Page 54 of Coming Unraveled
Reaching across the bed Everleigh feels the cool sheets beneath her fingertips and slowly opens her eyes. Alone. At first, she begins to think that she had dreamt the entire thing, but as she twists her body to turn over she can feel the soreness between her legs and can’t help but smile knowing that Brooks had claimed her last night.
Grabbing his shirt off the floor from where he had tossed it from her body last night she tugs it over her skin, covering up her exposed breasts. Everleigh takes the time to brush her teeth in the adjoining bathroom and then moves into the hallway to find Brooks.
She hears talking before she sees him with his back to her leaning against the bar top in the kitchen.
“I said no, Charlie. They can do without me for two weeks, it’s their fault all of this mess is going on anyway.” He pauses as Charleston says something on her end. “I don’t care. I have a job. A job that I love. They need me more than I need them.” Another pause and Brooks’ voice grows with interest. “Yes, I’ve heard of the Wolves and their franchise in Asheville. They want me to cover East Coast Major League Baseball all because of one team? That seems ridiculous. And, Charleston, I don’t want to leave my job. We’ll talk again. Goodbye.”
Spinning around his eyes land on her standing in the hallway.
“How much did you hear?”
Sheepishly she responds, “Most of it,” as she tugs at the lower part of her shirt.
“Come here,” he demands as he widens his stance, urging her to step between his legs.
“I wasn’t eavesdropping, I swear,” she tries to explain as his hands cradle the outside of her thighs and slide upward, under the shirt, and come to rest on her waist.
“I know. No panties?”
“Seemed silly,” she adds as his hands glide across her skin to rest on her bottom, squeezing the globes in his large palms.
“No good morning kiss?” he teases as he adjusts his hands on her ass and slides her closer to his body.
Everleigh wraps her arms around his neck and rises on her toes to kiss his lips, his day-old scruff rubbing against her chin. Tingles erupt on her skin as she feels his left-hand sneaks forward on her body, trailing across the crease of her ass towards the apex of her thighs.
Wanting more, her tongue peeks out to lick at the bow of his upper lip until a knock at the door startles them both.
“Everleigh?” the voice calls out against the door.
“Oh, that’s Cohen. Shit!”
She twirls out of Brooks’ grasp and begins moving towards the door before she’s yanked back by his hand on her wrist.
“I’ll answer the door,” he commands in a deeper voice than she is used to hearing from him.
“No, it’s fine. I know Cohen.”
“I understand,” he adds as he tugs her body closer to him. “But I’d rather you be fully dressed. Go put on some pants.”
Everleigh looks down at her legs and at first, she blushes thinking of how Cohen would react to seeing her only partially dressed, then she quickly changes her thought to how Brooks commands her to change.
Her anger gets the best of her as she stabs a finger into Brooks’ bare chest. “I’ll put on pants when I feel like it. It’s no different than wearing a dress. Why don’t you go put on a shirt? You’re wearing just as little as me.”
In retaliation of her rising voice, Brooks stands straighter and crosses his arms across his chest, his voice growling as he says, “I’m fairly certain that he cares more about your bare legs than my lack of shirt. Go put on pants now!”
“No,” she fights.
“Dammit, Everleigh. Can’t you just do what I ask for once?”
“You didn’t ask, you demanded! I won’t be told what to do.”
She watches as Brooks takes a deep inhale, his muscular chest expanding and then contracting, the tanned skin glistening in the sun pouring through the window.
“Please, baby, would you go put on some pants?”
“Yes, but only because I don’t want Cohen to see me in your shirt. Not because you asked me to. And please get the door.”
She leaves the room as quickly as their argument dissolves and she’s in the bedroom tugging on a pair of leggings. She thinks about their argument and how she used to fight against him tooth and nail when they first met. Everleigh remembers how Brooks had whizzed past her into her family’s house when Austin had found himself in trouble. But even if he hadn’t said a word she would have been keenly aware of his presence. Her body had hummed the entire evening, it’s what had her so agitated throughout the meeting. She knows now that she wasn’t necessarily fighting Brooks, but fighting herself against the emotions and feelings he was bringing forth in her.
