Shattered: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (The Blackthorn Brothers Book 2) Read online

  “My family’s used to dealing with a whole lot worse than Ray—and I already called them to warn them to be careful, before I even showed up to get you. Ray’s never going to touch you again, Sky—but you have to let me in. You have to let me help you.” Finn looked at me with such an intensity, it made my heart ache to have him back. But I knew better than to think this would go well.

  “Don’t you get it? There is no helping me. All you’re doing is making things worse for me, and putting your own life in danger.” I glared at him in frustration, doing my best to ignore Finn’s concerned look and the tension in his body. “I can’t lose you to this mess. And that means you need to stay as far away from me as possible, before you get caught in the crossfire.”

  “I can take care of myself. And the last thing I want is for you to stay in a horrible situation just because you’re worried I might get hurt.” He cupped my cheek and brushed his thumb over my lips, his gaze so intense.

  And when he kissed me this time, I let myself give in to everything I’d been trying to ignore and deny.

  There was no turning back for me now—not that I’d ever had much of a choice but to love her. I brushed my thumb over her lips as she looked up at me with those big brown eyes, making my heart hammer inside my chest. How long had I wanted her…how long had I been in love with her? It seemed like my whole life…like there had never been anyone but her.

  As close as she was, I couldn’t help myself…and before I could overthink things, I brushed my lips against hers in a tender kiss that made my very soul ache with longing, needing us to find a way back to what we once had. Sinking my fingers into her thick, dark hair, I hauled her body to mine as I kissed her again and again, my heart swelling when she didn’t pull away from me. Because I knew this was meant to be, from the very start. Knew that she was meant to be mine—and no one else’s.

  Now all I had to do was convince her that we could figure out a way to make this work.

  Running my hand down over her curves to her thigh, I pulled her on top of me, our kisses never stopping as one rolled into the next, our tongues clashing in a heated dance as she straddled my hips, her chest pressed to mine, as my soul filled with hope. My cock ached to have her, trapped between our bodies as her sweet cunt pressed against my hard length, and my hands drifted down the arch of her back to cup her ass, pulling her to me as I thrust up against her, desperate to get her naked and do away with my boxers.

  But then she was pulling away, shaking her head no, her eyes dark with anguish as she looked at me. “I can’t do this… He’ll kill you. Especially if he finds out you touched me.”

  “I’m going to do a hell of a lot more than just touch you, Skylar. I’m going to fuck you until you don’t remember his name, and then I’m going to make love to you until you only remember mine.” With an arm around her waist, I rolled her under me, pinning her with the weight of my body, as I nestled myself between her legs, pressing my cock against her cunt in desperation, feeling her warmth through the fabric.

  Silencing her protests with a brutal kiss, she softened in my arms and finally seemed to give in to what was between us, her tongue clashing with mine as she raked her nails down my back and pushed my boxers down past my hips. I kicked them off and then tore her t-shirt up over her head, lowering my head to suck on her nipples before I kissed my way down over the swell of her belly, shifting her sweats and lace panties down past her hips and tossing them aside.

  She tried to pull me back up to her, but there was no fucking way I was going anywhere before I had the chance to feast on her. She was all I’d ever wanted, and no matter how hard she tried to push me away, I knew that she couldn’t deny what was between us.

  I ran my fingers against her slick folds, and fuck…but she was already so wet for me. Desperate to taste her once more, I couldn’t help but bury my face against her cunt, gripping her hips as I ran my tongue from her clit to her ass, before slipping two fingers deep inside her. And fuck, but I loved how her hips rose up to meet each thrust as I finger fucked her and sucked on her clit, her body responding to my every touch.

  She tasted so fucking sweet, and I’d love nothing more than to stay there and never leave, pulling one orgasm after the other from her lush body. My thrusts quickened as I teased her clit and pressed a finger to the bud of her ass, already slick from her juices, easing it past the tight ring of muscle. She gasped in pleasure, sinking her fingers into my hair and pulling me to her, her hips rocking against my face and urging me on, my heart hammering to have her at my mercy once more.

  Her body tensed around my fingers as her grip tightened in my hair and she cried out my name, her orgasm tearing through her, as I milked every bit of her orgasm from her body, until she finally stilled. I couldn’t help but smile up at her, though I was far from done. “Baby girl…I’ve never tasted anything so sweet.”

  With my head swimming with memories of our time together, and my cock aching to have her, I shifted myself up her body, trailing kisses along her curves as I positioned myself between her legs. Fucking hell, I’d never wanted her so bad as I did this very moment, almost as if our coming together physically would erase the past year of us being apart. Running my cock against her swollen clit, I finally thrust into her, lowering my body to hers as I buried myself fully in her slick heat, my heart soaring.

  “Finn…”

  My mouth was hard on hers, silencing her protests, and loving the thought that she could taste herself on my lips, a reminder that I was the one who made her come—and I was the one who was fucking her.

  Ray would never touch her again.

  I rocked into her, taking her with thrusts that pinned her to the mattress, slow and intense, her hips grinding into me as her legs wrapped around my thighs to pull me even deeper. And fuck…but it was as if I’d waited a lifetime to be with her again…and nothing had ever seemed so sweet.

  Her thighs were slick with her juices, and I loved knowing that she was this wet for me…that there could be no denying how much she wanted me. Even when she’d been trying to push me away, her body seemed happy to betray her, time and again, knowing that it belonged to me and no one else.

  “I’m never letting you go, Skylar. You’re mine.” And then I was kissing her once more, swallowing her moans as our pace quickened, the intensity of my thrusts leaving her clinging to my body as she held on to me, her sweet cunt clenching around my cock.

  So close to coming, I reached down and hooked her leg onto my shoulder, opening her up to me so that I hit that perfect spot as each thrust had my cock buried deeper, harder, pushing us both to that razor’s edge. And just like that, her body tensed under me, and she was crying out my name as she came, her cunt squeezing my cock with each wave of her orgasm until I could hold back no more.

  I came with a grunt, filling her with my cum as my cock pulsed deep inside her, my head bent to hers, as I tried to ignore my racing heart as I breathed in one ragged breath after another. “I love you, Skylar…”

  “Don’t, Finn… No good will come of it.”

  Yet her words were still spoken against my lips as we kissed once more, my cock still buried deep inside her and my seed slipping out of her sweet cunt.

  “That’s where you’re mistaken, love. Because having you back in my life has been my only thought since you walked away from me.”

  What the hell had I just done? Yet as Finn lay back against the pillows and held me safely in his arms, I slowly relaxed against him, my head cradled against his shoulder as exhaustion finally set in after being so stressed out. “Finn…he’ll come looking for me.”

  “Let him come looking. Because the moment he steps onto my property—if he even manages to find this place—I’m putting a fucking bullet in his head.” The fierceness in Finn’s voice left no doubt in my mind that he’d do whatever it took to keep me safe, though it didn’t mean Ray wouldn’t rain a war down on him. But Finn wouldn’t be the only one paying the price.

  Ray would be furious and frantic on
ce he got home and found out that I was gone. Even though he was a horrible and manipulative man who thought he owned me, he still “cared about” me in his own sick and twisted way. And he’d tear Seattle to the ground looking for me, especially when it would appear as if I’d simply vanished.

  I’d left the lights and TV on, there was nearly a full glass of wine on the coffee table, all my clothes were still there, there was no sign of a struggle, and the front door had been left unlocked. The only indication that I may have taken off willingly—which I hadn’t—was that my phone was gone.

  Not that there was anything I could do about it now, since being kidnapped by Finn was the last thing I’d expected to happen.

  Or rather…the last thing I’d expected was to end up in Finn’s arms, naked with him and cum slipping out of my cunt and onto my thigh. And my pills…they were home too.

  I’d had a small stroke of luck that Ray hadn’t minded me being on the Pill, since a child would definitely pull my focus away from him, and he wanted me all to himself. Because he was just that sick and twisted, that he’d be jealous of his own child, and hate it if they were getting my attention instead of him.

  And if the baby was Finn’s?

  Fucking hell…what was I doing? I knew better than to go down this road.

  I sat up out of his arms, just enough to look at him, worried that he wasn’t taking the consequences of kidnapping me seriously enough. “You don’t want this sort of trouble, Finn. And it’s not too late to keep this from getting out of hand. I can say there was an emergency with one of my friends or make up some other excuse that Ray might buy. But that will only work if I get back home sometime soon.”

  His gaze hardened, even as he cupped my face in his hand, his fingers tangling in my hair. “The fact that you have to lie to him, simply because you weren’t home when he got back, even though he’d been out all hours of the night with no accountability to you, is just another indication of how fucked up your relationship is with this guy.”

  I shook my head in frustration, doing my best not to panic about what we’d just done. “Yeah…because most guys would be perfectly fine with their girlfriend being kidnapped and fucked by another guy—and the fact that I feel like I’d have to lie about it to keep him from murdering you is surely an indication of my fucked-up relationship.”

  “It’s not the fact that you feel you need to lie about it—it’s the fact that you fear what he’ll do to you. Because he wouldn’t just leave you or find a way to forgive you for what happened—would he? No…he’d fucking make you pay for it with blood and tears.” He shook his head, his eyes locked on mine despite his anger and frustration. “I’m not letting that fucking monster touch you again, Sky. Whatever hold he has on you…consider it broken.”

  Except it wasn’t that simple. Matt’s life was on the line, and if I didn’t get back to Ray and uphold my end of the bargain, then I’d ruin any chance of keeping Matt safe, and getting him out of the hellhole he was currently in. Because he wasn’t just facing significant jail time for getting caught with Ray’s guns—he was also indebted to Ray for the loss of them.

  “I’m tired of arguing with you, Finn. You don’t have a clue as to what’s going on in my life, and you don’t get a say in it. This is my life, not yours. And though it’s sweet and honorable that you want to be some sort of knight in shining armor, I need you to butt out of my life and take me back home, because you’re only making things worse.”

  “Then for fuck’s sake, talk to me, Sky. Tell me what the hell’s happening, so I can help you.” His hazel eyes scanned my face, and he was looking so worried about me that my heart broke. “No matter what’s going on, no matter what hold he has on you, I swear I’ll get you through it. But you can’t keep me in the dark and fight me every step of the way. We need to do this together.”

  “If you had any sense, you’d want nothing to do with me. So, why is it that I can’t get you to do the smart thing and just forget about me?” He was the most brilliant man I’d ever met, and I refused to be his downfall. Because one way or another, this was going to end badly, and it would all be my fault.

  “Fuck, Sky…I can’t forget about you, because you’re my very heart, my very soul… Don’t you fucking get it? My life would be pointless without you. You’re the only thing that has ever mattered, and now…after losing my father…I know just how short life can be, and I refuse to let another day pass me by without you in my life.” Cupping my face in his hands, he kissed me with a passion and tenderness I had only ever felt with him, and with each kiss, he weakened my defenses, making it impossible for me to pull away from what was between us.

  Yet as I lay there in his arms, I knew that this was just the beginning to a disastrous end.

  I sat Skylar down at the kitchen counter, leaving her perched on a barstool as I ignored her offers to help with breakfast. Wandering about the kitchen, I pulled out the ingredients I’d need and got started cooking, opting for something easy. “Will eggs, bacon, and sausage do?”

  “That would be great… Let me at least help get a pot of coffee on.” She hopped off the stool and crossed to my side, pulling out the pot and filling it with water as I grabbed the bag of coffee out of the fridge and set it down on the counter for her. And though she managed a smile, it didn’t reach her troubled eyes. “Thanks.”

  “You have me worried about you, Sky.” I hated seeing her like this, especially when I knew how playful and radiant she could be when she was happy. Worse still, I didn’t know if I could untangle the mess she was in, particularly when she didn’t want my help. I wanted to do right by her and make her happy, but it was hard when the rest of the world kept interfering. “Tell me how I can help…what I can do…”

  “If you won’t let me go, then there’s nothing to be done.” She got the coffee brewing and then paused with a shake of her head, before turning to me, her eyes locking on mine. “And just so you know, we’re not having a repeat of last night, especially since my pills are still at home.”

  “I know it’s probably not what you’re expecting me to say, especially given our current circumstances, but…I’d have no problem starting a family with you, love. In fact, there’s nothing I’d like more.” I swore she practically flinched at my words, her eyes darkening with emotion. “Hey…what’s wrong?”

  Needing her close, I reached out to touch her, cupping her cheek as I fought back my worry, and wondered what the hell was going on in that head of hers. She closed her eyes, her lashes wet with her tears as she struggled to hold them back.

  Seeing her like this was fucking killing me. Pulling her into my arms, I held her to me, resting my cheek against her head as I rocked her back and forth, trying to soothe her. I didn’t know what had her so upset, but I hated that she didn’t feel like she could open up to me. So for now, all I could do was try to be there for her, and do my best to beat back her demons whenever they surfaced.

  Keeping her tucked against my side, I finished cooking us breakfast, relieved that she’d wrapped her arms around my waist and held onto me, though she felt small and fragile against my muscular frame. I just didn’t know what to think anymore. Was it that the abuse was constant? Or was it something else?

  Fucking bastard… What the hell had Ray done to her?

  “Come on, love… Let’s get you fed. Maybe things won’t seem so bad once you’ve had a bit of food and some coffee.” I piled two plates high with food, and then sat her down at the dining room table, grabbing the seat across from her, so that I could try to keep an eye on her.

  Yet, she barely ate more than a few bites, before finally setting down her fork and locking eyes with me, her tears now replaced with determination. “You need to take me back. Now. I’ve tried to be patient, and I’ve tried to make you see sense, but now…I just need to go home. I’m not staying here. Not even if I have to walk back to Seattle.”

  “Yeah, so…here’s the thing. I’m not taking you back—and you’re not going anywhere. I thought we’
d already established that.” What the hell was she really thinking would happen? I’d just let her walk back to Seattle? Or let her hitchhike her way back with complete strangers who might be capable of rape or murder? “And don’t go thinking that I won’t tie you to my bed if I have to.”

  “Oh, please…as if you’re not looking for an excuse to tie me up.” She stood up and grabbed her plate, her eyes narrowing as she shot me a sarcastic glare and headed to the kitchen, which made it all the more difficult to resist her.

  “You might be right.” A smile slipped onto my lips, and as some of the tension eased between us, I couldn’t help but cross over to her side and pull her into my arms. “Just promise me you won’t do anything stupid, Sky. Tell me you’re not going to try to run.”

  “Fine. I won’t try to run.” She let out a sigh, leaning up against me, as I held her tight and kissed the top of her head. Here in my arms was where she belonged, and I just couldn’t lose her.

  “There’s one more thing…” Still holding onto her, I grabbed my phone from my pocket, and after pulling up an app that would reroute the call, I handed her the phone. “Call that fucking asshole boyfriend of yours and break things off.”

  “No fucking way, Finn. I’m not doing it. He’ll fucking lose it—and everyone around him will pay the price, until he can get his hands on me.” The tension and fear in her voice had me pulling her to the nearby sofa and sitting us down, though I refused to let her go.

  It felt like I’d somehow failed her from the very start. I should never have let her push me away and grow more distant. And I definitely shouldn’t have let her hook up with Ray. “I won’t let him touch you, Sky. I’d fucking lay down my life to keep you safe.”

  It was nothing but the truth.

  “Don’t you get it? That’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid—because it’d devastate me to lose you. I might manage to survive any hell Ray put me through, but losing you isn’t something I’d ever get over.” Her eyes shimmered with tears, but what killed me was how weary and overcome with emotion she was. “I can’t deal with it all, Finn…it’s just too much. I’m exhausted from trying to hold it all together—just to have you come along and kick it all to shit.”