He nodded. “You’ll stay with us, then.”
I could tell he was trying to read my expression, ensuring I wasn’t opposed to the idea. I wanted to be, only because I knew he alone was capable of breaking my heart into a million pieces. That didn’t take into account the damage his brother could do, but I also didn’t want to be alone right now.
The door closed and Isaac climbed in the driver’s side, Ian getting in the passenger seat.
I clicked my seat belt into place, then leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I was so tired. The adrenaline that had flooded me earlier was long gone.
“What’s your address?” Ian asked.
I rattled it off as he entered it into the navigation.
“Relax for a little while,” Ian said softly, staring back at me, concern evident in his expression. “You’re safe.”
My body, maybe.
My heart was another story entirely.
TWO
IAN STOKES
I had known from the very first scene we had with Everly Hughes that she wasn’t going to be easy to get out of the system. I was right. My brother was in deep. The kind of deep that made a man ignore logic and sense, his only objective to acquire what he longed for most. She’d become his obsession, even if he had done a damn fine job of pretending otherwise.
Isaac wasn’t the sort to deny it, either, but I had yet to broach the subject. Mainly because the woman had made it apparent she wanted little to do with us. When we asked her to scene, she was always game, but outside of the intimate club interaction, she held herself at a distance.
That didn’t seem to be the case today.
Then again, scening with her was the furthest thing from my mind at the moment. No, I preferred to encase her in a protective bubble and stand guard to ensure no one got close. Seeing the damage to her face was like a punch in the gut every fucking time.
From the instant she stepped through Zeke Lautner’s door, I’d felt it. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly. Could’ve been my brother’s feelings for her, his innate need to protect her, or it could’ve been something she was projecting. Either way, it felt important, as though I needed to pay attention because it ultimately would change the course of my life.
Enter Dante Novak.
I hadn’t told Everly that roommate number two had called back. I figured she would realize that soon enough. I also hadn’t told her that I’d done some digging on Dante while the others had mingled at the party. A few database searches on my smartphone had given me more details than I’d expected.
Dante Novak had been born on Leap Day, 1992. Twenty-seven years old, in the foster care system from the time he was twelve. No details on either parent. Started out working at McDonald’s at the age of sixteen, stayed there until he was twenty, kicked fast food and moved into the restaurant business, where he’d been for the past seven years, moving up in the ranks, now an assistant manager of some fancy steakhouse downtown. He owned a three-bedroom house—the one he shared with Everly and Heaven—for going on four years now. He didn’t have a criminal record, not so much as a speeding ticket. Which was a wonder considering he owned a brand-new Camaro, though there was no record of him ever buying one.
Based on my search, he didn’t do a lot on social media, aside from post pictures when he spent time out with Everly, and never did he even mention his affiliation with the BDSM club known as Inferno, a place he’d apparently been a member of for the past three years.
As for Heaven Whitley, Dante didn’t appear to be close to her in any way. In fact, I couldn’t tie the two of them together at all, except that they slept under the same roof, which was why I’d done a little digging on the brunette who’d been far too eager to disappear after learning Everly would be fine. Aside from a couple of speeding tickets when she was younger, Heaven’s record was also squeaky clean. She worked full-time at a chain bookstore while taking night classes to obtain her bachelor’s degree in art and literature of all things. She had a long-term boyfriend, Danny Spielburg, who looked like an uptight douchebag based on their social media pictures. If her Instagram account was anything to go by, those two had been riding the breakup train for a while now.
“Did Dante call back?” Everly asked after a few minutes of silence.
I peered over my shoulder. “Yeah. He’s meeting us at your house.”
While I hadn’t intended to keep it a secret from her, there had been something in Dante’s reaction to what had happened that concerned me. But it was his voice, the sound of it, the distinct submission in his tone that had intrigued me. Everly hadn’t explained her relationship with Dante, but I got the feeling it was somewhat complicated in nature. Especially if he was as submissive as I believed him to be.
I was nothing if not astute.
“When we get there, I want you to pack a bag,” Isaac instructed. “Grab whatever you might need for a few days.”
Looked as though we were definitely doing this.
“Yes, Sir.”
I liked that she didn’t feel the need to argue. Perhaps that was because of the incident from earlier, her need for protection, but I didn’t think that was entirely the case.
When Isaac parked the Escalade in front of the small redbrick house, I climbed out, glanced around the neighborhood. The street was quiet, older. The mature trees filled the manicured yards, hung over the sidewalk, made it feel homey. It was well-kept, a nice area with probably minimal crime. That made me feel marginally better.
Well, except for the fact some asshole had broken into this very house and attacked a female he clearly didn’t know.
My eyes shifted to the white Camaro parked on the street. It had leaves scattered over the top and hood that told me it hadn’t been moved in a while. If ever.
As I waited for Isaac and Everly to grab her things from inside, I stood on the porch. It wasn’t long before a four-door older-model Camry pulled up behind the Camaro on the street.
So, he drove a beat-up piece of shit that needed a new passenger door at best, four new tires at worst, instead of the brand-new sports car. Interesting.
The man who stepped out wasn’t at all what I’d expected. His pictures had mostly been selfies with Everly, which hadn’t done this man justice whatsoever. He was tall and thin, rangy was a good way to describe him. Also ridiculously attractive with his shaggy blond hair, squared jaw, and lean features. He moved with purpose, not swagger. He wasn’t a showoff and he carried himself well.
If appearances were all I based my sexual encounters on, I would’ve been all over the man in a heartbeat.
When his eyes lifted to mine as I stood over him on the porch, I saw what I’d suspected just from hearing his voice. A glint of submission, along with a healthy dose of ambivalence in his midnight-blue eyes.
“Dante?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Most definitely submissive.
Heat simmered beneath my skin. I felt an instant connection, but I knew without asking that it was one-sided. Dante regarded me with hesitance, as though I was a viper getting ready to strike.
It was the curiosity, not the fear, that attracted me to him.
Yeah. I was bisexual, so was my brother, but we rarely played with male submissives. Every now and again, it would be an entertaining endeavor, but I had yet to be knocked off my feet by a man, wasn’t sure it was in the cards. Didn’t mean I wasn’t keeping my options open.
I took the steps down until we were on even ground, scanned Dante’s handsome face briefly. He was a few inches shorter than I was. At six four, I pegged him closer to six, maybe six one. “Who would want to hurt you?”
That spark of fear ignited into an inferno before he managed to mask it.
Interesting.
I waited to hear what lie he would try to feed me.
Dante swallowed hard but didn’t say anything. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Either he wasn’t forthcoming with details, he didn’t know anything, or I intimidated him enough for him to keep his m
outh shut. If it was the latter, we’d have to work on that.
“PB!” Everly yelled, barreling out of the screen door and running right into his arms.
PB? What the hell was PB? I glanced at Isaac when he stepped outside to join us.
In a protective manner, Dante wrapped Everly in tight, enveloping her tiny body in his. His body language reflected his desire to keep her safe, but there was something else, too. Love? Lust? Both?
“I’m okay,” he assured her.
When she tried to keep her face buried in his chest, he forced her head back, stared down. His forehead wrinkled, his breaths ragged when his thumb ghosted over the bruise on her eye.
“You can’t stay here,” she mumbled.
“He hit you.”
She shrugged him off. “It’s fine. I’m fine. I promise.” Her quivering voice hardened. “You can’t stay here.”
“I know. I’ll find a place.”
“Everly’s staying with us,” I told him when his eyes lifted to mine again. “We’ve got plenty of space.”
I wasn’t sure he realized it was an invitation. Since I hadn’t phrased it as a question or a command, he seemed to wait for something more.
All the more intriguing.
“Please?” Everly begged. “Stay with us. At least until they figure out who did this.”
Dante glanced down at her, back to me.
“You’ll stay with us,” I decided for him, keeping my tone firm.
“Yes, Sir,” he said softly, releasing Everly when she took a step back. “What about Heaven? Is she okay?”
“She went to her sister’s,” Everly informed him.
He nodded, as though satisfied.
“Was it Danny?” he asked, his eyes imploring her. It was clear he was hoping for a specific answer.
“What?”
He motioned toward her face.
“No. God, no. Danny’s a douche, but he wouldn’t hit me.”
“Is there something wrong with Heaven’s boyfriend? You think he’s behind this?”
Dante’s eyes narrowed and I suspected he was curious as to how I knew Danny was their roommate’s boyfriend.
“No. I don’t,” he declared, tearing his gaze from mine.
I watched the pair as Dante stepped to Everly once more, his fingertips gentle as they brushed over the bruise. I could see the anger behind the mask. He knew something.
“Pack a bag,” I instructed, then nodded toward his car. “You can follow us back to our place.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Everly held on to his arm, following him into the house. They passed Isaac on the way and I watched my brother’s eyes rake over Dante. When they met mine, there was the same interest I felt reflecting back at me.
“Submissive,” he stated as though it was written across Dante’s forehead.
“Very much so.”
“Not a member of Dichotomy.”
“Nope,” I agreed.
“She cares about him,” Isaac muttered. “Perhaps loves him.”
Based on his tone, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Isaac looked at me. I held his stare, an entire conversation taking place without a word being spoken. We were on the same page. Whatever was happening here, it was as though it was meant to play out this way.
Not that I cared for the circumstances. Any man who put his hands on a woman in anger deserved a beat down of the most heinous kind.
No doubt, we would find him, and he would get what he deserved.
I only hoped it was before that bastard hurt anyone else.
Dante Novak
Hearing Everly’s voicemail had put me on high alert, fear and anger coalescing into a dangerous concoction. I’d returned her call immediately, only to be told by the gruff voice that answered that she was fine, and I needed to meet them at my house. He hadn’t gone into detail, hadn’t shared with me the story Everly just outlined as I rummaged through my room for the essentials.
“Do you know who it was?” Everly asked, her concern evident as she sat on the edge of my bed while I packed a few things into a duffle bag.
“I’m not sure,” I lied. “Could be … a few people.”
“Who wants to hurt you?” she asked, her voice edging toward hysterical.
I shrugged, but it was another untruth. I knew exactly who wanted to hurt me. His name was Roger Cherlish, a Sadist at Inferno, a man I wanted nothing to do with but had little choice under the circumstances.
“We’ll figure this out,” Everly said sweetly, her hand covering mine.
I nodded, pulled away.
Her touch was painful. It made me want things I knew I couldn’t have. How I’d fallen in love with the woman, I would never know, but it had happened, and try as I might, I couldn’t seem to move past it. I knew there would never be anything between me and Everly, besides a mutual love and friendship. We were too alike for it to work in our favor, so I had never pursued her, choosing to be friends so that I could keep her in my life.
“How do you tell them apart?” I asked Everly, hoping to change the subject as I marched to my closet.
“Aside from the fact they’re night and day as far as personalities?” Her smile was sweet.
“Yes.” Since I’d yet to interact much with either of them, that wasn’t a distinction I was aware of.
“Isaac has a small birthmark on the back of his right hand, between thumb and forefinger.”
Ah. Well, that made sense. Otherwise, I suspected they were identical. Their faces certainly were. Both had dark brown hair, cut short on the sides with distinguishable sideburns, top slightly longer, combed to the right. They were clean-cut, handsome in the traditional sense. But it was the eyes that did it. Sparkling emeralds full of heat and light and…
Of course, the voice was a nice touch. Deep, low, with a distinct accent. Irish, perhaps Scottish. Wasn’t sure I’d be able to tell the difference. It held a lilt that sparked things inside me.
Yeah. Okay. Going a little too far.
I had no business fantasizing about the twin Doms. They belonged to Everly, or so I figured they would eventually. That was the way it always worked for me. I couldn’t seem to nail down one of my own. Not because I wasn’t attractive or obedient. I was. In spades.
However, I was also unconventional in what I wanted. People rarely understood my needs, so I didn’t share them often. I figured these two would come and go from my life long before any of that would ever even matter.
“Ready?” the deep voice sounded from the doorway.
I slipped into the bathroom, tossed in shampoo, body wash, shaving cream, razor. It would do for now. At least until I could come back here. If it weren’t for Everly, I wouldn’t be leaving, but I wasn’t willing to be without her. She needed me. Perhaps not in the same way she needed those Doms, but she did need me. Of that I was positive.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, one of the twins was standing there. I knew without looking at his hand that it was Ian, the one I’d spoken to on the phone and interacted with outside. He might’ve been identical in appearance to his brother, but there was something in his eyes that helped me differentiate.
“Yes, Sir,” I said simply, showing the respect this man commanded with a simple look.
While I wasn’t prone to calling all Doms by their respectful honorifics, I sensed something here. And I wanted to. Not out of obligation, but out of … desire. He was the type of man I’d longed for, the one I wanted to kneel before, to submit to on the deepest, most basic level. How I knew, I couldn’t explain.
“Come on, panda bear,” he directed.
I started to pass, then jerked my head to him. “Panda Bear? Really?”
He smirked. “PB, right?”
“Yeah.” But that was Everly’s pet name for me. No one else referred to me that way, thank God. “How did you know?”
“Wild guess.” He gestured for me to lead the way.
I hoisted the bag over my shoulder, gave the room a quick once
-over before stepping in front of him and heading down the hall.
“I’ve checked the doors, windows. All’s secure,” Ian said. “You should consider getting an alarm.”
I nodded. I would. Once this was over. Everly had been attacked in this house. You’d bet your ass I would be ensuring her safety from here on out.
“Hand me your phone,” he instructed.
I paused by the door, dug my phone out of my pocket, unlocked with the passcode, and passed it over.
With skilled fingers, he found what he was looking for and typed something in, handed it back.
“Address entered in your maps app. Added my contact information, too.”
“Thank you, Sir,” I said, meeting his brilliant green gaze.
He stepped forward, tipped my chin with a brush of his finger. “I do like hearing you call me that.”
There was something in that tone. A promise, perhaps. It could’ve been wishful thinking on my part, but I didn’t think so. This man wanted something from me.
And I could only hope it was what I so desperately found myself wanting to give him.
Heaven Whitley
“I thought…” I let the words hang, listening to Danny breathe on the other end of the line.
My boyfriend of three years was cheating on me. I knew it just as sure as I knew my own name. However, he continued to deny it even though his actions spoke far louder than his words.
“Sorry, babe,” he said simply. “Got plans tonight. Can’t make it by there.”
I’d been hearing that more frequently as of late. In the past three months, I’d seen Danny three times. All three had been on weekdays when he’d come over late in the evening. It wasn’t only in my head that the man was treating me like I was a booty call.
And it was high time I did something about it.
“No worries,” I told him sweetly.
“I knew you’d understand, babe. We’ll get together next week sometime. I promise.”
Their Fairy Princess (Office Intrigue Book 7) Page 3