Shattered by You (Tear Asunder 3)

Lac plopped down beside me and jerked his head to the right to flick his light brown bangs out of his eyes. “My shower singing skills will be revealed.” He grinned.

I was starting to like Lac; he was polite and poised. There was a calmness about him, probably why he was the captain of his team. “I have studying to do.”

Lac nodded. “Yeah, sure. Okay.” Another reason I liked him, he never pushed me into joining them on their nights out.

“Oh, my God, Dillon.” Dana smacked him on the arm and laughed. “Stop. Fine, I’ll ask her.” She turned to me. “Dillon wants you to ask Kite and Crisis to come tonight. I told him no way in hell.”

Keeping a secret that I lived with two band members from Tear Asunder had been impossible, especially when Crisis showed up at school when he was bored. I didn’t know how he ever got bored when he was in the recording studio most days, which often led into the nights.

He did attempt to keep a low profile, though, always wearing a baseball cap low over his face and head down and no Luke or his men.

We’d lived in the condo for three weeks and there were only two girls I’d seen, and both had their clothes on and were leaving when I was getting ready for school. I knew it was going to happen. God, I expected it. Still, it hurt, even though I had no idea if they’d been Kite’s girls or Crisis.’

“Come on, Haven. It would be cool if they came.” Kevin was on the lacrosse team, too, and was here on a scholarship. He wiggled his bushy brows then shovelled a handful of fries into his mouth. Funny, how a person changed their tune when suddenly the tables had turned. Kevin was acting as if he liked Crisis after calling him an asshole at the party.

I shook my head. Not a chance. I wasn’t asking Crisis and Kite to be on display in front of my . . . I guess they could be called my friends. I hadn’t experienced having any before, but we ate lunch together most days and I was invited to everything, although I rarely went.

Lac nudged me with his shoulder and smiled. “Not a big deal. I’m sure I can sing just as well as any of those Tear Asunder guys.”

He was teasing and I half-smiled. It was getting easier to do, let others see my emotions. The normality was finally becoming reality. I was even going to start work at Georgie’s coffee shop in two weeks. Crisis’ doing. She was away with Deck, but her manager, Rylie, said I could work two nights a week.

“Hey, we should do dinner one night.” Lac leaned into me and his hand settled on my lower back.

I stiffened at his touch. Was he asking me out? I liked him, he was definitely good looking, but I wasn’t going to date him.

Dana interjected before I had a chance to respond, “So, will you come tonight?” She raised her brows and pouted.

I wanted to learn how to have fun, to socialize. This was why I’d moved downtown, why I went to school, to move on with my life. This was just another step toward doing that and this wasn’t a party. Besides, I hadn’t had any triggers lately. “Okay.”

A hush slowly came over the group in a domino effect. I knew who it was before I looked, and my heart picked up and my skin tingled. When I did look, the tingles became sparks and my breath caught in my throat. He kept his head tilted down and didn’t look at anyone, totally not Crisis’ style, but I knew he did it for me. His long even strides were casual and confident with a swagger and so Crisis—that he couldn’t hide.

I licked my lips and faced back around the other way.

“Oh, my God, I so have to get in his pants,” Rebecca said. “That man is smoking hot. I can’t even imagine what he’d do to a girl with that mouth.” She giggled. “Actually, yes I can.”

“Shut up, Becky.” Dana threw a fry at her. “He’s not interested in your hairy vagina. He likes Haven.”

“We’re just friends,” I said. Except I wanted to kiss him and every time he was near me I had butterflies and distinct tightness between my legs that made my panties wet. It hadn’t eased by living with him. It was worse, and worse was fucking with my control.

What I didn’t like was thinking about Crisis taking Rebecca or Tanya home with him. Would he? If they put in a little effort . . . or no effort. Both of them were pretty and very willing.

I felt his presence come up behind me and my belly dropped. Jesus, it was as if my body went into an adrenaline rush and all I could think of was him coming up behind me and kissing my neck. Of the touch of his lips against my skin, his tongue flicking out to taste me. The nibble of his teeth on my ear that kind of hurt but didn’t and he’d soothe it after with a gentle suckling.

Oh, God. I shifted uneasily in my seat as the heat rose in my body and the clench between my legs intensified.

Lac moved his hand from my back as Crisis moved in, which pretty much forced him to. His hard abdomen pressed into my back and he swept a finger across the nape of my neck, pushing my hair aside. Shivers darted across my skin and my breath stopped.

He leaned into me further and kissed the top of my head. I melted. I didn’t think it was possible to melt from a simple gesture, but I did. It had become a habit of his and I loved that he did it. Being tall, I fit right underneath his chin and it was perfect for him to kiss the top of my head when I was standing, but he still did it when I was sitting.