Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 130159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 651(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130159 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 651(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
He layered his seductive murmur with a caress across her shoulder as he brushed her silky-soft hair aside, fanning it across her pillow, then dragged his tongue up her slender neck.
She turned his way, eyes hollow with uncertainty. “Beck…”
“Shh. I’m here for you, to give you whatever you need. And I need you, too.”
He waited, letting his words sink in. She blinked as if she fought tears, then gave him a little nod and threw her arms around his neck, her eyes sliding shut. Yeah, she definitely needed him.
Beck rolled on top of her and claimed her lips. She opened and gave herself over to him. Thank fuck. He slid a hand up her body, settling at her waist. Since they’d been getting ready for bed, the only thing between her berry nipples and his mouth was her faded pink camisole. Nothing but her matching ruffled shorts kept him from the juicy spice between her legs. Everything inside him urged him to get as deep inside her as he could right now.
But she suddenly eased from their kiss and closed him out.
“Talk to me, little girl.”
When she opened her eyes, they were swimming in tears. “It’s not you. I love you. I—”
“I know. You don’t have to reassure me. Tell me what’s in your head.” Though he had a pretty fucking good idea.
“He’s pulling away. I know he’s been through a lot, much more than I imagined. But what if he doesn’t—”
Beck laid a finger over her lips, stopping her. “Don’t assume the worst. It’s only been a couple of days, and he said he needed some time to get his head together.”
“But I think you’re right. He hasn’t finished grieving the family he lost, and we’re pushing him to…I don’t know. Get past it? Move on before he’s ready? Something. But it’s been eight years. Why should he still be so hung up he can barely talk about it?”
“I don’t know. If he’d told us more, maybe I could figure it out and help.” But Seth would have to stop running.
She nodded softly. “What do you think set him off? For months, he gave no indication he was suffering from this trauma. He seemed fine the night before the battle. Better than fine, actually. Then suddenly…he wasn’t.”
Beck had been trying to figure that out, too. “He was even fine during the battle. Something afterward triggered him.”
“As we left the lodge, I thought it might be the dead bodies.”
He scoffed. “It wasn’t that. He had no problem adding to the body count. And after it was over, I didn’t see what happened. I was busy taking care of Dean. Most everyone else was comforting Ngaire.”
“Do you think it was her losing her husband that set Seth off?”
Beck sat back on his heels and thought through yesterday morning. Suddenly, the truth smacked him. “Oh, fuck. It’s Zach. I was standing right beside him when Esther said they’d killed his wife and daughter. I saw Seth’s face.”
Heavenly pressed a hand over the silent O of her lips, more tears pooling in her eyes. “Oh, my gosh. I didn’t think…”
“I didn’t, either. And I just asked my brother to move in with us. No wonder Seth is avoiding home.” Beck stood and paced. “What the fuck did I do?”
Heavenly climbed out of bed and followed, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. “What you thought was right. You can’t blame yourself. You didn’t know, and you were just trying to help your brother. Why didn’t Seth tell us?”
“He probably didn’t know what to say. He probably thinks of this place as my house, so he felt like he didn’t have any right to tell me who could live here.” Beck reached for his pants and stepped in. “Fuck.”
“Where are you going?”
“To find him. I’ve got to talk to him. It can’t wait until morning.” Beck didn’t want to even whisper the possibility to Heavenly, but Seth might decide never to come home and he’d drift away for good.
And it would all be his fault.
She reached for the yoga pants she’d stripped off a few minutes ago. “I’ll come with you.”
He plucked his shirt from the back of a nearby chair and tossed it on. “No. Stay here in case Zach needs something. And if Seth comes back, you can text me.”
Not only that, when I find him, we might exchange some blunt—maybe even brutal—words.
Heavenly’s shoulders drooped as she dropped her pants. Clearly, she didn’t like it, but she saw the wisdom. “All right. You’ll keep me posted?”
“Absolutely.” He pressed a kiss to her lips.
When he would have stepped into his shoes, Heavenly stayed him with a gentle grip. “Wait. You have to be at the hospital early in the morning. You need sleep. Since I’m volunteering, my schedule is more flexible. Let me go.”