Burn Butterfly Burn (Masked Duet, #2)

by Reese Rivers

“You been playing me, doll?” As soon as I ask that, I know I’ve fucked up. I should have believed in her, believed in us, because I see my baby doll shatter at my lack of faith in her. Like a switch goes off inside of her, everything that makes her my doll drains away until she’s just an empty shell in front of us. Her hands drop to her sides limply, her whole body droops, her eyes - fuck me… her beautiful blue eyes go flat, empty, and lifeless. They move sluggishly to look at each one of us and then she slowly turns away and starts walking toward the front door. With one stupid fucking question, I wiped out everything she felt for me, for all of us.

“Final, final question. After what you just did to Savy, what do you think she’s going to do to you now that she has full control over the purse strings?”

“You know why she danced in that cage, behind that mask? It’s because she wanted to BE that woman but she was too afraid to be her in real life. She told me…” He barks out a crazed laugh. “She told me that you were the first man to SEE her, to look at her like she was something. She said you made her feel fucking…WORTHY! Argg! She was so fucking wrong. Savy’s always been worthy. You’re the one who isn’t worthy of her.”

“Did you tell your Butterfly who you really are? Did you tell her where we come from? The shit we’ve done over the years? Didn’t you owe her the truth? No? So why the fuck are you entitled to know her secrets, then?”

Tate breaks me from my thoughts. “That’s how she got my dad to back off. It has to be. She used her name and probably some threats that the kind of name like Sevan could follow through on. She told him her real name to try and protect me. Even though she tries to hide it from the world. Why the fuck did she want it hidden? Why wouldn’t she tell us?”

Beck shakes his head and then knocks it back against the wall he’s leaning on. “Didn’t you hear that bitch? Savy just wanted to be normal. Think about the weight that that kind of name and fortune comes with. If people here knew, she would have been under a microscope constantly and they all would judge everything she did.”

“Are you that fucking stupid? She doesn’t CARE about the money! She didn’t care about our pro salary and bonus and she doesn’t care about the billions her dad left her. She’s got plastic Target dressers in her room for fuck sakes. All my doll cared about was having someone see her, care about her. She just wanted something real. And she…won’t…answer…my…calls! FUCK!” He looks frantically between all of us. “One of you try, call her, text her!”

As one, we all start moving to the door but Jude throws an arm out blocking me from following. “No, not you. You don’t get to go anywhere near my doll. You threw fuel all over my girl and lit the fucking match. You can stay right fucking here and burn for it.” “Jude…” He cuts me off with a snarl. “Shut your hole! You’re fucking done, Ash.”

“No, not you. You don’t get to go anywhere near my doll. You threw fuel all over my girl and lit the fucking match. You can stay right fucking here and burn for it.” “Jude…” He cuts me off with a snarl. “Shut your hole! You’re fucking done, Ash.”

Not the sensual, sexual looks but the times her eyes were full of something else, something nameless. The times when I was having a shit day and her eyes said, ‘it’s okay, I see you, I’m here for you.’ The two women, the Butterfly and Savy merge into one and it makes me realize that Savy’s given me way more than I’ve ever given her and she never asked for anything back. The only thing Savy ever took from me was my eyes watching her and I gave those to her willingly. “Fuck!”

She never expected me to tell her anything, she just accepted me for who I am and then tried to help me when she saw how much I was struggling with my future. But at the first sign of conflict, I automatically thought the worst of her. Fuck, she deserves better than me, than us. We’ve been careless with her from the very start. Making her feel like she wasn’t enough to be worth pursuing. Savy gave all of us a second chance after we fucked up the last time but the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach tells me that we probably won’t get a third chance.

I turn back to them and shove my hair back from my face. “I’m not giving up on her. I will never give up on her…but…I’ll wait. She’s fucking worth it.”

I kept saying I wanted more with the Butterfly but the truth was that I liked that she was at a distance, she was safe. Savy rocked all that and I fucking fell for her, picked her, but as soon as I was given an out by her cunt sister, I latched on to it and blew it up before it even started. Savy deserves so much more than that.

I drain the last of my beer and set the bottle next to the others as I reach down inside and dig deep. I want to be the man she deserves because she is worth it. So, I’ll wait too but I’ll spend the next years working on being the man Savy deserves and if I get another chance, I’ll make it right. If she’ll let me, I’ll love that woman with everything I’ve got and it still won’t be enough. I’ll never be worthy of Savy but I’ll spend every day fucking trying.

“Babes, please! You spent over two years shaking your barely covered ass in front of way worse crowds. This is when you bring the Butterfly back. You strut across that carpet wearing her mask with your eyes snapping a great big fuck you to all those cameras. Savy, they can’t touch the Butterfly so be her when you need to be.”

“Never. I told you the last time I was deep inside of you that you’re mine and I fucking meant it.”

Jude

almost lose my balance on my towering heels but strong arms wrap around me and pull me up against another hard chest. I blink my eyes a few times to clear the daze of seeing Jude again and look up straight into desire-filled jade green eyes. I suck back a quick gasp and my head spins. “Hello, Butterfly. It’s so fucking good to watch you dance again.”

Ash

another body slides up behind me and rough hands grasp my hips. “Baby girl, you still take my breath away.” Is murmured directly into my ear.

Tate

“Peaches, please, just give us a chance to explain.”

Beckett

Stella laughs harshly. “I don’t think Savy gives a fuck what you want.” She turns to me and asks, “Savy, you got any fucks to give?” I meet each one of their gazes and see emotions that shouldn’t be there after the way we left things. I don’t understand why they are here, why they want to talk to me after all this time so I slowly start shaking my head and say, “Go fish.”

“Savy, you got any fucks to give?” I meet each one of their gazes and see emotions that shouldn’t be there after the way we left things. I don’t understand why they are here, why they want to talk to me after all this time so I slowly start shaking my head and say, “Go fish.”

Stella’s hand slips into mine and squeezes. “Oh, babes. You’re so fucked.”

They both get pulled over to the press and all the standard questions are asked and canned answers given until the pretty blond reporter asks, “You both seemed incredibly focused and especially fierce out there today. What was the driving force for you that brought home the win?” Jude’s eyes slide away from her to stare into the camera and he tips his head up with a hard expression. “We won it for our girl and we wish she was here to see it.”

“No! They can say whatever they want. It’s too late, I saw the look in their eyes. I heard the hateful words that Ash screamed at me and was gutted by Jude’s lack of faith in me. It’s over! It’s all over!”

I sniff back my tears and sigh. “God, Stella, I’m such a mess.” She brushes the hair away from my face and nods. “Yes, you are. But, caterpillars have to dissolve into a disgusting pile of goo before they become butterflies.” She waves a finger up and down me. “So, you know, just keep going and we’ll find your wings eventually.”

Jude’s looking up at me with what could only be described as an adoring look and I’m looking down at him with my mouth open in surprise but it’s the look of pure longing covering my face that makes me toss the section of paper into the garbage.

“It wasn’t all that hard to climb over your back wall and I’m here because you won’t read my messages so I decided to say good morning in person so you can’t ignore me anymore.” His smirk softens and I catch the hint of vulnerability that crosses through his eyes when he says softly, “Good morning, beautiful.”

He uses my wrists to yank me closer so my chest hits his. “The same damn reason you can’t let it go, doll. I fucking love you. That never changed!”

“I did let it go. I let all of you go when I got on that plane and never came back. I built a new life here and it has no room for any of you in it.” A small smile pulls at his lips as his fingers press into my lower back. “I might have believed you, doll, but you’re wearing my fucking shirt.”

“I might have believed you, doll, but you’re wearing my fucking shirt.”

“That’s Tate’s hoodie too, isn’t it? You haven’t let it go, baby doll. None of us have. You might not read my messages but every morning you see my name and you never blocked me, never changed your number. Savy, none of us are ever going to let it go. We belong with each other. Read all the messages, Savy. Catch up to the rest of us.”

“Let me go, Jude.” He stares into my eyes and then slowly starts to nod. “Yeah, I’ll let you go today but I’m going to keep climbing whatever walls you put between us, baby. I’m done waiting so get your head straight. This is happening.”

Jude Dixon just told me he loves me and I have no idea what to do about it.

“What do you want, Tate?” There is no pre-amble, no attempt at small talk, and no hesitation when he answers. “You.”

“Not all of a sudden, Savy. It never went away. We fucked up that night, a hundred percent, but we knew it almost as soon as it happened. We chased after you but missed you by minutes when you got on that plane. There was nothing we could do right then. We had the playoffs and then nationals back to back. All of us texted you, called you, left messages trying to explain.”

“Not all of you,” falls from my lips unwittingly and I bite down hard on my tongue until I taste blood. Tate sighs and leans back into the chair. “That’s on him to fix. But you can’t blame the rest of us for his mistakes. Savy, we thought you’d come back when school started again. We thought we had time to fix it, to show you how much we wanted you and how sorry we were for that moment of doubt that ruined everything. But you didn’t come back and then the draft happened and Jude and I were sent to opposite sides of the country.”

“Do you know when I stepped onto that field for the first time as a professional football player I always thought it would be the best day of my life? I stood there, hearing the crowd cheering my name and I scanned as many faces as I could but it wasn’t the best day…because you weren’t there. The one person who I knew would be proud of me. It should have been the best day of my life but it wasn’t because you weren’t there, I was all alone.”

I scrunch down further in my seat and tug the baseball cap lower until it bumps into my oversized sunglasses as the team takes the field. When they announce Tate’s name and he turns to look at the crowd chanting his name, my heart forgets briefly of the pain he caused me as it swells with how proud I am of him. It was the same last week when I went to Jude’s first game. These careless boys hurt me so badly but I had to come. I knew they wouldn’t have family in the stands to support them on such a momentous moment and even though they will never know I was here, I couldn’t stand the thought of them starting their careers with no one who loves them present.

“I’ll be the first to admit that I fucked up with you over and over again but I’m not that guy anymore. All of us were just a bunch of dumb twenty-year-olds with our heads stuck up our asses. We’ve all grown up since then. Please, give us…me…another chance to prove that.”

“I’m sorry, Tate, I have no more chances to give. I have a meeting so you need to go.” He stands but doesn’t move for a few moments just stares at me and then nods. “I understand I used up all my chances with you but please, Savy, don’t shut out Jude. He…needs you. He never stopped believing in you and loving you.”

“I understand I used up all my chances with you but please, Savy, don’t shut out Jude. He…needs you. He never stopped believing in you and loving you.”

Ash and Jude still aren’t back to what they used to have and Beck, well Beck needs her forgiveness more than all of us to move on. With or without her.

“Morning, baby girl. I’d tell you to watch where you’re going but I like the results when you don’t.” “For the love of…What do you want, Tate?”

“I’m good now, baby girl. Just wanted to start my day by seeing your beautiful face. Enjoy your day.”

“Every goddamn night since you left, I fisted my aching cock and stroked it to the memories of this curvy, hot body, doll. The things I did to you in my head to punish you for leaving me? There was no way I was going another fucking day without having the taste of you on my tongue.”

man holding the doors open with a frantic look on his face. I stare back at Beckett Hart in bewilderment for a few beats until the tiny boy in my arms straightens up with a huge grin and speaks for the first time. “Daddy! Sa

“Savy, Daddy! Savy!” Tanner yells in his high-pitched voice and I want to cry right here and now but I can’t do that in front of my son so instead I paste on a smile and nod.

The last person I expected to see holding my son was Savy. Her eyes were closed as she rested her cheek against Tanner’s head and the look of pure despondency on her face, like she truly believes she will never have her own child on top of the sheer relief at seeing my son safe, almost took my knees out.

“She’s not a fucking patient to me, she’s my fucking girl,” I grind out through clenched teeth. “If she’s here, I need to know!”

My eyes never move from Savy’s face when I say, “I’m the man who has loved her for the last six years and she needs a fucking minute.”