I couldn’t think straight. Fucking forget asking me my name. I truly didn’t know.
“ARE YOU FUCKING crazy?” Brody asked, running his hand through his strawberry blonde hair and walking the length of Stewart’s office.
When he stopped near the window, I saw his reflection against the night sky. On his face I watched the bewilderment I heard in his words. Instead of answering his question, I leaned back against the chair and let him digest all that I’d said. It wasn’t even the tip of my iceberg, but since I’d spent most of the day at the hospital, I didn’t have the strength or the time to explain all that had happened since we’d last been together.
“Let me get this straight: you want me to construct a contract, like the one Parker wrote, but instead of Parker’s name, you want Travis Daniels? Vik, that doesn’t make any sense.” He spun toward me, his aquamarine eyes boring a hole into my soul. “If you’re going to trust someone, if you truly feel this is necessary, trust me.”
“I can’t, Brody. You don’t know what this is like.”
“Fuck! And Travis does?”
I stood and walked toward him, stopping just outside of his reach. “I don’t want you to see it.”
“I’ve read the damn contract. I know it involves other men. You’ve told me the basics. I don’t care.” When I looked down, Brody came closer and lifted my chin. “Vik, what I mean is that none of that matters to me. Don’t you get it? You’re more than the person who signed that contract. I know it. You do not need to go back to that. I don’t care what Parker has that you consider a threat. I don’t care how many other men want to get you back there.” He pulled me close and wrapped his strong arms around my shoulders. With the steady beat of his heart and fresh clean-scented aftershave, I allowed myself a momentary reprieve and melted against his chest. “Don’t you trust me?”
I nodded. I did trust him, but I couldn’t expose him to that side of me. It was one thing for him to think he knew. It was another for him to see it.
Brody pushed me back by my shoulders and looked deep into my eyes. “Vik, does this mean…” Once again, he turned away. “Fuck. Tell me this doesn’t mean that Parker is one of those men.” His volume rose. “Fucking tell me that Parker Craven wants this contract to help you, not because he’s been one of the men Stewart watched fuck you.”
My chest ached. Brody thought he could handle the contract. He can’t even handle a small part of the truth. I shook my head and sat on the sofa.
With his hands once again going through his hair, Brody stomped from one side of the room to the other. When he was almost back to the windows he turned and said, “I want to kill him. Just let me kill him. Fuck, I’ll kill them all. Do you know the others?”
“Brody, you’re not killing anyone. I have a plan. Part of my plan is to have the contract with Travis. If I do, the one I sign with Parker will not be valid.”
“But Vik…” He came to the sofa and sat facing me. “…don’t you get it? If you sign one with Travis, he has the same control over you that Stewart did.”
“No, he won’t. Travis works for me. He can’t make me do anything.”
“Then why? Why have the contract?”
“Please, Brody. It’s getting later by the minute. I’m tired. It’s been a long fucking day. I’d do it myself and use the contract that Parker wrote and just change the names, but Parker will be able to tell if it’s not exactly the way it needs to be. I need it to be perfect and legal.”
“None of this is fucking legal. And no.”
“No?”
“Vik, you’re not answering me. I won’t do this. I can’t do this—not to you, not after everything Stewart did to you. You deserve better. What are you afraid of? Who are you afraid of? Tell me.” He stood again and paced. “I’m a fucking attorney. If you believe in Travis so damned much, keep him around. I don’t care. The man is as big as a fucking mountain. No one is coming near you with him by your side. For fuck’s sake, do not go alone to the warehouse with Parker.” He spun, unable to find the room to expel the energy coursing through his system. “I fucking swear, if he lays another goddamned finger on you.”
“Brody, stop. I promise my days of being anyone’s victim are done. I’ve already made my presence known in a world I didn’t even know existed. I’m tougher than any of them thought. I’ve been underestimated for the last time.”
He collapsed to his knees in front of me. “Then let me write the contract with my name on it?”
I shook my head. “No. If you do that, Parker will know that you’re helping me. He might even suspect that we’ve been working together for a while. I can’t do that to you. You could lose your partnership.” I reached out and brushed my fingers against his cheek, relishing the sensation of the soft, stubbly growth. “I’m not worth it.”
Brody seized my face between his large palms. “Don’t you ever say that! You are fucking worth it! You’re smart, fucking beautiful, and…” His smile grew. “…never to be underestimated. You are so worth it. Damn, Vik, I’d walk away from Craven and Knowles in two seconds to go away with you and get you out of here, away from all these fuckers.”
I sighed, enjoying the warmth of his hands. “Where?”
“ARE YOU FUCKING crazy?” Brody asked, running his hand through his strawberry blonde hair and walking the length of Stewart’s office.
When he stopped near the window, I saw his reflection against the night sky. On his face I watched the bewilderment I heard in his words. Instead of answering his question, I leaned back against the chair and let him digest all that I’d said. It wasn’t even the tip of my iceberg, but since I’d spent most of the day at the hospital, I didn’t have the strength or the time to explain all that had happened since we’d last been together.
“Let me get this straight: you want me to construct a contract, like the one Parker wrote, but instead of Parker’s name, you want Travis Daniels? Vik, that doesn’t make any sense.” He spun toward me, his aquamarine eyes boring a hole into my soul. “If you’re going to trust someone, if you truly feel this is necessary, trust me.”
“I can’t, Brody. You don’t know what this is like.”
“Fuck! And Travis does?”
I stood and walked toward him, stopping just outside of his reach. “I don’t want you to see it.”
“I’ve read the damn contract. I know it involves other men. You’ve told me the basics. I don’t care.” When I looked down, Brody came closer and lifted my chin. “Vik, what I mean is that none of that matters to me. Don’t you get it? You’re more than the person who signed that contract. I know it. You do not need to go back to that. I don’t care what Parker has that you consider a threat. I don’t care how many other men want to get you back there.” He pulled me close and wrapped his strong arms around my shoulders. With the steady beat of his heart and fresh clean-scented aftershave, I allowed myself a momentary reprieve and melted against his chest. “Don’t you trust me?”
I nodded. I did trust him, but I couldn’t expose him to that side of me. It was one thing for him to think he knew. It was another for him to see it.
Brody pushed me back by my shoulders and looked deep into my eyes. “Vik, does this mean…” Once again, he turned away. “Fuck. Tell me this doesn’t mean that Parker is one of those men.” His volume rose. “Fucking tell me that Parker Craven wants this contract to help you, not because he’s been one of the men Stewart watched fuck you.”
My chest ached. Brody thought he could handle the contract. He can’t even handle a small part of the truth. I shook my head and sat on the sofa.
With his hands once again going through his hair, Brody stomped from one side of the room to the other. When he was almost back to the windows he turned and said, “I want to kill him. Just let me kill him. Fuck, I’ll kill them all. Do you know the others?”
“Brody, you’re not killing anyone. I have a plan. Part of my plan is to have the contract with Travis. If I do, the one I sign with Parker will not be valid.”
“But Vik…” He came to the sofa and sat facing me. “…don’t you get it? If you sign one with Travis, he has the same control over you that Stewart did.”
“No, he won’t. Travis works for me. He can’t make me do anything.”
“Then why? Why have the contract?”
“Please, Brody. It’s getting later by the minute. I’m tired. It’s been a long fucking day. I’d do it myself and use the contract that Parker wrote and just change the names, but Parker will be able to tell if it’s not exactly the way it needs to be. I need it to be perfect and legal.”
“None of this is fucking legal. And no.”
“No?”
“Vik, you’re not answering me. I won’t do this. I can’t do this—not to you, not after everything Stewart did to you. You deserve better. What are you afraid of? Who are you afraid of? Tell me.” He stood again and paced. “I’m a fucking attorney. If you believe in Travis so damned much, keep him around. I don’t care. The man is as big as a fucking mountain. No one is coming near you with him by your side. For fuck’s sake, do not go alone to the warehouse with Parker.” He spun, unable to find the room to expel the energy coursing through his system. “I fucking swear, if he lays another goddamned finger on you.”
“Brody, stop. I promise my days of being anyone’s victim are done. I’ve already made my presence known in a world I didn’t even know existed. I’m tougher than any of them thought. I’ve been underestimated for the last time.”
He collapsed to his knees in front of me. “Then let me write the contract with my name on it?”
I shook my head. “No. If you do that, Parker will know that you’re helping me. He might even suspect that we’ve been working together for a while. I can’t do that to you. You could lose your partnership.” I reached out and brushed my fingers against his cheek, relishing the sensation of the soft, stubbly growth. “I’m not worth it.”
Brody seized my face between his large palms. “Don’t you ever say that! You are fucking worth it! You’re smart, fucking beautiful, and…” His smile grew. “…never to be underestimated. You are so worth it. Damn, Vik, I’d walk away from Craven and Knowles in two seconds to go away with you and get you out of here, away from all these fuckers.”
I sighed, enjoying the warmth of his hands. “Where?”
