Grayson Brothers Series Boxed Set (4 books in 1) (19 page)

Kyle’s fists clenched around the reins and he glared at her for several long seconds. “Get out. I can’t talk to you right now.”

She touched his arm. “I can explain this better if you’d just calm down and listen a minute.”

He jerked away from her. “I’m not interested in talking tonight. I’m going to find Perry Morton and kill him for spiking that punch you were drinking all evening.”

“It’s not the punch influencing my decision.”

He jumped out of the carriage, caught her around the waist, and swung her out, planting her feet on the ground. “We’ll settle this tomorrow when you’re thinking straight,” he said then climbed aboard, snapped the reins, and bolted out of her driveway.

Confused and hurting, Evelyn turned toward the quiet sanctuary of her livery. Even if she couldn’t communicate with Kyle anymore, she didn’t want to lose his friendship. Tomorrow she’d go talk to him and try to make him understand that breaking their engagement had been the right thing to do.

She wandered across the lawn, seeking a place to calm her mind and find a way to reach through Kyle’s anger.

When Radford stepped from the darkened doorway of the livery, she gasped and stumbled back a step. She’d forgotten about the light in the window.

Radford moved into the moonlight and Evelyn’s breath caught. She should go to the house, but she couldn’t force herself to turn away from the appeal in his eyes.

“Remember the night in my bedroom when I said I was feeling dangerous?” he asked quietly.

A tingle of warning crawled up her back, and she took a step away from him.

“I’ve been out of control all evening, Evelyn. Every time I saw you in Kyle’s arms, I wanted to shove him aside and pull you into my own.”

Her heart pounded and her gaze locked with his.

“I can’t pretend anymore. I need you,” he said, his gaze dark, intense.

Stunned, she could barely force herself to reply. “I need you, too,” she whispered.

He held out his hand. “Then come here,” he said, his voice compelling her to move toward him.

He drew her inside the barn, pushed the door closed with his shoulder then guided her to the tack room.  Soft yellow light reflected in his eyes as he lowered the lighting. “Unless you tell me otherwise, I’m going to tell Kyle how I feel. I have to, Evelyn.” His dark-eyed gaze moved over her like a gentle caress as he stepped forward and brushed his thumb across her lips. “I’ve never experienced this feeling in my life. I don’t want to lose it. I want to marry you.”

Wings of joy lifted her heart. She wanted to be his wife, his friend, and mother to his beautiful daughter. Overcome with emotion, she raised her face and kissed him..

The fecund smell of hay and leather mixed with the fragrance of Radford’s cologne and wool suit. The lingering hint of a sweet cigar and the light taste of whiskey upon his tongue filled her senses, leaving her reeling in the intoxicating potpourri of his kiss. He wanted to marry her…

Radford retreated first, pulling back and gritting his teeth. “I’m too weak tonight,” he said, his voice hoarse and shaky. “Go inside. We’ll talk more in the morning then I’ll go see Kyle.”

She didn’t want to talk. Despite her heartache over Kyle, she felt free and alive and wanted to experience every wild emotion rushing through her veins. She kissed Radford’s neck and nipped his chin with her teeth.

His whole body trembled. “If I lock that door, like I’m tempted to do, it will be a long time before it opens again.”

She locked the door herself. This man was going to be her husband. They were going to share a future that she wanted to begin now.

His brows shot upward. “What are you doing?”

 She silenced him with another bold kiss, but he broke away.

“You have to go.”

“Not yet.”

“You’re killing me.” He fumbled with the pins in her hair until Evelyn reached up and pulled them free, one pin after another falling to the floor until her curls tumbled over her shoulders and fell to her hips. He dug his hands into the thick strands and buried his face in her neck then he groaned and grappled for the door lock. “Go!” he commanded, but Evelyn stopped his hand.

“I broke my engagement, Radford.”

He reared back, his eyes wide as he stared at her.

“I couldn’t promise to love and honor Kyle when I wanted to do this with you,” she said, threading her fingers into his hair.

He braced his palms against the door, his arms bracketing her head. “You’re serious?”

She nodded.

“Kyle must have been—”

Evelyn put her fingers over his mouth. “He was, but we’ll talk about it tomorrow.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him against her. “I don’t want to talk tonight.”

His nostrils flared and he lowered his mouth to her neck.

She kissed his jaw and worked up to his temple. “You smell so good.”

He swept her hair away from her body then let it fall around her hips. “I love your hair.” He linked fingers with her and brought her knuckles to his lips. “I love your callused hands and the way they treat my daughter. I love the way they care for your father. They’re beautiful, honest hands.” He kissed her fingers then freed the buttons on her sleeves. “Last chance to unlock the door,” he whispered, brushing her eyebrow with his lips.

Unashamed of her need, Evelyn pushed his suit coat open and ran her hands up his chest.

His eyes turned darker than she’d ever seen them. He tugged open the long line of pearl buttons down the front of her dress and gently pushed it off her shoulders. It fell to her feet. With trembling hands, he released the silk ties of her corset and pushed the straps of her chemise off her shoulders. His nostrils flared when he saw her breasts, but he didn’t touch them. He untied her drawers and the ties to her stockings. The lacy undergarments fell to the floor, frothing at Evelyn’s feet like a small cascade of water as she stood naked above them.

Radford’s eyes swept her body. She dropped her chin and let her hair fall around her like a protective cloak.

“Don’t hide. You’re beautiful.” He pushed her hair away then reached down and lifted her into his arms. He crossed the room and lowered her to the narrow cot against the wall. “I have an unfair advantage at the moment,” he said, reaching for the buttons on his trousers.

As Radford undressed, Evelyn was unable to look away. The white of his shorts contrasted sharply with the black hair on his legs and his tanned, firm waist. When he reached for the waistband of his undershorts, his eyes met hers as he slid them down the length of his long, hard legs. When Evelyn’s gaze traveled back up, she knew a moment of true amazement. He was splendid, with a lean waist and narrow hips, so regal in his desire, the boldness of him there for her to admire or fear.

He knelt before her, removed her shoes and hose then drew her down on the bed, the heat of his body branding her as he pulled her into his arms.

She smoothed her palms over his skin, not because she was so bold, but simply because she could not resist. A dark line of hair covered his chest and tapered to a vee as it descended his hard stomach. His muscles quivered as her hands traveled over his warm skin, coarse hair, and hard nipples.

He kissed her and brushed her private curls with his fingers. Evelyn gasped as he stroked her there, eliciting a warmth that spread through her thighs and stomach, and made her lift her hips toward his palm.

* * *

Radford gloried in Evelyn’s response. She was beautiful with her head pressed back against the pillow, her throat arched, her hair tousled around her ivory skin as he brought her body to a climax.

Only then did he cover her with his own body, allowing only the slightest breach until she was ready and the effort of holding back was more than he could bear. He deepened their kiss then eased inside, taking her pained cry into his mouth.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said, brushing her hair off her face.

He waited until he felt her relax then began a slow rolling movement with his hip, slowly lifting her back to the precipice, sending her soaring again as he found his own release.

In the aftermath, they lay quiet, letting their breathing slow as they held each other.

“This is so beautiful,” she whispered.

“It’s only that way when you share it with someone you love,” he said. “Otherwise it’s an empty act.”

“You’ve never felt this before?”

He propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at her. “Never,” he said, smoothing away the worry line between her eyes.

“But you have Rebecca. Surely you loved her mother?”

“You don’t need to love someone to make a child with them.”

She lowered her lashes. “I know. I just assumed you felt something for her mother.”

He sighed, not wanting to talk about Olivia after loving Evelyn, but knowing it would ease Evelyn’s mind. He traced the underside of her jaw. “When I met Olivia, I’d just come off the battlefields after three years of hell. I was trying to distract my mind from the war and I found that distraction with Olivia. She didn’t love me, and I never loved her.”

“I’m glad.”

He smiled at her honesty. “So am I. Otherwise, I would have missed loving you.”

He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. “We’d better dress and go inside.”

They left the cot and he pulled on his trousers and his shirt then stood barefoot with his shirt hanging open as he buttoned Evelyn’s gown for her. He brushed his bare foot across hers then smiled when she curled her toes.

“Are you ticklish?” When she nodded, he laughed. “I’ll have to use that against you sometime.”

“I’ll make your life miserable if you do,” she said then put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

“Radford!” Kyle’s enraged shout, and the rattle of the door handle, jolted Radford and Evelyn apart. An instant later the tack room door smashed against the wall and vibrated with aftershocks as Kyle burst into the room. He stood like a steel beam, his fists clenched at his sides, face and neck red with anger as he took in their state of undress. “I knew you were trying to hide something from me,” he said to Evelyn. He swung his accusing gaze back to Radford, his teeth bared as he moved forward. “You sneaking son of a bitch!”

“Evelyn, go in the house,” Radford said, his voice deadly serious.

Kyle glared at her as if daring her to move.

“There’s more involved here than you think,” Radford said.

“You can’t know what I think,” Kyle said, crossing the floor and jerking Radford away from Evelyn by his shirt.

“Don’t, Kyle. We’ll both regret it.” Radford tried to dislodge Kyle’s hands, but they were locked on his shirt like a vise.

Kyle’s fist blasted into his jaw, followed by a hard punch to the stomach that slammed him into the wall. Radford curled forward from the loss of breath, trying to reason with Kyle as darkness hummed around his head.

“Don’t you dare pass out, you bastard,” Kyle said from the distance. “I’m nowhere near finished.”

Evelyn’s voice sounded a mile away, but as Radford’s head cleared he could see her standing in the doorway with her hand over her mouth, her eyes filled with horror. “Kyle, stop this!”

“Get out, Evelyn,” both men said in unison.

“Not until you two regain your sanity!”

Kyle gave a derisive bark of laughter. “That’s right. I am crazy. I must have been to ever trust you, or this lying bastard.” He swung his fist, but Radford deflected the blow.

“Kyle!” Evelyn shrieked. She ran to him, pulling hard on his bulging arm. “Stop!”

He yanked his arm free. The loss of support propelled her backward and sent her careening into the wall. Harnesses tangled in her flailing arms and a saddle spun sideways, falling to the floor and taking her with it.

“Stay away from me!” Kyle yelled. “Don’t you dare beg for him. You are as much to blame as he is.”

Radford hadn’t seen Kyle this out of control in all the years he’d known him. Not even during their fights as kids. But he’d heard and seen enough. He shoved past him and helped Evelyn to stand. “Get out of here,” he said gently.

Kyle grabbed Radford’s arm and spun him around. “Keep your filthy hands off her!” he warned. Then he threw another punch that caught Radford below the eye.

Kyle had a right to be angry and hurt, but he was going to pound Radford into fragments if he didn’t stop. Still, Radford couldn’t raise his fist to Kyle. Not now. Not after what he’d done.

“You’re hurting him!” Evelyn cried.

“Are you afraid I’ll mess up his pretty face?” Kyle asked. “Did he speak of dreams and faraway places? Did he promise you picnics and tea parties?”

“Kyle, I’m sorry. You don’t understand.”

“You’re damn right I don’t!” he said, taking a shot at Radford’s exposed jaw.

Evelyn screamed and raced from the tack room.

Radford gripped Kyle’s shirtfront and hauled him toward the wall. If he could just keep him pinned he could avoid Kyle’s fist and not have to hit him back. But holding a man Kyle’s size stationary was like trying to stop Niagara Falls from flowing. It could not be done.

Kyle shoved hard and sent Radford stepping backward frantically as he tried to keep his feet beneath him. And he would have if not for Kyle’s fist. Radford felt the sting on his cheek then the door frame smash into his ribs as he slid to the floor. Pain ripped through his side and sparked the old angry fire that had once raged within him.

He would have stayed on the floor to catch his breath and rein in his growing anger, but Kyle hauled him to his feet. It had been so much easier when they were younger and Radford was bigger than Kyle. Usually a thump on the head settled any problems. Radford fervently hoped it would work now. He ducked Kyle’s flying fist then swung hard, feeling great regret even before he connected with Kyle’s jaw.

Kyle’s head jerked and he grinned as blood seeped from his split lip. “At least you’ll act like a man and fight. I was afraid you had grown completely worthless.”

Radford answered the insult with his fists and Kyle greedily took them, appearing to savor the pain as he returned a hard shot for every one received.

The black rage was growing within Radford and he pushed it back, fighting it fiercely, trying to bat away Kyle’s fists, unwilling to do any more damage to his brother’s flesh. But the blows from Kyle’s fists burst upon Radford’s body in explosions of pain that felt like flying shrapnel. 

The monster within Radford crawled to its knees. Panic engulfed him. He was losing control. “Kyle, stop! You have to stop now!”

Laughter filled the room and an explosion burst in Radford’s head, filling the blackness with angry red sparks...

Atlanta was burning! Its blaze roared like a red monster in the night sky. Muskets cracked in the thickets and battered Radford’s shirtfront with piercing shards of metal. Shells whistled past his ears and ripped the flesh from his face.

The sinister being within him rose to its feet.

That uncontrollable, animalistic urge to kill burned deep in his gut. His fists curled into weapons of death. With every fiber of his being he swung, throwing his fists out like hammers, taking great satisfaction in each dull thud that met his enemy’s flesh. He would not watch another one of his friends slaughtered by this war to be left in mutilated heaps of bloodied flesh! His torn knuckles punctuated each burden this war had forced upon his conscience. He struck out at the senseless waste of lives and the animal it was forcing him to become.