Shattered (Koa #5)

10. Lila

Chapter 10

Lila

“ F eeling better?”

I lift my head from my desk to see my boss, Dr. Parr, stroll in.

The truth is, I hate my job. I’ve been steadily growing tired of being a nurse since I started. I liked it at first. Dr. Parr is great to work for. The job didn’t bother me much before when I was with Ian. Now that I’m going home to an empty house, work feels almost torturous. I never thought I’d be one of those people who hate their career, but I also never expected to be divorced.

“Much,” I lie through my teeth.

Dr. Parr approaches my desk to grab some paperwork and flashes me a disappointed expression at the same time .

“But you were okay to go get a tattoo,” she says, motioning to the tiger tail poking out of the top of my shirt, still covered in wrap. It’s a bit tender, but otherwise, it doesn’t hurt. Some fluid has gathered under the bandage, but I haven’t fiddled with it.

She must’ve seen my SUV across the street yesterday. It’s a common model, so I figured I could avoid that. She must know my plate.

“I’m sorry. It was a mental health day.”

She sighs. “Lila, this has to stop. I let it slide for a while after your divorce because I figured you were going through a hard time, but it’s been a year now.”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“When you’re not here, it’s hell. Trying to do both your job and mine is frustrating, and then I run late, and no one’s happy.”

“I’m sorry,” I repeat, more sternly this time.

Dr. Parr doesn’t look like she believes me. “You can send my first patient right back when she arrives. My one-ten is a new patient. Can you get a complete assessment done on her?”

“Of course.”

She heads to her office, and I continue filing yesterday’s paperwork. Dr. Parr left a huge mess, but I can’t blame her. She probably still left late yesterday, and this would’ve taken her another hour to sort out. I’m glad it’s Thursday, and we’re working late today. She’s not so forgiving in the mornings.

When her first patient comes in, I send her right back and continue working. A few minutes later, the door swings open again.

“Hi, good afternoon,” I say as I scribble notes on a patient’s chart. When I don’t hear a response, I finish the note before lifting my head and finding a familiar face .

“Allegra?”

She enters sheepishly, her head down and her smile absent. She looks nervous as her eyes flicker to mine, partially concealed behind her chocolate brown waves.

“Hi, Lila.”

“What are you…”

She approaches the desk slowly, like she’s trying not to spook me. “I’m sorry. I wanted to speak to you the night we made the announcement.”

“Yeah, sorry I wasn’t there.”

She smiles softly. “It’s no problem.”

It takes me looking at my computer screen to realize she’s our new patient. What the fuck?

“Are you pregnant?” I blurt.

“No,” she says calmly.

They must be trying.

“I’m sorry. If this is weirding you out, I can find a different doctor. Neela had nothing but good things to say about Dr. Parr, so-”

“Stop,” I say, holding a hand up to her to stop her nervous ramble. “Relax. Come sit back here so I can take your vitals.”

She steps around the desk to sit down in a chair beside the machine. Once she’s seated, her red summer dress tucked over her knees, I approach in my rolling chair. I pop the blood pressure cuff on her arm and turn it on, and the cuff begins to inflate.

“For the record, I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about the engagement. Ian wanted to tell you, and that was his place.”

“It’s fine,” I say simply. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks,” she says .

When the machine beeps, her BP is sky-high, like her pulse. The machine isn’t always accurate, so I take her pressure manually, finding that the machine was right.

“You need to relax; your vitals are up. Are you trying for a baby?” I ask.

“We’re thinking about it. But I figured it’d be a good idea to get checked out before we even decide. With my history and all…”

Allegra’s already been pregnant twice, and she lost them both. The first was late in pregnancy when she became Eclamptic, and the second was a surprise pregnancy that her jackass ex-husband ended when he kicked her in the stomach. He didn’t know she was pregnant at the time. He’s in jail now for assault and tampering with her birth control.

“Dr. Parr is the best. You’ll be in good hands here, and this isn’t weird. Don’t worry.”

“Too late, but okay,” she laughs.

“I know you guys try not to throw your relationship in my face, but you don’t have to worry about that. I’m really over him. Please, don’t tiptoe around me.”

She nods. “I’ll try.”

After taking her history, doing her assessments, and redoing her vitals once she’s calmed down, we chat for a bit while she waits. After Dr. Parr’s first patient leaves, she calls Allegra back.

I try not to think about Allegra and Ian having a baby. While I want to be happy for them, it makes me weirdly sad.

Lonely.

When my phone buzzes on my desk, I pick it up, finding a text from Turner .

Turner: Your friend Asher came by. He’s joining Koa.

The rage that tears through me nearly sends me through the roof as I hit the call button, hoping no one else walks in. Our next patient isn’t due for ten more minutes.

When Turner picks up, I don’t give him a second to say hi.

“Like FUCK he is!”

“What’s your problem!?” he snaps.

“Asher’s a total asshole!” And I wouldn’t trust him to play by the rules, not that I’ll tell Turner that if I don’t have to. He’d rearrange Asher’s internal organs.

“And what’s that supposed to mean? Why can’t he join?” Turner asks, challenging me.

Fuck. He’s gonna make me tell him.

“It’s none of your business,” I say dumbly.

“Lila, you’ve got a problem with everyone right now.”

“Well, for him, I have good reason.”

“Enough!” he snaps. “Unless you wanna explain what’s going on, I’m letting Asher join as long as his paperwork comes in clean.”

“Do not let him in, Turner!”

“Well then, you can come by later and tell me exactly why not.”

Fucker. “Do not let him in yet, okay? Promise me.”

“I promise. But you’re gonna have to do better than that.”

It takes everything in me not to storm out of work in a rage. If I leave, Dr. Parr will be pissed, and I’m already on thin ice with her. Though I’m on edge, I manage to get through the rest of my day .

And it’s his fault.

I don’t get Asher. He gets under my skin. He’s unhinged, probably dangerous, and I’m playing fucking games with him. That’s all this is. A game. He’s trying so hard to intimidate me, and I refuse to fold. He’s going to keep fucking with me and hold this sex tape over my head; I just know it.

Jokes on him. He will not break me.

He’s also caught me in a unique time where I have nothing to lose.

When I get home, I find one vehicle in the driveway next door. I don’t even look in the direction of my house as I storm up to Asher’s back door. It’s unlocked.

I’ve never just busted into a stranger’s house like this, but after a quick survey of the bottom floor, I fly straight up the stairs like I own the place. I end up in a hallway of closed doors, with one open at the end. The moment I spot a head of dark hair in the bed, I storm into the bedroom.

The cool night breeze flows in from the open window. Asher sits up in bed, and the blankets over him fall into a heap in his lap, his bare chest visible. It holds my gaze like a magnet as I blatantly check him out, unable to help myself, but I peel them away as quickly as I can, just in time to see his smirk.

“Take a picture; it’ll last longer,” he says with that devious fucking smile.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Koa? What the fuck did you say to Turner!?” I snap, jabbing a finger at him from the foot of the bed .

“I heard about it in your video, so I figured I’d check it out. Looks like a great time.”

The way he says it makes my stomach roll. “You stay the fuck away from Koa and leave my friends alone!”

Asher sighs dramatically. “Well, Sunshine, if you don’t want me to join the dirty sex club you love so much, I’ll have to get my rocks off somewhere else. Know any cunts looking to get finger banged?”

This. Motherfucker.

He moves to the side of the bed and stands up, revealing his naked body, including his enormous rock-hard cock, that I will not give him the satisfaction of ogling.

“Compensating for something?” Once the words are out of my mouth, I realize what I’ve said and how it could be interpreted—another dig at his leg. That’s when he flips.

He lunges for me so fast I don’t have time to get my breath. I hit the bed, and I’m crushed beneath him as he lands on top of my chest, his hand on my throat, cutting off my air. His hard cock jabs me in the belly.

“Just admit it, Sunshine. Tell me you’re a dirty little slut who loves to be choked and restrained.”

When he removes his hand from my windpipe, I suck in a ragged breath, feeling lightheaded. When I can’t find enough air to form words quickly enough, I lash out, gathering a glob of spit in my mouth and shooting it straight into his eye.

For a guy with a bad leg, he sure doesn’t feel weak as he flips me over like a ragdoll. He drags my pants and thong down while I’m disoriented and then presses his weight onto me, crushing me into the bed.

“You’re gonna regret that,” he snarls.

“Good thing I can run faster than you.”

He grabs a handful of my hair, yanking my head back and making me squeal. The other hand plunges between my legs, finding the pool there.

“Last chance, you dirty little cunt. You know what to say, and I’ll let you go.”

My body shudders with a huge rush. Fear, lust, hatred, anticipation, I don’t know what it is I’m feeling. All I know is it’s powerful, and I’m going to hold on and not let go.

“Go fuck yourself,” I sneer.

He actually smirks above me. “You’re gonna regret that.”

He’s able to hold me down effortlessly with just his dead weight. He forces my legs apart with his knee, and suddenly I’m wide open, and his cock is breeching my entrance. I frantically struggle, needing to get away, but I can’t budge. I’m trapped. He enters me in one swift movement that makes my head spin and my cunt tighten.

“Ohh….” I moan against my own will.

“Bane has questionable morals, but he’s not awful. He wouldn’t have let this go this far last time. But he’s not here to save you tonight.”

Suddenly, I’m assaulted with thrust after thrust, and my moans turn into screams. My mishmash of moans of pain and pleasure fill the room, and Asher’s grunts match them as he pounds into me mercilessly.

“STOP!” I wail.

“That’s not what I want to hear, you know the words.”

I do. But I won’t .

When I don’t speak, he covers my mouth as he thrusts harder and harder, his pelvis hitting my ass like an earthquake. Tears sting at my eyes as I’m taken over with a toxic mix of pain and pleasure, wrapped up in one powerful exchange.

“You’re gonna take my cum, bitch. I sure hope you’re on birth control. Don’t really wanna breed a whore like you.”

Thankfully, I am, but I’m not giving him that comfort.

Just as Asher lets out a huge grunt, my orgasm sneaks up and knocks the wind out of me. I shriek in pleasure before everything tightens and my pussy explodes into contractions, pulling Asher’s cock and cum deeper into me as he slows to a steady crawl. Once he’s rode out his orgasm, I’ve done about the same, and he stops. He takes in a deep breath and rolls off me onto the other side of the bed.

I close my eyes as relief floods my body, making every inch of me tingle right down to my fingers and toes.

Asher’s still and quiet beside me. When I crack my eyes open, he’s on his back, his face turned to me, and his eyes shut.

When his eyes open again, they’re gentle as they study me. When they lock on mine, fear overtakes me, and tears begin to spill softly down my cheeks.

But it’s not him I’m afraid of.

He reaches out and cups my cheek in a firm, possessive hold, using his thumb to stroke my temple, such a delicate, fragile area. “You’re so pretty when you cry.”

Those words break something inside me and make my already overwhelmed pussy throb.

“Stay here,” he says sternly before getting up .

He freezes. Because after that absurd pounding he rained on me, his leg is bound to give him trouble. For some reason, I find myself turning around and settling on my side, looking away from the door, giving him privacy to get up and move. It’s a small mercy from me, one he won’t return.

Once I hear him exit the room, another door opens and closes, and I realize he must be in the bathroom. Without giving it much thought, I leap to my feet, yank my pants back on, and hightail it out of there.