“Evan…”
He turned, cupping her face as he deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding into her mouth. Her body temperature soared as she wound her arms around his neck, holding on for dear life.
When he leaned in, she leaned back, bringing him with her as she reclined on the cushion, their tongues dancing for long minutes. And when he settled over her, Becs tightened her hold, wanting to feel the warmth of him, that unwavering strength, as he covered her. His knee pressed between her thighs and caused tingles to detonate under her skin. Her breasts felt heavy and full, her nipples tight.
Deep down, she knew having sex with him was a bad idea. They were both vulnerable right now after the events of the day and their recent argument. It would be too easy to give in to this physical need, but that was where it would end, and Becs wasn’t willing to risk that.
But, God, he felt so good. It had been too long since she’d been intimate with a man. Too long since she’d had anyone want her like this. If they kept this up, she was going to forget all her good intentions.
Evan was the one who broke away first, lifting his head as he peered down at her.
“You’re so beautiful.”
From some men, that would’ve sounded like a line, but Evan was already putting space between them. He didn’t move off her, but he wasn’t rubbing against her either. She could see in his eyes that they were on the same page. Taking this any further would be a mistake. One she feared neither of them would come back from.
***
Baz forced himself to stay in bedafter JJ fell asleep.
Although he couldn’t shut his brain down, he couldn’t bring himself to leave her either. But as the minutes passed, the tension inside him continued to build until he couldn’t remain still.
He managed to slip out of bed without disturbing her. He pulled on his shorts and left the room, leaving the door open so he could hear her if she needed him.
Not that she would.
JJ was acting like nothing had happened. She acted like being kidnapped by a couple of lunatics and threatened to be pumped full of horse tranquilizer or have her baby cut out of her belly was an everyday occurrence. She was hiding her fear and her worry, probably to protect him. That was what JJ did. She locked down her feelings so as not to rock the boat. She’d told him once that she’d learned that during the rocky point of her parents’ marriage. It was easier to become invisible. Then they couldn’t blame their problems on her. They had anyway.
Meanwhile, Baz’s rage was building into a conflagration. He was so fucking angry he wanted to break something or put his fist through the wall. He wasn’t a violent man, so he recognized it for what it was. But that didn’t make it any easier. An overwhelming need for vengeance plagued his thoughts. The thought of Molly and Sonny out there…
When he found them—and he would if it was the last fucking thing he did—he was going to ensure they never had a chance to hurt JJ again.
***
Brantley came awake slowly.
It wasn’t quite dark outside, but the clock on the nightstand told him it would be soon.
He took stock of his physical ailments, or in this case, the lack thereof.
Relief was potent when he realized the headache had vanished before it turned violent. A saving grace, no doubt.
A swipe of his arm on the other side of the bed told him Reese wasn’t there. A second later, his stomach rumbled in warning. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast, so it wasn’t surprising. He needed food and Reese, and there was only one way to get either of those things.
He got up and headed for the bathroom to relieve himself and splash water on his face. He pulled on a pair of shorts and ventured out of the room. The hallway was dark, as was the room beyond. When he reached the living room, he noticed that the curtains were drawn and the flashing lights were coming from the television.
“Hey,” Reese said from his spot on the couch. “Feelin’ better?”
“Much.” And it was the truth. Not only was his headache gone, but so was the tension that had coiled him so tightly earlier. “How’s JJ?”
“I texted Baz earlier. He messaged back that she was sleeping.”
That was good to know. She deserved the rest after what she endured today.
“I left a couple of sandwiches in the fridge for you,” Reese told him, motioning toward the kitchen.
His stomach rumbled again, clearly hearing Reese. He smiled, then headed to the kitchen, where he grabbed a bottle of water and the sandwiches before returning to sit on the couch beside Reese.
“Hey, girl,” Brantley greeted Tesha when she sauntered over, clearly sensing an opportunity for a snack.
