Page 3 of Duress (Birch Falls #3)

DANE

“Dane! What a surprise. I didn’t know you were coming over tonight.” Everly’s light jasmine-scented perfume clouds my senses as we embrace. It takes a moment longer than appropriate for me to come to my senses and pull away from her when I hear her clear her throat awkwardly.

“Er, sorry for dropping by on you unexpectedly. Bryce didn’t mention I was coming?” I sheepishly grasp the back of my neck as I pull away, trying to find some place for my hands to be other than wrapped around Everly’s soft curves. The faint scent of jasmine still lingers in the air around us.

Momentarily distracted by the beauty in front of me, it takes a second for her words to register.

“He left for a work emergency? Bryce isn’t here?

You gotta be fucking kidding me. He’s a fucking lawyer, what kind of ‘work emergency’ does he have on a Tuesday night?

” Figures the shithead would demand my presence, then ghost me just to be a prick.

Exasperated, I turn to leave, but Everly stops me with a gentle hand on my shoulder.

“Stay. I’m sure he’ll be back soon, if he’s expecting you.

I was just getting ready to have some wine on the patio.

Come sit with me and have a glass.” Everly’s hand slides from my shoulder, down my bicep, setting all my nerve endings on fire with her touch when her fingers meet the bare skin of my arm.

I still have half a mind to leave as a fuck you to my older brother, but when her delicate hand folds around mine in a tentative grasp, I let her tug me along, powerless to say no.

Our footsteps echo on the marble tile. Their house is huge, mostly white, and devoid of almost any sign of life, much like my brother.

There are small touches of Everly. Pops of color from the fresh flower arrangements from her greenhouse.

Some of her smaller pieces of art that Bryce has deemed tasteful enough to display where anyone can see them.

The occasional gaudy embroidered throw pillow with a silly phrase like, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, come sit by me. ” or “I’m the problem.”

I know my brother hates them. I’ve heard him, time and time again, berating Everly for her “silly hobbies”. Why a woman as kind, creative, and as funny as Everly is, is married to my brother, I will never understand. No amount of money or good looks could possibly make up for his personality.

She makes a quick pit spot to the kitchen to grab another wine glass before we continue on through the French doors out onto their patio.

The sun is just setting over the mountains, so the pool lights have kicked on, illuminating the outdoor space.

The sound of running water from the rock waterfall and soft music playing causes a gentle ease to roll through me.

I can feel my shoulders relax as I take in my surroundings.

Everly has one of her smaller easels set up on the table with paints lined up next to it.

It appears to be a half-finished outdoor scene of the very sunset in front of us.

The canvas features a sky shifting from pink and orange to indigo to navy to midnight blue, almost exactly how the sky appears right now.

“Damn, Ever. Wow. That’s good. Great. Fucking amazing.

Really.” I feel my cheeks heat at how I stammer over my words, making a fool of myself.

I glance at her out of my periphery hoping that my compliment sounded as sincere as I meant it to be and see her biting her bottom lip, looking up at me from under her lashes, a bashful smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

Immediately my mind imagines that might be very close to what she’d look like if she were on her knees, sucking my dick.

“You think so?” Her question sounds sincerely hesitant. Like she can’t tell how good it is.

I turn to face her and look directly into her eyes when I say, “Yeah, Ever. I really fucking do.” It feels like my heart forgets to beat during the time it takes for my words to sink in to her. “Why would you ever think that it’s not?”

Her cheeks flush at my final question, and I swear I catch the telltale shimmer of tears before she turns away.

Everly busies herself pouring the wine, and I decide to let it go.

For now. I know why she thinks it isn’t good.

My douchenugget of a brother has always scoffed at her art.

He met Everly when she was a junior and he was in law school at BFU.

I think he saw this beautiful, creative, free spirit and thought he could mold her into his perfect wife.

He’s succeeded some. Outside of the house, Everly plays every bit the “respectable attorney’s” wife.

At home, in her studio or her greenhouse, she still shines as brightly as she ever did.

I think Bryce entertains it only because her art does have some respect in the community.

That and her dad is a judge, which I suspect is the real reason he started dating her in the first place.

“I’ve been sitting out here every night, watching the sunset.

I am trying to capture a time lapse effect to show how it evolves as the days get shorter…

” Everly trails off, taking a sip of her wine.

I’m sure Bryce doesn’t bother to listen to her when she’s talking about her art, so I show her I’m paying attention.

I wait for her eyes to drift back to mine before I say, “The way you captured the shift of green to blue on the mountains is incredible.”

I’m rarely alone with Everly. These days, I never have a reason to be around her without Bryce present.

So being able to speak so openly to her about her art feels meaningful.

Everly and I used to talk. When I was in the police academy, still living at home, she would come visit mine and Bryce’s mom and do art therapy with her twice a week.

I usually found a way to hang around in the kitchen with them while she was there, and make enough dinner for her to have some too.

I learned a lot about Everly in those months.

Her sessions with mom brought back the woman I remembered from my childhood, before my dad’s death.

Before the depression caused her to retreat into herself, becoming a ghost of the mother I used to have.

I will always be grateful for Everly for that reason alone.

I reach over and place a hand on her shoulder, gently cupping her neck, to keep her attention on me as I try to convey how serious my next words are.

“You are so insanely talented, Ever. Don’t ever doubt that, okay?

” Another fraught moment passes between us, where I swear it feels like the air is charged.

It reminds me so much of that moment by the fire at my high school graduation.

Her pulse flutters rapidly under my fingers, and I wonder if it’s racing for the same reason as mine.

I wonder if she feels this connection between us.

The moment is shattered by her phone’s ringtone going off.

Ever gives me a small smile before turning away to answer the call.

As she puts the phone to her ear I see my brother’s picture on the screen. Great.

“Hey, when are you gonna be home? Your brother is here.” I see her shoulders stiffen at whatever response my brother has.

“He said you told him to be here at seven. Okay… How long?” I can feel my frustration rising when she shoots me an apologetic glance over her shoulder.

I can’t hear the words my brother is saying, but he’s loud enough that I can pick up on his self-important tone.

Everly winces at whatever his last words are before hanging up.

When Everly turns around, she’s biting her bottom lip in worry. “So, Bryce is caught up at work, and he doesn’t know when he will be able to leave.”

Rolling my eyes, I turn toward the door, my anger threatening to get the better of me.

My boiling frustration is immediately squashed when Everly says, “Will you still stay? I could use the company. Bryce has been working a lot of long hours lately.” My heart softens when I see the pleading look in her eyes, and I know I can’t say no to her.

“Sure, I’ll stay.”

“Wait, so you’re telling me these frat bros actually thought Serena was a stripper they ordered?

” Everly cheeks are flushed from a combination of wine and laughter as I recount the story of one of mine and Serena’s recent noise disturbance calls.

The bottle of wine sits on the table between us, mostly empty.

The pool lights reflecting off of Everly’s face give her an ethereal glow.

“Yeah, and she played right into it too, walking in and giving the boys that stern cop look and telling them they’ve been very bad.

I was standing on the porch off to the side, so they didn’t see me at first. I wanted to see how she’d handle it.

But one of the drunk Chaddington McDouchebros reached out to try to undo her top, so she put him in a standing arm lock.

Then she told him he was under arrest for assaulting a police officer, and suddenly they didn’t have any trouble turning down the music. ”

“I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in that room.” There is a note of admiration in her voice.

From what I’ve gathered during our conversations tonight, Bryce works a lot, and Everly doesn’t have many close friends.

Just a few other attorneys’ wives she’s forced to socialize with to keep up appearances for Bryce.

There is an air of loneliness to her, and it breaks my goddamn heart.

“You’d love Serena. You should come over for game night sometime. She hosts one weekly. It can get a little rowdy, and more than a little cutthroat, but it’s a good time. ”

Ever’s smile falters at my invitation, like she’d love nothing more than to accept it, but can’t.

The idea of her sitting in this big house alone, or forcing smiles around people she doesn’t like, kills me.

I reach across the table and grab her hand, emphasizing how serious I am about my invitation.

“The next game night is Thursday. I’ll send you her address, and if you want to come, you can.

There’s always plenty of food, and someone is always bringing a new friend to join.

It won’t be weird.” She gives me a small nod, and I squeeze her hand before letting go.

Glancing at my watch, I realize it’s nearly eleven and Bryce still isn’t home.

“Shit, it’s getting late. I need to go soon. Does Bryce normally work this late?” I can’t stay forever, but I don’t love the idea of leaving Everly alone either.

“Sometimes. I usually get bored waiting up for him and go to bed. I’m sure he’ll be home soon.

It’s fine if you need to go.” She gives me a helpless what can you do?

shrug and another crack forms in my heart.

My fucking spoiled asshole brother has no idea what an amazing woman he has waiting for him at home.

My first instinct is to stay and keep her company until he gets home, then give him a piece of my mind, but her next words put a stop to that particular train of thought.

“You should probably go. I am tired, and Bryce might think it’s weird if you’re still here when he gets home.

I’ll just go to bed. Thanks for keeping me company tonight.

” Everly stands, collecting the wine glasses to take them back inside.

I open the patio door for her and follow her inside the house as she deposits the glasses in the expensive looking stainless steel dishwasher.

She walks me to the front door, and I lose the fight against the impulse to hug her.

I pull her in for a quick hug and drop a chaste kiss to the top of her head.

“I’ll text you the details about game night. I hope you come; I think you’d really like Serena. Lock the door when I leave.” Bryce and Everly live in a gated community. I know she’ll be fine, but the idea of her being here all alone still worries me.

“Yes, sir.” She gives me a playful salute, but hearing those two words come out of her mouth shoots a jolt of arousal straight to my dick. Great, I know what I’ll be thinking about when I rub one out tonight.

When the door closes behind me, I wait a beat to hear the lock engage before walking to my car. On the drive home, I realize I’m not even that mad about Bryce blowing me off. I’m just wondering how I can have more nights like this with Everly.