Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Montgomery

Turns out it's surprisingly easy to have your heart ripped out of your chest and still carry on living.

Everything was going well. I know it was. There were still some hurdles to overcome, and Annie wasn't opening up to us all the way, but what did we expect after barely a week together?

The simple fact that I'm this heartbroken, this out of sorts after only a week, is a smidge confusing on its own. I completely understand my level of attraction for Annie is off the charts, but I have been living with my head in the sand a bit regarding how attached I've become to her.

And Lorcan.

We waited and waited and waited to hear from Annie after she went to see Suzie. She ignored all our messages and calls went straight to voicemail so we both assumed she'd switched her phone off to give Suzie her undivided attention, but it was driving us nuts, so after lunch, we both went up to visit our daughter and see how things were going.

Turns out they weren't.

Suzie was in her room, eyes swollen from tears, and she refused to talk to us, other than to say that she knew about our relationship and that Annie had left after they fought. And Annie? Well her fucking room was empty.

She'd packed up all her stuff and disappeared like a thief in the night.

Except for the stuff we'd purchased for her over the last few days. That she left on the bed with a note containing just one word.

Sorry.

Lorcan is still losing his shit. It's been two days and we've been unable to locate her. The reception desk told us she had ordered a cab, but the cab company wouldn't tell us where they dropped her off, no matter how much money we offered them.

Not that I blamed them, because I'm pretty sure we came off like a couple of crazed, obsessed stalkers.

On top of the empty ache in my chest where Annie is supposed to be, there's this constant gnawing worry about how she's doing, and if she's safe.

She doesn't have much money saved up, and from what she and Suzie have told us, it's clear she's not welcome with her parents.

All our texts are left unanswered, and she's not even answering Suzie's calls.

Suzie finally caved and told us what happened with the two of them, and after fighting with us over keeping something like that a secret from her, she also shared that she loves that we're interested in her friend.

Which is exactly how I had hoped she'd react .

"I wish you'd stop pacing. They're going to charge us extra for the wear on the carpet," Lorcan growls from his spot on the bed.

I stop to stare at him, running my hand through my hair for what feels like the millionth time. "Do you think we should just go home? We should have checked out yesterday, anyway."

His chest rises and falls with a huge sigh before he pushes up. "Yeah. Probably. We have to trust that she will phone if she runs into any real kind of trouble."

I nod in response and move closer to him. He's sitting on the edge of the bed, his legs spread wide, so I slip in between them. When his arms wrap around my waist and he rests his head against my stomach, some of the crazy itchy feeling under my skin settles.

"Were we imagining things?" His question is so soft I almost don't hear it.

My fingers dig into his hair, and I give his head a small tug, forcing him to look back at me.

"No. Everything we feel for her is real. And I know she felt something too. She's just scared. She's so young, Lo. We can't push. We'll go home and wait. She'll either come back when she's ready or let Suzie know what's happening. Either way, staying here in this room will not fix anything."

His arms tighten around me and I return his hug before bending down and giving him a soft kiss on the lips. When his mouth opens for me, my tongue slips in and I groan at the taste of my husband.

He will always be my beginning, no matter what we're going through.

"Make the pain go away, Monte," he whispers against my lips, and I'm powerless to resist his plea .

I grab his shirt, pulling it over his head before pushing him back against the bed. His broad chest is on display and as much as I'm missing Annie right then, it's good to know I'll always have Lorcan to help, hold, and heal me.

Getting rid of his pants is easy enough with his current position on the edge of the bed, and I quickly shuck my clothes before climbing over him and straddling his lap. My position is perilous on the end like that, but it only adds an extra bit of fun to what we're doing.

My mouth fuses to his as my cock presses against him. The hard velvety steel of his erection rubs against mine and I shiver with the anticipation of what is to come.

With his fingers digging into my hips, holding me close to him, I rock our hips together, our sensitive flesh rubbing against each other, drawing loud moans from the both of us.

"Yes, Monte," Lo bites out when he pulls away from our kiss to catch his breath. "Grab our cocks, baby, I want to fuck your hand."

Giving in to his request, I wrap my hand around both of us at the same time and watch in fascination as he thrusts up into my grip. The feel of him against me has me seeing stars.

"You feel so fucking good, baby," I respond to him, staring down at us in my hand. I've never been able to get enough of my husband, and I'm very relieved to know that even now, amid our heartbreak, we can still find solace in each other. Even though I'd much rather have Annie here with us, at least I still have him.

This is exactly what we need. A reminder of us .

"Fuck, yes. Lo. I'm going to come."

In response, Lorcan grabs my head and brings it down to his so we can meld our mouths together in another life-affirming kiss.

And with my husband's lips against mine, his tongue tangling in my mouth, I come in large white spurts all over our hands with a loud groan. It doesn't take him long to follow me into bliss, as I continue to stroke us until we're both empty and sensitive.

"Fuck, Lo," I mutter, falling into the bed next to him.

He pushes back, so he's level with me and turns onto his side so he can look at me.

"She'll come back, right?" I ask him. I hate how my confidence has been shattered by this. How unsure I feel about everything now.

"If she doesn't, she wasn't meant for us. But we won't sit around idly. When we get home, we'll get someone to find her. Even if it is only to ensure she's okay."

Happier now that we have a firmer plan, other than just sitting around waiting, I nod before trailing my finger across the mess we left on Lorcan's chest.

"We should get cleaned up and let Suzie know what's going on."

"I love you, baby."

"And I love you. Now get your lazy ass up off the bed."