Fragile (Shattered, #2) - Prologue + Chapter One

Prologue + Chapter One

Pittsburgh

6 years ago

Liam

"Stay where you are, don't move, hands up!" A female voice said warningly behind me.

It was not exactly the way I expected my morning to start. And, considering how much I drank last night, I didn't expect it to start any time soon for that matter.

"Easy there, Sweetheart," I said, still standing with my back, my completely naked back, to whoever was in the room with me now. No matter how exhausted or smashed I was, I never went to bed dressed. Not that my boxers would suddenly strangle me in the middle of the night, but I was just that guy who loved freedom, in everything.

"Who are you? And what the hell are you doing in my room?"

"Your room?" The wheels of my beer-plus-vodka-intoxicated mind started to turn.

Last night, my friend Stanley and I went to Storm - our favorite place all over the city - to celebrate the beginning of our summer vacation. After the party was over, we went to his place to celebrate some more and at some point, I must have passed out because I didn't remember a damn thing about what happened after we opened the second bottle of vodka and up until a few minutes ago, when I woke up feeling so damn thirsty, I could drink a gallon of water if I got a chance to get to the fridge. I got out of bed, reached for my clothes lying on the floor and then she entered the room.

"Crystal?" I said, as the realization hit me. She was Stanley's youngest sister. It must have been in her room where I passed out last night. I knew she was out of the city, and she was definitely the last person my naked ass expected to see first thing in the morning.

I reached for my clothes again.

"Keep your hands up!" She said again.

"Calm down. It's just me - Liam."

The lights came on and she gasped. "Liam? What the fuck?"

Slowly, I turned around and started to laugh. She was holding a hairbrush in one hand and an emery board in her other hand.

"Don't you know that it's not polite to meet guests armed to the teeth, Sissy?" I knew she hated me calling her that, but I loved the name I gave her once, and I never missed my chance to use it.

"You scared the hell out of me!" She breathed a sigh of relief and put her 'weapons' on her vanity table.

I chuckled. "Do you still mind if I put my hands down?" Not that I was ashamed of standing in my full glory in front of a girl. But she was not just any girl, she was Stanley's sister and I was sure he would cut my balls off for the mere thought of getting naked in front of her, no matter how old she was.

Her chocolate eyes slid down my torso and all the way to my manhood.

She crossed her arms, her lips curled into a cat-like smile. "I do mind, actually... You haven't answered my question, remember? So, what are you doing in my room?"

I ignored her question. "I always knew you wanted me naked in your bed." I winked at her. I don't know why, but Crystal and I had never been besties. We either were saying something perky to each other, or pretended we didn't know each other at all. Even when kinds, we always fought over something stupid, like a piece of a chocolate pie that she and I both loved more than anything in the world, or a TV show to watch or a seat on a carousel that was too small for two people. In short, she had always been a pain in the ass.