FRACTURE: Hearts of Stone Book Six Read online

  FRACTURE

  Hearts of Stone Book Six

  Kaya Woodward

  Contents

  FRACTURE

  Part I

  1. Evan

  2. Leigha

  3. Evan

  4. Leigha

  5. Evan

  6. Leigha

  7. Evan

  8. Leigha

  9. Evan

  10. Leigha

  11. Evan

  12. Leigha

  13. Evan

  14. Evan

  15. Leigha

  16. Leigha

  17. Evan

  Part II

  18. Leigha

  19. Evan

  20. Leigha

  21. Evan

  22. Evan

  23. Leigha

  24. Leigha

  25. Evan

  26. Leigha

  27. Evan

  Part III

  28. Leigha

  29. Evan

  30. Leigha

  31. Evan

  32. Leigha

  33. Evan

  34. Leigha

  35. Evan

  36. Leigha

  37. Leigha

  38. Evan

  39. Leigha

  40. Evan

  41. Leigha

  42. Evan

  43. Leigha

  44. The Wedding of the Century

  45. Leigha

  46. Evan

  47. Noah

  Epilogue

  Bonus Chapters

  A Private Wedding

  A New Beginning

  The Hearts of Stone Series

  To all my readers:

  Wait! There’s More!

  Links

  FRACTURE

  Hearts of Stone Book Six

  By

  Kaya Woodward

  Email:

  [email protected]

  Facebook:

  Kaya Woodward Books

  Website

  http://www.kayawoodward.com/

  Kindle/E-Book/Paperback Edition

  This is an original work by Kaya Woodward.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, events, business establishments or locales is coincidental.

  Cover art created by the author.

  Find more at KW Cover Design

  Created with Vellum

  This whole series and the journey it’s taken me on has been such a wild ride, there is only one person left to thank, and that is myself.

  I couldn’t have done it without the encouragement of my friends and family of a life long dream.

  Part I

  1

  Evan

  January 3, 2019

  I pop the bottle of champagne and Vic squeals in delight as I pour two glasses.

  “One for my wife,” I tell her.

  I hate the sound of calling Vic, my wife.

  But it is what it is.

  We’re married now; a family - with Ethan.

  “Oh, Evan, my husband!” Vic teases.

  She throws herself into my arms, and I’m forced to accept her kisses. I can’t resist them for fear she would know the exact degree of my indifference to our marriage.

  This wasn’t what I wanted. This wasn’t in my plans.

  I kiss Vic back, hoping to feel something - but it’s flat and emotionless on my end, as Vic continues to throw herself into an endless kiss.

  To end the kiss, I throw her back on the bed, crumpling her white silk wedding dress.

  She looks at me: lowered eyes, a slight parting of her lips. The way her tongue slowly slithers along her lower one; her ‘come-hither’ look is radiant.

  “Come rip this damn dress off of me Evan! Make love to me!” Vic demands.

  The wedding dress falls off her like rain.

  Not that it was very modest in the least bit.

  Vic sucks my cock until it’s hard, and all I can think about is how I wish it were Leigha.

  I pretend it’s Leigha, in my mind, and wrap my hands around Vic’s hair.

  If I picture Leigha sucking my cock, it feels so much better. And then, my cock is rock hard, and throbbing to get inside Leigha. Only it’s not her – it’s Vic!

  I bend Vic over the bed, unwilling to look at her as I fantasize about Leigha.

  My cock sinks into Vic’s pussy slightly, and she moans so loudly I want to tell her to stop.

  Instead, I force my aching cock inside her, bottoming out against her womb.

  She cries out in a mixture of pleasure and pain.

  I fuck her hard and give her what she wants me to give her.

  All the while, Leigha’s face hovers before my mind’s eye.

  I’m content to pretend I’m having sex with the woman I love until something smacks me in the face.

  I bolt upright in bed suddenly, breathing heavily.

  What the fuck was that?

  Trying to catch my breath, I realize I’m in a cold sweat, and I’m suddenly overwhelmed with guilt and an inexplicable knot in the center of my chest.

  Not one part of me wants to be fucking Vic.

  I remind myself that Leigha says dreams are just a release about stressors of the day that you don’t realize you’re stressing about.

  “Leigha,” I whisper her name.

  “Cork,” Leigha mutters under her breath, dead asleep.

  I’ve got a raging boner right now, and I need to get Leigha awake.

  I need to shake off this dream.

  “Leigha,” I whisper right in her ear.

  I slip my hand around her to massage her breast lightly, wake her up.

  “Evan, sleep, cork,” is all Leigha mutters.

  I toy with her nipple a bit to see if that jogs her out of her sleep.

  “Evan, go jerk it or something,” she mumbles.

  Then, Leigha turns over on her stomach, and is snoring within seconds.

  Goddamnit.

  I glance at the clock, and it’s three in the morning, and I know I’m not going to get back to sleep.

  Naked, I slide out of bed and pull on the plaid pajama pants I was wearing before Leigha and I got into it last night.

  I had fallen asleep completely satisfied, with my wife on my chest, and now I’m entirely disturbed.

  Why would I even fuck Vic in my father’s goddamn office?

  Stupid dreams…

  In search of clues as to what’s come over me, I pad through the house towards my father’s office, being careful not to wake up anyone else.

  That’s when I hear Vic’s voice.

  It’s coming from Ethan’s nursery.

  The door is cracked open wide enough for me to take a peek.

  Victoire cradles our son, rocking him back and forth in the same chair that Ava favored rocking her twins to sleep.

  “I love you, my sweet boy,” she whispers.

  “I love you, and your Daddy loves you. He loves both of us, and we’re all going to alright,” her whisper continues.

  “Daddy will find a way for us to be a family,” she says softly.

  I have to turn away from the sight.

  Ethan is almost four months old, with little wispy blonde hair and his mother’s eyes.

  Vic’s right; I do love my son, and I would do anything I could to make Ethan happy. I only want to give him everything he needs.

  There’s a tightness in my chest that annoys me because I can’t reconcile Ethan with the way t
hat I feel about Vic. I am still stinging from how she tricked me. But even worse is how I feel about turning my back on her.

  Dread sinks over me, and I wonder how I’m going to manage this.

  I need my father; I need his advice.

  But Noah’s office is empty; most of it remains untouched since he disappeared.

  I figure I’m probably the only one that comes in here, now.

  I pad over to the collection of expensive liquors at the mahogany bar, and mentally choose one. Of course!

  I pour myself a healthy glass of his favorite whiskey from the crystal decanter and take a seat on the couch.

  Tinsley appears in the doorway just as I am taking my first swallow.

  “Oh, Evan, sorry,” she says, her voice low, and then she turns to leave.

  “No, come in, Tins,” I whisper to her.

  Tinsley nods and closes the door behind her so we can talk at a reasonable level without disturbing the rest of the house.

  “I didn’t know anyone else came in here, truthfully. When it’s hard to sleep, this is where I feel closest to Noah,” Tinsley tells me.

  She pours herself a glass of whiskey, and I realize she’s the one who’s been refilling the decanter.

  At the mention of my father, words fail me.

  “Do you want to talk? About it, I mean?” Tinsley asks.

  She pulls her hair up into a ponytail and crosses her legs as she sits to face me, so I know I’ve got her undivided attention.

  When I say nothing, Tinsley speaks.

  “Your father had to force her to stay away, you know. They were targets. He was sure that they would both end up dead if he didn’t hide her. He was doing what was best,” Tinsley explains.

  I’m shocked that Tinsley knew my mind all along, and surprised at how the whiskey dulls everything but the ache in my chest.

  “You knew, then?” I say.

  “Noah and I didn’t have a lot of secrets. I waited as long as I could after your father’s disappearance, but I knew it was best if I brought her back. She’s safer with us now,” she says. Tinsley sips her whiskey, choosing her words very carefully.

  “Did you, at any point, ever think about maybe telling me this before you brought her back?” I ask Tinsley.

  “Evan, she’s changed,” Tinsley begins. “You need to know that; Vic isn’t the same as she was before! Ethan has changed her a lot, and she deserves-”

  “Don’t say it,” I say, holding my hand up to signal Tinsley to stop talking.

  Tinsley presses her lips together and takes a long sip of the whiskey, then makes a funny face as it burns its way down.

  I take a big gulp of my own, relishing the feeling of fire, wishing it would burn out my feelings for Victoire.

  “Evan, you have to realize that she deserves a chance,” Tinsley finally blurts out.

  “What chance?” I reply, playing stupid.

  I can hear Tinsley’s voice responding, but I don’t care what she’s saying. Instead, I study the crystal glass in my hands, now half empty.

  “Evan!” Tinsley says sharply and jogs me back to reality.

  “Yes?” I answer her.

  Tinsley looks me directly in the eyes and puts a hand on my cheek.

  She sighs, and it’s the sound of all the women in the world, trying to convince men that they are wrong.

  She sits back, removing the coolness of her hand from my face.

  It feels as though it is still there; an after image, a feeling of pressure against my cheek.

  She frowns slightly.

  She tries to tell me what she knows, as if I am a child, too silly and inexperienced, to understand the truth.

  “She’s different now, Evan. She’s a mother. All she wants to do is protect her family- her son; you. She deserves a chance at happiness; Vic isn’t the woman you think you know. She’s become…better,” Tinsley tells me honestly.

  Now I know where the sinking feeling in my stomach is coming from.

  The constant tug I feel towards Leigha will not let go; my heart wants to pull me towards the woman I married.

  Everyone else seems to want me to do the right thing. But, for me, the right thing to do is to honor my wedding vows, and be with the woman I love.

  But to them? I think that they feel I owe Vic more than I’m willing, or able, to give her.

  “Maybe I should at least give her a chance,” I admit, ruefully. “If she’s changed like you’ve said,” I add, doubtful.

  “At least talk to her,” Tinsley begs, putting a hand on my knee. “Please. You don’t get chances like this very often, Evan,” she says. Tinsley sounds pained.

  I can tell she’s thinking about my father.

  Noah Stone has that effect on people, but especially in her case. He’s the love of her life…

  “You must miss him,” I say gently.

  I grip her hand, lifting it from my knee, and kiss her palm.

  “I’m sorry, Tins,” I offer.

  Tinsley turns her face up to mine, tears in her eyes.

  Her chest moves up and down so rapidly I know she’s fighting something internally.

  “Every day,” Tinsley manages to choke out the words.

  “Every single solitary day, I pray that he comes back to me,” she says.

  Then, she sits there, sobbing, while I hold her hand, still wondering what I am supposed to feel, to do, about Leigha Bergmann, the love of my life.

  2

  Leigha

  January 3, 2019

  I wake up to the infernal tones of my cellphone. It’s late afternoon. Evan is snoring beside me so loudly I want to smother him with a pillow. Cursing myself for leaving the ringer on high, I reach for it and hit the button to ignore the call.

  Still groggy from sleep, I stumble out of bed and go to the bathroom. I pick up the phone, trying to figure out whose number it is. My cellphone rings again, and I still don’t recognize the number. I move out of the bath, and answer the call in the hallway, so as not to wake Evan up.

  “What is it?” I snap.

  “Well, hello to you, too, Mrs. Stone,” comes Merc’s deep voice.

  “Merc,” I say his name, breathing it in.

  Merc. His name is a short bark of laughter…or pain.

  “How’s life as Mrs. Stone?” he asks.

  I use a whole bunch of swear words in answer to Merc’s inquiry that I can tell has him blushing.

  “Wow! I haven’t heard anything like that since boot camp!” he laughs.

  “Hang on,” I tell him.

  I wait until I’m in the next empty bedroom over, and lock the door before I speak again.

  “Victoire is fucking alive! She and Evan have a son! Ethan!” I hiss into the phone at Merc.

  Merc doesn’t say anything.

  “Hello?” I ask. Did the line go dead?

  Nothing but silence for a moment, and I am about to speak again when Merc responds.

  “No, I’m here, I’m just wondering how Noah Stone pulled one over on even MI6,” Merc says.

  Is he working for them, now? I don’t even know anymore, but I do know he shouldn’t be calling me.

  “Yeah, it’s right fucked up,” I say.

  “What are you going to do?” Merc asks.

  “Are you asking if I’m going to leave Evan?” I reply bluntly.

  Merc and I can do that. I don’t have to wear kid gloves when speaking with him. It just has always been that way; it’s just natural for us.

  “Yes,” Merc answers.

  “I don’t know,” I tell him honestly. “I don’t want to rip his family apart. I don’t want to be that woman,” I admit.

  “But you love him? You married him?” Merc objects.

  “I love him more than anything,” I tell Merc flatly. I am not trying to hurt Merc, but he needs to know all the facts.

  “I’m sorry you’re hurting Leigha, I am,” Merc apologizes, for things out of his control. “If I could just take you away, and make this all disappear, you know I woul
d in a heartbeat,” Merc’s says sincerely.

  “I know,” I answer. I am going over scenarios in my head. But, most of them have Evan and me staying together.

  I do love him.

  Shit.

  Then, against my better judgment, I think of something foolish.

  Before I can stop myself, I blurt it out to Merc.

  “Can we meet up for lunch?” I ask. I realize I am suddenly desperate to see him.

  “Of course,” Merc answers immediately.

  I take a deep, unsteady breath. “Thank you,” I tell him, my voice a soft whisper.

  “Anything for you, Leigha. Always,” Merc replies.

  We agree on a meeting place. I feel a bit naughty, but I have excellent reasons to meet with him. I hang up the phone, feeling somewhat relieved.

  That is short lived as Elizabeth suddenly exits the washroom.

  “I didn’t want to interrupt,” Elizabeth tells me.

  “Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t know this was your room,” I stammer an apology and stand up to leave.