Page 24 of Duress
The shrill whistleof the tea kettle shatters the tense silence of the dimly lit kitchen. I’ve been standing at the counter, head down, trying to calm my racing thoughts while Bryce showers. He didn’t say a word the whole way home. Just stared pensivelyout the window, one leg bouncing violently, while he clutched one of my hands in his. He said he would explain when we got home, but instead, he said he needed to shower and walked off to our bedroom. As I take the kettle off the burner to pour some sleepy time tea, my gut churns with a nervous feeling, while my mind tries to process what could have happened that lead to him being on the side of the road in the dark.
He was working late at the office. His office is in downtown. So how did Bryce wind up on the side of route 19 outside of town? Reeking of whiskey. There was no good scenario I could come up with that would lead to that situation. Did Bryce get drunk at work and get into an accident on the drive home? But where I picked him up is nowhere near our home or his office. Was someone else with him? Chill bumps explode over my skin as that thought floats into my mind. Oh god, did we leave someone behind? Are they hurt?
Warm arms wrap around me from behind startling me, causing my hands to release the mug of tea I had just poured. Nearly boiling water splashes onto my hands when it lands in a thud on the counter. “Fuck!” I scream, shaking my hand in pain.
“Shit, baby! I’m sorry!” Bryce jumps into action, turning the faucet on cold, pulling my hand under the frigid stream of water, soothing the burn. When he looks at me, there are tears in his eyes, mirroring my own. “I’m so sorry baby. I thought you heard me.” His face is unusually pale, the angry red gash on his forehead peeks out from behind the wet clump of hair that fell over his brow. Bryce is shirtless, a diagonal belt shaped bruise in vibrant shades of purple, red and black, crosses left to right, shoulder to hip. Oh god, he was in an accident.
“Bryce, are you okay? What happened?” I cup his face, the pain from the burn forgotten.
Bryce returns the gesture, cupping my face gently as he leans in, pressing his forehead to mine. “I fucked up, baby. I fucked up bad.” Wetness drips down my cheek, and I realize it’s not my tears but his.
“Tell me what happened, Bryce. You’re scaring me.” My husband is always so calm and collected. I’ve never seen him rattled. He will face the toughest judge without flinching and defend even the hardest clients.
“There…there was an accident. Jake’s dead.”
“Good morning gorgeous.”Dane climbs up the stairs, interrupting my guilt spiral down memory lane, carrying a tray loaded with two plates full of scrambled eggs and bacon and two glasses of juice. My heart seizes when I take in his rumpled, sexy appearance. He’s shirtless, just wearing the same gray joggers from last night. His hair is mussed, sticking up in every direction, and his usual two-day stubble has started more closely resembling a beard. But it’s the smile he’s sporting that causes my heart to stop beating. It’s so open and relaxed and…happy. Like I gave him the best gift in the world last night. A sick feeling rolls through my stomach.
“You made breakfast?” I sit, stunned as he places the tray next to me on the bed. Dane plants a kiss on my forehead before taking one of the plates for himself. I can’tremember the last Bryce did something as mundane as bring me breakfast in bed.
“I don’t know about you, but I worked up a hell of an appetite last night.” His green eyes sparkle as he winks at me. Memories from the previous night flash through my mind. Dane eating me out on the couch until I squirted on his face, then fucking me so well I forgot my name. Him carrying me into his bathroom where he did it all again, that time fucking me against the shower tiles until I was hoarse from screaming his name. I’m pretty sure there was one more lazy round of sexy spooning in the middle of the night when I wasn’t fully awake, but I’m not entirely sure if that one was real or a dream. I am gloriously sore in all the best ways.
Tears spring to my eyes as I take in the spread for me. Eggs, bacon, and toast. So simple. But it represents something I haven’t had in a very long time. Someone that wants to take care of me.
“Hey, hey, I know it’s not much. I know I’m a terrible cook, but?—”
I cut him off with a kiss. I cradle his face in my hands and kiss him with every fiber of my being, trying to convey how much this simple gesture means to me. I make a promise to him with this kiss. A promise only I know I’m making, but I will do whatever I must to keep it. I promise to right the mistake I made all those years ago, when I didn’t turn Bryce in when he confessed to killing Jake.
CHAPTER 21
DANE
Breakfast is cold by the time we get around to eating it. Apparently, the way to Everly’s heart is through her stomach. It also might be through her clitoris. It’s hard to say what she appreciates more, the food or the orgasms.
She’s in the shower right now. She insisted on showering alone this time, much to my dismay, but I take the time to check in with my conscience to see if I feel any guilt for sleeping with my brother’s wife… Nope. Not even a little bit. Not after his attempt to blackmail me into helping him get Dom out of prison. Which is still a problem I need to deal with. I have zero intention of helping him, but I need to come up with a plan for covering Mom’s living expenses if he does stop paying her rent. I’ll continue to let him think I’m going to help him for now.
The only guilt I have is putting Everly in such a precarious position. I know Bryce. He doesn’t like to lose.In the courtroom or outside of it. He hates losing to me even more. He’s held a grudge against me my whole life, blaming me for his own shitty father’s behavior, and he will not take letting Everly go lying down. He has the money and the connections to make thingsextremelydifficult for Everly if she tries to leave.Whenshe tries to leave. I will not sit back and continue to watch her languish away under his shadow.
The sound of the shower cuts off, pulling me from my thoughts. A few minutes later, Everly emerges from the bathroom dressed only in one of my T-shirts, her hair wrapped up in a towel, and smelling like my body wash. My dick stiffens in my sweats as I take in the mouthwatering sight in front of me. Everly in my clothes, smelling like me, is every fantasy I have ever had about her come to life. She gives me a wary smile when her eyes land on me.
“I hope you don’t mind; I borrowed a shirt. I didn’t want to put my dress back on yet.” Everly approaches me slowly, nibbling on her lower lip in the sweetest, sexiest show of uncertainty.
Reaching up, I grab her hand and pull her onto my lap to cradle her against my chest. “Baby, you can borrow all of my shirts. I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight.” Everly’s nervous lip biting blossoms into a sweet, blushing smile, causing her eyes to crinkle in the most adorable way. I brush my thumb against the laugh lines, memorizing the feeling of happiness on her face. Happiness that I put there. How my jackass of a brother doesn’t appreciate what he has with her just makes me hate him more.
I must caress Everly’s face for an awkwardly long time, because she clears her throat, and I realize I’ve been staring at her, lost in thought. Thoughts about how I’ll do whatever it takes to keep putting that smile on her face.
“So…what are you going to do now?” I ask, pulling my hand away and grabbing the back of my neck, trying not to look like a lovesick idiot.
The smile I was admiring falls away, and worry creeps back in Everly’s eyes. “I…I don’t know. I’ll have to go home at some point, but I can’t be around him anymore. He’s…he’s not the man I married anymore. I don’t want to stay with him, but I don’t know how to leave. He’s not going to make this easy, Dane. Bryce doesn’t like to lose.”
“Tell me about it. He’s been on my ass for weeks now to help him with a case that he has no business reopening, and I know he won’t quit until he gets what he wants.” I huff as I lean back into the overstuffed couch cushions. “I’ll help you in every way I can, Ever. You don’t have to do this alone.”
Everly doesn’t respond for a long moment. Instead she stares off, lost in thought. I don’t tell her Bryce has texted me multiple times asking me to use my resources to find her. I’ve ignored his texts so far. I want to come up with a game plan before responding. I want to know where Everly’s head is at. If she asks to move in here just so she doesn’t have to go home, I’ll let her. It’s on the tip of my tongue to offer her that option when she finally speaks again.
“The Dominick Reeve’s case?” she asks, surprising me.
“How do you know about that?” I didn’t realize Bryce talked to Everly about his cases.
“He mentioned it to me, said he was trying to get you to help him with something, but you were avoiding him. Asked me if I knew why you weren’t returning his calls…” She pauses, getting lost in thought again. “You don’t want to help him because Dominick is guilty, right?”
