Total pages in book: 217
Estimated words: 207224 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1036(@200wpm)___ 829(@250wpm)___ 691(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 207224 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1036(@200wpm)___ 829(@250wpm)___ 691(@300wpm)
“Is that Beau?” Brad’s voice throws me, and I quickly round Danny and find his eyes open.
All air drains from my lungs, my palm meeting my chest. “I thought you were dead,” I say, relief getting the better of me.
He shakes his head, looking absolutely shell-shocked. “I should be,” he says quietly, staring at the sheets around his waist.
“What happened?”
“We got a call from The Bear,” James says, pulling my attention to him. I don’t want to believe it. Part of me hoped he’d disappeared. Gone. I could imagine a million gruesome ways in which he died. It was the only way.
“And?” I ask, looking to Danny as Rose puts herself in his side, looking up at him. I take this moment, while I’m waiting for James to answer, to assess everyone’s faces. All grave. All stressed. All grief-stricken.
“And he blew up Brad’s apartment.”
“Oh my God,” Rose whispers behind me.
All I can think is thank God. Thank God Brad was here. But something tells me I’m getting ahead of myself, and as I scan the room, mentally doing a headcount, I realize . . . “Nolan,” I say quietly, dropping to my ass on the mattress and taking Brad’s hand. Oh God no. No! Brad liked that kid. We all did. The right amount of cheek and charm with rough and ready. He’ll be blaming himself. “Brad, you can’t bl—”
“Don’t say it, Beau.” He pulls his hand free of mine and rubs into his eye sockets harshly. Pushing back the tears. Refusing to cry because he’s Brad Black. “Leave me alone,” he whispers, his nostrils flaring, anger taking over. “Everyone,” he roars, exploding. “Get the fuck out!”
I stand and turn, leaving, indicating to everyone that they should do the same, and they do, giving Brad space. Letting him have a private moment to let those tears out. The anger out. I pull the door closed behind me and rest back against it.
“Is he okay?”
I drop my head and find Pearl looking anxious and out of place. “He needs a moment.”
“What happened?” she asks, as everyone leaves, dispersing to various parts of the house. “Am I allowed to know?”
I swallow down the lump in my throat. “You probably don’t want to.”
Anya rounds the corner up ahead. She looks a hundred times better, her hair shiny, her complexion glowing. Spotting me, she smiles widely, but it drops when she sees how busy it is outside Brad’s room. I nod to Esther to take over, and she moves in, coaxing Pearl away from Brad’s room and collecting Anya. I hate the curiosity on their faces. Hate it even more that being here in this house, in this world, was a better option than returning to their home countries.
I feel James’s eyes on me, and as I face him, I just catch Danny’s short, sharp nod as he walks Rose away and she fusses over him, rubbing gently at the blood on his face while shaking her head, biting her lip, tears in her eyes. “What the hell happened to your face?” she asks.
“It doesn’t matter,” Danny answers shortly, dismissing her.
“We need to talk,” James says, but I don’t face him. Something tells me I won’t like what I’ll see. “Beau?”
“I don’t want to talk.” I turn to him and walk into him, crawling up his body and clinging on. I just want to be for a moment. Be quiet and lost. He holds me under my ass and carries me into our room, and once he’s placed me down, I make slow work of stripping him down, feeling him watching me as I do, his stance solid, his hands lifeless by his side, his tired eyes studying me. He doesn’t help. Doesn’t even try to rid me of my clothes. So I do it myself and push him onto the bed. Then I climb on top of him, lock eyes with his, hold his arousal upright, and sink slowly onto him on an exhale that shakes me, each inch taming the unrest within. His hands move to my hips, his lips part, his eyes become hooded, as I start to circle him slowly, my palms braced on his chest.
“Did you find anything to wear tomorrow?” He strains the words on a hoarse voice, and I smile serenely. He’s trying to make normal conversation during quite abnormal sex.
“Shut up, James,” I order, dropping my chest to his and kissing him hard, my hands delving into his hair and fisting.
I have the upper hand for only a few seconds before I’m flipped onto my back. He pants down at me as his hips gradually push forward and he fills me again, watching me as he does. I suck in air and his eyes smoke. “That good, Beau?”
I shove my hips up, taking him all the way, and he hisses through his teeth. “I don’t know, is it?” I swivel a few more times, working him up, and then shoot up, sending James to his back again, but this time we land on the floor with a thud. I take his dick again and guide him to me, slipping down onto him.