Page 28 of Duke
While I’m babbling, Mason grabs a bottle of what I think must be shower gel and pumps some into his hand before handing it off to Duke.
Distracted, it flits through my brain that it’s kinda odd to have soap at an outdoor shower, but hell… I guess it’s a house full of guys, and they don’t give two shits about stripping down and actually getting clean after being in the pool or spa instead of just rinsing off.
I watch the two of them working the soap over their bodies, and Jesus, I feel a little faint. I can’t even help myself, I’m way too into watching Mason work soap over Duke’s broad back. And things get worse for me when he turns around so Duke can reciprocate… only Duke spends extra time on Mase’s ass, fingers slipping between his cheeks.
I can’t tear my gaze away, making the already warm evening feel downright sweltering, and I’ve completely stopped talking, having forgotten what else I meant to say in favor of wondering what Duke is whispering in Mason’s ear.
Mase shakes his head, and I think he might have said “Stop worrying, I’m good,” but I’m a little too far away to be certain.
My heart clenches hard in my chest… because if there was anything that told me how these two really feel about each other, it was that small exchange. I swallow, unsure how to handle the swarm of emotion flitting around in my belly. I chew on the inside of my cheek. Do they feel similarly about me? Or is it different? I know how worried all of them were for me this morning, but what was behind it? And would different be bad, so long as it weretrueemotion? For a moment, the little devil on my shoulder whispers to me that maybe they were concerned because they’ve been charged with taking care of me and look at what happened. My eyes crash shut.No.That’snotwhat I felt from them this morning, especially not when they’d all gone to work to help me erase the weird way I felt after having been taken.
Duke’s eyes land on me again. “Stella?”
I blink a few times, ridding my eyes of the liquid forming at the edges. “Yeah. Sorry. I can’t tell if he’s up because he isn’t feeling well, if his injury hurts… if that Wilder guy slugging him in the side of the head is affecting him more than he’s willing to admit, or what. And, I don’t know, I just—” I wring my hands together, which is a little unlike me, but I seriously don’t know what to do, and Bear is important to me.
“Fuck. Okay.” Always the one to sense the depth of my emotions, Mason shuts off the water and grabs towels from the shelf, then hands one off to Duke. “Shit, our clothes.”
I glance over my shoulder to see what the two of them are scoping out. A small laugh bubbles out of me. “I’m on it.” They dry themselves off while I hurry around picking up stray articles of clothing. “One pair of shoes, two jeans, one pair of boxer briefs, and a button-down shirt.” Rattling off what I have in my arms, I huff out a laugh. Someone was going commando.DefinitelyMason. “Did I miss anything?”
With one hand on the towel at his waist, Duke shoots me a sheepish grin. “Nope. That oughta do it. We’ll throw on clean clothes that we haven’t rolled around the grass in.”
I suppress a grin as we walk back to the house. “Okay. I was thinking of bringing a bowl of Bear’s favorite ice cream up with me. You know… something to pacify the beast if he’s a little cranky?” I wrinkle my nose at the odd looks they throw my way as we head inside. “What? Is that dumb?”
“Bear eats ice cream?” Mason frowns.
Duke shrugs, eyeing me curiously. “You got me.”
My brows raise in surprise. “He told me his favorite is mint chocolate chip.” They give me a strange look, but once we’re back inside, I walk into the kitchen and open the bottom freezer. Sure enough, it’s right there. I pluck it out of the drawer and hold it up.
“Well, damn, Kin. Scoop some of that shit in a bowl for him. We’ll meet you upstairs and see what the fuck is up.”
My stomach clenches and twists, wondering if the ice cream really is a stupid idea after all. It almost feels like it’s making light of the issue? Or…? Fuck, am I overthinking this? And what if he’s really having a rough time? What do we do then? I glance at the container in my hand, noting the tremor visibly moving through me. Maybe I shouldn’t.
Mason’s brows pull together, observing the shake in my hand. I look at him with wild eyes. He steps close to me, frowning. “What’s wrong?”
Feeling numb, I watch a drop of water from his hair slide from his neck down his chest. I blink, blowing out a hard breath. “I-I don’t know why, but I feel kinda overwhelmed. What if we can’t handle this? Ice cream can’t fix everything.”
Duke cups my nape and tugs me to his chest. “We can handle it. Promise.” He kisses the top of my head. “The ice cream won’t hurt. If he doesn’t want it, at least he’ll know you were thinking of him.” He eases away from me, putting a few fingers under my chin and lifting my face to his. “He might need you to be strong for him. Can you do that?”
I inhale deeply, nodding. “Of course. Sorry.” I give myself a shake. “My stomach’s just in knots.”
“Well-rested, healed, unmedicated Bear will be back,” Mason grits. “We’ve got this.” He gives me a cheeky smile that fades when we hear something upstairs. “Let’s get on it.” Mason taps Duke’s arm and they take off for the stairs in their towels. I busy myself scooping out the ice cream into a bowl and snagging a spoon from the drawer before I head up myself.
I hear the commotion from the end of the hall before I reach the top step.
“Goddamn motherfucking asshole piece of shit!”
Shocked at the sudden string of curse words, I stumble, recover, then race down the hall, the bowl of mint chocolate chip held precariously in my fumbling hands. Bear’s door stands open, and Duke and Mason are already inside. I skid to a wide-eyed stop just inside the room.
Bear faces us, his bare chest heaving with angry breaths. “Fucking prick. How the fuck?” He’s shaking and fidgety, waving his uninjured arm around. Even without knowing what I’ve missed, I feel the tension rolling off all three of them. I set the ice cream on the small table just inside the threshold where Bear drops his keys and rings and other assorted items and close the door behind me.
There’s something in Bear’s big hand, but he’s gripping it so tightly, I can’t tell what it is, especially since he’s gesturing with the same hand. I exhale slowly, stepping between Duke and Mason. “What’s going on? Talk to us.”
As if he only just realized I’ve joined them, he looks directly at me with this awful, bewildered look in his eyes. He’s so tired. Distraught. “They were under my motherfucking pillow,” he grits out low, his jaw tighter than hell as he shakes whatever it is that he’s got clenched in his fist.
It hits me all at once. The pills. Whatever the fuck Derek’s been supplying him with. Because daddy dearest sure as fuck hadn’t denied that little assumption I’d thrown like a bomb earlier—and neither had Bear. “Seriously?” I take a step forward and hold out my hand. “How long have they been there? It’s the medication you’ve been taking, right?”
Duke hisses from between his teeth. “Yeah. Son of a bitch found a way for them to be here when we got back from the fight. So, they either sent them with someone who lives here in this damn house—”
