“Eric isn’t who you think he is. I’m not making excuses for him.”
“It sounds like it to me.”
He smiled. “Eric had a really bad life. It doesn’t justify what he did and I don’t expect you to forgive and forget, but give him a chance. He wanted you, and he will do whatever it takes to fix what is broken between the two of you.”
“We’ve never been friends, Dean. Once this lockdown is lifted, I’ll be going back to my life, and all three of you will be going back to yours.”
“Why do you think it will be that simple?” he asked.
She burst out laughing. “Are you kidding me? We’re different. If it wasn’t for this lockdown, I’d never be alone with you.”
“And yet, in the past couple of days, we’ve made you come more times than you could count. You lost that V-card of yours, and believe me, princess, the games are only just beginning.” He got to his feet and quickly dropped a kiss to her stunned lips.
“I thought you said there wasn’t any game.”
“The only kind of game I’m playing is the kind that will have you screaming my name.” He winked at her. “Think about what I’ve said.”
He turned on his heel and left the kitchen.
Eric needed a helping hand when it came to that woman, and he was more than happy to help, especially as he saw a different kind of future for them all. One that didn’t include endless suits and stupid hours at work.
****
Sipping at her glass of orange juice the following day, Daphne stared across the lawn at Eric as he chopped firewood. He’d been doing it for a couple of hours. He’d appeared outside in a shirt and as the time wore on, the shirt was gone, leaving him in a pair of jeans and his endless array of ink that took her breath away.
He’d been one of the most popular guys in high school. When he got his first tattoo, it had been the talk of the week. Every single girl had wanted to see it. It was a simple ring of thorns around his left upper arm. She wondered what the significance of the ink was. There had to be a reason for getting it. She doubted he was a man who just simply decorated his skin for no good reason.
Even from where she stood, she saw all three of the men’s initials printed across his back. Each initial had a hand, and all of them were joined together. Bound in brotherhood. That was how tight all three of them were, and the last thing she wanted to do was come between that.
With Dean’s words echoing in her mind, she made her way across the grass. She hadn’t bothered with shoes, rather enjoying the feel of the cool ground beneath her feet.
“Hey,” she said.
He lifted up the axe, bringing it down. “Hey.” He didn’t look up at her.
“You know, you don’t need to do this.”
“I saw your storage. It’s looking a little dry.”
“We’ve got a couple of months before we need to worry about it.”
He shrugged. “It’s about time I got on top of it.”
She chuckled. “This isn’t your responsibility. You’re a guest.”
“No, I imposed. We all did. The least I can do is help out when I can.”
He looked thirsty, and she quickly offered him her glass of orange juice. “Thanks,” he said, gulping the liquid down.
“You looked thirsty.”
He finished the drink and handed it right back to her. There were no words. He lifted the axe and brought it straight back down again.
“Can we talk?”
“I can do two things at once.”
He swung the axe, splitting the wood in two. Then he bent down, picking up the two pieces, and added them to the pile.
“Why did you come back here?” she asked.
He wiped his hands down the backs of his pants. “You know why. We came for you. Dean made the reservations, but it was my idea.”
“But why?”
“I wanted to see you.”
She nibbled on her lip, frowning. “We were never friends. I’ve been thinking about it since last night. We didn’t even hang out in kindergarten, or outside of school. What made you think about me?”
Eric stared at her. He wasn’t just looking at her, but watching her, seeing right through to her soul. It was like he’d stripped her bare where he stood, and she could do nothing but wait for him to be finished.
“Eric?”
“I don’t know what to say to make you understand, okay? I’ve been thinking about you a lot. What I did was fucked up, and I’m sorry.”
“You keep saying the same that, and I still don’t understand.”
“Because I wanted you,” he said, raising his voice. “I wanted you back then, and I want you now. I know you’ve had Micah and Dean. I don’t even know if you can forgive me for the shit I pulled back then. I … fuck me, Daphne, I fucking craved you, okay. You were all I ever wanted.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“But … you hated me.”
Eric gritted his teeth, gripping the axe tightly. “No, I didn’t. I had to hate you. It made my life easier.” He put up another piece of wood and she watched him split it in two. “My old man… I didn’t have kind, loving parents like yours. To everyone else watching, they were perfect. I get that. Inside, when no one watched, they were a pair of judgmental assholes. My dad was a real piece of work.”
He stood tall and turned toward her. “He saw me watching you. It was before high school.” He ran a hand down his face. “I’d always been careful about showing
