Twisted Affair: The Complete Series Box Set

by Parker, M. S.

  Chapter 8

  Blayne

  I'd spent the week trying to do what Livie had said she'd wanted. I didn't call her or text her or make any attempts to contact her even though I desperately wanted to. I missed her so badly that it was a physical ache. And it wasn't just the Katka part of her either. I missed Livie's steady presence, the confidence she exuded all the time. The way her eyes shined when she smiled. I missed the way she looked at me, as if expecting something more.

  Trying for distraction, I'd thrown myself into my work, getting there early and staying late, working through lunch unless I was meeting with someone. I had Samuel explain things in more detail than I needed, forcing myself to focus so I would know our products forwards and backwards. I knew he thought it was strange, but he never asked about my behavior. I was thankful for the space. I didn't want to think about it, let alone talk about it. I'd worked myself to exhaustion on purpose so that I'd be able to go home, eat, shower and fall into bed.

  It had been working too, but then my father had ordered me to a family dinner Friday evening and I knew I couldn’t avoid things much longer. I couldn't ask Livie to come, but I didn't like the idea of lying to my family and saying she was on a business trip either. However, telling my family that my wife had just found out that the twin sister she'd thought she'd had, and who I thought I'd been sleeping with, wasn't actually real, but was instead an alternate personality brought about by watching said sister die sixteen years ago...yeah, that didn't really seem like the best dinner conversation.

  Oddly enough, however, while Benjamin made snide remarks about Livie's absence, no one else said anything. I assumed Samuel had figured out that something was wrong and cautioned Hannah against asking me questions, but nothing explained my parents' silence on the matter. Or the fact that my dad barely spoke to me, not even to criticize. The thing was, I didn't get the impression that it wasn't because he was missing new fodder either. Something was on his mind.

  Halfway through the meal, I finally couldn't take the banal conversation anymore and excused myself. I didn't linger in the bathroom, not wanting to see how worn I looked. Not because I really cared about how I looked, but because it was just another reminder. I wasn't ready to go back to the dining room either so I wandered the opposite way down the hall. I went past the library and started to walk past my father's study when I realized the door was open.

  I wasn't sure if it was curiosity or if I just wanted to do something that would piss him off, but I went inside. We were forbidden to go in there unless we'd been summoned for some sort of lecture, and Dad had always been in there first.

  I circled around his desk, feeling the entire time like a little kid about to get caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It was strange to see things from this side. The last time I'd been in here, Dad had been sitting in his chair, like always, and I'd been on the other side of the desk, the same way I had as a child. Only this time, he hadn't grounded me or lectured me about some minor indiscretion. No, the last time I'd been in this room, I'd been given the ultimatum that had led to the situation I found myself in now.

  I looked down at the desk, tempted to move around the files that were sitting on top of it. I might have done it or I might have left them alone, but I never had the chance to decide because something on one of the papers caught my eye.

  Livie Dusek.

  I stopped. Why did my father have a paper with Livie's name on it? As I looked more closely, one word stood out. Divorce.

  My temper flared and all of the restraint I used when I spent time with my family disappeared. I snatched up the papers and stormed out of the office, heading straight back to the dining room. I'd had enough. My father had crossed the line. I felt my siblings all start and stare when I came in, but I didn't look at any of them. I went straight to my father.

  “What the hell is this?!” I shoved the papers at him. “Some cheap attempt to get out of our deal? You're going to do what, pay Livie off in hopes she'll divorce me so you can disinherit me? Or did you threaten her, because I know she wouldn't take your money?”

  My dad raised an eyebrow and took another sip of his wine. “If you'll calm down, I'll explain.”

  I dropped the papers on his plate, not caring that they landed on what was left of his prime cut veal. “Explain.”

  “I know about Livie's...condition.” He glanced behind me and I knew he was being discreet because of my siblings.

  “How the hell...” I started to ask through gritted teeth. “Never mind. I don't care how you found out. It's none of your business.”

  “The health of your wife is indeed my business,” he countered. “She's a fine young woman and I wanted to make sure she received the best possible care.”

  “Which you offered her in exchange for a divorce,” I finished.

  “Ultimately, yes,” he admitted. “I gave her a check and told her that she should get better.”

  “And?” My voice was tight. I wanted Livie to have the best care possible and I wouldn't blame her for taking my father's offer. But I hadn't seen a signature on those papers.

  “And she tore it up.” There was a note of admiration in his voice.

  “Why?” My hands were clenched in fists so tight that my knuckles were starting to ache.

  A smile played on his lips. “I told her the truth, that she wouldn't be able to rely on you because you've never cared about anyone but yourself. She had a few choice words to say to that, all of which were very complimentary to you.”

  She'd stood up for me. My chest tightened. After everything, she'd defended me to my father.

  “She seems to be under the impression that I've misjudged you,” he continued. “Though the fact that you gave up so easily when she walked away does make me wonder if it isn't she who's misjudged.”

  I opened my mouth to tell him that he was wrong, that I hadn't given up. I hadn't realized it until that very moment, but I wasn't done. I didn't know how I was going to do it or in what capacity, but I wasn't going to let her go through this alone. I was prepared to say all of that and more when someone behind me decided to break their silence with his own unwelcome and insulting opinion.

  “The whore probably tore up the check because she thinks she can get more money out of us if she stays married.”

  I whirled around, my fist catching Benjamin's square jaw before I'd made the conscious decision to hit him. His chair tipped backwards, spilling him onto the floor. He stared up at me in shock, eyes flashing angrily.

  “You can shut your fucking mouth you cheating bastard!” I shouted. My heart was pounding, blood rushing in my ears. “Don't you ever speak about my wife like that! She's ten times the person you are.” I paused, then gave a bitter laugh. “And you know, so am I. I might never measure up in our family's eyes, but I know who I am and I know who you are.”

  “How dare–”

  “You've been having an affair with Rebecca Stirling, you asshole!” I glared at him. “And you walk around acting like you're better than everyone else.” I turned and looked at my family, stopping at my dad. “You know what, if it's choosing between this family and the woman I love, it's not much of a choice at all.”

  I walked out, barely registering the chaos that erupted behind me as I left. The only thing I did catch that made me smile was my father laying into my brother about the affair. Then I walked through the front door and left all of that shit behind me. I had more important things to do.

  Like tell my wife that I loved her and I wasn't going to leave her.

  Chapter 9

  Blayne

  I tried the hotel, but she wasn't there. The desk clerk said she'd checked out mid-week. I headed for the apartment next, hoping she hadn't skipped town or moved to another hotel so I couldn't find her. I didn't want to have to hire another PI to track her down – I wouldn't go back to Max since I had no doubt where some of my father's information had come from.

  The light in the window of the apartment, however, told me she was home. Now
I just had to convince her to let me in. I probably should've used the time it took me to walk up to the third floor to try to figure out what to say, but all I could think about was seeing her again. I felt like a nervous teenager waiting to take his crush to the prom. Or at least what I imagined a nervous teenager would feel like. I'd never had this problem before. Women never threw me off like this.

  I stood in front of the door for several seconds, gathering my courage, and then knocked. I heard movement from inside, but she didn't speak and the door didn't open. I knocked again and still nothing.

  “Livie!” I called out her name and slapped my palm against the door with a bit more force. “Please let me in!”

  “Go away, Blayne.”

  Her voice was strained and I took that as a positive sign. If this wasn't easy for her, it meant I had a chance. “I just want to talk. Please, Liv.” Maybe shortening her name would make her annoyed enough to open the door.

  “I have said all I needed to say.”

  “I haven't!” The words came out with more force than I'd intended, but I wasn't sorry. She needed to know that I meant what I said. “And I'm not leaving until I do.”

  The silence that followed told me that she apparently didn't believe me. It appeared I was going to have to prove it.

  I pounded on the door this time. “I'm serious, Liv! I'll stand out here all night if I have to. I don't think your neighbors would like it very much.”

  I heard the click of a lock and my pulse sped up. I took a step back so I wouldn't crowd her and waited for the door to open. The first thing that I noticed was that she'd left her hair down. The second was that she looked even more exhausted than I did. She stepped aside and made a motion for me to come into the apartment.

  “Speak.” She stayed a few feet away, arms folded like she was protecting herself.

  “I'm not leaving you,” I blurted out. Heat rose in my face, but I kept going. “And I'm not letting you leave me. I'm going to be here for you and help you through this. And not just because it's the right thing to do, but because I love you.”

  Her expression tightened, shoulders hunching forward even more. She shook her head. “No, you love Katka.” Her eyes were filled with pain as they met mine. “And I do not think she is ever coming back.”

  I felt a pang, but it wasn't like the pain before when I'd thought I'd lost her, because I knew she wasn't really gone. Not the way she was for Livie.

  She continued, “The wall that kept our personalities apart, that kept me from knowing about her, it is breaking. Memories are coming through.” She hesitated, then added, “I believe we are integrating unintentionally. I had not made a decision about what I wanted to do, but it is happening.” Her voice softened. “I do not think she will ever come back.”

  I closed the distance between us and she didn't back away. I looked down at her but she dropped her head. I reached out and hooked my finger under her chin, raising her head so she could see my face. “I need you to hear this, Livie, and see the truth.”

  She nodded. “I am listening.”

  “I didn't come here because I thought Katka would come back and I wanted to see her. I came here because I love you.” I cupped her face. “I'd been falling for you before I knew the truth. The things that had drawn me to her are in you. They are you.”

  “Blayne,” she whispered.

  I lowered my head and took her mouth, pouring everything I'd been feeling into that single kiss. For a brief moment, I thought she'd pull away, but she didn't. All at once, the tension went out of her and she was kissing me back. Her lips parted under mine, her tongue tentatively darting out. Her arms wrapped around my neck as she tilted her head, deepening the kiss.

  When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing heavily and I could see the desire in her eyes. I wanted her, but I wasn't going to push her.

  “I must confess something,” she said. One hand slid down my chest, coming to rest over my rapidly beating heart. “When I left that night, I was not entirely honest.”

  I put my hands on her waist, afraid for a moment that she'd pull away.

  “For some time, I had been fighting my own feelings.” Her fingers flexed on my chest and I saw the struggle for control on her face. “I had not wanted to admit it, but I knew that I was falling for you.”

  “Liv,” I breathed as I ran my fingers through her curls. “I want this to work. I'll do whatever you need me to do.”

  She dropped her hands to the hem of my shirt and gave it a tug. “I need you to make love to me.”

  “Are you sure that's a good idea?” My body was reacting to the suggestion, to her nearness, but I was going to let her take the lead.

  “Do you love me as me and not because you think I will be Katka?”

  I nodded.

  She took my hand. “Then will you make love to me?”

  I smiled. “Take me to bed.”

  I'd expected her to be like before, letting me take care of her, but as we entered her room, she pulled me to her and claimed my mouth with a familiar ferocity. There was a hint of desperation as her tongue delved between my lips. It tangled with mine as we scrambled out of our clothes, breaking the kiss only long enough to get rid of our shirts. She shivered as my hands caressed familiar curves, skin hot beneath my palms.

  We tumbled back onto the bed and my hand slid between her legs, finding her already wet. She moaned into my mouth as my finger entered her. I ran my tongue down her throat and across her breasts. I took one hard nipple into my mouth, increasing suction until she cried out.

  “More, please, Blayne.”

  I glanced up at her, surprised. She nodded and I sucked harder, worrying at the sensitive flesh with my teeth even as my finger twisted inside her. Her back arched as she came, crying out my name. I dropped down between her legs before she'd finished coming and drove one orgasm into another, my mouth pulling at the little bundle of nerves until her hands clutched at my head, pulling me closer.

  I made love to her with my mouth until she was begging me to stop and her body was a trembling mass of flesh. Only then did I slide back up her body and take her mouth even as I entered her. I swallowed her moans of pleasure as I took long, steady strokes, each one going as deep as I could, until I couldn't tell where my body ended and hers began. Her hips rose to meet mine, her hands clutching my ass.

  I had made love to Katka and then to Livie, their responses and needs different from each other. Now, I had them together, tenderness and passion, love and desire. When I looked into Livie's eyes, I saw a whole person. She was battered, but not broken. She would heal. We would heal.

  Her body shook beneath me and she gasped something in Czech that I recognized. Katka had told me what it meant.

  “I love you too, Liv.” I pressed my lips against her ear as I spoke. A shudder ran through me as I came, emptying myself inside her. I held her close as pleasure flooded me. She was mine, no matter what the future held.

  Chapter 10

  Livie and Katka

  We listened to the sound of his breathing, felt the steady thump of his heart against our back. Blayne's arms were wrapped around us, his body curled around ours. He was sleeping soundly, probably the first good sleep he'd had in a while. We knew that when we finally fell asleep, it would be like that for us too.

  We didn't know what would happen when we woke up, if we would become I again, if we would become we forever. We knew that we both loved him, that we had both loved him for longer than we'd wanted to admit and we were okay with that. He loved us both and would stay with us no matter what.

  It is okay, Katka whispered. I will always be here. And he loves you. Take care of him.

  We slowly fell asleep in his arms, not knowing the future, but, for the first time, secure in the knowledge that we were not alone.

  Chapter 11

  Blayne

  I hadn't been sure that asking Livie to move back into the penthouse so soon was a good idea, but I wanted her there. The place that had been my home fo
r years felt empty without her. When I'd told her that, she'd agreed. I'd told her that I'd help her pack, but she'd declined, saying that she needed the time to say good-bye. I'd assured her that we'd take things as slow or fast as she wanted, that I'd never pressure her into something she wasn't ready for, that I hadn't expected her to move into my room. That had been when she'd kissed me and told me she was ready to come home. This was just something she'd needed to do on her own.

  So, I went back to the penthouse to make us a nice Saturday morning brunch while she stayed to do whatever it was she needed to do. I'd just finished mixing up the pancakes and was getting ready to start on the bacon when someone knocked at the door. I wiped off my hands and headed over to the door. I'd forgotten to ask Livie if she still had her key.

  But when I opened the door, it wasn't my wife.

  It was my father.

  “Dad.” The word was clipped.

  “May I come in?”

  I considered telling him no, but I didn't. Instead, I stepped aside and let him enter. I'd be damned if I was going to offer him something to drink though.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked as I walked back into the kitchen. If he wanted to yell at me, he could damn well do it while I finished what I was doing.

  “I came to tell you that I’m proud of you.”

  I stopped mid-step and nearly stumbled. I turned to stare at him. I had to have misheard him. “Excuse me?”

  “I'm proud of you for standing up to me, for thinking of someone first. I never thought I'd see it.”

  I frowned at him, unsure if I should be pleased or insulted.

  “You don't have to prove anything anymore,” he said, looking rather pleased with himself for the pronouncement. “You don't have to stay with her. I was telling the truth that I like her. I'll make sure she gets the best treatment possible. But she's not your responsibility. I'll void your contract. As long as you don't return to your previous ways, your inheritance is safe.”

  I snorted a laugh. “You really weren't listening, were you? This isn't about my inheritance or an allowance. It's not about this place or any of this shit. It's about her. I love her. It's not an act.” I raked my hand through my hair. “And if having her means I'm no longer a part of the Westmore family, then so be it. I'll get a job. We'll make due. I'm not giving her up.”