by Scott, S. L.
My head falls to his shoulder as I embrace this man. He’s right. “We win.” This is true freedom. The murmuring around us comes to a stop when I lift my head. “I knew he was evil. I just didn’t know how much. It’s good to know where I stand.”
Singer comes over and sits next to me, and Bennett takes the other side of me on the couch. She wraps her arm around my shoulders, and says, “Family is found in the ones who love you.” I see her glance at Bennett and send the smallest of understanding smiles. “You are loved.” She leaves it at that.
I cover her hand with mine. “Thank you.” She stays while I wipe under my eyes. Catching Bennett’s eyes, I say, “I never feared for my life, but I do fear for yours. The last time I saw Kurt was when I returned to my apartment after I left you. Kurt was waiting for me. He told me I had done a good job. I was confused since I hadn’t actually done anything in Paris.”
“You lured me right in,” Bennett says.
“My father sent you.”
“Same thing. They’re working together and I fell for it.”
“I still don’t understand what he meant by collecting.”
“What are you talking about? What was he collecting?” Bennett asks.
I bite my lip and then brace myself before saying, “Everests. He told me he was collecting Everests.” I suck in a breath before I realize that they’re all just staring at each other, speaking their own language through exchanged looks.
Singer breaks the silence, and asks, “But why?”
Ethan stands and walks to the window. With his hands in his pockets, his voice is scarily composed. “If I would have never started this damn company—”
Singer stands and goes to her husband. “You would have never met me.” Wrapping her arms around his middle, she rests her cheek on his back.
Hutton adds, “And I would have never had a second chance with Ally.”
When Ethan turns around, his arms wrap around Singer. “He’s collecting us to avenge his cousin. How long ago did you work for McCoy Industries?”
“Two years ago.”
“That doesn’t add up,” he replies. He begins to pace behind the sofa, running his hand over his chin, reminding me so much of Bennett.
Hutton retreats behind the other sofa, matching his brother’s pace. “He had enough information to takeover Nobleman Inc. from what it sounds like. Winter was already gone from the company and they had been long broken up, so why would he get her involved?”
When Bennett stands, he says, “To get to me. I’m the easiest target.”
I bolt up. “We had already met and had sex by the time he first mentioned the Everest name though. Ughhhh,” I groan, remembering my audience. I wave my hand in the air, hoping to erase the last part from their brains. I make the mistake of looking at Singer for support, but she just smiles. I roll my eyes, and say, “For Pete’s sake. We slept together. Remember, I’m a whore, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise.”
No humor is found in the room, and Singer’s smile is gone. Trying to hide how I really feel about myself in the shell of a joke is a defense mechanism. They’re not fooled, especially not Bennett. Disappointment may be displayed on his face, but it’s hurt I see in his eyes.
That’s when I realize his brothers have stopped pacing. Bennett finally speaks, “Don’t do that.”
I turn to him with a lump in my throat, keeping me from speaking. My eyes must speak volumes because he replies, “You’re not a whore because you slept with me, so don’t belittle what we did. That whore business is caught up in your head. Assholes put that there. People who want to hurt you. I’m not one of them, so don’t treat me like I am.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m going to take that apology, but from this moment on, cut that shit out.”
“Okay.” My answer is quick, maybe too quick, but when we speak from the heart, it’s best.
Gently touching my chin, he angles my face to the side. “He hit you, potentially wants you dead, and he’s collecting Everests for revenge.” Bennett wraps his arm around my waist, and we face the others—together. Together. I don’t think I’ve ever had someone so determined to not only stand by my side but also defend it. “All McCoys are dangerous, and if it comes down to us against them, we’ll win.”
I think back to the night I was determined to right a wrong. “I thought I’d be a hero. Instead, I was his pawn.” As much as this hurts to remember, I have to continue for Bennett. I owe him, and all of them, the whole story. “My father told me he was given forty-eight hours to sell his company to the McCoys for bottom dollar, or they’d expose everything illegal Nobleman had done to stay afloat. Kurt and I had a toxic past, but he was determined to destroy my future, too. I still believed I would work at the company one day; that I would inherit it with my brother.”
I meet Hutton’s eyes. Again, there’s no judgment on his face or any of theirs, but the tension is rising. I can feel it lashing at my insides. Bennett shakes his head. “It was a setup. Why would your father suddenly come to you to tell you this information, especially considering you weren’t working there, and he knew of your past with McCoy. Your father and brother teamed up with Kurt, trading you for the company.”
I don’t feel sick anymore. I’m numb as the puzzle comes together. “Kurt had me meet him at one of my brother’s favorite restaurants in Kip’s Bay. Good food, but a dive. I should have made the connection.”
“A place you go not to be seen,” Ethan observes.
Nodding, I say, “I was dumb enough to believe it was because he didn’t want his fiancée, Chelsea, to find out.”
“Chelsea Neufield?” I didn’t hear Ally walk in, but when she speaks, she comes around and stands behind Hutton, resting her hands on his shoulders. Taking her hand, he kisses it before turning back to me.
Little gestures.
My heart swells because Bennett showers me with those same types of little gestures that mean so much to me.
I ask, “How do you know her?”
Ally adds, “Not long ago. A month or less maybe. She came into the Everest Foundation office offering to be on our charity board.”
“What happened?” I ask, my heart picking up speed, my gut twisting.
She looks around, seeming to pull the memory from thin air. Her eyes come back to me. “We don’t have any board positions open, but when we do, we take them from our staff. Everyone at the foundation starts by working the phones. It’s not glamorous, but answering our helpline is the most important job we have.”
Bennett turns to me. “This is all a little too convenient, so let’s map it out. Ethan and Singer have a past with Kurt’s cousin. Kurt has a past with you, and his fiancée tried to make a connection with Ally, which is a direct line to Hutton.” He takes a deep breath and exhales with a whistle. “I’m not a detective, though I’ve been accused of being one.” He sends me a wink. “But McCoy has been attempting to close in for a while. When nothing worked, he lost his patience and went a different route.”
Tapping my chest, I say the obvious, “Me.” I move to the edge of the chair, gripping the arms. “May I get some water?”
Singer comes toward me and holds out a hand. “You don’t have to ask.” I take her hand as she leads me away from the group like a mama bear protecting her cub. That might be extreme, but I feel her warmth. We go to opposite sides of the island as she asks what I’d like. While she gets the sparkling water, I can hear the hushed tones and murmurs from the other side of the room.
Ally walks in, and asks, “How are you doing?”
“I don’t know anymore.”
“You’re safe. They didn’t get you guys in Paris, and they can’t touch you here.”
“How can you say that with such certainty?”
“Because this is our life. When you’re with them, you’ll never be safer. This building is a fortress.”
“But out there isn’t.”
Singer puts the bowl of lemon wedges between us on the counter and res
ts her palms on the marble. “It wasn’t easy for me to come to terms with this life and the changes required for me to fit into Ethan’s life. He’d give it up if he could go back to the simplicity of life before he made his money, but there is no going back. So I had to move forward and accept that my life would never be the same either unless I gave him up. I can’t deny my heart. He’s worth the risks.”
Ally squeezes a wedge into her water. With her eyes trained on the lemon, she says, “We always have protection. As for me, I’m used to it from growing up in a royal family, but you’ll get used to it, too.”
The assumption that Bennett and I will be together burns like a hot fire on a cold night in my belly. I want to feed the flame and keep it burning. Whispering, I ask, “How did you know you loved them?”
“Because I couldn’t imagine living life without him,” Ally replies. “My destiny was found in that man, and I’ve never been happier.”
Singer says, “There is no life without him, not before we met, and not after we leave this earth. It’s us. We were always meant to be, and he makes me laugh. Most of the world sees the demanding man behind the empire, but he’s actually very charming.”
“Bennett’s charming.” My cheeks heat, so I press my hands to them, trying to cool them down.
They both smile, and then Ally says, “He is. So are you. It’s no wonder you were drawn to each other.”
Singer comes around and covers my hand with hers. “You risked your life to save Bennett’s, Winter.”
“I didn’t do enough sooner. The guilt eats at me.”
“I know you don’t see it that way, but every time I think about what could have happened if they had gotten him that day.” Her hand leaves mine, and she holds it across her stomach. “I know I’ll have nightmares about it.”
“You saved him. Thank you,” Ally says.
So many emotions have played through my heart today, but I’m blown away by how welcoming they are. It’s been so long since I’ve had friends who are willing to fight for me. A lump forms in my throat, and both of them are quick to hug me. “It’s okay,” Singer says.
When we return to the living room, Lars and Aaron are there standing like guards in front of the window. They’re very intimidating even when dressed casually. I’m tempted to salute them, but I resist.
I sit down and set the water on the table in front of me. “I wanted to say thank you to every one of you. You’ve seen my good intentions through my bad deeds and accepted me like I’m one of your own when I haven’t earned that right.”
“You don’t have to earn it,” Hutton says. “You’re given respect until you lose it. Kurt McCoy doesn’t live by the same rules. When you said you were a pawn, I’m afraid you were. But you saved Bennett at the risk of getting hurt, or worse, so now we need to make sure that you’re safe as well.”
“Thank you,” I reply meekly. The care that fills the room is larger than this space can hold. They take me at face value, so I’ll do anything I need to repay them.
The next question Bennett asks isn’t one that’s expected. “How did you know those men at the park were going to hurt me?”
Despite all that I’ve said already, this is the hardest for me to answer, and as I look up to say the words, I can’t find my breath. All I can feel is darkness, menacing voices, rough hands manhandling me . . . the scent of humiliation. Terror.
26
Bennett
Cliffhangers are the worst, and when I swept her out of the room, I doomed the others to the edge. But what was I supposed to do? Leave her there to hyperventilate until she passed out?
Winter tugs at the sweatshirt she slipped into as soon as we returned. My sweatshirt. Barefoot, baggy clothes, clean face, and gorgeous. My girl. It’s easy to pretend she lives here when she walks around like she does.
“Don’t worry. They understand.” This has become the longest day in history. “Everyone needed a break anyway.”
“You didn’t have to save me. I owe them the story.”
“Tell me instead.”
Her foot starts bouncing again, but on an exhale, she says, “They’re the men who kidnapped me for Kurt. He doesn’t usually do his own dirty work.” She walks to the window, a great distraction that I seek for myself sometimes. “I heard the name Everest when I arrived at the park. It caught my ear. When I turned back to look, I knew who they were. Instantly. But they also knew who I was.”
“That’s why it was best for you to come with me. I know you didn’t want to, but I don’t regret insisting.”
“Your insisting saved my life.” Looking back over her shoulder, there’s the smallest of smiles but no anger. “I don’t think I’ve thanked you.”
“Not in words, but I don’t need them. You’ve shown me.”
I come behind her and wrap her in my arms. When she leans back, I can feel her heart pounding in her chest. “I’m sorry I’m not who you thought I was when we met. I was . . . not myself. It took me a week after arriving in Paris to orientate myself and try to make sense of my situation—how I got there, how long I would be there. I took Paris as an opportunity to be someone else, to be someone who people on the street admired instead of how I felt inside. It probably makes me sound crazy, but the little excursions kept me sane. Ish.”
I turn her around and hold her face in my palms. “You’re exactly who I want and need.”
“That’s what you are to me.” She lifts up and kisses me.
Then I take over, kissing her because she needs to be kissed how she deserves, and because fuck, I need to have my mouth on hers, her lips parting, her tongue not sharp with words but soft with devotion.
As I run my hands up the back of her shirt. Her skin feels like cream and is scented with fields of strawberries I start to pull the shirt off, but she stops me, and her gaze moves behind her to the windows.
Protect her.
I promised I would, so taking her by the hand, we move to the bedroom. I take my time to lower the blinds and turn on a lamp, keeping it dim, and then find a condom. I don’t want to ruin the mood by stopping later, but I don’t want to rush through it either.
When I turn back, she’s standing naked before me. The confidence she showed in Paris is on full display here. The only differences are the grayish spots that line one side of her ribs and her jaw. I’m going to repay that fucker twofold for touching her and then make sure that the company doesn’t survive to the New Year.
It’s not just the physical pain he’s caused her that I worry about. She fights between the low self-esteem other men decided she needed and the cultivated strength of a lion I know she can be. Going to her, I take off my shirt and the rest of my clothes. Standing in front of her naked, to show her she has nothing to fear. We’re equals. Equally vulnerable. I reach to caress her chin, and say, “I won’t hurt you. Not ever.”
Her gaze drops to the floor. “I don’t remember what it feels like to live without pain. At least the bruises will go away.”
“I can’t erase the past. I can only promise you the future and that I’m waging my life on.”
She holds me as tight as she can. “I don’t want your life on the line. I don’t want to lose you.”
And that’s when I realize that we may not have been together our whole lives, years, months, or even weeks, but my heart recognized hers the moment I laid eyes on her. Taking the days we’ve had and adding them to this feeling that we’ve known each other for a lifetime and cared about each other longer, it’s easy for me to believe. “I’m not going anywhere except where you go, sweetheart.”
Kissing her again, I pick her up and move to the bed to lay her down. She holds me to her, her arms locked around my neck. “You called me sweetheart, and there wasn’t a hint of sarcasm.” Sprawled on the bed like the lioness she is, she grins. “I think you like me. You might even more than like me.”
“Busted. What gave me away?”
She glances down. I could be embarrassed that my dick is bumping against her leg, or b
y how hard she gets me, but there’s no shame in it. She says, “You asked me my favorite song the night we met.”
I climb on the bed and maneuver between her legs. Discovering the myriad of blues—cloudless springtime sky, deep ocean water, moonlight at midnight—buried in her eyes, I say, “I asked because I wanted to know.”
“You asked because you cared to know. I don’t know that I’ve had anyone ask me a question that tells you who I am so simply. I’ve gotten by with a pretty face and prettier lies.”
She kisses my nose, then my lips, and adds, “I know that I was rebelling to get my father’s attention. And I know why I dated the devil. So you and I may have met under terrible circumstances, but I don’t regret a day we’ve spent together.”
Kissing me lower, she rolls me onto my back, and wet lips trail down my chest. Her breath is hot against my skin when she stops above my abdomen to say, “One way or another, because of fate or destiny, we were meant to be together. If only for a week or for eternity. I don’t know what’s in store for us, but I regret not valuing myself enough to wait for you.”
I move her hair, so I get the full view of her lovely face. “There’s no point regretting what we can’t change. I don’t need to be your first, but I’m thinking last sounds pretty damn good.”
“Charming.” She smiles like she stole a kiss from her crush.
“Beautiful.”
“Movie star.”
“Cactus flower.”
That makes us both laugh. But then her eyes dip closed as she slides between my spread legs. Peppering kisses around where I need her mouth, she teases, causing my eyes to fall closed. Keeping one hand in her hair, I sink into the mattress when she takes me into her mouth one torturous inch at a time. One of her hands covers the base while she uses her tongue and the lightest pressure of her teeth.
