Blurred Lines (8 page)

“You
fucking hurt her,” was all Landon said before he charged forward and slammed
his body into Devon’s. They crashed into the lockers, and Lyric jumped back,
having to brace herself on the wall because she was still a little lightheaded.

A
few of the girls screamed because there was so much violence coming from
Landon. She turned her head, everything going slower and slower as she watched
the guy she was falling in love with bring his arm back. She parted her lips
just as he swung out and punched Devon so hard in the side of the face his head
cracked back. Landon moved back and Devon fell to the floor, groaning, cupping
his head.

“You
even look at her and I’ll make sure you can’t ever walk straight again.”

Several
people moved away from Landon, but he was already moving toward her. He cupped
the side of her face that didn’t hurt, his gaze scanning her, making sure she
was okay.

“He
fucking hurt you,” he said through clenched teeth.

“I’m
fine,” she whispered, not knowing how this would go down.

“Break
it up,” a teacher yelled, but the fight was already over with. The teacher
pushed through the crowd of students still watching, their mouths slack. Devon
was rising, but he looked drunk, like the hit had really fucked him up.

“I
love you, Lyric,” was all Landon said before he leaned in and kissed her on the
lips. For several seconds they stood there, kissing, not caring that anyone was
watching.

She
heard some gasps, a couple hushed murmurs, but it didn’t matter. This was about
them and no one else.

Landon
broke away, his face still hard, concentration making up his expression.

One
teacher grabbed Devon’s arm, another pulled Landon away from her, but she
reached out, grabbing his hand, holding onto him tight.

“If
he goes I go.”

The
teacher didn’t say anything as they were led away from everyone, ready to face
whatever was their future.

Chapter
Twelve

Lyric
sat at the table with her father and stepmother across from her, and with
Landon sitting beside her. Although she should care that she’d gotten in
trouble right along with Landon, she couldn’t deny that she felt pretty damn
good for bitch-slapping Devon, and having him put in his place. Her suspension
had been well worth it.

She
glanced at Landon, glad he’d only gotten a suspension, as well, and not thrown
in jail. But Devon hadn’t pressed charges, and after she told the teachers what
had happened, and another student, who had overheard what Devon had said, how
he’d threatened her, started this all, they’d gotten a “slap on the wrist” so
to speak. They could have easily been expelled, gotten the police involved, and
could have lost their graduation. Although she was thankful things hadn’t gone
down that way, she couldn’t help the small sliver of pleasure she got at the
fact Devon had gotten what he deserved.

“I…”
Lyric’s father said, and looked over at Landon.

They
knew about the fight, obviously, but they’d also been told about the kiss, and
she didn’t know if they were more shocked about the violence or the fact they
were … whatever they were.

“You
two…” Landon’s mother said, not finishing the sentence.

Landon
exhaled and leaned back in the chair, and Lyric glanced at him, wondering if
she should say something, or wait and see what he’d say.

“Explain
it to us,” Landon’s mom said. She didn’t sound upset, and Lyric’s father didn’t
look angry. They looked confused, and maybe a little worried.

“Explain
the fight, or—”

“Everything.
Explain everything to us,” Lyric’s father said.

Landon
glanced at her, but she didn’t know where to start. She was embarrassed to
admit what had happened at the party, ashamed even, but before she was forced
to tell that story Landon reached out and took her hand in his and started
speaking.

For
the next five minutes he told their parents about the party, about Devon
assaulting her, what he would have done. He told them about why they’d gotten
into the fight at school, and she could see the anger rising in his expression
when he looked at the side of her face that sported a nasty bruise. Her father
looked upset, as well, and her stepmother looked horrified.

Landon
finished explaining about the fight, and when he got to the part where he’d
kissed her in front of everyone, he stopped. Maybe he didn’t know how to
explain it either.

Lyric
looked at her dad, who already had his focus on her.

“That
all true, honey?”

She
nodded. “I can’t explain how this happened between Landon and me, but it did.”
She wasn’t about to tell them about how they’d had sex after the party, and
that’s when she started really falling hard for him. She’d wanted him before,
when they’d talked at the creek and she’d really
seen
him, but that was personal, and not something her father
needed to know.

“You
two just happened?” her stepmother asked.

Landon
gave Lyric’s hand a squeeze, maybe for support, or maybe this was all out of
his comfort zone, as it was for her, too.

“Yeah.”
Lyric was the one that answered. She focused on Landon now. “And I don’t regret
it. I love him.”

She
saw a moment of realization in Landon’s face, a happiness that she rarely saw.
He cared for her, she knew that, but he also hid his emotions well.

“You
saved my girl, Landon,” her father said.

“She’s
my girl, too,” Landon responded. “I’d do it all over again, too. I won’t let
anyone hurt Lyric.”

A
moment of silence passed between them.

“And
you love my daughter?”

Landon
looked at Lyric for a second before looking at Brent again. “I do. I love her a
lot.”

Her
heart was beating so fast and hard she wondered if anyone else heard it.
Looking at her stepmother, she saw that she had her hands by her mouth, her
eyes looking watery.

“If
you two love each other, and you’re happy, who am I to say otherwise?” her dad
said. “You protected her, and even though it got you in trouble with the
school, I can’t say I’m upset that you defended Lyric. Thank you for that.”

“No
thanks needed. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

They
all looked at Landon’s mother. She slowly let her hands rest on the table. “If
you’re happy I’m happy.”

In
that moment it felt like this weight had been lifted from Lyric’s shoulders,
like something had cleared from her vision, from her mind. Landon gave her hand
a squeeze, his smile big. In all honesty she still would have been with him if
their parents hadn’t agreed with it, but knowing they wanted them happy made
this so much better. Knowing they accepted them didn’t make her feel like she
had to sneak around or feel shamed by what she felt, by who she loved. No one
should ever feel anything but happiness when they found love, when they found
that person that made them feel whole. Landon certainly made her feel that and
more, and she’d make sure to always let him know that he was it for her.

****

Two months later

They
were done with high school, having just graduated this past weekend. Lyric
planned on going to college next spring, because she wanted a semester off just
to relax, gather herself, and spend time with Landon without the stress of
starting the next chapter in her life. Since they’d first gotten together,
expressed their feelings, and told their parents, things had been very …
normal. She didn’t know if things should have been different because she was
with Landon, but they weren’t, and she liked that.

Lyric
liked being able to hug him in front of her father and not feel weird because
of it. Of course the PDA in the house stopped at that, because giving a hug and
letting Landon touch and kiss her in front of her father and his mother was a
line she wasn’t going to cross. They’d blurred the lines already by being
together, and she’d never take that back, but she didn’t want to thrust her
relationship in anyone’s face either.

“Baby,”
Landon said right beside her cheek, his warm breath teasing the tendrils of her
hair.

She
turned and looked at him, smiling at the wicked expression on his face. Their
parents were just in the kitchen making popcorn and laughing with each other,
so right now it was just her and Landon. Lyric wouldn’t say there weren’t parts
of her that felt slightly weird at how things had turned out, because they were
strange and certainly not the norm. Falling in love with her stepbrother wasn’t
something she’d planned or ever saw herself doing, but it happened, and she
knew she’d never regret a moment of it.

“Let
me kiss you while we’re still alone,” he said softly and grinned, and before she
could answer he leaned forward and kissed her like he didn’t kiss her every
day. He swept his tongue along the seam of her lips, and then plunged it in her
mouth, but only for a second. He pulled away and righted himself, reaching down
to adjust his clear erection so it wasn’t noticeable, and grinning the whole
time. He inflamed her with just a look, a touch, or even a smile. They were
respectful of their parents though, not having sex while they were home. That
would be too fucked up, even for her.

Besides,
there were plenty of places away from them and everyone else where they could
be together, where they could explore each other without the hushed whispers
and looks they got when they were in town together. Just because her father and
Landon’s mother were okay with their relationship, didn’t mean everyone was.
No, they were still looked at by some as twisted and disgusting, despite the
fact the only thing connecting them was a marriage between their parents. It
was what it was, and soon she’d be going to college, and starting her life with
Landon.

That’s
all she wanted.

Her
father was the first to come back into the living room, several cans of pop in
his hands and under his arms. He set them on the table and handed one to Lyric
and then another to Landon. He then firmly situated himself between them. She
couldn’t help but smile at that. Her father was still so protective of her, and
always would be.

Landon’s
mother came in a minute later, a bowl of popcorn and some candy in her hands,
and set them on the table, as well. She looked at Brent and sighed.

“Brent,
leave them be, and come sit with me on the loveseat.”

Her
father looked at Lyric for a second, and then glanced at Landon.

“No
hanky-panky, you two.”

Lyric
couldn’t hold in her laugh.

“Hanky-panky?
Seriously?” Landon said with a straight face.

Lyric
laughed again.

Her
father stood and joined his wife on the loveseat, and Landon moved closer to
Lyric. She snuggled against his side, and he wrapped his arm around her
shoulder. And then they watched a movie, not worrying about anything else, what
the outside world had to say or what they thought, and just enjoying the
feeling of being happy.

Landon
looked down at her and whispered, “I love you.”

She
smiled back. “I love you, too.”

And
she did. God, she loved him so much.

Epilogue

One year later

Lyric
rushed out of the small one bedroom apartment she shared with Landon, got into
her car, and hauled ass to where she knew he’d be boxing. She was running late,
and if she missed Landon fighting she’d be pissed at herself.

Speeding
through the back roads, she had a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. It
wasn’t like she hadn’t gone to his boxing matches before, but she’d never
missed one since they had moved in together.

After
they graduated and all that chaos had gone down with Devon and their parents,
they’d still stayed together. She’d gotten accepted into a local college, so
they still had dinner with her father and his mother every Sunday, and Landon
had been doing boxing full-time. He wasn’t a professional, and maybe he never
would be because he just didn’t care about titles, but boxing was still a
passion of his. He worked hard, trained harder, and the money he won in the
underground matches allowed her to not have to work so she could focus on
school.

Twenty
minutes later she was pulling into the building that held the match. This time
it was in the basement of a dry cleaning factory. The bay doors were open. She
could see the workers inside, but she’d be going through the back entrance.

After
cutting the engine and getting out of the car, she rushed through the lot,
around to the back of the building, and once the man at the door let her in,
she made her way down the stairs to the bowels of the building. She heard the
chanting, the screams, could even smell the aggression and excitement in the
air.

Stepping
onto the platform that overlooked the very lower level of the factory, she
could see the makeshift boxing ring set up, and the people crammed around it.
Their hands were in the air, their excitement tangible. Instantly Lyric felt
her heart start to beat faster, felt everything in her come alive as the
scents, sights, and the very air charged her.

She
made her way down to the main floor, and as soon as she got there Hector, one
of the regular bouncers that stayed at these fights, was beside her.

“He’s
been asking for you,” Hector said loudly, trying to be heard over the noise.

“I
know. I ran late,” Lyric responded, knowing Landon was probably worried about
where she’d been. To say Landon was protective of her was an understatement,
but she liked that, loved that her man was so possessive of her.

Hector
pushed people out of their way as he led her toward the corner of the room.
There were a few rooms she could see, ones that were probably mainly for storage,
but tonight they’d allow the fighters to prepare in semi-peace.
 
Hector pounded on the door three times. It
was swung open by another burly looking guy, and when he saw her he stepped
aside. She saw Landon sitting in the center of the room, a guy wrapping his
hands before he’d slip and tie the gloves on.

Landon
saw her and pulled out his earbuds. Even though there was loud chanting and
screaming just behind the doors and walls, she could hear the angry music
blaring from Landon’s headphones. “Fuck, baby, I’ve been trying to get a hold
of you,” Landon said, the worry clear in his voice. “I was starting to say fuck
the fight and go find you.”

“I’m
sorry. I ran late, and then my phone battery died.” She moved closer, and
watched as the guy finished lacing Landon’s hands up.

“Give
us a minute?” Landon said, but had his focus on Lyric.

Once
everyone was gone and it was just the two of them, she moved closer. He was
already standing, and she lifted her hands and cupped his cheeks. There was
stubble on his cheeks and jaw, and the fierceness in his face was clear. He was
focused, in the zone, but he’d been worried about her.

“It’s
all good,” she whispered. She might have seen his matches before, but that
didn’t mean they didn’t worry her. She hated seeing him get hit, even if it
wasn’t often that he allowed someone to lay into him.

“Give
me a kiss, baby.”

She
rose on her toes and kissed him deeply, stroking her tongue along his lips
before slipping into his mouth. They stayed like that for several seconds, but
then the door opened and Landon was being told it was time to box.

He
kept his body in front of her as they made their way out of the backroom, and
she was led to a seat in front of the ring, right in Landon’s corner, and where
he could see her clearly.

The
chanting and female screams filled Lyric’s head. Landon was wanted, no doubt
about that, but she wasn’t jealous that these women desired him. It actually
made her feel this surge of power that they wanted him so much, but would never
have him. Lyric and Landon were dedicated to each other, and none of these
bitches would ever come between them. No one would ever push them apart.

The
other boxer stepped into the ring, and as the referee did his thing, said the
shit he always said before the guys started slamming into each other, the guys
knocked gloves together. Then the bell rang, and she was on the edge of her
seat watching how this would go down. The crowd went even wilder. The focus on
Landon’s face was so controlled, so intense, that she felt everything in her
tighten and become even more alert. She always felt this way when he fought.
Not only was she nervous and frightened, despite the fact he could kick some
ass, she grew aroused by the fights. Just seeing him go on the defense, but
then come back swinging and laying into the other boxer, had the feminine part
of her, the part that only Landon could evoke, rise up and appreciate all of
this.

The
first round went by, and then the second and third. At the end of the third
round the bell rang and the boxers went to their corners. Landon was getting a
cut on his cheek tended to, but he looked over his shoulder at where she sat,
locked gazes with hers, and her heart started beating faster. For a moment,
just one second it was like there was nothing separating them, not space, not
time, or even a damn ring. Nothing. They were the only two people here,
experiencing this. The noises faded away, and the only thing she could hear was
the sound of her beating heart pounding in her ears.

And
then the bell rang for the fourth round to start. Landon winked at her before
standing and meeting the boxer in the center of the ring. They fought, dodged
hits, slammed their gloved fists into each other, and all the while all Lyric
could focus on was Landon, her man, her boxer.

The
other fighter came after Landon and swung out, but Landon moved out of the way,
and ducked before it connected. He started hitting jabs into the other man’s
stomach, and the boxer stumbled away from Landon. The focus and concentration
were always present when he was boxing, what kept him controlled. Everyone
seemed to grow even wilder, shouting, screaming for more. The air stilled for
only a millisecond before the expression on Landon’s face changed. This was the
end, and he was focusing everything into this one moment.

Lyric
felt lightheaded as she saw all the blood covering their faces and even chests.
The emotions moving through her were intense, but they were real and all for
Landon.

And
then with one deadly uppercut Landon knocked the other boxer out. After that
everything else was a wave of sensation and activity. She was grabbed under the
arm by Hector, and led away from the ring, up the stairs, and back outside. She
saw her car, knew how this worked, and already had her keys out. Landon would
be coming out shortly. He never lingered after these fights. He got paid,
grabbed his shit, and then he was out.

She
got into her car, and smiled at Hector, to which he nodded once in return. It
didn’t take long before she saw Landon coming out of one of the back doors, a
hoodie covering his head, and his face lowered. He had his bag slung over his
shoulder, and he jogged over to where her car was. Once inside the vehicle he
pushed his hood off, and she got a look at the swelling on the left side of his
face. He had a cut on his cheek that was taped closed.

“God,
Landon, that looks bad.”

He
shook his head and smiled. He had a few bruises on the other side of his face,
but she’d seen him worse for wear after these matches, and this was what he
wanted to do.

He
leaned in close and kissed her soundly. “I’m fine. You know that.”

She
opened her eyes when he pulled away and nodded, knowing he was right.

“Take
us home, baby.”

He
didn’t have to tell her again. She just wanted to be in their place, not having
all this chaos around, and be able to take care of her guy.

****

Lyric
and Landon had gotten back to their place over an hour ago. They’d taken a
shower together, and right now they were in their bed, him running his fingers
along her bare arm, and neither speaking. It was nice doing this after he
fought, relaxing and comforting just to have him so close. Words didn’t need to
be said, because all they had to do was look at each other and they could see,
feel, hear the feelings they had.

Her relationship with Landon was strong
and secure, real and true. It didn’t matter that by all purposes they were
“related” due to the marriage of their parents.
 
None of that mattered. What was important was how they felt for each
other.

She needed him now though, needed
him in this moment so they could both feel alive. It was like this after he
fought, after he was risking a lot of things to level him out. But it wasn’t
just her that needed this, because he did, too. Lyric needed to feel alive and
loved, and Landon was so very good at making her feel both. So, without
speaking, Lyric leaned in and kissed him. It started off slow, easy, but with
each passing second it grew more heated, more aroused. Their tongues moved
erotically against each other and she felt her pussy become wet and her nipples
harden.

Landon pushed her back on the bed
and stared down at her. They didn’t have any clothes on, not since she’d
showered with him, washed off his body, the blood, the violence. He rose to his
knees on the mattress, and she couldn’t help but look at him. His cock was hard
and straining forward, and a drop of pre-cum already lined the tip. She pushed
herself up and gripped the base of his shaft. The sound of him sucking in a
breath had her heart jumping. Ever so slowly Lyric brought her mouth to the tip
of him and gently blew a stream of warm air across his erection, loving that he
groaned and reached out to grab a chunk of her hair behind her head and bring
her closer to him.

“Suck my cock, baby.” He looked
down at her with half lidded eyes, and she knew now wasn’t the time to tease
and torment. They both needed this fast and hard.

She sucked the head into her mouth
and swirled her tongue along the underside. Landon groaned and started to
gently thrust himself in and out of her mouth, fucking her the way he wanted,
and so obviously needed. The taste of him was so addictive, salty but still
slightly sweet. Lyric closed her eyes and moaned around his girth. Faster she
moved her head up and down, taking as much of him as she could, feeling the tip
of him hit the back of her throat. She wanted his cum in her mouth, down her
throat. She wanted to swallow it all, feel him let go. But he pulled out of her
before he got off, and she sat on her knees, her mouth open her eyes trained on
him.

“As much as I love your mouth on my
dick, I need to fuck you, Lyric,” Perspiration and residual water droplets
dotted his hairline. She felt herself lick her lips involuntarily.

He was so arousing, and just
looking at him had her pussy so wet she felt like if she didn’t get off she’d
go mad. Looking him up and down, she took a second just to appreciate him. All
those defined muscles, rippling just below the surface of skin turned her on to
the point she couldn’t breathe. She leaned back on the bed, thrust her chest
out, showing him her breasts, how hard her nipples were, and spread her legs
wide. She felt her pussy lips spread open, part and show him the most intimate
part of herself, the part he
owned
.
He stared at her for body for a long while, his hand on his cock as he slowly
jerked himself off.

“I need to be right here, baby, to
have my cock deep in your cunt.” He emphasized his point by placing his finger
right at the entrance of her pussy, moving the digit around the hole, and
keeping his focus on her face.

Oh, he knew what he was doing,
running that finger in slow circles before pressing it into her. She needed him
desperately when he finally replaced his finger with the tip of his shaft.

Landon didn’t push into her right
away. Instead he cupped each side of her face and brought his lips to hers for
a soft kiss. “You’re mine, Lyric. You’ll always be mine.”

She looked into his face, traced
the wounds with her gaze, loving the fact he was so rough around the edges that
she couldn’t even comprehend it at times. This man was it for her, the only one
she’d ever love, ever want to be with.

“I love you, Lyric.” He thrust all
the way into her, and she arched her back and grabbed his arms for support.
“You’re the only one I’ll ever love.” He pulled out and pushed back in, her
mouth going open and a silent cry leaving her. “Without you I’d be nothing,
baby, just moving through life, following the motions.”