Breach (27 page)

“I’m sorry, Lila, Nath
an. I was just concerned. It’s apparent your anger is getting out of control. I mean, look at what you’ve done to the entryway in the past few months. I was just worried that you…Darren told me you haven’t been by in months. He wanted me to let you know he won’t refill your prescriptions anymore unless you get back in to see him.”

Nathan’s hand released mine and moved to his face
, rubbing at his eyes. “I know, I know.”

“This is serious, s
on. I want you to get better. I want to see you smiling again. I want to see you happy.” George’s gaze flickered to me. “But you’ll never be any of those if you don’t get help.”

Nathan snorted in response. “Yeah, because the last three and a half fucking years of therapy have done
wonders.”

“It only works if you actually want
help and work at getting better. Not going in months, not talking to him about your new relationship… Things are changing for you, and you need some support to help you get through this, work through this. To move on, so you aren’t weighed down any longer. You deserve it, as does Lila,” George said, love and concern written all over his face. “You’re going through your meds at a much faster rate than usual. David also told me you missed your last appointment.”

“I h
ad to reschedule it, that’s all.” Nathan’s tone was a bit harsh in his agitation. “And I’ll call and get in with Darren this week.”

“Because you’
re out of meds?”

Nathan sighed and nodded in agreement, his father seeing the truth.

“Well, I should be headed out now before your mother begins to worry.” George pushed off the couch and moved to stand in front of Nathan. He wrapped his arms around his son, pulling him into a fierce hug. “I love you, Nathan.”

Nathan
hugged his father back with matched ferocity. “I love you too, Dad.”

To my surprise and shock, George wrapped his arms around me and whispered in my ear. “Thank you, Lila. Please take good care of him.”

I stood frozen in his arms for a moment, and then with slow, tentative movements, my arms wrapped around him. I still wasn’t good with hugs, and sudden ones, such as George’s, were the hardest.

“Have
a good night. I hope to see you at dinner sometime soon. Your mother misses you,” he added before turning for the door. “Oh, and don’t forget to bring this lovely young lady with you. Your mother would love to meet her. It was such a pleasure meeting you, Lila.”

“You too,” I said
as he stepped through the door.

We stood in the living room for a few minutes before I broke the
silence.

“Dinner?”

A grumble from Nathan’s stomach caused us both to laugh, breaking through the tension in the room.

“Please.
”

After dinner
, Nathan grabbed my hand and pulled me to him, bringing my lips to his with a gentle touch.

The kiss intensified and a few gropes later
, he was pushing me against the counter. He released my lips and trailed kisses and nips down to my ear. “Come on, Honeybear, let’s move to the couch. I need a new batch of bruises on my body so I can scare the neighbors…”

I rolled my eyes at the ridiculous nickname he had concocted for me
and the silly things he was saying. The name started after the event at the bar with Andrew, when he’d interrupted us. Its use had increased to where it was now being spoken at least once daily. I was sure              it was being done to annoy me.

However, I couldn’t stop the joy that fi
lled me every time he said it; the warmth that spread through my heart.

Walking into the living room, he sat down on the couch before reaching for the remote.

“Why is it that you don’t want me to see Andrew, but your fan club can hang all over you?” I asked as I moved in front of him and straddled his legs before moving lower. His hands moved up to my waist, his thumbs making small circles on my skin. “That sounds like a double standard to me, Mr. Thorne.”

“It’s simple. I have no interest in any of them and I have never touched, nor will I ever touch, any of them. Andrew, on the other hand, has shared a bed with you, been in a relationship wi
th you, had his cock inside you.” He growled the last part, his fingers flexing around my hips. “I know he wants you and you have every opportunity to go back to him. He wants to take what’s mine.”

“They want what’s mine,” I pointed out. “And how do you know Andrew wants me?”

Nathan sighed and gave me an exasperated look.

“Delilah, I know you’re naïv
e in some regards, but trust me, he wants you back. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. And, yes, the girls may want what’s yours, but have I ever touched them? Have I ever given any indication I wanted to pursue any of them? I don’t want to pursue anyone.”

“You pursue me,”
I said, regretting it as soon as the words passed my lips.

Bad idea, Lila.
Monumental sized bad idea.

His mood change was swift, and
he became sullen, his hands stopping their movement across my skin.

“Yes.
Against my better judgment.”

“What does your judgment tell you to do?”

“It says that it’s better for you if we weren’t together, but that line of thinking makes me want to go mad and I find it even harder to let go of you.”

“So…
you’re saying…that your heart pursues me?” I pressed, praying to God he would give me some slight indication of how he felt about me. Even a hint that he cared for me. I
needed
to hear it. I desperately craved the affections of his heart. “Your head rejects me, but your heart wants me?”

After some thought, I realized it
would have been better if I’d hit him with a frying pan at that moment, rather than let those words slip past my lips.

His eyes widened as he stared unblinking a
t me. His grip tightened, pulling me closer, his forehead leaning to rest against mine, his eyes screwed tight. Tension was radiating off him. The turmoil happening inside him was my own selfish doing and was difficult to watch, making me feel helpless. Hadn’t I accepted he didn’t operate this way, that he might not ever be able to say the words or express any real, lasting affection for me?

“I’m sorry…” I t
railed off, my hands creating soothing motions on his back.

He
wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled my body flush with his. His lips trailed down my neck and across my shoulder, dropping my tank top strap down my arm, ending the conversation there and moving on to what we both needed.

To the only way he knew how to express his feelings.

“O
h, my God. Could you quit flaunting your tits around? I’m getting so sick of looking at yours, I can hardly stand to look at my own. And, by the way, if he hasn’t taken the bait yet, he isn’t going to.” Caroline was attempting to get the point across to two B.S. members, Kelly and Tiffany.

I was having a very difficult time
keeping my coffee in my mouth. It was threatening to fly out all over my desk, files and computer screen. There was nothing worse than coffee stained documents.

I chanced a glance over at Nathan
, also attempting not to laugh, his hand covering his mouth, concealing his upturned lips. His eyes betrayed him, laugh lines crinkling in the corners.

Laugh lines.

My addiction to seeing them was growing stronger every day. Each time he smiled, I wanted more.

Caroline was li
ving up our secret to the fullest by giving it to the Boob-Squad.

“Whatever, Caroline
.” Kelly sneered, pulling me from my internal musing, before grabbing Tiffany’s arm and leaving our office.

We continued to snicker about them
after they left, our good mood making the office feel light.

It was short lived when Andrew’s v
oice rang out around the walls.

“Morning!”
he greeted with a huge grin.

He and Nathan exch
anged a brief glare before he turned back to me and smiled.

Andrew seemed to note our grins
. “Did I miss something?”

“Just Caroline
showing the Boob-Squad why she rocks,” I answered.

“Awesome!”
He reached out to Caroline for a high-five. “Oh! Hey, Lila, guess who I ran into last night?” he asked, plopping down on the chair in the corner of our office.

“Who?”

“Teresa,” he stated.

My face lit up with a smile. “I thought she and
Armando were still in Europe.”

“Yeah, apparently Joan
found another kid that needed a home and, well, you know Teresa.”

I smile
d as a picture of Joan Stateman popped into my head. It was with Joan’s help that I got out and was able to see what a normal family was like. It was because of them I had gotten as far as I had in life, despite my rocky start. I owed them my life.

“Yeah.
She never passed up the opportunity to help any child,” I replied with a smile.

“What are you two talking about?” Nathan asked.

Andrew looked to me, I looked to Caroline, Caroline looked to Andrew, and we all looked to Nathan.

“Well, umm,
Teresa was my foster mom for a little while.”

Nathan’s eyes grew wide as he stared
at me in shock, his jaw slack.

Caroline jumped up, pulling on Andrew’s arm.
“Come on, Andrew, let’s go get some coffee.”

“Umm, ok
ay,” he mumbled, looking between Nathan and I in confusion.

Caroline shut the door as they exited.
Another reason to love her.

“What?”

I bit my lip and took a deep breath. Only Andrew and Caroline knew what I was about to divulge to Nathan. I wasn’t hiding it; I just couldn’t stand the twenty million questions people always had that followed. My ex-family’s words still haunted me. Why would I want to open that up to everyone?

I let out a long
breath before speaking. “A few months before my seventeenth birthday, I contacted a children’s law center to be emancipated from my family.”

“Jesus fucking Christ.
” Nathan ran his hand through his hair.

“Joan
, she was my lawyer… In fact, she was the one who got me interested in law. Anyway, we never made it to court, child services stepped in. Joan knew of a couple who liked to help out teens in situations such as mine, and so I moved to Indianapolis between my junior and senior year and finished out high school here.” My hands twisted in my lap as I went into details of my teenage years that few knew. “Teresa is a sweet loving woman who was very patient with me. She was my first hug.”

“Your first
hug
?” I could see the wheels turning in his head.

I nodded. “My first real hug
since I went to live with my father. Armando worked with me, showing me that what my father and stepbrother did was not how most men behaved. It took me a long time to trust him. I waited for the insults to slip from his lips, but only words of encouragement and caring ever came from him.” A small smile crept onto my lips. “Armando was a bit awkward, but that made him more endearing. Noah was also there, he helped as well.”