Chasing Heartbreak: A Friends-to-Lovers Romance (Dark Love Series Book 6)

by Kat T. Masen

  “You’re not going to say it’s a rite into the passage of adulthood, are you?”

  “Nope, prepare yourself for heartbreak, baby. Followed by all the feels.”

  Noah falls onto the sofa, closing his eyes while letting out a huff. I sit beside him, throwing a blanket over us. With my legs on top of his, he massages me before sliding into my shirt.

  “Shall we fuck now before you ruin the movie?” I ask with a knowing smirk, my gaze fixated on the flat screen.

  “If the movie was that good, I wouldn’t need to fuck you,” he retorts.

  “You always need to fuck me.”

  Noah climbs on top of me as a knock on the door interrupts us.

  “Are we expecting anyone?”

  I shake my head.

  Noah heads to the door and returns with a gold box. It’s rather fancy with a touch of elegance.

  “A delivery this late?” I question, curious.

  “Someone must really want us to open a Christmas gift.”

  He places the box between us, ripping the bow off. Inside sits another gold box. Both of us look at each other before we open the lid and see the pearl paper. My eyes read over it until they open wide with shock.

  “What is it?”

  “O.M.G,” I yell, jumping off the couch. “Eric’s getting married!”

  NOAH

  My finger’s drum tap against the large woodgrain table as the presentation plays on the large screen.

  The 3D impressions of the refurbishments to one of the largest hotels we’re trying to turnover is causing my mind to run at full speed. Projections, timeframes, campaigning—the list goes on.

  “State-of-the-art amenities, a world-class health center, luxury dining—everything we need to stay competitive in the hotel industry,” Cruz, our head project manager, concludes.

  Distracted by the opulence of this thirty-million-dollar project, I haven’t feasted my eyes on Kate sitting diagonally across the table. When it comes to meetings, I always try my best to ignore her, with reason.

  The woman knows how to dress. Who would have thought her corporate attire would be such a fucking turn-on every goddamn day. The white dress she’s wearing today with the gold pumps is doing nothing to curb my hard-on. I’m confident, no wait, sure, I’ve fucked her before in this dress because it did the exact same thing to me the first time she wore it.

  Shit, the stir in my pants is uncomfortable, causing me to shift my legs. This is why you need to ignore her. Your dick is out of fucking control.

  As Cruz shifts his presentation to a less appealing subject, boredom seeps in with my mind drifting to Kate.

  It’s been six months since the day Kate moved here, and six months in which my life changed forever.

  There is never a dull moment in our lives. Our jobs, demanding with many challenges, had me traveling interstate more than I cared to admit. According to Charlie and her ever-so unwanted opinion of my life, I had turned into Lex. It came with a lecture, of course, on work-life balance and being present for my family.

  Kate, equally as dedicated to her work, rose to my defense each time. She understands exactly the kind of job we do and the responsibilities of being on the executive team. One thing I have learned working beside her—she is incredibly hard-working and an absolute shark in the boardroom. Men are intimidated by her, and although I will tease her after hours about her aggressive nature, I don’t blame her one bit. In our industry, you need to play the right cards in order to win the deal.

  No one messes with her.

  But sitting across from me, her face is anything but aggressive, more troubled by something else demanding her attention. Her fingers are typing rapidly on her phone, brow creasing and lips tight. Fuck, those lips look amazing wrapped against my cock.

  I check the time on my watch, noting we’ve gone over and use this as an excuse to wrap up Cruz since the bastard can talk for hours.

  “We need to wind this up. I’ve got another meeting. I’d like to see more accurate numbers we anticipate for these improvements, and Chris, can we get approval times, too? Any changes this grand will need to be submitted for development approval.”

  I wait to see if Kate wants to add anything, clearing my throat to catch her attention.

  She lifts her head, sliding her phone away while narrowing her eyes.

  “This needs to meet our deadline. We want this completed by next summer to capitalize on people vacationing. Projections people, get it to us by next Monday.” Rising from her chair, she grabs her phone and notes, leaving the room abruptly without another word nor a glance my way.

  Chris pulls me aside, asking me to take a look at a few things this afternoon. As soon as I’m done, I walk toward Kate’s office to see her standing beside the large glass window, texting furiously.

  I don’t knock, closing the door behind me. Leaning against the wall, I keep my distance to remain professional in the workplace, an arduous task when the woman you love is only a few feet away, and you haven’t seen her in three days due to traveling.

  “You’re quiet. What’s wrong?”

  Kate tilts her head sideways, appearing dazed until she focuses on my face.

  “Noah,” she softens, the tone already warning me to pay attention because it doesn’t sound promising. “I just… something has come up. It’s about this weekend.”

  Fuck my life, not this again.

  This weekend is Eric and Tristan’s bachelor weekend. Apparently, just one night isn’t good enough, so they scheduled a whole weekend of partying—a penthouse suite at one of the hotels we’ve acquired, including the nightclub reserved only for their guests. Vegas brings back memories of my boys, Benny and Tom, and me in our single days with pool parties while drunk on Alizé. It feels like a whole other lifetime ago.

  And perhaps, with age, my partying days seem less important. I would rather spend the entire weekend in bed, devouring my woman because that always has a happy ending.

  My frustration begins to grow again, having heard nonstop about this weekend for the past few weeks. Frankly, I have more pressing things on my mind.

  “What now? Eric’s got a wardrobe issue, or let me guess, he can’t get the right kind of champagne. There are bigger problems in the world than Eric’s goddamn weekend.”

  Kate’s stare is fixated on me, her arms crossing beneath her beautiful tits, only making them fuller.

  You’re distracted again. Calm the fuck down.

  “Dominic is coming.”

  The second the name drops, anger sweeps through me like a force of nature. My fists clench into a ball, stiff against my sides as I stretch my neck in silence. Beneath the business shirt and vest I’m wearing, heat rises, making the room stifling hot.

  The timing of this man has been the bane of my existence. The nerve of him to pursue Kate like she’s a fucking toy, to turning up at her apartment begging her with his newly found profession of love. And all of a sudden, he is Eric’s best friend, their bond unbreakable from the brotherhood.

  I don’t buy it for one second. He has an agenda, and he wants what is mine.

  “Talk to me, please,” she begs with pleading eyes.

  “What’s there to say?” I shrug, folding my arms while tucking in my upper lip. “He’s Eric’s brother, apparently.”

  “Noah.”

  A knock on the door breaks the mounting tension. Lex enters the room quietly, watching both of us with curiosity.

  “Am I interrupting anything?”

  “No,” we both say in unison.

  “Great,” he says, though still appearing cautious. “Noah, can we move our five o’clock meeting to now? Charlotte is held up across town, so I need to pick up the girls.”

  “Sure.”

  “Lex,” Kate calls as she walks to her desk. “Before you leave, can you sign these documents so we can FedEx them to Manhattan overnight?”

  Lex moves toward the table, grabbing a pen and signing the papers.

  “I’ll meet you in your off
ice in five minutes,” he tells me before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

  “My afternoon is clear, so I’m going to pick up the kids,” Kate mentions once he is gone.

  “I thought Morgan had Jessa tonight, and we only had Nash?”

  “Morgan texted me an hour ago. Her flight is delayed, and she won’t be in until after eight. You know Jessa is always exhausted on Fridays after school. I suggested she stay the night and pick her up in the morning before we leave for Vegas.”

  The guilt consumes me, the anger I momentarily take out on Kate because I can’t control Dominic attending this weekend. And she doesn’t deserve my anger, not when she’s does everything she can possibly do to make our family work. She is the reason why Morgan and I can finally co-parent without the hateful words and threats. She’s also the reason why my son is in my life more than ever.

  “A good idea,” I mumble, defeated. “I’ll see you tonight once I’m done.”

  She nods her head in agreeance. “And Noah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I love you. Just a bump, okay? We’ll get through this because we always do.”

  Inside my office, Lex is already sitting down while talking on his phone. His tone is unforgiving, and judging by the way he is pinching the bridge of his nose, he is not getting the answers he needs.

  “Just get me those signed contracts you promised to deliver. You’ve got until the close of business.”

  He ends the call abruptly as I’ve seen him do several times before, letting out a puff of air while shaking his head in annoyance.

  “Let’s call Johnson. I’m certain he will come up with some excuse as to why he is late with his numbers,” I mention, frustrated at dealing with idiots.

  “Before we do that, is everything okay? Between you and Kate?”

  “It’s fine,” I lie, not wanting to get into the semantics of it all.

  “I heard about Dominic. Charlotte told me this afternoon.”

  I crack my neck, the sound of his name becoming this trigger I can’t seem to get any control over.

  “Take it from me,” Lex suggests, his brotherly advice always wise. “You’re going to drive yourself crazy if you don’t control the situation yourself. It’s not easy to be in the company of someone who wants what you have.”

  “Right,” I mumble. “I guess you would know since that person married your sister. Though you seem to be fine with it.”

  Lex lets out a long-winded breath. “I wasn’t fine with it. It was a challenging time for our family. I was angry for a long time, but in the end, I had no choice. Adriana is my blood. I will do anything for her, even if that means I have to relinquish my own demons and give her freedom to make her own decisions. I guess, in the end, she is happy, and he’s proven his worth.”

  “I don’t know how you do it. The mere thought of being in the same room as that fucker, I just want to punch his fucking lights out.”

  A small laugh escapes Lex. “I have my moments, trust me. I’m not perfect.”

  Pulling my drawer open, I reach in and grab the navy velvet box and place it on the table.

  “I’ve been carrying this for months, even before she officially moved to LA. I bought it in Paris, the night after we… you know… I want to ask Kate to marry me.”

  “So why haven’t you? You will make my life easier since Charlotte is waiting with bated breath for this to happen. Her words, not mine.”

  “Because of life. We’re both so busy with work, traveling, then there was the move, plus trying to balance the kids. It’s been nonstop, and then you add all the goddamn nonsense of this weekend. I don’t want to think I’m just doing it just because we live together.”

  “Of course, it’s understandable. You want it to be perfect. You know, our trip to France is in two weeks. The girls are excited to finally see their castle.”

  “Yeah, I know. We’re looking forward to it. I know Kate has been desperate to finally get there and start tearing the inside apart.”

  “Look, you’ll know when it’s right, and it’s going to be perfect no matter what because you’re marrying the woman you love,” he says wisely. “As for this weekend, keep your distance from Dominic but always remain one step ahead. Try to refrain from punching his face because no matter what the scenario, you’ll be to blame if you act first.”

  I nod my head, sliding the box back into the drawer and closing it.

  “Let’s make this call,” I tell him. “We need to get this sorted out before the weekend.”

  ***

  I close the front door behind me, the aroma of home relaxing my tense muscles. Only a short distance away, I hear the chatter from the living room. I head to the room with small quiet steps but stop short of entering as I lean against the arch and watch quietly.

  Kate is sitting on the floor, still in her work attire, but her hair is loose and her shoes removed. She always looks beautiful whether she is dressed in designer clothing or in a pair of sweats with a messy bun. But there is nothing sexier than the sight of her with my children.

  Jessa is sitting beside her, brushing her doll’s hair, while Nash is between her legs, trying to eat the doll’s hair. The kid puts everything in his mouth. The second I make my appearance with a slight sound, Jessa’s eyes lift, shining so bright as she runs to me. I throw her into my arms, smelling her hair before kissing her forehead.

  “Daddy, why are you so late?”

  Jesus, talk about guilt, kid.

  “I had to work, princess.”

  Placing her down, she runs back to Kate, so I take Nash in my arms before leaning in to kiss Kate’s lips, giving her space to stretch her legs.

  When it comes to the kids, Kate’s patience amazes me. She makes our family dynamic work so effortlessly, and given she’s never experienced living with children, she takes the time to learn, and I couldn’t do any of this without her.

  Even more the reason to make her your wife.

  “The kids are fed, bathed, and ready for bed soon.” Kate yawns, her normally vibrant eyes appearing tired. “As am I. It’s been a long day.”

  We play with the kids a little while longer before we commence the grueling task of bedtime. Nash is much easier—the kid is knocked out by the lullaby’s second verse which plays in his room—but Jessa is much more demanding. She loves to read and will embellish the stories to drag it out, finding any excuse not to go to sleep.

  After reading three stories and reminding her about the trip to the zoo with Morgan and Callum tomorrow, she finally agrees for me to leave the room but not until Kate comes to say good night.

  We swap roles, Kate taking over while I head to our room and straight for the shower. The hot water is relaxing every part of me, though a blow job would be perfect right now. Three nights of sleeping alone in a hotel room is doing nothing to curb my fucking dick right now.

  Knowing Jessa tends to walk into our room about a thousand times before she finally falls asleep, I place on my boxers and exit the bathroom to see Kate pulling down the zipper of her dress.

  Standing behind her, I move her hair away from her neck and plant a kiss on her shoulder, inhaling her skin which smells like coconut from the body lotion she wears.

  “Go check on Jessa,” Kate suggests. “I’ll take a shower.”

  I slap her ass softly before going to check on Jessa. Surprisingly, she is fast asleep, already snoring.

  Back in the room, I climb into bed and wait for Kate to finish. She exits the bathroom dressed in a black satin nightie which sits so far up her thigh I can practically see her beautiful pussy begging to be tasted. When she climbs into bed and turns off the lamp, I pull her body to mine and run my hand up her nightie to her breasts as she strokes my hair.

  My words fall silent as I think about my behavior this afternoon, but I can’t lose her.

  She is my life.

  “Noah, I know you’re angry, but this is life. We can’t avoid our past. Lord knows it’s a heavy lesson learned these past s
ix months.”

  “But it’s different. Morgan and Olivia don’t pine for me.”

  “Pine? Really, we’re using that word?”

  I sit up, pulling my hand away. “In guy’s language, he still jerks off thinking about you, and no doubt he’ll tell you this weekend how great it was when he was inside you. How you’ll come back to him because you can’t resist.”

  “Noah.” She breathes with a slight ache. “He can say whatever the hell he wants. The only person I want is the man beside me when he’s not being a dick.”

  “I hate him.”

  “I know.”

  “Why couldn’t you have been a virgin? That would have made my life easier.”

  “I doubt it. I laid there extremely quiet from memory and stared at the ceiling, counting down the seconds until it was over. I was seventeen at the time and didn’t have sex again until I was twenty.”

  “You would have if it was with me.”

  Kate kisses my hair softly, reassuring me as she has done several times before. I hate being jealous, but the woman turns heads wherever she goes, and it riles me every time men devour her with their eyes.

  “We’ll never know. But Noah, you’ve got to deal with the fact that this may not be the only time we see him. There’s the wedding for starters. While I’m surprised how close they have become, I can’t not be a part of Eric’s life because of my past. Granted, it was a fucked-up decision on my part, but it’s done.”

  “It annoys me that you’re rational, just so you know.”

  “One of us has to be.” She snickers as I jab my finger into her side, playfully. “No one will ever change the way I feel about you. This is our life now, our family, and whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me.”

  I climb on top of her, running my thumb against her bottom lip. “I’d die a happy man to be stuck with you for life. But for now, it’s been three nights since I’ve been inside of you.”

  Kate raises her lips, lingering on mine as I graze my teeth causing her to shiver beside me. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

  Our bodies move in sync, the way it has always been. I can’t get enough of her wild, insatiable ways, though she blames me for being the sex maniac. I’ve finally met my match in the bedroom. Kate enjoys kink when we are in an empty house and can fuck against every surface, and I love her even more because of it.