Tattered & Bruised

by Allie York

  “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I guess wedding prep is tiring.” I sat up and was pulled into his lap. When I brushed my hair back from my face, something caught my eye and I stared at the ring on my finger. It was a black diamond, surrounded by tiny white diamonds in a braided design. I felt Griffin watching me study the ring, with my mouth hanging open, “Griffin …”

  He cut me off with a squeeze. “I had it made a few weeks ago. It came in last week, but I was waiting. If you plan on arguing this with me, could you wait until morning? I just want this night. I love you, and I love Ax. I need you both here with me. If this isn’t what you want, please, wait until tomorrow.” I had never heard Griffin unsure, even just a little, but the man was almost begging me not to reject him. No one in their right mind would.

  “I was going to say it’s beautiful.” I wiped away a pesky tear and leaned into my man. “I love you too, honey.”

  “But?”

  “There isn’t a ‘but’. Who am I to turn down Griffin Steele?” I laughed, but it wasn’t really funny. It was sweet perfection to hear him tell me he loved me and Ax. Hearing him admit he wanted to keep us, both of us, had tears dripping from my cheeks to his shirt. Tank jumped up on the couch, grumbling for us to get out of his way and Griffin obliged, picking me up to carry me from the living room.

  “You know where this is going, right?” Griffin growled and tossed me on the bed. He had taken my heels off, probably while I slept, but I reached back for the zipper of my dress. “The dress stays.” He was pulling his shirt over his head, already out of his pants and shoes.

  “You better not ruin this dress, Mr. Steele.” My words were far less threatening with a huge smile on my face.

  Griffin shrugged and grabbed my ankles. “Panties can go, and the dress is as good as ruined. I’ll buy you a new one.” I smirked at that one. I knew he would ruin my dress. When I made no move to remove any clothing, Griffin dropped to his knees in front of me fully intending to remove panties that weren’t there. His hands moved up my thighs, inching the dress up with them, and when the hem hit my hips he dug his fingertips in, pulling my ass to the end of the bed.

  In one movement, his boxers were gone, and Griffin was baring down on me, licking, sucking on my neck, making all rational thought vanish. His rough hands roamed everywhere and my eyes closed, enjoying every bit of what he had to offer. “Eyes, babe.” My eyes opened, locking onto his, and I fought to keep them open when he thrust home.

  Some synapse in my brain decided to fire, and I tried to shove him off. “Condom.” It was the only word I could manage to pant out.

  Griffin showed no signs of stopping and my wiggling wasn’t doing anything but hurting my cause. Every movement just turned me on more. “No.” The one word held so much power in that moment. Griffin had asked me, or well, told me, to marry him, but I wasn’t sure we were ready for a baby.

  “Honey, we should use a condom.” I could feel the orgasm building in my core, making my thoughts a muddled mess. The night we forgot was one thing but being intentional was something else.

  “I said no. I’m gonna take care of you, the girls, and this baby.” One massive hand ran up my stomach to cup my face when he repositioned, standing to his full height, and going completely still. “You trust me? If not, we stop.” His fingers hooked around the back of my neck, while his thumb made tiny circles on my throat, driving me mad. I’d have agreed to sell him my soul if he promised to move again. Being filled by Griffin and him be so still, was heavenly torture. I nodded without hesitation, and Griffin smiled, moving again, making me whimper. Looking up at him, towering over me, all hard and tattooed, sweating from the effort, did me in. My back arched, and every fiber of my being shattered into a million little pieces of bliss. Griffin slammed into me one more time, groaning, throwing my name out a few times, before he collapsed, rolling me to face him, not breaking our connection.

  I wanted to hang on to the high, but I was too pissed. I could have stopped him, but I didn’t, and my lack of self-control pissed me off. Somewhere in the back of my mind a baby with Griffin sounded like an amazing idea. As reality set in, though, my brain function returned, and I panicked.

  “What the fuck are you thinking?” I slapped at his chest, but Griffin held me close. “You know I’m not on the pill or anything. Are you trying to knock me up?” I fought to get out of his grip, trying to hang on to my anger, but it was pointless and he looked more amused than anything. It was impossible to stay mad considering his embrace was my favorite place to be.

  “Yes, I thought that would be obvious.” Griffin pinned my arms to my sides and his deep laugh ran through me. “I do know how it works.”

  “You think now is a good time for this? Stupid caveman, you can’t just make these decisions without some discussion.” I quit fighting, because trying to get out of his bear hug was stupid.

  “Cori, if you had honestly wanted me to stop I would have. If it were my choice, we’d go get married first thing in the morning and have a baby nine months from today. Stop fighting me.” I did exactly what he said and sighed in resignation. I felt like our entire relationship had been Griffin telling me to stop fighting him. I wasn’t against more kids, or marrying him, but the Griffin way of going about things pissed me off.

  “I’m assuming you plan on Ax and I moving in?” He cupped my face, resting his chin on my head, and nodded. “Anything else I might need to know about?” I grumbled, trying to hang on to my anger.

  “In my house, wearing my ring, having my baby. No, that’s about it. Cori Steele has a nice ring to it.” He reached behind me to click off the lamp. “I’ll call some movers tomorrow. Is there going to be a problem with your lease?” I shook my head, and Griffin unzipped my dress that was still pushed up around my hips. He was naked. I ran my hands down his chest before pulling the dress over my head, tossing it in the floor. I reached for the dresser, but I was quickly pulled back into the bed, and Griffin spooned against my back. He hung on like I might vanish if he didn’t touch me.

  “I love you, honey.” I scooted back into him.

  “Love you, babe.” Griffin kissed my head, rubbing his thumb over the ring on my finger. “Just one more is enough for me, but whatever you want is fine.” It took me a second to realize he was talking about kids. After getting divorced, I never thought I would have more kids. Who would want a woman so damaged, so broken and bruised? Griffin did, and in a whirlwind of lust to love, we were suddenly planning a family. I knew he was asleep, so I didn’t bother answering. I didn’t have an answer anyway. I spun the ring on my finger, wishing the lights were on so I could stare at it, memorize it, but closed my eyes and settled in. In the morning, we could tell the girls and Lily. I would be making a call to my landlord, and start planning the world’s fastest engagement to wedding, but for the night, I could live in the words I had no idea I needed to hear.

  Love you, babe.

  Chapter Twenty

  Griffin

  The sound of giggles woke me up, but Cori was passed out. I couldn’t blame her. The poor woman had been in full wedding mode for a week straight, worked her job, took kids to school and dance, plus put up with me being sick. She had every right to sleep. I stared at her a few minutes longer before I tucked her in, kissed her shoulder, and went to start breakfast. Mom made coffee, opening the door for Tank to lumber out, quickly handing me a cup.

  I kissed her head, grabbed a mug, and moved to the fridge. “I proposed to Cori last night.” Mom’s blue eyes shot to me from where they lingered on the patio. “I want them to move in. Soon.” I should have discussed it with Mom before making those decisions. Yes, it was my house, but it was her home too. It had plenty of space to grow and still have privacy, but I hated springing it on her.

  “You’re getting married?” I cracked an egg to add to my batter.

  “Yeah.”

  “Is her ex still a problem? I don’t want any trouble for you and Celia. I don’t want trouble for Cori and Axel, either, but Celia’
s been through enough.” Mom rested a hand on my arm. “That doesn’t matter, does it? You, Cori and those girls belong together. This is wonderful.” When I looked at her from the pancakes, I knew she meant it. Mom loved Cori and Axel just as much as I did.

  “We haven’t heard from him in weeks, maybe he got the point. Maybe he’s off getting high again. I don’t care. He lost his shot. If it were my choice, his rights would be terminated and the guy would fall off the planet.” The thunder of little princess feet stopped our conversation. If it were up to me, Ax would be mine too.

  “I’m so happy for you, Griff. You two need each other.” Mom greeted the girls on the stairs right as I plated our pancakes and I knew Cori wouldn’t be resting much longer. Celia and Ax couldn’t be quiet if they were paid to, but Mom shooed them to the dining room while I poured milk to go with the pancakes.

  Cori appeared midway through breakfast, kissing both girls on the head then poured a cup of coffee. I nearly jumped out of my chair to get to her and pressed into her back. “Good morning.” I kissed my way from her ear to her shoulder.

  “Morning.” Cori sipped her coffee. “We need to talk.” I kissed the top of her head and nodded for her to go on. A distinct dread settled in my gut. “Are you sure about this? Ax and I are a lot to handle, Griff. I don’t want you to make this decision without any thought.”

  “Cori, I have thought of this for weeks. I love you and Ax. I need you here.” Her head fell back on my shoulder. “You just tell me what to do and when to be there. But you have a month to pick a date.” I kissed her head again then went back to refill milk glasses. Cori mumbled something about me being an animal and came in to sit with us for breakfast.

  A week after my demand for marriage, Cori was helping Jovie move some things around at The Dog House while I was helping the movers load her big furniture into a truck. We didn’t need any of it, but Cori insisted that she wouldn’t feel like my house was her home unless her things were in it too. So, I supervised while Kurtis and a few other men loaded the truck. My personal trainer part-timing at a moving company made my life so easy. All of her clothes were packed, and Axel’s toys.

  Everything was nearly loaded and I was packing dishes delicately into boxes when the phone rang. I swiped the screen without looking. “Yeah.”

  “Griffin?” Mom’s voice came through the line, shaky and weak. I waved at Kurt and tossed him the keys, pointing at my Jeep.

  “What’s wrong?” I cranked the key in the ignition and floored it. My girls were with her.

  “A man just came, he tried to pick up Axel. I told him she wasn’t here and he tried to come in, Griff. They were coloring downstairs. I think the man was on drugs. The police are here now. Tank growled at him and he left, saying he would take care of her mother and get his baby. Where is Cori?” My knuckles turned white on the steering wheel and I changed directions. Mom had the police, the girls hadn’t even seen Richard, but my woman was alone with Jovie.

  “I’m going to The Dog House. You talk to the cops, tell them everything, and I’ll be there in a bit. Kurt will be there with some furniture later. If they leave or Rich comes back, lock you and the girls in the basement.” Mom agreed and I skidded on to Broadway, running the red light. A horn honked and I got the finger from an old lady, but my foot wasn’t coming off the gas until I knew she was safe, until I had her against me. I didn’t go my whole life alone so Cori could be taken by some psycho. I squealed to a stop in The Dog House parking lot at the same time as Ewan’s car and a police cruiser. My stomach bottomed out and I tore up the ramp in time to run in behind Ewan. Jovie dove into his arms, red faced, screaming at someone on the phone.

  “Cori!” I shouted, vaulting over the gate, and nearly tripping over Ewan’s dog. Her whiskey eyes met mine, and I could breathe. She was sitting on her grooming table, folded in on herself, knees tucked to her chest. I grabbed for her, but she swatted my hand. I growled like a damn animal, catching her wrist on the next swing. As soon as my fingers circled her arm, she melted and I caught her. The blood speckling the floor brought a whole new wave of panic, and I started searching her for the source. If the bastard hurt her, I would fucking kill him.

  “It’s not hers.” Jovie wiped her face, pushing Ewan off her. “Rich came in, swearing he was going to kill her and get Axel.” Jovie had a bruise on her cheek that Ewan kept touching. “He cornered her while I was in the back. Cori hit him with a chair, but he acted like it was nothing.” The officer was taking notes and Jovie finally relented to letting Ewan hold her, taking a deep breath.

  “Jovie hit Rich with my clippers, in the head.” Cori took a ragged breath against my chest. “I need a new pair.” I looked at the black grooming clippers in the floor in at least six pieces. “I hadn’t taken the blade off so they cut his face. When she mentioned the cops and threatened him with the scissors, he ran back to his car and drove off.”

  I kept Cori close to me while she went over the restraining order with the officer, explaining the whole bullshit story with more calm than I had. He attacked my woman, endangered my figurative little sister, threatened my mother and my girls. If I ever got my hands on Richard Sharpe, Jovie’s attack on him would look like a fucking dream. The officer’s radio went off, and he adjusted the volume to listen to Cori, but she had stopped just as she was describing the car he drove. The officer glanced from his pad to the radio and immediately turned the radio back up.

  “Plate number 6-3-alpha-8-beta-delta,” the crackled voice came through, “Black Grand AM, one male driver, no seen passengers. Witness stated it accelerated before hitting the partition and going over into the water.” Cori sagged against me and Jovie covered her mouth, hiding a gasp.

  “What is going on?” Ewan cut in.

  “He drove off the bridge,” Cori was whispering, clutching my shirt like I might let her fall. I tightened my grip. The officer finished writing, promising to stay in touch with Cori, but she didn’t acknowledge. She only stared at the door and out onto Broadway.

  “You didn’t do this, Cori.” Jovie reached over, touching Cori’s arm, and squeezed lightly. “Rich was never stable, and he was high, Cori. You had no control over his actions, none.” Jovie kept talking, but Cori was zoned out. A sense of relief filled me but was dampened by Cori’s reaction. Rich would never come after anything of mine again. My woman would never have to be afraid again, but was acting like she lost someone she cared about.

  “We should go check on the girls.” Ewan patted my back as I led Cori to the car and Jovie told me to call her later. The drive home was silent with Cori leaning against the door, not watching anything, not hearing anything.

  “What am I going to tell Ax? She’s going to ask about him. It’s bound to happen. The kid can’t take anything at face value so I’ll have to tell her. I’ll have to look at my baby and tell her that her drug-addict father attacked me then drove his car into the Tennessee River.” She finally looked at me as the first tear ran down her face; I caught it with my thumb. I knew saying what I wanted was a bad idea, so I kept my mouth closed and nodded. I wanted to tell her that the fucker didn’t matter, because I already decided Ax was mine too. He didn’t deserve her little girl, but neither did I. I didn’t deserve either one of them, but I was a selfish bastard. I wanted to tell Cori that she never had to worry about him again, and wanted her to let it all go, but Cori felt everything, every loss, and my opinion didn’t matter, not at all.

  I got Cori out of the car just as Kurtis and his moving truck pulled in. Once she was inside and in bed, the girls stood on the porch with Mom, completely unaware of what happened. Someday when Axel did find out about her father, Celia would be there for her, helping her through it just like Ax helped Celia come out of her shell.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Cori

  Griffin groaned, stretching out in bed behind me. I had put on a happy face to spend all day with Ax and Celia, but once they were in bed, I was too. I stared at the wall, hoping Griffin thought I was sleeping,
but he didn’t.

  “Cori, you need to eat.”

  I didn’t answer, or move. I couldn’t figure out why Richard’s death was hitting me so hard, neither could my fiancé. Griffin hadn’t said it, but I could read him. My phone buzzed again, and Griff reached over to silence it only for it to ping with a voicemail a few seconds later. I started reaching for it, but Griffin stopped my hand. I knew it was Wanda, but I deserved her anger. I earned every horrible thing she said, every vulgar word slung at me for killing her son. It was my fault, so I would live with it, forever.

  Griffin huffed, ruffling his hair when I shrugged him off me to grab the phone. I tapped the screen and turned on the speaker. “Of course you can’t answer the phone. You couldn’t show up at the funeral, either, but you won’t keep that baby from me. I have rights, Cori! You killed him, but you can’t get rid of me so easily!” The line went dead and I dropped the phone back on the table. I tried to roll away from Griffin, but he touched my shoulder. I closed my eyes, biting my cheek.

  “You can’t keep this up. Tomorrow, your sister is getting the girls and we are going out.” His calloused finger traced the tattoo on my arm, making me shudder. No matter how wrapped up I was in my own head, I still reacted to Griffin. He nuzzled into my neck, kissing softly until I pushed him away. I rolled away from him. I hated what Richard had become, but I didn’t want him dead. The man was the father of my daughter, the first man I loved, the first one I gave myself to. Griffin should have gotten pissed and left, he should have stormed out the door of the bedroom we shared and slammed the door. Not Griffin, though. Instead, he jerked me on to my back, straddling my legs.