Chapter 20
EVE
The night didn’t go as I’d expected. There was no huge fallout, or jealous fights between the guys. Instead, Andrew bundled me up into his arms and I quickly found myself seated at the kitchen counter, hot cocoa in hand, and multiple concerned faces staring down at me.
Except for Connor, who continued to watch me like a man who knew that his cum still coated my thighs as it dripped from me. Darkly possessive.
“Are you okay?” Ethan asked from my right side, brushing a hand down my cheek.
I lifted the cocoa and took a sip to give myself a second before I had to answer. “Yep,” I got out. “Just another day, another drama. But I wasn’t shot this time, so we can count it as a win.”
The tension swelled briefly at my lame attempt at a joke, before they calmed again.
Ethan eyed Connor with a hard stare as he asked, “What happened?”
For once, Connor didn’t bristle at his brother and actually told the story.
He started with the club, continuing on to the moment he had to leave, and how I was requested to also attend his father’s property.
During the explanation, Haze shifted from where he was perched in the doorway.
I noticed he did that a lot, standing in the entrance of a room, as if to keep the rest of the world from disturbing us.
When my gaze met his stoic stare, I was reminded of the cameras that had been in the room when I was with Connor.
Haze’s expression gave away nothing, giving me exactly zero insight into his thoughts.
But I wondered if he was thinking that he was the only one in this house not to know me intimately.
I also wondered if he had watched me with the other guys as well, in his stalker ways.
Stalker ways I found myself strangely okay with, as if there were a guardian angel on my shoulder, keeping an eye on me.
Ethan released a grumbling sound, and I realized that Connor had finished his account of our shitty night.
I’d been so in my own head I hadn’t even heard the details.
Had he told them we fucked? I really should have paid attention to Ethan’s and Brodie’s reactions.
Andrew’s too, but he’d come into this situation knowing I was already with his friends and therefore hadn’t shown any overt jealousy yet.
Not to mention he loved Connor. Those two were probably the closest of the five, even as all of them considered the others family.
“How could you be so fucking stupid as to pull your gun in a Romano venue?” Ethan continued, that low growl still in his tone. “Right after breaking up with Lacey. You know better than that, bro. You’re lucky you didn’t get Eve killed.”
“Which would have gotten you killed,” Haze noted flatly, still no inflection in his face or tone. But the threat was very real, and the room fell silent as the guys absorbed what he’d just said.
More than what he’d said, it was the meaning behind it.
Haze would choose me over his brothers. My stomach flip-flopped as I stared into his dark eyes. There was a clenching in my chest that I almost pressed a hand against. It was the oddest sensation, and yet it happened more than I’d like to admit around these five.
“He had his hands on her,” Connor muttered, sounding pissed. My gaze returned to him, and in that expression I had no idea who he was most angry with. “He touched her after she already said no.”
The tension ratcheted up another level. “Yeah, I think you did the right thing,” Brodie said with a strangled laugh as he reached out to take my free hand. “You actually showed great restraint in not just blasting his fucking head off.”
Haze straightened, and that simple shift drew everyone’s attention. “He’s been taken care of,” he added, and fuck if that wasn’t the most ominous statement of the night. Which, considering I’d seen guns, had my life threatened, and had fucked on camera…yeah, he was scary.
“Excellent,” Andrew stated, before he nudged my cocoa closer again. “It’s late. I think we should all go to bed.”
Exhaustion pressed down on me and I found myself standing, desperate to shower and crawl into bed. Only, there was a slight issue.
Multiple faces stared my way. “It’s your choice, Lillith,” Ethan said, his face as always my calm in a storm. Always my calm. “I’m sure the gun violence of this evening isn’t sitting easily with you, and we want you to feel safe tonight. Who do you want to sleep with?”
“Because you’re sure as fuck not sleeping alone,” Connor snarled. “It’s not an option.”
Ethan looked like he wanted to strangle his brother at that interruption, but he managed to just grit his teeth.
As I looked between the five of them, my brain spazzed out, and I found myself blurting, “Haze.”
It must have taken all of us a hot minute to register what I’d just said, and as the shock filtered through, I immediately tried to backtrack. “Oh shit, sorry. That’s insane. I know you don’t sleep with—touch people. I…fuck.”
My face had to be so red. Heat poured off me, sweat beading my brow as my head thudded in a painful rhythm. My embarrassment had reached a new level. One I’d never previously made it to. Overachiever that I was.
Haze, with that unreadable fucking expression, or lack thereof, just gave a single nod. “You’re with me tonight, Evie Marie.”
Most of the others accepted that without issue, kissing me on the cheek and telling me they’d see me in the morning. Connor, though, his eyes locked on me, said, “Why don’t you go get the Batcave ready for her. She’ll be up in a second.”
It took me a beat to realize he was speaking with Haze, and the silent, scary dude just nodded and disappeared with the rest of the guys, leaving me alone with the man who still stirred a metric ton of nerves within me.
When Connor got closer, the green of his eyes darkened as he examined my face. “Are you okay?”
I wasn’t sure what I’d expected him to do with his extra moment alone with me, but it definitely wasn’t him asking that question, his tone tender as his gaze ate me up. The words I’m fine hovered on the edge of my tongue, but somehow I knew Connor would never accept that throwaway line.
“I don’t know.”
He nodded, accepting that response without argument.
He took another step closer. Mere inches kept us apart, and when his hands slowly lifted, I let out a long breath as they cupped my cheeks.
The heat from his touch seeped into my skin.
Our gazes remained locked, as if we were just existing.
Breathing the same air. Absorbing whatever it was that had changed between us this night.
“Are you okay?” I whispered.
He shook his head, expression filled with a pained fury. “No. I could have lost you tonight. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my whole life.”
The hint of vulnerability in his tone almost undid me.
Connor always appeared overconfident, larger than life, the one who could take on any situation.
He’d shown no unease at the club and then his father’s place, but now that we were alone, he was giving me a brief view into his real emotions.
And I wanted to see more. I wanted to see it all.
“Do you need me to stay with you tonight?” I asked, pressing into his touch.
He briefly squeezed his eyes closed, but when he opened them he wore a look of resignation.
“Nah, I need to deal with more shit tonight. I won’t get much sleep.
” His grip grew firmer, more possessive, as he leaned in to press his lips to mine.
“But thank you for offering. You’ll be safe with our psycho stalker. ”
A snort escaped me. “You all have roles to fill, but I really thought psycho stalker would be yours.”
The smirk that tilted up his perfect lips slammed into my chest, until my heart was flipping and flopping as erratically as my stomach had before.
“Baby, when it comes to you, I’m the most psycho stalker you’ll ever meet.
But Haze slots in as a close second. Eth is third.
Then we have Andrew, who no doubt has every detail about you, your clothing size, your preferences, and past catalogued somewhere.
Brodes is probably the only one going with the flow and getting to know you the old-fashioned way. ”
My brow furrowed. “Should I be concerned here?”
It was only partly a legit question. But also…fuck. This was a dark romance novel level of impressive. Four out of five. Someone give me a damn medal.
Another kiss smacked against my lips. “Too late for you now, brat. You’re ours, whether you like it or not. So you better get used to it.”
With that, he gave me a longer kiss, until I was panting against his mouth, my tongue tangled against his. Connor groaned and slapped my butt firmly. “Okay, you better take this perfect ass up to Haze before I decide that you’re in my bed and I’m inside you for the rest of the night.”
My core clenched, and Connor must have seen the flash of need on my face, as he groaned again, looking pained. “The fucking death of me,” I heard him mutter, and I managed to tear myself away, racing out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
When I reached the landing, it was quiet and dark, and I headed into my room to grab clothes. A shower was an absolute must, and when I was clean, dressed in an old shirt and soft sleep shorts, I padded silently along the polished floors toward the only room I hadn’t been in yet.
Haze’s door was always locked, and I found myself wondering if he might have changed his mind. Would I find the door barred to me? I was asking a lot of him, especially since we’d only been playing with little touches recently. Nothing too intense. Certainly not hours of sleep in the same bed.
With my hand resting on the handle, I took a few breaths but couldn’t make myself apply any pressure. I was so sure I’d find resistance. A locked door.
“Get your cute butt in here, Evie Marie.”
Haze’s command had me jumping, and I slammed my hand down to find that I absolutely wasn’t locked out.
When I stepped in through the door, I forced myself not to stare around his room.
All I caught a glimpse of was the wall of dark monitors set up along the back wall, before every single iota of my attention was locked on the bed.
On the bed. On Haze fucking Michaels, who sat up against the headboard, the sheets covering his lower half, leaving his upper completely bared.
Bared and fucking huge. His shoulders were so broad that even in a king-sized bed he seemed to take up more than half the space.
As I gawked, he crooked a finger, indicating he wanted me to move closer.
My breath stuttered out of me as I stumbled forward, my focus moving from those impossibly broad shoulders down the cut muscles of his chest and abs.
There were so many abs, they had to be painted on.
Only I knew this man would never bother with such bullshit.
There was nothing fake about Haze, and the very little he let people in showed the briefest glimpses of the genuine, reliable guy he was.
“Are you sure?” I busted out. “I’m sorry I put you on the spot out there.”
My knees hit the end of the bed, which came the fuck out of nowhere. When I went to topple forward, my balance as tremulous as my nerves, Haze launched himself forward and caught me.
I had two immediate thoughts: one, he was wearing pants, which I hadn’t been sure of since the sheets had covered his lower half; and two: he did not flinch remotely when my body all but slammed against his naked skin.
Instead, he dragged me even closer, until I was plastered completely down his front.
A shuddering breath left him, and when I jerked my head back to see his expression, there was not a hint of unease or pain. If anything, it was reverence that crossed his face as he stared into my eyes. “Haze?” I murmured.
He swallowed roughly, his eyes shiny in the low light. “You’re a miracle,” he whispered. His arms tightened, as if he was terrified I’d disappear. “Where did you even come from? Who are you?”
An excellent question, since apparently I had no idea who my father was, and my mother died when I was young. But here, in this moment, I felt like maybe I’d finally figured out at least partly who I was, and maybe…just maybe, what home felt like.
Right here in Bluebell House.