Breaking Out

by Samantha Wayland

  She held on to them and tried to let it take some of the sting out of the humiliation. It wasn’t new. It helped knowing there were people who cared, who saw things the same way she did, and who wouldn’t do to her the things her family would.

  But that didn’t make her feel any less angry. Or sad.

  David was not a fan of Mati’s brothers. To put it mildly.

  If it were at all possible, he’d be on his way to Sydney to see that Frankie, and Mati’s brothers, got a quick and intensely memorable lesson in the proper treatment of women in general—and Mati specifically.

  He had to count to ten and remind himself, again, that hurling his cheese across the room would not fix anything.

  As soon as he finished putting it away for later, strong arms twined around his waist and a forehead pressed against the back of his neck.

  “I want to kill them,” Reese muttered.

  Mati had announced she needed a shower and disappeared a few minutes ago. She’d showered that morning, which Reese had foolishly pointed out, but Mati had declared it was her day to wash her hair. David would have been reassured if she’d stomped off, but she’d gone silently, just as she’d been moving around his apartment since she’d hung up the phone.

  Those assholes had taken all the starch and bluster out of their Matilda.

  “I want to kill them, too,” he assured Reese.

  “I’ve never really wanted to kill anyone before. This is new for me.”

  David was well familiar with the concept. “Welcome to being in love,” he said glibly before realizing what the hell had come out of his mouth.

  Reese didn’t move, didn’t breathe, for a few seconds, but his hold didn’t loosen. Then he hooked his chin over David’s shoulder. “You want to talk about that?”

  “Not even a little.” How could he? He had no explanation.

  “Fair enough.”

  Reese went back to the breakfast bar, his expression thoughtful. Mati came into the kitchen as David was putting the finishing touches on dinner. Neither he nor Reese commented on how long her shower had taken, but when he glanced at her, he realized there might have been more than one reason.

  “Holy shit, your hair is long. I’ve never seen it down,” he said, noting it was still wet and she held her comb and brush in one hand.

  “I haven’t either—in five years,” Reese said, staring at the tangle of curls swinging around her hips. “It’s lovely.”

  Mati smiled. “Thank you. Honestly, it’s a huge pain in the ass and I should probably cut it off.”

  David bit back the wholly inappropriate no that wanted to burst from his lips at the idea of Mati cutting off those long, silky curls. “If it helps, I can brush it out for you,” he offered instead.

  “You know how to do that?”

  He made a face. “No, I was just going to tie it into knots and see what happens next. That’s cool, right?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Fine. It was a dumb question. And I would love the help. Thank you.”

  “Here, I have an idea,” David said. He dried his hands on his towel, tossed it aside, and ushered them into the living room. He flipped the switch on the fireplace and set the large gas fire ablaze.

  He always felt a little goofy about his fireplace having a remote control, but it was better than not having a fireplace at all or dying in a city block fire, so he’d learned to appreciate it.

  “This is great,” Mati said, holding her hands out to the flames.

  “No bearskin rug?” Reese asked with a sly smile.

  David hooked his finger through Reese’s belt loop and towed him in while curling an arm around Mati. He enjoyed everything about the way she melted against him and the color rising in Reese’s cheeks. “I don’t need it to seduce you, I bet.”

  “Nope, you really don’t,” Reese agreed, gratifyingly breathless.

  Mati smiled. “Is that why you brought us over here?”

  “No, actually,” David said. “You two are terrible for my concentration.”

  “Sorry?” She didn’t sound sorry.

  “Here, sit.” He took the comb and guided her to sit on the ottoman with her back to the fire. Reese sat in the chair facing her and watched curiously as David started the painstaking task of picking out the countless snarls. “My mom kept my sister’s hair long when we were growing up. When my dad died, my mom had less time, but she didn’t want my sister to have to cut her hair on top of all the other changes. I learned how to do this kind of stuff to help her out.”

  “Where’s your sister now? And your mom?” Mati asked.

  “Mom’s in Florida with her sister. She misses the old neighborhood, but likes the warm weather more. And Mia is in Hong Kong, running the Asian division of her company. With a pixie cut, I should note.”

  They asked him more about his family and his childhood for the half hour it took to get Mati’s hair combed out. They stayed by the fire to eat, turning on the hockey game as background noise, but mostly enjoying each other and the heat from the flames. He encouraged them to have seconds, the instinct to soothe Mati’s hurt feelings with food ingrained at a cellular level, thanks to his mother.

  It did seem to help, though.

  After dessert, David checked his phone for updates. There was a WTF text from Chance about Mati’s brothers, and a note from his friend Patrick to say he’d pick up the food David made for them and bring the baby.

  David sent an enthusiastic yes to Patrick and a heads up about the visitors to Chance and Marcus. Then he drew Mati and Reese back into his bedroom. They’d only been here a day and already it felt different. He had tried to create a restful space for himself, but he’d dreaded every night, stressed and anxious every time he’d stepped through the door.

  But tonight his bed looked like the haven it was meant to be. Not because of the sex they would very likely have in it, but as an actual place to rest.

  He was still having nightmares, but they were shorter. Mati and Reese often woke him before the dreams could really sink their claws into him, soothing him with murmurs and soft touches. He should feel guilty that he was ruining their sleep, but they didn’t seem to mind. In fact, they’d never mentioned it once. Never looked at him with concern, never asked what he dreamed about.

  It wasn’t a cure, but David hadn’t slept so well in years. His therapist would be amused when he told her how much more effective this was than anything they’d tried before. Maybe she should prescribe group sleeping—if not group sex—as a treatment.

  His heart was light in a way he’d forgotten was possible. And it made him feel things for Mati and Reese that he didn’t understand. It went beyond gratitude for some good nights’ sleep. Beyond having found people who appreciated and understood his need to cook, without judgment.

  It was…big. Big enough that he wasn’t ready to look at it straight on. Not yet.

  Chapter Eighteen

  They spent the evening making love, and a good portion of the next morning, too. The rest of the day they lounged around the house, talking and cuddling. Reese passed hours poking at the sore spots David and Mati had left all over his body and enjoying the way his jaw ached.

  Turned out blow jobs were hard work, did taste better without a condom, and could go on for a while, should the giver decide the recipient needed to be tortured, just a little.

  They watched the Toronto game in a tangle on the couch, David and Mati laughing at Reese’s perfectly understandable reactions to bad calls. He was content to be the entertainment if it made them happy.

  Dinner was early so they could leave in time for David’s hockey game. Reese wasn’t surprised to find Marcus in the lobby on their way out, but it reminded him he hadn’t given their situation a lot of thought for the last couple days. And he hadn’t felt confined once. If given a choice, he’d gladly spend countless days curled up with David and Mati.

  David opened the car door for Mati, she smiled in return, and Reese wondered what it would be like to spend this kind of time
with David without the specter of this mystery hanging over their heads.

  It might be good. Hell, it might be great.

  He needed to make that happen. To know.

  Unfortunately, that might require leaving David and going back up north for a while. Reese wasn’t doing any good down here. He didn’t regret coming—how could he possibly?—but he’d been content to let others try to sort this out when he was the one at the center of the problem, and the one most likely to draw out whoever was responsible.

  David gestured for Reese to get in the back seat with Mati.

  Reese hesitated. “Can I sit in front with you? Is there a security reason I shouldn’t?”

  “No, you can. You got in the back seat with Mati that first time we left the McCormick garage, so I figured it was what you’re used to.” David closed the back door and opened the front, holding it for Reese.

  It was true that he and Mati often rode in the back of the car together when they traveled, but he sure as hell didn’t want David to think he was their driver, in any way, shape, or form.

  “Thanks,” Reese said, kissing his cheek.

  David ducked his head and smiled.

  Marcus followed them to the game, and David vigilantly scanned their surroundings as he navigated the city streets and the narrow, breakneck highway that snaked along the river. Reese threaded their fingers together on the console between them and David gripped his hand, his scowl turning into a pleased smile.

  David led the way into the arena, his massive hockey bag slung over his shoulder, his sticks poking out and making the navigation of doors entertaining to watch. Most guys carried them, but David kept his hands free.

  Reese tried not to dwell on why.

  Once they were inside, David stepped to the side and stopped. “Do I need to go over the rules?”

  “Nope,” Mati said, taking Reese’s hand. “We stay in the stands, ask Marcus to go to the bathroom with us, don’t talk to strangers, and no running with scissors.”

  David rolled his eyes. “Yeah, something like that. There’s going to be a bunch of people here to see the game and a lot of them will know the deal. I’ll show you what section of the stands to stick to, and they’ll do the rest.”

  Reese put a hand on David’s hip. “I’m sure we’ll be perfectly safe.”

  David harrumphed as he hoisted his bag higher on his shoulder and gripped the front of Reese’s jacket, towing him into a lingering kiss. He did the same to Mati.

  “What was that for?” she asked when they separated.

  David shrugged and led them toward their assigned section of the stands. “I’m going to miss you.”

  When they reached the place they’d have to split up, Reese kissing David’s cheek, rewarding him for his honesty and for making Mati look that fucking happy.

  He nearly jumped a foot when someone shouted his name.

  “Reese? Is that you? Oh, and Mati!”

  Everyone—literally everyone—watched Michaela Price-Morrison bounding down the stands toward them with her arms open wide.

  Mati let out a whoop of delight. Reese grinned.

  “Holy shit,” David muttered.

  The staggeringly beautiful and elegant Michaela enveloped Mati and Reese in a hug.

  Mati clung back. “Hello! It’s so good to see you!”

  Reese’s greeting was somewhat less articulate. Stronger men than he had been made blathering idiots in the face of Michaela, let alone while she was squeezing the stuffing out of them.

  Michaela held them at arm’s length and grinned. “This is an unexpected treat. What are you doing here? Are you here to watch the game?”

  “We are. This is David,” Mati said, stepping aside so Michaela and David could shake hands. Reese was delighted to see David’s cheeks turn pink. “He works for Chance, and he’s playing tonight.”

  “I’ve seen you play, you’re very good! It’s nice to meet you,” Michaela said.

  “And you,” David managed to choke out.

  Reese smirked, charmed to see David flummoxed. He elbowed David in the stomach lightly. “Well, you better go get ready,” Reese said cheerfully. “You don’t want to be late. I’m just going to hang out here with these two.” He gestured at the gorgeous women beside him.

  His life wasn’t terrible.

  David shot Reese a dirty look until someone shouted his name and told him to hurry his ass up. With a final smirk and a brush of their hands, David marched down the hallway toward the locker rooms.

  All three of them watched him go.

  “Goddamn, Lachlan is lucky I met him first,” Michaela murmured with a low, appreciative hum.

  Mati grinned at Michaela. “Dibs.”

  Michaela threw back her head and laughed. “Oh, honey, you’ve got nothing to worry about.” She cast a shrewd eye on Reese. “At least, not from me. Reese looked like he was thinking about going into overtime, if you know what I mean.”

  Reese thought his face might actually catch fire.

  Mati looped her arm through Reese’s. “More dibs.”

  A huge smile overtook Michaels’s face. “Really?”

  “I’m sure no one has ever called dibs on me,” he muttered.

  “Actually, I was calling them on your behalf,” Mati said.

  Michaela cracked up as she ushered them to her spot on the bleachers. “I want to hear all about it.”

  They settled in their seats, Michaela and Mati catching up while the teams warmed up and Reese let the rink air cool his cheeks. He noticed David the moment he stepped onto the ice, mesmerized as he glided across the smooth surface and stopped next to Kieran and Chance. He was huge in his gear, even next to Chance.

  Kieran looked like their little brother in comparison—an observation Reese wouldn’t share with the man in question if he wanted to live.

  He frowned as he searched the faces of the other men in blue. “Where’s Lachlan?”

  “Oh, he’s not a McCormick Maverick.” Michaela gestured at the team in dark red at the other end of the ice. “He’s the captain of the Harvard Squares.”

  Mati laughed. “That’s the name of his team?”

  “Kieran came up with it when Lachlan managed to recruit several more PhDs. Some of them aren’t Harvard guys, so they object, but the name has stuck.”

  “Your husband is captain of one team, and Chance, his brother-in-law, captains another?”

  “It gets better. Another team in this league is now captained by another brother-in-law, Garrick. They’re called the Boston Ruins, and it’s mostly made up of people who work in professional hockey. They had to make a rule that no current or former players could join the team unless there were enough that every team got one.”

  “It’s like the rule about bringing enough cupcakes for everyone in the class,” Mati observed.

  Michaela laughed. “Yes! The Cupcake Rule. I like that.”

  This was a seriously unusual beer league. “I’m sorry we’re missing Garrick,” Reese said. “But I’m delighted that we got to see you.”

  “Had I known you were in town, I would have invited you over. Will you be around for long? I know everyone would love to see you.”

  “Oh,” Reese said, trying to figure out how much he should say. Michaela and Lachlan were like family, and he would love to see Garrick, Rhian, and Savannah, but... “We would love that. We just…I'd like to check with David before we make any plans.”

  “David, the super-hot dude who looks at both of you like he’s never seen anything as beautiful in his life?”

  Reese felt his cheeks go hot again.

  Michaela cracked up. “Oh, man, you two are killing me. Seriously, though, are you guys okay? I know what David does for a living, and while I wasn’t sure how you two knew him, now there’s this guy,” she added, tilting her head at Marcus, who had settled a few rows behind them.

  “David’s not just a bodyguard,” Mati said firmly. “Not to us.”

  Michaela put her hand on Mati’s knee. “I don’
t mean to imply anything. But you two have a lot of people keeping an eye on you tonight. I’m worried.”

  “We’re okay,” Reese said, leaning in close and keeping his voice low. “It’s all precaution.”

  Michaela gave Reese a long, serious study as they huddled together.

  A piercing whistle sliced through the quiet arena, unexpected, since the game hadn’t started yet. Everyone turned to the ice.

  David stood at the glass, looking up at them with a concerned frown, his hand clamped around the finger whistle still attached to some poor referee’s hand.

  You okay? he mouthed.

  Michaela clapped a hand over her mouth, her shoulders shaking with laughter. “Oh my.”

  Mati waved at David. “We’re fine!” she called, exasperated.

  David let go of the whistle, and the ref snatched his hand back. The glare he gave David did not bode well for David’s chances of staying out of the penalty box. Given the shoves to his shoulders and the laughter from the ice, his teammates were giving David shit, too.

  Reese was relieved it was time for puck drop.

  Lachlan won the first face-off from Chance, with a resounding “Ha!” that echoed through the arena.

  Ten seconds later, David avenged his friend’s honor by slamming Lachlan into the boards.

  Reese winced. “Holy shit, that had to hurt.” He felt genuinely sorry for Lachlan. Reese knew exactly how densely packed David was, and how much he weighed because of it.

  Michaela patted his hand. “Didn’t David tell you this league allows checking?”

  “No, he failed to mention that,” Mati said. “Don’t these guys know they’re too old to be playing hockey like this?”

  “I dare you to be the one to tell them,” Michaela said.

  Reese laughed, but his eyes never left the game. David had knocked Lachlan off the puck with that hit and was moving it up the ice.

  His skating style wasn’t graceful, but it was powerful, his big body deflecting the opponent’s defense and protecting the puck with his wide shoulders. His hands were quicker than most defensemen’s, let alone in a beer league.

  Reese shivered, and it wasn’t from the cold. He could picture the corded muscles in David’s arms flexing as he maneuvered the puck, the bunch of his shoulders as he dodged and turned.