Page 23 of The Devil's Daughter

His voice breaks, and Elle pulls him tight against her, combing her fingers through his short hair.

“It’s okay. There wasn’t anything you could have done.”

I’m not clear on what night they’re talking about, but evidently it’s a major event that shaped both their lives. I know some of the players. Celeste is Arturo’s other daughter, and Leo and Mad Dog are her lovers. Manny … his is a name I haven’t heard, but I know the name Gustavo Delgado well enough.

“How long ago was this?” I ask.

“About three and a half years,” Elle says. “I only heard about it from Maddox at first. He kind of had to explain why there was a man with a gunshot wound staying in his place for those couple days when Sam and I went by after school. Baz filled me in on some of what happened a little later. Ben never talks about it.”

Ben flings himself back onto the pillows, covering his face with one forearm. “I don’t want to fuckingthinkabout it, much less talk about it. Manny was like a brother. Baz and I fucking worshipped the ground he walked on. After our dad died and he and Toni started dating, he sort of became the stand-in we needed for a father figure. Nobody should be forced to hold their heroes while they fucking bleed to death!”

“Nobody said that, Ben,” Elle says in a gentle tone. “I’m just glad you got a good night’s sleep for once.”

I’m not sure what else to say, though I’m no stranger to trauma. My damage isn’t quite so violent, but it’s no less insidious a thing to grapple with, even years after the fact. This isn’t about me, though, and I’m more than happy to help Ben, as long as it gives me an excuse not to face my own bullshit.

“Sex is a wonderful catalyst to healing, but you should still talk about it. Purge the darkness.”

He sighs. “I know you’re right, but it isn’t that easy.”

“Which part?” Elle asks. “The talking, or this?” Her hand roams down his chest, slipping beneath the sheet to stroke his cock. He groans and tilts his hips into her touch.

“You keep doing that, I’ll say anything you want,” he says, letting his eyelids slide closed as he bites his lip. My dick rouses too, and I’m dipping my head to nip at Elle’s neck when thethwap thwapof the helicopter’s rotor reverberates from above, and I wince.

“Fuck. I told Duffy to fly Baz out first thing. Guess we should regroup and figure out what to do about all this later.”

“Fucking cockblocker,” Ben mutters when Elle utters a soft curse and climbs over me, grabs her towel, then sprints out the door.

“Give me two minutes and I’ll take care of you,” I offer.

Ben shakes his head and slips out the other side of the bed, padding to the bathroom. “She’s into you. I don’t want to piss her off.”

“That’s really magnanimous of you. And here I thought you couldn’t stand me.”

My smirk fades when he turns in the bathroom doorway, hands braced on either side of the frame, with an expression so tortured I’m convinced his true trauma has nothing to do with the story he told.

“What happened last night wasn’t aboutus; it was abouther. Everything is about her. Whether or not I acknowledge somethinggoing on between you and me is beside the point.”

“But I didn’t imagine it, did I? That thereissomething here.” I point between the two of us as I slip out of bed and pick up my shorts.

His gaze drops to my dick just as I yank on my shorts, then shifts to the ceiling when I catch him looking. His cheeks turn bright red, but the fact that he’s half-hard now is a dead giveaway to the effect I have. The fact that he’s clearly uncomfortable with the idea is another giveaway, though.

“You’ve never done that before, have you?” I ask. “Fool around with another man.”

He pivots away without answering and reaches into the shower to turn the water on. I round the bed and lean in the bathroom doorway, determined to get him to open up just a little.

“Your brother know you like dudes?”

I get a noncommittal shrug in reply. I consider coming clean and telling him about my conversation with Baz the night before, but decide against it. That had to be what Baz meant when he said I could help Ben in a way he couldn’t. He probably didn’t expect Elle to be involved, though.

“You can talk to me about it, you know. It can be an adjustment, discovering you like things that people might judge you for liking. Trust me, I know. But you aren’t alone in this.”

He climbs under the spray and directs a hard stare my way as he angles the showerhead toward his chest. He reaches for the bar of fancy soap the housekeeping staff supply to all the guest rooms, sniffs it, then gives an appreciative nod before lathering his armpits. His eyes shift back to me.

“Doesn’t matter what I want or need, because what happened last night can’t happen again. It’s against every rule to fuck a client, and before you say anything, I consider you a client too. Especially after what we found at your place. Tell me those cameras weren’t meant for you, thatsomeonedoesn’t have it out for you. The second we found out you were under surveillance, that made it clear Elle isn’t the only one at risk. Getting involved is the last thing we should do if we’re going to do our jobs protecting both youandElle.”

“Fair enough, but you and I both know Elle isn’t as easy to control. You saw her last night. She’s going to want more.”

He shakes his head. “She’ll regret it.”

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