Strung

by Victoria Ashley

  His parents came home two days later and his dad beat the shit out of him. He couldn’t open his right eye for three damn days.

  It took everything in me not to break that fucker’s neck for placing his hands on Sebastian.

  After he gives me the thumbs up through the window, I drive off and head to Vortex to check on the boys.

  Sundays are one of the slowest days for the bar, so I’m not surprised to see that it’s dead . . . maybe nine or ten customers hanging around.

  I’m also not surprised to see that Tegan is hanging out here with her laptop again. For some damn reason this place gives her inspiration.

  “How’s Gavin catching on?”

  Colby turns away from cleaning out one of the coolers. “Better than I expected.” He stands up and drapes the towel over his shoulder. “The ladies have loosened the kid up. Look.” He points to the table of girls that Gavin’s surrounded by.

  My eyebrows raise in surprise as I watch him smoothly flirt with the chicks like a pro.

  “Looks like he’ll fit right in as long as he can keep up. I’ll be out back if you need me.”

  “Sure thing, Boss.”

  Walking out back, I can’t help the small grin that occurs when Tegan looks up at me and then slowly scans my body over, before turning away.

  “I guess you were right when you said this is the only place you wear clothes.” She goes back to typing, but then pauses. “I thought Xan was here.”

  I pull out the chair across from her and take a seat. “He is.”

  She laughs. “Okay . . . so you both need to be here? It’s a Sunday. There’s like no one here.”

  “You’re here,” I say. “Someone’s got to keep an eye on you while your brother sleeps in his office.”

  She shifts a little in her seat and clears her throat. “Is that jerk really sleeping?”

  “Most likely,” I admit. “He’s a workaholic and a worrier. He spends time here even when he doesn’t need to. He has to sleep sometime.”

  “So that’s why you’re here?”

  “Yeah,” I say with a nod. “Gotta have my boy’s back. Always have and always will.”

  My eyes shift over to her computer screen.

  He’s so damn cocky and hot that all I can think about is slapping him and fucking him at the same time.

  My cock twitches.

  “Are you writing about me?”

  “No!” She quickly slams her computer shut. “Don’t you know it’s rude to read someone’s computer or phone without asking?”

  I stand up and walk behind her, leaning in close to her ear. She instantly sucks in a breath and stiffens at me being so close to her. “So, you haven’t thought about fucking me, Tegan?”

  “You’re a cocky asshole,” she says tightly as I walk back around to face her.

  “Exactly.” I grin, knowing that I caught her in a lie.

  As hard as she tries to hide it, her eyes give her away.

  “Fuck you.”

  “Please do,” I tease. “I’ll let you slap me too.”

  Her eyes lower down my body, but she’s quick to pull them away and clear her throat.

  “You know . . . if you don’t want to get caught checking me out, you can always just look at the photo you took of me last night on your phone.”

  She looks up quickly, her face turning red with embarrassment.

  “That wasn’t for me.”

  “You expect me to believe that, Tegan?”

  Our banter stops once Alexander walks out back, eyeing us over suspiciously.

  “Am I interrupting some shit?”

  Tegan gives me a hard look and then turns to her brother. “Nope. Micah was just leaving.” She huffs, while opening her computer back up. “What is it about you two with reading my damn work? Can I have some damn peace and quiet now?”

  I lift a brow. “Your dirty words caught my attention. Maybe if you weren’t writing about sexy shit then I wouldn’t read it.”

  Alexander glares at me. “Yeah, you’re the last person that needs to read her porn shit. You already think dirty enough.”

  “Enough,” Tegan jumps in. “Both of you. Buh bye. Now.”

  Her being so demanding only turns me on more, and without thinking I let my eyes roam over her tight little body, before ascending to stop on her thick, pouty lips.

  I must lick my own, because Alexander nudges me and mumbles shit under his breath, looking displeased.

  “We’ll be inside.”

  Pulling my mind out of the gutter, I follow Alexander inside and to his office, closing the door behind me.

  “I need to leave. I have to go on a trip for a few days. I know I can trust you with my bar, I always have, but can I also trust you with my damn sister?”

  Fuck . . . can he?

  “I told you I wouldn’t touch her,” I force myself to say. “I’ll keep my word.”

  He looks me over, probably noticing how I tensed when I answered him. “Don’t make me lose my trust in you. Trust means everything to me.”

  “Me too, Man.”

  Me too . . .

  MY BROTHER UP AND DECIDED he needed to leave for a business trip now that I’m finally here to spend a little time with him.

  I could kick his butt for leaving me when I just got here. He’s never around as it is and I was hoping we could grow close again over the summer.

  It’s already been two days since he left, and oddly, I miss him. So maybe we have grown closer in the five days that I’ve been here, even though he’s been gone for two of them.

  I guess I can’t complain too much. With Xan gone and Micah watching me from a distance, I’ve managed to get close to eight thousand words written in just the last two days, and I’m giddy with excitement, because I feel good about what I’ve gotten done.

  I’ve never been so excited to write a book before.

  Taking a sip of beer, I close my computer for the night and walk over to dangle my legs in the pool.

  It’s so beautiful and peaceful out here. I really could just stay out here all night.

  With Micah at the bar I’ve had the entire house to myself all day. No surprise butts in my face. No naked guy walking around with a guitar and no sexy, smart-mouthed guy to make me think dirty as sin thoughts. My brother would kill me if he knew.

  Smiling, I let out a breath of contentment and close my eyes, enjoying myself.

  My perfect moment only lasts about a minute before it’s ruined with Micah jumping into the pool and yanking my legs to pull me under the water with him.

  Fighting him under the water, I kick him away and come up for air to see him looking at me with the biggest damn smile I’ve ever seen.

  It’s like he gets off on messing with me.

  “Seriously!” I angrily splash him, but he doesn’t seem to care.

  Swimming over to me, he picks me up and grabs my legs, wrapping them around his waist. “Sorry, it’s the asshole in me.” Gripping my thighs tighter, he walks us over to the edge of the pool and stops. “I just wanted to ask you to come out with me tonight. One of my friends is having a party.”

  “Well, you have a funny way of asking me to hang out,” I huff. “You could’ve asked without dragging me under the water.”

  He smiles when I slap his hard, wet chest. “I deserved that,” he admits. “So, did my way work?”

  A part of me wants to say no, but seeing that crooked smile sitting on his perfect, wet lips, I say the opposite. “Yes. Surprisingly so, but only because I could use a little fun to clear my head. I’ve been thinking too hard today and need a break.”

  Lifting his brows in amusement, he laughs under his breath and lifts me up and out of the pool. I’m surprised at how effortlessly he does it. “Get dressed. I’ll be inside in a minute.”

  With that, he dives back into the water, leaving me standing here, trying to get over how turned on I got by him handling me in the pool.

  My legs felt so good around his waist that I didn’t even bother yelling
at him for picking me up like I meant to. Hell, I sort of wanted to hang here all night and feel his body against mine.

  What the hell am I saying?

  “Oh boy, I have serious problems.”

  By the time I get dried off and dressed, Micah is waiting for me by the front door, dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a black V-neck shirt.

  Holy shit, that shirt hugs his sculpted chest so good that it nearly takes my breath away. I might even choke on a little drool.

  Well, not really . . . but a little exaggeration never hurt anyone.

  Looking me over, he opens the door and motions for me to walk out first. “Nice boots.” His eyes wander down to my favorite cowgirl boots. “I’ve always wanted to fuck a girl wearing only a pair of those.”

  “Wow!” I give him a shove. “Do you have a filter or is it broken?”

  He opens his truck door for me. “Never had one, babe.” He slaps my ass, hard, as I boost myself up to get into his truck.

  “That hurt!”

  He grins in satisfaction. “Isn’t that what girls like to read about in books? Asshole heroes. You’re fucking welcome.”

  Rolling my eyes, I slam the door shut as he walks around to the other side and jumps in. “And what do you know about books and the things us girls like to read about?”

  He starts the engine and backs out with a cocky grin. “You don’t think I’ve read a book or two in my lifetime? My mother used to make me read books every night before bed when I was a kid. So yeah, I’ve read a few Romance books since I hit puberty.”

  I’ve always thought a man reading was a turn on. So, to hear that Micah is open to reading . . . well, hell. It just got about ten degrees hotter in his truck.

  Trying to keep my very dirty thoughts in check, I keep my eyes out the window for the rest of the ride to the party.

  “Think you can keep up with me tonight?” Micah questions, while parking the truck. “It’s easy to get lost in the crowd here. Come on.”

  He jumps out and I quickly follow, stepping out and shutting the door behind me.

  Running my hands over the front of my dress, I look out at the street to see that there are tons of cars parked on the block.

  “How did you manage to get a driveway spot? Special treatment for being so cocky?”

  He lifts a brow at me and chuckles. “I’d like to think so, but no.” I suck in a breath as he steps up to me and reaches behind me to pull the back of my skirt down. He’s so close that I can feel the bulge in his jeans against my body. “Showing me the goods already and this isn’t even a date. Special treatment for me being so cocky?”

  My face heats as I clear my throat and back up to get some distance between us. “No, apparently your truck is a dick too.” I smile and walk away. “Let’s go.”

  His laughter comes from behind me as he takes a few quick steps, catching up with me. “You’re fun tonight. I like it.”

  “Like it too much and you may feel sore in the morning,” I mutter.

  I stop walking when I feel his body press up behind me. Breathing in my ear, he grabs my chin and pulls my head back to whisper in my ear. “I’d watch what you say unless you want me to throw you into the back of my truck and fuck you until my legs give out.” He lets out a small growl and nips my ear, causing goose bumps to cover my entire body. “It’s been a while since anyone’s been able to keep up long enough for my body to hurt.”

  Oh. My. God.

  “Wow!” I remove his hand from my chin, trying to keep my cool, even though all I can think about is him between my damn legs and wondering how long he really can last. “You become a bigger dick the longer I’m with you. Congratulations.”

  “You’re right. My dick has become bigger. Now stop trying to get me naked again and let’s go.”

  He grabs my hand, pulling me along behind him before I’m able to think of a comeback.

  “Fucking dick,” I mumble, as he fights his way through the crowd, keeping me close to him.

  He doesn’t release his hold on me until we’re out back by the pool. The back of the house is lit in neon lighting and there has to be at least close to eighty people just out here alone.

  Most of them are dancing to the fast beat of the music, while a few of them are pushing through the crowd on skateboards, doing tricks into the pool.

  The way Micah acts so uptight and in charge at my brother’s bar, I never expected him to be at such an insane party like this one. It’s crazy here. I’ve gotten the impression that he usually likes to be in charge.

  “I never expected you to hang at a party like this one?”

  “Why?” he questions, while pouring me a beer.

  I grab the plastic cup from him and lean in close to his ear so he can hear me. “You seem uptight at my brother’s bar.”

  He flashes me a half smirk. “Good thing I get to show you another side of me then. There I have to be.”

  As I’m in the middle of taking a drink of my beer, he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me close to his body; then begins dancing to the music.

  I nearly spill my beer on him when he does this sexy little grind against my stomach. “What are you doing?” I laugh and hold my beer away as he thrusts against me like a male stripper or something.

  “It’s called dancing.” He grips my hair and tilts my head to speak next to my ear. “Loosen up your body and just move it with mine.”

  I’m almost embarrassed that he can tell I’m scared to dance. I’ve always been self-conscious about people judging the way I move my body. It doesn’t come as natural to me as it does to others.

  Gripping my hip, he begins moving my body with his, biting his bottom lip as he looks down at my waist to watch me begin to sway with him. “Damn, girl,” he teases. “Don’t show me up now.”

  I slap his shoulder and laugh. “Don’t tease me. Dancing isn’t my thing.”

  He smiles, and it’s so damn cute that my heart jumps a little.

  “The only thing getting teased right now is my dick. Trust me.” He lifts me up a bit and begins grinding his crotch into me, dancing so seductively that I can’t help but to get into it myself and move along with him. “Keep grinding like that and I might have to break my promise to your brother.”

  My face turns red with embarrassment. “You made a promise to my brother?” I stop dancing and place my free hand on his hard chest. “He’d probably kill you if he saw us dancing like this right now.”

  He backs up a little and reaches for his own beer now. “He never said anything about dancing, Tegan. We’re just having a little fun. I know where to draw the line and I don’t plan on crossing it.”

  I feel a little disappointed for some reason, and my whole mood seems to change. Dancing close to him is the last thing I want to do now.

  “Let’s just skip dancing.” I back out of his arms and tilt my beer back, feeling frustrated with my damn brother. Looking around, I spot two guys playing beer pong. “Let’s play.”

  Before he can say anything, I walk over to the beer pong table and watch as they finish their game.

  “Are you challenging me?” Micah asks from close behind me.

  “Maybe.”

  “I like a challenge,” he whispers next to my ear. “What do I get if I win?”

  “Doesn’t matter.” I smile and begin setting up the table when the two guys walk away. “You won’t be winning. The question is . . .” I begin filling up some of the cups as he does. “What do I get for winning?”

  He stops and lifts a brow at me. “Honestly? I’d give you anything you fucking wanted, but your brother might kill me.” He looks me over as if he wants nothing more than to taste every inch of my body. It has me completely turned on and aching for his touch.

  “My brother isn’t here,” I say softly.

  His eyes widen as if he heard me, but he doesn’t say a word.

  Hell . . . I can’t believe that I said that myself.

  There’s just something about Micah that makes me want one night
with him. One night to let him do anything and everything that he wants. No strings attached, like the girl I walked in on him with. Just one night of his talented fingers and mouth on my body.

  With my brother around that won’t be happening, and I can tell how much my brother’s friendship means to Micah.

  By the time we’re down to the end of the game, there’s two cups left on my side and one left on his side. I’m completely buzzed right now and living in the moment.

  “You’ve been talking a big game the whole time,” I tease. “When are you going to show me who’s in control here?”

  He smirks and holds his ball up. “Right about . . .” he tosses the ball and makes it in one of the cups. “Now. Drink up.”

  “Cocky jerk.” I roll my eyes at him and grab the ball out of the cup, before downing the beer. “We still don’t know what the winner gets.”

  “The winner gets to kiss the loser anywhere under the dress.” He flashes a cocky grin at me.

  I throw the empty cup at him. “You’re not wearing a dress, jerk.”

  “Exactly.” He tosses his ball, making it effortlessly into the last cup. “I’m ready for my prize.”

  He doesn’t waste any time grabbing my cup away from me and downing the beer, before dropping to his knees in front of me and spreading my legs.

  My heart speeds up as I grab onto his hair and pull him back. “What are you doing?” I ask in a panic. “There’s hundreds of people out here.”

  He smiles up at me and slightly lifts my skirt up my leg. “Relax. I can’t kiss you where I want to anyway.”

  I begin looking around me, but close my eyes and moan when I feel the softness of his lips press against the inside of my thigh. He kisses it a few times, moving higher with each one, before biting me right below my panty line and then licking the spot.

  “What the hell!” I scream and jump away from him. “You bit me.”

  “I got excited.” He looks up at me and shrugs, before standing up as if nothing unusual just happened. “I’d apologize, but I have a feeling you enjoyed it.”

  Did I? Most definitely, but I’m not telling him that.

  “You scared me. Biting wasn’t part of the prize.”

  He places his hand on the small of my back and walks me away from the table when a small group takes over.