by Mia Ashlinn
Yet he couldn’t let go of that niggling fear at the back of his mind, the one that said the past twenty-four hours had changed things but it hadn’t necessarily fixed them. It was the same doubt that reminded him Sam hadn’t confessed his undying love. He hadn’t brought up the future. And although Sam had allowed them into his body again, he’d never once uttered I love you. To Ethan, that said a lot. Hell, it practically screamed at him.
With another curse, Ethan sucked in a sustaining breath and closed his eyes. Then he forced himself to relax. Yet no matter how hard he tried, sleep never came. And he had a feeling it wouldn’t come, not any time soon.
Chapter 15
Sam hummed blissfully as he breezed into The Book Nook. His feet moved swiftly as though they knew how desperate he was to get in, get coffee, and get the fuck out. After all, he was in a hurry. He had to get to the Sun, Moon, and Stars Café for a breakfast date with Brett and Ethan.
He grinned, remembering the fight Ethan had put up over where they were going to eat. But Sam didn’t allow his amusement to slow him as he hurried over to the coffee counter where Donna was ringing up two men he didn’t recognize, two very handsome, very dark and brooding men.
When Sam moved in behind the two strangers, Rylan approached the counter on the other side and handed each of them a cappuccino cup on a matching saucer. Sam couldn’t help but admire the color of the cup. The porcelain was green, the exact shade of hunter as Ethan’s eyes. As he remembered gazing into those eyes while blowing Ethan last night, a sappy smile split his face.
But his smile only lasted a heartbeat. When No-name Man Number One and No-name Man Number Two whirled around, their swift change oddly in sync, his smile faded. He opened his mouth to greet them, but they rebuffed him with frigid looks that chilled Sam to the bone, and he shivered slightly. Then they pushed past him without a word.
Damn. Maybe I should call them Asshole One and Asshole Two.
Sam breathed through his nose then out through his mouth. He reminded himself that they weren’t worth his energy or time. Maybe, if he hadn’t been so damn chipper, he would have felt differently. He probably would have gone ahead and gotten pissed. But right now, he couldn’t seem to dredge up the wasted emotion.
Stepping forward, Sam erased Asshole One and Asshole Two from his mind. He turned his attention to the lovely lady standing across from him. “Donna!”
“Sam!” She grinned. “What are you up to this morning?”
“I’m up to no good,” he replied with a cheeky smile.
Donna chuckled. “How is that different than any other day?”
“It isn’t.”
Humming the theme song to Cops, Donna reached for a pen and her order pad then asked, “What can I get you?” She bent her head forward and put her pen to the paper.
“I need a cup of black sludge to go.”
Donna’s head came up. “To go? Are you cheating on me with Haven, too?” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. But the humor glittering in her gaze ruined her dramatic act of distrust. “I swear everyone in town keeps coming here for a drink then going there for food. It’s enough to hurt a girl’s feelings. But damn it, I expected more from you!”
“But doll face—”
She dropped her pen then put her hands on her rounded hips. “Don’t you ‘But doll face’ me, Mister. If you want to eat at the Sun, Moon, and Stars café, fine.” She made a sniffling noise that was as fake as it was funny. “I can accept your change of heart. But don’t you come here and rub it in my face. Don’t expect me to provide coffee because Haven’s all pissed off at the stupid distributor for his asshole comments about Tate. I won’t do it.”
“Would it help if I told you it was for Brett, not me?”
Donna nodded. “A little.”
“And would I get brownie points with you if I gave you a kiss on the cheek? ’Cuz I would be all for that.”
Donna made a show of thinking. She even went as far as lifting her eyes to the ceiling and tapping her chin with her finger. “It probably wouldn’t hurt.”
“Doll face, my kisses don’t hurt. They’re like magic.”
Donna chortled. “You really are up to no good this morning.”
“You have no idea.”
“I bet I do.”
Bracing his hands on the countertop, Sam leaned forward and pecked a kiss on Donna’s cheek then returned to his lazy stance across from her.
“Oh…magic.” Donna mock swooned. “It’s like a dream.”
He puckered his lips. “My kisses are better than a trip to Disney World, where dreams supposedly come true. Hell, they’re even more magical than the Magic Kingdom. And everyone claims it’s the ‘Most Magical Place on Earth.’”
Donna snickered. “You’re in a mighty good mood this morning.” An audacious wiggle of her eyebrows made Sam fidget. “Wonder what—or who—tickled your pickle this morning? My money’s on the two men I saw you practically jumping in the street earlier. Seriously, Sam. Tonsil hockey is not a sexy sport.”
Sam felt his face flush a deep crimson with his embarrassment. Only like always, he didn’t back down from Donna’s dirty bantering. “Do you really want to know?” he asked with a wink. “Because if you do, I’ll need to get some paper and pens to draw diagrams.”
A groan came from Donna a second before she covered her face with her hands. “No, no, no.” She shook her head, but he could see her shoulders shaking as she laughed. “I don’t need those images in my head.”
“Well, you shouldn’t provoke the tiger,” Rylan said from his spot in front of the espresso machine, where he stood grinning like a fool as he frothed milk for someone’s drink. “Unless you can take the heat.”
Donna’s hands dropped. She sent Rylan an unamused look. “Little boy, there’s nothing I can’t take.”
Somehow, Sam doubted that. He remembered how fast she’d hightailed it out of her son’s apartment when she’d walked in on Sam, Tate, Brett, and Ethan in the biggest misunderstanding of his life. “Mmmhmm, sure.”
Waggling her finger just below Sam’s nose, she growled, “Behave, buster.”
Rylan arched a disbelieving brow at Donna. “Want to make a bet?”
“Sure thing,” Donna countered, obviously not thinking about what she may or may not be agreeing to.
The maniacal smile Rylan flashed scared Sam. “Good. ’Cause here comes trouble.”
“Oh,” Donna gasped, much to Sam’s bafflement. “I need to run in my office. I have to get…” She never even finished. She simply took off.
Huh? Caught off guard, Sam started searching for the source that had Rylan entertained and Donna hauling her ass away. He swept his gaze around, but he saw nothing. He even glanced over his left shoulder as inconspicuously as possible. Nonetheless, there was nothing in sight. Then Sam heard it—the voice of his oldest brother, Ryan Thomas Carrington.
“Hey, little brother,” Thom murmured.
Then he heard his other brother. “How have you been?” Jeremiah Carrington asked. “Good? Bad? Or just plain ugly?”
Sam’s shock paralyzed him. “Fucking hell.” This was just what he needed—Dumb and Dumber in Luscious with him, Brett, and Ethan. His stomach churned. He had a feeling things were about to get real nasty. The question was, who would end up paying the piper when all was said and done?
Somewhere in the back of Sam’s mind, a little voice whispered that it would be him. And much to his horror, he believed it.
* * * *
Outside the Sun, Moon, and Stars Café, Ethan prowled from one giant storefront window to the other. Then he pivoted on his heel and returned the way he came before beginning the process all over again. “He’s late.” Extremely late. Forty-five minutes late.
“Calm down,” Brett said, grimacing. “There’s probably some explanation. I bet he’s stuck in the back of the line at The Book Nook. I’m sure they’re very busy at this time of morning.”
Right. Busy. Ethan checked the time on the phone he’d been c
lutching in his hand since Dean the Librarian told him that he’d seen Sam in The Book Nook with two strange but very hot guys who looked an awful lot like his brothers, Miah and Thom.
Ten thirty-five in the morning? Ethan just about snorted. That was hardly the time of day people rushed out to get coffee. Even with Haven’s refusal to sell coffee at the Sun, Moon, and Stars café because of her dispute with the distributor, he highly doubted the demand was so high that people were flocking to The Book Nook for a mid-morning fix.
“Then why isn’t he answering his cell or texts?” Ethan’s steps slowed as he neared a stoic-faced Brett. “Do they not have cell phone coverage in the town’s only hot spot?”
Brett’s dark eyes narrowed. “Have you ever considered that it could be someone from Serenity or Kinky? There are lot of people who could have dropped by for a visit.” A muscle in his strong jaw ticked. “Even if it is Miah and Thom, they could be just catching up. Or Sam could be breaking the news of our relationship to his brothers without us. You don’t know.”
Brett was right. There were lots of possibilities. But the only one that stuck with Ethan was that Sam had chosen to hide them from Miah and Thom. That he’d decided to treat them like his dirty little secret rather than confessing the truth—that they were finally together. Ethan realized his thoughts were irrational. His heart, however, didn’t see it that way.
“Are you always going to have an excuse for him?” Ethan asked, his voice heavy with resignation.
“Are you always going to be like this?” Brett shot back.
Ethan contemplated playing dumb and asking what the hell he meant. But it wasn’t necessary. He knew exactly what Brett was talking about. He was being a prideful prick who was permitting his past pain and insecurities to rule his present life.
Rather than standing there fretting over the possibilities, he should be on his way down the street. He should be hunting Sam down and finding out what the hell was going on and why the fuck he didn’t want them to know his brothers were in town. And he should be confronting Miah and Thom and confessing to them how he, Sam, and Brett felt about each other. But that would be too easy—and too damaging to his ego. He was getting pretty tired of being the one to do all of the chasing with Sam, of being the one who put his pride on the line over and over again. Just once, he wished Sam would chase him, that he would follow him, and that he would risk his pride for him. Clearly, that wasn’t happening.
“I can’t believe it doesn’t bother you that he didn’t call or text.” Ethan crossed his arms over his chest. “Doesn’t it worry you at all that he’ll walk out on us again—that he might already have—now that his brothers are in the picture?”
Before he’d even finished his question, Brett was already shaking his head. “No, it doesn’t. Sam isn’t the kind of man to sleep with us then walk away. Miah and Thom might spook him, but they won’t stop him. Give him time. He has to be confused.”
“He didn’t sleep with us. He fucked us.” Ethan expelled the words in a rancorous rush. “He never said he loved us or would stay with us.” And that had hurt. Ethan wanted the words. Even though he knew how Sam felt, he’d wanted to hear Sam say he loved him and Brett. He’d wanted to hear Sam commit to them—out loud and proud.
Ethan realized that it had been partially his own fault. They’d not taken the time to have the heart-to-heart talk they’d needed to last night. They’d let their lust override their good sense. Now, Ethan was living to regret it.
Brett inclined his head in Ethan’s direction and gave him one of his special Are you stupid? looks, the ones that irritated the shit out of Ethan. “Are you kidding me? We didn’t tell him we loved him, either. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t know it.”
If Brett had really paid attention, Ethan had made an offhand remark about them loving him. And Sam hadn’t confirmed or denied how he’d felt. But Ethan didn’t want to get into that with Brett right now.
“Whatever,” Ethan mumbled. “We could play this game all day long and still not know the answer.”
“Then why don’t we go to The Book Nook? We can ask him ourselves.”
Ethan hoped he was wrong and that Brett was right. However, he didn’t hold out much hope. Still, though, he found himself agreeing. “Let’s go.”
* * * *
At The Book Nook, Sam reclined against the wooden bench. Stiffly, he shifted as he glowered at his brothers. “Why exactly are you here?”
“Aly called us,” Thom replied with an easy smile. “She said she’d promised you that she wouldn’t tell Ethan or Brett where you were staying. But she didn’t make the same promise to you about us.”
Of course. “And so?” Sam asked as he clasped the sides of the oversized mug Donna had handed him before skedaddling back to the counter. “I don’t need my brothers coming to my rescue.” He lifted his steaming tea to his lips and downed the scalding hot liquid, pretending not to notice the burn starting in his mouth and ending in his stomach.
“Don’t you?” Miah asked. “It’s our job to be there for you.”
Ah shit. Here he goes again. Sam lowered his cup to the table with a clang. “I’m a big boy.”
Thom arched one dark eyebrow. “Then why did you run?” He air quoted. “Big boys don’t run. They put their pants on and face their problems.”
Sam refused to answer truthfully. So he shrugged and mumbled, “I don’t know.”
Miah sent him a cutting glare. “Samuel Luke Carrington, you’re such a liar.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Sam flicked his wrist in a dismissive gesture. “You’re the pot. I’m the kettle.”
“Come on, Sam. Throw us a crumb. You disappeared off the radar for four months. Can’t you give me and Miah a little information?”
Sam hated when Thom was so damn rational. And in this case, so damn right. He should talk to them, share a few details. After all, he’d not contacted them. No phone calls. No visits. Nothing.
“I—”
When Sam heard Brett and Ethan asking Donna where he was, Sam snapped his jaw shut. He sucked in a breath through his teeth and held it as he listened to Donna’s reply. When she told Brett and Ethan his exact location, he released the air then started scooting toward the edge of the table. “I have to go,” he mumbled.
But before he could get up, Brett and Ethan approached him. Only they couldn’t see Miah or Thom, which meant they had no clue he wasn’t alone. Shit.
“We were getting worried. Why didn’t you meet us for our breakfast date?” Brett asked as he came around the edge of the booth. “We missed—” Once Sam’s brothers came in his lover’s line of sight, he paled. “Miah. Thom.”
“Hey, Brett,” Miah said, his greeting friendly despite the stress hanging over them all like an albatross. “How have you been? Where’s Ethan?”
As soon as Miah asked about Ethan, he appeared as though he’d been conjured up. “Where’ve you been, Sam?” His eyes and mouth formed perfect Os when he saw Sam’s brothers, and he cursed. “Uh. Hey, guys.”
“U−u−h,” Sam stammered, trying to think of something clever to say. “I ran into my brothers, and we got to…talking. I lost track of time.”
Brett frowned. “You could have texted or called us, and we would have come right over.”
Sam realized that. And that was why he hadn’t done either of those things. “I know, but I figured you two would rather have a nice breakfast together than hang out with me and my dopey-headed siblings.”
Miah wadded up a napkin and launched the paper at Sam’s head. “Who you calling dopey-headed?”
Ignoring Miah’s presence, Ethan narrowed his eyes at Sam. His intense gaze brimmed with suspicion. “What would make you think that?”
Sam shrugged noncommittally.
Brett, who’d been quiet up until this point, demanded, “Are we really going to do this? Play this stupid game?”
Frowning, Ethan threw his arm out. He slapped his hand against Brett’s chest as though holding him back. “No, we’re
not, Brett. I’m tired of this—laying our pride at his feet, chasing behind him. I can’t do it, not when he doesn’t reciprocate and definitely not when he treats us like we’re nothing to him when he’s everything to us.”
Miah and Thom watched the byplay in silence, their gazes switching from Sam to Brett and Ethan before coming back to Sam every damn time.
“Why don’t we discuss this later?” Sam looked at his brothers pointedly.
Brett shook his head then turned on his heel and stalked away. No warning. No more words. He was just gone. And Ethan immediately followed behind him.
As Sam watched both men go, his heart was heavy in his chest. Breathing hurt. He was suffocating. Still, he didn’t make a move to chase after Brett or Ethan. He remained seated, his dull eyes glued to them.
When Brett shoved open the door and he and Ethan disappeared from sight, pain splintered Sam’s chest wide open, and he couldn’t bear to stay there any longer. Making a split-second decision, he slid from the booth in total silence then surged to his feet. Purposefully, he strode out of the Book Nook and stepped into the sunny Kansas day.
Squinting, Sam scanned the area surrounding him. He only had to search for a second before his eyes landed on Brett and Ethan, who were on their way up the street. With a curse, he sprinted toward them. He passed people milling on the side walk, practically running over a couple of them. Most of them moved. And a lot of them spoke. But he didn’t.
Sam’s boots were hard and heavy against the sidewalk. And the sun was hotter than hell on Satan’s birthday. But his discomfort barely registered. He was on a mission. Nothing and no one would deter him.
“Ethan Scott Bartlett,” Sam yelled, not giving a damn how loud his voice was. “Brett Alexander Monroe, where they hell do you two think you’re going?”
Neither Ethan nor Brett acknowledged him. They kept walking.
Coming up behind them, only steps from the stiff bodies of the men he loved, Sam barked, “What was that all about?”
Finally, Ethan and Brett froze.
