Page 108 of Crave Me
“Jesus Christ,” he says. “How many fucking times can I screw up with her?”
Curran shakes his head. “I don’t know. But I’m starting to keep score. Just so you know, it’s the fourth quarter with ten seconds left in the game and the cheerleaders are lining up to punch you in the nuts.”
It’s just like Curran to bust some serious balls, and normally I’d slap Declan upside the head for being such a dumbass. But all I can do is gape. Holy shit. Declan likes Melissa—a real woman with real tits for once in his life. “Damn,” I say.
He pauses, looking at me when he catches something in my expression. “What’s going on?” His focus darts to Curran briefly before resting on me. “Wren, what happened?”
I came here to spill my guts except it takes me way too long to speak. “I have to talk to you about Bryant.”
“What about him?” Declan asks, his tone growing severe. “Did he approach you again since yesterday?”
“No.”
Everyone falls perfectly still. Declan scowls, pointing at me when his office phone rings. “Hold that thought,” he tells me. “O’Brien,” he says, answering. His frown deepens, his face lifting to meet mine. “Evan’s here.”
“Evan is here?” I repeat, barely believing it.
He nods slowly. “He says it’s urgent and he needs to see me.”
Curran steps forward. “I thought you said he didn’t come home last night,” he reminds me.
If Declan wasn’t already mad, he’d be furious now. “Am I showing him in, or tossing him out?” he asks.
“In,” I say, swallowing back the shock mixed with relief I feel.
“I’ll go get him,” Curran says, moving fast.
The carpet in Declan’s office is that industrial gray. The kind that will take a beating for years to come and still say business. It’s all I see, as I ignore the way Declan and Tess are staring at me. I don’t know what they’re going to think or say. But I know I can no longer stay silent.
My head swivels in the direction of the door when it opens. Curran walks in tailed closely by Evan.
Evan’s stare immediately locks onto mine. I’m barely keeping it together, and while his presence gives me the comfort I lack, the reminder of everything he saw has me curling inward. Maybe he knows it. From one breath to the next, I’m in his arms.
“I’m sorry I didn’t make it home,” he whispers. This is coming from him, not anything Curran said. I know it by the way he holds me.
I nod, melting into him, the steady beat of his heart pounding against my ear. His warmth and presence, God help me, it’s what I’ve both dreaded and needed. And now that he’s here, it’s like I can’t breathe without him.
“What the fuck is going on?” Curran say, his voice mirroring the building anger in his features.
“Are you ready?” Evan asks me gently.
I ease away and look up at him. Thick stubble peppers his jaw and he’s wearing the same suit he wore yesterday. My guess is that he barely slept, if he slept at all.
He leads me to the small leather couch while Curran gathers two chairs for him and Tess and places them in front of us. Declan leans against the edge of his desk, watching with, what to most, might appear as interest. I know better. Charismatic, future politician aside, my brother is a street kid at heart and he’s ready to come out swinging. “I’m waiting,” he says.
“Bryant sent Evan a message yesterday through Evan’s former secretary,” I begin.
“What kind of message?” Declan asks when I suddenly stop speaking.
“A link to a website,” Evan answers for me, his tone more terse than Declan’s.
He doesn’t say anything more, leaving the rest up to me. As hard as it is, I tell them everything that’s on the site, and everything that happened the night I met up with him.
I don’t look up until I’m done. Tess has her hand clasped over her mouth, horrified on my behalf. Like Evan, my brothers are raging.
“I’ll fucking kill him,” Curran says.
“Curran,” Tess warns, her voice soft, but heavy with worry.