Page 92 of Broken Butterfly
Elizabeth tips her bowl back to drink the rest of her soup, something she has done ever since we were kids.
“Naturally, I’m upset about my car, but I’m relieved that we know who was responsible for the stuff online. I still can’t believe it was Maria though.”
I walk around the kitchen island and lift her up to sit on top of it, me between her legs. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I feel like it’s my fault.”
“No, Ryder. Just no. Lots and lots of therapy with Dr. Clairemont has helped me see that, as much as I still want to blame myself because of the guilt I feel, what happened to Mom, Dad, and Hailey is not my fault. What Maria did is not your fault. She’s filled with jealousy and anger. Let her choke on it and hopefully get the punishment she deserves from a court of law.”
“We need a vacation to get away from everything and everyone for a few days. How about after Seattle and Christmas, we go somewhere special to ring in the New Year?”
Elizabeth slips her arms around my neck. I take the opportunity to run my hands across her ribcage, my thumbs slowly trailing back and forth under the swells of her breasts. I wait to hear the hitch in her breath that I crave. I love it when I can feel her skin warm and I can watch the color rise and flush her chest and neck with arousal.
“That sounds absolutely wonderful. Where do you want to go?” She wriggles until her core is flush with my erection that’s pushing against the fly of my jeans.
I kiss my way up the center of her chest, then her neck, and settle my lips behind her ear. “Up to you, baby.”
She’s starting to pant, and I know I’ve hit the sweet spot.
Breathlessly she says, “Somewhere where there’s lots of snow. I want to snuggle up with you next to a fire and make love all night.”
How about we start now, I want to say but never do because the doorbell rings. “That’ll be Jay and Jules,” I groan, and she follows with her own groan of disappointment.
“To be continued,” she assures me.
I help Elizabeth down and let her go get the door to give my erection a chance to calm down. I place our bowls in the sink and hear Julien and Jayson’s raised voices as they enter the apartment.
“Why didn’t you call us? Why are we hearing about this now?” Jay huffs out.
“We just got home. It took forever to give my statement and file the complaint,” Elizabeth tells him. Jayson pulls her into a hug and jealousy flares to life inside of me. I’m getting sick and tired of him always putting his hands on her. Julien joins the embrace with his brother and I ease back a bit and lean against the entryway.
“Liz, we would have been there with you if we knew.”
“Ryder and Fallon were with me. Fallon’s personal lawyer is representing me.”
Jayson growls out, “Of course he fucking is.” Jay seems to say things like that a lot when it comes to Fallon and Elizabeth’s friendship.
“Why would you need a lawyer?” Julien asks. “Are you in trouble?”
“No, I’m not in trouble. My car, however, has seen better days.” My heart drops once again because I know how much she loves her car.
“It was Maria,” I say aloud.
Jayson turns his steely eyes on me in accusation. “Maria destroyed her car?”
“Maria was behind the pictures and the online posts. We still don’t know who beat the shit out of my car,” Elizabeth replies.
“So your goddamn psycho ex-girlfriend is causing trouble for Liz yet again?”
“Hey!” Elizabeth smacks Jay on his arm. “It’s not Ryder’s fault. It’s Maria’s.”
“Stop being a jackass,” Jules tells his brother.
Elizabeth sits the two of them down and tells them everything that happened. The little touches Jay keeps giving Elizabeth as she talks don’t escape my notice, but she’s so engrossed in her retelling that she seems unaware. But I see them. She’s my fiancé, and although he doesn’t know that yet, he knows she and I are together. He knows she loves me. The day is going to come when Jay will either fully accept that Elizabeth is not going to go back to him, or I am going to have make him understand.
“Fallon’s lawyer—well, Elizabeth’s lawyer now—is putting in a request to expedite the restraining order against Maria. The police are involved now and are investigating the vandalism done to Elizabeth’s car,” I interject.
Elizabeth adds, “So there is nothing more to do about it until we know more. Honestly, I’m relieved. Fallon once said knowledge is power. He’s not the first, but you know what I mean. And knowing who’s responsible for posting that filth eases my mind a bit, if that makes sense.”
“It doesn’t,” Jay tells her.
