Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
EVERLY
I wake to pain.
It's not too unusual. Agony was a familiar state to wake up to when I lived with Father. But I don’t live with him anymore, so why do I hurt now?
When I shift a bit to get comfortable, I find I can’t.
My entire body feels like I've been hit by a car—hurting all over in equal measures. At the same time, rather than feeling broken like I should at the pain, my muscles are cramped up. They’re so tightly constricted I can’t move. In fact, I can hardly breathe.
A whimper gets stuck behind my lips as I struggle not to get overwhelmed. What the hell is going on?
Before I can find the strength to force my eyes open, I’m jostled. Someone carefully sits me up. My muscles, locked in a perpetual full body cramp, scream in protest. My groan is trapped between sealed lips.
“You're okay, I got you,” someone says. The deep, masculine voice isn't immediately familiar, spurring on a hint of fear. “We're going to make you feel better. Just hold on.”
“The water's ready,” someone else says from nearby.
There are two men with me? I don't recognize these voices, or do I? I try to grasp on to the last thing I can remember, but my thoughts are too hazy to land on something concrete.
Arms hook under my shoulders and beneath my knees before I’m hoisted up. Again, I groan as my muscles scream in protest.
Forcing my eyes open doesn't help. Not immediately. Everything is fuzzy, and the soft light feels like a shard of glass slicing across my brain. Instantly, I close them, needing to escape the additional pain.
“Where...?” I start but my tongue feels heavy, and I can't quite get my bearings.
“You’re safe,” the owner of the deep voice assures me. He’s the one carrying me. I can feel the rumbling of his chest against my right side as he speaks.
I need to open my eyes again. It should help me get my bearings. Still, the thought is daunting. I really enjoy not having my brain feel like it’s going through a blender.
Mentally I brace myself, then force my eyes open once more.
I blink, the motion annoyingly slow—like my brain hasn't quite fired all the way up yet. As the room comes into focus, so does the face of the man above me. He must feel my gaze because suddenly, deep, dark brown eyes are peering down at me. They’re set within a face so handsome my mouth instantly dries.
While appreciating his full lips, strong jaw, and heavy brow—I'm struck with familiarity.
It's not the same as seeing an old friend, where time and age have altered the features so much that, for a second, you don't recognize them.
No, this is much different. This is like staring into the beguiling eyes of a tiger, momentarily stunned by their beauty, only to swiftly remember how dangerous the owner of them is.
My stomach clenches, the air suddenly catching in my throat. This man is dangerous. That knowledge rattles through me all the way to my core. The feeling, strong and undeniable, sends a tremor of fear through me.
I try to remember why I should be scared. Something in the back of my head nags at me, a memory that wants to resurface but can't.
“How are you feeling?” he asks.
I open my mouth to speak. To ask what's going on or why he has me or where I am. But all that comes out is a small, “Please...”
I'm not quite sure what I'm asking for. Help maybe? Despite not being quite able to articulate what I need, the guy seems to understand.
“Don't worry, I'll make you feel better. We both will,” he promises solemnly.
He wants me to feel better? That's not... that doesn't sound... bad . Maybe I’m wrong, maybe this guy isn’t dangerous.
Braum . The name comes to me the moment we step into a bright room full of steam. I squint as my eyes attempt to refocus.
“Here, can she stand? We need to strip her out of those clothes,” the owner of the second voice says from somewhere within the steamy room.
Braum looks down at me. “I'm going to attempt to put you on your feet, alright?”
I curl my toes, making sure they work before I nod.
At my confirmation, Braum moves slowly and places me on my feet.
The moment they touch the cool tile floor, my legs wobble unsteadily, and as I try to look up, the bathroom spins.
Before I can collapse, Braum pulls me into his body.
The exertion spent just trying not to let my legs give out causes a full body tremor.
Sweat breaks out on my neck, and my head throbs harder.
Instantly, Braum’s hands grip my hips. He steps closer so my back touches his chest, a solid presence to lean against.
There's a sigh twisted with a hint of frustration.
“You hold her, I'll strip her down,” the second voice says grimly. The owner of it steps forward just as I look up from the floor.
Oh . It's the only thought that comes to mind. He's so wildly attractive I feel even more confused than when I first awoke.
The second guy steps forward and reaches down to grab the hem of my black sweater. It hits me then what he’s about to do.
“W-wait, no,” I protest weakly. I reach out to bat his hands away, but it's a feeble attempt, and he ignores them as he grabs and yanks the sweater over my head. Next comes the black tank top. I gasp as it's flung to the side and heat climbs into my face. As he reaches for my bra, I balk weakly.
The second guy pauses, a dark brow raising incredulously. “That's got to come off, too.”
“But… no!”
He ignores me. Quickly, he reaches around and unclasps my bra.
It flutters to the ground. It's the only movement in the room for a second.
I stand there, frozen in shock at being so exposed.
He holds stock-still, his eyes heating as they take in the sight of my breasts.
My nipples bead at the cool air brushing over them.
His answering response is to lick his lips.
The motion spurs me into action. I attempt to cover myself using my arms and to hunch forward, but Braum's hands leave my hips to grab each of my wrists and hold them down.
“You don't get to hide from us,” Braum murmurs in my ear, his lips brushing against the shell of it. “You're a gift, and we want to unwrap you.”
In front of me, the blond god murmurs, “Magnificent.”
Rowan . The second name comes to me when he unbuttons my pants and unzips my fly. Panic climbs up my chest, my breathing coming in rapid gasps.
“No,” I whisper, the heat in my face growing worse as I try to wiggle free of Braum's grasp, feeling a bit stronger on my legs now that blood is rushing to them. “Please, I?—”
“Relax,” Braum orders as Rowan sinks to his knees while taking my dark black jeans down with him. “You can't have your clothes on in the shower.”
Kneeling before me, Rowan chuckles darkly. He tilts his head to the side so he can peer up at me with a smirk. “Do you know how many women would love it if I'd get on my knees for them? You're a lucky one, Everly. I don't usually kneel for anyone.”
Lucky? I don't exactly feel lucky. My body aches, I'm being stripped by two men I hardly know, and the few fuzzy pieces of my memory aren't focusing fast enough to explain why the internal warning is still going off in the back of my head.
I suppose, if I'm to find any positive thing in this moment, I have to admit, deep down, I'm weirdly.
.. honored? Excited? Neither word is quite right.
There's this small part inside me that's thrilled I'm caught up between these two.
I've never been the center of one person's attention, let alone two.
I've always been looked right through, not looked at .
And certainly not with the type of stark appreciation Rowan's staring at me with.
That small thrill is instantly snuffed out as Rowan moves toward me again.
I shake my head, fighting harder as he reaches for my cotton panties. “No, no, please, no!”
He doesn't even bother pulling them down.
Instead, Rowan tears them off my body as easily as if he was tearing paper towels from a dispensar.
My weak cry of protest, the useless way I try to jerk my wrists free from Braum's grip, it's all ignored as Rowan gets to his feet and steps back to stare once more.
I try to cross my legs, but it's pointless. Under his inspection, thorough and full of a rising hunger, I feel like I’m being appraised like an important item up for auction. I've never felt so exposed or helpless.
Tears well up in my eyes as I turn my head away from his probing stare.
“Perfect,” Rowan mutters, his voice growing thick. “ Fucking perfect. I knew you would be. I have an eye for the finer things, and you, Everly, are the finest.”
Perfect? No. He has this all wrong. I struggle in Braum's grip once more as Rowan starts to strip.
His shirt goes first then his pants. And.
.. that's it. Rowan's suddenly standing before me in absolutely nothing.
It's the first time I've ever seen a guy naked.
Despite a head full of cloudy memories and uncertainty, I know this to be true.
It's probably the worst naked body to witness first.
Because after this, I'm sure no one else could compare.
Every inch of Rowan's body is covered in well-defined muscle.
Any small movement causes them to flex and contract.
There's not a single soft spot to be seen.
His six pack abs are singularly distinct and startling.
His legs are thick, each set of muscles there just as defined.
Despite how muscular he is, Rowan's not bulky.
He's cut and lean, as if strength isn’t necessarily the reason behind his figure.
There's an all-over perfect golden tan to his skin, like he spends a lot of time in the sun. Even his…
My face burns with embarrassment as I drag my gaze away from his erection. His tan erection.