Breaking Shaun (15 page)

“You’re drunk,” I said as my eyes met hers.

I could see tears forming in her eyes again, and it made me feel like shit.

“Please, Shaun. I need to forget. Just for tonight. Please,” she begged. She leaned forward and kissed me again. “Please?” she whispered against my lips.

She ground her hips on top of mine, and I felt my dick responding. Reaching up, I unbuttoned the top of her dress and revealed her white bra.

Innocent. Pure.

Fuck.

“You’re not a virgin, are you?” I asked as I slid the fabric of her dress off her shoulders.

She shook her head, and that was all it took for me to make my decision. Tossing her down on the couch beside me, I hovered over her as I unbuttoned the rest of her blue dress. She was breathing hard, and so was I. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous about what we were going to do, but I ignored my nerves and did it anyway.

What the fuck?

I woke up to the sound of water running and dishes clanking against each other. I could smell bacon, and I groaned when the throbbing in my head broke through my haze. Rolling onto my stomach, I pried open my eyes, and they slowly focused on the floral-patterned pillowcase under my head. I instantly jerked my head back and got up onto my elbows.

I was naked and in a woman’s bed. That was when the memories started flooding in—dancing, drinking, fucking.
Shit.

I hung my head and shoved my fingers through my hair. I tried to get my thoughts together.
She said all she wanted was sex. You’re cool, man. Just get some breakfast and be on your way. You were the good guy last night.

Taking a deep breath, I turned over and moved to sit up on the edge of the bed. My head was killing me, and everything still felt foggy. When I looked around the room, I noticed my clothes had been folded and set on the dresser next to the bed.

Well, that’s a first.

No woman had ever folded my clothes for me after I fucked her. As I sat there, staring at them, there was a soft knock on the bedroom door. I turned to see what was next when Cupcake slowly stuck her head inside and gave me a shy smile.

“Um…I made breakfast. Are you hungry?” she asked as she pushed the door open farther.

I realized she had a tray in her hands.

Breakfast in bed?

“How are you not feeling like shit right now?” I asked her as I watched her walking the tray over to the bedside table.

She froze, and a look of shame washed over her features. She must have misunderstood me.

“I mean, hungover. You drank like a fucking fish last night.”

I noticed her body relax, and she blew out a breath before finally setting the food down.

“I took some painkillers and drank lots of water earlier. I couldn’t really sleep.” She took a step back and clasped her hands in front of her.

I got the impression that she was trying to politely rush me out the door. That was fine with me.

“I’m really sorry for the way I acted last night,” she muttered as she stared at the floor. “I’m embarrassed, but thank you for being so kind to me.”

Where the fuck did this chick come from? The fifties?
“Yeah, no problem. Look, I’m gonna get dressed and head out. I appreciate you making me breakfast and all, but I don’t really have an appetite.”

She seemed relieved as she nodded. “Okay.”

“Hey.” I waited for her to look at me before I continued, “You didn’t do anything wrong last night, you know? There’s nothing wrong with having a good time and letting loose a little.”

She gave me a small grin, and I figured that was the best I was going to get. I stood up, and I heard her gasp as her eyes moved to the floor again. I chuckled to myself.

She rode my dick last night, but now, she can’t even look at it.

“Uh…I’m just going to wait outside,” she stammered before rushing out of the room and into the hall.

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

In Nick’s breakfast nook, I was eating eggs with toast and drinking coffee with Nick and Luke in comfortable silence. Nick was reading another erotica novel on his iPad, and Luke was holding a newspaper, reading the sports section. I took small bites of my toast and looked out the window at the sky and landscape outside.

I wondered how my sister was doing. I hadn’t spoken to her in a few weeks. No matter how much I would try to remind myself that she was an adult now, it was hard not to worry about her. Two years ago, Lili had moved to New York with her best friend to chase her modeling dream. I knew she could handle herself out there. We’d been taking care of ourselves for so long that there wasn’t much we couldn’t handle. We’d eaten at soup kitchens, changed clothes in public restrooms, and quickly learned not to trust anyone. I would make sure to send her money every month even though she was constantly telling me not to. I liked helping her, and I really didn’t care too much about money or material things. I’d never really had that luxury anyway.

“Well, I’d better get going before I’m late for work,” Luke said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

He stood and leaned down to give Nick a quick kiss.

“Bye, baby,” Nick said before taking a sip of his coffee.

“Bye.”

I smiled at Luke, and he gave me a small wave after putting on his baseball cap and heading toward the door.

“I guess I’d better head out, too,” Nick told me as he got out of his chair and stretched.

“You need me to pick up anything while I’m out today?” I wiped my mouth with a napkin.

“Yeah, we need more coffee.”

“Okay, sure,” I said, smiling at him. I got up and took my dirty dishes to the sink.

“You going to Red today?”

“Yeah, at noon. Why?”

“Just wondering. Good luck.” He grinned at me before he went to his room.

I had a feeling I would need it.

After Nick left for work, I decided to call and check on Lili.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Lili. How are you?”

“Oh my God, Natalie! I was just about to call you.”

Moving to sit on the couch, I grinned when I heard the excitement in my sister’s voice. “What’s up?”

“Well, you know how Seth asked me to move in with him, right?”

Seth was my sister’s boyfriend. They’d been dating for a few months.

“Yeah.”

“He proposed! He asked me to marry him, Nat!”

I paused as my mouth fell open, and I tried to decide how I should feel about her news. I knew my sister had strong feelings for this guy, but I hadn’t met him yet, and she was still so young.

“Wow. What did you say?” I asked although it was obvious she’d accepted.

“I said yes, of course!”

“Are you sure? I mean, I’m happy for you, Lili. I just want to make sure you’ve thought this through.”

She sighed into the phone. “I know, I know, and I have. I love him, Natalie. I mean, I really love him. He’s not like any of my other boyfriends. I know you’ll love him, too.”

I bit the inside of my cheek and fought the urge to press the subject. I knew my sister was growing up, and I had to start respecting her decisions. I guessed old habits just died hard.

“Well, I’m happy for you.”

“Really?” she asked with an edge of skepticism.

She knew me too well.

“Really.”

“Thanks, Nat. That means a lot to me.”

We were silent for a moment before she asked, “So, what about you? How do you like living on the East Coast again?”

I shrugged before leaning back into the couch cushion. “It’s different, but I like it so far.”

“You could always move to New York.”

I laughed as I put my feet up on the couch. “No, I think I’m done moving for a while.”

“Really? What makes you say that?”

“I don’t know. I’m just ready to settle down somewhere. I want to maybe find a good job and make some friends.” I pulled one of Nick’s throw pillows onto my lap.

“Well, that sounds like a great idea. How’s Nick?”

“Nick’s the same—crazy.”

Lili laughed, and I smiled at the sound.

“And how about you? How are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“I do worry about you, Nat. I worry about you all the time.”

I stopped smiling, and my eyebrows furrowed. “Why?”

“Because I want you to be happy. I want you to stop worrying about me and have fun. You deserve it.”

I rubbed my lips together as I thought about what she was saying, and then I heard her laugh a little into the phone.

“I can hear you thinking, Natalie. Give it a rest, will you?”

“Give what a rest?”

“Overthinking everything. It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay to take risks, you know? That’s what life is about.”

I laughed as I ran a hand through my hair. “When did you get so smart?”

“I learned from the best.”

“Yeah, well, take care of yourself, okay? Call me if you need anything.”

“I will
.
Hey…” she said, pausing for my response.

“Yeah?”

“I love you, sis.”

I smiled. “I love you, too.”

After hanging up with my sister, I thought a lot about what she’d said. I’d spent so much of my life taking care of her that I almost felt lost now that she didn’t need me.

Maybe she’s right. Perhaps it’s time I think about my own happiness. Maybe it’s time to let go.