Page 32 of It Shouldn't Be You
"There's nothing really to say." She shrugs, looking up at me with eyes full of vulnerability that make me want to simultaneously castrate Matt and wrap Lily in a comforting hug. How has he let things get this messy?
"Well yeah, but how did this happen? Last time I was here, he was pretending you didn't exist, and you were running as far as you could."
"It's complicated and so fucking messy. I don’t know how we get out of this cycle of fucking and then acting like strangers," she confesses, looking on the verge of tears again.
"You know in under three years he’ll be married, right?" I don't want to hurt her by bringing up the inevitable, but someone has to.
"I know." Her broken whisper and the tears clinging to her lashes break my heart. I reach over to give her knee a squeeze, letting the silence hang between us as we wait for the timer to signal the end of our suspense. When it finally goes off, she doesn’t move, so with a deep breath, I reach between us to flip over the pregnancy tests.
The room is so silent you could hear a pin drop as we take in the six little glowing 'not pregnant' results. Relief floods through me, but it's short-lived as Lily falls into my arms with a sob. I wrap her in a tight hug, holding her as close as I can. Maybe, just maybe, if I hold her tight enough, the heartbreak that is Matt O'Malley will stop haunting her.
Or maybe I'm going to need to talk some sense into that fucker before he does something that can't be undone.
Chapter 26
After the heartbreak of yesterday, witnessing Owen and Cora's love was almost bittersweet. Knowing they are on cloud nine while Lily pairs up with Matt, forced into a facade, makes me wish I could switch places with her. They stand at the altar facing each other, a cruel reminder that it can never be them—a truth I know would devastate Cora if she knew, which is exactly why I agreed to stay silent. The last thing I want is to spoil her big day.
But as I watch Lily's heartbreak manifest across her features during Owen and Cora's ceremony, I find myself grinding my molars behind a forced smile.
As they are proclaimed husband and wife and Owen kisses her senselessly amid the cheers of their guests—with Cole's cheer the loudest until Liam cuffs him around the ear—my heart breaks a little more for Lily. Thankfully, as soon as the photos are done, Matt heads to the bar, allowing Lily to escape to her seat.
At the head table, Logan leans in and whispers, "Is this giving you deja vu, or is it just me?"
"Oh, big time. It's weird sitting up here again but from this side," I muse as I watch Cora and Owen sway on the dance floor with April between them, embodying the perfect family. After everything they fought through last year, seeing her happy ending unfold brings me close to tears. They fought tooth and nail for this, and God help anyone who tries to disrupt their happiness.
"Is it weird being back here? Now that you're officially part of the Clan?" he asks, his arm draped over the back of my chair, fingers playing with the strap of my champagne dress.
"I’ll always be a Four Points girl at heart, so no, but it is nice seeing my parents again and the girls," I reply with a smile, observing the lively scene around us. Cole twirls one of the Dixey twins around as she giggles; meanwhile, Matt has the other twin on his shoulders, playing the fool. Lily and a few other daughters form a circle, drinks in hand, belting out a Taylor Swift song as if expelling their hurt. My dad and his friends laugh over whiskey, while my mom dances with Jonathan, chatting away. The sight before me radiates the love and sense of belonging that drew me to this organisation. I miss that feeling more than I expected.
"Hmm, fair enough. I do hope eventually you can view the compound as your new home, you know."
"I’m working on it. That place needs one hell of a shake-up, you know that right?" I raise an eyebrow at him, giving him my full attention.
"I do. Why do you think I’m working fourteen-hour days half the time?" He returns the look before changing the subject. "On a lighter note, do you know the only thing I regret about our wedding?"
"Hmm?" His gaze holds a promise that stirs a heat within me.
"We never got to enjoy the bridal suite," he says, his voice thick with implication.
"What ever shall we do about that," I tease back flirtatiously, and before I can blink, he’s thrown me over his shoulder, delivering a sharp slap to my ass as he whisks us away from the room, much to everyone’s amusement.
Once in the elevator, he sets me down but immediately boxes me in against the wall, whispering a dark promise.
"You have been such a fucking tease since day one. I’m about to show you what happens to bad girls who tease a man one too many times."
Then he crushes his mouth against mine in a fierce kiss that’s all teeth and tongue. He dominates completely, one hand tangled in my hair, tilting my head to grant him better access to my neck, which he marks greedily while his other hand grips my rear.
The elevator dings, alerting us to our floor, and with his grip on my rear, he lifts me, legs circling his waist, as he carries me to our room. The moment the door shuts, he pins me against it for another searing kiss before slipping the straps of my dress down to kiss my exposed chest, all while grinding into me.
I claw at his back, arching into his heat, as he growls, "Be a good girl, and I’ll reward you after I punish you. But if you’re an impatient brat, there will be no reward for you tonight."
With a nip to my lip and a final squeeze, he releases me before my eyes can roll back. The intensity of his desire sends shivers down my spine, and despite the degradation, it ignites something wild within me.
He carries me from the door to the bed, setting me down gently. Standing at its foot, he slowly removes his tie, rollingup his sleeves, then uses the tie to bind my wrists, his actions sending my pulse racing. The thought of him having complete control over me as I lay helpless on the bed is intoxicating.
“I’ve been dreaming of this ever since you flashed that sweet ass on our wedding night. Did you have any idea how much control it took not to spank you then and there for being such a cock tease?” He slowly unthreads his belt, his eyes pinning me in place as he approaches.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to tease you.”
