Wreck

by Ashlynn Pearce

  “I want you.” Her head fell against his chest, and her fingers tightened in his shirt yet again.

  “I’m leaving. But I’ll see you later,” Mick said to Shelby and then he looked at Ethan. “You need anything, call.”

  “Mick. What about Spaz?” The dealer wasn’t his first priority at the moment, but no one had said a word about what happened to him.

  Mick paused but didn’t look at him. “It’s been taken care of. Just look after that girl.”

  Ethan watched Mick walk out as rain splattered against the window.

  “The roof done?” Shelby asked and raised her head.

  He nodded. “You’re all set.”

  “Hey guys,” Lila chimed in her cheery voice as she stuck her head in through the door. “We got some food rounded up.”

  That seemed to perk Shelby up a bit, but then she frowned. “They all know don’t they?”

  Her eyes were swollen, her face still smudged black, and she picked nervously at his shirt.

  “They do. But you don’t have to worry about any judgment. They won’t treat you any different.”

  She tilted her head and even though she was a mess, that tiny movement fascinated him.

  “I didn’t tell you about the engagement. I’m sorry. I should have—”

  He cupped her face and kissed her lightly. “You don’t have to apologize to me. So stop.”

  Her eyes cleared as she looked at him then laid her soft hand along his cheek. “Thanks. For everything. I’m going to get cleaned up, and I’ll come out to eat.”

  She shuffled off his lap, grabbed a robe hanging on the back of her door, and went to her bathroom across the hall. He sat up and dropped his feet to the floor. His head was crammed with enough chaos without the added confusion Shelby added to his life.

  His whole head was wrapped tight around that classy brunette. He sure as hell wasn’t going to think about why that was. He shoved a hand through his hair and followed the sound of laughter into the kitchen.

  Everyone was still here except Mick.

  “She good?” Cassie asked pointedly, and the room went silent.

  He shrugged. Because really, what the hell did he know? The question burning in his mind was why Cassie thought he was the only one who could help. So he stared at the blonde who he knew from experience didn’t mince words.

  “Why did you think she needed me?”

  Cassie snorted. “Really? That dense?”

  “Why are all men so stupid?” Lila rolled her blue eyes. “I guess you will just have to figure it out.”

  He grumbled and looked at the guys.

  Ryan smirked. “Don’t ask me, Tackett. I’m just here for the food and beer.”

  “I was told the same thing once. All I can say is duck.” Thrand chuckled and Cassie grinned at him.

  “Not comforting, man.” A tightness formed in Ethan’s chest. He knew most of Cassie and Thrand’s story. He also knew Thrand would do anything for that crazy-assed girl. “Not even a little bit.”

  He met Zak’s warning look. Zak knew him. They’d met in the same home when the system had caught up to him. He knew all his shit and nightmares. Ethan’s hand twitched, and he tapped his leg in that familiar pattern.

  Shelby stepped into the kitchen beside him. Her hair was damp, her scent filling him, and his world narrowed. To her.

  Fuck.

  “Thanks everyone, for all your help,” she said quietly. She picked up the plate of sandwiches. “I had an idea, follow me downstairs.”

  Ethan grabbed a six-pack of beer from the fridge and wondered what she was up to. No one else probably noticed, but he knew she was on edge.

  The crew of misfits tromped down the stairs behind her, and she flicked on a light. She placed the tray on a table and hastily picked up the blanket that still lay on the floor. Her red face gave away her thoughts, but she avoided looking at him.

  “So I heard you guys needed a place to practice.” She held out her arms, and for the first time, he looked around the room. He’d spent most of last night in here, but his focus had been on other things. The room was huge. And interestingly enough, mostly empty except for a couch, a loveseat, a couple of tables, and an old record player with a stack of albums next to it. The big glass door let in a lot of light, or would if the sky wasn’t dark while rain pelted everything.

  “You would let us practice here?” Thrand asked.

  Her perfect lips curled. “Yeah. You know, it’s away from nosy neighbors, and there’s plenty of room. Not in town, but here you can play whenever you want.”

  “Hot damn, this is great!” Ryan swooped her up in a hug and planted a kiss on her forehead. “Our prayers have been answered.”

  Shelby’s giggle edged up Ethan’s spine.

  “You sure?” Thrand asked. “We’re noisy, and I hate to be all up in your business all the time.”

  “Of course. And how could I tell Ryan no, now?”

  Ryan shook his head and placed a hand over his heart. “You can’t. You wouldn’t want to be the first to break this boy’s heart, would ya?”

  “Would someone please shut drama boy up?” Lila picked up a beer and a sandwich and shoved it into his hands.

  Totally distracted by the beer and food, Ryan plopped on the couch and ate.

  *

  Ryan’s antics always made Shelby laugh, and it certainly eased some of the tension she’d been feeling about everyone knowing her past. The boy oozed charm. That smirky grin was always on his face, and his dark sandy blond hair was always a mess, along with his rumpled clothes. Overall a complete disaster, he made it work because he never lacked for a girl.

  “If you weren’t killer on the guitar, I would so kick you from the band, punk.” Thrand walked past him, flicked him on the head, and picked up a dusty album.

  “You won’t, though. No one else can play that crazy shit Tackett always wants to sing,” Ryan mumbled with a mouth full of food.

  “It’s Ethan. Let the last name go.”

  Shelby glanced over at Ethan. He wasn’t kidding. After the whole thing with Danny, he probably didn’t want to be called that.

  “Fine. I get it. But it would still be cool to go by.” Ryan shoved a big hunk of sandwich in his mouth and grabbed another one.

  “Better than Mick’s place,” Zak said as he prowled around the room. His too long hair fell into his face, and he wouldn’t meet her eyes. She’d probably pushed her luck in the truck. “If you’re staying here, Ethan, I’ll go get some of your stuff.” He headed back upstairs.

  Shelby frowned, and Lila sighed long and loud as she fell beside Ryan.

  “I give up. I can’t get that man to say more than five words at a time, much less get him alone. I’m pretty sure if I walked by him naked he wouldn’t even notice.”

  “You like Zak?” Ethan asked, surprise on his face.

  Everyone laughed, and Ryan choked on his beer.

  “Oh you poor boy,” Lila clucked. “Shelby, enlighten the man.”

  Zak’s words that Ethan was staying with her reminded her of everything that had gone down. She squashed her unease and picked up a couple of sandwiches and handed one to Ethan.

  “Lila has a huge crush on Zak. I don’t know how you missed it.” She took a small bite of her sandwich and pulled him over to the loveseat.

  “Might want to give up on that gig, Lila.” Ethan draped an arm over Shelby’s shoulders, and she didn’t fight it. Just snuggled up against his side.

  “I don’t give up easily and you two are just…ugh.”

  Shelby tensed, not knowing what she meant. “What?”

  Lila leaned forward, snagged a beer, and twisted the top off. “Ethan will hate me for saying it, but just too cute for words.”

  Ryan bust out laughing before Shelby could even react, and Ethan only raised a dark brow. She met his gaze and wondered what Ryan thought so funny.

  “Shut up, fucker,” Ethan muttered to Ryan. “Don’t even say it, man.”

  He held up his
hands. “Not saying it. But I’m thinking it.”

  Lila smacked Ryan.

  And the evening went on just like that. Thrand got the old record player working, and they played some Aerosmith, Bocephus, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Deep Purple. Laughing and carrying on, all singing with the songs they knew.

  This was what she had been missing.

  The stress from the last twenty-four hours eased. Comfortable and safe tucked against Ethan, she couldn’t keep the light smile off her face. Even with all their quirks and differences, she knew without asking they would stand together. They had stood up for her. No questions asked. Her heart expanded with the thought.

  This was real friends. She’d only gotten glimpses of this with Skye. No artifice, no one trying to impress anyone, just hanging out. Cracking jokes. Ethan told a few stories and when Zak got back, he had even been pulled into their camaraderie. Course he didn’t say much, but now and then she caught his smile.

  Lila tried again to get his attention, but Zak acted like he didn’t even notice. Shelby suspected he had been talking more about himself when he said some scars weren’t physical. He’d played it off like he was talking about her and Ethan, which may be partially true. But a guy like Zak didn’t act the way he did without a reason.

  It dawned on her, how easily she could read others, yet had not seen what was happening right in front of her with her parents and Andrew. She tightened her grip on Ethan’s arm. She never wanted to be that blind again.

  When “Smoke on the Water” played, the entire room got quiet.

  “To bad they don’t make music like this anymore.” Thrand flicked a bottle cap into a nearby trashcan.

  “They sure as hell don’t.” Ethan agreed and when she rubbed her arms, he grabbed a blanket and draped it around her.

  The same blanket they had lain on the night before.

  Her breath stalled in her chest as she looked up at him. All the things he made her feel rippled between them. Everyone else around her faded into the background. His thumb grazed her jaw, and she felt the touch all the way to her toes. Then he turned her and settled her against him, his arm tight around her.

  Shelby woke in her own bed. The blanket from downstairs was wrapped around her, and everything was dark. At first, all she heard was the lull of the rain hitting the roof, but she rose when she heard something from her living room. She glanced around, searching for Ethan. A small wave of panic crept in.

  Keeping the blanket around her shoulders, she moved toward the sound and found Ethan on the living room floor. Doing push-ups.

  “One, two, three. One, two, three.” He counted it out, one up, two halfway, and three down, then the reverse. Over and over in rapid succession. He’d pulled off his shirt and a sheen of sweat covered his back. The light from the front porch glinted off his skin.

  She rubbed her eyes and kneeled, but he didn’t acknowledge her or even slow down.

  “Ethan.” She touched his damp hair.

  He looked at her, and she sucked in a breath. His eyes were flat. Lifeless. His lips moving with each number…one, two, three while he continued doing his push-ups. When his arms shook so much he couldn’t do them anymore, he switched to sit ups.

  The same one, two, three…he moved in quick, smooth moves.

  “Ethan, stop. Talk to me.”

  He never responded.

  The weight of Zak’s words weighed on her shoulders. What if she couldn’t handle his demons? She sat beside him and laid her head on her knees, her throat tight.

  How do I get through to him?

  He’d asked her to talk to him to quiet the voices. What if this was how he usually dealt with them? Even though it seemed ridiculous, she started talking.

  “I loved being downstairs with everyone last night.” Her voice cracked, and she tried to hold herself together for him. “Listening to them cut up and carry-on. Just hanging out. I never had that. Most my so-called friends were just trying to impress each other. Except Skye. You know, Gran would have loved you guys.”

  He hadn’t stopped, but his counting had gotten quieter, and his eyes were on her.

  “She would. She never judged people by how they looked. She said it only mattered what was in their heart. Good people were good people, no matter how they looked. I never forgot that, even after I moved to Texas. There are good people everywhere, but it seems you have to look really hard to find them.”

  He stopped, his breathing labored, as he lay flat on his back. “Is that why you never judged me? Why you’re not now? Just talking to a crazy fucked up guy who is only trying to get the voices to shut the hell up. You and I both know this is nowhere near normal.”

  She placed a hand on his sweaty chest and leaned down so she could see his eyes. Her hair fell, and his hand slid up into it. “Who is really normal, Ethan? Me, who was going to marry someone who hurt me every day, just so I didn’t have to face my parents?”

  He leaned up on an elbow so his lips were mere inches from hers. His fingers slithered through her hair, and his thumb grazed along her throat. “You deserve so much better than that. So much more.”

  He pulled her that last inch so she had to brace her hands on either side of him to keep from falling. His lips traced her pulse, and she forgot to breathe. His spicy scent, the way his teeth nipped at her ear, left no room for thinking. Only feeling.

  “You need a man who can take care of you. Not me. I’m a wreck.”

  She straddled him, plastered her body against his, and shoved her hands in his hair. She could care less what he was saying when his hands were on her. His eyes alone made those butterflies go berserk…his touch turned them to ash.

  “But I need you.”

  And heaven help her, she did. It was the sort of need that defied reasoning. Ever since he’d made her touch his tattoos, she couldn’t get enough. She wanted to feel the imprint of his body on hers even when he wasn’t there. It made no sense to ignore his warnings. Ethan was not the type of man who stayed. He never said it, but he didn’t have to.

  She may be naïve, but she wasn’t dumb.

  Chapter 13

  She was a crash he couldn’t avoid.

  Ethan was so lost in his own fucking nightmare, and she’d crawled right down there with him. Talked to him. Brought him back from the other side. It was all kinds of messed up. Even telling her she could do better…deserved better, he couldn’t keep his hands off her. He wasn’t that noble or strong.

  And damn if she didn’t just fall into him, ignoring his words.

  She wanted.

  He gave.

  She made him forget. Drove out the noise that cluttered his head better than any drug he’d ever tried. Addiction. He knew all about it. And she was his new drug of choice.

  The sounds she made, the way her lashes fell as those lips parted. Set him off. The most innocent way she tilted her head, laughed at Ryan’s stupid jokes, and picked nervously at his shirt. All of it made him want to pin her to a wall and make her scream his name.

  When this all went south…because he wasn’t so blind he couldn’t see that it wouldn’t, she would leave nothing but wreckage.

  When her soft hand slid into his shorts and wrapped around him, he thrust into her hand.

  “Damn, you learn fast.” He yanked off her shirt and bra, needing her bare skin against his in the worst way.

  She bit at his lower lip. “I had a good teacher.”

  His mind blanked as he claimed her mouth and ground her hips into his. Her hiss of pleasure shot through him, and he shoved at her shorts. Her shyness was gone, and her tongue flicked at his pierced nipple.

  “I need in you, Brown Eyes.” He kicked off his shorts, sat up, gripped her hips, and she slid right onto him.

  Every time was like the first. Her body accepted him, curled around him snug and tight. Her body was a haven…home. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she rode him. In awe, he watched her face in the wavering light. Her head thrown back, those lips parting on his name—she owned him.
>
  His arm snaked around her waist, and he tightened a hand in her hair. This way, he controlled her ride. Her knees spread wide on either side of his hips, he slowed her pace.

  “Ethan,” she panted.

  “Just rock those hips, darlin’.”

  She did, and her eyes widened, and her body shook. He leaned in, his mouth just beneath her ear. Her rocking was slow at first, but it took only a few moments, and she was breathing hard, her body rolling against his.

  “Take it. Come for me,” he growled against her neck.

  “Oh, God,” she screamed, and her slender body shook as she spasmed around him.

  He couldn’t wait for her to come down from that high. He slid out, flipped her so she was on her hands and knees, and slammed back in. He gripped her hips and lost himself in her. Taking him the edge so damn fast, he dropped his head to her back as he pulsed within her.

  She trembled in his arms, her head falling to the floor. He kissed her spine and pulled back. He bundled her up with the blanket, carried her to her room, and got in bed with her. She never opened her eyes, but he didn’t miss her quiet words.

  “So need you.”

  After practicing in Shelby’s den the next day, the band was trying to set up at Booseys for their gig, but the place was already packed. They had gotten used to the crowd, but tonight it had gotten out of hand, and they hadn’t even started playing. Mick had hired another bouncer and a couple of part time girls for the night, but Ethan doubted it was going to be enough.

  There wasn’t an empty table to be had.

  The oddest thing, people were asking for their autographs. Not just girls asking them to sign a tit…but real fans. So much so, Lila had to run down sharpies for the entire band, and Cassie made copies of the flyer she’d created for them to sign.

  It was a surreal experience. Ryan and Thrand took it all easily, Zak looked like he wanted to crawl under a rock, and he just wanted to sing. It got so bad, Thrand had to call his friend, Corey, to help finish setting up. Otherwise, they were never going to get to play.

  Having finally had enough, Ethan hopped up on the small stage. He looked across the crowd, spotting Shelby by the bar. A happy smile lit her face. He grinned back and then shoved his shades on. He tapped the mic.