Twisted Heartstrings Read online

  While I’m logged in, I check my own notifications to see I was tagged in a photo and can't help but laugh. Lucius posted a picture of me with my headphones on and typing. You can tell I’m focused on what I’m doing. He captioned it as “My girl hard at work when we should be having fun!”

  Moving on to the other social media sites, I start posting other pictures and have Jasper help caption them so that it will sound like their words. Once I get an idea of how they talk and post, I’ll be able to do it on my own. When I get to Lucius's pages I notice that he's already updated them himself and announced our relationship without adding pictures. Knowing he'll want to post pictures of us, I'll have to figure out a way to get some good ones that I'd approve of.

  Finally finished with everything, I shut down my computer. Turning to Jasper beside me, I say, “I'm going to need to stop to get another external drive, mine won't have enough space to hold all the pictures I'll be taking while I’m with you, and I don't like deleting stuff.”

  “We'll be in Winnipeg all day tomorrow, so we'll get to go out for a while. You can stop to get one then,” he replies.

  “So, what happens when you have short travel distances? Do you get a hotel when you‘re there or just stay on the bus?” I ask. It’s something I’m actually curious about, but never really thought to ask.

  “Depends on when we get in and if it's worth it. Most times we just park and stay on the bus. Only time we really get hotels is if we plan to stay for a couple of days. I think Toronto we’re staying for a couple of nights before moving on, so we'll have a hotel there.”

  “Does it ever get weird being on the bus all the time?” I ask.

  “Sometimes we miss having space, but we've got lots to keep us entertained. We have video games, movies, usually we have beer, and sometimes we have board games. It just depends on what we’re in the mood for. I'm usually online most of the time trying to keep up with the social media, so having you here will help and make things go a bit quicker. When we’re somewhere early enough in the day we try to escape and go out for a while.”

  “You guys must have to sacrifice a lot.” I can hear the awe in my voice as I speak.

  “Not really. It's something we love to do. The only hard thing is being away from family for extended periods of time. It's why I Skype with my sister when I can. And it can make relationships hard. Only having little bits of time with someone, we try to make it work when it's serious to bring them with us for a bit or fly them in for a weekend when we’re able to. But for the most part it’s phone calls and video chats.”

  “So, who all is single in the group?” I ask, more so to start gathering information about them for the article my bosses want.

  “Let's just say Lucius is the only lucky bastard right now,” he says with a smirk.

  Confused I ask, “None of you have girlfriends right now?”

  “Nope. But if my sister had her way, Christoph wouldn't be single. She thinks she's not being obvious about her feelings, but she is. I've known she's liked him for a while now. But he wouldn't date her because of me.”

  “He's scared you would go all big brother?” I ask teasingly. He grins, which transforms his face. He really is a beautiful man.

  “No, he respects me enough to know that dating my sister would only cause a rift between us if things went wrong. My sister is naive when it comes to what it would take to be with one of us. It's going to be hard for you once you have to go back to work. I think that's why Luc suggested you help me out, so that he can be selfish and keep you with him. Not that I mind, but eventually, you will need space from being around guys all the time and will want to have girl time.”

  I laugh. “The only girl time I spend is with Keri. I don't have any girlfriends except for her. I'm more of a loner than anything. With my work I can be gone for long periods at a time, so it works for me. There's times when I've been gone for a few weeks to come home for a couple of days only to turn around and leave again for a few more weeks.”

  “Just to warn you, my sister will eventually be hassling you about hanging out and getting gossip. She can drive some people nuts, so don't be afraid to tell her no. If she's that much of a pain in the ass you can always let me know and I can deal with her.”

  “I can handle my own battles. I'm not afraid to speak my mind. I almost lost it earlier with that bitch, and that was tough not to.”

  “Anyway, you might want to go see your man. Looks like he's already gone to bed. Pansy needs his beauty rest.”

  I giggle. “Oh my God. You did not just call him that.”

  “Fuck, that's tame compared to the insults we give each other. I'm just being nice since you're his woman.”

  I giggle more. “Ok, I'll see you later,” I say, as I get up and head to the bedroom.

  I find Lucius laying on the bed in nothing but a pair of boxers, the view making me smile. Pulling on a tank top and shorts, I climb on the bed with him.

  “So, you really want to be posting pictures of us together and announcing to the world that you belong to me and I to you?” Luc nods his head. “I have a compromise. I get to approve any photos before you post them; no random posting like you did earlier.” I curl myself up next to him, laying my head on his chest. Taking my phone, I try to find a flattering angle before snapping the picture. Showing it to him I say, “This is something I would approve of.”

  I let him watch me as I post it to Facebook and tag him in it. Then I go to the other social media sites, posting and tagging him. I then set my phone down and kiss him. He pulls me tighter to him as he deepens the kiss, our legs becoming tangled.

  A knock on the door prevents us from going any farther. I let out a sigh while Lucius groans before calling out to whoever is there to go away.

  We aren't so lucky. Damien and Alucard come in, ignoring the request to leave us alone. I attempt to pull away, but Lucius holds me in place. My cheeks heat with embarrassment; he's using me as a shield to hide his erection from his brothers. I can only hope my ass cheeks aren’t showing out of the bottom of my shorts.

  “Do you mind?” Lucius growls. “We're kind of in the middle of something.”

  I hide my face in his chest, knowing I'm blushing even more. He's basically telling his brothers that we were about to have sex. Not that we can really hide it from the guys, but we can be as discreet as possible.

  “Luc, this is serious,” Damien says, his tone sounding both irritated and stern. “Nikki called Mom and Dad. Told them a ton of shit that we don't believe but could potentially cause problems.”

  Lucius’s body turns rigid. I pull away. “I'll give you guys space to talk.”

  Alucard looks at me. “This involves you too. You might want to stay to hear this.”

  Damien sighs. “Nikki told Mom and Dad that you were controlling and abusive to her. Let's just say she went into great detail about instances that she was accusing you of. Not only that, but she's also told them that you're a drug addict and an alcoholic. She also said that Toni is a low life call girl you hired to try to make her jealous, to try to get her back. That's what threw us because she's been the one trying to get you back.”

  “Fuck! I've never fucking hit a woman in my life! Mom would have our balls if any of us did. And controlling? She fucking dragged me to all these stupid events I never wanted to go to, just so she could show off. Maybe occasionally I was controlling in the bedroom, but that's as far as it went,” he replies angrily. “She doesn't fucking know anything about Toni.”

  “And I’m sure I would know if our brother was a drug addict or an alcoholic. We all enjoy a drink or two after a show to unwind, but Luc rarely drinks more than one. Fuck, he's like the old man of the group, always in bed well before the rest of us,” Alucard says, shaking his head.

  I’m so pissed I see red and my eyes fill with tears. Blinking them away, I glare at the wall. “If I’m a call girl, why the fuck am I busting my ass as a research assistant for a magazine? I'm sorry, but I’m done with this bitch. Next t
ime I see her I’m going to kick her ass. To hell if I end up in jail and need to be bailed out. After the verbal assault I had to deal with today, I’m not putting up with that shit.”

  “What the fuck was she saying?” Lucius asked.

  I grab my cell phone and play what I recorded. You can clearly hear what Nikki said over the music. “And this is just the end of it before you kicked her out of the arena.”

  Lucius grabs my phone and heads out of the room. We can hear muffled shouting and I’m almost terrified to find out what's being said. Most likely a heated conversation trying to deal with the Nikki situation. The woman is becoming a thorn in our sides, affecting everyone and not just mine and Lucius’s relationship.

  It feels like an eternity before Lucius returns to the room. Damien and Alucard are speaking quietly while I lose myself in thought. Most girlfriends wouldn't put up with the BS from an ex trying to make life miserable. The three previous relationships I've had were never really serious, so this is new territory for me. With our relationship being so new, I have no idea how serious we are or will be. This could just be him having fun and I'm the rebound girl after Nikki.

  When Lucius returns to us, he has a smug look. “She won't be a problem anymore. If she does try to contact anyone in the family, Mr. Goldburg won't be happy with her and won't care what we choose to do. He'll support any decision we make when it comes to her.”

  Damien relaxes. It's obvious that she’s being a pain in the ass to the family, and the news pleases him. Alucard has an expression of doubt on his face, and I was going to side with him because I don't think anything is going to stop her from tormenting the family or us. I can only hope that her dad stays true to his word with helping to keep his daughter away from us.

  Before Damien leaves, he turns to me. “Don't be breaking my baby brother's heart. He's been through enough as it is.” From the tone of his voice I can tell he cares about his brother, even if the words don’t match the tone.

  Before I can reply, he turns and leaves the room. I’m sure I have a stunned expression on my face. That's two Black brothers telling me not to break Lucius's heart, but no one is considering him breaking mine. Then again, neither of them know about the secret I’m keeping that could end things. Alucard leaves with his brother, no doubt to see him off since we’re probably leaving soon.

  My excitement effectively ruined, I crawl under the covers in hopes to sleep, or maybe just sit and talk with Lucius since we’re supposed to get to know one another better. Lucius pulls me against him as I curl into him.

  “What got you into music?” I ask, trying to distract both of us. Mostly because my mood has been ruined by his brothers’ visit.

  “Our parents tried to get us into activities when we were kids to keep us out of trouble. Five boys could be a handful, especially us. So, we were required to do one sport and one educational activity. We played a variety of sports, practiced martial arts, and it wasn't until we hit sixth grade that Alucard and I got into music and started learning different instruments. We both fell in love with guitar and kept up with it; we were naturally good,” he replies.

  “Who's your favourite brother?”

  His chest rumbles with laughter. “Aside from Alucard I'd have to say I’m closest to our eldest brother, Marius. He was always stopping the others from picking on me, especially Alucard. I spent more time with him than I did with my other brothers. Alucard was always the first to do anything. Marius would spend time with me trying to help me get caught up to Alucard. Alucard and I were bonded, and for the longest time our parents couldn't separate us. We had to sleep in the same bed, and if they didn't let us we'd have a meltdown. I shared a room with my brother until we moved out.”

  “Did you and Alucard ever pretend to be the other growing up?”

  “When we were really young and no one could tell us apart we did. As we got older, we stopped because our personalities were so different. Alucard was all about being popular and I was all about making good grades. He's always been more of a partier than I am.”

  “What are your parents like?”

  “For having raised five boys, they’re pretty laid back. They both have awesome jobs, which is how they could afford to have all of us. Alucard and I weren't planned. Our parents had been surprised when we came along; they had only planned on having our older brothers. Mom is always cooking and baking. When she knows we’re home, she either makes us go over for dinner or actually delivers dinner to us. Our dad, let's just say was the one who was the sports fan pushing us into playing. He was disappointed that none of us loved sports as much as he wanted us to; he wanted a claim to fame. Alexander was pretty close to going pro for hockey, though, before he had an accident that broke his leg. He lost his scholarship and any pro chances. It was a hard blow for not only Alexander, but for my dad.”

  “I wish I had grown up with parents who cared,” I said sadly.

  “Your mom was that bad?”

  “My childhood was horrible. I was picked on by the kids I envied, all because she didn't care enough about me. How can you have a kid and not try to take care of them? I never want to subject kids to that.”

  Lucius tips my head up to meet his gaze. “I bet you would make an awesome mother because I know you would treat your kids the way you wanted to be treated as a kid.”

  “You sound so sure of that. Thankfully, I’m on birth control so I don't have to worry about getting pregnant. Between that and condoms, I think I’m covered. Besides, I'm too young to be thinking about starting a family, and we don't know what this is yet.”

  “I know where I want this to be going right now,” he says huskily, as he leans his head toward mine and kisses me.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Toni

  I had wished Lucius admitted where he wanted to see us going rather than seducing me. I wanted validation that he is falling for me just as much as I am falling for him. But I promised myself I wouldn't let my insecurities show. Especially lying in his arms in the afterglow of making love.

  I can tell he’s sleeping by the steady rise and fall of his chest where my head rests. I can't shut my mind down, so I opt to slip from his arms and pull on a pair of shorts and a hoodie to head out to the front of the bus. It's quiet so I know most of the guys are sleeping or at least trying to. I power on my notebook, slip on my headphones, and lose myself in my work by writing down the information that I managed to get today.

  I startle when I feel someone sit next to me on the bench of the table; I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be awake. Pulling off my headphones, I turn to Alucard who took the seat next to me. “Can't sleep?” he asks quietly.

  “No, it's normal for me to have trouble sleeping,” I answer. I had to train myself to run on little sleep as a child; I never knew when or if anything would happen to me. “I usually only sleep for a few hours a night, until the weekend when I really crash.”

  “Let's hope maybe you get used to sleeping when you can; some of our days can be a little crazy.”

  I suppress a giggle. “I’m pretty sure it's crazy most days for all of you.”

  “Listen. I want to apologize about both me and Damien telling you to be careful not to hurt our brother. We obviously don't want him to get hurt, and we don't want to see him go through what he did with his ex-girlfriends. I know you're different for him, he's different. He's happier than he's been in a while.”

  “Don't worry about it, Alucard. Sure, at first, hearing you say it rubbed me the wrong way. But it shows you care about your brother enough to want to see him happy. If I were closer to my brother and sister, I'd probably say the same things to their boyfriends or girlfriends. If it means anything, I don't want to hurt him, nor do I want to get hurt.”

  “Toni, if Luc hurts you it won't be on purpose. It would probably be from an out of context situation that happens. Anyway, I thought I'd apologize since Luc isn't around to hear it.” The smirk he wears makes me wonder if he ever actually apologizes in front of anyone.
r />   I watch as he gets up and heads back toward the bunks. I power off my notebook and go to bed, hoping I can get some sleep, knowing that sometime tomorrow we’ll be in Winnipeg with a rush to set up for the show.

  I strip down and slip into bed hoping to not wake Lucius. He growls as he pulls me into his arms and I can't help but let out a giggle. “I didn't mean to wake you,” I say quietly.

  His mouth takes mine in a possessive kiss, one that leaves me breathless and wanting more. I press my body to his in a silent demand, hoping he understands what I want.

  I’m gasping for breath when he pulls away. Reaching blindly beside the bed he comes back with a condom. Rising up, he easily flips me to my stomach and pulls my hips back. Before I can register anything, I hear the telltale sound of the wrapper being torn open. I let out a silent scream when he thrusts into me from behind, burying himself to the hilt. I'm stretched around him, feeling him all the way to my womb.

  He pauses, as if trying to compose himself, and I groan. I don't know why, but I want him to take me hard and fast. I try to push back against him, but there's no give. I rock forward only for him to grip my hips to keep me still.

  “Baby, don't. I'm two seconds away from coming with how tight you feel.” His voice sounds strained.

  After a few moments, he begins to move in fast, measured thrusts. Though it's not as hard as I want it, he's still hitting places in me that stir my pleasure. I moan into the mattress, trying to stay quiet so we don't wake the others. Even though they know we are bound to be having sex at points during the trip, they don't need to know exactly when.