by Erin Trejo
“You know, the fun you have on the weekends,” Steele implies as he walks down the steps toward the front of the room. “I’ve heard that whips and sex swings are involved,” he adds. Mr. Tyler turns white as a ghost.
“Stop this!”
“Stop what? They may be interested in the sordid games you play,” Steele says. I can see Mr. Tyler swallow hard as Steele moves behind him. Grabbing the back of his neck, he pushes him down onto the desk at the front of the room. My heart is hammering in my chest. I can’t believe that he’s doing this to him. What is wrong with him?
“Something like this?” Steele growls as he rocks his hips, air fucking the teacher on the desk. I can see tears filling the TA’s eyes as the class roars in laughter. How could he do this to him? What did he do to deserve this? Abandoning my things, I leap from my seat and run down the stairs and out the door when strong arms catch me. Tears cloud my vision as memories slam into me.
“Whisper? What’s wrong?” Oh God. That was me. That was me on that desk only it wasn’t. Why is this happening now? I thought I was over all of that. I thought I moved past it! Anger at myself is almost consuming me. I’m being lifted in someone’s arms and carried but my head is a mess. I don’t know what’s happening to me.
“Whisper, look at me,” Callan pleads. Sobs clog my throat right before lips come down on mine. This kiss is soft, gentle even. I blink rapidly trying to stop the tears when I see him. Pulling back, I shove at his chest causing him to stumble back.
“Don’t touch me!” I scream looking around for an exit when the door flies open again. Steele and Knox both step in, closing the door behind them. It’s one of the study rooms. I’ve been here before. There’s only one way out and they’re blocking it. My chest heaves. There isn’t enough oxygen in the room for all of us. My mouth opens and closes but nothing is happening.
“What the hell happened?” Callan asks looking to his brothers.
“A little presentation in English class.” Steele smirks. My mouth is dry. I can’t swallow. I feel like my throat is closing up as I grip the edge of the table behind me.
“She freaked out. What did you do?” Callan asks turning to Steele. The both of them talk but I can’t hear them. What the hell? What’s happening to me?
“Please,” I whisper but it comes out hoarse. They can’t hear me. I can’t hear me. My head swims as memories rush me and then I’m falling.
“Shit!” I hear Knox yell. I hit the floor, my head bouncing off the tiles as the room spins.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know!” Knox roars. Hands touch my face, my chest. Another hand runs through my hair. Everything is cloudy, I can’t see their faces.
“Whisper? What’s happening?” I hear Callan ask. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Am I dying? Is this what dying feels like?
“Whisper? Whisper!”
10
Steele
“Someone has been beating her,” the doctor says eyeing me like I did it. I growl and grind my teeth before Knox steps in front of me.
“We pay you, Doc. Remember that shit the next time you’re about to accuse one of us of something.” The old grey-haired man nods his head and steps back.
“She needs to rest. She had a pretty severe panic attack from what you’re telling me. She will probably sleep it off for quite some time. Give her these when she wakes up to help the headache, I’m sure she will experience,” he says passing Knox a bottle of pills.
“What caused it?” Callan asks, clearly concerned. Over the last month, things have shifted with her. I didn’t want to say much but I can feel it. I don’t want to hurt her, push her anymore. I want her on her back under me. I want to feel her lips on mine. Every time I see her with anyone else, I feel this need to claim her even though I know that’s not what I need to be doing. It doesn’t matter though.
“It’s really hard to say until she’s awake and we can ask her. Maybe she saw something that triggered a memory or smelled something. There are many reasons this could have happened.” I eye Knox as he watches me. This is my fault. Whatever I did in that classroom triggered her but why? What happened to her?
“And the bruises?” Knox asks pulling his eyes from mine.
“They are new. I see some signs of older ones as well but mainly new. It appears that she once had a broken rib at some point in her life.”
“What?” I roar spinning to face him.
“Her injury was either treated poorly or not treated at all. There’s a little unevenness there on the right side.” My throat feels tight as I drag my gaze back to her lying on my bed. I vaguely hear the doctor say something else to Knox before he leaves. That’s when a hand comes down on my shoulder.
“What are you thinking?” Callan asks.
“What the hell are we doing to her?”
“What we were told to do,” Knox replies.
“But why? She clearly has no idea what we want from her or at least she isn’t letting on. Maybe we need a new approach,” I say, stunning myself with the words. I’ve never been one to back down from a fight. I’ve never been one to not finish a job either but something about Whisper doesn’t seem right. It’s off somehow and I don’t like that feeling.
“What do you want to do, Steele?” Knox asks. I sit on the edge of the bed, resting my head in my hands as I think about that.
“We have to stop hurting her. Someone is already doing that,” I say not sure that I even hear myself saying it. I can’t believe those words come out of my mouth.
“Are you kidding me?” I jerk my head up to look at Callan as he stands in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest.
“No. Look at her! What good is she to us if she’s broken?” That’s not what this is about. Forget us. Forget what we were told to do. This is about me not being able to control myself around her. This is about what my head is telling me is wrong and what I feel is right.
“Goddamn it! You’re falling for her,” Knox roars loudly. I don’t acknowledge him. I don’t need to. I’m close to my brothers, closer to them than anyone else in my life and they know me the same way I know them.
“Well that complicates things,” Callan muses.
“No, it doesn’t. Nothing changes. If she was planted, she was stuck here to weasel her way in, we’re going to find out about it. Just not the way we have been.”
“So, what are we going to do? Apologize for being assholes and buy her chocolates?” Callan hisses.
“Not exactly. You’re going to do those things.” His head snaps around to look at me like I’ve gone insane and maybe I have.
“What does that mean?”
“You’re the one that’s been nice to her. You’re the one that she trusts most out of all of us. You have to be the one to get in with her.” He shakes his head, a laugh escaping him.
“Not a chance in hell. Do you even realize the look you get when anyone else is near her? Huh?” He raises his eyebrows as Knox laughs.
“He’s right. No way can you sit back and watch your little brother play house with that girl.” He adds his two cents that no one asked for.
“Then what do we do?” I ask shoving myself off the bed. Resting my hands on my hips, I look between the two of them waiting for an answer when Knox chuckles.
“You keep her for yourself, man. No way are we getting in the middle of that,” he says pointing at her.
“Like you didn’t touch her already,” I challenge him. Both of them.
“That’s different. You didn’t give a damn about her before.”
“And I still don’t.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Callan says. I move toward him quickly, my fist balled at my side. Just as I’m about to swing, Knox steps in between us, shoving me back a step.
“We don’t do this! We don’t fight each other!” His words slam into my chest like a lead weight. He’s right we don’t. My head is a mess as I take a step back and run my hand through my hair.
“You’re r
ight. I just don’t know what I’m doing anymore. How much more shit I can handle from Dad’s crew,” I say honestly. I’ve taken hit after hit from them over the last month and my body and mind are wearing thin.
“We need to watch our backs. We’re getting sloppy with our searches,” Callan states. I nod.
“Let’s all calm down and think about this. Dad doesn’t come over here. She can stay here.” My head snaps around to look at Knox as if he’s lost his mind.
“She can’t stay with us!” Callan roars as I nod.
“Why not? We need to figure out who she really is and I’m going to assume it’s her new foster daddy that’s beating her to hell.”
“Why would he? What the hell does Nathan Weatherly have to gain from that?” It doesn’t make sense. I’ve never known him to be abusive before, but I suppose there’s a lot people don’t know about each other in this town.
“She can’t stay. Not unless she asks to stay, got it?” I look between the two of them before they share a glance. They both nod agreeing with me which is a shock in itself. I thought they may fight me on this but I’m glad they aren’t.
“What now? What do we do now?” Callan asks.
“You two go see what you can find out about Nathan. I’m going to wait here in case she wakes up.” Knox and Callan share a look before laughing and walking out of my room. I turn and look at her, lying there peacefully in her sleep. As morbid as it sounds, she almost looks dead. Her lips are pale, her skin too. Whatever it is that haunts her from the past really scared the shit out of her tonight and that alone intrigues me. Kicking my shoes off, I slip under the blankets next to her, pulling her worn out body into mine. Her heat radiates into me, my chest tightening.
“I don’t want you to do this. I don’t want you fucking with my head, Whisper.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispers back.
11
Whisper
I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. My head pounds and my body aches. Everything comes back to me in a rush as I sit up in the bed. When I look down, I see I’m naked in a warm, plush bed. Glancing over there’s a note with a glass of water and pills that says take these. I don’t care what they are at this point as I reach over and grab them, popping them into my mouth before downing the water. My throats so dry it feels like I haven’t drunk anything in a year. I pull the blankets off my body and throw my legs over the edge of the bed and stand. Testing to see how dizzy I am, I stumble a little to the first dresser I find and pull the drawer open. I don’t see my clothes anywhere as I pull out a t-shirt. That’s when the smell hits me. It’s Steele’s shirt. I bring it to my nose and inhale the clean scent before slipping it over my head.
The door is closed so I take the chance to snoop around a little. On the other dresser is a picture of him and his brothers. It looks like it was maybe taken after a football game. They have their arms over each other’s shoulders and smiling with a trophy sitting on the ground in front of them. The sight makes me smile. They look so happy. Far from the assholes I’ve come to know. I reach up and run my fingers over a gold necklace that lies next to the picture before turning and walking to the door. I need my clothes; I need out of here. I don’t know what time it is, and I don’t really care as the smell of bacon hits my nose. I glance left and right noting the end of the hall and head toward the stairs. I can hear them down there talking as I walk down.
“Tonight’s game is going to be killer,” Callan says.
“Nothing we can’t win,” Steele adds. They are so confident in themselves and although I’ve never seen them play a game, I’ve seen them practice.
“That’s for sure. You don’t think he’ll show up do you?” Callan asks. I wonder who it is he’s talking about.
“Not a chance in hell,” Steele growls.
“Can I have my clothes?” I ask as my feet hit the floor. All eyes come to meet mine, Steele’s dragging up and down my body. I can feel the heat from here but it’s not him that moves. It’s Callan. He rushes toward me, placing a hand on my arm.
“You okay? Feeling okay? Did you take the medicine?” Everything comes out of him in a rush as Knox chuckles and Steele stares daggers.
“I’m fine. I took them. Thanks.”
“Hungry? You’re probably starving,” he implies.
“I just want my clothes.”
“They’re in the washer. Sit down,” Steele demands. I shake my head when Callan moves back and Steele stalks toward me. He reaches up, his hand wrapping around the back of my neck, pulling me closer to him. This is different. Strange.
“Don’t make me force you, Whisper.”
“That would be a change now wouldn’t it?” I challenge him. His lips slowly curl into one of the hottest smirks that I’ve ever seen.
“You like when I get rough with you?” he asks, his lips inching closer to mine. Why does he do this to me? Why does he make me feel like this? I don’t have time to think about it. His lips press into mine before a growl rips from his throat. His tongue forces its way into my mouth, tangling with mine. The way he possessively holds my head in his hand, the way his tongue slips along mine—my head is spinning and not from my fall. When he finally pulls back, I’m breathless. He nods at Callan who grabs my hand and leads me to the stools in front of the counter. What the hell? I didn’t even protest!
Steele moves back to the stove and continues to cook as Knox slides a glass of juice in front of me. I look up at him confused but he just nods toward it.
“What is all this? Why am I here?”
“You don’t remember passing out?” Callan asks, looking concerned.
“Yeah, I remember that part but why am I here? Where is here?”
“It’s our house,” Steele answers plating the food. He moves around, grabbing silverware and setting plates in front of all of us.
“So why am I in your house?” I ask once more.
“Eat the food, Whisper.” Steele’s growls are growing more annoying by the second. I huff out a breath and shove the plate away from me, crossing my arms over my chest.
“This is bullshit! Give me my damn clothes!” I yell like a three-year-old that got her favorite blanket taken away. Steele’s jaw clenches as he slowly stands from the stool and leaves the kitchen.
“You shouldn’t keep pushing him like that. He’s trying,” Knox says scooting the plate back in front of me.
“Pushing him? You three have tormented me for a month! Do tell how I’m pushing him?”
“It’s not that easy, Whisper,” Callan says.
“That’s for damn sure,” I grumble and climb off the stool. With a quick glance around, I head for the door. I’m out it and down the steps glancing around, trying to figure out where the hell I am. I’m not ashamed to walk home in his shirt. I’m not afraid of what people might think. I take two steps before I’m grabbed and lifted into the air.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Steele roars.
“Put me down! I need to go home,” I scream as he walks back up the steps and into the house. Steele moves through the room dropping me back down on the same stool I just left. I start to get back up when Knox grabs my arm. His hand moves to my stomach as I suck in a breath. Steele has me placed so that I’m facing him not the counter. His hand comes to my thigh, slowly inching his way up. I gasp from feeling him touching me. Knox’s hand slips under the front of the t-shirt, slowly slipping up until he has my nipple between his fingers. My eyes move from Knox to Steele as he moves higher.
“What are you doing?”
“Calming you down.” Callan moves, coming to stand next to me. His hand comes up, threading through my hair as I keep my eyes locked with Steele’s. As good as they all feel touching me, it’s his touch that I want. Callan’s lips caress my neck. I arch into Steele’s touch, gasping for air. His finger dips inside of me and I nearly leap off the stool.
“Steele,” I say his name breathlessly.
“Hmm?”
“Why?”
“Why wha
t?” he asks, his voice a mask of hardness. He isn’t letting anything show and that bothers me.
“Why all of them?” I moan once more when Callan sucks my flesh into his warm mouth.
“You don’t want all of them touching you?” he asks, raising an eyebrow. It only takes one shake of my head. One little shake and he’s ripping me off the stool and carrying me up the steps. He takes them two at a time as my body overheats. We’re back in his room; he dumps me on the bed before ripping his clothes off. In seconds, he’s between my thighs, thrusting into me. I gasp, digging my nails into his back, feeling the muscles as they flex. God, I didn’t think it would feel this good.
“Fuck,” he growls after he bites into my neck. I scream his name, my body tensing with each rough thrust of his hips. Steele grabs my leg, lifting it over his shoulder as he fucks me harder. He growls, sweat dripping down his temples before dropping onto me. I want to lick him, taste him but everything is happening too quickly. As fast as he started, I feel him swell inside of me. A rough thrust and a loud growl later, he pinches my nipple making us both come.
Steele rests his head on my shoulder as he catches his breath. I don’t know what this was or why it happened. He’s tormented me for weeks and now he’s fucking me like his life depends on it. I want to ask but I’m afraid of what might happen if I do. Steele slowly pulls out of me, a groan rumbling past his lips as he moves. He climbs off the bed as I watch him, spotting the scratches that my nails made on his perfect back. His muscles flex and my mouth waters.
“You’re going to eat. That isn’t up for discussion,”
he says pulling his clothes back on. I slide up the bed taking the blanket with me.
“Why am I here?”
“Now isn’t the time for questions, Whisper.”
“When is the time?” I ask. He turns his heated stare to me.
“When I say it’s time. Right now, you’re going to clean up and come eat. Then, we’re going to go to school.” With that, he turns and walks out of the room leaving me once more to my own thoughts. Blowing out a breath, I climb out of bed and head into the in-suite bathroom and turn the shower on. As soon as I step in, I let the warmth wrap me in its embrace and pull my thoughts to something that doesn’t involve Steele between my legs.
