The NSC Boxset: Heart of Stone (180 page)

God damn, Lucas. Move the fuck on!

Brad ordered our beers as we stood at one end of the bar and my eyes perused the pussy available. Each eye met mine as I swept them amongst the girls, all of them hoping I would pick them.

A blonde smiled at me, her perfect white teeth pulling in my attention and I returned her smile. I thought she was new here, I’d definitely not seen her before anyway and maybe that’s what I needed, fresh pussy.

She stood and swayed over to me, palming my cheek as soon as she reached me and I skimmed my gaze over her body.

She was definitely a tight little thing. Her boobs were maybe a little too big, her hips were a bit too slim for my liking and her stomach a tad too flat but as Brad always said ‘It’s not the bitch, it’s her cunt that matters.’

“Ya’ need entertaining, baby?” she purred as her own eyes scanned over me, her lips twitching in delight when she realised her catch for tonight wasn’t going to be an eighty year old fart with no teeth.

Laughter erupted from the other end of the bar and I turned to look but I couldn’t see who it was for the extra-large man that had positioned himself in the middle of the bar and blocked my view.

The loud laughter carried on and it was beginning to get on my nerves. It was taking too much of my attention away from the tart that I currently needed to fuck Red out of my system.

My dick hadn’t come to life yet but that would come when I got her naked and under me. Surely.

“You fucking tart!” a laugh resounded from the group and I closed my eyes in distress as I recognised those beautiful tones and that laughter.

I rolled my head round, just as sumo moved and the same time as Blondie decided to suck on my neck. Red swirled round, showing Mason and Ava a dance move or something and her eyes came to a halt on me. Then they moved to Blondie.

I watched Red’s face shut down as she swallowed harshly, her gaze never moving from Blondie and I pulled my neck away. “Back off, yeah?”

She frowned at me and brought her hand up to my face again. “Ya’ need to fuck that temper out of ya,’ baby?”

Fuck yes! I fucking did. More than fucking ever!

My anger at Red’s deceit and insincere words suddenly spun through me like a tornado. Each of her loving words jumbling in my frazzled mind.

“Make love to me, Lucas. Right here, by the window, in front of the world. Let humanity see how much you love me and how much I love you.”

“I love you too, Lucas Hunt.”

“I’ll protect you from him Lucas, I can promise you that.”

Oh yeah Red, you did a great job of protecting me from Diablo, he still fucking won in the end.

He still controls your fucking heart.

Something finally snapped inside me and I yanked at Blondie’s hair and pulled her across the room towards the privates. William eyed me warily but Blondie put up her hand to tell him she was okay as she stumbled behind me up the stairs.

“Baby, calm down yeah? I’m here, ya’ can fuck me any which way you want but just lay off the hair, yeah?” she whimpered, which just riled me more.

“Shut the fuck up bitch” I raged as I pushed her into a room.

She stumbled forward and turned to face me as I stood in the doorway, my anger and rage and fury all surfacing at once as I glared at the whore who was ready and primed for me.

“Lucas . . .”

I closed my eyes as her soft voice filtered across the corridor and I shook my head in determination to rid her from my mind.

Rip her from my heart.

Tear her from my fucking soul.

She needed to be exorcised and I would be damned if it wasn’t with Blondie here.

I fought with my head and my heart, each of them pulling at the other.

I lifted my eyes at Blondie again who was now starting to look a little concerned over my wrath and I clenched my fists by my side, desperately trying to rein it in.

She would do Lucas. Hell, she had tits and a pussy, she would do, damn it.

FUCK!!!!

“Lucas . . .” It came again and I scrunched up my eyes, gulping down huge, horrendous lungful’s of air.

“No!” I told no-one in particular; just shouted it at the wall, shouted it at the door, shouted it at the air and shouted it at the bitch waiting for her pussy to be filled by any random.

“Go!” I barked at her.

She narrowed her eyes but pushed past me and fled down the passageway, back to the main bar.

I entered the room and slammed the door shut before I dropped to my knees.

I was going crazy.

I had gone crazy.

I had already gone crazy for a woman who would never offer me her complete heart.

It had never been hers to give me.

It had been Ryan’s

It had been Diablo’s

It had never been mine.

But I wanted it. I wanted it all.

I wanted her smile, her body, her soul, her spirit, her breath and above all, I wanted her pure heart.

“Lucas.”

I heard her and I knew she was there but I couldn’t look at her, desperate for her not to see me like this.

Broken, so fucking broken.

I squeezed my eyes closed as I felt her kneel before me and I hadn’t realised I was crying until she wiped at my cheeks with her soft fingers.

“Look at me, Lucas.” She whispered and I shook my head.

“Please” she begged softly and I swallowed harshly as I slowly opened my eyes.

My breath caught at her beauty, her warm and gentle smile fluttered around inside my chest, searching for my heart but I clamped it closed and held it back.

But God, she was so utterly beautiful and I had to fight hard to keep her out.

“Breathe, baby.” She urged as she took hold of my hand and held it tight in hers. “In . . .” she sucked in air and gestured for me to follow her.

I tried but it just stuck in my throat and made me gurgle.

“Again. In. . . .” she reiterated and I copied her, now desperately forcing air into my lungs as they clenched tightly at the hollowness.

She smiled and nodded “Out. . . .”

I obeyed and let it all back out before repeating and my head swam at the sudden rush. “Whoa” she chuckled as she grabbed hold of my biceps to stop me falling over.

My eyes lowered to her hands, her touch scorching my skin and inappropriately bringing my dick to life.

Why now? After been on the brink for over 2 weeks, why did it have to come to life now?

She dipped her face so she could look at me and I swallowed as her eyes expressed her deep pain but she smiled tenderly. “You okay now?”

I nodded as my mouth refused to form words.

Seriousness fell over her face and she diverted her gaze to the floor. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Lucas. I didn’t mean to, I . . . I . . .”

She hissed through her teeth as though her words physically hurt her and I remained still and silent. Waiting for her excuse and to tell me she still loved me.

“I don’t know what I can do to stop the hurt, Lucas. But the only thing I could tell you that would help, would be a lie. I don’t think you need a lie, you need the truth. It’s about time we both faced that; we both need to face it. But you need to be willing to listen, Lucas. I can’t tell you until you listen.”

These weren’t the words she should be saying to me. They should be ‘sorry’ and ‘I love you’ and ‘I never loved Diablo, it was a lie.’

But she didn’t say them, she refused to say them.

Because they weren’t true.

“I . . .” I swallowed the words back. They wouldn’t help right now; they would hurt us both even more and neither of us needed that.

She nodded sadly and leaned in; placing her soft lips on my cheek, lingering a little too long but I relished it. My nostrils took in her scent; my skin absorbed her softness and my soul, if only for a moment, merged with its mate.

She stood and ran her hand across my head as she left.

My soul was still fused with hers, and she took it with her. Ripped it right out of me and left with it.

I was in hell, I was sure. Someone had forced me down there without me knowing.

Trampled me under the soil and weeds and earth and compelled me to a life without Red.

That was the only explanation for it.

Hell.

Chapter 35

Layla

LUCAS DIDN’T COME into work for the next two weeks. Nate had informed me he had taken himself off to some sunny island somewhere and my heart broke a little more. But I accepted it, even though it hurt, and I understood.

His stand-in was an arsehole; no other words really, just an utter arsehole, who loved to hear the sound of his own voice and fancied himself as a high-flying playboy.

He was roughly 6ft 2,” slim, wayyyy too slim, Eugh; you could actually see his ribs through his shirt.

Shudder.

His blonde hair was swept to perfection; its slickness flawlessly styled and preened. His eyes were too close together and his nose was huge. I mean sometimes noses can look a little big, but his really was bloody ginormous. One of those you stared at whilst he spoke to you and no matter how much you tell yourself ‘Don’t be fucking rude, you’re staring’ you just can’t look away.

“Miss Summers” he purred from his office and the twelfth shudder of the day worked its way through my body.

I popped my head around his door and smiled sweetly. “Be a doll and grab me some lunch would you? Ham salad on white, double hazelnut latte and a caramel slice. Thanks, sweetie.”

I know I had stabbed a man to death before but this man deserved more, much more. A staple gun and red hot poker jumped into my mind and I sighed contently at the images I was creating. “Of course, Mr Travis. No problem, Sir.”

I grabbed my bag and went on the fourth lunch run of the week.

Just as the elevator doors opened I stumbled backwards at the person who was already in it.

“Todd.”

His smile was uncomfortable as he stepped out and we both stared at each other apprehensively.

“I, uhh, can we talk?”

“Oh. Sure, I was just going on a sandwich run but we can grab a coffee while . . .”

He nodded and smiled tightly.

The silence was really awkward as we descended the lift and as we walked across the foyer, Mason walked in.

He eyed Todd considerably and then turned to me. “Xbox night Willow, tonight. Don’t eat, Ava’s cooking.”

I nodded as he looked at Todd again and narrowed his eyes. “You Ry’s brother?”

How the hell did he know that?

Todd nodded and swallowed heavily as Mason stepped in close; the raw power he emanated made me shiver, never mind Todd. “You touch one more hair on her head and I’ll laugh in your butt ugly face while you go down. You understand?”

Okay.

Todd nodded as I stared at Mason.

He turned, kissed my cheek and made his way to the elevator. “8 O’clock, little Willow.”

We stood still as Todd regained his composure and I smiled apologetically at him, “I . . . uhh, he’s a good friend. But I don’t know how . . . ?”

He shook his head. “I deserved that I suppose.”

Oh.

We made our way across to the deli and purchased tea whilst they prepared my boss’s order.

Todd gestured to a small table and we sat, both of us sipping our drinks while he plucked up the courage to say what he needed to say.

Eventually he reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a large brown envelope and handed it to me.

“My Mum asked me to give you these. They’re . . . Ry’s stuff she knew he would want you to have.”

I couldn’t help it, I frowned in confusion and Todd gave me a sad smile.

“The funeral. I was angry and hurting and looking for someone to blame, and suddenly there you were. But that doesn’t condone what I did and I’m so very sorry, Kay.”

I nodded in understanding. I was always there when someone wanted to take a hit.

“Anyway,” he continued as he looked at me painfully “I just wanted to apologise really.”

He looked away, grief, anguish and devastation controlling his features and my heart went out to him. “He was my little bro, Kay. I loved him but, if I’m truthful, I hated you because you took him from me.”

I searched his eyes. Bitterness was there, but his anger was not, just resignation really and I gulped back my tears.

“I never stole him, Todd. He was always your brother, whatever I was to him. I’m not gonna lie to you, you hurt him when you refused to have anything to do with him but . . .”

It was my turn to look away now, frantically trying to control the threat of tears. “But . . . Ry would want me to explain something to you.”

He lifted his gaze and studied me intently, his eyes roaming over each of my facial features before they slipped down and perused my neck.

“This doesn’t excuse what happened and it doesn’t help either of us as to why Ry took the verdict for me . . .”

Todd looked up at me, the words he knew but had never heard before, encouraged his intent to sort things out between us.

He nodded firmly and I slipped my hand across the table and rested it over his “He took the verdict because I saved his life, twice.”

Todd’s eyes widened as he stared at me and I smiled softly.

“A year after we got married, Ry kind of went on a downhill slope. He got into drugs bad, real bad. Dunno why, just one of those things and he started sleeping with random’s, didn’t come home and then started building a killer drug debt to some deep shit men.”

A shiver racked through me at the memories, but it was over now and it needed to be said and thrown out in the open. “They were gonna kill him. They came to our house one night, guns hanging, knives wielded and pinned Ry to the floor.” I closed my eyes to the pain but Todd slipped his hand over mine and squeezed.

“They gave him a choice. Die or . . . or give up a night with the little wifey.”

Todd reared back a little and a whimper left his throat at my confession. “Oh Christ, Kay.”

I shook my head and smiled. “Ry, of course wouldn’t let them, he begged them to kill him there and then instead of make me go through that, but I just kinda zoned out, took hold of the gun and walked out with them. I loved your brother that much, Todd.”

He squeezed his eyes shut. “I was 17 Todd, 17. They were nice enough; didn’t take me horribly or anything but Ry never ever forgave himself for it and that’s what eventually broke our marriage down.”