Fracture (F-BOMB: Curvy Vigilantes #8)

Chapter 7

7

Vinnie woke up instantly. The sound of Lorelei crying out was already a part of him. A piece he both knew without thought and hated with every fiber of his soul. He ached to go to her, to hold her and soothe her and help her sleep once more.

But he couldn’t.

He promised himself he wouldn’t touch her again without her permission. She knew about the nightmares and panic attacks. He didn’t tell her the way he wanted to, but he told her. And she didn’t ask him to continue. So he wouldn’t.

But it still killed him to lie on the too small couch and listen to her fight the terror in her mind. A whimper and a gasp, a muffled cry.

He sat up and ran his hands through his short hair, tugging at the ends. He wanted to block the noise, but he couldn’t. He deserved to hear her suffer. She wasn’t alone, even if she didn’t know it.

Movement in the bedroom told him she was awake. A steady thump confirmed her crutches. The toilet flushed, water ran, then the thump led Lorelei back to her bed.

Vinnie didn’t move. He hated himself for sitting still as much as he hated himself for touching her in the first place. She deserved to be treated with respect and in a way she was comfortable with. He crossed that line.

When the noise in her room stopped, Vinnie forced himself to lie down again. He stared at the ceiling of the suite and wondered how he was going to survive weeks of Lorelei Sloane in his tiny apartment. He didn’t think through that part when he offered to let her stay. He lived in a one-bedroom apartment with one bed and one bathroom. It was tiny, almost too small for him alone sometimes. And he was going to be sharing it with a woman who drove him out of his mind crazy without even trying. A woman who tempted him with her every move.

A woman he had to resist, no matter what.

Lorelei Sloane was someone who mattered. She was going to stop the hell that ruled Niagara Falls. She was smart and strong and not looking to get tied down to a man who had nothing to offer her.

Vinnie needed to remember that. Her cousin was involved with a private investigator who could afford a suite without a second thought. Lorelei’s friends were cops and firefighters and not hurting for money. Karli casually mentioned Dawn Patterson had flown them out to Boston on her private plane.

Vinnie wasn’t at their level. He never would be. He was there to do his job, then leave her to do hers.

That was it.

A door opened at the front of the suite, and Vinnie sat up. He’d stripped off his shirt overnight, but he reached for it and tugged it over his head as the thud of crutches drew closer.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize you were out here. Did I wake you up?” Lorelei asked.

Vinnie shook his head. “You’re good. How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?”

She kept going, making her way to the chair on the other side of the couch, closer to the balcony. She looked wistfully at the balcony, then sat. “I’m good. I just needed to get out of bed.”

“Did you… Um…”

She looked over at him, her brown eyes telling him the answer to the question he started to ask. No, she didn’t sleep well. “I’ll be fine.”

Vinnie nodded. He knew she would be. She was too strong not to be. He opened his mouth to apologize for not being there, even though he knew she didn’t want him there, but before he could say anything, another door opened.

They both turned to watch Karli approach. Her hair was tied in a silk scarf, and she wrapped a matching robe around her body as she moved toward them. “Morning. I thought I heard you come out here. Hey, Vinnie.”

“Morning,” Vinnie said.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Lorelei said.

Karli rubbed her eyes. “All good. I wanted to be up when you got up. How did you sleep?”

“Good,” Lorelei lied.

Vinnie didn’t correct her.

“Good. I was hoping being out of the hospital would help you. Our bed was really comfortable. Vinnie, I’m sorry you ended up on the couch. I didn’t know there were only two beds when Cade booked the room. We should have gotten you another one.”

“I was fine,” Vinnie said. The kink in his neck argued with his words, but he wasn’t going to tell Karli that.

Lorelei smirked at him. But she kept his secret just like he kept hers.

“What time do you want to get on the road?” Karli asked.

Vinnie shrugged. “Whenever you guys want to go.”

“The earlier the better,” Lorelei said. “Since I have to stop so much, it’s probably best if we leave early.”

“I’ll go wake Cade up. He didn’t budge when I got out of bed,” Karli said, shaking her head.

“It’s fine. We need breakfast and time to get things packed up. He doesn’t have to get up now.”

“Is it okay if I use the bathroom in your room to shower?” Vinnie asked Lorelei.

“You didn’t have a bathroom to use?” Lorelei asked.

Vinnie shook his head. He wasn’t worried about it, but he wanted to shower before they got on the road. He hadn’t had much more opportunity to clean himself up in the last week than she had. The nurses took pity on him and showed him where there was a bathroom with a shower, so he used that most days, but he always rushed through. To take his time would be nice.

“Yes, of course. Feel free. Karli and I will be fine without you.”

“Thank you.” Vinnie grabbed his duffle and headed toward Lorelei’s room. As soon as he stepped in, her scent hit him in the face and propped up his cock. He hurried through before one of the women saw the effect on his body, closing the bathroom door but leaving the bedroom door open in case Lorelei needed something.

The bathroom was even worse. It smelled like her, but also not like her. Vinnie paused and drew a deep breath, regretting the move as soon as he did.

He was hard as fuck and about to come just standing there.

He yanked his clothes off in a frantic rush and turned the shower on. He got in before the water was warm and wrapped his hand around his neglected dick. He’d been holding Lorelei every night and worrying about her every day, and he wanted her. Bad.

He hissed at the feel of his hand on himself. One stroke, and his knees nearly buckled. He groaned and put his hand on the wall to support himself, then fisted himself hard.

It wasn’t going to take long. He pictured her lips when she smiled at him. He inhaled her scent. He imagined the feel of her hand wrapped around him.

His forearm hurt from the fast, punishing strokes he used. His breath rushed out of him. He ducked his head under the water, letting the heat fuel him. His entire body tingled. His balls tightened. His throat closed up.

He exploded. Thick ropes of cum flew across the shower and hit the wall with a splat. He grunted, trying to hold back the sounds he wanted to make. He pumped his dick harder, more, faster, making sure everything left him.

Every inch of his body throbbed. He felt like he’d gone ten rounds in the ring instead of five minutes in the shower. He was worn out, and not as relieved as he’d hoped he’d be.

“Fuck,” he whispered. It should have helped, but all it did was make him want her even more. He closed his eyes and saw her. He breathed and smelled her. He moved and felt her.

He was so damn screwed.

Vinnie rushed through the rest of his shower, soaping himself up and rinsing off and growing hard again. He debated taking care of the problem again, but it would take too long. He would be fine. It would be fine. He could control himself.

He hoped.

By the time Vinnie made it back to the living room, Cade was up and Karli was in the shower. When Cade and Karli swapped placed, Karli took Lorelei to her bedroom to change and pack so they could leave.

They grabbed breakfast and got back on the road, Vinnie behind the wheel and Lorelei right behind him once more.

Two hours in, they stopped so Lorelei could stretch and get some fresh air. Another hour after that, they stopped again. Cade said they were only ninety minutes from Niagara Falls, and Lorelei said she’d try to make it in one trip.

Twenty minutes from Cade and Karli’s house, Lorelei started shifting in her seat. Vinnie watched her in the rearview mirror, wondering if she was okay.

Karli talked, oblivious to Lorelei’s discomfort. Cade continued the conversation with Karli. Neither of them seemed to notice Lorelei was in need of another stop.

Vinnie saw a sign for a rest stop and hit his blinker.

“You okay?” Cade asked.

Vinnie nodded. “Can’t make it. Sorry. Need to stop at the bathroom real quick.”

“Oh, okay,” Cade said.

Vinnie looked at Lorelei in the mirror. She smiled at him. He made the right call.

The stop was only a few minutes, but it made Lorelei feel so much better. She hated making them all stop so many times, but she was uncomfortable. Sometimes it was pain, others just stiff. But she hated it. When they made it to Cade and Karli’s house, Lorelei nearly cried in relief.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us? We have plenty of space,” Karli said.

Lorelei got out of Vinnie’s SUV to stretch, again, and shook her head. “I’ll be fine with Vinnie. I know you don’t understand, and I can’t explain it, but I feel like that’s the place I need to be.”

Lorelei glanced at Vinnie. He was unloading Karli and Cade’s things from the back of his SUV. He and Cade were talking too quietly for her to hear what they were saying, but if Lorelei had to guess, it was about her.

“Vinnie knows how to get in touch with me. Adam said the FBI is going to issue you a new phone. Once you have that, we’ll make sure you have a way to contact all of us. And when you’re up for it, we’ll all get together so you know all the people I’ve been telling you about for a week.”

Lorelei breathed a laugh. “That sounds good. Thank you for everything. It was above and beyond.”

Karli shook her head and stepped closer to hug Lorelei. “Not even close. I love you, cuz. I am so happy you’re back and you’re going to be okay. Call me if you need anything.”

Lorelei nodded. “I will.”

Karli hugged Lorelei tight, then stepped back and smiled. Karli’s eyes were a little misty, but she ducked her head and moved toward Cade. He put his arm around her shoulder, then shook Vinnie’s hand and waved to Lorelei.

Lorelei stood next to the SUV while Karli and Cade went inside. She knew she should feel something, but she wasn’t sure what she felt. Affection? Appreciation? Yes to both. But she didn’t feel the loss of her cousin the same way she did when Vinnie left the room. Lorelei trusted Karli and believed she was honest, but when Karli walked away, it wasn’t the same visceral reaction Lorelei had to Vinnie walking away.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay with them?” Vinnie asked after a minute.

Lorelei looked up at him. She didn’t know how long she’d been staring at Karli’s house thinking about Vinnie, but with the man right there, she knew without a doubt she was making the right choice. “No. If you’re okay with me staying with you, that’s what I’d like to do.”

He nodded. “Can I help you get in?”

Lorelei nodded. Getting into the SUV wasn’t easy. She had to sit on the seat, then scoot herself all the way to the other side since she couldn’t lift her leg, or fit it on the floor of the backseat.

“Would the front be better? I’m about ten minutes from here.”

Lorelei shook her head slowly. “I’m not sure. We can try it.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You never would. I know that.”

Their gazes collided and clung. Lorelei’s body felt warm, warmer than the summer afternoon should have made her feel. It wasn’t the sun. It was the man who was staring at her like she was special. Like she was more important than the woman she used to be.

A car driving by revved their engine and broke the spell that locked Lorelei and Vinnie together. He cleared his throat and reached for her crutches. “This is easier. You know you can do it. We’ll work on the front seat when you’re not so worn out from driving all day.”

“Sounds good.” Was her voice always so breathy? God, she sounded like she was trying to talk him into her bed. Did she have a bed? Where was she living? She had an apartment in Boston, but Karli said Lorelei was staying in a hotel in Niagara Falls. Should she go there?

Lorelei ignored the thought and let Vinnie help her get into the backseat of his SUV. He took the crutches once she was on the seat, then waited for her to move herself to the other side of the vehicle before he set her crutches on the floor next to her and closed the door.

He took a minute before he walked around the SUV and climbed into the driver’s seat. He pulled away from the curb without a word and navigated the streets Lorelei would swear she’d never seen before in silence.

Vinnie pulled into an apartment complex nine minutes later. He wound through the buildings until he made it to a lot toward the back and turned in. He found a parking spot near the building entrance and turned off his Bronco.

“I don’t have an elevator. Or a spare bedroom. Or a lot of things. I probably should have told you all of this before you decided to come here. I can take you back to your cousin’s if you want me to. Or somewhere else. Wherever?—”

“I want to be with you,” Lorelei admitted. “You make me feel safe. I… I know you don’t know me and I pushed myself into your life, but?—”

“You didn’t push. I did. And I’m sorry for that. I’ll grab our things and we can go up.” He was out of the vehicle in the next second, slamming the door so hard it jolted Lorelei’s shoulder.

He was pissed. Dammit. She made the wrong choice. Again.

He threw their duffles over his shoulders and grabbed each of her suitcases.

She didn’t like that she couldn’t help, but it was all she could do to get herself around.

Vinnie opened the door for her and grabbed her crutches, holding them until Lorelei made her way across the vehicle and could get out. He led the way to the door and opened it for her, then led the way up the stairs to the third floor of the building.

Lorelei was breathing heavily by the time they made it to his door, but she didn’t want him to know. She drew slow, deep breaths to hide how hard she was panting.

Vinnie noticed anyway. “I should have told you about the stairs. And everything. I’m sorry. We’ll get everything straightened out tomorrow. Let you rest tonight.”

Lorelei just nodded, letting him have the excuse to get rid of her.

Vinnie let them in, and she moved out of his way so he could bring in all their luggage.

She took in his apartment while he carried everything to what she assumed was the bedroom. The place was small, but clean and comfortable. A gray couch dominated the living room, with a smaller matching chair to the side and a massive TV on the wall opposite. A wooden coffee table sat in front of the couch with coasters and remotes on the top. A blanket was thrown over the couch like someone had just tossed it there.

Space that Lorelei assumed was a dining room was instead full of free weights with a treadmill in the middle of the room. The light fixture was hooked up at the ceiling instead of left to hang low and risk hitting Vinnie every time he walked by.

The kitchen was behind the dining room, the three spaces creating an L-shape. Cabinets lined both sides of the galley kitchen, with appliances breaking up the yellow wood stain that made her think the kitchen was old.

“It’s small, and it’s kind of crappy, but?—”

“It’s neither. And I appreciate you letting me stay here.”

Vinnie nodded. “Let me show you around. Obviously, living room, kitchen, and the dining room I don’t use. I eat on the couch since I live alone. Bedroom and bathroom are back this way if you want to follow me.”

Lorelei wanted to ask if someone else had ever lived with him. If he was single or if there was another person in his life. But she didn’t.

His bedroom was roughly the same size as the living room. A king-size bed took up almost the whole space. He lifted her suitcases onto the bed, blue sheets and a white comforter making the room look brighter than it was with only one lamp on.

The bathroom was… tiny. Lorelei had no idea how she was going to take a shower in that little bathroom. Without handicap handles to help her get in and out. Shit. She never thought about that.

“It’s all small. I know. It’s not anything like your place.”

“I was left to die in my apartment. I don’t have a lot of fondness for it right now.”

“Lorelei.”

She swallowed roughly and turned to go back to the living room. “I know you don’t want to babysit me. I’ll be fine if you have to go do something. See someone or whatever.”

Vinnie followed her to the living room, shaking his head. “I already checked in with my boss, so I’m good. I have to go to work sometime, but he’s agreed to let me have time to figure that out. So I can be here with you.”

“I don’t want you to put your life on hold because of me. We’re strangers.”

Vinnie took a step back like what she said bothered him. He nodded sharply. “You’re right. But I agreed to let you stay here, so I’m going to make sure you’re okay. Are you hungry? I was going to order some food and I’m guessing you’re going to want to get some sleep.”

“Sure, sounds good.” It didn’t. None of it sounded good. But she didn’t know what else to say to the man she didn’t know anymore than she knew herself.