Broken Love Read online

  “Please, Delilah,” I plead with her. “Let me love you. Let me show you that my love can heal, can rebuild. Together we’re whole, baby, don’t you see? Whatever is broken can be fixed. Let me fix you.”

  “You can’t,” she denies in a small voice so filled with despair it’s heartbreaking. This is not about Rick, now. It’s about something deeper.

  “Haven’t I already begun to fix you?” I say with confidence.

  She opens her mouth to deny it all, and I would have allowed her to try if she had an argument. Her eyes widen and tears of realization pool in them. I have seen the change in her since we’ve been together. It’s the same change she’s inspired in me.

  Delilah has always been a man-eater. While I still see that sexy, sassy, opinionated confidence, she has let herself go…allowed herself to truly feel emotions. I’d like to think I had something to do with that.

  “Let’s fix each other, Delilah,” I press. “Open up to me, but only when you feel like you’re ready.” No need to pressure her.

  “Ben?” She looks up at me with those big brown eyes and I dissolve on a groan. She has me so weak.

  I lean forward and claim her mouth. Our lips mold together until our tongues slip and begin a sensual caress. I groan as Delilah sucks on my tongue.

  Flipping her onto her back, I brace myself into her so she can feel the hardening of my erection. I run my hands from her thighs up to her torso.

  “Oh, you are so soft, Delilah,” I moan as I cup her breasts.

  She whimpers when I flick her nipples with my thumbs and watch them tighten into stiff peaks under my touch. Her cheeks flush as she grinds her mound into my erection and I have to fight not to impale myself into her, whether she’s ready or not. She can drive a man to his knees, no doubt about it.

  “Please, Ben, just take me,” she begs. Oh, God, I’m hanging on by a thread.

  She can’t just beg me like that, especially in that soft, whiny voice of hers. Get it together, Hayes.

  “No, baby. We’re going to go slow,” I breathe as I roll her nipples between my thumb and forefingers. “You’re sore.”

  She tries to protest, but I continue, “I want to savor you. I want to watch your body come alive to my touch. I want to watch your face redden with desire when I taste you. I want to see you writhing underneath me as I fill you. Don’t you want that, my sweet girl?”

  “Yes. Damn it, Ben, yes,” she acquiesces on a huff. Delilah pulls me down into a long and searing kiss before pulling away breathlessly. “I’m all yours. Have your way with me.” She gives me a wicked grin and her brown eyes gleam with carnal desire.

  “Oh, I fully intend to, Miss Keyes.”

  Delilah

  As Ben’s body covers mine and rocks in between my legs, I take the distraction. He always knows how to bring me down from a panic, to calm my raging emotions, to vanquish my demons.

  He thinks it’s just about paparazzi, they all do, but I can’t tell him who I thought I’d seen. It was far-fetched, but I couldn’t help my mind from conjuring him.

  Max.

  He doesn’t know where I am; hasn’t been able to find me since I ran away; but in the middle of that paparazzi frenzy, I saw his face. Immediately, my mind went back to his sweaty body writhing on my small one, his clammy palms gliding over my face as if in perverse and sickening reverence, him forcing me to drink his “magic potion” to dull my inhibitions. I remembered it all.

  And that’s what drove my panic.

  To tell Ben is to open up a new can of worms that I am not yet ready to open, no matter what Dr. Munroe says. She is very good at what she does, but losing Ben to the horror that is my past is scarier than never getting well again.

  He can’t know. My past…it’s going to embarrass him, his family, his company. People are gonna get curious and when they do, they’re gonna dig…and dig and dig until they find skeletons. Then, they’re gonna splash those bones all over. I don’t want that for Ben, he doesn’t deserve the drama that will be his life simply because he loves me.

  But I can’t let him go. I don’t know how to.

  For now, I’ll enjoy the feel of him inside me…centering me…chasing my demons away with his lips on mine, whispering beautiful words of I love you.

  Chapter Nineteen

  We leave the Fulfillment Room, stark naked, laughing about our recent love making. I had gotten a cramp during one of our acrobatic stunts and leapt from off of her, jumping and flailing around holding the back of my thigh. You would think that it would put a damper on things, but, oh no.

  Miss Keyes did nothing more than drop to her knees and fellate me into my release, all notions of a cramp forgotten. She later massaged the kink and ended up mounting me again for round one and a half. I’m ashamed to say I could only manage five minutes and promised to make it up to her after we had dinner that night.

  We saunter into the bedroom just as I am tickling her for teasing me about my short performance and come to a freezing, frightened halt as seven pairs of astonished gazes dart our way.

  Delilah turns an extremely red face into my chest and I splay my hands over her naked backside to shield her from everyone.

  “Sorry,” everyone chokes out in unison, turning their faces away.

  “It’s okay,” I manage to get out in a controlled tone, though I am a little embarrassed to know that they all got a glimpse of my package…when it’s not at its peak.

  My concern is for Delilah, though, and the fact that Simon got a full view of her amazing body. I don’t have to tell him about being clandestine and discreet, but maybe I need to give him a stern talking to so he doesn’t go back into his room tonight and beat off to the image he’d seen. And I’m sure it was a wonderful, brain-imprinting image, with all those soft curves, perfect breasts and…Shit! I have no business getting a hard-on now.

  Delilah looks up at me in shock when she feels me hardening and groans burying her face into my chest. In a moment, however, she bursts into a fit of giggles and spins in my arms, giving the room another view of her perfect body. Rachel bursts into laughter and Simon clears his throat, dutifully excusing himself.

  “Delilah!” I exclaim trying to cover her up as best as I can without exposing myself further.

  I growl exasperatingly at the sexy and frustrating woman now tearfully laughing in my arms and I want to turn her over my knee and spank her until her round ass is red and burning, but fuck if her snorts aren’t adorable. She might be incorrigible and infuriating, but I love this woman. Lord knows I love this woman.

  “We’ll give you both some privacy,” her father finally says rising to leave.

  “Honestly, Delilah. Have you no shame?” Mrs. Keyes admonishes her though with a smile before leaving, and I have the feeling that this is something Delilah often does because none of her family members seem the least bit uncomfortable.

  “We’ll see you downstairs, Big Head,” Marshall says, shaking his head and leading a still-laughing Rachel out.

  “Later, Marshmallow!” Delilah bids gleefully.

  “I’ll go, uh, make lunch, sir,” Vivian stammers, also leaving.

  I nod with my jaw clenched tight. I am so pissed at Delilah.

  “We need to talk when you’ve dressed, Miss Keyes,” Dr. Munroe informs her then leaves the room and now we’re alone.

  I spin her roughly to me, seething mad, glowering at her.

  “Oh, lighten up, grumpy,” Delilah chides me playfully.

  “Lighten up?” I fume. “Lighten up? For God’s sake, Delilah! They all just saw you naked. Twice! And that last time was all your doing. Why the fuck did you do that?” I glare at her.

  “Because it was funny,” she answers and I feel like ripping my hair out because of this maddening woman. “We were already caught, Ben. Jeez, lighten up.” She rolls her eyes and goes to sit on the bed.

  “Simon was in the room for crying out loud!” I shout at her.

  “He saw and he can’t un-see. Deal with it!” she challenges.<
br />
  “And your father and brother? Jesus, Delilah!” I run my hand through my hair and tug hard. I must be losing my damned mind.

  “They’ve seen me naked before, Ben,” she confesses like it’s nothing.

  “What?” I shout, staring at her incredulously.

  Delilah growls and falls back on the bed, pounding it in frustration and turning away from me.

  “No, you don’t get to turn away from me in this, goddamn it,” I argue, stalking over to her and hauling her to a sitting position.

  “What is wrong with you?” She glares at me in defiance. I hold her gaze with narrowed eyes and folded arms, waiting for her to explain. “Jeez, you’re so petulant.”

  “Your fault,” I respond in said petulant tone, pointing at her.

  A burst of giggles flutters from her lips and I grind my teeth to keep my temper in check. This is a serious moment and she’s laughing. Laughing!

  “You don’t expect us to argue or have a serious conversation with both of us butt ass naked do you?” she mutters with a grin.

  I try, I really try, to remain steely and serious, but the reality of our current status sinks in, and I can’t help but chuckle.

  “You are a maddening and infuriating woman, but I love you,” I say kissing her on the nose.

  She sighs loudly and looks wistful. “I know.” God, do I want her to say the words.

  I have never wanted to hear them as much as at this moment, but she doesn’t say them. A defeated sigh escapes me and I help her from the bed so we can get dressed. She’ll tell me in time.

  When we get downstairs, Delilah goes off to my office with Dr. Munroe and it reminds me that I didn’t get the story about her brother and father seeing her naked. Maybe I can get some information from her family since they’re here.

  In the kitchen, I find the Keyes’ and Rachel engaging Vivian in jovial dialogue. They are all laughing loudly and I realize this is the most noise I’ve ever heard and the most people I’ve ever had in this house. It is actually refreshing. It feels like home now more than ever and I have Delilah to thank for that.

  “I’m sorry about upstairs,” I say when they acknowledge my presence.

  “That?” Marshall scoffs. “That’s nothing. Delilah is kind of a free spirit like that. But she’s usually that free when she’s hammered, much to the chagrin of our parents.”

  “I can’t count how many times she’s came home piss-drunk, stripped off her clothes and collapsed on the couch,” Mr. Keyes reminisces, shaking his head.

  “Well, thank God she’s quit,” I murmur and her family turns their surprised glances at me.

  “She’s…she quit?” her mother splutters in disbelief.

  They don’t know the story behind her alcohol abstinence and I don’t plan on telling them.

  “Yes, she did,” I answer.

  Her mother’s eyes tear up and it’s like a kick to the gut. I hate seeing women cry. It was hard for me to turn away from Delilah that day when I left her. Her sobs had ripped through my very soul, but I was stubborn…and look what happened.

  My cell phone rings and I recognize Detective Morelli’s number.

  “Detective,” I answer, already on edge.

  “Good day, Mr. Hayes,” he greets. “Would you mind coming down to the precinct?”

  “Is everything okay, Detective?”

  “Just a meeting with the ADA, Mr. Hayes. And,” he pauses, sighing, before he continues, “the prisoner is out of recovery.”

  When Delilah had shot the bastard, she tore through a ligament. Thankfully, they weren’t at the same hospital…or not, because maybe then I’d have been able to finish him off. I’m gonna have to teach my girl how to shoot, ’cause if you’re gonna do it, it’s best to shoot to kill. She’s a good shot, though; considering that even high and scared shitless, she’d still managed to do some damage.

  “He’s gonna be transferred to Graterford. Claims he wants to talk first, though. To you.” What a fucking bomb!

  The blood drains from my face immediately. Why would he want to talk to me? I excuse myself from the kitchen and step outside. They don’t need to overhear this conversation.

  “What the fuck for, Detective?” I argue through clenched teeth.

  “He says he knows some things that you might need to know about Miss Beal – I mean, Miss Keyes,” Detective Morelli informs me.

  It sparks my interest. He would know very intimate things about her. He may be able to fill in some of the blanks in my mind; blanks that her family isn’t quite forthcoming with. But, it’s a tricky situation. What do I hope to find out? Will what he has to say change my feelings about Delilah? And do I really want to know?

  I snort silently, never going to happen. Nothing he has to tell me will change anything. I love this woman. I love everything about her; everything I know and don’t know. If her secrets are bad, then we’ll deal with it. Together.

  I know she loves me, I can feel it, and I have the feeling that she’s been holding out on telling me the words because she doesn’t think I will stick around even after knowing her secrets and her past. In that case, I have to prove my love for her by doing this. I’ll go hear what this asshole has to say and I will show her that nothing will change between us.

  “Give me an hour, Detective.”

  I get to the hospital in less time than I had estimated, driving with determination and my hands gripping the steering wheel of the Hummer with a death grip. I hated lying to Delilah, telling her I had a work emergency. This had better be fucking good because that kiss she gave me just before I left made me want to tell my curiosity to fuck the hell off. Maybe I should let Drake use his contacts and take the fucker out; or ask one of the Nurses to give him a bad injection. I know the world would be a better place without Rick and Ryan in it, that way Delilah and I can move on without the dark cloud of a trial hanging over us. Fuck. I don’t even think she can handle a trial right now.

  Harvey is at the back entrance of the hospital waiting for me and after a one nod greeting, we shove through the double glass doors. Detective Morelli and a middle aged man, Morelli introduces as Assistant District Attorney Fredrick Anthony, the lead prosecutor on the case, meets us in the hallway as we come in.

  “Having a great day, Mr. Hayes?” Detective Morelli asks, and I suspect he is only trying to make small talk, so I pity him.

  “It’s been very interesting and getting more interesting by the moment,” I answer evenly, no trace of humor.

  I am pretty on edge walking down the long, sterile hall, considering I’m about to talk to my girlfriend’s kidnapper, after he requested to see me. Of all the persons he could “request”, he chose me, someone who almost killed him and still harbors intricate thoughts of doing so and effectively disposing of his body.

  I’d say the boy has balls. Either that or he is truly fucking off his rockers. Mental state aside, I am eager to hear what the asshole has to say.

  We step into the elevator at the end of the hallway and go down a floor. We exit onto a quieter hall, almost a little suspicious-looking, but I suspect this is for occasions like this one, police interrogations of criminals in the hospital. I see uniformed men dotting the place and I breathe a sigh of relief. At least men with guns are around; that’ll be good for both myself and Rick.

  Morelli leads me to a room at the end of the long hallway, one-nodding his colleagues as he passes them. In the room is a single desk with two chairs at opposite ends of it. A large police guard stands in the corner of the small room. My skin starts to prickle with doubt as the officer opens the gate and lets us in.

  Why the hell did I come here?

  After a short dialogue with the ADA, with him asking a few pointed questions, he joins Detective Morelli, Harvey and Rick’s lawyer on the outside. Rick had asked for a private conversation with me, but for safety reasons – both mine and his, I believe – the big, almost scary, police officer will remain with us.

  I stand to the far corner of the room, bristli
ng with nervous energy as I await Rick’s arrival.

  In moments, I hear chains clanging together and hushed voices. Heat rises to my temples and anger surges through me anew. When Rick appears at the entrance to the room, dressed in his hospital gown, hands and feet restrained, I take a voluntary step back and try to calm my enraged breathing. Now I remember why I’m here.

  I want to kill the bastard.

  My fists clench and unclench repeatedly as I try to talk myself out of my sinister thoughts.

  It’s not worth it, I tell myself. He’s not worth it. If you do this, it’ll just take you away from Delilah. Delilah, remember Delilah. No, not what he did to her, dumbass! Do you want to be charged with murder and be put away forever? No. Think about how much you love her and want to spend every waking moment making her happy and keeping her safe, and pleasuring every inch of her. Yeah…that.

  Gradually, my raging emotions ease, but tension still coils in my veins, like a viper waiting to strike, and I pray that Rick doesn’t try anything stupid, because my will to not follow through with killing him is hanging by a thread; ready to spring and spit the venom intent on wiping him off the face of the earth.

  “Well, if it isn’t Delilah’s knight-in-shining-armor,” Rick sneers as he takes a seat, his voice a little muffled.

  I look at him and my mouth tugs into a rueful smile as I spot the shadow of a bruise to his jawline. I put that there, and I mentally pat myself on the back for dislocating his jaw and beating him so soundly.

  “Mason,” I remark coolly, sliding into the chair opposite him. “How’s that jaw?”

  I smile triumphantly when I see his eyes harden and his jaw moves slightly. Poor baby, can’t grind his teeth in anger like the petulant little shit he is.

  “Fuck…you,” he grunts low, “pinning” me with a death glare. Ooh, I’m shaking.

  “What do you have to say to me, asshole?” I ask, already tired of the runaround.

  “Ah, so quick to get down to business. No small talk?”