Scattered Thoughts (Betrayed by Love Book 1) (21 page)

My dad spun me around. “What’s going on here, Izzy?”

I looked down at the ground, wishing I were somewhere else, anywhere else. “It’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” Alec snapped. “Some psycho breaks into your house, drugs you, and tries to kill you, and you call that nothing?”

“Isabella Grace what is he talking about?” In a matter of seconds everything I’d hidden from my dad had been exposed. I shook my head. There was no way I was getting into all that, not in the parking garage surrounded by four men who were all glaring down at me.

“You didn’t tell your father? Not even when you were in the hospital?”

My dad grabbed my shoulders and pulled me close to him. “You were attacked and you didn’t tell me?” he said, staring right into my eyes. “I’m so disappointed in you, Isabella. How could you keep this from me?” My dad’s words were like fire, an incinerator to my heart. No words had ever yielded such power as those. I’d disappointed my father.

Tears filled my eyes. “Daddy, I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to worry you.”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses. You’re my only child. Didn’t you think I’d want to know that someone was trying to hurt you?”

Stepping away from my dad, I buried my face in my hands, but Alec reached over and lifted my chin until our eyes met. “This isn’t a game, baby. You have to stop playing with your safety.”

“I know this isn’t a game, Alec. It’s my life.” I pulled out of his grip. “And that’s the operative word here, MINE, as in not yours.”

“Isabella, that’s enough,” my dad snapped. “You sound like a spoiled brat right now, and I don’t like it one bit.” He turned his attention to Alec. “I suggest you take her upstairs and put a stop to all this nonsense.”

“Dad!”

“Don’t dad me, Izzy. If you’re going to act like a child we’ll treat you like one.” He crossed his arms. “Now, go to your room.” Rolling my eyes, I stomped off toward the stairs. Not because he’d told me to, but because I didn’t want to hear another word about any of this, from either of them.

I took off my sandals and sprinted up the stairs as fast as I could go. It was bad enough being scolded by my father at my age, but being yelled at in front of Alec was down-right humiliating. I wasn’t a child and I’d be damned if I was going to be treated like one. No matter how disappointed my father was.

By the time I reached the seventh floor I was covered in sweat and more than ready for a shower. I inserted my key card in the lock but the door didn’t open. I tried it again, still nothing.

“Here, you’ll need this.” I turned around only to find Frank standing there, holding a new key card. I snatched it out of his hand and unlocked the door without saying a word. I was in no mood for pleasantries.

After downing half a glass of wine, I stripped down and hopped into the shower, anxious to wash away more than just sweat. I closed my eyes and stood under the stream of water, letting it run over my face. The look on my father’s face was still fresh in my mind, his words ringing in my ear. “I’m disappointed, Isabella.” As if my life hadn’t been stressful enough recently, I had to go and disappoint my dad. “It’s not fair.”

“Stop pouting, Isabella.”

My eyes flew open. “Alec,” I screamed, surprised to find him here, standing in front of me, inside the shower, completely naked. “What are you doing?”

“Putting a stop to all this nonsense,” he said as he took a step closer. And in one swift motion I was pinned against the cold, wet tile, his mouth claiming mine with an urgency that had my sex quivering. I moaned inside his mouth as his tongue greedily claimed mine. His growing erection pressed against my stomach, making my insides quicken, all the drama of the day instantly forgotten.

Alec pulled away, leaving me panting for breath. Without saying a word he dropped to his knees and lifted my leg over his shoulder, opening me up to him. He plunged his tongue inside me as his finger rubbed my clit. I fisted my hands in his hair; biting back the scream as he pleasured me with is mouth.

His tongue flicked against my clit and he inserted two fingers deep inside me. Waves of pleasure threatened. “Oh God, Alec, please take me. I want to feel you inside me.” He pushed his fingers in deeper, hitting the spot that instantly had me teetering on the edge. “God, Alec, I’m going to come.”

“Yes, baby, come for me. Let me taste your pleasure.” His words were my undoing. My orgasm ripped through me, rendering my legs useless. Alec lowered my leg, his hands gripping my hips as he held me up upright. He trailed kisses up my belly, to my nipples, then finally to my mouth where he plunged his tongue inside, letting me taste my arousal.

“Turn around,” Alec said when he pulled away. I quickly did as he asked. But at that moment I would have done pretty much anything he’d asked. “Now put your hands on the wall and don’t move them until I tell you to,” he whispered against my ear. Pressing my hands against the cold tile, I let the warm water run down my back. Alec pushed my hair to one side. “Good girl,” he whispered against my ear before kissing his way to my neck.

Arching my back, I tried to absorb the sensation. His finger trailed down my side until I couldn’t stand it any longer. I let go of the wall and turned to face him, desperately wanting to touch him.

Alec took a step back and put both hands on my shoulders, turning me back toward the wall. “I told you not to let go,” he said in a gruff tone. “We’re going to have to work on you doing what you’re told.” He placed my hands back on the tile then planted a hard swat on my butt cheek, the loud sound of his hand connecting with my wet skin echoing inside the shower. “If you let go again I’m going to punish you.” His voice was harsh in my ear and I didn’t know if I should be turned on or afraid.

He ran his hands slowly down my side once more. I closed my eyes and bit my lip, every nerve in my body firing simultaneously. He stopped when he reached my waist, pulling me toward him, letting my hands slide down the wet tile. “I’m going to take you now, Isabella. Don’t let go of the wall.”

In one quick motion he pushed himself inside me. “Alec,” I moaned, as I adjusted to the depth of his erection from this position. He shifted his hips as he moved in and out of me, slowly at first.

With his fingers digging into my flesh, he really started to move. “Oh God, Alec,” I screamed, the sensation more than I could handle. My sex began to quicken when he found his rhythm. I pushed back against the wall, meeting his thrusts, pushing him even deeper inside me. Alec reached around and circled my clit with one hand, the other hand still on my hip. My sex contracted as another orgasm threatened.

“That’s it, baby. Come for me,” he groaned. That was all it took. That one little command had my body unraveling around him. He pushed himself deeper inside as he found his own release.

Alec eased his still hard cock out of me. Slowly, I stood up, my hands still on the tile. Alec held onto my wrists and turned me toward him, kissing me softly on the lips. “That was so hot, baby.” Not able to speak, I laid my head on his chest, a satisfied smile on my face.

• • • • •

I wrapped the hotel robe around me then climbed into bed for a much needed nap. The events of the day had left me totally exhausted, not to mention the four mango mimosas with lunch. We were meeting Drew and Anna for a pre-graduation dinner later, and I’d need all the strength I could get. After tomorrow the kids would be off on their own on the class trip, then college. They’d be living their own lives, building their own futures. It was a lot to accept given all the other changes in my life this past year. I closed my eyes and allowed my mind to wander.

It’s dark. I can’t see.

Why must you defy me?

Who are you?

Don’t move.

I’ll punish you if you move.

Why are you doing this?

What’s mine is mine, Bella.

My heart is racing. I can’t breathe.

“Isabella. Isabella, wake up.”

I jolted upright in bed, beads of sweat covering my forehead. I glanced around the room. “Alec,” I gasped, relieved when I saw him.

He pulled me into his arms. “You were dreaming,      baby. Everything is okay. You’re safe with me.”

“Were you serious?”

Alec tilted his head to one side. “It was just a dream, Isabella.”

“No, earlier, in the shower, when you said you were going to punish me. Were you serious?”

A smile crossed his face. “I think you need to be punished. Don’t you?” He pulled a tissue from the box and wiped the sweat off  my forehead. “After all, you did ditch your security, and you failed to mention Nathan was here.”

“I thought it was a dream, Alec. I would’ve told you if I’d known it was real.”

“No excuses, Isabella. You should’ve told me.”

I let it go. Truthfully, part of me suspected it wasn’t a dream. I just hadn’t wanted to admit it. I was suffocating with the security Alec already had in place, and the thought of more was just too much. “You’re right, Alec. I should’ve told you. Next time—”

“There isn’t going to be a next time,” he interrupted. “There will be no more secrets, and no more ditching security, for any reason. Are we clear on that?”

I pulled away suddenly. “No, we’re not,” I objected. “He didn’t attack me when I was out. He attacked me here, in this room, with Frank right next door.”

Alec pulled me back into his arms, and I could feel a slight tremble. “Please, Isabella. I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you.”

“I wouldn’t have to ditch security if you’d let me work. I’m bored, Alec. I miss my job. I’m going crazy here alone.”

“Okay,” he said finally. “If going back to work is that important to you we’ll figure something out.”

There was a long line of people waiting for the complimentary muffins and juice the school provided for the mid-morning graduation ceremony, but I managed to push my way past  the crowd to the staging area where the graduates were busily readying themselves. I was hoping to steal a minute with the kids before the ceremony. I moved through the crowd, searching for them both, the sea of blue and white gowns making it difficult to pick anyone out of the crowd.

I was just about to give up when I heard Drew laugh. “Drew,” I called out, hoping he’d hear me.

“Mom.” I heard him call, but I still couldn’t see where he was. “Mom.” I heard again, behind me this time. Drew lifted me off the ground as he wrapped me into a bear hug. “I wasn’t expecting to see you until after the ceremony.”

“I wanted to hug you one last time before you graduated,” I said, struggling to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall.  I didn’t want to ruin this day for him with an emotional breakdown. A single tear rolled down my cheek. Drew reached up and wiped it away. Unable to stop myself, I pulled him close, savoring the last hug I’d have before he was officially a high school graduate.

“Mom!” Anna squealed as she ran toward me. Instantly, Drew released me and I wrapped Anna up in a hug next.

“Aunt Val stopped by a little bit ago. Have you seen her?” What? She was already here? Why hadn’t she called me? I shook my head.

Someone called from a distance, “Anna, Drew, hurry up, you’re holding up the pictures.”

Drew kissed me on the cheek. “Mom, we gotta go.”

“We’ll see you after the ceremony,” Anna added, then kissed the other cheek. With that they disappeared back into the crowd.

The auditorium had filled up considerably since I’d first arrived. Scanning the audience, I looked for Alec and Jack. “We’re over here, baby,” Alec said, sneaking up behind me. I nodded, my heart beating too fast to speak. That whole attacker thing had me on the edge of insanity.

By the time we reached our seats my heart rate had returned to normal. I sat in the empty seat next to my dad. “Have you seen Val?”

“She was having a fairly heated conversation with Spencer when I got here but I haven’t seen her since,” he said.

I fished my phone out of my purse to call her, wondering where she was, and what the argument was all about. Shit. She’d called me. With all the noise in the auditorium I hadn’t heard the ring. I dialed voicemail and listened to the message, shaking my head as it played.

“What’s wrong?” Alec asked.

“Val left,” I said unable to hide the disappointment in my voice. “There was some sort of emergency she had to deal with,” I said, doing my best to hide the disappointment in my voice. Val came all this way and I didn’t even get to see her, and now I had her emergency to worry about. It had to be something big for her to miss Drew and Anna’s graduation, but she didn’t offer any clues about what it could be.

• • • • •

The ceremony was shorter than I’d expected given the four hundred plus graduates, but by the time we finished taking pictures it was well after two. My dad rode with Drew and Anna back to the house for the party. Spencer invited over a hundred people, so I wasn’t in a hurry to get there. I wouldn’t be missed, not for a while at least. I’d called Valerie, but her voicemail picked up. I was starting to worry.

“The sooner we get here the sooner we can leave,” Alec said, somehow sensing my apprehension. I’d managed to avoid Spencer’s parents at the ceremony but I doubted I’d be that lucky at the graduation party. I was sure they’d blame me for the divorce. Nothing was ever Spencer’s fault, not in their eyes anyway. Alec was right though. I had to go, and the sooner I got there the sooner I could leave.

“Promise me you’ll stay by my side.” Surely Gladys, Spencer’s mom, would stay clear if Alec was standing next to me.

Alec lifted my hand to his mouth and gently kissed my knuckles. “I promise, Isabella,” he whispered. “Now, can we go? Because I’m really looking forward to getting you alone when this is all over.”

My cheeks reddened at the possibilities that promise  held.

Alec’s jaw tightened as Preston drove through the open gate at my house, and I said a silent prayer he wasn’t having second thoughts about coming to the party with me. “Does Spencer even care about your safety?” Alec snapped. That was the same tone he’d had when he found out about Nathan, so I didn’t dare answer him. The last thing I needed while preparing to face this crowd was a pissed off control freak.

Preston pulled up in front of the house and turned off the engine.

“I want a complete perimeter sweep. And find out where Frank is,” Alec ordered, when Preston opened his door.

“Yes, sir,” Preston said, his response calm and cool as usual.

Alec walked slowly around the back of the car toward the passenger side where I was sitting. I didn’t move, needing every last second to garner the strength it’d take to get through the afternoon. A warm breeze blew over my legs and I realized the door had been opened. Turning to see who it was, I took one last deep breath to calm my nerves, and then stepped out of the car into Alec’s waiting arms.

After a lingering hug Alec hooked his arm around mine and escorted me inside, only tensing a little as we passed through the unlocked front door.

The house felt strange somehow, not at all like the home it used to be. Gone were my soft earthy tones and colorful accents. The walls of the foyer had been painted red; a deep, dark red that sent a shiver down my spine, the color of dried blood red.

I stopped outside my office door. Alec tugged on my arm but I was unable to resist the urge to see what changes Spencer had made in there. My mouth practically hit the floor when I stepped inside the room. The yellow walls that once enveloped the sun had been painted black. My desk that overlooked the Bay had been replaced with a pool table. A bar now stood where the sofa once was. The paintings I’d worked so hard to collect, the books I cherished, all of them gone. There wasn’t one thing left in the space that spoke of me.

“Do you like what I’ve done in here?”

“My office,” I gasped. “What have you done to my office?”

“It’s not your office anymore, Bella,” Spencer chuckled.

“Spencer, how could you? This is still half my house, and you know how much I loved this room.”

“I couldn’t stand the constant reminder of you. I changed it all, every room, every memory.” His words were slurred and I realized he’d already had way too much to drink. Arguing with him would be pointless, so I stormed out of the room instead.

Alec followed me into the kitchen. “I want to go, now,” I said when we were far enough away from Spencer I was sure he couldn’t hear me. Certainly, he’d have something to say about me leaving so soon, and I was in no mood to hear it, especially not from him.

“Shouldn’t you let Drew and Anna know you’re here before we leave?”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine, but then we’re leaving.”

Alec pulled me into his arms. “Considering all you’ve been through today, Isabella, I’m going to give you a pass this time, but this is the last time. Roll your eyes at me again and I
will
punish you, no matter where we are.” My insides tingled and I nervously bit my lip. Damn my body for being so turned on by him when I was busy trying to be mad at Spencer. “Now, let’s go find the graduates so we can get you out of here.”

He led me through the kitchen and into the back yard where everyone was gathered. Much to my dismay, Gladys spotted me from across the yard the second I stepped out of the lanai and she started in my direction. Snagging a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter, I quickly drank it down. My plan to avoid Gladys had failed and liquid courage was all I had left.

“Izzy, it’s so nice to see you,” she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. She moved in for a hug and I didn’t fight it. Making a scene wasn’t going to make this encounter any easier.

“It’s nice to see you too, Gladys.”

She released me then turned her attention to Alec. “And you must be Alec Payne.” She extended her hand to him. “Spencer has told me a lot about you.”

He kissed the back of her hand. “Mrs. James,” he said with a look that could melt even the coldest of hearts. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

Gladys’ cheeks glowed red and she quickly withdrew her hand. “Spencer said you were a charmer. In fact, he said you charmed the pants right off Izzy.”

I knew her sincerity only seconds ago had been too good to be true. The waiter walked by and I liberated another glass from his tray.

“Mrs. James, it was a pleasure to meet you but I’m afraid Isabella and I have some business to attend to.” He flashed a smile then pulled me away from that evil woman.

“Can we please go now?”

“Baby, Drew and Anna are leaving tomorrow morning. Don’t you want to see them?”

I exhaled loudly. “Of course I do, but you heard her, Alec. She thinks I cheated on Spencer and I’m sure everyone else here does too.”

“Who cares what they think?” He leaned down and kissed me right on the lips. “Now, stop pouting.”

“Mom,” Anna squealed as she ran toward me. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”

“And miss the opportunity to see you before your trip, not a chance.” Anna threw her arms around me and I squeezed her tight. She smelled familiarly sweet, not at all like the perfume she normally wore. “Are you wearing a new perfume?”

“Yeah, Aunt Val brought it for me. Do you like it?”

“It smells sweet. What is it?”

“Oh, I can’t remember right now, white gardenia or something.” My body tensed. That smell, alcohol, cigarettes and gardenias?

“Hey, what about me, where’s my hug?” Drew asked as he wrapped in his arms me, all thoughts of my nightmares vanishing instantly. Overcome by emotion, I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. My babies were officially grown up.

“Mom,” Anna complained. “Stop crying before you make me cry too.”

I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. “I’m sorry guys. I’m just so proud of you both.”

“As am I,” Alec said. “I can’t say enough how proud I am of your accomplishment. I can’t wait to see what you’ll achieve next.”

Anna threw her arms around Alec’s waist. “Thanks, Alec. That means a lot.”

“Yes, thank you, Alec, for everything,” Drew added.

We chatted for a few minutes, mostly about the cruise they were leaving for on in the morning. Spencer’s dad, Steve, started toward us, and my body tensed again. Alec must have seen my anxiety building because he quickly excused us.

It was hard saying goodbye to the kids, not knowing exactly when I’d see them again, but I’d never been so happy to leave a party in all my life. Most of the guests were from Spencer’s side of the family, and it was clear from my conversation with Gladys that Spencer had been less than honest about our divorce. He could’ve at least said it was an amicable split, but he chose to blame me instead. Maybe in his mind it
was
my fault because I’d been the one who demanded a divorce. Funny how he seemed to gloss right over the reason I’d done it.

Preston was waiting by the car when we approached, an almost expressionless look plastered across his face. He motioned over his shoulder, some sort of unspoken language that Alec seemed to understand perfectly. Alec kissed me on the top of the head then helped me into the car. I watched intently as the two men rounded the back of the car. I couldn’t hear what Preston was saying, but from Alec’s body language I knew it wasn’t good news. One hand fisted in his hair, the other at his side, until finally getting into the car.

“What was that about?”

“There was an explosion in the parking garage of my apartment in Manhattan,” he said, his voice barely audible.

“Oh my gosh, Alec! That’s terrible. Was anyone hurt?”

“There were a couple of minor injuries. Luckily, everyone is expected to be okay.”

My body tensed. “Was it him?” I asked, although I was pretty sure of the answer. Alec nodded slowly. Tears quickly filled my eyes. “I’m sorry, Alec. This is all my fault. It’s me he wants to hurt.”

“Baby, no. This isn’t your fault. We don’t know that the bombing is related to the attack on you.”

“Yes it is,” I cried. “This psycho is after me and now innocent people are hurt. Oh, Alec, what if he hurts you, or one of my kids?”

Alec unbuckled his seatbelt and slid over next to me, snaking his arm around my shoulders. “I won’t let anything happen to them, Isabella, or to you. And Preston won’t let anything happen to me.” I laid my head on his shoulder as I tried to still my tears. “Besides, he’s in police custody. He can’t hurt anyone now.”

“What? They caught who did it? Who is he?”

“That guy you met on the beach, Nathan, although that’s not his real name.”

“Nathan?” I gasped. “Why is he doing this? I don’t even know who he is.”

“We’ll know more as soon as the police figure out his real identity. The important thing is he’s off the streets.”

“Are you sure it was him?”