by C. A. Harms
“Um, I can assure you it’s been a lot more than once,” Adley shrugs when I glare at her. “Come on, seriously. Brant is the perfect fantasy all wrapped up in a yummy package. Even I’ve —,”
“Eww, stop,” she laughs when I cover my ears. Of course, I know she’s only teasing but still, eww.
I continue to the front entrance, and when I yank open the door, a bell on the inside announces my arrival. It’s like a church bell echoing throughout the warehouse, and I hang my head, fighting the rush of nervous energy that rolls through me.
So much for being discreet.
“Ladies,” I freeze where I am, and Adley runs into the back of me, making an umph sound. But, of course, this makes me stumble forward, and I practically fall at the feet of the saleslady.
She reaches out to steady me, and when I look up at her, my gaze immediately lands on the name tag pinned to her blouse.
Francine Mitchell.
Great, not only is she beautiful and stacked, but she also owns the place.
“Are you okay?” I stand tall and hear Adley snickering behind me, but I choose to ignore her.
“Yeah,” I feel my cheeks heat, “thanks.” Nervously I smooth my skirt and try to rein in the nervous energy coursing through me.
“What can I help you ladies, with?” When Adley says nothing, I shoot her a glare and find her playing on her phone. I clear my throat, and still, she shows no signs of interest.
Turning back to Francine, I force a smile. “I’m looking for a chair.”
“A chair?” I nod. Kill me now; my mouth will not work. “Just one single chair?”
“Um,” once again, I look at Adley and consider kicking her shin but know that will make me look insane. “A reading chair for my room?” I’m well aware that it sounds like a question, and I can feel myself falling apart at the seams. But, in my head, I had this entire thing planned out so much better. First, I was going to waltz in here with my head high and find a frail girl with glasses larger than her face and maybe frizzy untamed hair. But no, I had to fall into a gorgeous woman with a dazzling smile, who not only is soft-spoken and kind but appears compassionate to my less than stellar appearance.
“Real smooth, Grace,” Adley mumbles, and I attempt to cripple her with my death stare, to which she only laughs out loud and does nothing to hide it.
Bitch!
“Okay, well, if you’ll follow me, I can show you what we have.” Swiveling around on her heels, I take a second to check her out. Because, yes, we as women do that. Don’t ever let anyone tell you they don’t.
Francine is slender, with curves in all the right places, and her legs are killer.
I honestly wanted her to be hideous. I needed her to be an ogre.
“Is that a new chair?” Brant asks, and my back goes rigid as I try to figure out how to skim over the topic without sounding like some crazy girlfriend stalker. “I don’t remember it being there the last time I was over.”
I thought it would go unnoticed. Most guys pay no attention to detail.
I turn around to find him sliding his hand over the arm of the chair that now fills a corner in my room. A suede navy blue that honestly isn’t a bad looking chair, but the cost put a dent in my checkbook that’s for sure.
“Um,” I bought it from Francine after I let my curiosity get the best of me and drove twenty minutes out of my way so that I could check her out. I inwardly cringe, knowing that those words can’t be what I choose to explain.
“There was a full-length mirror here before.” He looks up at me. “Wasn’t there?”
Great, of all the times I need him to be completely oblivious, he instead has to be over the top observant.
“Why is your face all pinched up like that?” He is also staring at me like I’m the crazy lady too.
“Fine, yes, it’s new,” he seems surprised as I toss my hands around in front of me in a flustered state of panic and embarrassment. But he says nothing and only continues to stare at me. “I went to Mitchell’s to check out this Francine character, and when Adley refused to buy something to make it less obvious, I had to buy something myself.”
His brows shift upward, and his mouth curves at the edges.
“I couldn’t walk in there and then walk out without getting something. That would have been awkward.”
“As opposed to going there at all, because that would have been even more awkward.” Brant is challenging me; he’s always challenging me.
Walking around the end of my bed, he closes the distance between us but doesn’t reach out to touch me. “Did you get what you went there for?”
I shrug, feeling foolish. “She’s really pretty.”
“I guess,” he dips his head in a disinterested way. “I didn’t notice.”
“Are you honestly standing here telling me that not once did you check out her perfect body or ginormous chest?”
He places his hands on my hips. “That is exactly what I’m saying.”
“You’re a guy,” and guys notice those things. So, whether they want to admit it or not, they all have wandering eyes.
“Though I may have noticed that Francine is attractive and overly flirtatious, I can assure you I was not interested. A certain blonde has consumed me since the very second I rolled into Montgomery.” Backing me up until I’m flush against the wall, he presses his body closer to mine. “She’s all I can think about,” Brant nips at my jaw, and I feel him smile. “I’m head over heels in love with this girl, and she is all I see.”
“Smooth talker,” placing my hands on his shoulders, he begins to lift me, and I wrap my legs around his waist.
“Are you done with this crazy notion that I’m interested in Francine?”
When I start to reply, he pushes forward, and I feel his excitement pressing against me.
“Because I can guarantee you one thing,” He cups my breast in one hand and offers a little squeeze. “You are the only woman I want, the only one who makes me feel out of control.”
“Yes,” I pant when he continues to shift forward, hitting the perfect spot between my legs.
“What do you say we break in this new chair of yours?” I can’t help but smile when I lock eyes on his, gleaming with mischief. Of course, he is smirking, loving the idea that I would go to such extremes just to check out the competition. But the truth is, she isn’t the competition. I do not doubt that he loves me and that I’m it for him. I can sense it when he looks at me or in the words he shares with me and even those around us.
“That sounds perfect.”
We are interrupted by the sound of Brantley’s phone ringing, and he pulls it out of his back pocket and glances at the screen. Tossing it over his shoulder, it lands on the bed and bounces to the floor as he quickly covers my mouth with his. A deep moan escapes him when I suck on the tip of his tongue. “Killing me,” he mumbles and hurries to carry me to the chair before sitting down. With me in his lap, he grips my hips, and I shift against him, his fingers digging into my waist.
Then the sound of a phone ringing again breaks through the lust, and we both pause. Only this time, it’s mine. Turning around on his lap, I grab it and look at the screen, seeing an unknown number.
“Who is it?”
I shrug, turning the phone to him, “I don’t recognize the number.”
“Same number that just called me.” His demeanor immediately changes, and I tap the answer button and lift the phone to my ear.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Tink,” I look at Brantley, and my brows wrinkle in confusion. “Is Brant close by?” Bennett’s voice sounds muffled, like he has a mouth full of something.
“He’s right here,” I say as I pull the phone away from my ear. Then, holding it out to Brant, his forehead crinkles skeptically. “It’s Bennett.”
Chapter Fifty-One
Brantley
* * *
Cautiously I take the phone from Sutton, knowing already that this can't be good. "Ben," I say, feelingly my stomach tense.
>
"I need a favor,” his voice sounds garbled, and I wonder if he's been drinking. "I need you to come to the county jail and bail me out."
Anxiety rips through me, and I hang my head as I pinch the bridge of my nose. "What the fuck is going on with you, Bennett?"
"I'll explain, believe me when I say, you would have done the same thing."
A loud crash sounds from somewhere inside Sutton's apartment, and we both jerk in response. "Sutton," a woman yells, and I stand, taking her with me and tucking her in at my side protectively.
"I'll be there," I end the call and look up to the doorway of Sutton's room just as Adley and Sophie fill the space. The looks on both of their faces mirror my thoughts. Something's not right, and I have a feeling it's related to the reason my brother is in jail.
"Lexi's at the hospital," Sutton is moving around me like a bolt of lightning and practically running for the door. Moving quickly, I catch up with her and hook her waist, only she shoves my hands away.
"Let go," her voice shakes, but I refuse to release her.
"What happened?" I ask the girls but don't turn around to face them.
"She got in an argument with Derrick," Sutton stops fighting me, and I notice the moment it all seems to make sense to her. Instantly her shoulders sag, and I hate the defeated look she is now wearing. We both face the girls as they move into the room behind us. "They were at Sully's, he was drinking, and I guess he started flirting with someone right in front of her. He grabbed the girl's ass, and Lexi stormed out of the bar. Derrick followed her outside, and things got heated. At some point, Bennett and Finn showed up. Lately, he seems to end up everywhere she is, which should be obvious to her as to why. But we all know how she gets when she’s around Derrick. The guys found Derrick pinning Lexi to the side of the building with his hand around her neck."
Anger fills me, and a tingling sensation rolls over me in a consuming wave.
"Hell no," Sutton shoves me, and I release her, only to block her path. She is livid, and I can't say I've ever seen her this pissed off.
"Why is Lexi at the hospital?” I ask.
"He hit her," Sophie's lip trembles as she does everything she can to hold back her emotions.
"Who hit her," I know it can't be Bennett, and if it was, there is no way it was intentional. She had to get in the middle of a fight.
"Derrick," Adley growls, looking every bit as pissed off as Sutton. "Finn said he just reared back and hit her like she was a guy. Bennett lunged for him, breaking the power behind it for the most part, but he still hit her. She crumbled to the ground, then Bennett and Derrick were fighting. The cops came, they were both arrested, and Finn rode with Lexi in the back of the ambulance."
I glance at Sutton to find her with tears rolling down her cheeks, and my heart feels as though it breaks. I grab her and pull her in tight to my chest. "I gotta go bail Ben out," she nods. "You go be with Lex." I didn't want to leave her, but I know I have no choice.
This night took a turn for the worst, and I feel this is only the beginning.
I hear the sounds of metal banging against metal and look up just in time to see Bennett being led out from behind a counter. He glances in my direction, and I feel as though something heavy is pressing on my chest. His face is beaten up and bruised. Dry blood on the corner of his mouth, and his right eye is practically swollen shut.
He attempts to smile when he sees me, and I notice him wince before looking down at his hands. Finally, an officer undoes the cuffs and says something to him, making Bennett chuckle.
A few minutes later, the officer unlocks the gated door, and my brother emerges into the waiting area and begins to walk toward me.
I stand and wait for him to get closer, feeling the anger in me rise at the sight of his face. Bennett may be a grown man but fuck if I didn't want to beat the shit out of the fucker that caused this damage.
"This is nothing; you should see the other guy," he jokes.
"He better have rolled outta Sully's parking lot in a body bag."
"Close," he nods, "Ambulance. The pussy was crying like a bitch about his ribs. I think I may have broken a few. The nose was definitely broken," again he seems pleased with himself.
"I can't even be mad at you," here, I thought he'd gone looking for trouble, but the truth is he probably saved Lexi from a night of hell. She's already suffered far more than any woman ever should, but I know it would have been worse had Ben not shown up.
"I told you that you would have done the same thing."
"I would have killed him," Lexi is so sweet and gentle. She doesn't deserve this.
"I wanted to," he confesses. "I've never in my life been angrier than I was when I saw him holding her by the neck. I tried to make it there in time, but then I saw him pull back his arm and throw it forward. Everything happened so fast after that."
He hung his head and ran his hand through his hair, tugging on it at the back of his neck.
"I don't think I would have stopped had it not been for the three guys that pulled me off of him." He looks back up, and I notice the haunting look on his face. "For a minute there, I thought I did kill him."
"Why don't we get outta here?"
We stare at one another, me wondering what is rolling around in his head making him look so lost in thought that it's disturbing. Then he nods before turning to walk out of the station's front doors with me following behind.
When we are in my truck, and the engine is running, he looks over at me, and I see the glossy look in his eyes. "Lexi looked so scared," he bites at the inside of his lip. "So small and frail, terror in her eyes as that piece of shit leaned in yelling in her face."
I swear I could feel my brother's anger coursing through me.
"I need to see her," he confesses. "She may hate me, I'm probably the last person she wants at her side, but that's where I need to be."
"You wanna get cleaned up first?"
"No," he reaches across his lap and pulls the seatbelt across his chest, buckling it. "Take me to Lex."
Chapter Fifty-Two
Sutton
* * *
I sit at Lexi’s side, having difficulty seeing through the unshed tears pooling in my eyes. I’ve been a mess since I walked into her room and saw the evidence of her attack. That’s what I’m calling it. The man that did this to her is nothing more than a monster.
Her throat is bruised, where he held her tight. You can see where his fingers gripped her. Bennett may have kept him from hitting her as hard as he intended, but he didn’t completely stop it. My sweet, compassionate friend has a battle wound that makes the left side of her beautiful face appear twice the size it should be. The bruising stretches down her jaw and even up to the bottom of her left eye. A blood vessel has burst in her eye, and her iris’s bright blue color is so much more vibrant against the red.
She moans in pain, and I stand, hovering over her like a mother hen, only she doesn’t open her eyes. They’ve given her something for the pain, and she dozed off more than thirty minutes ago.
That sorry bastard is somewhere in this hospital, and it takes everything I have not to go seek him out and jab a morphine needle into his jugular.
“I don’t care who his father is; I want his ass to pay.” Lexi’s dad barks into his phone as he paces just outside her room. “Everything we can get on this kid, priors, those who may be afraid to come forward, I want every piece of dirt you can find.” There is a pause as I stare at her father, who looks as tormented as I feel. “Then dig up the shit and now. I want everything on his father too, give this all you’ve got. If these dirty bastards have so much as an ingrown hair, I want to fucking know about it.”
He ends the call and fists his hair.
I can’t imagine being a parent and being forced to watch your child, grown or not, go through something like this. As her best friend, I feel like I can kill someone, and I am generally not the fighting type.
Taking Lexi’s hand in mine, I lay my head over onto her lap and liste
n to her even breaths.
I never meant to dose off, but I’m surprised to find Bennett sitting opposite me when I wake. His face is a mess, and again my heart aches in my chest. Two people I love and adore were sucked into a wild mess, and there is nothing I can do about it.
His gaze shifts away from Lexi and to me, only he doesn’t smile. Instead, he closes his eyes as if doing all he can to gain an ounce of control over his emotions.
“You look like a right mess,” still handsome, but a mess nonetheless. “And it may not be my place to thank you, but I’m going to anyway.”
“I didn’t stop it,” he shifts his attention back to Lexi and stares. Then he clears his throat, looking down quickly before his nostrils flare over and over and his jaw muscle ticks.
“You may not have prevented the first initial start, Bennett, but you did stop it.”
He nods, then shakes his head. I watch in silence as he takes in one deep breath after another. He seems to be so torn, and the anger rolling off him can’t be missed.
Looking away, I glance toward the door to find Brantley talking to Lexi’s dad. My heart swells as I watch him, so strong and sure. It’s almost like he can feel me watching him because he looks over, and when his eyes lock with mine, he offers me a wink before refocusing on Carl, Lexi’s dad.
Lexi groans, and both Bennett and I react. Only he is up, hovering over her, with measured, delicate touches along her unscathed cheek and jaw. I don’t even know if he’s breathing.
“Lex,” he whispers, running the tip of his finger along the side of her face. It’s crippling really to see him so affected. Not that Bennett isn’t a caring man, but he’s always been the one to bring laughter to a tense situation. “Open your eyes, sweet girl,” and what surprises me most of all is when he presses a gentle soft kiss to her lips.
I look away quickly, not because I am bothered by it, but because I feel this moment should be theirs alone.
