Red (A Brett MacLean Duet)

by J. M. Walker

  I cried out, chewing my bottom lip at the unexpected but pleasurable pain erupting through my body.

  “Don’t close up on me now, Evvie,” Brett rasped, kissing the soft spot just beneath my ear. “This is what you wanted. What you craved. No matter how pissed you are, you always crave my cock.”

  “Fuck you.” I slapped him but that only made him thrust harder and faster.

  “Hit me again,” he demanded. “Do it.”

  My palm landed against his cheek, his cock swelling inside of me as soon as I made contact with his face.

  My fury turned him on.

  “I don’t know what more you want me to say to you.” His fingers dug into my hips, his cock piercing that part of me that he was only ever able to reach. “I don’t know what else to do. I love you, Evvie. I love you so fucking hard.”

  “You hurt me.” I ran my hands down his back, scratching my nails into his skin. “You broke my heart.”

  “I’m sorry,” he muttered, kissing the side of my neck. “I’m so fucking sorry.” Brett carried me to the bed, laying me on it before kneeling between my legs.

  I pushed his shirt off his strong torso, running my hands down his hard chest. Every muscle rippled beneath my touch, begging for my teeth.

  “I love you, Evvie,” he said, pulling me further beneath him. “I love you so fucking much.” He kissed my forehead. “I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

  Tears streamed down my cheeks. “Telling me you love me over and over again isn’t going to do shit, Brett. We can’t even talk.”

  “We’re talking now.” He reiterated his point by pumping slowly into me.

  “Only because you’re inside me.” My body burned. “You fucked her. All I can see is you fucking her. I see her hands on your body. Her lips on your skin.” I lifted my hips at the same time he thrust forward. A low moan escaped me. “I hear her screaming out your name.”

  “No.” Brett shook his head. “Fuck .”

  “Did she taste as good as me? Was she able to swallow you whole like I can?” I shoved him back, straddled his waist, and slammed my hips onto his.

  He shouted out my name, thrusting into me hard.

  “Did she give you everything I could? Was she enough for you, Brett?” I gripped his hair, tugging his head back. “Was she?”

  “No,” he yelled, pushing me off of him and flipping me onto my stomach. “No one is enough for me. No one but you.” He gripped my hips, pulled me forward, and when he thrust into me so hard, an orgasm ripped through me. But I couldn’t scream. I refused to give him that satisfaction. “You are mine, Evvie. You’ve always been mine. From the first moment you called me an asshole. You are fucking mine.” His palm landed against my ass. “I never wanted her.”

  “Then why the hell did you fuck her?” I threw back at him.

  Brett shoved me forward, landing on top of me, and forced my knees apart. “I was hurting.”

  “That’s no fucking excuse and you know it.”

  “I’m trying here, baby,” he whispered, pinning me beneath him. “I’m trying so damn hard.”

  “Try harder,” I whimpered. “Prove to me that I am in fact yours. Prove to me that you don’t want anyone else. That I am enough for you. Prove that this will never happen again.”

  “Shit.” Brett shook above me, his release coating me. “You’re all I want,” he muttered, letting me go. “The fact that you think I could ever do this now that we’re married.” His voice cracked. “Hell, I don’t even know if I did do it. But say I did. I never cheated on you. I know it doesn’t make it right what I did even though we were broken up. I betrayed you and I own that, but I would never cheat on you. I thought you knew me better than that.” He slid off the bed. A couple of seconds later, the door closed behind him.

  My lungs burned. A sob escaped me, then another and another. His words crushed my soul. He had hurt me. Ripped out my heart and stomped on it. Well then, why the hell was I feeling so damn guilty?

  Brett

  IF THE SITUATION was reversed, I would have felt the same way Evvie did. Although, I would have fucked her long ago and showed her who she in fact belonged to. That was the difference between her and me. I was an asshole and I never hid that fact. But her slapping me, yelling at me, accusing me of fucking someone else, it wasn’t her. Even having sex with me while angry, was not who my wife was. But dammit, it was hot as hell.

  Making sure to leave Anna and Evan’s house without being seen, I quickly left but regretted the fact that I didn’t get a chance to see my children.

  “Shit.” I rubbed the back of my neck, trying hard to control the rage rushing through me. I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring but a part of me didn’t even want to find out. I was scared. Damn near terrified that it would be the end.

  We were meeting with our lawyer, and as much as I knew it was needed, I didn’t want to hear those words.

  “I want a divorce.”

  No. She wouldn’t want that. She couldn’t. Not after everything we had been through.

  Even though we were moving in the right direction when it came to getting answers about Storm, it didn’t help the marriage I had with Evvie. It seemed to only make it worse. As each day past, I was losing her more and more. And our children…fuck me, our kids.

  This pain in my chest tightened. How the hell could I tell them that they had another sibling? They were too smart for their own good. They knew something was up between their mother and me. With their cold stares and their clipped tones, they had every right to be on their mother’s side.

  But Patrick was the one who bothered me the most. The couple of hours I had spent with him since this shit went down, he never said a word. He didn’t show any emotion. He could have been my fucking twin for how much he acted like me. The only difference between us was that he had a good childhood, whereas I didn’t. Besides that, he was like me in every sense of the word.

  Once I arrived at home, I knew I couldn’t stay there long without having my family with me. So, I had every intention of going in and getting out as fast as I could. But when I stepped foot into the bedroom I shared with Evvie, something struck me as odd. I couldn’t quite place what it was but the room felt empty. Cold. Lifeless. It was like the very warmth was sucked right out of our home.

  Trudging to our closet, I saw that our suitcases were no longer there. Evvie said she was leaving for a couple of days but this made it look like she was leaving for longer.

  Some of her dresses were missing.

  I quickly checked the dressers and found the rest of her clothes missing too.

  My heart jumped to my throat. When the fuck had she had time to pack? She must have snuck in while I was at work. It was the only thing that made sense. My body felt leaden with an added weight I wasn’t expecting to feel.

  When I reached the kids’ rooms, I checked their dressers and found the same thing. Empty. The drawers were fucking empty.

  Evvie packed clothes for her and our kids and ran. Like she always did. Every time something went bad, she fell into herself and left.

  “Fuck ,” I bellowed, slamming my fist into the wall. The drywall cracked much like the foundation of my marriage.

  Somewhere off in the distance, a phone rang. Was it mine? I didn’t remember taking it out of my pocket. It sounded like it was coming from a tunnel. My vision clouded, my muscles becoming tight and rigid, slicing over my bones every time I breathed.

  She left. She actually fucking left.

  All of the air ripped from my lungs. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. All I could focus on was getting her back. But I was too far gone.

  The rage tore through me, forcing me to my knees.

  What the hell had I done?

  I needed to see her. I needed to make it better.

  The sound of a phone ringing somewhere off in the distance poked at my brain again. I patted my pockets, realizing the ringing was coming from my phone. “What.”

  “Did I catch you
at a bad time?” a deep voice asked.

  Yes . “No,” I grumbled, gripping the phone tight in my hand. “What do you want, Baxter?” I asked our lawyer. He had been in our lives, helping us with our businesses since we first started owning these clubs.

  Baxter Vos was ruthless.

  “Alright.” He cleared his throat which I had come to learn was his signature move when he had shitty news.

  “Baxter,” I barked. “Tell me.”

  “Fine.” He cleared his throat again. “I have some news about your daughter.”

  “I don’t know if she’s my daughter,” I corrected him.

  “Semantics. Listen.” He paused.

  “You clear your throat one more damn time—”

  “I’ve been in contact with the state. They’re delaying the DNA test.”

  “Why the fuck for?” I stood from the floor and headed downstairs, in need of a stiff drink.

  “They say you’re unstable.”

  I stopped in my steps. “How the hell could they know that?”

  “Apparently, someone sent them some pictures, old letters, enough information to destroy your reputation if it got out to the media. They reviewed this and are looking into other things first.”

  “What other things?” I asked, slumping onto the couch. It couldn’t get worse than this.

  “I’m not sure what exactly those other things are but you and Evvie need to meet with me. Mrs. Morgan contacted me herself and wants to set up a date.”

  “Mrs. Morgan?”

  “Roxane.”

  “Oh.” I frowned. “What exactly does this mean?”

  “It means…” Baxter let out a slow breath. “It means that it could take a lot longer than we thought when it comes to finding out if Storm is in fact your daughter. And now that the state thinks you’re unstable, that means you’ll only be able to see her with a caseworker present.”

  “Fuck me.” No wonder I couldn’t get in contact with her. “What about Claire?”

  “I’m trying to get some information about her whereabouts but until then, there’s nothing more we can do but wait. If she’s as sick as Roxane says she is, her word won’t count for shit.”

  “I need to know if I fucked her. She’s the only one who knows the truth because I can’t fucking remember.”

  “I know.”

  “No,” I yelled, jumping to my feet. “I don’t think you do. I fought hard for my wife. I was stubborn and I didn’t give up. I made her fall in love with me. She gave me three beautiful children. She gave me a damn life I never thought I would ever get. But Claire, that fucking whore, was jealous. She tried to destroy us. She almost did.” My voice rose as each sentence left my mouth. “I can’t let her win. I won’t let her win.”

  “Brett,” Baxter said gently. “We’ll fight this.”

  “Can we? Can we really? Because somehow, I don’t think this is a battle that any of us will win.” I hung up, shoving the phone back in my pocket and stormed out of the house.

  I had to tell Evvie. I had to let her know that this wasn’t my fault. That we needed to wait. That she needed to wait. For me.

  Getting into my car, I gripped the steering wheel tight, blew out a string of curses and started up the engine.

  I almost made it to Evan and Anna’s.

  I almost made it to my beautiful wife.

  But I didn’t.

  I didn’t hear the crash.

  I didn’t feel my head slam into the windshield.

  I didn’t see the truck barreling down on me.

  All I saw was black.

  Evvie

  A SOFT KNOCK on the door stirred me from my sleep. Although it couldn’t be considered sleeping when you pass out from utter exhaustion because you couldn’t stop crying.

  “Come in.” I sat up, scrubbing my face.

  “Mama?” Miracle tentatively stepped into the room, softly closing the door behind her. “Are you okay? I saw Daddy leave. He looked upset.”

  I wanted to lie. I wanted to tell my daughter that everything was fine and that her father and I were just going through a rough patch. But it was more than that. We had been through rough patches before. This, this was pure hell.

  “Come here.” I held my arms out, needing the comfort of my baby. Even though she was almost fourteen, she was my firstborn. She would always be my baby.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, stepping into my outstretched arms and wrapping herself around me.

  “I…” I swallowed hard, my chest tightening. Every muscle hurt from the way Brett had used me. I hoped he hurt just the same.

  “Don’t even think about saying that I’m too young to hear this shit,” Miracle scolded, sitting beside me on the bed. “I know you and Daddy are having problems.”

  My jaw dropped. “I’m not sure if I should laugh or give you trouble right now.”

  “How about laugh?” Miracle shrugged. “Because I am awesome and all.”

  A smile tugged at my lips. “You are.”

  “Will you tell me what’s going on?”

  I couldn’t. Not without Brett. Not about the baby shit anyway, but I could at least give her something. “Your dad made a mistake years ago before we were married.”

  “And you’re only just finding out about it now,” she added.

  “You are way too smart,” I muttered. “Yes. That’s right.”

  “Is that why we’ve been staying here? Eddie keeps asking questions. Patrick…” her voice trailed off.

  “What?” I lifted my knee onto the bed, turning to her.

  “He hasn’t said a word since we got here.”

  My heart sunk. Had I been so wrapped up in my issues, I didn’t even notice my son had closed up completely?

  “I…” I didn’t even know what to say. Instead, I patted Miracle’s hand and left the room.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, following behind me.

  “To see your brother.” I pushed open the door to spare room the boys were staying in. “Patrick?”

  He looked up at me from the video game he was playing.

  “Can I talk to you?” I stepped farther into the room. “Actually, I want to talk to all of you.” I sat on the bed, patting the spots on either side of me.

  Miracle sat at the foot of the bed and Eddie jumped onto the empty space to my right. Patrick paused the game, placing the controller neatly away on a shelf. It was one thing I loved about him. He was always so particular about where things went. Everything had a place in his world.

  “Come here, baby,” I whispered, holding my hands out to him.

  He came around the other side of the bed and sat beside me, curling into my side.

  “You know your father and I love you, right?” I asked my children.

  The boys nodded.

  Miracle raised an eyebrow. “I’ve heard about this before. Friends from school have told me that’s how it starts. Their parents fought and then one day they sat them down and said that. You and Daddy are getting a divorce. Aren’t you?”

  “You can’t get a divorce,” Eddie cried.

  Patrick only stiffened beside me.

  “What?” My eyes widened. “Miracle, what happens with your friends’ parents is different. Your dad and I are going through a difficult time right now but we will work through this.” We may not be living at the same place right now, but we would work through it. We had to. I needed him.

  Brett was going to lose his shit when he realized that I had packed our clothes. I shook myself. I couldn’t think about that right now.

  “But…” Miracle started and stopped when we heard a commotion downstairs.

  I frowned, pulling myself from the bed. “You guys stay here.” I left the room and headed to the top of the stairs.

  Anna and Evan were talking quietly to…my eyes widened.

  No. It couldn’t be.

  This couldn’t be happening. Not right now. Hadn’t we gone through so much already?

  Two cops stood at the doorway. They c
aught my eye. The taller of the two cleared his throat while the younger one took off his hat.

  “No.” I shook my head. “Put your damn hat back on. I’m…I can’t…” My heart raced.

  “Ma’am.” The taller one came toward me. “Are you Mrs. MacLean?”

  “That depends,” I said, my voice shaking.

  “On what?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “On if you’re going to tell me my husband is dead or not.” I was surprised that I was able to get that sentence out without blubbering like a baby.

  The officer let out a sigh. “He’s not dead but there’s been an accident.”

  A breath left me on a whoosh. It was so hard, I fell to my knees. “He’s not…how bad is it?” I whispered.

  “The other driver wasn’t paying attention and ran a red light. They were killed instantly. Your husband is very lucky that the driver wasn’t going any faster.” The cop looked back at his partner quickly before glancing at me. “Let us take you to the hospital and we’ll tell you more.”

  “I…” The past few months hit me all at once. I had considered leaving Brett. I had considered giving up on our marriage and all that we had worked toward. All because of one stupid drunken mistake. All because we didn’t have any answers. I was impatient and I packed up my kids and left our home. The home they grew up in.

  Guilt laid heavily on my shoulders. It weighed me down to the point I couldn’t breathe. Everything next happened so fast, I wasn’t sure if it was suddenly all a dream. A bad fucked up nightmare that I no longer wanted any part of.

  “Evvie.” Anna came toward me. “Go with the officers. We’ll watch the kids.”

  I nodded. “Okay. Please tell them—”

  “Don’t worry.” She smiled softly, patting my hand. “Go be with your husband but please fill us in as soon as you can.”

  “I will.” I went with the cops but stopped short when I saw the police car sitting in the driveway.

  “It’s clean,” the taller officer told me as he opened the back door. “I promise.”

  I took a deep breath and slid into the back of the vehicle. He was right. It smelled of bleach and some other form of lemon cleaner.