One of Six (Den Hollows #1)

17. Beatrice

17

BEATRICE

Essex reaches into my panties, causing me to stretch and let out a satisfying moan... I wake up and push against a firm body.

"It's me, Essex."

He does not have his hand in my panties, but I am pressed tightly against him. He is warm and hard in all the right places.

"What were you dreaming about, because that moan you let out went straight to my dick."

I blush and bury my face in the pillow.

"It's okay if you dreamed about me. How could you not?"

I wiggle in his arms until, despite my shame, I am chest to chest with him. He gives me a gentle smile and wraps me in his arms. I sigh, feeling safe and secure against him. "I'm glad you're here."

"I came as soon as I heard."

I press my forehead into his neck and confess, "I dreamt that you had your fingers in my panties... Then I woke up."

Though the massive erection under his zipper jerks against me, Essex remains motionless, catching his breath, a curse on his lips. "Bea, talk to me. I will not touch you until I am who you want to be with.”

"I like your whole family, Essex. Very much. Your brothers are good men. Ridge held me today when I was crying. Did he tell you? Atilio held me after I nearly drowned."

"He told me. And now I hold you." He sighs. "I love my brothers, but I don't want to share you with them."

I raise my eyes to his, feeling hope and longing. "I feel comforted with them, but it's you that makes my heart race so fast that I'm afraid it's going to jump out of my chest… I dreamt of you."

"I'm the only one who gets to hold you from now on," he tells me.

"I'm totally okay with that." I kiss his cheek and relax again. "No one will know I'm friends with you. Not yet. I have a few things to figure out first.”

After a comfortable silence, Essex asks quietly, "What really happened last night?"

I wrap my arms around him and whisper, "I hid under my blanket. My mother died and I hid like a baby.”

"Hey," he replies, cradling my face, "it kept you safe. There is nothing wrong with that.”

"Mother was crying for her life, Essex. She begged, but he shot her anyway."

"Who shot her?"

"My—” I immediately stop what I was about to say, shocked that I almost told him the truth. I jump to my feet in terror.

Essex follows me and wraps himself around me. "Breathe, Mermaid Girl. I have you. I suspected who killed her before you almost told me," he whispers. “You'd be surprised how many people don't believe the bullshit that's being covered up."

"You can't repeat it." I turn and grab his face, pulling him closer. "They threatened to come after anyone I told. Promise me."

He doesn't like it. "I won't say anything for now.”

"I'm tired, Essex."

"Do you want me to go?"

I smile against his chest. "No."

He lies down on the bed, holds my hand, and pulls me into his arms. I've never been this close to a man before and I'm enjoying it. Of course, it has everything to do with the man holding me in his arms.

"Tell me about yourself, please." I wriggle closer and put one leg over his. A shiver runs through me as his palm rests on my thigh, caressing up and into the leg of my shorts, where he remains motionless.

"The boat is where I feel most at home. I spend more time on it than the others. I take it out and anchor offshore to get some peace and quiet. I lie on the deck and think, allowing any stress to leave me.

"The boat was my father's. He loved it. He took us out all the time as soon as we learned to swim." He pauses. "I will teach you to swim. We are surrounded by water. You should know how to swim."

I run my palm over his chest and explain, "I mentioned it once or twice when I was a kid, but my parents told me I didn't need to know. I want to learn."

"Good!" His fingers fiddle carelessly with my hair. "It was hard when my father died. As the youngest, I was jealous that my brothers got to spend more time with him than I did. I was fifteen and despised everyone. I drank, smoked, and was generally out of control. One night it all came to a head. Family intervention. Mom convinced my uncle Jesus to come and support me.”

"Wait! You have an uncle named Jesus?" Mirth fills my eyes as I see matching humor staring back at me.

"Mom's brother. Jesus Drake. He's a badass, but he's always been there for us when we needed him... Bea, they saved me that night." He swallows hard.

"Dad taught me a lot about wood, including texture, color, and strength. He told me about the tools used to make art. I am the art of Redd WoodArt. Owls, fish, horses, flowers, and houses—you name it, I can make it out of wood. I have commissions coming in all the time."

“No wonder you get stressed. Having to do things right and meet deadlines. I am in awe of you. What a talent to have. Do you have a website where I can see your work?" I rise above him, resting my chin on my hands.

"I can do better than that." He waggles his eyebrows. "One day I'll take you back to the house. Our workshop is behind it."

"I look forward to that." I smile. "Wait! How did you get into my bedroom?"

He chuckles. "You're only asking now?" He grabs my head and pulls me in for a quick kiss. He licks his lips before kissing me again. His kiss is slow and lingering. His tongue sends shivers of desire through me. I feel myself dissolving in his grip, losing track of time as we continue to kiss. His touch is so intense that it takes my breath away and makes me want more.

When I pull away slightly, his lips are wet from our kisses, and I fight to catch my breath as emotions flow through me. He licks his lips with a moan and continues, "I climbed up the side of your house," in husky tones.

"You must really like me." I wiggle closer, glad to feel his strong arousal. "I mean, you're bigger than my vibrator."

His eyes open wide and his mouth splits into a broad grin. He opens and closes his mouth, and my eyes twinkle with pleasure at having rendered him speechless. His chest begins to quiver as he pulls me over and buries his face in my neck to hide his laughter. "You're good for my ego." He chuckles.

I roll my eyes. "As much as I don't want you to go, it's late and you have to leave before morning. I’m afraid of what they will do if they catch you here."

"Will you be, okay? You can come home with me."

Tears well up in my eyes at how sweet this man is. "I can't right now. I'll be safe. I told Richard my silence would last as long as he didn't touch me."

"I'm worried about you." He rolls me onto my back and rubs his lips against mine. "Come to me if you need anything, Bea. My family will help you any way we can." He smiles. "And don't forget, we have a secret weapon—Jesus Drake, badass, former president of the Den of Filth MC."

I can't hide my surprise at his uncle. He laughs and kisses my nose. "Until next time, Mermaid Girl."

I can't take my eyes off the sexy man, especially after noticing the massive bulge pushing out his zipper.

He smirks and climbs out the window.

My lips tingle from the kiss he's just given me. My body feels hot and tense.

I smile, grateful for Essex Redd.

Unable to sleep after Essex left, I toss the blanket and slide my legs out of bed. I shiver from the cold air conditioning. I grab a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie and hastily pull them on.

Moonlight floods the room as I sit at the desk to retrieve the phone. My stomach flutters with nervousness at what I'm about to do. I tap the buttons to activate the phone and quickly look over my shoulder. It's 2:00 in the morning, so Richard should be asleep. I hope he has nightmares for the rest of his life about what he did.

At the last second, I remember to turn off the sound on the phone so that the startup music doesn’t play. I exhale in relief as the screen with all the applications comes to life. It's strange, though. There are only four apps on the home screen: phone, e-mail, camera, and gallery. I spot the search box and type in ’message.’ It's not on the phone.

I swallow hard and click Gallery. There are pictures and videos. I tell myself I can do this as I navigate to the video directory. There are five in total. The newest one is dated yesterday.

Maybe I can't do this. As I set the phone down on the desk, I feel a pang of nausea. Mom surely recorded these things for a reason, and she is not here to carry out whatever plan she had. But I am. I'm not sure I want the pictures in my head, but I need to get everything off the phone in case it's discovered. Then it clicks. I can use Airdrop.

I start with the video files and avoid seeing them because I'm sending them via Airdrop. Fortunately, we have fast Internet, so it doesn't take long. But the final file does. I am on pins and needles, waiting. Then it's done. I move on and do the same with everything in the notes app. I write a new note on my phone with Mom's email address so I can access her email from my computer.

Back in the gallery, I click on the photos. I gasp in shock. They are of me. I don’t remember them being taken. There is a series of photos, all taken after Richard hit me.

My hands shake as I Airdrop them. What was Mom going to do with all this… evidence? She couldn't use it here in Mount Sterling.

Mom's phone is 92% charged, so I turn it off. I need to find a safe place to hide it. I also need to access her email and notes. Hopefully there will be passwords and a better idea of what she was up to.

For now, I decide to hide the phone in the back of my bookcase. Just until morning, then I will wrap it up and hide it in the woods between my house and the river.

An hour has passed and my eyes itch with tiredness.