Torn to Pieces

by Harper Ashley

  "Yeah, mom. Sorry. I spaced out."

  This can’t be happening.

  "This is my son, Alec." Sean introduces me, and I push out the thoughts of his muscles flexing against mine out of my mind.

  "Hi, I'm Jo."

  He says nothing, instead staring at me with what looks to be pure, unadulterated rage.

  "Alec," his father says lowly, a clear warning in his voice.

  "Yeah, I'm not doing this." He says and heads for the dark stairwell leading to the basement.

  Sean rubs his palm against his face and apologizes for his son's behavior.

  "Can I be excused?" I ask.

  "Oh please, just stay and-" my mother attempts to persuade me into staying.

  "I seem to have lost my appetite." I reply, and it's the truth. Now all I want to do is vomit.

  When I'm back in my room I sink into the bed and bury my face in the pillows.

  Idiot.

  It’d be my luck that I almost screwed the asshole in a fucking bathroom. I groan loudly at the memory. What's worse is the throbbing in between my legs as I remember his hands on my body, touching me there.

  I need to get him out of my mind, fast. A shower should do the trick.

  ∞∞∞

  I can't sleep. My stomach is growling, and now I regret bailing on dinner. I roll out of bed and try to make my way down the stairs as quietly as possible.

  Thankfully there are leftovers in the fridge, but it takes a few minutes to figure out where the hell they keep the plates at around here. I am creeping around like a night stalker trying to keep quiet, but the microwave has other plans.

  When the door pops shut the sound echoes through the empty kitchen, and I pause for a moment to make sure no one heard. Then comes the beeping from the buttons, and then the signal that it's done. I almost don't even want to open the door again because I know how loud it's going to be, but at this point I've come too far.

  I can't help but get a kick out of the way I’m acting. I'm treating the warming up of pork chops like a hostage situation. I let out a tiny giggle and then go in search of a fork.

  "The island. Last drawer on the right."

  His voice causes me to nearly drop my plate.

  "Jesus, you scared the shit out of me." I screech. He looks completely unfazed.

  I pull open the drawer and grab a fork. "Thanks."

  The look on Alec's face is hard to place. It's either burning lust or burning fury, and I'm not sure which of those terrifies me more.

  "So, did you know who I was when you threw yourself on me at Shooter's?" His voice is thick with accusation.

  "You're kidding right? You approached me. I had no clue who you were. We didn't exactly exchange pleasantries."

  He scoffs, "So you just rip your clothes off for anyone who pays attention to you? I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I can see why dad is stuck in a bout of temporary insanity and thinking this whole marriage thing is a good idea."

  Woah hold up. No one talks about my mom like that.

  "Look here you insufferable prick, if you say one more thing about my mother I will-"

  "You'll what? Tell your mommy that you tried to fuck me in a bathroom like a whore and now I'm being mean to you?" The smirk on his face makes me want to lunge.

  "I'm sorry, but you seemed pretty into it at the time." I take a step towards him. My rage has me feeling a bit bolder than usual. I can see him grow the tiniest bit uncomfortable at my closeness. "In fact, I think you were really into it."

  He steadies himself, "Nah, I was just horny and you seemed easy."

  I don't buy it. Not for one second.

  I take another step towards him until his back is pressed against the wall and I’m pressed against his front.

  "Hmm, I don't think so. I think you saw something you liked, that you wanted." His hardness presses into me and I have to suppress a moan. I place my hand on his perfect, chiseled abs and let it slowly glide down his body until it rests on his bulge.

  "Oh, looks like you still want it. Well, at least this part of you does." The flicker of shock that flashes in his eyes only makes this so much sweeter.

  "Don't worry," I say while removing my hand from him and placing it between my legs. "My body is telling me the feeling is mutual."

  That did it, he loses it. He takes both my wrists in one of his large hands and flips me around so that my ass is pressed into his groin. His ragged breath is on my neck which sends chills down my entire body.

  He grows even harder behind me, pressing into me rhythmically.

  "You are a very, very bad girl." he growls into my ear.

  "You have no idea." Seeing this as my opportunity to show him who he's messing with, I free one of my hands from his grasp and drive my elbow into his stomach. Hard.

  With the wind knocked out of him he fumbles several steps back before somewhat regaining his composure. "What the fuck?"

  I smile sweetly and saunter over to my plate of food and scoop it up into my hands. "No, I will not tell my mommy that you are being mean to me, I can handle your arrogant ass all on my own."

  I make the short trip across the room to the first stair. "And by the way, I don't make a habit of fucking random guys in bathrooms. Call it...What did you say earlier? A bout of temporary insanity? Clearly, that won't be happening again."

  He says nothing, but instead watches me intently until I disappear around the corner once I’m up the stairs. Now that he can no longer see me, I let myself freak the fuck out.

  Once behind the bedroom door, I turn the lock quickly and slide down until I’m seated on the floor. My heart is racing, and the throbbing between my legs is insatiable. I wanted to rattle him, size up the enemy. I wasn’t expecting for it to be so hard to walk away. After the things he said, I wanted to inflict serious physical pain. I can't seem to wrap my head around wanting him to bend me over the kitchen counter.

  This is going to be a lot harder than I thought.

  Chapter Four

  With the sun beaming in through the large bay window, it becomes nearly impossible to go back to sleep. I pull my phone from underneath my pillow, nine AM. I’m not a morning person, and if I want any hope in ever sleeping in again, I need some curtains ASAP.

  I drag myself out of bed and into the bathroom. I can't decide if my dreams last night were sweet ones or nightmares considering they were filled with Alec Miller. I splash cool water on my face and try to wash away the intrusive thoughts whirling around in my mind.

  I can't believe I almost had sex with him. I was so close to making such a huge mistake. Our parents are getting married in a few weeks, and then he will be my stepbrother. I'm pretty positive it's frowned upon to screw your stepbrother, no matter how delicious he looks.

  I decide that getting out of the house and doing some shopping may help. Allie mentioned that they wanted me to have creative freedom when it came to my room, and decorating would surely be a suitable distraction.

  I pull on some cut-off shorts, a basic white t-shirt, and gather my unruly hair into a bun on top of my head. A quick swipe of a make-up wipe gets rid of last night's eyeliner and mascara. I dab on a fresh coat of both and head for freedom.

  "Mom?"

  I don't want to dip out without letting her know, but I also have no interest in searching through this place to find her and accidentally run into Alec.

  A sweet voice grabs my attention, "They’re out tasting wedding cakes. They asked me to let you know." It's Allie.

  I smile and nod. "Oh, thanks. I think I'm going try and find a home decor store. I want to make my room a little more... me."

  Her smile grows as she hops off the couch and runs to the kitchen. "Dad hoped you'd say that! He left his card." Allie holds out a gold credit card.

  "Seriously?"

  She nods and pushes the piece of plastic into my hand. "Of course! We want you to be comfortable here."

  "Wow, okay. Uh, any suggestions on where I should go to find stuff?" I ask.

&
nbsp; "There's a Home Goods about twenty minutes away, it's one of my favorite stores." Allie seems so genuine and kind, not liking her is impossible. She is the complete opposite of her brother.

  "Do you want to come with me?"

  Her eyes brighten immediately, "I'd love to! I'll get my shoes."

  ∞∞∞

  Our parents were right, we did get along. Allie was funny and kind, and an extremely good listener. She didn't complain about my taste in music, and even seemed to like some of it.

  "Who is this?" She'd asked when Brendon Urie's voice blared from the speakers. "I like them."

  "Panic! at the Disco, one of my favorite bands."

  When we get to the store, I grab a cart and begin to make my way up and down the aisles.

  "So, what did you have in mind? Any specific colors?" Allie asked.

  Good question.

  "Not really, I like purple... and black."

  She doesn't look too thrilled with my choices, and I imagine her room is filled to the brim with lots of pink. I shrug and she laughs.

  She points to a comforter set that is various shades of purples and violets, "Ohh that one is pretty."

  It is, I actually really like it. "Agreed, that's the winner."

  We spend a good hour roaming through the store and throwing random decorations into the cart. I now have an array of art and prints to hang on the walls, fairy lights, lamps, and a few throw pillows.

  Once everything is loaded into the Jeep, we begin the drive back home.

  "Can I ask you something?" Allie says, and I nod.

  "So, what was up with you and my brother at dinner? When you two made eye contact I swear it was like you already knew each other."

  Fuck, I was hoping to avoid this.

  "Uh, we actually did meet earlier that day... when I went out exploring. We kind of hit it off I guess you could say. Neither one of us had any clue who the other was, and when I realized he was Alec it caught me off guard. I think he felt the same way."

  She raises an eyebrow, "Hit it off?"

  Shit.

  "Well, kind of. As soon as he realized who I was though, a switch flipped. I really don't know. I guess it's complicated." I have no clue how else to explain this to her.

  She doesn't press, instead just smiles and leaves it alone. In this moment I decide I do really like Allie, and I feel like we really could become friends.

  When we pull back into the driveway I see him leaning against one of the columns on the front porch.

  "Speaking of the Devil." Allie says to me with a wink. I laugh, and she nudges me with her arm. "Alec, come help us unload the car."

  I can't read his expression underneath the black sunglasses perched on his face, but he does slowly make his way over to the car where we stand.

  "What is all this shit?" he asks, and I roll my eyes.

  "For her room, so it's more home-y." Allie answers sweetly.

  Alec peers in the trunk at the bags and groans. "Whatever. Just go inside, I got it." Allie pecs a quick kiss on her brother's cheek and bounds for the front door. She calls out for me to follow her, but I’m uncomfortable letting him carry everything on his own.

  I reach in for a bag but he stops me, "I said I got it."

  Deep breath, Jo.

  "I heard you, I just wanted to help. Please reign in your crazy." I spit back at him, and the slightest pull of a smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. He is enjoying this.

  Before he can interject again, I grab as many bags as I can carry and march towards the house, putting as much distance between us as physically possible.

  He drops the bags he carried inside my door and then leaves without a word.

  ∞∞∞

  The music blaring from my headphones into my ears transports me into a different realm while I transform the dull, white room into something more. Annie Lennox's rendition of I Put a Spell on You has me moving and swaying to the beat. My taste in music is rather eclectic. My hips are leading me, and I raise my arms over my head allowing my body to feel the music, purely.

  Feeling it a bit too much, my phone falls from my grasp causing it to disconnect from the headphones.

  "Dammit." I mutter under my breath.

  A sharp intake of breath causes me to jump.

  "Dammit is right, I was enjoying the show."

  I look up to see Alec leaning against my door frame, shirtless. His entire torso is covered in black ink, and I fight the urge to run my fingers over each square inch.

  "What the hell is wrong with you?" I scream.

  He places his finger against his lips as if to silence me. "Quiet, sis."

  Fucking asshole.

  "I am not your fucking sister, get out." I say through gritted teeth.

  His deep laugh rumbles all the way down the hall. How long was he standing there? Whatever, it didn't matter. My door will be locked from here on out, lesson learned.

  I try to force the image of his ripped stomach out of my head. God that perfect V-cut led to all the right places. Why was he watching me? What the hell was happening?

  I need to find a way to get him out of my system. I need something, or someone to scratch this itch. I grab the Jeep keys and my makeup bag, bolting for the door.

  Shooter's here I come.

  Chapter Five

  The familiar, smokey atmosphere welcomes me, and I take a seat on one of the barstools.

  "Welcome back, little lady."

  I smile at the bartender and try to fight back the blush making its way to my cheeks. He is the only other person who knows what happened between Alec and me.

  "Same as last time?" he asked.

  I shake my head, "Something stronger this time, please. Whiskey."

  He nods and places a glass in front of me and drops in a few ice cubes. "Straight?"

  I nod again, and he obliges without another word.

  I glance around the small bar and take note of the few people inside. I celebrate my eighteenth birthday in a few days, but no one here knows that just yet. For all they know I'm of age and ready to mingle.

  A set of deep brown eyes meet mine and I can tell he's going to approach me.

  "Well hello, I don't think I've seen you around here before." He extends a hand, "I'm Nate."

  I take his hand and give my best flirty smile, "Jo. Nice to meet you."

  "Can I buy your next drink?"

  It always amuses me when a man asks permission to buy me a drink. I guess it's chivalrous or whatever, but when am I ever going to turn down free booze? The answer is never.

  "Of course, whiskey. Straight."

  He grins, "Are we celebrating or trying to forget something?"

  "Maybe a little of both." I answer cryptically. I'm not going to sleep with this guy, but I will let him take my mind off Alec for a while.

  "So, you live around here?" I ask.

  He nods, "Yep, born and raised. You?"

  I down what is left in my cup and Nate motions for the bartender to refill it. "Thanks, Gus."

  So that's his name.

  "I just moved here. You’re actually only like the third person I've met, and the second that's been decent."

  This earns a laugh from Nate. "So, you've been here what, a few days and have already had problems with some asshole? Point him out, I'll give him a stern talkin' to. Defending your honor has to earn me some brownie points, right?"

  I roll my eyes playfully, "Ah, I took care of it. I'm pretty good at holding my own."

  He looks me over, "Sweetie, I don't doubt that one bit. Wanna dance?"

  I look down at my glass and throw the second one back. "Sure, why not?"

  I let him lead me to the barely there dance floor. The upbeat country song playing over the speakers is not the type of music I would typically picture dancing to, but the whiskey is already taking away my inhibitions.

  Nate seems to be a perfect gentleman. He's flirty, but is also careful to not cross any lines. His hand rests on the small of my back, not daring to travel any fu
rther South.

  The front door opens and I see a familiar pair of moody green eyes staring back at me. I let out an audible groan into Nate's shoulder. "Well, looks like the asshole found me."

  He turns and then eyes me incredulously. "Miller? That's the asshole?"

  Of course they know each other. This is a small town, what was I expecting.

  "Friend of yours?" I ask, and he shrugs.

  "If you count growing up together since diapers friends, then yeah." Just great.

  I try to lighten the mood, "Hm, I may need to rethink my dance partner choices if that's the company you keep." My tone is cheeky, and he smirks.

  "I think you’re fine right where you are."

  Good, that makes two of us.

  Nate twirls me and I try to keep my eyes focused anywhere but on Alec. In fact, I don't see him anywhere. Maybe he left when he realized he wouldn't get a rise out of me, and that I wasn't going to let him mess with my head.

  "Nate, I see you found a new friend."

  Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.

  "Hey man, yeah. I did." They do that annoying bro handshake that turns into a hug and I want to sink into the ratty wooden floorboards.

  "I'm getting another drink." I say flatly, but Nate offers his services instead leaving me alone with Alec.

  "Really? Are you stalking me?" I ask him.

  He laughs, "This is the only bar in town, get over yourself."

  He's right, I'm being crazy. But he's the one driving me crazy.

  "Whatever." I mutter just as Nate reappears holding a fresh glass of whiskey. I down it in one shot and hand the empty glass to Alec. "Thanks."

  "Damn, where’ve you been my whole life," Nate's words make me blush, and he grabs my hands again leading me back into another dance. We leave Alec there, which feels like a tiny victory.

  I let Nate have a few more dances before I pull away and head back towards the bar.

  "Another?" I ask Gus, and he walks away to grab the bottle.

  "Does Nate know you're seventeen?" Alec's low voice whispers in my ear and chills cover my body. I look at him and scowl.

  "Would you stay out of it? We're dancing, nothing’s even happened."

  I realize now I have no clue how old Alec is. I know he's older, but he still lives at home, so he can't be that much older.