Beautifully Broken (Beautifully Series, Book 1) Read online

  “I just came to tell you I’m leaving. You can keep your half of the company. As much as my dad wants to see you out of the company I couldn’t care less. As long as I never have to see you again, I’m satisfied.” At the door I could hear him get up from his chair behind me,

  “Just like that, you give up?” he asks.

  “I don’t give up. I just don’t fight for things that won’t benefit me. Me staying here trying to get this company doesn’t benefit me in any way.”

  “When are you leaving?”

  “Saturday” I answer.

  “You’re not even going to visit Anna?” the pressure in my chest is immediate. Like someone has their hands wrapped around my throat. Since I’ve been here he’s never once mentioned my mother to me. How he can even have the balls to ask that question is beyond me.

  “No.” I say snatching the door open.

  “She wants to see you” he shouts at my retreating frame. I slam the door loud enough to make his secretary flinch as I storm out his office.

  If his precious Anna wanted to see me how come she need Lucas to relay the message. It was public knowledge that I own MADD Pulse if she really wanted to see me she would have long ago. This is some kind of ploy to make sure my father and I leave Lucas and his dad alone.

  I walk to my car in a haze not remembering how I got there. Before I know it I’m driving in front of the home my father and I sold to get away from all this madness. At the time we needed a fresh start away from the happy family that my mom and the Fields’ had become.

  After the police pulled me off Lucas I was arrested and spent the night in a holding cell. I blew off graduation, opting not to walk. My dad’s connections got me into a college in Florida so we left within two weeks. Replaying all the days my mom would spend at the Fields after Lucas’ mom died, I had assumed she was trying to help them get over their grieving period. All along she was warming Mitchell Fields bed and filling the gap Lucas’ mother had left in his life.

  I drive a couple blocks up and stop in front of the Fields’ house. She’s one of them now. Anna Fields. She had her happily ever after behind those walls with the family she handpicked for herself the one that she had created not being enough for her. My hands tremble on the wheel as a car pulls into the driveway.

  I pull out of my spot and slam my foot down on the gas before anyone can step out of the vehicle. Seeing her again will do things to me I can’t handle right now. I have enough emotional shit going on with Ella I don’t need the shit load of issues that will rise up by seeing my mother again.

  Chapter 8

  Isabella

  Last night was harder than I thought it would be. I was so restless and I spent most of it hugging my pillow to help relieve the anxiety I felt not having Liam next to me. By morning I had to apply a couple extra layers of concealer under my eyes for the dark bags forming. I was so close to giving in and calling him. Actually I had already made up my mind that I would go see Liam after work, I missed him like crazy. I just wanted to look into those amazing green eyes and get lost. Forget about Alice, forget about Lucas, just me and Liam wrapped in each other’s arm.

  When that elevator door slid open and I saw Alice hanging all over Liam whispering into his ear, all thoughts of reconciliation came crashing down around me. My weak heart was willing to give in to a man that could so easily move on. I’ve never been one for commitment but I can’t share Liam. He’s supposed to be mine and I want him to be only mine.

  That day Alice flounced around like a teenage girl with her first crush. All her moping from Liam’s quick withdrawal long gone, replaced by a bubbly idiot. They probably made plans to meet up that night to finish off what they had already started. I don’t even know why I’m so upset, I left him and he has a right to move on. A sexually viral man like Liam was sure to replace me in his bed as soon as possible, Alice being the obvious choice.

  Half way through the day Alice pokes her head in my office to let me know she’s running a file up to Lucas. I tell her to leave it with me I was headed up anyway. Truth is I’ve been itching to know what Liam was doing here this morning. Bringing this file to Lucas will give me the excuse I need.

  When I enter his office I can tell he is not at all happy to see my face. He leans back in his chair waiting for me to make the first move in our silent stand-off.

  “Hey” I’ve never felt awkward around Lucas but there it is. That uneasy ‘what do I say’ feeling hovering over us. “I have a file for you,” I say inching forward and laying the folder in front of him.

  “So the last time you came here it didn’t end so well.” He says deciding to skip over all the bullshit and getting to the point.

  “I was trying to make peace with you. I thought we could have lunch and talk but then it got ugly.”

  He takes a deep breath running his hand over his head. He always does that when he’s agitated. “I’m sorry Izzy but with Liam here I’ve been really stressed. The fact that you’re seeing someone else is killing me inside. I shouldn’t have come at you that way.”

  “Lucas, I told you I’m not seeing anyone else.” At least now that Liam and I are over I don’t have to lie to him.

  He shakes his head in disbelief, “Izzy, you don’t have to lie to me. If you don’t want to tell me about him I won’t ask.”

  I walk towards him and lean on the edge of the desk. I run my fingers through his fuzzy hair. He rests his head on my lap letting me caress him. I didn’t realize how much I missed him, our friendship, our bond.

  “Let me take you out to dinner. We can go to Joe’s…” I can hear him chuckling against my thigh. In college, if there was a crab restaurant anywhere near we were there. Since coming to Chicago we haven’t waivered in our love of crabs.

  “Alright, but I have a meeting so I’ll meet you there at 7.” He says standing up and enveloping me in his arms.

  “It’s a date,” I give him a quick kiss on his cheek and hurry back to my office realizing I never got any information on Liam’s visit today.

  ********

  I arrive early and asked to be seated. While I wait I order the crab cakes and a bottle of sauvignon Blanc as per our ritual. I have to admit when Luc walks in I do a double take like half the women in the room. He must have gone home before coming here. His face is now clean shaven and it brightens up when he smiles at me. Why couldn’t I be with a man like Luc, he’s so kind and loving. Being with him is simple and easy but my brain doesn’t understand simple. I always have to get myself into the most complicated situations.

  He gives me a quick kiss on the lips before taking his seat. We eat the crab cakes and order two platters of crab claws cause there is no sharing when we get our hands on crabs.

  “Remember that time we decided to have an all-nighter in your room” that sexy little dimple appears as he smiles.

  “Oh God, you mean the time you decided to bring 20 lb of crab legs to my room. Then you get the bright idea to steam them in my rice cooker.”

  “That was a genius idea.” He says.

  “No, we could hardly fit one at a time in that thing. We spent hours steaming all those crabs.” I giggle thinking of how much crab we ate.

  ‘You ate so much crabs you went on a boycott for a whole month, I thought you would never touch another one.” he chuckles.

  “That’s not funny; I really couldn’t even look at another one. Besides it’s my favorite, I always come back to my favorite things.”

  A glint of hope flashes in his eyes, “yeah you always do come back.”

  “So how’s Anna?” I say rapidly changing the subject. I want to remain friends with Lucas so I don’t need him thinking this is me coming back to him.

  “She’s good, says if she doesn’t hear from you by Friday she’ll think she’s done something to offend you.” He says going to work on his plate.

  “I’ll call her. So what was Liam doing at the office today?” I ask nonchalantly.

  His face darkens and he sits back in his chair, �
��He came to tell me he’s leaving.”

  “Leaving? As in for good?” I ask with far too much interest.

  “Yup, leaving on Saturday and is not even going to bother to go see Anna.” He says digging back into his food.

  I hate this awful feeling that’s beginning to fill my stomach. There’s no way I can let him leave without saying good-bye. But I also know good-bye will take a huge toll on my heart. How can I let someone go who holds a piece of my heart? Will I ever be the same without him?

  “So I have a business meeting next month in Vegas with a potential client…” he shifts nervously in his seat.

  “And?”

  “Would you mind coming with me. I know were not together anymore but we always make these trips together. I’ll feel a lot more confident if you come with me.” his fingers begin to drum on the table. He’s afraid I’ll refuse him, and I should. Nothing good will come from spending days alone with Lucas. He has this aura about him that’s irresistible. He’s made it his life goal to learn all the pleasure points in my body. He does a fantastic job at bringing me satisfaction but after being with Liam he pales in comparison. I hate the way he lets me manipulate him. I know he has no clue I’m doing it but I wish he could see through my guise as easily as Liam does.

  “I don’t know Lucas,” I sigh sitting back in my chair. He squints his blue eyes at me, turning on the charm.

  “Come on, your not afraid of me are you? I promise not to do anything you don’t want” he winks at me. Oh yeah, he’s throwing in all the charm for this one. God he’s so adorable smirking at me with those gorgeous dimples.

  “Ok I’ll come but no tricks Lucas. This is a business trip.” He breaks out into a full out grin, his eyes lighting up with joy.

  After dinner he walks me to my car satisfied with a hug as we part ways. I drive off feeling good about the progress I’ve made in my relationship with Lucas. So why is it that I end up parked outside Liam’s place staring at the shadow occasionally passing behind the curtains? I tap nervously on the steering wheel, trying to talk myself out of going up those stairs.

  After twenty minutes of useless deliberations I’m walking down his hallway wondering if I should use my key. Breakeven by The Script is booming through the door as I bang against it. After the Alice incident, I refuse to use my keys, too frightened I might see way more than I can handle.

  The music is lowered the second time I bang and the door is swiftly snatched open. I stand motionless as he crosses his arm over his bare chest, waiting for me to speak. My eyes impulsively travel down his bare chest to the thin line of hair leading into his pajama pants. Pants that ride so low they expose his well defined hip bones, making a v shape pointing down towards my own personal heaven.

  Umm…He’s so unbelievably hot. One man shouldn’t have the right to look so good. This is already starting out with an unfair advantage to him. My eyes widen as I watch him twitch in his pants. God I hadn’t realized I was still staring at him, practically drooling.

  “Are you done molesting me with your eyes?” he asks raising his hands to let me further explore his hard body.

  “Can I come in?” I’m surprised by my faltering voice. He steps back and lets me in, as I pass him my arm drags against his bare chest and I halt in front of him. I feel like I’m stuck in some kind of magnetic bubble. His warm breath caresses my cheek and my stomach flutters as his scent hits my overactive senses.

  I hear the door shut somewhere in the distance. His rough fingers graze my neck pushing my hair away. His heat moves in closer, his nose nuzzling my neck. I try to pull myself out of this fog my brain has walked into but I feel his erection against my hip and shut my eyes, my heart racing in anticipation. The one night we spent apart feeling like I’ve been in a month long drought from him.

  “I missed you,” he whispers into my ear. His word floating against my skin like a thousand caresses. I take a deep breath knowing I need to focus on the reason I came here.

  Alice, Alice, Alice my brain chants to me in self defense. I take a few steps forward, the space doing nothing to ease the ache between my legs. “We need to talk.” I walk to the kitchen bar and take a seat, spinning the chair around to watch him approach.

  He thinks he has me, owns me with a whisper in my ear.

  I see it in the glint in his eyes, the wicked smile playing at the corner of his full lips. He stops between my parted thighs placing an arm on each side of me, effectively caging me in as his hands rest on the counter top behind me.

  He leans in licking on my neck, “talk.” He demands while attacking my senses. I can’t even format a thought with him licking small circles down my neck. I reluctantly push against his chest and gain only an inch of space between us.

  “I can’t concentrate when you do that.” I scold him.

  “I know” he cocks an eyebrow at me, “but you love it.” He removes my hand from his warm skin and returns to the wet path he left on my neck. “How’d you sleep last night?” he asks between kisses.

  “Horribly” I moan, my eyes drifting shut.

  “It doesn’t have to be this way, come back to me.” Sounding as close to pleading as I’ve ever heard from him. He pulls back and looks into my eyes searching for an affirmative answer.

  “What about Alice?” I demand, my eyebrows shooting up.

  “There was never anything with Alice. What you saw this morning was just me apologizing for the fucked up way I left her. There will be no one else but you, if you’ll let me have you again.” His fingers run through my hair, massaging my scalp.

  “Even if we try again how is this going to work? You’re leaving Saturday.”

  “Talked to Lucas already huh?” he snarls, pulling away from me. He begins to pace furiously, the look he cast my way dark and dangerous. “I can’t stay here and nurse this sick attachment you have to Lucas but I can’t leave without you.” He runs a hand through his already tousled hair.

  “So we’re at a stalemate.”

  “What’s keeping you here,” he snaps grabbing my face with both hands. “You belong to me and you know it. Lucas will move on, he’s stronger than you think. Stop pampering him and live your life.” He has a valid argument I just refuse to take off my Lucas blinders to do something about it. Lucas and I have a co-dependent relationship but it’s not much different from what I share with Liam.

  My dependency of Liam seeming far more dangerous; I crave him day in and day out. I need him to sleep and I can’t breathe when I think of losing him. I cling to Lucas for the safety he brings me but I cling to Liam like he breathes air into my lungs. The choice he’s asking of me seemingly impossible.

  “Give me a little time,” I run my hands into his hair, I missed the wavy texture under my finger tips. His eyes close and his grip on my face loosen, the tension slowly dissipating from his body.

  “I’ll give you till Friday but when you pick me there will be no turning back, I need all of you. I’ll need to own all you and I won’t allow you to leave me again.” Then he claims my lips like a man possessed.

  Possessed by his love for me.

  Liam

  When I open the door and see her standing there my heart begins pounding in my chest. A million thoughts run through my mind at once. Is she coming back to me? God she’s beautiful. I missed her more than I realized. I really hope she’s here to stay. I can’t spend another night in that cold bed without her. I close my eyes and take a breath hoping to clear my mental ramblings.

  I observe her appraising my body, her mouth agape and eyes dilated. Thank god she still wants me as much as I want her. Winning her back might not be as hard as I thought. Her eyes’ worshipping my body causes my cock to twitch, it’s as happy to see her as I am, hardening by the seconds. Her eyes fly to mine when she realizes she awoken the beast.

  “Are you done molesting me with your eyes?” I lift my arms letting her know she welcome to whatever she see’s.

  “Can I come in?” she asks shyly, or maybe nervously. I step back lea
ving her a small path. As she passes her arm brushes against me causing her to halt mid-step. She felt the jolt that ran from my skin to hers. I push the door shut as I move in closer. Her exotic smell hypnotizing me, I nuzzle my nose against her neck so I can breathe her in. My fingers graze her soft skin as move her hair to one side.

  “I missed you,” I confess.

  She takes a deep breath seeming to center herself and takes a few steps away from me, breaking the warm band we were wrapped in.

  “We need to talk,” she announces walking over to have a seat at the kitchen bar stool. She’s so affected by me she’s trying to create a barrier against the strong pull she feels towards me. If I allow her the space she’s requesting she may pick up and leave again. I approach her ready to attack her with the only weapon I have.

  Her weakness for me.

  I lean into her and begin to run my tongue up her neck. “Talk.” I demand. If she wants to talk we’ll do it my way. She pushes me back and gives me a warning glare.

  “I can’t concentrate when you do that.” She looks so cute trying to reprimand me.

  “I know,” I remove her hand. “But you love it” I continue to taste her sweet skin, her responding shivers indicating just how much she loves it.

  “How’d you sleep last night?” If it was anything like my night she didn’t get any sleep. I missed gazing into her clear gray eyes as I drifted off, caressing her silky skin with my fingers.

  “Horribly” she moans slightly as I suck on the skin behind her ear. In that small sound I know I have her. As much as she wants to fight me she can’t fight the pull she feels.

  “It doesn’t have to be this way, come back to me.” I pull back and look into her eyes, imploring her to see how much I need her.

  “What about Alice?” She snaps her persistent anger evident. I wish I never let that women touch me, the amount of animosity in her glare shakes my resolve to win her back. Her trust in me is already broken and I’m not sure what it’s going to take to rebuild it.