by Jenna Gunn
But I did feel him watching me with a sort of intensity.
Being around his twin did make me wonder about Bryce. I have such a limited experience with him, the hot alpha male lover experience.
What’s he like to the rest of the world?
He’s a puzzle I don’t expect to solve in one sitting. Or one month, for that matter. Flipping open a copy of American Lifeguard Magazine, I start to eat the sandwich Maddy gave me.
I look up when Ty walks in. “Hey,” he calls out before quickly turning to write something on the calendar. Then he’s gone. I glance back at the calendar. Hmm. Hard to believe it’s already the tenth of June. What a long strange time it’s been since I left Texas.
Wait…
When did I have my period?
I scramble for my phone.
Nothing on my phone’s calendar.
When did I last buy tampons?
Shoot. I can’t recall.
I flip open my banking app and look through the purchases. It’s useless. All the purchases look the same: Ralph’s Grocery, gas, and a few restaurants.
A little flutter of panic rises in my gut.
I cannot be pregnant, single, and unstable, just like my mom.
That’s my own worst nightmare.
A cold sweat prickles on my neck.
My periods are not exactly regular, but they’re not usually MIA.
Okay, okay, calm down. Think, Raven.
I wasn’t having my period when I drove here from Texas. And definitely not when I met Bryce. I haven’t had it since I got this job.
Hmm…
I think back to when I was told I likely couldn’t conceive. The doctor said fallopian tube something or another deformity. That happened at the health center at the college.
I never cared to learn more as it seemed so final.
I’m not mom material, so I never worried about it.
But I never tested the theory. I always have protected sex. Always.
I’m sure it’s just a weird coincidence.
Feigning confidence, I go back to my sandwich.
I try to immerse myself in an article about sunscreen for Lifeguards, but a loud voice that I recognize booms in the hallway, “What the hell!”
Bryce.
I bury my nose in the magazine.
Ty laughs from somewhere outside the break room. “Sorry, I spilled coffee there. I was going to get a towel, but I got distracted.”
“Shit. I almost killed myself,” grumbles Bryce.
In the next instant, he’s stomping into the break room. “Oh.” He draws up short. “Hey, Carson.”
My eyes meet his. “Hello.”
After a beat, he casually asks, “What’s for lunch?”
“Egg, cheese, and tomato sandwich. Maddy made it for me.”
He just stands there, his chest rising and falling in big slow breaths.
Unsure what to do or say, I fiddle with the magazine.
“Ty spilled coffee in the hall. I nearly broke a leg on it.”
I nod. “Good thing you have fast feet.” And slow hands…
His ocean-blue gaze is like a magnet, and I can’t drag my eyes away. Memories of him looking at me naked flood my brain. Places inside my body start to light up, and having his eyes locked on me does not help.
Suddenly Jeremy sticks his head into the door and smiles at me. “Hey, Bryce. Hey, Roomie, I was looking for you. I’m going to get us some Indian food for dinner tonight if that works?”
“That sounds great.”
I glance up and see that Bryce’s jaw is clamped tight, and his eyes are narrow slits.
“Spicy?” Jeremy asks.
“Um, not too much,” I say, trying to ignore the 800-pound gorilla in the room.
What the hell is in his crawl?
“I should be there by seven,” Jeremy calls out as he takes off.
I swear I hear a growl come from Bryce’s chest. He grunts, “Roomie—?”
I close the magazine. “Uh-hm.”
“What does Roomie mean?” His tone is feral, and it bites into me.
“It’s interchangeable for Roommate.”
Bryce’s nostrils flare. “You live with Jeremy?”
Oh boy. Here we go. We didn’t manage to fit this into our conversation between getting it on.
“Yes, I do.”
His tone is so heated that it could whither a cactus when he says, “What the fuck?”
I put my finger up to my mouth in the universal silence sign. “Is that a problem? I didn't know there were rules against that.”
Bryce’s hands clench into fists, then unclench.
“My office. Now.”
“I’m eating.”
“I don’t give a rat’s ass.”
I grab the remaining sandwich and the wrapper and jam it into his chest as I march by.
I feel him stalking behind me, his energy like a giant porcupine.
Dropping into the chair in front of his desk, I sigh.
He slams the door.
“So mature,” I mumble.
When he sits in the chair behind his desk, I see something on his face I never expected. Hurt.
“You should have told me,” he grinds between clenched teeth.
Damn. I suddenly feel awful, but I’m not groveling. Bryce does not own me. “It didn’t come up.”
“It would have been the right thing to do. To tell me.”
Rubbing my hands over my face, I try to think of the best way to set this right.
“I didn’t intend to live with him from the start. I had a different roommate, but it was a bad situation. Jeremy offered to help me out.”
The sting is evident on his face. “I bet he did.”
“Look, it’s not like that.”
His eyes glint at me. “Really?”
“Stop. Take a breath. Listen to me.”
“Raven, you understand how men work.”
I huff.
“He’s going to try to screw you.”
“Bryce, I’m fully capable of setting boundaries.”
“Like those you set with me?”
I jolt like I’ve been slapped. “That’s not fair. I do have boundaries, Bryce.”
Daggers drill into me. “Men don’t always respect boundaries.”
My eyes bulge. “Bryce, listen to yourself. Jeremy is nothing but respectful to me. He’s been the perfect gentleman. You should be happy for me. He helped me out of a tough situation. But you wouldn't know that because you never asked where I was living.”
I watch as he processes my words. Then a look as black as thundercloud crosses his eyes. I’ve never seen him so intense. “I’ll destroy him if I find out he does anything to you.”
I stand up. “Look, I think your intention is good. At least, I hope it is. But your delivery is wrong. Really wrong. This conversation is over.”
“Sit down.”
A bark of laughter comes from me as I look down at him. “Where did this side of you come from? You can’t bark orders at me like I’m a dog.”
I take a big breath before I continue, “I’m not going to sleep with him. I know what I asked of you, and I honor the situation with the same respect. So, unless you know he’s dangerous for some reason that I’m unaware of, this is a closed issue.” I turn toward the door.
My fingers are within an inch of the doorknob when his hand touches my shoulder.
I don’t look at him. Starting at the door, I try not to feel the heat of his hand seeping through my shirt.
Dammit. My blood is boiling, my veins filled with a potent mix of hurt, confusion, and anger.
“Raven…” His voice is hushed, laced with pain.
Counting to ten, I try to release the urge to yell at him.
His breath ghosts across my hair as he whispers, “I’m sorry.”
“I should go. I need to get my head back on straight before I can talk.”
“Look at me, please.” He turns me slowly to face him.
His eyes ar
e bright, liquid with emotion. A knife slices into my heart.
I don’t want to admit I feel this way about him. Wanting a man in my life seemed like such a bad idea. I saw what it did to my mother.
But I let myself believe I could just have sex with him. Only now, I know this runs way deeper, for both of us.
I turn back to the door. We’re already on thin ice with work, and doing this here is idiocy. “We need to talk. And not here. I need to get back to my duty station.”
Bryce’s voice is tight behind me as he pushes off the door frame. “Call me when your shift is done.”
I open the door, step into the hallway, and run smack into Christian Archer’s chest.
“Jeez,” I squeak. Stepping back, I realize there’s venom in his eyes.
“Lover’s spat over?” he growls.
Blood drains from my face, and my knees feel like rubber bands.
“Don’t go anywhere. The fun is just getting started.” He motions for me to return to Bryce’s office.
24
Chapter 24
I’ve got both hands rammed in my hair and a sick feeling in my gut when I hear Christian’s voice.
In a matter of a split second, I run the gamut of emotions. Hurt to disbelief to hot potent anger.
Raven is white as a bedsheet when she walks in, Christian’s big, square, angry face right behind her.
The door closes with a quiet snap.
His eyes narrow on me. “Just couldn’t keep your dick in your pants, could you? I knew it would happen.”
I tackle him with all my force, and we go down hard with a crash. Chairs fly, and the desk screeches across the floor.
Raven scrambles out of the way when Christian comes back at me with murderous fury. Wrestling his good arm free, he makes a sudden jab at my face and manages to land his knuckles on the corner of my mouth.
I hardly notice the sting, but I taste the copper in my own blood.
Before he can block me, I slam my elbow into his nose.
“Bastard,” he growls as he tries to get me in a hold. I kick my legs out and buck his body up—the trashcan flies.
“Stop!” Raven screams. “Stupid meatheads! You can kill each other, but let me out of here!”
He locks a thick arm around my neck, and I elbow him hard in the ribs and jab at his face again.
Christian kicks a leg out and tries to twist himself on top of me but accidentally catches Raven’s ankle.
She lands on the floor with a yelp.
Shit.
Christian freezes, and I pull back.
“God, Ray, are you alright?”
She snarls at me, “I’m fine. Furious, but fine.” She wipes off her hands and stands up. Christian glares at me, and I know if Raven hadn’t been caught up in this, we’d have gone till one of us needed a medic.
We might be brothers, we might love each other, but we have had a simmering tension between us for years.
He sits up. Blood drips down his face, and he swipes it away with the back of his hand. I don’t even bother with mine.
Raven turns a chair upright and drops down onto it. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but if you both can’t be civil, I’m leaving.”
When I stand up, I see how bad the office is. I have to move the desk to get the other guest chair loose. I shove it toward Christian then try to find the stack of napkins that I know were on my desk.
Christian heaves himself up off the floor and straightens his bloody clothes. He snatches the napkin I offer him.
I don’t even bother to move the desk. I just plant my ass right on the corner as I dab at my mouth. Fucker got me good.
“Do you two always fight like this?”
“Yes,” we both answer at the exact same time.
“Jesus. A little warning would have been nice. You know, something like, ‘Hey Raven, why don’t you step out for a moment while we kill each other?’”
Christian glances at me then at Raven. “Sorry you got caught in the middle of that.”
She nods curtly.
Christian’s hard eyes just hold hers. “Back to the reason I came to begin with. Council called an emergency meeting this morning. Cat’s out of the bag. Ingram saw you both at some hotel after the banquet.”
I snarl, “Ingram. I knew he was trouble.”
He flips his cold eyes to me.“You’re the one who fucked up. And now I have to come here and ask you what I already know the answer to. Did you have sex with Recruit Carson?”
I nearly snap my teeth off when I clench my jaw.
“Did you?”
“I did.”
He turns his head slowly to Raven. “Now, think carefully before you answer this. Did he force you to have sex with him? Or use his position of power to influence you to have a relationship with him?”
“I did. I did coerce her,” I practically shout.
Her mouth drops open. “God, no. He did not. I had consensual sex with Bryce.”
Christian sighs when he says, “Well, then I have no choice but to suspend both of you until further notice.”
A wrecking ball of silence slams into the room.
Bloody hell.
Christian stands up. “There will be a hearing where you will have an opportunity to plead your cases. As of right now, you’re both suspended without pay.”
I don’t move. Can’t breathe.
Christian leaves the room and closes the door behind him. I see a trail of blood on the floor where he walked.
My eyes go to Raven even though I know seeing her is going to hurt like a thousand fucking razor blades.
Her throat works as she swallows her emotions, and unshed tears shimmer on her lashes.
I wish I could say something. Anything. It will be alright. We’ll fix this. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of this.
But I can’t lie to her.
She clears her throat, and when she speaks, her words surprise the hell out of me. “Is your face okay?”
I nod. “Yeah, I’ve had worse. Are you sure you’re alright?”
“My body is fine,” she says, glancing down.
“But your heart is broken,” I answer for her.
She nods, and her ponytail dances along her shoulder. A tear drops from her lashes and lands on her cheek.
I want to go to her, but I’m not sure if she’ll have me. “I will go to the Council before the hearing. I’ll try to make this right.”
She rises and twists her fingers together. “I…I need some air.”
“I’ll walk you out. Let’s get our things and leave together.”
There’s indecision in her eyes.
“We’re in this together.”
“Alright.”
“Where are your things?”
“My backpack is in the observation room. That’s all I have.”
“Stay here. I’ll grab it.”
My insides feel like lead as I walk down the hallway toward the workroom. When I walk in, Brandon’s eyes swing toward me. He’s the only one here.
“Dude, what the…?”
I look around and spot Raven’s bag. I mumble, “I’ve made a hell of a mess.”
Brandon’s in my face the next instant, his jaw hard, his eyes on fire. “Who did that to you?”
I know my twin brother. He’s had my back since we were just old enough to scrap on the playground. He’d personally tear someone’s head off for me.
“It’s not important.”
He puts a hand on my arm and stops me from walking out. “Who?” he demands.
“Christian. I hit him first.”
Brandon scowls. “What’s going on?”
“He said something in front of Raven that made me explode like a landmine. That doesn’t really matter, though. I need you to take over my job.”
“What?” he growls.
“I’m suspended, effective immediately. Christian may put someone else in the job, but for now, you take it and go find him immediately.”
Brandon steps bac
k. “Suspended? And Raven?”
“Same.”
He groans and pinches the bridge of his nose.
“I’ll tell you more later. She’s waiting for me.”
Brandon drags me against him before I can react. He man-hugs the hell out of me. “Whatever you need, I’m here for you.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate that.”
I escort Raven out of the building. We manage not to run into any more prying eyes.
I open the passenger side of my truck.
“Where are we going?”
“My house,” I say calmly even though my insides feel anything but.
25
Chapter 25
I have no idea where Bryce lives. And honestly, I don’t care. My body is just a hollow shell.
Did you know hopes and dreams are what fill up our insides?
Neither did I, until now.
I’m basically jobless. Broke. In some kind of weird relationship. And I have no safety net. I just hope Jeremy will let me stay until I can get something together.
Despair. It’s a feeling I haven’t had in years.
But apparently, my brain recognizes it.
Before I started to make money to feed myself, I felt despair, but I knew I had no one else to fall back on, so I scratched and scraped and made an adult of myself.
I’ve done it before.
Bryce turns his truck into a driveway that passes beneath an arch that reads, “Pelican’s Roost.”
Trees line the way onto the property, and tropical plants bloom wildly. It’s beautiful, and it makes me sad. I wanted so badly to be able to live in Paradise.
Now, I don’t know what will happen.
“Almost everyone will be at work, so don’t worry about having to talk to anyone. My Dad and Uncle are probably at the beach or golfing.”
“Who lives here?”
“The whole clan, unfortunately.”
“Christian?”
“He’s got a bungalow over there.” He points toward a terra cotta roofed house as we round the corner.
“My place is back behind the two main houses.”
He parks in front of a four-car freestanding garage. Two larger Spanish style homes sit on either side.
I slide from the truck, and he motions me to follow him as he heads toward a sidewalk between the houses.