “You’re a mess. We gotta get you cleaned up,” he laughs as he pulls some fresh towels out of a cabinet and wraps me in one. Then he goes to a closet and pulls out jogging pants and t-shirts for us both. He hands me one of each and points me in the direction of the bathroom.

  While I’m dressing, thoughts of the kiss invade my mind. It was so nice. I didn’t feel awkward or tense. I wanted it and this surprises me. I begin to laugh when I look in the mirror and see how the clothes have swallowed me. Thank goodness there’s a drawstring to tighten the pants.

  As I’m leaving the bathroom, he orders me to sit, motioning to a weight bench. He towel dries my hair and begins brushing it. It’s so soothing, “I love your hair, it’s gorgeous,” he says quietly. I don’t respond, I just close my eyes and remember how my daddy used to brush my hair when I was little. How do I feel so much peace with this man that I hardly know? When I’m with him, nothing else seems to matter, just the moment that we’re in.

  When he’s finished with my hair, he takes me on a tour of the rest of the house. Every room is huge and beautiful. “Why such a big house for one man?” I can’t help but ask.

  “I spent most of my childhood in tiny places or on the streets. I wanted more for my home,” he answers.

  “On the streets?” I question, a bit bewildered to say the least.

  “It’s a long story and we’ll talk about it later. Let’s just enjoy the rest of the evening,” he insists and I don’t pressure him. He’ll tell me when he’s ready.

  We enter the family room and he stretches out on the large sofa. “Come here,” he pats a spot in front of him. I lie down with my back to him and he wraps his legs and arms around me. It feels so safe and relaxing that I snuggle right in. We haven’t been there long when the doorbell rings but Blade doesn’t move. A few moments later, Sarah enters the room. “Mr. Hawthorne, Ms. Arlington is here to see you,” she announces, then Caroline appears behind her.

  I don’t know how it escaped me but I never knew what Caroline’s last name was. “Sheridan?” she has a very odd look on her face. “I’m sorry, Mr. Hawthorne. I didn’t know you had company,” she says to Blade. I sit up feeling as though we’re a couple of kids who just got caught making out by one of their parents.

  Blade sits up but pulls me close beside him and keeps his arm around me. “It’s no problem, Caroline,” he assures her.

  She has brought him the day’s paperwork from the office. They begin having a conversation about one of the properties and I excuse myself. I stroll off into the kitchen where Sarah is cooking. “Dinner’s almost ready, Sheridan,” she says with the sweetest smile. Her smile, hell her whole demeanor, reminds me of the moms and grandmothers that my friends used to talk about.

  “It smells delicious,” I respond. “I hope you don’t mind me being in here. I was just giving Blade and Caroline some room to talk.”

  “Not at all, my dear. I enjoy the company.” We talk about a little of everything before Blade finally enters the room with a very strange look on his face.

  “Everything okay?” I ask as he comes over and sits on a stool beside me.

  “Yeah, I think so,” he still looks puzzled.

  “What is it?” I push.

  “Caroline just seemed a bit odd this evening. A bit flustered and almost bitchy,” he frowns.

  “Maybe she just had a bad day and she’s tired,” I offer an excuse.

  “Maybe. She’s just usually very calm and collected. It’s strange to encounter her in such a different mood,” he insists. I begin to laugh, a rolling hard laugh and he stares at me as if I’m an alien.

  “Now that’s the pot calling the kettle black. You have so many different personalities and moods that I get whiplash just being in the same vicinity as you,” I burst out.

  He and Sarah both begin to laugh as he grabs my hand and pulls me up in front of him. He kisses me, “Oh is that so, Miss Stollings.” I nod an exaggerated yes.

  Sarah serves us dinner and retires for the evening. The meal is absolutely wonderful, as I knew it would be from the aroma. Blade packs a bag and we head back to the apartment. Donna’s already back from practice and Styx is with her. “Holy shit sis. What the fuck happened to your eye?” Styx asks.

  “It’s a long story,” I smile at him.

  “Did somebody hurt you?” he growls as he gives Blade an ‘I’ll kill you motherfucker’ glare.

  “No, no Styx. It wasn’t Blade. He’d never hurt me,” I protest and his stance softens. “No more secrets,” I say as I look at Blade, then I tell Styx the whole sorted story.

  He is livid. “If that scum ever gets out of jail, he’s mine. I’ll kill the son of a bitch!” he growls again.

  “You’ll have to stand in line behind me,” Blade assures him, as he strokes back my hair and kisses my forehead.

  When everything
settles back down, I excuse myself so I can change out of the clothes that are swallowing me whole. As I come back out of the bedroom, Donna asks me to help her in the kitchen. I know something’s up because Donna never wants help in the kitchen. She always says a kitchen is only made for one cook. “I just wanted to talk to you by yourself and that’s hard because Studly never leaves your side,” she giggles and I can’t help but giggle too.

  “I want to make sure you’re okay. You’ve been through so much and I’m worried about you,” she takes my hand.

  “I’m okay. Not great, but okay. I’m actually better than I have been in a long while. I’ve felt like the dirty little secret for so long that it had begun to consume me. I feel freer now that everything is out,” I assure her.

  “If you need me, if you need anything, you know I’m here for you,” she says and I nod that I know.

  Just then, Blade and Styx walk into the room. “What are you ladies up to?” Blade smiles as he comes over to stand by me.

  “Oh, we were just talking about all the other hunky men in our lives, besides you two,” Donna jokes and Styx is beside her in a flash with both arms around her. This seems serious and Donna seems all in.

  “If you’re going to be here with Sis, I might just kidnap this sexy woman for the night,” Styx says to Blade as he nuzzles Donna’s cheek.

  “No way that I’d be anywhere else,” Blade proclaims. I give him an exasperated look but he just ignores me.

  Blade and Styx are talking as we walk him and Donna to the door. “You’re really into him aren’t you,” I whisper in Donna’s ear. She gives me a sheepish grin and a nod of her head. We say our good byes and while Blade’s locking up, I meander over to the couch. He turns to head back toward me but stops in the middle of the room with the oddest look on his face. “What? What’s wrong?” I ask.

  “You’re so fucking gorgeous,” he exclaims and I feel my face flush instantly. “Every time I see that black eye on that gorgeous face, I wish I had killed that son of a bitch,” he says with his jaw clinched.