Madness Ends by Beth D. Carter Read Free Book Online Page A

Kaiya took a shower, Gabby rose and grabbed his underwear, mindless of the fact that Boone still lounged naked on the bed. There was no need to be self-conscious about their nudity. They’d served together in the Corp, and Boone made sure he couldn’t hurt people at night, which meant he had to tie Gabby up to sleep. That right there screamed a level of intimacy that both, as two heterosexual men, had become very comfortable with.
    “Can you do this?” Boone asked.
    Gabby finished zipping his jeans before looking at him. They were heading to the store to get some cleaning supplies. “Can I do what?”
    “Us and her.”
    Gabby didn’t answer right away. He pulled his ponytail back into the band, smoothing the strands that had become entangled from lovemaking. “I have no problem with us and her.”
    Boone folded his arms behind his head. “Not what I meant.”
    Gabby stared steadily at him. “ I will never share the night with her, but I won’t stop you from doing that.”
    “What about when you start to feel jealous?”
    Gabby took a second to reflect on that word. In a normal situation, sure, he’d be jealous as hell. But the way he was forbade him to lead a normal life, not to the mention the fact that this was Boone he was talking to… He shook his head. “I won’t allow myself to be jealous.”
    “Stubborn son of a bitch,” Boone muttered.
    Gabby looked toward the bathroom door. It stood open, so he could see the outline of Kaiya’s beautiful body through the opaque shower door. Hunger twisted his insides, burning through his gut and up into his heart, which beat a little too fast every time he looked at her. From the first moment he’d laid eyes on her, some pull had yanked at him, drawing him closer. He was thirty-eight years old, way too fucking old to be lusting over a much younger woman, and yet he couldn’t drag his thoughts from her. Morning, noon and night, she plagued him. Every room he entered in the clubhouse, he constantly searched her out, even knowing she never left her office. He forced himself to stay away, to act nonchalant, even though all he wanted to do was stay by her side and watch over her.
    He was pathetic. A man like him didn’t deserve someone as lovely as Kaiya. The blood on his hands could never be washed away. Right now, she wanted to live out her fantasies, so he would be that for her. He could fulfill every raunchy, dirty scenario she could dream up, and when it was over, he would walk away knowing she had been the best thing to ever happen to him.
    “Gabby—”
    “No,” he said. He didn’t need platitudes, promises or hope. “I’ve tried to stay away, but I can’t. And you know why I can’t sleep through the night with her. I can’t control the madness.”
    “You’re not mad,” Boone whispered.
    The shower turned off. Gabby forced himself to stop looking at Kaiya’s silhouette to stare Boone in the eyes.
    “I’ve snapped once,” he said, his voice dead and cold. “There’s no telling when it’ll happen again. It’s imperative we keep her safe.”
    Boone sighed and slowly nodded before he rose and reached for his clothes. Gabby left the bedroom, not turning around again. He could never look over his shoulder. Otherwise, he might see all the ghosts ready to drag him to Hell.
     
    * * * *
     
    Sometime later, they walked into the local hardware store together. Gabby held her hand, and Boone followed behind them. She noticed a few stares, but they didn’t bother her. People had been staring at her for her entire life, for one reason or another. She was quite proud to be sandwiched between the two handsome specimens.
    They strolled through the aisles, stopping at various places. She knew they talked to each another, because the vibrations of their words rumbled back and forth, but she didn’t bother trying to see what they said. Gabby picked up a bucket, and Boone became captivated by a display of tools just as she saw a sign for the restroom. She