Fractured Hearts (Shattered Lives, Book Three)

by Blakeley, Rissa

  “Yes…that,” she managed to whisper.

  “Let me know. Just try to relax. You’re so tense. Breathe with me, dollface.” He placed his forehead on hers and pulled in a deep breath.

  She followed his pattern, appreciative of his tenderness. After several paced breaths, the pain ebbed.

  Josiah ran his hand through her hair and asked, “Ready?” Josie swallowed and nodded.

  He pulled out slightly and pushed back in her, a little deeper each time. Several strokes later, she realized it was an amazing sensation…one she didn’t expect, but one she thoroughly enjoyed. Wondering if Nick would’ve been as tender, she had to believe he would have. She slammed her lids shut again and envisioned it was Nick moving inside of her.

  As he rocked his hips, moving in and out of her, Josie enjoyed his heavy moans and the pleasurable sensations she was experiencing. She went with the flow, not knowing what she should be doing. She ran her fingers up and down his back, grabbing onto his taut ass. He started moving faster and slamming into her harder, groaning with every stroke.

  She heard Nick’s voice ring in her head, “Josie…” Her whispered name morphed into a moan. “Oh god, you feel so good,” Josiah panted. “So tight…” Then he shifted his lean body.

  Suddenly, Josie felt an engine rev up inside her as the pressure built. She didn’t know what was happening. She was surprised by the feeling, but didn’t want it to stop. Without realizing what was on the horizon, Josie’s body began to tremble beneath Josiah’s. She arched her spine, angling her hips just right.

  “Oh god…,” she moaned, the sensation taking over.

  Waves of sensual pleasure crashed over her entire body. Unintended sounds flowed from her throat and rolled from her lips.

  Josiah responded with swift finesse. He wrapped one arm around her back and pulled her tight to his body, bucking his hips into her steamy, wet flesh continuously until he let out a guttural grunt. His body shuddered and collapsed on top of her, resting his face into her neck, struggling to catch his breath.

  The emotions ran through Josie’s body. She felt like a dirty whore. Envisioning Nick over her instead of enjoying an oblivious Josiah was a terrible feeling. He seemed like a nice enough guy, but he was not what she wanted.

  Josiah looked up at her and saw tears falling from her eyes. “Are you okay?”

  “No.” She covered her face with her hands. “Please…get off me.”

  “Yeah, sorry.” Josiah pulled out and scrambled to his feet. Yanking on his jeans, he felt terrible watching her dress in such a hurry. He didn’t mean to upset her and worried maybe she felt like he pushed her into having sex. That wasn’t what his intentions were. “Josie…,” he said, approaching her. Seeing her cry made him feel dreadful.

  Holding her hand up, she said, “No…don’t.”

  He grabbed his shirt and pulled it on. “I’m sorry. I thought you wanted to. I mean, you got there…”

  “I did. I just can’t handle this right now. I’m sorry.” She slipped on her sneakers and grabbed her guitar.

  “Josie, wait… Please.”

  She ripped open the door and took off down the hall. She wanted to share that moment with Nick, not some meaningless guy who crossed her path. The anger made her run faster.

  “Josie!” Son of a bitch, she thought. He was chasing her. “Josie, come on. Wait a sec.” She stopped so he could catch up. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. Can you fill me in?”

  “Just leave me alone. I don’t want to talk about it,” she pleaded. She tried to run again, but he grabbed her arm and held her firmly. “Let go of me or I’ll scream.”

  “I just want to know what happened. Why are you so upset? You don’t think I forced you, do you?”

  She looked at her shoes, embarrassed about her behavior. “No,” she cried, wiping the tears off of her cheeks. “You didn’t force me.”

  He enjoyed their time together and just wanted her to feel better. “Can I hug you? Would that help?”

  “No.” She struggled to free her arm. “Just leave me alone.”

  “Please, tell me what I did wrong.”

  “It’s not you. I did it. I’m mad at myself. I loved him. Is that what you want to hear?”

  Confused, Josiah’s eyebrows scrunched up. “Love who?”

  “Nick!” she shouted, frustrated that he didn’t get it.

  “Oh, right,” Josiah mumbled, then cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

  “I wanted to share that with him, but I can’t. And now I’m here alone, and… I made a mistake. I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t have to be alone. I’m here for you, if you want me to be.”

  He let go of her arm, and Josie bolted away from him. He watched her storm down the hallway, feeling crushed over the drastic turn of events. It was the best sex he ever had and he was bummed she didn’t feel the same.

  Lost in thought, staring at the toes of his Vans, he made his way down the hallway, heading to the room he shared with a few of the others with whom he was traveling.

  “Hey, little brother.” He looked up. Savannah was heading his way. “Is everything all right? You look a little disheveled.”

  “Ah, yeah.” He brushed the hair out of his eyes. There was no way he could tell her what had just happened. “I’m just tired, I guess.”

  “Hmm… Maybe you should lie down for a while. Are you coming down with something?” She reached out to check his forehead, but he dodged her hand.

  “No, I’m fine. But I think I will lie down for a while anyway.” He brushed past her.

  Confused and concerned, she watched him stalk off, wondering what happened to her carefree brother.

  Chapter 28

  For the second week, Gunther was still deep into some sort of coma. Henry and Quinn had been forcing one vial down his throat every day, along with three bags so far. Henry was determined to keep him alive.

  Quinn cuddled up to him on the bed, running her fingers up and down his abdomen. There was no response to anything she did. She sang songs and even read chapters out of books to him. Anything to keep up his brain activity. At one point, she went as far as touching him sexually to see if that would make him stir.

  Nothing.

  She leaned into his ear and whispered, “Gun, where are you? Please, wake up. I have something important to tell you.” His lips smacked and Quinn sat up. “Gunther?”

  She grabbed her Sig and hovered over him. She peeled back an eyelid to see a beautiful emerald green blank stare, figuring it had to be some sort of reflex.

  “Gunther, please come back to me. I miss you so much.” She fell onto his chest and sobbed. “Please. I love you so much. Please.” She choked on her words while running her shaking hands up his shirt, feeling his cool, relaxed body. Resting her hands on his ribs, every shallow breath he took gave her some hope.

  “Please… Please…,” she cried, soaking his shirt. “I can’t do this without you. I need you here with me. We need you.”

  No response. She moved his arm and curled up next to his body, placing her face right next to his ear, whispering loving words to him.

  Those personal moments went on day after day, not knowing if he would ever come back to her. Quinn wondered what it would be like to raise his child with him in that state. How would she handle that? How would she tell their child what was wrong with him when she had no idea?

  She was exhausted and fell asleep, her hand resting on his side and her lips pressed to his ear.

  Once again, it was time to check on Gunther. I knocked on their door and when no one answered, I eased it open, worried about what I would find.

  Quinn was curled up next to him, sound asleep. It was an arduous thing to witness. I imagined myself in the exact scenario and knew Elaina would be doing the same for me, no matter how fragmentary our relationship was. I sat in the chair next to the bed.

  Watching the two of them in that position was fucking heartbreaking. I wished I had more knowledge about what was going
on with him. I was doing my best to care for him. I had to try. There was no other option because I wasn’t going to let him go without a fight. Covering my face with my hands, I tried to hold myself together.

  A knock on the door startled me, and I got up to answer it.

  “Hey, lover.”

  “Hey.”

  “How’s it going in here?”

  I shook my head. “She’s sleeping next to him. It’s so heartbreaking, Elaina. I don’t want to leave her alone with him if she’s sleeping.”

  She reached up and brushed my lips with her thumb. “You’re a good man.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You need to come to bed, though. She’ll be fine.”

  “But–”

  “Henry, you haven’t slept in almost two weeks.” Elaina rested her hand on my neck. “Come on. You need some loving and some rest.”

  “What if this happens to me? I mean, what if–”

  “Listen to me. If this happens to you, you better believe I will do everything in my power to help you.”

  “It’s not me I’m worried about,” I mumbled.

  “Henry…” She wrapped her arms around my neck and whispered in my ear, “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “Come on. She’ll come get you if she needs you.”

  Taking my hand, she pulled me toward the door. I looked back at Quinn and shook my head, then allowed Elaina to lead me away.

  I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, still thinking about what would happen if I ended up like Gunther.

  Elaina ran her fingers over my bare chest. I sighed and rolled on my side to face her. “I had hoped your worries would lift for a few moments,” she murmured.

  “I’m trying.”

  “Well, since sex didn’t help, maybe a round of training?”

  “That may be a good idea.” I got up and pulled on a pair of gym shorts, a t-shirt, my hat and, of course, my Sig. I glanced back at Elaina as I headed toward the door. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

  “Kill that bag, lover.”

  I smirked. “Always do.”

  I left our room and headed down the hall. Suddenly, Quinn blew through her door and ran down the hall after me. “Henry! He’s awake. He’s awake!”

  I was shocked. “Really?” We took off back to their room, blowing through the door.

  I called to him as I approached the bed, but he could only muster up enough strength to move his hand. Deciding to let Quinn take the lead, I melted into the background, palming the butt of my Sig.

  Everything sounded like a distant, static charged echo. Feeling paralyzed, Gunther still wasn’t able to move his body. When he opened his eyes, everything was a blurry haze, as if he was looking through a pane of frosted glass. He couldn’t make out the shapes hovering above him.

  Warmth spread across his face and onto his forehead. His mouth was severely dry and he tried to lick his lips, but there was only an intrusive cotton feeling with a hint of metallic.

  “Gunther…”

  Somewhere between the buzz of his brain and the fuzziness in his ears, he thought he heard his name. Every sense seemed to be a bit scrambled. His rigid body ached. Every muscle protested as he tried to move. And, hell, he had to piss like a racehorse.

  “Gunther…”

  There it was again, but a bit clearer. It was a familiar voice, but he still struggled to put the pieces together. He tried to speak, but all he could do was groan.

  Then everything went cold and silent. He was able to move his eyes, but they were still out of sorts. It felt like hours had passed before he saw more fuzzy shapes and heard a different, familiar voice calling to him. A man’s voice.

  “Gunther…”

  He felt a soft warmth envelop his hand. He forced his eyelids to blink, hoping it would help clear his vision. Desperation filled him, wanting to see who was in front of him.

  Finally, his emeralds started to focus. Long brown locks were tickling his chest and face.

  “Qu–”

  “Shh…lover. Don’t work too hard. Take your time.”

  The voice and words were much clearer and soothing. It was so sublime, he wanted to cry. It was her voice that seeped through his head while he was buried in the pit of darkness. The sweet sound rang in his ears. That same voice talked to him, sang to him, read to him…cried for him. He wanted to make it better for her, but he couldn’t move or respond. It was like he was shackled, gagged, and bound.

  Something moist trickled over his lips and into his mouth, allowing him to swallow and lick his lips.

  “That’s it. Take your time.”

  He tried again. “Qu-inn…” His voice was raspy, but his vision was clearer and the rest of his senses were catching up.

  “Oh, lover.” She wrapped her arms around his body the best that she could, seeing as he was still stiff and on his back, and kissed his face and lips several times.

  I stepped forward when he said Quinn’s name. “You gave us a major scare, mate.”

  His eyes focused on me. “Fuck off,” Gunther grumbled softly.

  “And…he’s back,” I said, and Quinn and I laughed. “I’m going to leave you two alone. You have a few things to catch up on.” I winked at Quinn.

  She jumped up and hugged me. “Thank you for everything, Henry.” She kissed me on the cheek. Gunther growled softly, making me smile. I had a feeling if it happened again, he would tear my lips of my face…after he was able to move freely, of course.

  “No worries, mate,” I said with a chuckle. “I have enough to handle with Elaina. Grab me if you need me,” I said as I left the room.

  Quinn sat next to Gunther and rubbed his head. It felt so goddamn good, he practically purred. “You want to roll over? You’ve been on your back for quite some time.”

  “I want you on your back,” he mumbled.

  “You, sir, are not ready for me yet.” She tapped him on the nose. He groaned and smiled slightly. “Come on. I will help you.” Quinn helped him roll onto his side. “Lover, you made me worry horribly.”

  “I’m sorry. What happened?” With a sloppy swipe, he ran his hand over his face.

  “Well, what is the last thing you remember?”

  He thought for a second or two. “You and I talked about you possibly being pregnant.”

  She smiled with tears in her eyes. “I woke up that night and you were twitching and trembling. I thought you were having a nightmare, but I couldn’t wake you, so I went and woke Henry. You were turning. After a few days, we realized it was because you hadn’t had any significant amount in a long time. Gun, you waited too long.”

  “Wait. After a few days?”

  “Yeah. You’ve been out for almost two weeks. Henry thinks you went into a deep suspended animation.”

  “Really? Holy shit.”

  “I shall not tell a lie. Henry said it happened back at the facility, but it didn’t end well.”

  “Yeah, to one of the recruits in his group.”

  “Well, Henry tapped into Thomas and Josie. They saved you, and I’ve been sitting by your side this entire time. While you’ve been out, we’ve been forcing blood down your throat. Luckily, we were able to coax you to swallow. Every now and then, Cora or Henry would make me leave to eat or just get some air.”

  “So tell me…,” he murmured, anxious and in need of knowing if they were going to have a baby.

  “Tell you what?”

  “Are you?”

  As Quinn smiled, more tears spilled down her pale face. “Yes. The clinic had a few tests. I couldn’t wait to find out.”

  “Oh, love…” He slowly wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into him. He held onto her and wasn’t about to let go. “I love you so much. You have no idea how happy you’ve made me.”

  “I love you more.”

  He raised an eyebrow at her, then placed his hand on her stomach. “I love this little bean already,” he murmured. They smiled and held each other in a loving embrace. “As much as I hate
to break this up, I think my bladder is on the verge of exploding.”

  Quinn laughed and helped him stand. Staying close, she watched Gunther stagger to the bathroom like a drunk. After shutting the door for him, a groan came through the door.

  “You okay in there?”

  “Fuck, yeah. Just feels bloody good to take a piss.”

  She laughed. “When you’re done, we’ll get you washed up.”

  Feeling stronger, Gunther pulled open the door, naked as the day he was born. “I’m ready.” He wiggled his brows at her. She laughed and slapped his arm. “What?”

  “I’ve missed you so much,” she said, reaching out to hug him again. He was happy to hold her, even if she was clothed. “I was so scared, Gun. So fucking scared I was going to lose you after your dream is finally coming true. I cried the entire time.”

  He hated that he made her upset and scared her. “I’m so sorry, love. I will do better at feeding my need.”

  “Please… We need you.” Gunther leaned down and kissed Quinn. He let out a soft groan, but she pulled away. “Nope. You need to behave for a while. Let’s get you washed up and changed. Then we can get you a bite to eat.”

  He grumbled, but listened—not that he wanted to. What he really wanted to do was show her his appreciation for her attentiveness while he was out for the count.

  I walked into the cafeteria and dropped into a chair next to Elaina. I took off my hat and rubbed my eyes. I was wiped out from the past two weeks of worry and leadership without Gunther at my side. Gazing over at Elaina, she was reading yet another book from the library.

  “Little House on the Prairie?” I snickered.

  “Don’t you dare laugh at my choices. Better than not reading at all,” she chided.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I muttered, then leaned in close to her. “Gunther’s awake.”