She blinks her eyes, her heavy lashes fanning her cheeks. I step closer to her, afraid she’s about to pass out and fall to the floor, but she looks up at me.
“My father raped me in hopes to get me pregnant.” She nods to herself. “But yours…” Her eyes drop to the bottle of whiskey.
What could be worse? I need to know what my father did to my wife when she was a child. What she went through. It’s like watching the videos. A sick part of me needs to know.
She wraps the towel around herself. A sign that she’s going to share something because she wants to cover her body. Shield it from me. “He would come into my room. Tie my hands behind my back and yank me off the bed.” Her watery eyes meet mine. “He’d say, ‘Worthless whores get fucked on the floor.’ Then he’d shove my face into the carpet and say, ‘Your cunt may be useless, but at least your ass serves a purpose.’” The first tear runs down her face, and I step into her.
Cupping her cheeks, I lick my lips. “I’m so sorry, Eve.” My words are pointless and hollow. They won’t change her past.
I hate myself for needing to know. What did it change? Nothing. What did it help? Not a Goddamn thing.
“I wish I would have known…I would have protected you.” Does she blame me? Is that why she thinks I’ll hurt her? That I’m playing some long game here where I make her my Lady and then fuck around on her and have children with someone else? I’d never do such a thing.
“You’re not your father, Kash,” she whispers, reading my mind. “You’re the only man I’ve ever willingly slept with. The only man who’s ever treated me like a person. You care about how I feel and make me feel safe.”
I frown at her words. “What about Adam?” Did he take advantage of her? Maybe it was like when I met her on theIsabella. He saved her and she felt obligated to repay him?
She tilts her head to the side. “I know you think we’re friends, but we’re not. I work for him. That’s it. We’re not close and never will be.”
“But you slept with him,” I go on, and her brows pull together. “Are yousaying it wasn’t consensual? That he raped you?” She’s vulnerable and very easily manipulated. He could have convinced her she wanted it. I know my brother, and the thought of him tying her up and fucking her makes me want to slit his fucking throat. But if he coerced her into it, I’ll throw him in a cell at Carnage and make him pay for the rest of his life.
“No.” She shakes her head. “I’ve never slept with him.”
Why is she lying to me? “Eve, it’s okay. I mean, I hate that you’ve slept with him, but I understand he’s been there for you.”
She steps back and hits the door with a thud. “What makes you think I slept with Adam?”
I reach out to help steady her. She’s gripping the towel tightly, and if she falls, she may not use her hands to catch herself. “He told me. Said it was years ago when you guys were in Las Vegas together.”
She stares at me unblinkingly. I know she’s shut down. I’m not going to get anything else from her, and I’m not going to push.
I don’t want to add to her self-hatred. I hate to see my wife blaming herself for things that she’s done. She probably felt lonely, and he was there for her. Another reason I don’t like their friendship. I’m just a jealous bitch. “Come on, angel. Let’s go to bed.” She’s drunk and needs some rest.
She remains quiet while she allows me to put her in bed. I turn on the TV, and when I kiss her forehead, her eyes are already closed.
SIXTY-EIGHT
EVERETT
Ipull up to the house and slam on my brakes. Getting out of my car, I enter the front doors like I own the place. “Apologize,” by Timbaland and OneRepublic plays through the speakers of the TV that’s mounted on the wall.
“You son of a bitch,” I yell over it, and a set of green eyes glances up at me from the kitchen.
“What can I do for you, Eve?” Adam asks dryly.
My eyes drop to the blood smeared on his shirt. “Quit telling lies, for starters,” I snap.
“It was a long night.” He turns to the fridge. “I haven’t been to bed yet, so forgive me if I’m not in the mood to play your games.”
I huff. The nerve of this guy. Something gets my attention, and I turn to see Missy entering the kitchen from the hallway. She’s got a black eye, a cut on her cheek, and has a few stitches with a busted lip.
Her eyes drop to the floor, and she wraps her arms around herself. I notice she’s wearing an oversized T-shirt and nothing else. It’s got to be Adam’s. “You know, at some point it stops being rough sex and becomes abuse.”
She glances at Adam before she sits down at the bar. I’d bet my life she’s still a virgin.
Adam grabs a bag of frozen peas out of the freezer before turning to face us. “Hold that to your face,” he orders, holding them out across the island to her.
Taking them, she looks at me. “There was a fight at the bar last night. A guy used me as a shield.”
