Hidden In Brutal Devotion (The Brutal Duet Book 1) (The Brutal Series)
Hidden In Brutal Devotion: Chapter 16

Lucas

“We’re going out for dinner.” Cole stands in the doorway of my office with his arms crossed over his broad chest and his jaw clenching. No doubt, his pissed off expression is because of my absence the past few days.

I’ve made myself scarce. I’ve withdrawn from them both and struggled with thoughts of losing them, a combination of embarrassment, awkwardness, and downright terror of the fucked-up situation I’ve found myself in.

I know what I want, but I don’t know how to get it, and the thought of hurting either one of them feels too much to bear.

A pang of fear hits me hard, and my breath hitches in a desperate need to gain air.

“You’re coming with us,” he tacks on, completely missing my internal meltdown.

His words sink into me. “You’re coming with us.” They want me.

They both want me.

“W-What?” I remain frozen, unsure of his meaning.

“Dinner. We’re leaving in half an hour.” He glances at his watch in annoyance. “Go shower or something. You look like shit.”

He turns and walks away, leaving me with no option but to push my chair back and do as he instructs.

She looks beautiful. A small red dress barely covers her luscious ass and molds to her body perfectly. Her blonde waves flow down her back, and when she turns toward me, my footing wavers. Her eyes latch on to mine, tugging my heart and gripping it like a vise. She licks her blood-red lips, and excitement skitters down my spine at the thought of marking her to match her dress. Marking her with blood.

The thought should sicken me, repulse me beyond comprehension, but instead, it makes my cock stiffen in my pants and my hand search for my knife, gripping it tightly in my palm, stroking it with excitement.

“Finished with your pity party, then?” Cole saunters into the living area, eyeing me like a snake, his eyes seething and his jaw tight with tension. I stand taller, ignoring his taunts, feigning confidence and swallowing away the guilt.

“Tia’s been worried about you!” He spits the words out like poison, and my eyes dart to hers in question.

She shrugs with a delicate smile placed there to make me feel at ease.

My heart rattles. It wants to run, and the meager contents in my stomach threaten to expel to the floor. I hurt her.

And with the look of hate piercing through Cole’s eyes?

I hurt both of them.

I wince and squeeze my eyes closed as a swell of panic bubbles inside me. “Lucas. It’s okay. Really, it’s okay now.” Her soft hand touches my spine and mimics her delicate tone. My fist tightens on my knife for security. She’s touching me.

“Can we just go out and enjoy the evening?” she asks, her eyes jumping from mine to Cole’s.

He seems to finally grasp the intensity of my panic; his face relaxes and fills with sympathy, forcing my eyes away from his, unable to deal with his assumptions.

“Let’s go.” His deep voice cuts through the air, leaving no room for negotiation as he marches toward the elevator.

I follow behind them, my hand twitching to touch her, hold her hand in mine. But instead, she holds Cole’s.

She is his, after all.

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