Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Bennett
A s it turns out, we were closer to the ski lift than we realized. Not that it would have done us any good, considering I lost the key to the only snowmobile not currently trapped inside the shed at the start of the property.
Ezra is pissed. They had to cancel the New Year’s Eve party because of “my shenanigans,” as he put it. Psh. It wouldn’t have been a very good party without me there, anyway.
Kindra, Cat, and I load into the sleigh, and Ezra uses the spare key to drive the snowmobile back to the mansion. I can’t wait to get back to my room so that I can wash all this honey off my body.
The sleigh lurches forward, and I look over at Cat. Lights along the path catch on her face every now and again, but I can’t see her expression through the mask pulled over her lips. She leans over to Kindra every now and then, and the two of them whisper and giggle.
If she knows what’s good for her, she’ll keep her mouth shut. The last thing I need is for my brother and his fiancée to catch wind of what transpired. If this gets out, the pineapple fiasco will pale in comparison.
I wouldn’t care if they made fun of us for fucking each other, but knowing them, it would be the opposite. Not only would they crow about how right they were about us, but they’d get love hearts in their eyes too. If they try barking up that tree, I’ll just have to chop it down. Fucking Cat and wanting to date Cat are two very different things. I’m not certain we’ll fuck again, but I can say with great conviction that dating is firmly off the table.
After a long drive through the dark woods, the sleigh pulls to a stop outside the barn. “Can’t bother taking us all the way to the front door?” I ask as I climb down.
“One of the sleigh’s rails broke on the return trip with Maverick, Eve, and Ice Pick,” Kindra says. “We rigged it for the rescue run to save you two, but I told the coachman to stop at the barn. I don’t want to do more damage.”
That explains why the rescue took so long. And why they had to cancel the party.
I turn to help Cat, then remember that I’m still supposed to hate her. And I do. I hate her. Can’t stand her. I definitely haven’t thought about the cute way she snores.
I trudge toward the mansion and step into a blast of warmth. Ezra stands just inside the front door, so I try to skirt him, but he reaches out and grabs my hood before I can scurry away.
“We need to have a chat,” he says as he pulls me toward the study.
I try to dig in my heels, but he just keeps pulling. “Can’t we talk later? I’ve been in the cold for twelve hours, and I kind of want to shower.”
He stops in the hall, just outside the study door. As he sets his jaw and shakes his head, he looks the picture of my principal in sixth grade when I pulled the fire alarm so I could skip English class.
“Do you realize what could have happened?” he finally says. “And for what? So you could tease Cat? You’re thirty-three years old. It’s time to grow up, Bennett.”
I shrug my shoulders. “What could have happened didn’t happen, though. Hop down from your high horse before you get a nosebleed.”
“Your actions didn’t just affect you and Cat, though. Kindra put a lot of time and effort into that party, and you ruined it. Are you pleased with yourself?”
“Are you just going to keep tossing things at me until something sticks? Ruining the party wasn’t the goal,” I say, and it wasn’t. I feel bad for ruining her party. I’m not completely devoid of all emotions. Just most of them.
“Then what was the goal, hmm? To get Cat so lost in the wilderness that she ends up dead? To be a complete bellend because you’re miserable and you think everyone else needs some misery too? Well, old boy, I’ve got some news for you. Some of us enjoy being happy.”
“I’m not miserable.”
“You’re not?” He rocks back on his heels and laughs. “Could have fooled me. Everyone knows you lost some business after that last hit, and have you forgotten that I’m the emergency contact for your mother when you can’t be reached? You’re struggling to pay for her care. Your life is a shambles, man. Wake up.”
“Fuck you.” I turn to walk away.
Ezra keeps pace beside me as I trudge toward the stairs. “Life doesn’t have to be this way,” he says. “People change all the time. It’s never too late to let go of your pride and accept some help.”
I stop at the top of the landing and turn to face him. My right fist balls at my side, but I won’t punch him. Despite the venom he’s hurling my way, he’s still my brother. “I’m not an addict or a drowning victim, Ezra. I don’t need to reach out for help . I fucked up, and I’ll apologize to Kindra, but as for the rest of it, it will all sort itself out.”
“You’ve been iced out. I received word yesterday morning, but I wanted to wait to tell you once we were back in New York.”
“Yeah, okay.” I scoff. “There’s no cell signal or internet access here, but you magically got word?”
“We have a contact in town who works much like the pilot on the island. Emergent news is delivered when necessary, and your former agency has been busy in the last twenty-four hours.”
As I study his face, I find no pleasure there. He isn’t enjoying this, which means this isn’t some phony wake-up call or prank. This is real.
If I’ve been iced out, that means I’m no longer a contract killer. I’m just a killer. The contract is the important part, though, because it pays. Killing just satisfies an urge.
“I’ll just find a job when I get back from this shit-ass trip,” I say.
“Doing what? You have no experience in any field that would pay enough to support your mother’s care. Nothing legal, anyway.”
“Then I’ll do something illegal. Problem solved. Can I go shower now?”
Ezra sighs and shakes his head. “Yeah, go shower and get some sleep.”
When I start to walk away, he clears his throat. I grit my teeth and turn to face him.
“Bennett . . . just . . .” He shakes his head again. “Never mind.”
“No more bad-news bombs to drop on my head?”
“Just be kinder to Cat, okay? She’s going through some stuff too.”
I was kind enough to give her an orgasm last night , I think as I roll my eyes and head for my room. Ezra can clear his throat again if he wants, but I won’t turn around. I’m done talking.
The door creaks open on hinges that shouldn’t be squeaky but are. I’ll have to ask Kindra for some WD40. I click on the light and begin undressing. A hot shower will put everything right. I can wash off the memory of what I did with Cat, and I can start formulating a plan to get back in my agency’s good graces. This isn’t the first time they’ve blacklisted me in the industry.
Unfortunately, unlike last time, I have obligations to consider now. Scraping by is well and good for me, but it won’t do for my mother. She spent years without basic necessities so that I could have what I needed, and I’ll be damned if I have to take her away from the luxury accommodations she deserves.
I toss my sticky clothes onto the floor and head for the bathroom. A dull headache looms behind my forehead. That’s what I get for drinking booze without adequately hydrating.
Thinking about the whiskey brings my mind around to Cat again. We were interrupted before carrying out our plan, so does that mean we still need to do it? It would be easier to forget the entire thing ever happened. Going back to hating each other is probably for the best. I don’t even know what she wants. We didn’t exactly have time to discuss what happens next.
Instead of embarrassing myself, I should just let it go. She’d probably laugh in my face if I suggested we go through with it.
But my dick can’t seem to let it go. The honey releases its hold on my skin as I scrub away the remnants of Cat, but my brain clings to the memory of her body pressed against mine. When I close my eyes, I can almost hear her soft moans.
As I wrap my hand around my stiffening cock, the moans become a gag. That definitely wasn’t part of my fantasy. With a retreating boner, I press my ear to the shower wall, and there it is again. A low moan, followed by a gag.
My bathroom must be up against Cat’s. Since our rooms are side by side, it would make sense. What doesn’t make sense is that god-awful sound she keeps making. It sounds like she’s in the throes of anguish instead of pleasure.
I hurry and rinse away the soap, then dry myself with a towel. Everyone in the mansion is probably fast asleep by now, so it should be safe to check on her. If she greets me with a sour attitude, I’ll know where we stand.
After shoving my legs into some sport shorts, I free-ball over to Cat’s door. The hall is dark, quiet, and empty. From here, I can’t even hear her in her bathroom anymore. I raise my fist and tap my knuckles against the door.
A few seconds of silence pass before the door opens just enough for Cat to poke her head through. Her hair is a mess, and red rings rim her puffy eyes. Tears cling to her long lashes, binding them together in clumps.
“Now isn’t a good time,” she whispers, then sniffles. “Allergies.”
She didn’t bite my head off, but she didn’t welcome me in. Providing comfort isn’t exactly my bailiwick, however. Maybe she knows how uncomfortable I’d be if she started wailing and rending her clothes in front of me.
So why do I feel the disgusting urge to pull her into me and ask who hurt her?
“Who is it, Cat?” someone says behind her.
I lean to the right and spot Kindra sitting on the edge of the bed. Jesus fuck. Shouldn’t she be screwing my brother right about now?
“I can’t sleep with her making all that racket in the bathroom,” I say. “I just popped by to ask her to shut the fuck up.”
Cat winces. “Fucking tin man.”
The door slams in my face, and I’m left in the hall with more questions than answers. Tomorrow, I’ll need to find time to get Cat alone. First I need to explain that what I said was only to throw Kindra off our trail. After that, I want to know why she was crying. Ezra mentioned that she was having a tough time too.
It has nothing to do with caring about her, either. That fleeting urge to comfort and protect her has passed. I’m just being nosy now.
Most importantly, though, when I talk to Cat tomorrow, I need to know if she’s still down to fuck around and find out. She’s consuming my thoughts, and fucking her is the best way to clear both heads at once. After that, I can finally put this whole shit show behind me.