Triple Beat-nook(49)

She laughed quietly. “It’s weird. I’ve spent most of my life living in terror, hiding in shadows, looking over my shoulder. The memory of my dad was way worse than the reality.”

Bryson lifted a disbelieving eyebrow.

“I’m not going to say he wasn’t scary, but…I don’t know…it’s hard to explain. I’d built him up as some horrible, all-mighty monster who couldn’t be defeated. Today, I realized he was just a really mean, twisted, abusive bully.”

“He could have seriously hurt you, Dani. Fuck,” Aiden muttered, his tone telling her exactly what kind of toll the day’s events were taking on him. “He could have killed you.”

“Don’t,” she said quickly. “Don’t think about that. We’re here. You saved me. That’s all that matters.”

Aiden blew out a long, tired sigh. “It might take me a little while to get there. I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared in my f*cking life. When Jett called to say your dad had you…that he’d tried to rape you before…”

“We didn’t know where you were,” Bryson added, his own fears finding their way out. “We woke up and you were gone.”

“I texted you from the taxi, but that was before I realized my dad was driving it.”

Aiden flashed an annoyed look at Bryson. “Your phone was off, wasn’t it?”

Bryson glanced at the nightstand, picking up his cell, flicking it on. “Damn. Yeah. Thing has been here since the last time the three of us were in this bed. Sorry. I didn’t even think about it. She wasn’t answering your calls. It didn’t occur to me to check my phone.” He looked at Dani. “Why in the hell did you text me? You know my phone’s always off.”

She laughed, then admitted. “That was really stupid of me.”

Bryson grinned and kissed her on the cheek, but Aiden wasn’t finished. “Dani, I, God, I don’t ever want to feel that way again.”

She kissed Aiden softly on the mouth. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head. “No. No apologies. Just give me a promise.”

She nodded. “Okay. Anything.”

“No more secrets.”

Dani smiled. It was an easy thing to give. “Done.”

Bryson sat up slowly. “Since we’re putting all the cards on the table, I think it’s time we talked about us, where we’re going.”

Aiden raised his eyebrows. “Holy shit. Are you suggesting we have a serious conversation about feelings and crap like that?”

Dani laughed as Bryson shot his friend a dirty look.

“Yeah, smartass,” Bryson said. “I am. And then, if Dani’s interested, I’d like to expand on some of the dirty, kinky sex we’ve been having lately.”

Dani sat up as well, tugging her t-shirt over her head. The guys must have taken off her bra, pants, shoes and socks after carrying her up. “Who undressed me?”

Aiden ran a gentle finger along her side. “There’s a bruise here.”

She suspected there was one on her back too, but she didn’t want to point that out. She’d only just managed to talk them off the ledge, their fear and worry starting to lessen.

“I’m fine.”

Bryson cupped her face, his thumb stroking her upper cheek. “You have a black eye.”

Her fingers flew to her eye. “Dammit. How am I supposed to explain that to people? Benji will freak the f*ck out.”

Bryson kissed the cheek as if to heal it with his lips. “We’ll think of something.”

“Or you can give Benji the truth,” Aiden suggested. “He loves Dani.”

Dani nodded. “Yeah. I think I might like to talk to him.”

Aiden smiled as he reached out to cup one of her breasts. He was clearly a boob guy. “And by the way, we both undressed you. But we didn’t look. Much.”

“Well then,” she said, gesturing at their boxers. “Fair is fair. My turn for a peek. But don’t worry. I won’t look. Much.”

Bryson stood to strip off his boxers, while Aiden simply lay on the bed and lifted his ass to toss them away. Dani giggled at their haste, then reached for Bryson’s hard cock as he returned to the bed.

He grasped her wrist, keeping her from her prize. “Talk first. Sex second.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Who are you and what have you done with Bryson?”