Something for the Pain (Pain #2)

by Victoria Ashley

  I slow down and turn back for my sandals when I realize that they are now in the pool. Screw all that. Then I look down at his black Chucks that are soaking wet and laugh to myself. “Why do you still call me firecracker? I colored my hair red once when I was fifteen.”

  He picks up a strand of my hair and examines it. “Your hair has always reminded me of a shiny new penny with all the copper tones in it. Even under all that brown and copper though, there has always been red in your hair. You can only really see it in the sun though. I like it. And plus, your face always turns all red when I tease you. You’ll always be my firecracker.”

  I shake my head and roll my eyes. “Oh yeah. Why don’t you just write a song about it.” I tease. “That sounded pretty deep coming from your mouth.”

  He follows me down the hall toward the stairs. “Maybe I will. You know I still play my guitar each night. I can’t write songs for shit but for you I would try.”

  I stop and he does the same. I look him up and down, standing there shirtless and wet as I try to hold back my desire to kiss him. Our eyes meet for a split second before I pull myself out of my trance, clear my throat, and reach for the railing. “Alright,” I say, changing the subject and my thought process. “Well, there are two rooms upstairs,” I continue, as he follows me up with his hands on my hips for support. “The other one is downstairs and down the hall from the pool and rec room.”

  We stop in front of the first door and I reach for the handle, but then stop and smile at him. “This one . . . is not your room.” I head for the back of the hall and his smile broadens, because he loves being teased. “This here is your room.”

  He walks past me and pushes the door open. His eyes widen as he takes in the sight before him. “Wow! Did you do all of this?”

  He walks over to the wall by the window and touches one of his own favorite drawings that I attempted to paint. Yesterday, I spent the whole day painting music notes and some of his drawings onto the back wall of his room. I even brought his favorite plush pillow that he leaves at my aunt’s house so he can sit on it whenever he plays his guitar for me.

  “Yeah. I just thought it would be a nice spot for you to have to play your guitar.” I walk over and open the window. “You can sit here with the window open and play for the cars passing by.”

  I plop down onto his pillow—chair—thing. I’m really not sure what to call it. It’s not really any of the above, but a mixture. “Like how you used to when we were teenagers. Do you remember? Right before your mom . . .” I stop myself and clear my throat. “I remember you sitting on your screened in porch by the window, playing all night. I would sometimes drive over late at night just to listen to you play. It helped me sleep better. Actually, you were sitting in that same spot, attempting to play Memphis’ guitar the day we met. Remember?”

  He smiles to himself and then grabs my hand to help me to my feet. “Of course I remember that shit.”

  He plops down on his huge pillow and pulls me down onto his lap, and then adjusts me to make sure I’m comfortable before speaking. “I was sitting there playing the guitar and I was so pissed off because I kept messing up, so I decided to quit. Then I heard a little voice coming from outside the window say something like, “Please play some more.” I looked out and there you were; the cutest little girl with a penny colored ponytail. It was the shiniest damn hair I had ever seen. My father was gone . . . at work, so I played some more.”

  We both laugh as he wraps his arms around my waist and squeezes. “Is that your room down the hall?” He asks with a hint of humor.

  I lean my head against his shoulder and smile. “Yes. You know I have to be upstairs. We even get to share a connecting bathroom.” I point to the bathroom door. “That leads into the bathroom and my room is on the other side. We’ll just have to be sure to lock both doors so we know when the other is using it.”

  He brushes my hair out of the way before resting his scruffy chin on my shoulder. “Why did you choose for my room to be upstairs instead of Lucas’?”

  I twist my neck back to look at him. “Because it reminds me of when we were kids and you used to climb through my window. Hell, I still catch you climbing through my bedroom window instead of using the door. You know Tara doesn’t mind you coming over whenever you want. We are adults now.”

  We both stop laughing and look up when we hear footsteps enter the room.

  Lucas looks down at us and flashes a half smile. “You two having fun without me?”

  I feel Alex stiffen beneath me, and then he helps me to my feet before getting up as well.

  “Lucas,” Alex mutters while pushing the pillow back against the wall. “We were just breaking in my room.”

  I shake my head and laugh while giving Alex a light shove. I know that it doesn’t bother Lucas, but sometimes I wonder why he makes those kinds of jokes so often. “Shut up, dick-lick.”

  Lucas brushes his blonde hair out of his face and nods his head at me with a chuckle. “Dick-lick?” He raises an eyebrow and heads for the door. “That’s a new one.” He stops in the doorway and waits for us to join him. “I see you guys have already taken a dip in the pool. I’m also guessing that she’s talked you into saying yes?”

  Alex runs his tongue over his bottom lip and nods his head as if trying to hold something back. “Do you even have to ask?” He turns to me and gives me a kiss on the forehead before his gray eyes find mine. “I should grab my shit and get going. I need to be at Ravage for an appointment soon.”

  “See ya later, man,” Lucas says while pounding his fist with Alex’s. “We’ll be moving some of our stuff in over the weekend. I’m sure Tripp will fill you in on the rest of the details later. Cool?”

  Alex nods his head and starts backing up. “Sure thing.” He turns back to me and winks. “Talk to ya later, Firecracker.”

  “I’ll call you in a few hours,” I say in response, ignoring his silly nickname for me.

  Lucas watches as he walks down the stairs before turning back to me and pulling me against him. He presses his lips against mine and grips my ass in his hands. “You look so damn sexy wet. I hope you’re in the mood, because I can’t help myself right now.”

  He kisses me again before licking his lips and pulling away. “I told you he’d agree to move in. I just hope he doesn’t mind us having a little fun once in a while. I’m not going to hold back just because he’ll be living here too.”

  I let out a little breath and force a smile. “He’ll be fine. I’m sure he’ll have a ton of girls over anyways. He will hardly even notice.”

  Saying the words out loud only makes my heart ache.

  “Yeah. Well who knows, maybe he will share with us. I don’t mind sharing.”

  I let out a nervous laugh and try to hide the fact that for some reason that bothers me.

  “Maybe,” I whisper.

  Maybe I want him all to myself . . .

  IT’S BEEN FIVE DAYS SINCE Tripp asked me to move in with her and Lucas. I should have been moved in days ago, but the truth is my head is still reeling from our conversation at the bar. That and the fact that I have been extremely busy, working my ass off here at Ravage. I’ve been lucky to have any amount of free time in between my endless appointments.

  “Hey dude. Alex,” Ace calls out, probably from the gaming couch.

  “Yeah, man?” I smile down at the sexy brunette in my chair as I hand her the mirror, allowing her to check out the dandelion I just placed below her right collarbone.

  “Your girlfriend is here to see you,” he replies with a hint of laughter. “She’s looking damn fine too, so you better hurry your ass up.” I hear him whisper, “Damn,” as her footsteps start heading toward my door.

  Everyone at the shop knows she’s not my girlfriend, but after months of everyone calling her that, we have both given up on correcting them. It’s not like it really bothers me anyways. If I were to ever have a girlfriend, Tripp would be the perfect one for the role; the only one able to capture my balls and lu
re me in, so fuck it.

  Sliding my chair back, I look up to see Tripp appear in the doorway with a half-smile, dressed in another damn dress. Fuck, those dresses do me in. She glances down at the brunette that now seems to be glaring at me, looking jealous.

  She gives me a knowing look. “Nice tattoo,” Tripp confirms as the girl looks between Tripp and I, trying to get a read.

  “Thanks,” she says with a sneer, before looking at me. “I didn’t realize you had a girlfriend.” She stands from the chair and walks over to stand in front of me. “I’ve been hearing some things about you and I was hoping we could hang out sometime. I just assumed you were single from all the talk.”

  Before I can say anything, Tripp walks over to the chair and takes a seat, slapping the brunette on the ass. The girl seems surprised, but this chick never fails to surprise me. She’s definitely something else. “He doesn’t.” She grabs the girl’s arm and pulls her down so that her lips are close to the girl’s ear. “And I can confirm that everything you’ve heard about this stud is true.”

  Tripp leans in closer, brushing her lips under her ear as the brunette lifts an eyebrow, her interest piqued once again. “Trust me,” she whispers.

  The brunette now looks back at me with a playful smile, looking hopeful once again. “I see,” she says sweetly. “That’s perfect.”

  “We’re having a party tonight at our place,” Tripp says proudly. “Ask Ace to hook you up with the address. It’s not far from here.”

  “I’ll definitely be there.” She looks me up and down, admiring my body before saying, “The name is Mel by the way.”

  Tripp winks at me before smiling up at Mel. “We’ll see you around eight, Mel. Don’t keep my guy over here waiting for too long. The other girls will swoop in and take your place if they see the opportunity.”

  Mel looks a little nervous, before shaking it off and smiling. “Oh, I won’t be late.” She starts backing up toward the door while biting her bottom lip. “I’ll see ya then, Alex.”

  Shaking my head, I look to Tripp and smirk as Mel turns around and exits the room. I somehow find what she just did to be extremely hot. “What was all that shit about?”

  She shrugs her shoulders before reaching in her purse and pulling out a sandwich, tossing it to me. “I was just being your wingman . . . or would it be wingwoman?” She raises an eyebrow in thought, grinning from ear to ear.

  I reply to her while unwrapping my ham and cheese sandwich and taking a bite. “You really are something else. She would’ve came home with me no matter what. You know that, right?”

  “Of course,” she says in a high-pitched voice. “But I owe you for agreeing to move in with us. I had to make sure it was a done deal.” She jumps up from the chair and wraps her arms around my neck. “I’ve been settled in for three days now. You need to hurry up and move in. I won’t be excited until I see your stuff show up. I want you to call this place home. You promised me.”

  I run my hands up her arms before pulling them away and pushing her toward the door, pinning her up against it. I look her in the eyes so she can see the truth in them. “You know I’ll be there. Just give me a few hours. I have two more appointments and then I’m out. I promise, Tripp. Never question that.”

  “Alright,” she says with a nervous smile. She places her hands on my chest and looks down at them before looking back up at my face. “I’ll be home setting up for the party. It’s going to be a blast. I promise.” She removes her hands and sucks her bottom lip into her mouth. “Later, Stud.”

  I smile at her and slap her ass as she turns around to leave. She lets out a small yelp and grabs her ass in surprise. I might have gotten a bit carried away and slapped it harder than planned. My bad.

  “Ouch! That hurt.” She punches my arm. “Jerk. Take your aggression out on someone else.”

  I back away and wink at her. “Just be glad it wasn’t during sex. That hurts a lot worse. Trust me.” I bite my bottom lip, as her face turns red. “Later, Firecracker.” I tease.

  She says nothing more before disappearing out the door, leaving me alone in my thoughts. Hearing Ace hit on her on the way out almost tests me, but I keep my shit together.

  Control. It’s all about control . . .

  AFTER WORK I WENT BACK to the house, said goodbye to Memphis, and packed most of my shit into the back of my truck. It only took me about three hours to get everything moved and unpacked. By the time I was done, Tripp was standing in my doorway with a huge grin on her face, obviously glad that I kept my word.

  “Someone looks awfully happy,” I say while plopping down on my bed with my hands laced behind my head.

  She runs across the room and jumps on the bed next to me, rolling on her side to face me, and propping herself up on her arm to look down at me. “Of course I am.” She lays her head on my chest and throws her leg over my waist, tucking herself against my body. “My boy is finally here. I pretty much haven’t seen you in five days. You know that is unacceptable. I’ve missed the shit out of you.”

  I close my eyes, feeling guilty for not at least stopping by to see her. I guess I have to admit that I’ve been a bit pissed off about her and Lucas being in the same house together. I just don’t like the idea of her being around him every day. It feels too much like us.

  “Well I’m here now.” I sigh. “I won’t let it happen again.” I run my hand through the back of her hair and lightly tug on it. “Come here,” I whisper.

  She looks up at me before scooting up higher so that her face is tucked into my neck. Damn, she smells so good. “You promise me,” she asks against my skin.

  I grab her leg and pull her over me, positioning her so that she’s partially lying between my legs, the rest of her body on top of me. Then I kiss her hair and tangle my fingers in it. We’ve been doing this since I was twelve. “Yeah. I just had to deal with a few things alone. You know I’m always here. If you would have asked me to come see you, you know there is no way in hell I could have said no.”

  “I know,” she simply says. “I guess I just wanted you to come on your own.”

  I smile against her hair before grabbing her underneath her ass and pulling her up to straddle me. I rest my hands on the front of her thighs. “I come alone sometimes. A lot, actually.” I laugh as she punches me and pushes down on my chest. She really doesn’t realize that the way she’s moving her body right now is about to give her a huge surprise if she doesn’t hold still. “Would it be bad if I admitted I get hard when you punch me? I like it rough. Keep it up.”

  Her face turns red before she punches me a few more times. “Is that what I feel?”

  She crawls off of me and rolls over on her back beside me on the mattress. “You really are a guy. I guess I should have found a girl for a best friend. Things would be a lot different.”

  I sit up and look at her while rolling my sleeves up to my elbows. “You have no idea.”

  She swallows, before breaking eye contact and standing, then walking toward the door. “So . . . you should get ready for the party tonight. I’m sure Mel will be showing up soon.”

  Having Mel here is the last thing I am even thinking about at the moment, but I guess having her around will keep me distracted from worrying about Tripp and Lucas and what kind of shit they’ll be up to tonight. “Yeah. I’ll be down in a bit. I’m going to relax and then take a quick shower. I’ve been up since five so I need to prep my brain for party mode.”

  Her eyes land on my guitar and she gives me a look, telling me she wants to hear me play it tonight. Then she backs out of my room and shuts the door behind her, leaving me alone in my thoughts.

  I lay here for about an hour, lost in thought, before finally hopping in the shower and relieving myself. If it’s a fucked up thing to stroke your cock to thoughts of your best friend, then I guess I’m extremely fucked up, but I have found this is the only way to be around her like I am on a near constant basis.

  Standing under the warm water I stroke myself, slow and hard, to t
houghts of me fucking Tripp so hard that she wouldn’t be able to walk for weeks. Fuck me. The things I would do to her if I had a chance . . .

  Gripping the shower wall, I stroke my cock a few more times, letting myself imagine that my hand is her pussy, before letting my cum wash down the drain, along with any ideas that being with Tripp would be okay. That shit will never happen without messing everything up.

  I look down at my dick, while catching my breath and letting my orgasm wash through me as I slap the wall. Damn, that was a lot of cum. At least my dick won’t be standing tall all fucking night now.

  I guess we’ll just see how the night plays out. Hell, maybe if I’m lucky I’ll switch up Mel for Tripp. As shitty as that sounds, I want that so bad. The thought of her thighs squeezing me tight as I bury myself inside her has me getting hard again. I need to play it cool though. I have to. If I don’t it could fuck up everything.

  I’M IN MY ROOM GETTING ready when I hear the shower turn on. The party starts in about fifteen minutes so Alex must be getting ready too.

  Just out of curiosity, I walk over to the bathroom door and turn the handle. It moves, but I don’t push it open. It’s unlocked. That thought excites me, making me realize that he didn’t care enough to lock it, and knowing that I could walk in at any time and see him naked elevates my core temp a little. I just find that to be so damn hot.

  That’s an open invitation . . . right?

  I release the handle and suck in a small breath when I hear him moan out, followed by what sounds like his hand slapping against the shower wall.

  Oh. My. God. That is the sexiest sound I have ever heard. That low, deep growl is all it takes to get me wet.

  Collecting myself, I back away from the door and take a deep breath. My legs feel shaky. “Don’t do this right now, Tripp. Dammit, don’t do this.” Shaking it off, I go back to stand in front of the mirror one last time, questioning the way I look in my newest little dress.