Swerve: Boosted Hearts (Volume 1)

by Sherilee Gray

She banged a cup down on the bench and rummaged around until she found the instant in the back of the cupboard then dumped in two heaping spoonfuls. She needed to shake this haze and wake the heck up. She shuffled to the couch with her drink, taking a sip of the dark brew at the same time as she spotted her gran’s cats back on their shelf.

  She drew in a sharp breath, which meant she sucked the scolding mouthful down the wrong pipe. She coughed and spluttered, quickly putting the mug down on the coffee table before she spilled it all over the place.

  Hugh had been here while she slept. She stared at the figurines neatly lined up in a row. He’d put away her grandmother’s cats.

  Her heart started doing funny things in her chest. Fluttering and warming and squeezing, all at the same time. It was a sweet thing to do. A really sweet thing.

  Without thinking, she went to her phone and called Hugh’s number. It rang several times, but then switched to voicemail. As if he’d cut off her call. She tried not to think about what that might mean—about why he wasn’t answering and why he hadn’t woken her last night—and left a quick message thanking him.

  While she finished off her crappy coffee, she got ready for her day, though according to the clock, she’d slept through most of it. And as tempting as it was, she decided against going back to bed and burying her head under the covers.

  She noticed the Honda outside a short time later and spent the next hour unloading and putting away her things. Hugh had gotten everything back, including her coffeemaker.

  The hours dawdled by, and she still hadn’t had a return call or text from Hugh. So when her phone did light up and start ringing, she dived on it.

  But it was Kayla’s voice that greeted her, not Hugh’s.

  “What are you up to tonight?”

  Shay felt guilty for the disappointment that hit. “I have a shift a Woody’s.”

  Kayla sighed. “That’s all you ever do lately. Work.”

  “Tell me about it.” But for once, she was happy to be busy, to not have time to dwell on everything that had happened…on the hurt that surrounded her, threatening to smother her if she let it take hold.

  They talked for a while longer. Her best friend sounded a lot happier, and Shay purposely steered the conversation back to Kayla whenever it veered in Shay’s direction. Kayla was Shay’s best friend, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it, what her mother had done. She was still too raw, and saying the words out loud, to another person, was just too damn much.

  Before they said their goodbyes, Kayla agreed to come to Woody’s during Shay’s shift and hang out.

  When her phone rang for the second time a short while later, she was in the middle of getting ready for work. She answered, positive this time it would be Hugh.

  It wasn’t.

  “Shay…”

  “No, Travis,” she said before he finished whatever he was going to say.

  “Honey…”

  “I’m not your honey. I’m not your anything.”

  “The office isn’t the same without you.”

  She couldn’t deal with this, couldn’t even muster the energy to tell him she was hanging up. He tried calling twice more after that, and she ignored him both times. Grabbing her bag, she locked up. She didn’t want to use Hugh’s car, but she was tired and angry, and the idea of walking to the bus stop later, after working her shift, made her want to cry.

  She shouldn’t be using it anymore. She needed to give it back. It was time to face facts. Hugh was avoiding her. He’d helped her out, got back her stuff, because he was a good guy. But the fact he hadn’t woken her when he’d dropped off her things? It was a flashing red light with wailing sirens.

  He was in this with her for fun, for the mutual pleasure they gave each other. Not to be her sounding board while she cried over her ex. Or to help out with her elderly neighbor and her dog. And definitely not to deal with hysterical phone calls and chasing around after her insane mother because she’d stolen his car.

  No, she didn’t blame him for running in the other direction. Not one bit. Didn’t make it hurt any less, though.

  Her shift went quickly. They weren’t super busy, but they had a steady stream of customers. So she’d managed quick chats with Kayla between filling drinks orders, but there hadn’t been time for deep and meaningful conversation. Thank goodness.

  Kayla left after making Shay promise to have lunch in a couple days, and by the time she climbed back into the Honda, she was exhausted, and her feet were throbbing. She turned on her phone before she left the parking lot. Three missed calls and five texts. She quickly flicked through them. All from Travis.

  Starting the car, she tried to ignore the way her heart banged, the hollow, deflated feeling behind her ribs, and headed for home.

  She pulled up outside her place a short time later. Edna’s lights were out. Thank God she was okay after what happened. Harold had promised to check on her and take Rocky out for her evening walkies while Shay was at work.

  She went inside, and after a shower changed into her PJs. When she was putting her toothbrush away, her gaze went to the bottle of sleeping pills in the cabinet. It was tempting to take another one tonight, let it knock her out again so she didn’t have to think. Didn’t have to lie there awake, thinking about all the ways her life was a mess.

  Her money troubles sure as hell weren’t helping the situation…

  A slow-ish night meant average tips. She needed to ask again if she could pick up some extra shifts.

  She walked out of the bathroom. No pills. She couldn’t hide from her life, from all the crap that seemed to be raining down on her. She had to find a way to dig herself out.

  Sliding under the sheets, she burrowed down deep, curling into a tight ball. She would get through this.

  She would.

  * * *

  Shay woke with a start, adrenaline spiking through her veins. But it dissipated quickly when Hugh’s scent enveloped her, chasing away the fear, replacing it with happiness…excitement.

  His big body lay behind her, delicious heat surrounding her. The big hand on her hip was moving in small circles, kneading and teasing her skin as he made low, soothing sounds.

  “You’re here,” she whispered into the darkness.

  “Yeah.”

  She opened her mouth to say more, but he rolled her to her back, and his lips came down on hers. He kissed her with a hunger that stole her breath. Deep and insistent. His hand slid up her shirt and covered her breast. Her nipples tightened into hard little peaks, zings of pleasure shooting down between her legs every time the rough skin of his palm grazed over her flesh.

  He lifted his head, warm breath ruffling the hair at her temple as he exhaled heavily. “You feel so good.”

  Her shirt was up, exposing her belly and most of her breasts. He’d taken his off before he’d climbed in beside her, and the hair on his chest, the dark trail that led down over his abs and dipped below, was crisp and a little rough against her skin. But he hadn’t just taken off his shirt. He was completely naked. Yum. The man felt exquisite.

  And hard as steel.

  Urgent hands lifted her shirt, up and over her head, then he was sliding her panties down her legs. She moaned at the feel of his bare flesh against hers.

  “Tell me you’re already wet, baby. Can’t wait,” he murmured against her lips.

  She was, she was more than wet. She was soaked. One touch from Hugh and her body fired to life every time. His palms were rough and impatient as he spread her legs, thick fingers cupping her, dipping between her slick folds.

  He hissed. “Fuck, Shay. Always so hot. That sweet pussy always nice and juicy for me.”

  She cried out. “Please.”

  His huge body was pinning her to the mattress, and all she could feel was Hugh.

  His heavy thighs shoved hers wider, and then the fat head of his erection was pressing against her opening, stretching her, filling her as only he could.

  “Oh, God.”

  She whimper
ed as he slid to the root, arching into it, fingers digging into his hard biceps that were flexing and bunching under her hands.

  “You love it, don’t you?” he rasped.

  “Y-yes, I love it.” Too much. He was an addiction, a craving she couldn’t get enough of. The thought was terrifying.

  She moved her hands to his shoulders, his back, the muscles shifting below his skin as he really started moving. Rolling against her like a giant tidal wave, pounding into her over and over again, relentlessly. All she could do was cling to him. Absorb every brutal thrust. He was always like this, as if he couldn’t get enough of her, as if he couldn’t control himself when he was with her.

  He lifted his head and brought his mouth back down on hers, tongue delving deep, tangling with hers, wet and hungry. Wild.

  “I needed this. Needed you,” he groaned.

  The last few words were said with an added growl she didn’t understand, didn’t know what it meant. But right then, she couldn’t think; all she could do was feel. Feel the way his thick cock moved inside her, the rasp of his chest hair on her sensitive nipples.

  Her inner walls fluttered, grasping him tighter.

  “That’s it. Let me feel it, let me see it, beautiful. Come all over my cock.”

  “Harder,” she cried. “Don’t stop.”

  “Not ever gonna stop, princess.” He hissed and slammed up inside her, jarring her higher on the mattress.

  Her orgasm hit its peak, and she shattered. She couldn’t hold the feeling inside as it spread through her, so she screamed through it, clinging to him helplessly.

  When her cries finally died in her throat, she hung on to his big body as he continued to pound into her, his deep grunts filling her ears as he chased his own release. She thrashed and moaned uncontrollably as another orgasm built suddenly.

  She barely had time to register what was happening before it hit. “Oh…ahhh.” Then she was coming again, so hard all she could do was cling tighter, crying out and shaking through it.

  Hugh cursed, then he shuddered and groaned, so deep she felt it rumble through her chest. His hips started pumping erratically, cock pulsing deep inside her as he shot hot and hard.

  “That’s it, princess. Take it all. Take all of me,” he rasped, rough and low.

  She did, and God help her, she loved every minute. Loved that instead of pulling from her when he’d finished as he had to when they used condoms, he could stay where he was, planted deep. He rolled them to their sides and curled his fingers around the back of her knee, lifting it so her bent leg rested on his hip.

  He tucked her in close, and she felt him bury his nose in her hair, heard him breathe her in.

  “You good?”

  “I’m good,” she whispered.

  He rubbed circles over her back, wrapping her in a warm, safe cocoon. She let it soak in, let him ease the ache in her chest. Squeezing her eyes shut, she clung a little tighter. She had to know.

  “Is she…will she be okay?”

  His hand stilled then started moving again. “Yeah, princess. Your mom will be just fine.”

  She had to believe that, needed to or she thought she might break. She shook her head against his chest. “She’s never done anything like this before… I mean, she has but not to this extent. She cleaned out my wallet before she left the last time she visited. But this…” She lifted up and looked into his eyes, even though it was too dark to see his expression properly. “I’m sorry you had to deal with all of it…with my mother, having to go after her to get your car back. You didn’t sign up for that. I’m just…I’m so sorry.”

  His hand slid around the side of her neck, thumb tracing her jaw. “Didn’t go for the car. You don’t need to apologize for that.”

  “Well, let me thank you for getting my stuff back, for…”

  “Don’t need to thank me for that either.”

  She buried her face back against his chest. Even though he probably couldn’t see her, she didn’t want to risk him noticing the way her eyes were no doubt glistening with unshed tears. Why the hell was she close to crying? She refused to believe it was relief over Hugh coming to her, or the fact he didn’t seem to be completely horrified over the whole thing. It couldn’t be that, because if it was, it meant she cared, and she couldn’t afford to care. Not that much. Never that much.

  “I know this sounds naive, but I just don’t understand people who can take from others without a second thought. Why would she do that? What’s in her that she would do that to me…to you? And not even care?”

  She felt his muscles tighten. He cleared his throat. “People will do almost anything if they’re desperate enough.”

  Shaking her head, she burrowed deeper. “No. Not desperate. Selfish. She’s always been selfish.”

  He gave her hip a squeeze. “Had to be hard growing up with a mom like that.”

  “She wasn’t around that much, even when I was living with her. I looked after myself most of the time. There were always different men at the house. She’d drop me off at Gran’s and take off without a word…sometimes for days, sometimes weeks, with her latest boyfriend.” Shay snuggled closer to him, to the heat radiating from his skin, the comfort of his massive arms. God, she’d never felt so safe. “The last time she dropped me off, she just didn’t come back. I didn’t see her for over a year. She didn’t try to take me back after that. I was twelve years old.”

  “You didn’t deserve that, princess.”

  His voice was nothing but a rasp. It skated over her skin, lifting goose bumps.

  “My old man used to be gone a lot, too. Gambled nearly everything we had.” His big body stiffened, arms spasming around her, as if he’d surprised himself by opening up.

  She held still, hoping he’d keep going.

  Finally, he smoothed his hand over her back, and his muscles relaxed. “Left school soon as I could. Got a job to pay the bills, so we didn’t lose the house. He’d come crawling back when all his money was gone, stay for a while then fuck off again. Did that all my life.”

  She ran her hands over his chest. Aching for him, for what he’d been through. “It sounds as though I wasn’t the only one with an irresponsible parent. I was lucky to have Gran. Your family was lucky to have you.”

  He snorted. “Try telling Lucy that.”

  “Lucy?”

  “Baby sister and a pain in my ass. She’s in college. Drama is her middle name. She’s the smart one out of the three of us, though you wouldn’t know it with some of the stupid shit she gets herself into.”

  Despite his words, there was so much affection in his voice when he spoke about his sister, it kind of made Shay jealous, which was completely ridiculous and made absolutely no sense.

  “You’re lucky. I wish I’d had a brother or sister. It must’ve been nice, having them growing up, having each other.”

  He was quiet for several seconds. “Yeah, it was.”

  He didn’t say anything after that, and as much as Shay wanted to know more, she didn’t push. That’s not what they were about, after all. She was already in over her head with him.

  ***

  Shay must have drifted off, because she woke again when Hugh moved. It was still dark, the middle of the night. She watched him climb out of bed and get dressed.

  He isn’t staying.

  She squeezed her eyes closed and pretended to be asleep, hating how much she felt his loss, his heat beside her, the minute he got out of bed. This was him, defining their relationship, making sure she had no delusions about what they were doing. Their relationship was sex. That was it. Heartfelt conversations in the dark, wrapped in each other’s arms, meant nothing. He was just passing time.

  She knew this.

  Travis had taught her well.

  So why did her stupid heart ache when Hugh walked to her side of the bed, kissed the top of her head then walked out the door?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Hugh worked alongside Adam, switching the VIN plates on the Toyota Joe had broug
ht in. Thank fuck. Now they only had one car to find before their deadline in a few days.

  “You heard from Lucy lately?” Adam asked from under the hood.

  “She texted a couple days ago, after I threatened to turn up at her place if she didn’t fucking answer me and let me know she was okay.”

  Adam stood. “She’s still pissed at you?”

  “Don’t give a shit. I did what I had to do to keep that fucker away from her. If he touches my sister again, he loses his job. End of story.”

  His friend ducked his head back under the hood. “The girl’s old enough to mess around with who she likes, bro. She’s not going to forgive you in a hurry.”

  “You think I should’ve stood back while she risked everything, just so she can screw some old pervert?” When Hugh had found out Lucy was seeing her psych professor, he’d nearly burst a blood vessel. Then he’d hunted the fucker down and threatened his career if he didn’t back the hell off. It had been either that or beat the shit out of him.

  Adam’s nostrils flared, expression hard. “Hell, no. Just saying how it is. I’m with you. Only I would have messed the motherfucker up good and threatened his career.”

  Hugh shoved his hand in his hair. “He had a wife and kids.”

  Adam’s hand curled around the screwdriver he was holding. “Did she know that?”

  Hugh shook his head. “No clue.”

  “Shit.”

  Yep. His little sister didn’t do things by halves—when she messed up, she went all out and usually got herself hurt in the process. “When she screws up, she does it properly.”

  Adam lowered the hood. “What about you?”

  Hugh stiffened. “What about me?”

  “Something you want to tell me?”

  He crossed his arms and stared his friend down. “Can’t think of anything.”

  Tossing the screwdriver onto the workbench, Adam stared back. “You’re not fooling anyone; you know that, right?”

  Obviously not. Still didn’t mean he was admitting anything. Admitting it would make it real, what he was doing with Shay. And would bring home the fact that, before long, he’d lose her. “Don’t know what you’re talking about…”