Page 20 of Duress (Birch Falls #3)

DANE

W hen I pull my car into the circular driveway of The Magnolia, my muscles are tense from holding myself back, when all I want is to march into that ballroom and punch my asshole brother in the face.

Everly sounded so distraught when I answered her call, my protective instincts for her took over, and I didn’t think twice about coming to pick her up.

I don’t know what he’s done to upset her to the point where she feels the need to run from him, but once I find out, I will make sure he suffers the consequences.

I pull out my phone and text Everly to let her know I’m here.

She asked me to not come inside. She doesn’t want anyone to see me and tell Bryce who she’s with.

It’s taking all of my self-restraint to abide by her request, but I do it because I don’t want to make this worse for her, and I don’t want to be like my brother and ignore her boundaries.

A minute later, I see her rushing out the lobby doors toward my car.

My breath catches when I see her. She’s wearing a short black cocktail dress with a gauzy skirt that floats and shifts as her hips move, revealing tantalizing glimpses of her thighs.

The top half is strapless, the sweetheart neckline accentuating her feminine curves, leaving her shoulders and neck on display.

It’s sexy but classy. It isn’t until my gaze reaches her face that I see the tell-tale red blotches on her cheeks that reveal she’s been crying, and my heart clenches at the sight. Shit, what happened to her?

Everly slides into the passenger seat of my car and doesn’t look at me as she buckles her seatbelt.

She just faces forward, a grim look of resignation on her face as she says, “Just go. I don’t care where.

” Her voice is soft, buried under the weight of defeat, but lined with the sharp edge of bitterness.

Shifting the car into drive, I take her to the one place I’m sure Bryce won’t look for her. My apartment. As far as I know, he has no reason to suspect she would call me for help, and she should be able to hide out at my place while she gets her bearings.

We ride in silence as I navigate the dark streets. The rhythmic swiping of the windshield wipers and her quiet sniffles are the only sounds to be heard. I resign myself to wait and let her decide when she’s ready to talk.

I lead her into my modest apartment, and mentally cringe at how it probably meets the textbook definition of bachelor pad.

It’s a small studio with a bedroom loft that fits my needs but probably feels like a shoebox compared to the house she shares with my brother.

The walls are white and bare on one side and exposed brick on the other.

The furniture basic and utilitarian. One brown leather couch that has seen better days, a small dinette set with a table and two chairs, an oversized TV complete with gaming system, and a small galley kitchen stocked mostly with convenience foods.

At least my mattress is on an actual bedframe and not on the floor.

Everly stops and takes a look around, still looking a little dazed. I watch as her eyes sweep across the space, like she’s figuring out where she is and how she got here.

“Can I get you something to drink? Water? Coffee?”

“Got anything stronger?” Her voice is raspy and sexy from disuse. It goes straight to my cock, and I send a mental note to my dick reminding it now is not the time to get hard.

“Yeah, I got something stronger. Make yourself comfortable.” I wave a hand to the leather couch with cracks in it as I head to the fridge to pull out two bottles of double IPA.

It’s not liquor, but it’s strong enough to take the edge off, and I don’t want to get her drunk.

I make quick work of removing the caps before handing her a bottle and sitting next to her on the couch.

She’s curled up, legs tucked under, skirt riding up, once again putting her tantalizing, creamy thighs on display.

God, my brother is a fucking idiot. He has no idea what he has.

Everly accepts the bottle with a grateful smile and takes a long swallow of the beer. I focus on my own, trying not to let my eyes lock in on the mesmerizing way her neck moves as she swallows, wishing it was my dick between her lips instead.

“So do you want to talk about it?” I shift my position so I’m facing Everly. She’s looking down, picking at the label on the bottle. It’s a long moment before she responds.

“I’m just coming to terms with the fact that I’m married to a soulless monster. I don’t even know who Bryce is now…other than someone who’s more concerned with using people to get ahead in his own life than doing the right thing. He wasn’t always like this…was he?”

When she looks up and our eyes meet, there is so much agony in hers, like she needs to know she wasn’t blind to his failings the entirety of their relationship. As much as I’d like to throw my dickhead of a brother under the bus, I can’t. I don’t want to hurt her more.

“No, I don’t think he was. At least not when it came to you.

” It’s not a lie. Bryce was good to Everly, even if he was a dick to me.

“He’s a man with goals and the determination to meet them, and he won’t let anything get in his way.

It’s what makes him so good at his job. It’s also what makes him a selfish asshole. ”

Everly nods and takes another sip of her beer.

“Yeah, I’m beginning to see that now. I…

I just don’t know if I can sit by and be with someone like him.

You didn’t hear the disgusting things he was saying.

How…dehumanizing he was toward the victim of his client.

And the way he let Shane just leer at me like he was dangling a piece of meat in front of a starving animal.

” She closes her eyes, face scrunching like she’s fighting the impulse to cry again.

“Hey, Ever, it’s okay. You’re safe here now.

I’ve got you.” I reach out and cup her cheek, swiping a silent tear away with the pad of my thumb.

I feel her body relax into my touch and take that as an invitation to scoot closer.

I wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into my side, and she rests her head on my chest.

“I’m just so disgusted by the man he is now. I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner.”

“Love makes us blind to a lot of things.”

She looks up at me, her expression a confused mess of emotion, like she isn’t sure how she’s supposed to feel.

“Thank you for coming for me, Dane. You…you make me feel safe.” The corner of her mouth turns up in a small, sad smile, and I simultaneously want to punch my brother for making her feel unsafe and crush my mouth against her and make her forget all about him.

I settle for placing a gentle, chaste kiss on the corner of her mouth.

“You are safe with me, Ever. Always.”

When I pull away, she’s looking at me like she’s seeing me for the first time.

There is a look of awe and disbelief on her face, like the concept of safety is new to her.

My words hang between us like a promise.

I want to kiss her. Make her forget the hurt she’s feeling.

But I wait for a sign. A signal that she wants this too.

I don’t want to push her if she’s feeling vulnerable.

Her small pink tongue darts out, moistening her bottom lip, and my eyes track the movement.

Her breathing comes in short pants, and I know she feels this electric connection between us.

She’s been fighting it for weeks, and now that she knows what a terrible person my brother is, there should be nothing keeping her tethered to him .

She leans closer, bringing her lips close enough to mine that we are sharing the same air. She brings her free hand up to my jaw, and I shudder under her touch.

“Make me feel safe, Dane. Please.” Her words are barely a whisper, but it’s all I need.

The tether on my self-control snaps. I take the beer bottles and set them on the coffee table as I lean into her, capturing her lips with mine.

She lets me take control and leans back on the cushions, allowing me to cover her body with my own.

I settle between her legs, one hand cupping her ass while the other tangles in her hair as our tongues dance.

I lose myself in the taste of her. In the breathy moans that escape from her mouth. The way her soft curves feel under my touch. The warm, wet heat from her center I can feel dampening my grey sweats. She is my rapture, and this time nothing is going to interrupt us.

Trailing my lips down her jaw, I nip and kiss her neck and along her collarbone as I move down her body.

Her back arches, pushing her breasts into the path of my kisses.

I pull down the top of her dress, releasing her breasts from the stretchy black fabric.

She isn’t wearing a bra, and I am momentarily stunned by the sight of her perfect, teardrop-shaped tits.

They’re just big enough to be a handful, and her dusky pink nipples are hard, begging to be sucked on.

I capture one in my mouth while rolling the other between my fingers.

The soft whimper of pleasure she lets out is music to my ears.

I take my time, lavishing each soft mound with attention, alternating sucking and pinching her nipples until she is a writhing, panting mess under me. She bucks her hips into mine, seeking friction. The needy responsiveness of her body to my touch makes my dick so hard it hurts.

“Dane…god…more…it feels so good.” Hearing her say my name while begging for more has got to be the sexiest goddamn thing I’ve ever heard in my life.