Shattered Love : Heart - Rending Love Story (Betrayal Series Book 1)

by Ivy Rose

  It’s more than two bodies coming together, two hearts as one, two souls joined together. It’s us. It’s our every dream, our every wish and our greatest masterpiece.

  Dominic Stone is my story and my happily ever after.

  I walk into work the next day with a smile on my face, thinking of how Dom made right on his word last night. He spent the whole night proving just how much he loved me. To Him, love is shown through sex; he uses his body to say what he can’t.

  Cecelia's eyebrow rises as she smirks. “I’m so jealous. Not only are you married to a man that makes Abercrombie models look like pimply teenagers, but he leaves you smiling like that.”

  Cecelia was a quite type and she worked extremely hard. She was funny, smart and beautiful. We had quickly become friends since she started working at the school two years ago.

  I wiggle my eyebrows. “How's Brax?”

  Brax is who everyone thinks Cecelia is dating, even though she completely denies it. She speaks of him constantly, but I have never seen him. Supposedly, he lives in her hometown, a small neighborhood just outside of Seattle. I've asked her to bring Brax down. I even invited him to our wedding, but she never mentioned it again. She was the one that made regular weekend trips to visit him.

  Her ice-blue eyes light up. “He’s great. We went to the zoo.”

  This is the reason I couldn’t hate Brax, and the reason I know she loves him. The grin his name alone puts on her face…nothing makes her smile as much as the mention of Brax or her description of their lazy weekends together. But there is something she’s not saying. I know her well enough to suspect when something is up.

  “Hey, is everything okay?”

  She smiles but it's forced, not the one that lights up her face. “Yeah, just hate leaving him. I miss him.”

  I couldn’t imagine only seeing him on weekends. Even when he was on late night shifts, I still knew he was coming back to me. I could never properly fall asleep until I felt that dip in the bed, he’s arms circling my waist as he buried his head in my hair.

  The day goes pretty quickly with thirty eight-year-olds and trying to keep their attention while making it fun to learn.

  I meet Cecelia in the staff room and can’t help but burst out laughing.

  She turns around with paint splashed all over her.

  “What happened?”

  She frowns. “Harry happened.” She’s still trying to wipe the paint smudges off her top but the only thing she accomplishes is spreading it further.

  Harry is a mischievous boy and one of my favorites. “You’re not going get that out using a towel. You will have to wash it.”

  She looks down at her multi-colored top and throws her hands in the air. “I’m supposed to hand my assignment in. I can’t walk into tutorial looking like this!” She looks like someone attacked her with a paint brush.

  I can’t hold in my laughter and Cecelia soon joins in. She is still in college and has another two years before graduation.

  “Here—take mine. I’m going straight home.”

  Her eyes fill with surprise. “You’d do that?” Her voice sounds more vulnerable than normal, her lip trembling.

  “Of course. I’ll even do one better and wash it, too.”

  Instantly her eyes fill with tears and one spills over. “Thank you. No one has ever been so kind to me. In fact, most people are bitches.”

  I shrug. “It’s a T-shirt. No biggy.”

  Cecelia and I walk toward our cars. She wraps me in a hug before hurrying off to her car.

  I pull up to our house and see Carter and Dominic outside. They haven’t spotted me yet and I take a moment to admire Dominic. His sleeves are rolled up, he’s leaning against the patrol car smirking at something Carter is saying. There was a time when he didn’t smile much. In fact, the only expression he had was his stone-cold mask with no hint of emotion. Those jade green eyes looking at everyone with suspicion. Since we’ve been married, he’s come out of his shell more, as if he feels like he can breathe. The thought makes me smile because I know I have something to do with that.

  His eyes snap up to mine as if he can feel me. His smirk turns into a smile. No longer interested in the conversation he’s already making his way toward my car. Carter looks at what caught Dom’s attention and a big smile crosses his face when he sees me.

  I’ve always got along well with Carter. He’s loud, always wearing a grin. He’s the polar opposite of Dominic, who’s quite intense, more level-headed. He suspects everyone is always looking at everything from an angle. Knowing that evil can live behind the prettiest of faces. But they share the perfect partnership.

  My car door opens, and Dom leans in, taking my mouth hungrily. Every touch and feeling from the night before flashes before my eyes. His lips as they trace my body, his hands as they run over my rib cage. The feathery touches make my thighs clench and my stomach tighten.

  “Hey, my girl.”

  My cheeks stretch into a smile instantly. “Hey, has your shift ended?”

  Scaning every inch of me searching for the question and answer only he knows. His lip curls up into a smirk. When he gets his answer, but still hasn’t taken his eyes off me, he simply nods. His eyes are full of amusement, like he knows how much my body craves him right now.

  “She’s not going to disappear.” There is laughter in Carter voice.

  Breaking the trance, I smile over my shoulder as I grab my stuff from the car. “How’s Molly?”

  He actually flinches. “Stressed. That’s why I’m here.” The poor man looks beside himself.

  Molly is a sweetie, but she can be a firecracker when she wants she definitely keeps Carter on his toes. I can only imagine how my friend has been this last week.

  “You’re hiding out.” I bite my cheek to try and hide the smirk.

  He shaking his head his hands in his pockets, his dark blonde hair hanging in his face he eyebrow raised, his dark brown eyes narrow but he can’t hold the look long before we both burst into laughs.“Brat! No, I wanted to know if you wanted to go out for dinner.”

  I raise my eyebrow. “You know I’m married, right? I’m pretty sure you were there.” I wiggle my hand, showing off the ring. “That’s my husband right there.” I point toward Dominic, and he growls at Carter. Yes, my husband actually growls. It’s a lot sexier than it sounds.

  Pulling my body flush against his. I feel him tense behind me and I bite my lip to keep from full-on smiling.

  Carter’s eyes widen as he shakes his head, taking a step back. “Fuck, Avery, you know what he’s like when it comes to you.”

  I grin up at Dom. He’s possessive over me and Carter is no exception, even if he is his best friend. He’s eyes tell me he knows exactly what I’m doing, and it’s working. I’ll give him two minutes before he goes territorial.

  “So, I thought we could all go for dinner at the new Italian restaurant.”

  Dom is already rushing me up the path, his hand on my ass.

  “Seven okay?”

  I don’t hear Carter answer as Dominic slams the door, pushing me against it. “You need me, baby.” He knows the game I am playing, and now he’s changing the rules so he’s in charge.

  His pupils dilate as his nostrils flare slightly. “Always.”

  His eyes flash. A slow growl escapes as he lifts me up, and all my bags and books go crashing to the floor. I think about them for a second before his hands start kneading my ass, his lips come down on mine fast and hard, and my skirt tightens as he wraps it in his fist before the fabric tears, the shredded material falling between us.

  “This is going to be hard and fast, baby.” He watches me, waiting for my words.

  I nod.

  Quickly pushing my panties aside, bringing my body flush against his as he runs his knuckle through my wetness, teasing. He hisses. Looking between us, I watch as he guides himself in, both of us moaning at the contact. His thrusts are hard, making my climb quick.

  “Harder, baby. I need it harder,” I beg.
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  His eyes are a raw onyx. A primal expression overcomes him, and his lips slightly part as he tilts his head back, his fingers biting into my ass. I know they’re going to leave bruises. Stripping me of my breath as he hit the spot over and over. Two more times, and I scream his name as the most intense orgasm takes over me. I hear my name leave Dominic in a low growl as he slams into me one last time.

  Slowly, we’re getting our breathing under control. He pushes the damp hair out of my face. “Hey.”

  I don’t have time to answer before he lowers his lips, kissing my mouth like he has a lifetime to do it. Each sigh that escapes, he inhales like he wants to capture everything.

  The Italian restaurant is beautiful. It’s small and rustic. The exterior is brick with ivy trailing over selected selections, lanterns hang filled with candles of all different sizes, The tables are reclaimed wood and the chairs. The smell of fresh herbs hits you as soon as we walk through the door.

  And my favorite part: the food is delicious.

  Carter was right. Poor Molly was extremely stressed the whole night she couldn’t stop fidgeting with her napkin, tapping away at her phone. It wasn’t until she excused herself that she came back looking more in control like the toilets gave her a pep talk.

  She has so many things she still needs to do. Yet she nearly bit my head off when I volunteered to help out. That’s what I call a stressed out bride. The men leave to grab some more drinks, but we decide to stay and enjoy the evening in the beautiful garden. It was a warm night. The air holds that summer magic smell.

  “Carter’s always spoken about you and Dom, saying he’s never met two people so in love.”

  Molly and I became friends after she started dating Carter, but we hadn’t double dated until tonight. Something feels off with the way she said it, something I can’t quite put my finger on.

  I tilt my head, wondering where this is coming from. “You and Carter are the same.”

  Shaking her head. She stares off into the distance, and when she looks back at me, she doesn’t seem upset. She has an expression on her face almost like awe as if I hold the answer she wants to know. “Yes, we love each other, but Avery, the way Dom looks at you, the way you are with him…when you’re together, you have this intensity about you both no one can ignore. It’s like…” She pouts, tapping her finger against her chin, then has a light bulb moment. Her eyes soften, and she smiles almost shyly making her appear so much younger. “It’s what every artist dreams of painting, every musician dreams of singing and every writer dreams of capturing. It’s amazing to see.”

  I don’t know what to make of that, so I simply tell her the truth. “Thank you. Loving him is like breathing; he’s my air. I couldn’t stop loving Dominic, even if I wanted to. I don’t know how not to love him. It would be like asking the sun not to rise.”

  Molly’s eyes widen, her mouth falling slightly open at something over my shoulder.

  I turn to see Dominic. I know he heard everything I said.

  He reaches me in two long strides before his mouth assaults me and I willingly accept. He brings me flush to his body and pulls away for a quick breath. “Right back at you, baby.”

  Avery

  When I wake up, something's not right. My head feels like I drank an entire case of wine, rather than shared one bottle with Molly. As I move, my stomach flips. I reach the toilet just in time, feeling a cool cloth against my forehead. A weak groan escapes me as it cools my heated skin.

  “Baby?”

  I move my head slightly to see his eyebrows drawn. His lips are pulled into a tight line and the muscles in his jaw pop, tick, and move the more he studies me. He hates seeing me sick.

  I roll my eyes which causes my head to pound. “I’m okay. It’s probably the flu. Cecelia had it a couple of weeks ago.”

  His eyebrows pull in even more. I know that look. He’s about to go all caveman on my ass.

  “Help me shower?”

  He quickly jumps into action, turning on the shower.

  Dominic undresses me. Like a perfect gentleman, he tries to hide his sharp intake of breath as I’m exposed to him, but there are nine large inches of evidence that give him away.

  He follows my eyes. “I can’t help it. As soon as I see you, he gets hard. He doesn’t realize you’re sick.” There no hint of amusement in his voice.

  I can’t help but giggle.

  His lips pull up on the one side revealing that devilish smirk I love. “Come on, the water is perfect.”

  As water slides down my skin, he watches my every move. Jesus, it’s not like I’m going to melt. I smile to myself at his ridiculousness. My soft Dom. Oh, how there are so many layers to this man. As I go to grab the shower gel, he grabs it first. I frown up at him, confused.

  “I want to take care of you.” His voice is low smooth but the something else to it that makes me nod and succumb to him.

  He washes me gently, making sure my whole body is clean. His calloused hands send tingles all over. His breath picks up as he washes my breasts and between my legs.

  “Lean your head back.”.

  As if on cue, I do as I’m told and He reaches behind me before squirting some shampoo on my hair.

  “Coconut,” he says with a grin before kissing my forehead. His fingers massage my scalp and I moan.

  His dick twitches against my stomach at the sound.

  He repeats his motions with the conditioner, leaving it on just like I do. He bends down, kissing my forehead, my eyes, my nose and finally my lips, gently sucking.

  He turns off the shower quickly, grabbing the towel and drying me off before tying it around his waist. “Come back to bed.”

  “I promised Molly I’d go dress shopping.”

  A smug smile covers his face. “I’ve already texted Carter. Molly said she hopes you feel better soon.”

  I hiss like a cat. “I’m fine. It’s just the flu. I’m twenty-five, not five!”

  He stares me down and crosses his arms over his chest, a stance that would intimidate most people, but I know he’d never hurt me. “You remember our vows.”

  I frown at the subject change. “What has that got to do with anything?”

  Dom lifts an eyebrow.

  “I didn’t believe in love, it was just a word people used, but when you looked me in the eyes that day in class, it changed everything. I thought I knew everything about love…I know there is no else I could or would love like I love you. My heart might beat in my body, but it beats for you and you alone, until I take my last breath. I promise to love you, and only you, and to care for you always. I will try, in every way, to be worthy of your love, to be the man you see, to be the man I see when I look in your eyes. I will always be honest with you. But most of all, I promise to keep these vows I say to you. I promise that I will never stop loving you."

  He repeats them just like he did on our wedding day. “I promised to care for you. You’re sick, baby. Now, let me look after you…please?”

  How is any girl meant to refuse that? I grab my pajamas and crawl back into bed, my eyes already closing.

  “Baby.”

  I groan, my head is fuzzy, my eyes are heavy and my throat is raw as if I’ve swallowed razors.

  “Baby, come on. You need to eat.” I feel the bed dip before his fingertips gently push my hair out of my face.

  My eyes flutter open. Soup, bread, orange juice, cold medicine and pieces of fruit.

  “You did this?”

  He snorts. “I Googled it. The soup will be light on your stomach and the orange juice is full of Vitamin C. Then, you can take your pills and eat some fruit.”

  I look up at him so much wonder, he gives everything without asking for anything in return. “How did I ever get so lucky?”

  Dominic shakes his head, looking across the room before looking back at me. “I ask myself the same question every day, how someone like you can love me. I see it in your eyes. Every time, it’s like a punch to the gut. I’ll do anything to keep that look in
your eyes, because without it…”

  I cut him off, crawling on his lap. “Right back at you.”

  I play with his hair, his body relaxing, and then I hear soft snoring as his breathing evens out. “I love you, Dominic Stone.”

  His arms tighten around my waist as if he can hear me, even in his dreams.

  I must have fallen asleep because when I open my eyes, the sun is lower. The

  sheets are wet from my feverish body. I roll over and groan.

  The door opens, and Dominic smiles when he sees me, but it quickly disappears when he touches my forehead. “Fuck, Fuck.” He lifts me up, causing me to groan again. My head hurts and I hug his chest, curling up like a cat, before he places me in the chair.

  “You’ve got a damn fever.” He growls.

  I flinch at his tone. “Don’t shout. My head hurts.” I’m irritated. I just want to crawl into a dark cave because I don’t think walking is an option for me at the moment.

  He rips the blankets off the bed and walks somewhere—I don’t know where because I curl up into a ball and close my eyes. “Stand.” His voice still a low growl, but exhausted I listen. He grabs my arm as I wobble slightly, his eyes narrow as he strips me from my damp clothes, quickly placing his T-shirt over my head. “This will keep you cooler.”

  Picking me up, he cradles me to his chest. I let out a deep sigh as the coldness from the sheets instantly cools my skin, but I start shivering again, my whole body aching. Everything goes black once again.

  I wake feeling disoriented. There’s a cool cloth against my head. I turn to see Dominic working on his laptop.

  “Hey.” My voice sounds scratchy.

  His head snaps toward me, his eyes instantly taking me in from head to toe.

  “I’m okay,” I whisper.

  His hand tightens on his lap top. “You’re still sick.”

  Rolling my eyes, I let out a deep breath. “I’m going to get sick, Dominic. It happens.”

  Nodding sharply. “You need to drink some more before you get dehydrated. I’ve only managed to get you to drink sips through the night.”