Free Twice the Touch by Cara Dee Page B

saving him. Perhaps she has in the past.
    I wouldn’t call Evangeline's protectiveness anything negative—far from it. She's not enabling him. But…it might be time for him to let someone else in, too. And if he grows to trust more and more people, it could eventually help him to relax fully.
    All in due time, though.
    "You know what I realized?" I ask Evangeline and grab a Styrofoam box with grilled fish. " I don’t know your last name." I've learned her occupation, her hobbies, her age, and more about who she is. But not her last name. "I don’t know yours, either." I face Brayden. I've learned a lot less from him. I know he works with computers—software and animation—I know he's twenty-six years old, and that he likes metal and punk.
    "Oh. My name's Lacroix," Evangeline says softly.
    "Doesn’t get much more French than that, does it?" I grin. I've already guessed there's something French in her, so I can't say I'm surprised.
    "My father is French." Sh e smiles. "But he was born here."
    "Are you fluent?" I'm not good at languages. In school, I was all about sports, math, and, my favorite subject: free period.
    "Somewhat." Her smile turns modest. "Brayden says I sometimes mutter to myself in French—and, like, I use terms of endearment, curses… Brayden's my angel— mon ange . Oh, and—" she laughs "—I've tried to teach him a few things, but he stopped after finding a pet name for me."
    "Which is?" I glance between the two, ignoring the slight twinge of envy.
    In a perfect world, I'd have what they have. But I got Alexa instead.
    Evangeline blushes. " Ma belle ."
    And I can guess that one. "Very fitting." I grin at Brayden. "But no French last name for you?" I get us back on track. I maintain an easy smile on my face; I also try to keep my body in check. After all, they're almost naked.
    He fidgets in his seat a little and clears his throat, looking away. "No. Um, Zeagler. Brayden Zeagler."
    Unusual. And… I frown. Oddly familiar . I'm pretty sure I've heard that name before, though I can't pinpoint it.
    "Brayden's father ran for mayor a couple years ago," Evangeline says with a tight-lipped smile. And that’s all I needed. Zeagler. Clark Zeagler. He didn’t win. He's not the mayor—much to my brothers' disappointment—but he's an influential man. He's also a strict Catholic, the most conservative of Republicans, and can wrap up a "fuck you" and an "I hate gays" in five-dollar words and a political smile.
    "My condolences," I mutter, tipping my beer bottle at him. With just his name, it's easier to understand him. Not only is Brayden a submissive, but I'm fairly positive he's bisexual, too. Couldn’t have been easy to grow up with his dad.
    " Je te l'avais bien dit, mon ange —I said he'd understand." Evangeline gives Brayden a teasing little smirk. "You should tell him more—"
    "Lina." Brayden's voice is soft and his gaze isn't harder, but the warning's still clear. He's not ready.
    "It's okay." I nod to him. "I won't pressure you." Yet . Limits are meant to be pushed, but I know when to be patient. "In fact, let's drop this subject and move on." While Brayden looks relieved, Evangeline appears remorseful for pushing her boyfriend. I want none of that right now. "If you're both finished eating, I think we should take this into the living room." Ironically, I'm not done eating, so I shovel some grilled fish into my mouth and then chase it down with my beer.
    As much as I want to tell them to just march into my bedroom and wait for my orders, it's too soon. Brayden's not relaxed yet, and Evangeline still feels bad for putting pressure on him.

Chapter 7
    I find out that the right way to mellow out Brayden is to let Evangeline take the lead. The setting might appear romantic—lit candles, music on in the background, and wine on the table—but the mood is light thanks to Evangeline's babysitting stories. Not the sexiest topic, but it certainly helps Brayden lower his guard.
    We're all seated on my big