Page 59 of Won't Back Down
There was so much tangled up in that statement, not the least of which was the implication that her feelings were as long standing as mine. She’d wanted me. She’d chosen me. No one else had ever tasted her. No one else had ever known the feel of her. I couldn’t begin to express the sense of primal satisfaction I felt at that. And it just made me want to explore every inch of her all over again.
Willa bit her lip, worry creeping into those pretty eyes. “Is it a problem? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was afraid you might stop.”
I wasn’t sure what I would’ve done differently had I known, but I didn’t think anything but a “No” from her could have made me stop. “No. I just want to make absolutely sure that you’re okay. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No. I might be a little sore in places I didn’t know I could be sore, but that’s to be expected.”
I stroked the hair back from her face. “I think we should probably adjourn to the bathroom. There’s that big ass tub in there with room for two. We can have a bit of a soak. Relax those muscles.” And I could worship every other inch of her until she was ready for me again.
She smiled. “That sounds like an excellent plan.”
But before we could do more than roll apart, a volley of ferocious barking sounded downstairs.
“What the hell?” Willa muttered.
I found my shorts and dragged them on. “Stay here.” Whatever the fuck was happening, I wasn’t about to put her in any sort of danger.
Not that Willa listened. She snagged a robe. “He’s not going to listen to you.”
“Fine, but stay behind me.” I grabbed up the first potential weapon I spotted—an iron fire poker beside the bedroom fireplace—and we raced downstairs.
A male voice was speaking to Roy, but clearly not getting anywhere. The dog was snarling and barking loud enough to wake the dead. I wondered if he was blocking the intruder’s route of escape.
Tightening my grip on the poker, I swung into the kitchen. “Freeze!”
But it was me who froze as I caught sight of our intruder.
Willa called out, “Roy, hold!” Then she, too, skidded to a halt beside me.
Across the kitchen, Jace stood a few feet from the door, one hand held out to defend against the dog, who’d quieted instantly at his mama’s order. My best friend stared at the two of us, then lifted his other hand.
Willa’s bra dangled from his fingers.
“You slept with my sister?”
CHAPTER 27
WILLA
In some dim, distant part of my brain, I’d known that my brother would find out about me and Sawyer at some point. But he’d been such a peripheral part of my life for so long, I hadn’t truly put that much thought into it. A sad commentary on the state of our relationship, perhaps, but there it was. I certainly hadn’t expected him here now, when the evidence of what we’d just done was still wet on my thighs. I realized my mistake as I watched Jace zero in on Sawyer, chill fury covering his face.
Sawyer lowered the poker and squared his shoulders. “I’ll accept whatever consequence you think is reasonable, but I’m not going to apologize.” His chin lifted in a way that practically shouted he was waiting for a punch.
Before testosterone poisoning could prevail, I skirted around him. “Both of you stop it. Nobody’s going to hit anybody, because we didn’t do anything wrong. I’m a grown-ass adult. My brother has no say in who I choose to take to my bed.”
“He’s my best friend,” Jace gritted out. “There’s a code.”
I whirled on him. “He’s my husband, so that supersedes whatever bullshit bro code thing you have going on.”
My brother was a hard man to surprise. Generally, he knew way more about what was happening in any given situation than 98% of everyone else in the room. It was a big part of how he’d done so well doing… whatever the classified stuff was he did for the Navy. But my bald announcement hit him about as effectively as a gut punch.
His jaw dropped open, his eyes going wide. “Your what?”
I held up my left hand with Grandma’s ring. “You have a lot to catch up on.”
“Clearly. How?—”
“Nope. I am not having this conversation without pants.”