Page 26 of Fractured

Ravenmaster: We discussed this.

Ravenmaster: He isn’t allowed to touch you.

Ravenmaster: You’re mine. I’m not sharing you with HIM.

I turn off the ringer and lock my screen, sliding the phone in my pocket as I get up to refill my glass. Grayson should be arriving with his dad any minute now. I’m surprised my father left so little time to convince me if I had said no. But on the other hand, I could tell he didn’t want to force this on me.

Grabbing my freshly topped off glass, I head for my own office rubbing the space between my eyes. Vander stiffens the moment he sees me. I can see the temptation to melt the icy wall he’s built between us, but at the last minute, he decides not to ask what’s wrong. As I pass by Jen’s office, I pop my head inside. “Can you send Grayson to my office when he arrives?” I’m already moving on before she can even answer me.

As soon as I’m in my office, I sink into my chair. It won’t help to dwell on things, so I get to work answering some emails and glancing over proposed design specs. Before I know it, there’s a knock on my door. “Come in,” I yell out as I shut down my computer.

Grayson saunters in. “Love bug! There you are!” he greets me. That needs to get squashed right the fuck now.

“No. No cute, lovey dovey names. I don’t do those,” I deadpan. This isn’t the time to beat around the bush. “We need to talk.”

The smile slips from his face. “Nothing good ever comes from those words. What’s wrong?”

“We need to discuss the marriage contract. I have a few stipulations that need to be met if I’m agreeing to being your wife on paper,” I start off, moving around my desk to lean against the front of it. I don’t want him towering over me for this conversation.

“What?” he snaps. His eyes go wide with shock and he freezes mid step. It’s unclear why he would be so caught off guard with my response. He’s the one who’s been calling me wifey, putting a claim on me, and clinging like white on rice. He tries to recover and pastes a smile on, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. How intriguing. Seems my future husband is trying to hide something from me.

“What do you mean, what? The marriage contract. The whole reason you're here today… ring any bells for you? We need to discuss some stipulations.” This time he has his emotions fully locked down and I don’t even see a hint of what he’s thinking in his eyes. Well, that’s not as much fun. Maybe this will get a reaction. “You know the whole hubby and wifey, till death do us part.”

I made sure to add extra emphasis on the word death, and the moment it passed my lips, Grayson became ashen. He clears his throat and pulls at his collar in an adorable nervous tick. Too bad I already know how horrible he is in bed. “Yes, of course I know what you’re talking about. I just don’t see what stipulations we need to discuss,” he finally says.

Regaining some color in his cheeks, he saunters in front of me and stands between my legs, placing his hands on my desk on either side of me. He nestles himself flush between my thighs and trails his nose up my neck. The movement sends involuntary tingles through me and hardens my nipples. He makes it to my ear and lets out an exhausted sigh. The rush of air hits my ear just right and my body shakes off the chill. “Why did you say yes, Remi?”

I run my hands up his chest and try to push him away for a little bit of space, but he doesn’t move an inch. “Because we both have plenty to gain from the partnership. I’m not one to pass up the opportunity. You should know that.”

He keeps his voice low when he replies, giving me the suspicion he’s trying to keep anyone from overhearing. “Cut the shit. You ran out of my apartment like your fine ass was on fire and you haven’t looked me in the eye since I’ve arrived.” The raspy undertones of anger fill his voice reminding me of the moments he was all alpha male on my ass.

The faint sound of my phone ringing reaches me, but I ignore it. Mr. Stalker isn’t happy with how close Grayson is right now, and turned on my ringer again. “Are you done playing your games?” I ask Grayson.

He lets out a growl and wraps a hand around my neck. “This wouldn’t be so fucking hard if I didn’t want you so god damn bad. What is it about you, Remi, that draws me in?” His lips slam down on mine in a vicious kiss. My lip catches on his tooth, drawing blood. With the taste of it mingling with our warring tongues, Grayson rips his mouth from mine and throws me back with the hand around my throat.

I crash back on my desk, sending my keyboard skittering along the wood and a coffee cup to shatter on the floor. Grayson yells out, “Fuck!” He’s halfway across the room already by the time I sit up. He turns around to close the distance between us, but before he can say anything else, the door to my office whips open. It crashes into the wall and bounces back, slamming closed again at the same time Grayson is jerked off his feet.

He lands on the coffee table in my seating area, and unlucky for him, it’s made of glass. It shatters under his weight sending him to the ground along with skittering shards of glass. My panties are soaked and I’m not certain if it's Grayson’s manhandling of me, Vander throwing him around, or the protective rage in Vander’s eyes. My phone resumes it’s ringing after my stalker was sent to voicemail, and at the same time Vander and Grayson’s phones ring too. What a persistent shit. I can’t deal with him right now.

Vander places himself between me and Grayson, sparing a second to look me over before setting his gaze on the man groaning on the floor. “You don’t get to touch her,” Vander seethes.

Grayson gingerly lifts himself from the mess of glass and bent metal that used to make up the coffee table. There’s a small drop of blood running down his cheek from a cut. It adds to his rugged good looks. He sneers at Vander and lets out a wry laugh. “Didn’t you hear? She’s agreed to become my wife. I’ll be touching her in all the ways you can only dream of.”

I’d like to think it’s all the teasing I’ve been doing, but in all honesty, I don’t know what sends Vander over the edge. All I know is one second he’s standing in front of me, and the next he’s holding Grayson’s tie in his fist, raining punches down as Grayson protects his head and kicks out trying to find an escape.

I rush forward and catch Vander’s elbow as he pulls back for another punch. My whole body jerks forward as he tries to throw another hit, but I’m able to hold him back just enough to not allow it to land. “Vander, stop! You need to stop!” This time he lets me drag him away and with a shake of his head, he turns to me and grips my face with both hands. He turns me one way and then the other trying to reassure himself that I really am unharmed.

“You okay? Did he hurt you?” he asks me, his voice rough. I see it in his eyes, the self blame of me possibly being hurt on his watch.

I wrap my hands around his wrists, swiping my thumbs over his pulse points to offer reassurance. “I’m fine, Vander. He didn’t hurt me. I’m okay, really,” I try to convince him. He pulls me into his arms and presses my head against his chest. I can’t help but sink into his hold, appreciating his touch being freely given, something that I’ve been chasing for days now.

“So is this the stipulation you wanted to discuss with me? Finally going to admit you’re fucking your guard?” Grayson asks as he wipes blood from the corner of his mouth with his thumb. He straightens his suit before crossing his arms and staring us down.

Vander stiffens with the accusation, but leaves his arms around me, running his hands along my arms. “She’s already told you there’s nothing going on between us. Are you calling her a liar?”

The testosterone being thrown about in here is suffocating. “Oh, really? That’s not how things look from my perspective,” he replies, pointedly looking at the intimate way we’re holding each other.

I glance up at Vander, effectively pulling his death glare away from Grayson. “Can I have a moment with Grayson alone? Please don’t argue with me.” A muscle jumps along his jaw, but after a pause, he squeezes my shoulders and leaves without another word.

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