Together.
He noticed the eerie silence that filled the space along with a palpable tension. The last time the four of them had been alonetogether seemed like a lifetime ago. He could feel eyes on him. Kaydon and Seth, no doubt looking to him for guidance, but Bryson only had eyes for Adria. When it came to this next step, she needed to be the one to run the show.
Bryson watched her, his eyes tracking the press of her lips, the rise and fall of her chest, the color on her face. Her fingers twisting her family ring around and around her second finger. He could see the subtle presence of doubt needling its way into her mind. When they had last been in her presence, they had been contractually hers.
Now there was no contract.
“Maybe each of us should shower,” she said into the open space.
A shower was the last thing Bryson wanted to do, and he opened his mouth to say so, when Seth spoke up.
“You can go first,” he said, opening the double doors revealing a bathroom twice the size of their previous hotel rooms.
Bryson shot Seth a look as the double doors closed behind her.
When the shower water could be heard in the next room Seth said, “I watched her slice a man’s throat from ear to ear after wrestling with him on the ground. Trust me when I say she needs a minute.”
Is that where that bruise on her face had come from?
“And why the fuck was she anywhere near anyone?” Bryson said, feeling angry.
Helpless.
“We were ambushed, Eric took out five, and I had my hands full too. She took care of it,” Seth said, looking hurt.
Bryson ran his fingers through his hair. The tension was killing him. Between, spending his morning wondering if he would get a call telling him that Seth and Adria were dead. Andthe four-hour car ride where he wasn’t able to see them. Bryson felt himself descending into a place he didn’t like.
Bryson shoved Adria’s suitcase out of the way and stalked towards Seth.
“Bryce, chill—” Kaydon said. Bryson ignored him.
Seth tried to wave him away, but Bryson kept walking, slamming into him. He pushed Seth and his back hit the wall behind them. Bryson’s mouth crashed into Seth’s and their tongues tasted each other. Bryson pushed past Seth’s defenses, owning him in the kiss, possessing him.
When he finally came up for air, Bryson grabbed Seth’s chin roughly, tilting his face from side to side.
“And you, why were you near anyone?” Bryson said, his voice harsh.
Seth trembled a little under his touch, and Bryson had to fight the urge to take him right there.
“The guys had body armor,” Seth said, his lips swollen from the kiss.
The shower water stopped and the three of them held their breath.
Bryson narrowed his gaze at Seth. “We are showering together.”
Maybe Adria needed a moment, but Bryson wasn’t going to spend another second without Kaydon and Seth.
Seth blushed under his gaze, and Kaydon’s big arms wrapped around the two of them.
The rain shower cascaded from the ceiling, and steam filled the space. The shower was big enough to fit six people. Kaydonand Seth were already under the hot water, and Bryson took his time undressing. The room still held steam from Adria’s shower, but Bryson could just make out his reflection.
The mirror provided him with a perfect view of the wound on his thigh. Bryson’s eyes traced the self-inflicted burn as it mingled unnaturally with the stab line. He took in the marks and scars on his body. Images and memories invading his mind.
Bryson hated himself. Hated all the things that he did with Regan, hated that his body was a collage of souvenirs.
Bryson gripped the quartz counter, his fingers turning white.
He could smell Regan. Smell his expensive cologne mixed with his sour sweat. Bryson had showered several times, and no matter how hard he scrubbed, Regan’s scent never seemed to leave him.
