Chapter 6
“R ight this way, Mr. Brantley.”
“It’s Crue.”
“Of course, sir.”
Following close behind Edwin, duffle bag bouncing against my hip as he leads me to the pool house out back, I shake my head at his deeply engrained manners. I wonder if I’ll be able to get him to break protocol before my three years are up. If I got him drunk, I probably could. Although that means I’d have to drink, too, so probably not. I can drink. I just choose not to. I haven’t chosen to since homecoming night, senior year.
Edwin stops on the fieldstone terrace and gestures for me to go up the outdoor staircase first. After filling out a shitload of paperwork, the valet offered to show me where I’ll be staying.
Inside, directly over the pool, is almost an exact replica of the main house, just on a much smaller scale. While the exteriors are light and more in line with most homes in this area, both interiors are far from traditional. Decorated with dark, masculine colors, different woods, copper accents, and live plants, it’s more Gothic in style and feel. If it weren’t for the paneled windows everywhere, it’d be too dark in here. Without any window coverings whatsoever, the natural light keeps it from leaning outright sinister.
“This is where guests stay?”
“The manor does not get many guests; however, there are many lodging options to choose from on the property.”
“All of them look like this?”
His mature eyes take in the guesthouse before saying, “Aesthetically speaking, yes.”
“Are the others less…” I wave a hand at the full kitchen with its own farmhouse sink.
“Less, sir?”
“Smaller.”
“Rest assured, Mr. Munreaux has made the proper arrangements for you to have the largest accommodation during your stay.”
Stay. Three years is more of a residency than a stay.
Although the guesthouse is way too opulent for my taste, it will be nice to have my own space away from Ever, especially during times like this. My body’s sticky with dried sweat, and I can smell something gross. I caught a whiff of it the moment I followed Ever out of the woods, and it’s been with me ever since. I’m pretty sure it’s me.
I finally did something to work up not only a sweat but a stink, too.
I did something.
Edwin leads me through the guesthouse, giving me a thorough tour while showing me where I can find literally fucking everything from bags of tea to hand towels.
When we reach the living room, there appears to be a giant unfinished portion of the hardwood floor but it’s actually transparent glass set directly above the indoor half of the pool.
“Whoa.”
Coming to an abrupt stop next to it, I run the toe of my shoe over the smooth transition.
“It’s structural glass.”
I look at Edwin. “Safe to walk on?”
“Yes, sir,” he says with a confident nod.
Just as I press one foot on it, the water below ripples. A moment later, Ever’s body slices through the surface as she does the butterfly across it. There’s a glass wall partition that stops a few inches above the water, separating the indoor half and the outdoor half. She dives under it, resurfacing on the other side, then continues on.
“Why doesn’t Ever live out here?” I ask once she’s out of sight. This seems like the kind of arrangement she’d want for herself. It’d make sneaking out that much easier. Not that she should have to sneak out. She’s old enough to live on her own.
“Even if I were privy to that type of information, I would not be at liberty to say. Discretion, in all manners, is of the utmost importance here at Munreaux Manor. It’ll do you well to remember that.”
There’s another long pause that I use to imagine all the ways I’d tell Edwin, Ever, and Arthur to fuck off. These people are something else. Something I could’ve gone my whole life never interacting with.
“How am I supposed to protect someone if I’m not allowed to know anything about her?”
“The same way I can predict what the Munreauxs will require without them even needing to ask…by watching.”
Ever returns, still doing laps.
“If that’s all, Mr. Brantley?”
Without taking my eyes off Ever, I nod.
Watching. Watching.
“Edwin?” I call him back.
“Yes, sir?” He reappears instantly, like he knew I’d need something else.
Watching.
“I saw boxes on some of the trees around the forest. What are they for?”
“Conservation.”
“Mr.—”
“ Miss Munreaux has a proclivity for things that fly.”
Birdhouses.
“Are you supposed to be telling me that?”
There’s a long pause before he says, “Perhaps not. However, I would be remiss not to warn you to keep your distance from them. I’m told their inhabitants are extremely territorial.”
What the fuck am I gonna do to a bunch of birdhouses? They’re high up anyway.
“What about the other building on the property? The one with the glass roof. Can you tell me what that’s for?”
“Same purpose. Conservation.”
“Let me guess, the inhabitants of that are territorial, too?”
“Not that I’m aware of, no. Nonetheless, I strongly advise staying away from it as well.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because while the inhabitants themselves may not be territorial, their caretaker is.”
Ever? Is that why she’s so against my presence here? I don’t want anything of hers, only a small fraction of her father’s fortune.
“Is there anything else I may assist you with?”
“No.” I shake my head. “I’m good. Thank you.”
He disappears without another sound.
Ever pushes off the side of the pool, heading for the outside half, when I notice movement from the pool house’s doorway. Assuming Edwin’s just checking up on Ever on his way back into the main house, I head to the bedroom, shedding my shoes and clothes on the way to the en-suite bathroom. Down to my boxers, I’m just about to turn on the water when the image replays in my head. The pants. They were that pale red color rich people love so much. Edwin was wearing black slacks with a crisp white button-up.
I spin on my heel and beeline it back to the glass floor. No matter what angle I look from though, I can’t make out anything higher than the pants of the person still lingering in the doorway. They’re not Edwin’s and they don’t look like they belong to Arthur either, so whose are they?
Ever’s just coming back in from outside when the person moves suddenly, shifting their weight and dropping their arms enough for me to catch a diamond-encrusted watch on one wrist.
Did she invite someone over?
Motherfucker.
I’m out of the guesthouse in the next breath, charging down the stairs. I have to hike around to the other side of the pool house, and by the time I reach it, the doorway’s empty.
He’s in there with her. I know it. Probably already balls deep in her just to fuck with me. Like I’d quit over seeing her fucking someone. Or someone fucking her.
I shake both scenarios from my head, the discomfort tightening my back muscles as I throw open the door.
“Ever!” I roar, my voice echoing.
The splashing in the center of the pool doesn’t stop, only sloshes higher, and I jump in without thought, ripping Ever away from…
No one. There’s no one here. It’s just Ever…swimming. Was she speeding up to get away from me?
I scan the pool house, somehow not finding anyone else in it.
How’d he disappear so fast?
“I didn’t do anything!” Ever screeches suspiciously—because who just says that when they haven’t even been accused of anything yet?
It’s not until she shoves me that I realize I’m still holding her. I don’t release her, only cock an eyebrow at her.
“Where is he?”
Ever searches around.
“Who?”
“Who? You know damn well who.” She wouldn’t be seeking his ass out right now if she didn’t.
With a mumbled insult, she tries to swim away but I stop her with one hand under her stomach, pulling her back to standing.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, this is water we’re standing in. And since I’m not a washed-out old man like you, I’m trying to utilize it to get some exercise.”
On top of everything else, now I’m old. As for being washed out, I may be. I don’t know. I don’t pay attention to shit anymore, least of all me.
“Tell me where he went.”
“Where who went?”
“The little boyfriend you got hiding in here.”
“If your job isn’t to stop me from getting dick, why do you seem so fucking pressed about me getting dick?”
It’s not like I got a clear outline of what all my job entails. I’m just making it up as I go. One of the things I’ve decided on is that I won’t be watching Ever get fucked by someone else, and not because I turn a blind eye to it, but because it’s not gonna fucking happen on my watch. Sure, she can fuck all she wants, I don’t care, just as long as she does it when I’m not around.
It just so happens I’m gonna be around for the next three years.
“Stop stalling and tell me where he is.”
Some of the tension leaves her body.
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I’m not allowed to have guys over.”
I let the validation for refusing to leave her alone in the woods wash over me. I knew it was to meet up with her fuck buddy.
“Why? You’re nineteen,” I ask, genuinely curious.
“That doesn’t matter to my father, hence why you’re here.” The last half of that sentence is said so fucking snottily I almost wipe her goddamn nose for her. Fucking brat.
“I’m here because you’re sloppy as fuck. Not every guy that sticks his dick in you needs to mark you up.”
I look at her neck, at those fucking hickeys marring her skin, and feel myself grow hot.
“I know that.” She drops her gaze, her long, wet lashes draped over her cheeks, and for a second, I feel bad. Maybe I took it too far.
But then she looks up at me through them, saying, “But it feels so much better when they do,” and I clench my teeth together so hard my jaw aches.
I didn’t take it far enough.
With my hand around her arm, I jerk her body to be in front of mine.
“Let’s take a look outside, shall we? See what we find.”
If that fucker isn’t in here, he’s probably out there somewhere.
“Help yourself. I didn’t get all my laps in yet so…”
Ever tries her bullshit again, but I catch her one-handed…also again.
“You just got done running a mini marathon. You’ll survive missing a couple laps.”
She fights me the entire way to the partition, but she’s short and the water makes her weightless, so I drag her over by her bicep, all while exerting minimal effort.
“Twenty-six laps.”
I snort. “That’s excessive.” Anything more than a few curls to lift her pom-poms would be.
“Just because you’re out of shape doesn’t mean—”
“I kept up with you the whole time.”
“Barely.”
I battle the urge to shrug or react in any way that’d make her think she won. Doesn’t matter how ugly it was, I still kept up. A few more runs together and I’ll be gapping her ass instead.
Probably. Her legs are pretty short.
They’re toned though. Like fucking jacked. I don’t know why the guys she fucks with waste time on her neck. If it were me, I’d be feasting on Ever’s thighs all night long.
But. It’s. Not. Because she hates me, I hate her, and she’s my…client? Is that what bodyguards call them? Or executive protection…whatever Arthur said. Agents? I don’t know the official jargon yet, but bottom line is I’m her guard and she’s my responsibility. I’m being paid—well—to be around her, so regardless how tempting her thighs may look—or would probably taste against my tongue—I will not be sinking my teeth into either of them and sucking until the only sounds coming from her mouth are incoherent screams of pleasure.
Although…shutting Ever up does add another layer of appeal.
“Go under,” I tell her at the glass. There’s not enough space to fit one head under, let alone two. We’ll both have to go underwater.
“No. You want to go out there, go ahead, but I’m staying—”
I fit my palm over her mouth and plug her nose with my thumb and index finger before tugging her below the surface. Holding my breath, I go with her, and the second we’re under, without any sound or distractions, we end up just staring at each other. Surprisingly she’s not fighting anymore, only studying me curiously as I slowly move us sideways.
Ever’s not so bad like this—silent and compliant. And the way she looks at me… It’s different from how other people do. They either shamelessly stare at my scar or they make it so insanely obvious that they’re trying to look everywhere but directly at it. Ever doesn’t do either. She just meets my eyes.
Except for now as they trail down my body, widening when they reach my waist. I follow her gaze, making sure my swim trunks—
Shit. I’m still in my motherfucking boxers. I didn’t consider my attire before coming down here. I just fucking ran.
So what? They cover as much as swim trunks do, they’re just a different material. And have a hole in the crotch…that’s currently gaping wide open. Fuuuck.
Ever’s hand enters my vision as she hesitantly reaches toward that opening. The water’s stinging my eyes the longer I keep them open, but I ignore the pain, riveted on Ever’s slim hand going right for my—
Pain erupts in my palm from Ever’s teeth biting into it. And that hand I couldn’t look away from? It becomes a fist with one solo finger sticking out from the rest as she flips me off. Her foot collides with my stomach next, making me release her and allowing her to shoot backward out of my reach.
We surface at the same time.
“You bit me!”
Sure enough there’s a complete mouth imprint of each and every one of Ever’s teeth wrapped around my palm where she clamped down on the middle and side of it. If she’d bit me under different circumstances, I’d be pretty fucking turned on right now.
As it stands now, I’m…still kinda turned on. She bit me. It hurt but…not in a bad way.
Ever’s voice pulls me from the sight. “You tried to drown me!”
“I warned you and I plugged your fucking nose.” You’re welcome.
Not that she’d ever thank me.
Red colors Ever’s cheeks.
“You exposed yourself to me.”
I rear back. Not this shit again. “By accident. I was about to get a shower before I came down here.”
“To catch my boyfriend?” she mocks before shrugging, all feigned innocence. “Well, where is he?”
Ripping my eyes off her because I can’t stand the mere sight of her right now, especially in a bikini top that’s a size too tight, mashing her small tits together into a mesmerizing display of cleavage, I turn in a circle, surveying our surroundings. Obviously, there’s no one at the end of the infinity pool. If there was, he’d be dead. RIP. So I focus on the grounds, only finding a really fucking nice setup. All around the pool are enough tables and chairs and loungers to host forty people, at least. There’s nobody out here, yet every umbrella is open. And clean. And new? Not a cobweb or sunspot in sight, they gotta be brand new.
Beyond those is an expansive yard with gardens everywhere—every bit of it professionally maintained, of course.
This is how people live ? It seems almost like a waste. So much money being dumped into a yard nobody even uses.
“Find him yet?”
I give up on my perusal.
“Where’d he go? In the woods?”
“Uh-huh,” Ever says with an exaggerated nod. “You should get out right now and go chase after him. Preferably over the cliff.”
“And give you the satisfaction? Never. I’ll stay here, with you, instead.”
“I doubt you’ve ever given anyone satisfaction judging by that acorn between your legs.” She makes a grimace and lowers her eyes down me even though the bottom two-thirds of my body is underwater and not easily visible. “Don’t even try to blame it on the water either. It’s not that cold.”
The pool is heated but it still has a slight chill to it.
“It was your hand coming closer that made it shrink in horror,” I reply, despite being ninety-nine percent sure she didn’t see my dick.
She did get one thing right though. I am circumcised.
“Oh, you thought…” She covers her mouth, a laugh escaping through her spread fingers. “That I was…gonna…”
Grinding my teeth, I turn away from her and dive under the water so I don’t have to hear her annoying fucking voice. No, I didn’t think she was actually going to grab my dick.
Maybe for a second, but…
Look where that got me. A kick to the gut, exactly what I deserve for assuming in the first place.
A million dollars. A million dollars. A million fucking dollars.
A swarm of bubbles pass by me, and at first, I slow to let Ever go ahead, but then all her insults about me turn to liquid fire, propelling me forward until I’m neck and neck with her, racing toward the opposite end. When we reach the wall, there’s a moment’s hesitation from both of us.
“Twenty-six, you said?” I ask in challenge.
“Try to keep—”
I kick off the wall before she can finish, gaining myself only a slight head start because Ever’s on my heels instantly, her presence quickly moving to my side for the entire way back. I don’t let up once, going as hard as I can, until the thirteenth lap when I gas out completely and have to float over to the side to catch my breath. Ever doesn’t miss a beat though, continuing on without me. Sitting on the pool’s edge inside, I alternate between looking at her and the fading bite mark she left behind on my palm.
One of the times she dips under the partition, I bring my hand up to my mouth and fit my teeth to the impression of hers and bite down. I let my lips relax against my palm, sucking the flesh.
Nothing. No trace of her whatsoever. The pool washed it all away.
All at once, I release my jaw and drop my hand to my thigh.
I watch Ever swim, sometimes sneaking glances at my palm, the only place our mouths will ever meet, sometimes imagining biting Ever back. I wouldn’t go for her hand though. The inside of her thigh, right below her pussy, so when she started leaking, she’d drip right on my cheek, her pussy juice rolling down into my mouth.
When she finishes her laps, she’s not even panting.
I could get her to pant. I could get her to pant a lot.
“Are you going back to the house?”
Staring at her back and ass as she ascends the steps, I watch the hundreds of tiny drops gliding down her tight body. My cock already at half-mast from imagining her pussy being inches from my mouth, the sight only pushes more blood to it.
“Nuh-uh. Off to let my boyfriend fuck me against a tree,” she mutters as she climbs the rest of the way out.
“Hilarious,” I say, but she doesn’t respond, only grabs a towel off a hook.
When she twists to drape it over her back, I spot more hickeys.
Are they hickeys? Both above and below her bottoms, they’re on the sides of her hip bones. It’s a weird place for them but…they look like hickeys.
I guess they could be bruises, but what would they be from? Her pom-poms? They have handles…I think. I’ve never seen one up close.
I’m on my feet in the next instant, walking over to grab the towel next to hers so I can get a better look.
Drying herself off, Ever’s moving so quick it’s hard to see her hip bones clearly.
“You don’t need shoes?”
“Nope. No protection of any kind for me.” Her follow-up wink grates on my last nerve.
“I’ll escort you inside,” I tell her shortly.
She pauses with her towel clutched to her front, throwing dagger after dagger at me using only her eyes.
“I was messing with you. I’m going to my room.”
“Then I’ll walk you to your room.”
After tying the towel around my waist, I gesture for her to go first.
“I’m surprised your legs still work after the last two hours,” she quips.
I can make yours stop working in two minutes.
Out loud, I say, “Like your mouth, they don’t quit.”
“Except that they literally did,” she says, her wet hair dripping onto her shoulder. “On what was it? Lap three? Four?”
“Thirteen,” I correct in complete monotone, making her break into laughter.
I roll my eyes and am immediately reminded of the skylight into the guesthouse overhead. Could the guy in here see me? Is that why he took off?
I wait until I’m at the door—right where he was—to see for myself. It’s transparent from both sides, but from this angle, it’s difficult to know what I’m looking at exactly. I should’ve looked when I was in the pool.
When I turn back around, Ever’s stopped to watch me, guilt radiating off her.
Her poker face being so fucking terrible will work in my favor, so I don’t call her on it.
“Hope you didn’t bother unpacking that dusty bag you brought.”
“I did,” I lie.
She studies me for a moment longer, looking for…something before spinning to cross the terrace.
“Mm,” she says like she isn’t bothered but I know she is. “At least I know where to send your belongings after your body’s been discovered.”
“You kill me, you’ll never fucking sleep again.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ll haunt every waking second of your life and I’ll make sure you’re awake for all of them.”
Another rumble of laughter rolls through her just before she says, “You’ll be in good company.”
“Whose? Yours?” I ask, holding back laughter of my own.
At a set of French doors, she spins to face me.
“Father didn’t tell you? This house is haunted.”
“Good thing I’m staying in the guesthouse.”
“You could stay at your own house.”
“Then how would I keep an eye on you?”
“Leave one behind. The rest of you doesn’t need to be here.”
My fucking eye? Jesus, she’s morbid.
“Your father would disagree. Now get inside before I throw you over my shoulder again.”
She tries arguing, so I reach past her and turn the handle myself, pushing her inside. Edwin didn’t give me a complete tour of the main house yet, so I don’t know where her room is, but I keep prodding her, hoping she’ll just go there herself.
Thankfully she does. I know when we reach her room because her entire body goes rigid as soon as we’re a few feet away from the door.
“Okay, I’m here. You can go.”
“Go into your room first.”
“Am I a prisoner already?”
“Some prison,” I murmur as I drive her forward. Whoever thought herding cats was hard never worked with Ever Munreaux.
She lets out a little growl that would be amusing if I didn’t find everything she does annoying as fuck.
Before I can touch the handle, she shoots ahead of me and opens the door herself, only keeping it cracked slightly as she slides her body through the thin opening.
It feels a little date-ish, walking her to her door, so I give her an awkward nod and turn to leave. Her calling my name stops me though and I twist to look back at her.
“Yeah?”
“You might need this tonight.” Careful to keep herself wedged between her door and the jamb, she reaches behind her to get something. I can’t make out anything in the room, just that it’s as dark as the rest of the house.
Preparing for her to pull a fucking Taser on me or some shit, I start to move toward the wall her room’s on, but all she does is brandish yet another middle finger for me, except this time she mouths the words, “Fuck. You,” along with the display of hostility.
“Go ahead and hold on to that one,” I tell her. “Considering I ruined your fuck earlier, you’ll be needing it more than me tonight.”
Her door slamming shut ends the conversation but brings a genuine smile to my face. Peace at last.
Back out in the guesthouse, I decide to put my clothes away first thing, even before that much-needed shower, just to prove Ever wrong. I am staying and there’s nothing she can do to make me leave. Not willingly.
The first drawer I open, I drop my stack of shirts in without looking, and somehow set off a…mousetrap? Luckily, the sound has me jerking my hand back in time to keep all five fingers intact.
“What the fuck ?” I pull out the trap. Who the hell sets a mousetrap in a drawer? This place is spotless. There aren’t even any traps on the floor.
Ever’s words come back to me.
“You might need this tonight.”
I yank open every drawer of the dresser, only to find the same thing—a fucking mousetrap in each one just waiting to catch some unsuspecting fingers. My unsuspecting fingers.
Ever.
Eyeing the bed, the comforter isn’t as pristine as the rest of the guesthouse. Instead of being smooth and tucked around the mattress, it’s lumpy and laid haphazard. One hard tug on it triggers an entire legion of mousetraps.
A chuckle leaves my lips. Climbing into bed wouldn’t have killed me, but it’s gonna kill Ever when she finds out she didn’t so much as get one of my fingers.
Just as I move away, my foot kicks something, setting off another one. I drop down on all fours and lift the bed skirt, only to discover a shit-ton more traps underneath.
It’s gonna be a very long three years.