Infraction

by K. I. Lynn

We both began to laugh, snuggled together in a mass of limp-noodle limbs. Nathan forgot about the book I’d tossed aside and kept me wrapped in his embrace. His fingers caressed and tickled me, making me squirm against him.

  We stayed snuggled on the couch for the remainder of the day. Nathan threw the blanket from the back of the couch onto us to keep warm. The TV was on, Sunday movies playing, while we napped on and off.

  It was an enjoyable day, and we were well rested for the week to come.

  CHAPTER 22

  The day started off like any other morning of late: faltering masks and blurred indifference.

  Sometime during mid-morning, Libby, the receptionist, knocked on our door.

  “There’s someone here to see you,” she said and stepped aside.

  Behind her stood a short man who was less than memorable. His voice, however, was unforgettable: deep baritone that resonated on the walls, and much louder than I expected from his small frame.

  “Delilah Palmer? Nathan Thorne?”

  “Yes?” We moved from our desk to stand in front of him.

  He held out an envelope to each of us.

  “You have both been served with a subpoena by the defense attorney.”

  My eyes grew wide, my gaze flickering to just outside the door and the few gawkers we had developed. While I was looking, Andrew appeared in the doorway.

  “Can you tell Lawrence to call me beforehand next time? I would have requested a different location for these to be served, thus resulting in less commotion regarding such a sensitive subject,” Nathan said, his jaw flexing and voice tight.

  The man apologized before leaving, and we stood there holding the subpoenas.

  I stared down at the envelope, the sound of paper ripping filling my ears.

  “What’s the party about?” Andrew asked.

  Nathan let out a snort. “They want a deposition from us. Seems habitual boy is still spouting it’s not his fault, that you provoked him.”

  Andrew’s eyes narrowed on the slip of paper. “Like hell it is.”

  My chest began tightening, and I concentrated on trying to keep my breathing regulated. It was a good thing; I had to keep repeating that mantra to myself. He was going to be put away for a long time. He would never be able to hurt me again.

  My coaching wasn’t helping. Doubt started to nag at me, what if’s taking over my mind. Adam’s voice was in my head, laughing about how nothing could touch him, just as he had said many years before.

  “Well, that was a little faster than I anticipated,” Nathan said, breaking the silence and opening the envelope, looking over the information. “Looks like it’s going to be a speedy trial.”

  I couldn’t speak as dread settled in. Things I hadn’t thought about came flooding to me.

  I was going to have to retell the whole ordeal to more strangers, under oath. Pandora’s Box was going to be opened for all to see; the weak nothingness of a girl who was too stupid to check the peephole.

  I began shaking, all of my muscles were clenched tight in fright, and I felt sick.

  “Hey, hey,” Nathan called, his hands rubbing up and down my arms before he pulled me to him. “Shhh, this is good, remember?”

  My knees buckled from under me, and I slumped against him. Pulling me close, he sat on the floor and leaned against the desk as he cradled me in his arms. His hands made soothing circles on my back, while his lips placed tender kisses on my forehead, trailing down my cheek to my lips.

  “I’m here, baby. I’ll be there with you. I love you, and I won’t let him anywhere near you. Him, your father, or Cheryl. Get their voices, their words, out of your head. The only ones you need are my voice, telling you how much I love you.”

  My fingers clenched onto his jacket, my breath coming out in rapid pants. My chest was tight, unable to pull in a full breath.

  “She’s panicking.”

  “I know,” Nathan said, confirming that I wasn’t all right. “Check her purse; she keeps her pills in there.”

  I was aware of Andrew moving around the desk, but not much else. Nathan was trying to calm me, but his voice was a whisper over the roaring in my ears and everything was starting to fade.

  “They’re not here!”

  “Grab mine, top desk drawer.” Nathan directed him.

  I tried to center myself, but it snuck up on me. I was choking, trying in desperation to breathe and began to claw at my throat in an attempt to get Adam’s hand away that wasn’t really there.

  “Lila!” Nathan cried out, grabbing my hands.

  Then I felt it. The zing, the electricity of Nathan’s lips on mine, his fingers digging into my skin as he pulled my body as close to his as he could. A shudder ran through me, and my airway opened back up. My lungs drew in the welcomed air as my heartbeat lessened. Nathan kissed all over my face and neck, grounding me to him, making me feel him…and it worked.

  My breaths began to regulate, and Nathan pressed a pill into my mouth. He held up a bottle of water and tipped it back.

  “Come on, baby, swallow.”

  It was hard to do as he requested with my chest still stuttering.

  As I was pacified, I heard the voices and my head turned to look at the door. About six people, at least two Boob Squad members, stood at the threshold, looking at me, then looking at Nathan, chatting away about us.

  “Everybody out! You have no business being here,” Andrew yelled, pushing people back and shutting the door.

  Jennifer was the last, a murderous gleam in her eye before she stalked off.

  The end had come. This was it. No more pretending we hated each other.

  I was very clingy that night, unable to leave his touch even for a second, because we both knew what was coming in the morning. One or both of us was going to be jobless by the end of the day.

  Nathan kept saying everything was going to be okay, but he wouldn’t say more than that. When I brought up talking to Jack, he asked me to let him take care of everything. So, I relented and tried to relax, perched on his lap, straddling his hips.

  The next morning we drove together, my fingers tangled in his as we rode the elevator up. We disengaged as the doors opened and we walked into the receptionist area. Libby wasn’t in yet, but as we walked past her desk, we found many others were.

  We stopped, halted in our tracks by the people staring at us like a sideshow attraction. Whispered words floated around the air, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Nathan’s jaw clench.

  “Fuck it.” He grabbed my hand, dragging me down the hall behind him.

  We rushed past the cubes and offices to the other side of the building, to our office. Owen was at his desk just outside as we rounded the corner. He stood and followed behind me as we stepped in.

  “How bad is it?” Nathan asked while Owen closed the door behind him.

  “It’s pretty bad. Jennifer sent out an email, complete with a picture of Lila in your arms and you kissing her.”

  I stared at Owen, unblinking. “You knew?” I turned to Nathan. “He knew?”

  Nathan nodded. “You read us pretty early on, didn’t you?”

  Owen smirked. “Yeah, I had an inkling in June, but I knew when I started helping out. Nathan wasn’t the best at hiding his distress. I was the only one that caught on that your wellbeing was the cause of said distress, and not the extra work. They’re so damn vain they can’t see past their own reflection.”

  I wanted to laugh at his observation, but was still too stunned at his admission. “That was almost six months ago! You never told anyone… Why?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “The policy was a bit harsh in my view. Plus, I could see how torn up Nathan was without you. Who am I to stand in the way of true love?”

  I walked over to Owen and hugged him, the action surprising all in the room. “Such a sweet guy. Your girlfriend is very lucky to have you.”

  All morning long, murmured words could be heard as the gossip spread throughout. We tried to block it out, but even our email was l
oaded with curious people. We didn’t leave our office, having Owen fetch anything we needed. The world outside seemed like a foreign place. I had no idea what to do with the attention we were receiving.

  We went to lunch together—no point in hiding. Afterward, Nathan left for a meeting with Jack, kissing me before going, leaving me alone with the gawkers and gossips.

  At one point I had to venture out as Owen was missing from his desk. The hawks were watching, circling overhead, waiting for someone to emerge.

  I was cornered, and they were pissed.

  “You always act like you’re so high and mighty. Now we see why,” Kelly said, a huff in her tone as she spat at me.

  Then it was their leader, Jennifer’s turn. “Just because Nathan was nice and went out with you a few times and fucked you doesn’t mean you’re going to go riding off into the sunset together.”

  My hands balled into fists, and my head pounded as the pressure built up inside while my teeth clenched together. “Really? What about being together for almost ten months and living together for two?”

  “L-live together?” Tiffany asked, stuttering in surprise.

  I smirked and refused to back down, my spine strengthening at the knowledge they weren’t going to beat me down. “Mm-hmm! After my stepbrother attacked me, Nathan insisted I get rid of my place. It was almost like we were living together anyway, so we made it official. I moved in with him. He worries.” I shrugged nonchalantly like it was no big deal.

  “Beside the point,” Jennifer said, changing the subject. “You’re gone. They won’t keep you over him, so you better start packing, because he is going to leave you in the dust.”

  “You know, I always wonder…if that is what you really think of him, why are you so desperate to get him? The thrill of the chase? Or is he simply a nice trophy for your bedpost? To me, he’s the most wonderful man I’ve ever met, not just another guy to fuck. Though he is fantastic in that department; I won’t lie about that fact.”

  I didn’t even get to enjoy the furious looks on their faces as Nathan came out of nowhere and grabbed my arm, pulling me from them. While he was moving me from their presence, an announcement came over the speakers to meet in the conference room.

  People gathered, cramming into what was a small space for the number of people who were coming in.

  “Excuse me, can I have everyone’s attention? I have a very important announcement to make,” Nathan shouted over the crowd to make sure everyone heard him. The room settled down to listen, curiosity winning over. “I know many of you have heard rumors I’m having an affair with my office mate, Delilah Palmer. Well, I’m here to put those rumors to rest. I am not having an affair with her.” He then turned to me, smiling at the confused look on my face. “We’re in a relationship.”

  The room burst into whispers and talk, silencing Nathan. My cheeks were red as everyone stared at me. Words of disbelief, “I knew it,” and “thought they hated each other,” circled around.

  “Effective immediately, I have left my position with Holloway and Holloway.”

  I stared at him in complete shock. He never mentioned anything to me about leaving. My hand tightened on his. I wasn’t ready for that. I needed him.

  “No! She was the one who was supposed to leave!” Jennifer cried. The other BS members chimed in with agreement.

  “Fat chance of that happening, girls.” Caroline beamed with pride at them. “Unlike you, Delilah is worth something to the company.”

  There was a ruckus, and I knew Caroline was about to take a BS down when Jack’s voice boomed out for order.

  Nathan turned to me and took my other hand, his gaze finding mine.

  “I know you won’t always be safe with me, but I need you. Over the last ten months, you have come to know me more than anyone. You are my best friend, my lover, my soul mate, the love of my life, savior, my naughty girl, and my sweet Honeybear. I want to show everyone that you’re mine and I’m yours,” he said, then dropped down to one knee. In one hand he held a small box and opened it up revealing a stunning ring inside. “Delilah Anne Palmer, will you marry me?”

  My breath caught in my throat. Gasps filled the room. His words were foreign to my ears. Did he just say what I thought he said, or was I imagining it all? Was he holding a diamond ring in his hand? Oh, dear.

  My body started to shake, and Nathan’s expression turned to one of panic and fear. He stood and wrapped his arms around me.

  “Shh, calm down, baby.” His hand made soothing strokes in my hair and down my back.

  I clutched onto his suit jacket. “Did you just…propose?”

  “I did,” he replied, pulling back a bit. “I want you to be my wife. I want to make you Lila Thorne. It has such a nice ring to it.”

  I returned to staring at him before standing on the tips of my toes and wrapping my arms around his neck, kissing him as hard as I could. He pulled me closer, lifting me from the ground.

  “Yes!” I cried after releasing him. “Yes, yes, yes. I’ll marry you.”

  He placed a kiss on my neck and drew back to take my lips. The roar of applause filled our ears. After planting my feet back on the ground, he placed the most beautiful diamond solitaire and platinum ring on my left hand.

  My right hand covered my mouth as I stared down, holding back sobs of happiness. “It’s beautiful.”

  He beamed down at me. “I’m happy you like it.”

  We shook a few congratulatory hands before the room returned to a gentle hum.

  “If you’ll all excuse us, I have a desk to clean out and a fiancée to celebrate with,” Nathan said with a smile, wrapping his arm around my waist, pushing his way through the gathered crowd.

  “What now?” I questioned as we walked, receiving pats on the back and congratulations as we went.

  “Well, I need a new job, and you have a wedding to plan.” He could not stop grinning, not that I blamed him. His smile was so large I was afraid it might break his face. I’d never seen him so happy.

  I leaned my head against his shoulder as we walked. “So, I guess this means I have a date to the Christmas party?”

  “Seeing as we aren’t violating office policy any longer, I suppose you do.”

  Everyone was still milling in the hallways and conference room, gossiping about Nathan’s unexpected and shocking proposal. Their heads were still spinning. There would be no one to interrupt us.

  He pushed my back against the wall as soon as we made it through the door of our office—his mouth tantalizingly close to my ear. “Now, I think we have some celebrating to do,” he whispered as his teeth scraped along my neck. “Where better than the first place I took you?”

  His hands were on either side of my thighs, dragging my skirt up and over my ass. I ripped his shirt open, sending buttons pinging around the room.

  No more masks to hide behind, no more pretending.

  No more breach.

  Whatever life hurled our way, we would face it together.

  I couldn’t wait.

  RECIPROCITY

  Things are finally looking up for Nathan and Lila. Though separated at work, their life together is just beginning.

  They’re working together to lock up Lila’s past, when Nathan’s comes knocking at the door with a gift. A warning that happiness can, and will, be taken away.

  The battle for survival has begun.