Chapter 13 #3
I look up at West. His beautiful, blue gaze roams from my feet to the tops of my thighs, where the nightie clings, and then slowly up to meet my own.
He falters for just a second, and I can tell he’s remembering the last time he saw me wearing this.
Drink in hand, he walks away from the window and sits in the recliner Haze was sitting in just moments ago.
That leaves me with no choice but to sit beside a very lovey-dovey Beau and Haze.
I let my gaze lock with West’s as I lower myself into the seat, not bothering to hide.
This is me in all my damn glory. Besides, it isn’t as if he hasn’t seen more of me before.
And if it bothers him, he’s going to have to say something.
He doesn’t and neither does anybody else.
In fact, no one says a damn word about anything.
The storm is practically abusing the outside of this house, and nobody has anything to say about it.
What am I supposed to do, sit here in silence?
Fuck that. Who knows how long the storm will last?
Not to mention the obvious storm brewing in this room.
I lift the glass and take a sip. I regret it instantly, because it tastes like absolute shit.
I clear my throat, letting the burn subside, and force as much calmness into my voice as I can, even though my pulse is still hammering and every nerve in my body is still on edge from what Beau was doing to me, literally minutes ago.
“Trip’s almost over, huh?” I murmur, which was a stupid thing to say because that’s not something that requires a response, and I am desperate for this not to be awkward.
For a moment, no one speaks, which is what I was afraid of.
Then West shifts, his gaze still on me, but there’s nothing soft about it.
“Yeah,” he says at last, voice rough and sexy, and fuck, I want him.
“It is.” When it’s clear he’s finished speaking, I bite the inside of my cheek.
Yeah, it is? That’s it? Is he kidding me right now?
Then just like that, he looks away. Turns toward the window and gazes back out at the storm.
He’d rather look at anything but me. As if I’m dismissed.
What is it about this man that makes me want to please him?
To let him call the shots and obey his every command, because I’m almost ready to let the fact that I am bothered go.
Even though that’s the opposite of what I want.
My chest feels heavy with frustration as I take another sip of the lighter fluid Haze poured me and stand, crossing the room and slowly stop in front of the window closest to West. It’s pitch black outside.
The storm has swallowed everything, and it’s nothing but a wet mess out there.
Relatable.
I take another small sip, not because I like it, but mostly because I don’t know what to do with my hands.
The lights start to flicker. Once. Twice, and without warning, everything goes dark.
Great. The power’s gone out. My breath hitches.
The storm outside is so much louder now, and my heart flies straight to my throat.
Something slams into the side of the house.
Then another. The sound of furniture or something being ripped around outside has me taking a step back.
A heavy crash rattles the window inches from where I’m standing, which is still way too close for my liking.
I barely have time to register the danger before glass explodes around me, jagged shards tearing through the air with a vicious whoosh, biting into my skin and scattering across the floor.
I cry out as pain flares along my arms, taking most of the brunt as I try to cover my head and face.
The wind slams into me, knocking me off balance and I skid across the rain slicked marble.
Glass crunches beneath my palms and thighs as rain, glass and panic blur together.
It’s like the storm is in the room with us, and for a split second, I’m terrified.
“Jovi! Fuck!” Haze’s voice booms over the roar of the violent waves outside and the rain now inside with us.
His tone is raw and panicked. They can’t see me.
They knew I was standing in front of the window, but they can’t see me now.
Before I can even process what’s happening, strong arms wrap around me, hauling me into an upright position, but don’t let me go.
Beau. I’d know his scent anywhere. His firm grip is protective as I cling to him, my fingers twisting into his shirt.
My eyes roam over my pitch black surroundings, and I notice a beam of light swinging wildly across the walls. A flashlight.
“Get her out of here!” West commands as Beau’s chest presses against mine, shielding me from the wind instantly.
Without a second thought, he spins me around and lifts me into his arms, cradling me like I weigh nothing, then we’re moving.
The storm lashes at us, rattling the furniture inside the room, but in Beau’s hold, I feel safe.
“You’re okay, Babydoll. You’re alright,” he murmurs, but I can hear the panic in his tone.
“We’ve got you.” Haze is already moving ahead, sweeping obstacles out of the way.
I can only make out shadows from the glow of his flashlight, but otherwise, the whole place is cloaked in darkness.
Beau carries me upstairs, and when we reach the bedrooms, a door slams shut behind us.
Moments later, he gently lowers me onto something soft, careful, as if I might break.
One by one, candles flicker to life, their flames casting shadows across the room, painting everything in a soft, amber glow.
I watch as Haze moves through the space, setting candles in corners and on surfaces, the light catching on their tall, muscular forms, making them seem even more imposing than they already are.
“Are you hurt?” My gaze snaps to West. He’s on his knees before me, and I go impossibly still.
He looks fucking devastated. The storm outside is a damn walk in the park compared to the hurricane swimming in his eyes, and suddenly, the air feels too thick to breathe, because I think I’m falling for him.
“Please, baby. Tell me if you’re hurt.” I swallow, my heart racing, his intensity igniting a fire beneath my skin from the way he calls me baby.
His brows are furrowed, and it’s as if he only now realizes what he’s doing.
His eyes dart between mine, and he stands, putting as much distance between us as he can, and not stopping until he is seated on the chair in the corner of the room, taking with him every stupid hope I had that he’d fall with me.