by L. E. Bross
The guys on the bases all run in and they high five and chest bump when they cross home plate. People around us jump up and start cheering. I watch in relief as the two teams line up and slap hands; the game’s over.
“How do you sit through that every week?” I ask Meri as we stand. “It was like watching paint dry.”
“Well, it’s not as exciting as the track, I admit, but once you understand the ins and outs, it’s fun.”
Yeah, I don’t think so. This was my first and last baseball game.
I wait with Meri next to the school until the team comes out of the locker room. Trey and Luc veer off and come toward us and I can’t help the bubble of anger that dances in my gut at the sight of Trey.
The way he smirks at me tells me he knows and loves it.
I can’t wait to wipe it off his face.
“How’d you like the game?” Luc asks, coming up next to me. “Exciting, right? It was close, I almost pitched a no-hitter.” He fist bumps Trey who then slings his arm around Meri’s shoulder.
“So where are we headed?” the asshole asks.
“Ever and I are gonna grab a bite.”
“Cool, so were we. We should go together.”
I wait for Luc to tell Trey that it’s our date, but he agrees instead.
I stare at Luc, fighting to keep my mouth from hanging open. Did he seriously just invite Trey on our date? Date. God, it’s not really one anyway. This is all because of Trey and I’m sure that asshole just wants front row seats to make sure I’m behaving.
His wide grins proves it. Meri must misunderstand my expression because she grins and grabs my hand.
“There’s this amazing Mexican place in town. You’ll love it.”
“Hey, Ever,” Trey says. “Why don't you drop your car at the house and we’ll pick you up. That way you don’t have to come back here afterwards.”
“That’s so thoughtful.” Meri throws her arms around Trey and gives him a soft kiss.
I look to Luc and he shrugs. “Sounds good to me. I’ll see you there.”
Great, hopefully the guys are at the track tonight because I don’t need them witnessing my date. Riot would probably think I’m rubbing it in their faces. Maybe I can get home fast enough to park and wait at the end of the driveway.
With that plan in mind, I hop into my car and take off.
Of course luck is never on my side and the garage is open when I pull in. The guys are pushing their bikes out but they stop when I step out of the car. I glance at the driveway then back at them.
“Have fun.”
I walk off before any of them can say anything but only get about ten feet away when I hear the rumble of an engine. Trey’s quad cab red truck comes into view and my stomach tightens.
Really?
He pulls right up next to the garage and Luc jumps out from the back, swinging the door wide open. Trey leans over the steering wheel and looks out, not at me but at the guys. All three are statues, arms crossed over their chests, identical icy masks in place, as they watch me get into the truck.
Luc glances between them and me after he shuts the door.
“Sorry,” he says close to my ear. “Didn’t think that one through.”
I glance out the back window to see the guys are still there, still lined up unmoving, watching the truck leave. I meet Trey’s eyes in the rearview mirror. No, but someone did.
At the end of the driveway Luc leans forward, draping his arms between the two front seats.
“Can you take us back to school, man? I’m going to take Ever in my car, that way I can take her home later.”
Trey tenses but Luc says something low that makes Meri giggle and his shoulders relax. I breathe a sigh of relief when Trey turns right and not left. We’re back to school in no time.
“See you guys there,” Meri says with a wave.
I watch the taillights until they disappear and turn to Luc. He’s looking at me, a strange expression on his face. Neither of us move until he exhales and leans back on the car next to me, close but not touching.
“What’s he got on you?”
My breath hitches but I try to get it under control before he notices.
“What do you mean?”
He lets out a non-humorous laugh. “I know Trey. I know he’s a dick most of the time and I know when he’s pulling shit. He didn’t like you the very first day and suddenly he wants to double date? It’s a load of shit. What he did, picking you up like that, it was for no other reason than to make sure Ry and the guys saw it.”
He scrubs his hand over his face.
“Shoulda fucking figured that out. I was just pumped we were going out, I never even thought about it. Not till I saw Ry’s face. Fuck.”
His shoulders slump and he drops his head. My pulse races and my heart is breaking for Luc. Not to mention the guilt that is just about choking me right now.
“What happened between you guys? Meri said you all used to be friends?”
Luc snorts. “We were more than friends. The minute they were adopted, we were like family. Peter, Wendi and my dad have been tight since high school. My mom used to joke that they were the three musketeers.”
His lifts his faraway gaze toward school, but I don’t think he sees it, not lost in his memories like that.
“They wanted their kids to have the same kind of bond I guess. I was just glad I wasn’t an only child anymore. Our families did everything together. Vacations. Parties. When my mom…” His voice breaks and I reach out and take his hand to squeeze it. “When my mom died, Dad and I never would have gotten through it without all of them. Wendi especially. It’s like she knew what I needed before I did. She was amazing.”
I turn and lean my hip against the car. “So what changed?”
He lifts his anguished filled eyes to mine. “I don’t fucking know. I think Wendi and Peter were having problems last year, at least that’s what I gathered from my dad. He didn't talk about it with me but she came over a lot, brought the guys and we’d hang out in the game room. I don't know, it all felt fucking normal to me. Then one day last summer Riot just turned on me. Cut me out without telling me why. And of course X and Baz follow his lead on everything.”
Not always, but I don’t tell him that. He tips his head back and closes his eyes.
“They were my family, as much my brothers as any of them are to each other.” He lets out a harsh breath. “I know Riot almost as well as Baz and X, and last night at the track, he scared the shit out of me. I’ve never seen him so fucking reckless before.”
My skin grows tight when I remember Riot flying over those jumps. One tiny stumble could have been disastrous. It’s obvious that Ry is hurting, but I don’t think it has to do with me. At least not all me.
“It kills me to see him self-destructing like this. I wish I could help.”
We stand for a few minutes in silence, both lost in our own thoughts.
“Ry likes you.” There isn’t any animosity in his tone, just resignation. “I admit I was being an ass when I asked you out that first time. I knew he was listening. I guess I wanted to hurt him, you know? It felt good for about five seconds, until I remembered all the shit he’s had to deal with.”
He turns to look at me and I don’t miss the way his gaze moves over my face. At the bit of longing I see in his eyes. He blinks and pushes it away.
“I’m not that guy. Not when...”
He swallows and his throat bobs. My chest aches from Luc’s pain. I wish I could help him and the guys mend whatever’s broken. Luc doesn’t know what it is, maybe Baz or X do.
I doubt Riot will willingly tell me.
“I just want it to go back to how it used to be, you know? I miss them.”
I squeeze his hand then let it go. “Don’t give up, okay? There's still time.”
He stuffs his hands into his pockets and leans back again. “So this wasn’t exactly the date I had planned. I was saving all this fun stuff until at least date number three.” When I chuckle he
nudges my shoulder. “So, you still want to get something to eat?”
When I hesitate, he winks.
“Strictly as friends. And nowhere near where Trey is.”
My stomach growls and he tilts his head with a wry smile.
“Well, I guess you do owe me for making me sit through the hellishly boring baseball game,” I tease.
He stumbles to the side, his hand over his heart.
“Harsh. So, so harsh, Darlington.”
“I could go for a pizza.”
“I know a place. Come on.” He leans past me and opens the door to his truck. Now that the boundaries have been established, I can relax and enjoy myself.
Luc takes me to a hole-in-the-wall that serves the best pizza I’ve ever eaten in my life. He spends an hour trying to get me to fall in love with baseball and I pretend to keep falling asleep.
We both ignore Trey’s texts.
By the time he pulls up in front of Peter’s house, my stomach hurts from laughing so much. Ever the gentleman, Luc walks me to the door.
“That was fun. Thank you.”
Luc again shoves his hands into his pockets. “Thank you. I haven’t had anyone to talk to about all that and it felt good to say it out loud.”
I give him a smile, then my lips curl into a teasing grin. “Just a word of advice. If you’re trying to get into a girl’s pants, maybe a little less baseball talk.”
He throws back his head and laughs. “Come on, it’s built-in innuendo. First base, third base, scoring a home run.” The twinkle in his eyes stays but his smile fades as he looks deeper into my eyes. “If I thought I had a chance in hell with you, Ever, I’d never utter the word baseball again in my life.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, wishing for the hundredth time that I felt more than mild attraction toward him. But it’s just not there. Everything I want is inside the house, not out here with me.
“Don’t apologize. He needs you more than I do.”
I lean in and give him a hug. “You’re a good guy, Luc Hook.”
He wraps his arms around me and squeezes. “You’re not so bad yourself, Ever Darlington.”
When he pulls back something dances in his eyes before he leans forward and presses his lips to mine. I freeze. After a second he pulls back and chuckles at what has to be confusion all over my face. He boops my nose with his finger.
“Just had to be sure I wasn’t giving up too quickly.”
With a wink, he turns and jumps down the steps, then jogs around the front of his truck.
“See you tomorrow,” he calls out.
He waves after he gets in and I keep watching until his taillights disappear, my fingers pressed against my lips. They tingle unexpectedly and I don’t know what to make of it.
The entry is dark and quiet as I make my way upstairs, lost in confused thoughts. Even after I shower and pull on sleep shorts and a tank top, I can’t stop analyzing that kiss.
It was completely unexpected, brief and closed-mouth. Luc didn't even try to slip a little tongue in. But it was nice. His lips were soft. Still, I can’t help but compare to how it feels when I kiss my boys.
There is no room for doubt with them.
They consume me.
I shake my head and grab a throw off the foot of the bed, wrapping it around my shoulders. Even though I just ate, I want a slice of cheesecake I saw in the fridge this morning.
Hanna even put a note on it telling the guys to save me a slice.
Hopefully they listened to her.
I pad across the dark entry with bare feet and duck into the kitchen. Dim light trickles in from the pool and through the window, I see Baz swimming laps. There’s exactly one slice of cheesecake left so I grab it and a fork and make my way out to the patio.
“Hey.” I give Baz a small wave as I toss my throw onto a chair and step down three steps to sit on the ledge. The water feels nice on my feet and as Baz swims closer, it ripples over my calves, too.
One of these days I’m going to swim.
That I can comfortably sit with my feet dangling in the water is amazing.
Baz stops about three feet away, his hands braced on the bottom of the pool. His body floats out behind him and he reminds me of a merman. A really hot merman.
“How was your date?”
I tilt my head, but he’s not accusing me of anything so I shrug.
“Okay. Not what I expected. We decided to just be friends.”
His gaze burns into mine as he slowly starts to move closer. I set the cheesecake to the side because I’m much more interested in what Baz is doing.
“Was it Luc’s idea to pick you up in front of us?” Hurt swims in the depths of his eyes before he can mask it and I quickly shake my head.
“No, that was all Trey. Luc wasn’t happy about it. We didn't go out with them.”
I feel his fingers wrap around my ankles and goose bumps break out over my skin.
“I saw him kiss you.”
Baz slides his hands up and down my calves, inching his upper body closer with each stroke.
“It was nothing.” My breath hitches when he hits the sensitive skin on my inner knee.
“Did you kiss him back?”
His voice drops lower, then he leans in and presses his lips to my kneecap.
“I thought you said you saw it.”
Oh my god, were knees supposed to be this erogenous?
“Didn’t stay to watch. Pissed me off too much.”
He nips my inner thigh, then moves to the other side and does the same thing. His hands slide along my hips then he grips my waist. When he looks up his eyes glitter in the pool lights, and I catch a glint of his stud as he runs his tongue over his bottom lip.
“But it’s my turn now.”
Chapter Six
“Baz, what are you doing?” I whisper.
I watch as he kisses higher, spreading my legs wider with his broad chest. Water laps at my toes.
“I don’t want your last thought to be of Hook tonight.”
I start to tell him it wasn’t even a real date, but he grips my ankles and lifts until my heels are planted on the edge of the pool, my legs now spread obscenely wide.
“Lie back.” There is a rawness in his deep voice that makes my blood hot. He starts to slide his hands higher, then kisses the inside of each knee.
I do as he says and lie back against the cool concrete, but push up to my elbows immediately because I really don’t want to miss this.
He places a kiss right on my center and even through the thin cotton, I feel the heat from his mouth. A moan bubbles in the back of my throat. His throaty chuckle drives me crazy, but not nearly as crazy as when he slips his finger under the edge of my shorts.
“Oh fuck.” I arch up against his hand and he sweeps one finger through the wetness between my legs.
Baz’s eyes grow hooded and his breathing picks up speed.
I want him to take off my shorts so he can touch me everywhere, but I don’t want him to stop what he’s doing. Especially not when he hooks my shorts with his thumb and pulls them to the side.
Warm breath washes over me and I arch my back. His tongue glides up and over my clit, the ball an electric point of contact. God, I knew it would feel good, but not this good.
“Baz.”
I sink back down, unable to hold myself up while pleasure makes my limbs weak. I tangle the fingers on one hand through his hair and tug, urging him to move faster.
His growl vibrates against my heated skin.
He sucks my clit between his lips, uses the ball in his tongue to stroke circles. I lift my hips, rocking to the rhythm that he’s created. Sweat beads on my skin and I urge him on with broken pants.
It feels too good. It’s been too long since I’ve felt a tongue between my legs, and even then, its wasn’t half as good as this. Baz knows what the hell he’s doing and it’s making me crazy.
He shifts without breaking contact and I feel his fingers slowly slipping into me. Two, maybe thre
e? I don’t know for sure, all I know is that it’s stretching me in the best way and he’s got me on the edge already.
“Fuck.” I clench around him when he hits the spot that almost has me seeing stars.
The hard metal stud behind the softness of his tongue feels amazing. I try to close my legs to ease the build up a little, but the width of his shoulders keep me from moving. He uses his free hand to press down between my breasts, keeping me in place.
I fist my hand in his hair and he grunts, nipping at my clit until I loosen my hold enough so that he can sink into me deeper.
“Baz.” His name falls from my lips when I feel it start to take over. It’s too much. He’s hitting all the right spots inside and out and my body is five steps ahead of me now.
A tremor courses through me and I slam my eyes closed as a thunderous wave crashes over me, making my hips arch up off the ground and the air to leave my lungs.
He keeps me there, draws out my orgasm until I’m gasping for breath, then he guides me back down until I’m a boneless pile of satisfaction lying next to the pool.
With a wicked grin, he kisses the inside of my thigh and moves my shorts back into place. I’m swollen and so wet that I can feel it on the inside of my thighs. I wish I knew how to swim. This would be the perfect way to cool off.
Baz pushes back and eases my feet down and back into the water. It feels colder now, but good. He gives me his hand and helps me sit up. I watch with equal parts embarrassment and excitement as he licks his fingers, his gaze locked with mine.
“I can’t feel my toes,” I joke. “Holy fuck. You’re really good at that.”
“You went off like a fucking firecracker. I’d love to spend a day doing that over and over until you beg for mercy.”
His smile is feral and it sends another zap of fire right between my legs.
“But not tonight.”
He stands and walks up the steps, dripping water all over me as I scramble to move away. His erection pushes at his wet shorts and I’m momentarily distracted. I really want to see what's under that fabric.
