Page 6 of Duke
When I nod, he quickly flushes the toilet, then they both guide me on unsteady feet to the unfamiliar sink.Warren’s room. Right. What the fuck?“Where’s Warren?”
I press my fingers to my head, my mind reaching back to its recesses in an attempt to pluck something more from it, but it’s no surprise to me when there isn’t much more than flashes of dizziness, flickering lights, and the rumble of men’s voices. I might have woken up in Warren’s bed, but I refuse to believe one of those voices was his.
My legs shake as I bend over the sink to turn on the faucet. Cupping some water in my hand, I bring it to my mouth, swishing and spitting several times before I feel courageous enough to swallow. I pause, looking into the mirror. Staring not at myself so much as at the reflection of the two men on either side of me, my heart twinges. But Bear’s missing. He’s fiercely upset with— I take a quick breath.Not with me. With the situation, I think. His shortness with me—with all of us—is worrying. Carefully drawing in one breath after another, I stare at the deep, dark circles under Mason’s and Duke’s eyes. The rigid tension in their bodies confirms how time has passed for them since I last saw them.
And for the hundredth time since I’ve opened my eyes, I hate that my mind has chosen to make my memory of tonight’s events a deep, dark chasm of nothingness.
FIVE
MASON
I’ve seena lot of drunk people in my day—hell, I’ve mostlybeenthe drunk one—but I’ve very seldom experienced anything close to what we are currently witnessing with Lennon. She doesn’t have a clue where she’s been, nor any idea how she ended up in Warren’s bed. She sure as fuck wasn’t in here earlier. I know because I personally did a sweep of all the bedrooms, checking closets and bathrooms and under beds. She wasnothere.
My teeth grind as my jaw clenches. I don’t understand any of it, but that’s not what’s important right now. Making sure she’s physically unharmed is. Making sure she’s mentally stable. And from her rant right before Bear left, I’m not so sure she’s either of those things. I step close to her side and run my hand over her back, smoothing it down Duke’s shirt. I fucking love the idea of her wearing his clothes… but not for this reason. “What can we do to help you, Kin?”
Duke slips closer to her, and his gaze meets mine over Lennon’s wild blonde hair. Worry burns like a fury in his piercing blues. “Stella, it’d be helpful if we had a clue, or if you could at least look at us so we have an idea of what level of fucked-up we’re dealing with, because I don’t want you to think you’re alone in this for a fuckin’ second. We’re a little lost at how to help you or what you need from us.” He stares down at her, but she’d closed her eyes the moment he’d started speaking. Wetness clings to her fluttering lashes, threatening to spill down her cheeks.
I press my lips together and shake my head. Neither Duke nor I know what the fuck to do, what the right move is… and as I’m wondering where the fuck Bear is because healwaysknows what to do, his curt voice drifts to us from the other side of the bathroom door. “We need some space. Go wait downstairs. I’ll be down in a few to talk to you. Donotleave the house.” There’s a mumbled response from Warren that I can’t quite make out, then a moment later, Bear’s imposing form fills the doorway. He clears his throat, eyeing the current situation.
With a brief dip of his chin, he makes his opinion known. “I think we should consider taking her to a hospital.”
Lennon goes rigid between us, and if it’s possible, her skin becomes even paler. The trembling of her body quickly morphs into a fast shake of her head. “No. No, no, no—” Her breath hitches, her chest jerking. “I can’t. I don’t want to. Please”—she covers her face with her hands—“don’t make me go through that. I-I can’t do it. I’ll be okay. I don’t want anyone else to touch me. I don’t want anyone to see me like this.” Her words rush out in a panicked jumble. “I can’t fathom how I’d explain, or—” With her fists bunching at her sides, she shakes her head again, visibly distraught at the idea of being seen by a medical professional. “No.”
My eyes dart to Bear as he watches Lennon’s breakdown with a tense jaw and heaving chest. Fuck, the way he yelled at her was so uncharacteristic, it makes me nervous about how he’ll handle any of this. I let out an agonized breath. While I understand the dark places in her heart and Duke has an increasingly strong emotional bond with her, I know damn well Lennon needs Bear to be there for her on this. He’s the one who makes her feel safe and protected. A second later, he abandons his place in the doorway, crossing to Lennon in three quick strides. Worry slicks over his features as he tugs her back to his chest, and she turns, melting into him.
“Fuck, Lennon,” he mumbles gruffly, his lips on the top of her head. “I—”
But he doesn’t get to finish because she makes an awful, strangled sound in the back of her throat. “I can only handle so much.” Her fingers claw at his shirt. She turns her head, and her stormy blue eyes land on me. “Please—”
“Okay, Kin. Okay. We can talk more once you’ve had a chance to decompress.” I make an executive decision for us that I hope doesn’t backfire right in my face. “You don’t have to do this right now. No one is making you do anything. Do you want to go back to your room? Get cleaned up?”
Before she can answer, Bear’s rugged voice spills out. “We’ll go to mine. Big bed. Bigger shower. A seat so you don’t have to stand.” He gathers her as if he’s about to lift her into his arms, but as he begins to do so, he jerks to a stop. His jaw clenches tightly as pain etches itself wickedly across his features. “Fuck,” he bites out. “Duke? Can you—?”
Duke’s eyes flick to mine before narrowing on our troubled friend who stares at some indeterminate spot on the floor instead of at us. Roughly, Duke answers, “Yeah, I’ve got her.”
I study Bear for a moment. Setting the physical pain he’s in aside, I can tell he’s mostly frustrated at not being able to help Lennon in the way he wants to—and worse—in the waysheexpects him to.
With a grimace, I watch as Duke lifts her, then recognizing he’ll need me to both open doorsandrun brotherhood interference, I hurry through Warren’s room to pave the way. Sure enough, there’s a crowd of half-dressed, sleepy-but-way-too-interested brothers at the opposite end of the hall. I draw in a breath before I grit out, “Get. The fuck. Back in your rooms or go downstairs. Nothing that’s gone down tonight has been for your goddamn entertainment.”
Just then, the door opens across the hall. Tucker smirks, taking in the four of us exiting Warren’s room. He huffs out a laugh. “Maybe your girl could sleepwalk my way next time? Obviously, whichever one of you is fucking her isn’t wearing her out enough that she sleeps through the damn night. I’d be happy to help her out.”
I don’t even think about it, much less comment. Tucker doesn’t see it coming when I plow my fist into his stomach. He folds in half with a deep grunt, and as he wraps his arms around his middle, I plant both hands on his shoulders and shove so hard he goes flying backward into his room. I shake my head. Stupid fucker. I give him one last look as he lies on the ground, whining that he hit his head on the floor, before I follow Duke. He’s already taken off toward the end of the hall with Lennon curled against his bare chest. Bear follows right behind us.
Inside Bear’s spacious room, I glance around, reacquainting myself with it. I’m not in here often, but it kindaisthe best room. He’s got an entire wall of built-in bookshelves on one side and the same view of the front lawn that Duke has. His bed is gigantic, which makes perfect sense, seeing as how we’re allowed to furnish the rooms as we please… and let’s face it, there’s no reason a six-foot-six star football player shouldn’t have the oversize bed he needs to fit his frame.
As Duke sets Lennon on her feet, my brow furrows. She’s still really woozy. I know it won’t help to say it out loud again, but…what the fuck.
Standing there shaking and swaying, Lennon wets her lips, then searches me out with her anxious gaze. “I want to take a shower. I need—” Her eyes drift shut. “Mase, I need you.”
My brows shoot up, and I give Duke and Bear a brief glance before I collect my wits and go to her, gathering her in my arms and hugging her to me. “I’ve got you, Kintsukuroi. Whatever you need.”
Bear nods and clears his throat. “How about if Duke and I talk to Warren and see what he has to say about everything. We’ll give you some time.” He juts his chin at me. “Shout if you need anything. We won’t be long.” He clamps his hand on Duke’s shoulder, because it looks for all the world like Duke doesn’t want to leave the room—or more specifically his stepsister. I see it in his eyes, though, it’s not because he doesn’t trust me. It’s out of fear for her. His reluctance to let her out of his sight isn’t surprising considering everything that’s gone down in the last few hours.
I catch his gaze and let it hold there for a moment before I mouth, “Go. I’ve got her. I promise.”
With uncertainty in his eyes, Duke rests his hands on her shoulders, dropping a kiss on top of her head. She shivers. “Don’t.” She swallows hard. “I wasn’t kidding around when I said I feel dirty. I-I don’t know—” Lifting one hand, she skims it over her chest and neck. We hadn’t quite buttoned Duke’s shirt all the way, and her trembling fingers brush hesitantly over her skin.
Standing off to the side with his jaw clamped shut, Bear looks to the ceiling, rubbing his hands over his face. Duke takes a deep breath—so deep his chest expands with it—before he dips his mouth close to her ear. “Baby, I’m concerned that we don’t know what happened to you. But the reality of it won’t ever stop me from wanting you, won’t stop me from touching you. If you’re dirty, then I’ll be dirty, too. Don’t fuckin’ care,” he rasps. “We’ll be back soon.” At her slight nod, he kisses her head again, then squeezes her shoulders before releasing her.
