“I don’t care!” She pushed herself to her feet. No longer able to sit and simmer. Her rage was boiling to the surface. “And you... you just followed his damned instructions. Like a good little brother. What did you think, that you could just show up and slide into his place, and I wouldn’t notice?” She was screaming at him, but she didn’t care.
“I’m not going to fight with you about this. I know it was a shitty thing to do. I’m sorry. But we are not fighting about this.”
“Oh, we’re not? We’re going to not fight because Mister Leo has decreed it. Fuck. That. And fuck you! I get to decide if we’re going to fight or not, damn it. And I say we’re fighting. Right now. Whether you like it or not, so suck it up, buttercup. You know it was a shitty thing to do? And you did it anyway. And I’m just supposed to be all right with that? You showed up at my door, barged your way inside, carried me off to take care of me, whether I liked it or not, huh? That’s just supposed to be okay with me? I’m just supposed to go along for the ride, because you and Benson decided that I should behind my back, and without my consent? Like I was some whore he left you in his will!”
“Christ, minx.” He rubbed a hand down his face and began pacing. “Is that what you think?”
“I read the fucking manual, Leo. It’s what I know.”
He moved toward her. “Yeah, okay, maybe it started that way. Benson asked me to come help you. Begged me to do it. I didn’t want to. I thought his request was ridiculous. I thought no one is crazy enough to just pass a submissive along, but hey, we’d done it before, in some iteration. Why not like this? It was nuts. I was insane to come out here. I wasn’t going to stay. I was just going to come assure myself you were fine and go back to my life. But you know what, minx, you were so intent on showing me just how fine you were, fighting me at every turn, I wondered what it would be like, to really take care of you the way he’d asked me to. And then, that was exactly what you asked me to do. It may have started out as honoring my brother’s last wishes, but I’ve stayed because you wanted me here. And don’t you pretend otherwise.” With every phrase, his voice rose, until he was shouting just as loudly as she was.
“You’re not your brother!”
“I know that, damn it. Trust me, I know. And I have done everything I can think of to make this work, and I thought, maybe, finally, we were making some progress. But, no, not you. Not Evangeline, Brat Extraordinaire. You’ve finally managed to tug the lion’s tail one time too many. You want a fight? Fine. I’ll give you a fucking fight.”
Chapter Fourteen
He lunged at her then, without warning, stealing her breath. And then she was crowded against the wall, her entire body overwhelmed with his. It was terrifying. But she wasn’t afraid of him. It was the rush through her veins making her petrified. It was the desire coursing through her at this sudden push from him that had her quaking. She liked that he had lunged at her and shoved her up against the wall. Even though she had literally just been screaming at him for taking away her choices.
His hand was at her throat. Not squeezing. Just resting there, demanding, holding her steady.
“I don’t know what you want from me, minx. But I can’t be him. I can’t be Benson.”
“I never asked you to be, you idiot!” She didn’t care if she was screaming in his face.
His eyes darkened.
She shoved against his chest, but he barely noticed. His other hand captured her wrist and pulled her arm to the side, so he could press his chest against hers. “Then. What. The. Fuck. Do. You. Want?”
“For you to kiss me, you fuck head.”
He debated it. She watched the war wage in his eyes. And then, his lips were on hers and she forgot to breathe. He kissed her like both their lives depended on it. It was bruising, demanding, harsh, everything Leo was. All rolled into a kiss. His fingers tightened on her neck, and she moaned into his mouth. He bit her bottom lip and she shoved her body forward, pushing against him, desperate for more contact. Desperate for somewhere to pour her anger into. Desperate to have something solid to hold onto. He shoved her back, until she was pinned against the wall, unable to move, unable to do anything except accept the assault on her mouth. Her head swam, her body buzzed, her legs turned weak.
A door slammed and she gasped. Leo’s head rose enough to stop kissing her, but stayed an inch from hers. His hot breath coming in gasps tickled her swollen lips. His fingers loosened on her neck.
“Don’t move,” she ordered. If he moved, if he broke the spell, she would crack. She was barely holding onto her sanity at this point, and if his body wasn’t there, holding hers up, she’d crumple to the floor in a heap.
“Leo. Get off of her!” Charlotte’s voice from behind him made Evangeline cringe. She’d utterly forgotten they weren’t alone.
Evangeline gripped the front of his shirt with her free hand. Her other was still trapped against the wall in his. She needed the anchors to keep her upright as her body fought off the arousal. As she snapped back into reality from the erotic haze he’d called forth. One minute they’d been fighting, the next, she’d wanted nothing more than every part of him touching every part of her.
“Shit,” he whispered. “Evangeline, are you okay?”
She didn’t know how to answer that. She felt decidedly not okay. But it wasn’t because he’d hurt her, and that’s what he was asking. She nodded and pressed her body more fully against the wall. “I’m fine.” She unlatched her fingers from his shirt and took a steadying breath.
Leo stood up from where he was hunched over her and released her wrist. He turned to his sister. “Sorry, that... wasn’t...” he sighed. Evangeline rolled her eyes and pushed out from around him so she could show Charlotte that she was fine.
But the look of fear on the other woman’s face, and the distinctive shine of a backhand on her cheek made Evangeline’s chest clench. Damn it. Their argument, and then the sudden silence after all that screaming, must have scared the shit of Charlotte. But she’d come in here anyway, to make sure Evangeline was okay.
“Your brother was being an asshole, and I was giving him a piece of my mind. I forgot we weren’t alone. Sorry about that.” She gave Leo a shove and moved past him. “Welcome home.” She offered a hand to Charlotte. Her anger at Leo’s disappearing act evaporated. She would deal with the fallout from the how-to manual later. Because she was not done with him. Not by a long shot.
Right now, it was so painfully obvious why Charlotte was here, and why she’d been pushing so hard for the house, that Evangeline knew she had to focus on crisis mode. The rest could wait.
She gave Charlotte a smile, and the other woman finally reached out and briefly shook her hand. “You guys must be starving. Let’s sit and eat,” she offered. She’d been avoiding the pizza since it arrived, knowing that Leo would fight her about eating it when he got home. Pizza was one of the things she still had a hard time eating. So many calories in every bite. Shut. The actual fuck up!
Leo stared at her from across the room, his face guilt-ridden. “Don’t you start looking at me like that again, Hastings.” She couldn’t stand that slightly horrified, guilty countenance because he thought he’d damaged her. She was going to have to root out the cause of that soon. And convince him once and for all that she couldn’t be so easily broken.
He smiled at her and nodded. She turned and grabbed plates from the cupboard. The pizza should still be relatively warm. So, she just carried the plates to the table and sat down. After a beat, Charlotte and Leo followed her lead. She grabbed a slice of pizza and didn’t even bother to put it on her plate, just brought it right to her mouth and took a bite. It tasted like absolute heaven. All that buttery, cheesy, sausage and onion covered goodness. She actually felt a moan in the back of her throat but stopped herself from letting it loose. Leo was watching her carefully, and she fought the urge to flip him off.
Instead, she rolled her eyes at him, which she knew he just loved, and his gaze narrowed. His look said, careful minx wit
hout him uttering a word. Her belly flipped. Why was it that just one look from him made her squirm?
Charlotte helped herself to a slice of pizza, and so did Leo. They ate in silence for a bit, and while it was strained, it was bearable. Evangeline helped herself to some juice, and poured some tea for Leo without being asked. She knew that’s what he’d want for dinner. “Drink?” she asked Charlotte?
“Got anything stronger than tea?” Charlotte asked.
“Absolutely.” Evangeline grabbed a bottle of wine from the wine cooler. A red blend. It would go well with the pizza. She popped it open and poured Charlotte a glass. With a smile, Charlotte took the glass. She watched the red swirl for a moment, and then took a few healthy pulls.
“So, you’ll be staying with us for a bit.” Evangeline sat back down, and Leo plopped another slice of pizza on her plate without a word.
She knew she had to eat it. Even though large parts of her told her not to. She focused on Charlotte. “However long you need to stay is fine. There are like a hundred bedrooms in this place.” Okay, there were five. But it was certainly enough for Charlotte to be able to stay with them for now. It’s what Benson would want. She hadn’t seen much of Charlotte over the years, but Benson loved his sister, and he’d always had a sense of duty to his family. She would sure as hell honor that.
She wasn’t going ask Charlotte who’d hit her. The way Leo had gone running without even telling her where he was going was enough. Women didn’t have to go stay with family with no notice if they were safe at home. No wonder Charlotte had sued to contest the will. She’d probably thought the house would be her way out. And Evangeline had stood in the way of that. Like a selfish bitch.
She didn’t say anything, Evangeline reminded herself. If Charlotte had, things would have been different. But that was spilled milk now. She needed to focus on what she and Leo could do to help. Did Charlotte’s husband know Kempert Manor? Probably. Did that mean she was in danger, even here?
“Just for a few nights.” Charlotte’s voice was strong as ever. But her eyes still held fear.
Evangeline reached over and patted the back of her hand. “However long you need to. You’re family.” Even though it had never really felt like it before. She was Leo and Benson’s sister. And Evangeline was so wrapped up in both of the Hastings men, there was no other way to think of Charlotte except as family at this point.
Charlotte moved back, taking her hand with her, and dug into her second piece of pizza. Evangeline felt a hand on her knee and startled. Charlotte noticed but didn’t comment. Evangeline looked over to Leo, who leveled her with a Dom stare. The hand on her knee caressed up the inside of her thigh, making her muscles tense.
Leo watched her closely with that stare of his, his hand creeping higher and higher, daring her to move away. She took a deep breath and picked up her pizza like a good girl. She ate one handed and tried to surreptitiously reach for his hand under the table in a way that wouldn’t be entirely obvious. Charlotte’s husband had hit her. Maybe for the first time, maybe not. But the last thing the woman needed was to fear that Leo was doing the same thing to Evangeline. He was doing what she wanted, what she needed, what she had asked him to do.
She put her hand on the back of Leo’s and gave him a little squeeze, smiling at him. He laced his fingers with hers for a moment and returned her squeeze.
“So, I’ll make up one of the other spare rooms and let you get settled,” Evangeline offered. It was already getting late, and though she didn’t have to be back to work tomorrow, she’d had a very long day. “What else do you think you’ll need for the night?” She hadn’t seen a bag, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t in the living room or the car.
“Everything. I... don’t have anything with me.”
“No worries. We’ll get things situated. Let’s get a little ice on that cheek before it swells any more.”
Charlotte gave her a tight smile. “Thanks.”
“I’ll put the last couple slices away and meet you guys upstairs.” Leo got up from the table, and she and Charlotte did the same.
“Obviously, you should make yourself at home, and you can borrow anything you need,” Evangeline said as they headed upstairs. She led Charlotte down to the room across from Leo’s, the room that was currently a mess after Evangeline had torn it up, looking for some reason he’d left her. Luckily, she’d closed the door before going down to the kitchen, so Charlotte wouldn’t see it. She turned on the spare room light. The bed was made up, but she’d get new sheets. It hadn’t been slept in anytime recently, but she would replace the bedding anyway.
Charlotte sat in the chair to one side near the bay window. “I’ve always loved this room.” She stared out the window into the darkness, as Evangeline made up the bed.
“That’s good. It’s yours for as long as you need, okay? I mean it.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Other than some clothes, and toiletries, is there anything specific I can get you?”
Charlotte shook her head. Leo appeared in the doorway. “Ice,” he said.
Evangeline brought the ice pack to Charlotte. “Let’s find you something to wear for pajamas,” she said.
“Nothing you have is going to fit me, you’re so tiny.”
Evangeline tried not to hold her breath, but she couldn’t help it. The words shouldn’t bother her so much. But she hated it when people commented on her size. Charlotte lifted the ice pack to her face, looking between her and Leo, who were both standing statute still. “Shit... what did I say?”
Evangeline looped her hair behind her ears. “I’m not tiny by choice. At least, not really. I have anorexia.”
The shock on Charlotte’s face was one she’d seen before. It was the look people usually got when those words came out of her mouth. But she wasn’t going to hide the truth. Leo’s hand brushed the small of her back and Evangeline released a breath.
“Well, we’re just trampling all the fuck over everyone’s triggers tonight, aren’t we?” Charlotte shook her head, chuckling.
Evangeline burst out laughing, and it felt so good, she didn’t want to stop. The tension of the past couple hours seemed to bleed right out of her. Leo laughed behind her for a minute. But she couldn’t stop.
“Alright,” Leo said, his voice sobering.
Evangeline’s sides hurt from laughing too much, and she struggled to pull in a full breath. Get hold of yourself woman.
Leo rubbed her back. “Enough of that.”
But she couldn’t stop.
He was pressing his body against hers a moment later, his breath hot in her ear. “I said enough, little one. Stop, before you can’t breathe.” He gave her a squeeze, holding her tight against him, and the world stopped spinning. His heat soaked into her, settling the hysterical laughter and letting her take a few deep breaths which she desperately needed. When she’d calmed, he slowly released her and stepped back. She instantly missed his warmth.
And she’d completely forgotten they weren’t alone. Again. She cleared her throat. “I’m sure I can find some of my fat girl phase clothes in the closet somewhere. Leo, why don’t you make yourself scarce?”
She turned to him, raising her brow. She’d said it as a suggestion, but it wasn’t. Not really. No doubt Charlotte wouldn’t want her brother around while they found some clothes to fit her. Besides, it would give her a chance to shake off the weird look she was now getting from Charlotte without Leo watching her like a hawk. She needed a minute or two to collect herself and Leo’s presence wouldn’t allow her to do that.
“Yeah, sure. I’ll just go clean up from dinner while you two get situated.” Leo retreated into the hall and headed back to the stairs. She tried to ignore the little pang that he was going to go clean up the kitchen. That was always her job.
“What a fucked-up little family we are, huh?” Charlotte said when they were alone.
Evangeline smiled, and headed toward her room. “Maybe. But...” she shrugged. “I’ve seen a lot of different
families over the years. Sometimes odd combinations work the best. And I’ve seen the quintessential man and woman and two kids be some of the most toxic, unhealthy shit-shows you could ever imagine. So, if it works, I say, why judge it?” She glanced over her shoulder.
“I guess you’re right. I’m sorry about my crack about your size... I had no idea.”
“I’m used to it, really. And I’m not sure if you knew, but I work as a nutritionist and counselor at a nearby clinic for people with eating disorders. So, I’m around the stigmas and talking about it a lot. It doesn’t bother me to talk about it.”
“You’re both a nutritionist and counselor?”
“Yeah. I started just on the nutritional side. Meeting with patients and therapy team to really come up with a game plan for caloric intake and better eating habits is what I spend the bulk of my time doing still, but I also lead some of the group sessions. Since I have an eating disorder, the head of the clinic thought it would be good for residents and out-patients to connect with someone who was on the other side of the battles they’re currently facing.”
“Makes sense. And also explains why you haven’t once asked me how I got the mark on my face.” She was still holding the ice pack to it.
“If you want to talk about it, I can certainly listen, but you don’t have to tell me a damned thing. Now, let me dig around and find something for you to wear. There’s extra toothbrushes and stuff in the hall closet, and we can pick up some stuff tomorrow. I’ll be at work most of the day, but I’ll make Leo go with you.”
Charlotte laughed as Evangeline opened her closet and pawed around into the back where a few buckets were on the shelf. She found one and brought it back out. There should be a few things in there that would fit. “What’s so funny?”
“The thought of you making Leo do anything.”
Evangeline grinned at that but this time, managed to stave off another fit of the giggles. “Yeah, well, he’s only half as stubborn as I am, in case you didn’t get the memo.”
From Sir, With Love Page 13