In Tune (Red Bird Trail Trilogy Book 3)

by Laramie Briscoe

  “Hey,” he answered back, his lips at her ear so that she could hear him over the loud bass of the music that the stripper danced to. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?”

  She pulled back, looking up into his eyes. They sparkled with excitement at seeing her, and she knew he hadn’t been lying. He truly was happy to see her. “I didn’t want to go home to an empty apartment by myself. I promise I can stay out of the way,” she said quickly.

  “You’re never in the way,” he was quick to assure her, taking a chance at pushing her hair back from her face. He widened his stance so that he could be at eye level with her and gave her a soft smile.

  “Oh, I’m pretty sure that I can be in the way sometimes,” she argued. “But really I wanted to see what this place looks like on the inside when there’s not a concert going on. It’s not nearly as bad as I thought,” she admitted as she glanced around. “I figured the floor would be sticky.”

  He choked on his own spit as he thought about what that entailed and realized what she was thinking about. He grabbed her around the neck with his arm, pulling her even closer. “That happens in the boom-boom room, and those rooms are back in that hallway.” He pointed to the left.

  Her eyes got huge as she watched a man and a woman make their way down the hallway.

  “They’re really going back there to…ya know?”

  He couldn’t help but tease her. “They’re going back there to fuck. Sometimes you can’t wait until you make it home.”

  She shivered as he said those last words, because his mouth was back at her ear. His lips brushed against the outer shell of her ear, and in that moment she wondered what it would be like to visit the boom-boom room with Cash.

  ‡

  Chapter Four

  He could see the wheels in her head spinning, and he desperately wanted to know what she was thinking. He also knew he couldn’t rush her; he couldn’t back her into a corner and make her admit things that she wasn’t ready to admit. If they started doing that to one another, they would lose what little ground they had made up.

  “Jagger said we could grab some food if you wanted to. It’s taken care of since you’re my lady and I’m working protection tonight.”

  “I’m your lady, huh?” she asked, her eyes bright as she looked up at him.

  “Well, ya know, if you wanna be,” he teased. The playfulness was a facet of his personality he hadn’t realized he’d had. The only person who’d been able to bring it out in him was Harper, and he almost exclusively saved it for her.

  “We’ll see.” She was coy in the way she turned away from him. “You said something about food?”

  “This way.” He directed her over to the bar. It struck him as he had a seat next to her that they hadn’t been out on dates. They were never able to afford it, so he’d never made it a priority. Most of their time was spent either in the apartment or at school. He realized as he looked over to her that they would have to change that. Just because they were broke didn’t mean they couldn’t have fun.

  “What’s good here?” she asked, perusing the menu.

  “I like the hamburger, but you know me, I like burgers. It’s pretty much bar food, and I know that’s not your favorite.”

  She shrugged. “But it’s food, and right now I’m starving. Wings sound good; maybe I wanna get a little messy.”

  Those words went straight to his groin. He was pretty sure that wasn’t at all what she’d meant, but it was what he heard. Between this and her comment about the sticky floor, his mind was firmly in the gutter. “Whatever you feel like.”

  “Are you okay?” she asked, her brows drawn together in concern. “You sound weird.”

  “I’m good.” He did his best to downplay how horny he was, shifting and adjusting on the bar seat.

  A waitress picked that moment to come by and take their orders. It gave him time to calm down and get himself under control, for which he was very thankful.

  “How was your night?” he asked after the waitress left them.

  “Oh my God.” She rolled her eyes. “If at any time in the next twenty years we become rich, please remind me that right now we’re eating Ramen and leftovers. These people were such asses. They looked down on us, and even checked the silver before we left. What the actual fuck?”

  She was cute in her indignation. “That’s super shitty,” he agreed, taking a drink of the Coke that had been placed in front of him. On nights like this, he wished he could relax with a cold beer, but he was always worried to start that habit since his mom was an addict.

  “Right? I wanna know when they thought we had the time to steal their precious silver, because they kept us hopping all night.” She worked her neck around on her shoulders before shooting him a glance. “But I did get to bring some stuff home. It’s in a cooler in my car.”

  “Remy will be excited.” The boy was going to eat them out of house and home, of that Cash was sure. He reached over, having noted the way she’d moved her neck around, and massaged the tight muscles there.

  His fingers were magic, and she moaned as he loosened the tightness. “I know. He’s the only child I know who gets excited over finger foods. One day I seriously want to get him some caviar and see if he will like it.”

  Cash opened his mouth to answer right as their own food was placed in front of them. His mouth watered as he saw the burger. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast that morning, instead opting to use his money to put gas in his car. “I’m about to tear this up,” he vowed as he reached down, picked up the burger, and took a huge bite.

  As he chewed, he glanced over at Harper. He watched as she, delicately as she could, took a bite of her wing, grabbing the meat off the bone, then setting it down in the basket, and sucking the sauce off her fingers. It was official, he was in hell.

  *

  Harper finished five of the ten wings she’d ordered and took a break, sitting back against the bar stool, breathing deeply as she took a drink of her water and ate a celery stick to cool the burning on her tongue.

  “So, have any of the women here made a pass at you?” she asked out of the blue. The way the women had watched him as he’d made his way over to her still bothered her. He was hers, and that had never been challenged before—now she felt the pressure.

  He coughed loudly, causing her to beat him on the back. “Do I have to answer that question?”

  “Judging by your reaction, it’s obviously happened.” That pissed her off, and she had to examine why that was. She wasn’t willing to enter into a relationship—so to speak—with him right now, but she didn’t want anyone else to have him either. Truthfully, that wasn’t fair, and she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do about it.

  “Women do hit on me every once in a while. I don’t encourage it.”

  “He sure doesn’t, but honey, if I could get him to reciprocate, I would teach this boy exactly what a Cougar can do.”

  Both she and Cash glanced up at the husky voice that had spoken, and dread rolled up in her stomach. This woman was obviously older than the both of them, but she had confidence in spades, and it was obvious she could teach him a thing or two. What did she say to this? How did she react? She did the only thing she knew how to do.

  “He’s got all he needs at home.”

  With those words, she put her hand behind his neck, smashing their lips together, and silently begged Cash to take control the way that only he knew how.

  ‡

  Chapter Five

  Cash’s brain fought with his body. The kiss felt good; it felt like everything he’d wanted it to feel, but at the same time, he knew it came from the wrong place. He wanted her to kiss him because she felt it, because she meant it, not because she was jealous of another woman. He pulled back, regret in his eyes.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked, licking her lips.

  The look in her eyes was enough to kill him. The question he saw there made him want to jump out of his skin. “That was wrong because it
came from the wrong place. It didn’t come from wanting to get back together with me, it came from the jealousness you felt when another woman showed interest.

  “It’s not that I don’t want it, Harper,” he continued. “Because I do, but I don’t want it that way. I want it because we’ve both overcome the issues that threatened to tear us apart in the first place. I want the real, true, grown-up kind of relationship I know we can have. There are still doubts there for both of us though; I understand that, I own that. I want this to be right, not for any other reason than because it’s right.”

  Cash had the sinking feeling he’d ruined everything and wanted to kick his own ass, but this time, they had to think it through. “It doesn’t mean I don’t want you, Harper. Please believe that. Say something.” His voice was rough as he pleaded with her.

  “No, I get it,” she finally answered. “It just hurts to hear you say that. You always give me what I want,” she admitted.

  “And look where that got us last time.”

  Cash heard a whistle and glanced around, seeing that Liam was calling him back to the floor. “I gotta get going. Are you going to stick around?”

  “Do you want me to?” There was a part of her that had to make sure he wanted her around.

  “I’d love for you to stay, but if you do, don’t move from here, otherwise I’ll worry about you.”

  “Then I’ll stay here until you come get me.”

  He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, impulsively. Because he felt it, and only because he felt it.

  *

  That night Harper lay in the bed both of them had shared not too long ago, fisting the sheet in her right hand as she ground her body against her left hand. Her encounter with Cash had left her feeling hotter than normal, and she had to release some tension. It would be so easy to walk out into the living room naked, climb on top of Cash, and take care of business, but he had been right. Until they could get back to that part of their relationship, she would have to settle for this, as empty as it was.

  She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and tried to keep the sounds she was making to herself. This particular fantasy was one of her favorites, and at some point, she knew she would make it happen. She had to.

  It involved Cash’s car after he ran the Trail, her in a skirt, and him taking her on the hood.

  Closing her eyes, she sank deeper into the fantasy, willing it to take her over the edge.

  She could feel the heat of the hood against her bare thighs, against her bare ass as Cash spread her there. They were behind the church where she’d been told he’d taken many of his conquests before her. It shouldn’t have excited her so much, but it did. It was like a rite of passage, and she dug her fingers into his hips as he unbuttoned his belt and unzipped his pants.

  “Gotta be quick,” he told her, breathing harshly against the skin of her neck. “Other people will be back here before we know it, and I don’t want to share any part of you with anyone else.”

  Harper gasped as she shoved his hard length inside her, throwing her head back as he did, relishing the feel of him, relishing the fact that she was the one who made him feel like this now.

  The heat on her ass, the coolness of the night, and the hardness of his dick inside her was enough to send her on a straight shot right towards the finish line.

  *

  Cash sighed as he lay on the couch in the living room. He wasn’t deaf, and no matter how quiet Harper though she was being, he could hear her. It killed him, lying there being the good guy. It was nights like this that he wished he didn’t care so much. He wished the blonde in the room across the hall hadn’t changed how he thought about relationships. He wished he hadn’t grown a fucking conscience, because he was battling the worst case of blue balls he’d ever had.

  The memories that trailed through his head like a movie were going to be the death of him. It had been years since he’d done this, but he knew there wouldn’t be any sleep for him at all otherwise, especially when he heard Harper’s sharp intake of breath. He knew exactly what that sharp intake of breath meant. He was intimately knowledgeable of that particular sound she made.

  Reaching into his sweatpants, he palmed himself, running his thumb over the tip, collecting the moisture that had gathered there. Without thought, he put one hand over his mouth to hold back his own noises. Right now, he didn’t want to explain anything to anyone, he didn’t want to make excuses, and he wanted to tell no lies. In this moment, the only thing he wanted to do was come. He wanted to relieve the pressure that was so heavily lying against his stomach.

  Closing his eyes, he thought of a fantasy he knew he would make come true one day. Harper, against the hood of his car after winning a race on the Trail. She wore a skirt and a smile.

  There wasn’t one part of him that wanted to drag this out, so he wasn’t surprised when less than fifteen strokes of his cock later, he was exploding against his ab muscles. He wiped his hand down his face, trying to gather his wits and slow down his breathing.

  One thing was for certain in his mind. When they finally did sleep together again, explosive wasn’t going to even begin to cover it.

  ‡

  Chapter Six

  “Go on in there and make sure Cash is awake,” Harper told Remy the next morning, sending him in to wake up his brother.

  She’d been awake at the crack of dawn, even though it had been a late night for the both of them. Instead of lazing around, she’d counted out the money she’d been paid for her catering job and the money Cash had been given for his protection job, took half of it to put back for bills, and then took half of it to the grocery store. Their cabinets still weren’t stuffed full, but they were in a much better situation than they had been the day before.

  Since she’d already been up, she’d gone to the clubhouse and picked Remy up, and they had both decided to make it pancake Sunday.

  “Damn, it smells good in here,” Cash said as Remy lead him into the kitchen by the hand.

  She was almost embarrassed to look at him after what had happened the night before, and it wasn’t because of the kiss. She always felt like she had a secret that she couldn’t share when she gave into her desire to him by herself. His voice was deep with sleep, and she wanted to hear that voice in her ear, she wanted him to wrap her up in his arms. He’d be warm against her, his arms would be strong, holding her up, but she couldn’t say anything about that right now. They still had issues to get through.

  “Pancake Sunday.” She winked. “Remy decided.”

  “You agreed,” Remy accused as he folded his arms over his chest, shooting her a look that was almost a hundred percent Cash.

  “I did.” She laughed. “C’mon y’all, it’s done.”

  They all had a seat at the table, and she started passing the platters that held pancakes, bacon, and sausage. It had been a while since they’d been able to share a meal together. She and Cash were always busy, and family breakfasts had taken a backseat.

  “How’s your physical therapy going?” Cash asked Remy as he took a huge bite of pancakes.

  Normally, Cash went straight to Walker’s Wheels after class, and Harper took Remy for his PT appointments. He’d noticed Remy was running easier and the stairs were easier for him to take, but he liked to hear it from his little brother’s own mouth.

  “It’s good. They’re pushing me though.”

  “That’s what they’re supposed to do, right?” Cash asked, glancing to Harper for reassurance.

  “Yup.” She threw a glare at Remy. “He doesn’t like being pushed and sometimes gives them attitude, and then we have to have a talk on the way home.”

  “Rem.” Cash sighed and set his fork down. “It’s all for your own good. Nobody is doing it because they want you to be unhappy. You know that, right?”

  “I know.” Remy played with his food for a minute. “I am breathing better, and I’ve noticed I can ride my bike for longer, so I’m trying my hardest to do what they want me to. I just get scared
when it’s hard to breath.”

  “And we’ve discussed what you can do when it’s hard to breathe,” Harper reminded him.

  “Yeah, close my eyes and relax, let my chest loosen, and make sure I breathe deeply and evenly.”

  Cash could tell by the way Remy said the words that they’d been drilled into his head. Remy and Harper had definitely spent more time together than he’d realized, and he couldn’t help but let that warm his heart.

  “Exactly.” Harper reached over and gave him a high five. “As long as you do that, you’ll be fine.”

  “How’d you know to tell him that?” Cash asked as he took a bite of his bacon.

  “Because she had panic attacks,” Remy answered before Harper could.

  Just like that, the elephant was back in the room. They still hadn’t broached the lies of omission or Harper’s past; neither one of them had wanted to.

  Quickly, he changed the subject, before they had to talk about something they weren’t ready to talk about yet.

  *

  Cash normally didn’t like working on Sunday’s, but after the way he and Harper had both clammed up when her panic attacks were mentioned, he knew he had to get out of the house. If nothing else, just to give her some time.

  “What are you doing here today?” Liam asked as he walked to where Cash was leaned over the hood of a car.

  “Didn’t have anything else to do, figured I’d get some hours in.”

  As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Cash knew he wasn’t fooling the older man.

  “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”

  It was better than pretending, so Cash had a seat on a bench in the bay and leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees. “Harper and I still haven’t talked about what happened with her dad. We haven’t even slightly grazed the topic, and I think she’s having a hard time with it. Hell I know she’s had a hard time with it, and that’s part of the problem. I don’t want to bring something up that’s going to hurt her. That’s not what I want to do, but I want us to be a normal couple at some point, and I know we aren’t going to be there until she faces what happened with him.”