Page 61 of Bent, Not Broken

“What?” I asked, barely able to speak.

“Last week, you were at the office. You had court. I had an appointment and didn’t want to bother you. Took an Uber. He thinks I’m fucked. He told me to keep coming here to earn back any mobility I can. He said there’s no guarantee I’ll get anything more than right now.” Evan closed his eyes, and a strange, strangled noise escaped him. “I was hoping to beat the odds.”

We stood there, him frozen in place with sweat beading on his forehead. His beautiful face went rigid like a wood carving and his throat bobbed.

“Evan. I… I’m….”

He shoved away from the car and stalked to the passenger door to wait for me to unlock it. I hit the button on the key fob and got into my own seat behind the steering wheel, stowing my case in the back seat. Thick silence filled the car between us. We sat there for a few minutes, our breath creating condensation on the windshield after a short while. The sun sliced across our faces and cast him bright and golden. I reached across the console and picked up Evan’s limp hand from where it rested on his thigh, and even that was odd. He never simply allowed me to move him around. There was always a constant push and pull between us—friction, heat—and we sparked together. Hopelessness was written in the stark line of his full mouth.

“Don’t say it will be okay,” he rasped.

“It looks like it won’t be.”

He squeezed his hand on my fingers too hard and an ache shot through my wrist, but I doubted he realized he was doing it. All at once the small bits and pieces of Evan in my space rushed in on me —the heat of his skin, the scent of his cologne and sweat from his workout, and even the fabric softener I used on his clothes. He smelled good, comforting, like he belonged here with me. His hard jaw was cut and handsome, his pink lips looked kissable, and his eyes could set the world on fire. I couldn’t stand to see him this way. The Evan I’d come to know didn’t do defeat. I leaned over and kissed his cheek, the stubble a pleasant scrape on my lips.

“Worst-case-scenario things with me.”

He sighed and tilted his head my direction without looking at me. “That’s all I’ve been doing for days. Worst thing? I’m not a cop anymore.”

“So you lose your job? That’s the worst that could happen?”

He flinched and tilted his chin toward me. “That’s not enough?”

I stroked my fingers down the back of his hand and felt the tremble there. “Worst-case for me would involve not being able to do this.” I picked up his hand and kissed the knuckles, lingering over the warmth of his skin. I wasn’t ready when Evan reached out and hooked his other hand behind the back of my neck with a pained grunt, dragging me closer. He yanked his hand away and pressed his lips to mine. The kiss wasn’t about passion or sex. Our lips stayed closed and our eyes stayed open, and we stared at each other. I could see his fear, and something else. Something kind. When he pulled back, I kissed his cheek again. He didn’t say anything, and I drove us back to my place.

He got out of the car and went up the stairs to my apartment like he owned the place, and after staying here with me so long, I was glad to see him acting that way. He went inside and stomped straight through the living room back to the bedroom. I followed him through into the bathroom and watched as he stripped down to get into the shower. His mouthwatering body came into view and I licked my lips.

I was already dressed for the day but unknotted my tie and stepped out of my shoes, intent on getting naked as well. He stepped into the shower first and closed the sliding glass door behind him. The water started up and steam filled the air before I had all of my clothes off and folded on the counter beside the sink. I opened the door and Evan stood there, eyes closed, rivulets of water cascading down his beautiful chest. There was a new, large, bright pink scar on his right shoulder, closed now, thankfully. I brushed a hand to his arm, and he tugged me close so that the warm water sluiced over both of us, catching me on the side of the face. He closed the door as I turned and rested my chin against his chest.

“You’re going to be okay.” Evan’s grip on me stiffened and I rushed on. “Because even if you lose your job, you’ll figure something else out. I’ll keep you afloat, if you need it till then.”

He glared down at me, the first spark of amusement I’d seen in a while twitching his lips upward into a half smile. “I am not taking dirty money from the Kings.”

Snorting, I ran a finger up the center of his neck and around the mound of his Adam’s apple, and he slid his hands down to the small of my back to hold me closer. My stomach ran warm. “You wouldn’t be anyway. I save that dirty money and blow it every year on something stupid I don’t need. You would be taking blood money from investment returns. Capitalism at its worst.” I grinned up at him, but he didn’t seem impressed. He slid a hand down and gripped my left asscheek hard, giving it a crack that actually stung. I let out a moan.

Evan laughed, and the sound had me curling closer to him. “I get it. I won’t be dead or homeless. You think I’ll adjust. But to what? Can’t I have a few days of being pissed the fuck off?”

I shrugged. “Far as I can see, you’ve had them. Come to the office with me today.”

“What?” He stared at me like I’d gone insane, and who knew? Maybe I had.

“You’re sitting around alone too much.” I fought with myself. Now was not the time to rub my plumping cock against his leg. My hips twitched, and he massaged my ass. “You can come with me. Look at jobs online or something while I work. School. I don’t know.”

“Are you serious?”

He slid his finger between my asscheeks and I held my breath for a second while he played with me. I wriggled against the tease of his fingers. “You might even see King again. I know he’s your favorite.”

“Is he there a lot?” Evan’s smile didn’t slip. He swirled his fingers around my hole, though, like he wanted to remind me it was his. I bit the tip of my tongue to keep myself from saying anything that would actually piss him off.

“Guess you’ll find out. If you come in with me.”

“Fuck,” he grumbled and punctuated his curse with another light crack on my asscheek. I moaned and rocked against him, hard as hell, and a satisfied smirk crossed his lips. “Any excuse to keep you away from bad influences.”

“My hero,” I murmured, and he laughed.

Chapter 17

Evan