Page 43

Chapter Eleven

Jolie

After Trace and I return to the house, I escape to the shower. All the guys have to go to school, but I decide to skip, partly because of Brennan and partly because I don’t want to face my friends. The betrayal still hurts, even if they have a reason to justify it.

My life has been riddled with so many lies since being brought to the Myers house. But with this hurt, all I can think about are the lies told by my ex-best friend and ex-boyfriend.

From the start, I knew I never should have gone exclusive with him—I knew it wouldn’t work. But I tried anyway because it’s what he wanted. Honestly, I thought I would be the one to cheat; maybe he knew and wanted to beat me to it. My best friend was where the real betrayal came from. The system moved me around so much from fourteen onwards that I never had the chance to make friends. Yet the last two foster families were so close, I took the jump and made a connection. I was so desperate to feel wanted and loved—that’s always been my issue. It was a mistake I won’t make again.

Pushing open the door to Brennan’s room, I peek around his space. He is lying on his bed, in the same position I’ve seen him every time I’ve come in to check on him. Looking freshly showered, his mismatched clothes are the only indication he was forcefully washed and dressed. Brennan doesn’t even look up as I enter; he just stares off into space. Brainstorming what Boston would do while in the shower, I decided he would have had a no bullshit attitude. I don’t think I’ll be able to accomplish that, so I’ll just have to wing it.

Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, I look down at him. “Hey, Brennan.”

He turns his head slightly and looks at me, then turns his head back to resume looking into thin air.

“The guys told me you should have come around by now. Honestly, I really don’t know what help I’m going to be. Not sure they equipped me for this, but I’m going to try. I watched this TV series once called Chuck , where he gets government secrets put into his head. That’s kinda how I imagine what they did to you—overloaded your brain—and now I need to find a way to bring you back.”

Standing, I walk around to the other side of the bed and cuddle down beside him. “I’m going to stay here with you until we figure this out.”

Taking his hand, I intertwine our fingers. Brennan squeezes my hand, that one movement letting me know he is still in there and giving me hope. I use my other hand to get my phone out of my pocket and try to google what could help, which proves to be useless. What terms do you even use to google what happened to him? Thinking how Boston would have done this, I lay this way for a couple of hours. Then it comes to me... By gosh, I think I have it figured out. Boston loved to be bossy and piss people off, so he would have used that against his brother to gauge a reaction. Climbing out of the bed, I race up to my room, a plan forming in my mind. I can see by the way Brennan always looks at me when he thinks I’m not watching that he wants me, but he always holds himself back. Maybe I can entice him with my body to at least have some type of reaction—to tell me to get dressed or to leave.

I throw on some sexy lingerie, but the memory causes a pang of hurt to stab me in my gut. Sinclair insisted I buy it. It was supposed to be for Laughn, the blood-red colour reminding me of our weekend together. I fix myself in the mirror and head back down to Brennan’s room. He doesn’t even blink when I walk back in. Putting extra sway in my hips, I make my way over to his side of the bed and stand before him, leaving a little distance so he can view my outfit in its entirety. I detect a glint in his eye, a little more than recognition, but he doesn’t deviate from his semi-comatose state. He has ignored me all day, but now I have finally found a way to play him at his own game.

“I had a thought,” I murmur, tapping my blood-red lips. “Boston isn’t here to piss you off, so it has to be me. What better way than to throw myself at you?”

His eyes move, trailing down my body, taking me in. When he looks back up at me, there’s a fire raging in them. Brennan’s pissed that I would be presumptuous enough to think this is what he wants. I strut to the side of his bed, but his eyes never stray from mine, a battle of wills between us. Can he let this go as far as I’m claiming I will take it? Is he willing to call my bluff? The answer to that is a resounding no because he will lose. I have fucked guys in the past for a bed to sleep in just so I didn’t have to go home. This deal really benefits us both.

I sit beside him and run my finger down his chest. His breathing changes—what was once a soft breath becomes a quick pant—and I feel his heart now thumping in his chest. He doesn’t budge, though, so I decide to up the ante. Using my mouth, I trail kisses down his abs, leading towards his glorious V. Desperately needing to know what he hides behind those staid slacks, I take the button of his shorts between my fingers, but before I can get them undone, his hand comes down on mine.

“Jolie,” he croaks.

“Brennan,” I whisper back. “Let me do this for you.”

As I look into his crystal-blue eyes, I see he’s right there in front of me. Not completely back, but he’s close.

He removes his hand and I unbutton his shorts; whoever dressed him hadn’t even bothered with boxers. Carefully I unzip him, ensuring I don’t get his rock-hard cock stuck between the zipper teeth. Having seen that happen before, it looks awfully painful.

I manage to get his shorts down and climb on top of him. Sitting above his hard cock, I lean down and place my lips on his. At first, it’s slow, a soft melding of our lips together; I want to make sure that he is okay. I’m not a sicko who wants to take advantage of him when he’s weak. Brennan’s hand snakes around the back of my neck and his fingers twist into my hair lightly, keeping enough pressure that I’ll continue to kiss him. Which I do until the ache between my legs has my ass scooting backwards. I use one of my fingers to pull my lacy underwear aside and I slowly ease myself down. We both groan when I’m fully seated to the hilt, then I wait for Brennan to take some control.

He twists his head to the side, pulling back from my kiss. My lips trail across his cheek and down his neck. He releases the hold on my head and his hands move down my body to rest on my hips, then he urges me to move. Slowly rocking my body into his, I let him set the pace.

This fuck shouldn’t rock my world or even his. I just need him in the present; he’s the rock, the glue that is holding us all together—I can’t lose him. I’ve encountered enough loss in my life already and I will be damned if I let him go without trying to save him.

Losing myself in the way his skin feels under my fingertips, I relish how he grips my hips hard enough to let me know he has come back to his senses. Neither of us speak as we get lost in the moment. The realisation that we can’t go back from here hits me like a two-tonne brick.

He was created to love and protect me. For most of my life, he has tried to protect me, and it’s time for me to love him the only way I know how. No pretences, no fake promises for tomorrow, no broken hearts. But mark my words, Brennan Myers is mine. Maybe Chester and I are not that different, after all. I’m laying my claim, and so help me if anyone tries to take him away from me. They won’t like the outcome.

Grinding my clit into his pelvis has my orgasm peaking. I arch my back and roll my nipples between my fingers as the shockwaves ripple through my body. Brennan’s grip on my hips tightens, and he groans as he comes along with me. I collapse on top of him, the sweat from our bodies sticking us together.

“Thank you,” he murmurs as he wraps his arms around me.

He doesn’t pull out of me, and we lay in silence together, both falling asleep in each other’s arms and not waking up until the door slams against the wall and someone groans.

“Ugh, it’s so not fair—blue balls are a real thing! First with those two fuckers and now you. Someone just needs to at least let me watch.”

I snort at Kai’s theatrics, then slightly lift myself and help Brennan pull up his shorts and zip them up.

Kai walks over to look at Brennan. “If I knew that would have worked, I would have fucked him days ago.”

Brennan smiles. “Something tells me your dick in my ass wouldn’t have had the same effect.”

Kai flips him off and a megawatt smile reaches his lips. “Oh, I can’t wait to tell the others.”

Before Brennan or I can say anything, Kai takes off out of the door. I don’t wait for Brennan now that he is back in the land of the living. Instead, I take chase as Kai cackles to himself.

“I’m going to kill you,” I yell.

“Please promise to fuck me first,” he shouts back and laughs.

I lose sight of him near the living room and run straight into the kitchen, knowing he would think that I would search around there first. I stop dead in my tracks when I realise it’s not just Kai home, it’s everyone.

Chester, Creed, and Trace are all looking between Kai and me. Kai standing beside the kitchen bench with a huge goading smile plastered on his face.

“Um... Jolie, why are you chasing Kai around the house in your underwear?” Trace asks.

I shake my head.

Chester and Creed both stand from their chairs as Kai moves in closer to Trace.

Mouthing I’ll kill you only causes his smile to grow wider.

“How about we guess?” Creed states as he and Chester stalk me like prey. One coming to a stop on each side of me.

“I could just tell you,” I pant.

“What fun would that be, Tenshi?” Creed says from behind me, pressing his front to my back, his lips whispering against my neck.

“I can smell him on you,” Chester says, falling to his knees as his head leans forward until his nose is pressed against my pussy, only the thin material of my lingerie separating us. His warm breath hits my core, causing a shiver to wrack my body.

“What the fuck guys, move away from her! You’re not animals in heat,” Brennan snaps, walking into the kitchen. He has changed out of the cargo shorts he was dressed in and is now back wearing his suit.

Chester rises to his feet, and the feral gaze in his eyes tells me he wants me, and wants to cause me some pain. The thought has me squeezing my thighs together.

“One day soon we’re both going to take you and I hope you’re ready,” Chester states, turning his back to me.

“Really soon,” Creed whispers against my skin.

“Jolie, will you please go get dressed?” Brennan asks, even though it’s more of a rhetorical question.

“And he’s back,” Kai says with a laugh. “Jolie fucked him back to the land of the living.”

I take the stairs up to my room, their eyes following me the entire way up until I’m out of view, my gut sinking at his dismissal.

Gathering my clothes, I head into my en suite and take another shower, my toffee apple body wash scrubbing away the day. I’m glad Brennan is okay, but that still leaves me with the issue of Jimmie and Sinclair. Once I’m done, I wrap myself in a big fluffy towel and dry myself off, then get dressed in my pyjamas.

In my room, I find Kai perched on my bed, flicking through my phone. I have to remember to put a damn password on it.

“You didn’t tell me you found out about Jimmie and Sinclair,” he exclaims, waving my phone in the air.

“Yeah, thanks for the heads up.”

“Not my secret to tell, though Jimmie is just a computer tech. For the record, Sinclair wanted to tell you, but Mr Z wouldn’t allow it. Try not to be hard on them and understand they had no choice.”

“You know, I keep hearing everyone say that they had no choice,” I snap, walking over to him and snatching my phone from his hands.

“Stop being so damn selfish and have a look around you. I understand the way you grew up gives you a different perspective, but we never had that and neither did they. Sinclair and Jimmie come from extremely wealthy families. This is their reality. Sinclair’s choice was between this life or marrying some rich asshole who would sleep with his secretary behind her back until she was considered too old. Then he would’ve traded her in for someone half her age and she would be left with nothing. This way, she can at least build her own life.”

“I can understand that, and it’s why I’m so torn. But it still fucking hurts. Are they really even my friends?” I mutter, sitting down next to Kai on my bed.

“If they weren’t, Sinclair wouldn’t have come and bathed you. Because you stunk. She didn’t have to do that, but we asked, and she came. Jimmie also tried to visit, and he was willing to fight Creed to get in the door.”

I laugh just imagining Jimmie at his size and weight trying to stand up to Creed; he wouldn’t have survived. Guess I need to talk to them tomorrow and make things right. It’s just that I don’t know if I will be able to trust them the way I did before this, but I’ll take it one day at a time. At least knowing that they’re part of this world means I don’t need to pretend anymore or keep as many secrets.