Insatiable (Steel Brothers Saga #12) - Helen Hardt Page 0,28
had come, and we’d made arrangements for our father’s cremation. The last time any of us had seen the body was in Talon’s office that day. That horrible, hellish day.
Ruby hadn’t asked her question again, and no one else had spoken.
Which meant only one thing.
Talon and Ryan were most likely struggling with the same thoughts.
Perhaps even Bryce was, although he hadn’t been with us when our father died.
Finally—
“No.” From Talon.
“Not twice.” From Ryan.
“He wouldn’t do that to us again,” I agreed.
Ruby nodded. “If you say so. I didn’t know the man.”
I had a hunch she had more to say, but she kept her mouth shut. Maybe later, when we were home.
Or maybe not.
He wouldn’t do that to us again.
Did I believe my own words?
Bryce hugged me to him, and though his strong arms gave me warmth and love, a niggling chill swept over me.
The chill wasn’t fear so much as it was foreboding.
Chapter Twenty-One
Bryce
I brought my sweet Marjorie home to the guesthouse and ran a warm bath for her. “Take your time,” I said, “and holler if you need me.”
She smiled weakly. “I’ll be fine. I just need to get the grunge off me, and then I want to sleep in a nice warm bed.”
“I can handle that,” I said. “It’s nearing morning.”
She yawned. “I want to go see Mel and the baby.”
“We will. After you rest.”
“No,” she said adamantly. “I want to see them as soon as possible. In the morning.”
“It is morning, honey.”
Another yawn split her face. “I just need to wash my hair and clean up a little. Then rest for a few hours. Please, Bryce. I have to see my brother’s baby. And I want him to know I’m okay.”
I nodded. But was she okay? She’d been through a traumatic ordeal. Thank God no one had touched her inappropriately. I’d have been on a warpath. As it was, I still was on a warpath.
Talon and Ryan planned to go into the city around nine. We’d go as well. Marj could probably get a couple hours’ sleep at least.
“All right,” I relented. “I’ll check on you in a few minutes.”
“I’m okay. Really.”
I smiled and closed the door to give her some privacy. I wanted to believe she told the truth. I did, in that I believed she thought she was okay. Marjorie Steel was as strong a woman as I’d ever met. But she was also a woman who’d succumbed to pain in the past.
That damned blade.
I couldn’t help a smile. That blade might have saved her and Colin. They might not have been able to escape otherwise. Alessandra Booker had been armed, and I’d approached the unit alone because Talon had been dealing with his mother.
If Colin hadn’t cut their captor, she might have heard me coming.
I could be dead right now.
And I wasn’t.
Because Marj had succumbed to her weakness and hadn’t destroyed that blade like Mel and I had asked.
I could hardly be angry with her. That razor might have saved her life. And mine and Colin’s, though according to Dominic, their lives hadn’t been in danger.
What to believe?
I walked to the kitchen and put the tea kettle on the stove. My mother swore by chamomile tea for relaxation. Maybe it would help Marj.
A few minutes later, armed with a cup of steaming herb tea, I walked back through the bedroom to the bathroom to check on Marjorie.
I knocked lightly.
“Come in,” she said softly.
She sat in the tub, frothy lather bubbling around her. Her dark hair was wet and plastered to her shoulders and breasts. She looked like a shining angel.
“I thought you might like some tea.”
“That was sweet of you. Thanks.”
“I’ll set it here on the counter.”
She nodded and stood. Water dripped in rivulets off her wet body.
My groin responded.
She was so beautiful, so tempting…but the last thing she needed was me all over her.
Or perhaps I was wrong.
Her gaze dropped to my crotch.
“Please,” she whispered.
“Anything, my love. Anything.”
“Make love to me. Now, Bryce. I’m not asking for the earth to move. Just something soft and wonderful. Help me remember what’s beautiful in the world.”
She stepped out of the tub, and I handed her a towel. She squeezed the wetness from her long hair and then wrapped it into a turban while I encased her in another warm towel. Then I pulled her into my arms and held her close. Her body was warm from the bath, and it permeated into me, infusing me, saturating me.