It doesn’t matter if she does, she’s mine. And like Sin once told me, he’d kill a brother for his wife. I’ll do the same if mine tries to take her from me. “Adam.”
That gets her attention. “No. Why would you ask that?” Her eyes search mine.
Letting go of her, I step back and push the bench back to the footboard of the bed and sit down on it. “He called me and said you were upset, and when I tried to talk to you, you completely shut me out. You took the time to go see him but won’t talk to me about it. There has to be something there, Eve.”
“There’s nothing there. I…” She hangs her head and sighs. “I don’t remember sleeping with him.” Glancing up at me through her lashes, she sniffs. “After Evan…” She looks away. “Things started to come back to me. But even after Adam showed me the picture, I still don’t remember.”
“Picture?” I question. What the fuck does she mean by that?
Eve walks over to the dresser and opens up her clutch. Pulling out a picture, she holds it out to me.
“Adam gave you this?” I demand, looking over it. My jaw clenches. What the fuck? He didn’t tell me that he had this.
“Yeah. He said Haidyn gave it to him.”
“Haidyn has seen this?” I jump to my feet. “When?”
“Yes,” she answers softly. “Something about Isabella and blackmail. But Haidyn didn’t know that was me. Probably still doesn’t.”
I run a hand down my face and toss the picture onto the dresser, face down.
“I’m sorry.” She sniffs, and I turn to face her. Her tear-filled eyes look up at mine where she now sits on the bench. “I’m so sorry, Kash.”
I kneel in front of her, taking her hands in mine. “It’s not your fault, Eve.” I’m not happy she’s slept with Adam, or that he has a fucking picture of it, but I don’t blame her for what she did before I found her. What I hate most is that my brother has had the past four years of her life. If I had just tried to find Adam, he would have led me to her. Instead I wasted time.
“Don’t you understand? If I can’t remember sleeping with Adam, there are probably others that I don’t remember.” Her bottom lip starts to tremble. “I tried so hard to not have sex…After Dollhouse…my body…” Her shoulders shake. “I never wanted it until you. That night on theIsabella…you saved me from that Lord. You make me feel better…about myself and what I like. I didn’t want to be a whore…I want you to be the only man I’ve ever slept with. I’m so sorry…”
“Angel.” I sigh, get up to pull her into my lap, and sit down on the bench. “You’re not?—”
“You’re the one I love,” she interrupts me, tears slowly falling down her cheeks. “I promise. It’s you, Kashton. It’s always been you…”
“It’s okay, Eve.” I try to ease her conscience as I hold her tightly to my chest.
“And tonight. That woman was talking in the bathroom with her friends about sleeping with you and getting you to knock her up?—”
“That’s never going to happen.”
“It just reminded me of what I can’t give you.”
How long is she going to beat herself up with this? The rest of her life? Probably. But I understand, it’s her biggest fear. And our fears have a way of settling in the back of our minds. So whenever she thinks of it, I’ll remind her that it’s nothing to worry about.
SEVENTY-ONE
EVERETT
Isit in the passenger seat of Tyson’s Bentley eating my husband’s Crunch bar while he drives us into town. My ass and thighs are screaming at how hard Kashton took his belt to them. I love it. I deserved that punishment for my outburst. For my past. Who I allowed myself to be. I needed him to put me in my place. To show me he’s in charge.
“Can we stop by the cemetery?” I break the silence. He doesn’t even have the radio on, and that’s not like him. He’s worried about Adam and me, and I hate that I’ve placed any doubt in his mind. I can barely stand Adam most days. The fact that I slept with him makes me want to vomit. He could never be who Kashton is to me.
“Of course,” he answers, hand in mine resting on his lap.
I break off a piece of the Crunch bar and hold it in front of his face to eat.
Then I lean down and pick up the bottle of whiskey that I talked the bartender out of from the bar next to the motel before we left. She wasn’t that willing to give it up at first, but I threw a wad of hundreds at her, and she changed her mind. I needed a drink and the liquor stores are already closed for the night.
He glances over at me and then places his eyes back on the road.
“What?” I ask, yanking my hand from his. I can’t wait for this damn drug to be out of my system. Even I’m tired of the mood swings.
