Prose Before Bros

by Smartypants Romance

  He nodded, leaning down and kissing Maddy on the cheek. “I’m gonna go unpack upstairs,” he said. Thuy noticed the roller bag she’d somehow missed by the front door. He lugged it up the stairway.

  Thuy sat by Maddy, quiet. “Are you sure?” she finally asked. “I’ll back your play — you know that. But are you sure?”

  Maddy sighed. “It’s hard to trust. And part of me is still angry, and we’re going to have to work through that,” she said. “But we’ve been talking for the past month. We still love each other. He’s going to learn to be more flexible. So am I,” she added. “And we’re going to be parents. This baby will know his father.”

  Thuy sighed. “If he leaves again, I get to kill him.”

  “If he leaves again,” Maddy said, “you can help me hide the body.”

  They laughed, but it was tinged with tears. Maddy hugged her tight. “He said he’s going to spend his life making it up to me,” she said. “I don’t know if that’s just the reconciliation talking, but he sounded like he meant it.”

  “They always sound like they mean it,” Thuy said, thinking of Drill.

  Maddy must’ve picked up on the vibe. “There’s something I want to tell you,” she said. “Even though David is here, and he’s staying, nothing has changed for me. I will always, always want you close by.” She took a deep breath. “But I know it’s selfish. I’ve said it before: I don’t expect or want you to give up your job and your whole life, just for me.”

  Thuy blinked. “You’re kicking me out?”

  “No! No,” Maddy said quickly. “Are you kidding? You’ve been my lifeline. You’re like my sister. I would never kick you out!”

  “Then… what?” Thuy felt lost.

  A tear tracked down Maddy’s cheek. “I just… I know this isn’t necessarily a life you ever would’ve chosen for yourself. I know that you stayed because you felt like you owed me — which totally isn’t true, how many times do I have to tell that? — and if it weren’t for me, and the baby, you’d probably still be in the Bay Area. Enjoying high-speed Wi-Fi and A’s games,” she added, with a laugh.

  Thuy felt her throat choke with tears, and quickly swallowed them away. “I don’t know what to say,” she said.

  Or how to feel.

  “You are always gonna be a part of my life,” Maddy said seriously, with a firm nod. “You can’t get rid of me. We’re friends for life. Savvy?”

  Thuy nodded, and Maddy crushed her in another hug.

  “I’m just saying, don’t sacrifice your life for me,” Maddy said. “You can visit whenever you want. You can stay whenever you want. My home will always be your home, whenever you need or want one.” She paused. “But think carefully about what you want.”

  Thuy nodded. “I’ll, um, stay in the cabin tonight,” she said softly. “Give you two time to, uh, get reacquainted. Loudly, if you want.”

  Maddy blushed, then laughed. “I have to say, I’m glad you volunteered. I might’ve suggested it myself otherwise.”

  “You’re sure?” Thuy asked again.

  “I love him,” Maddy said simply. “When you’re in love…” She let the sentence peter off, shrugging helplessly.

  Thuy sighed.

  I know those feels.

  “I’ll just, um, grab some cookies and head out, then,” Thuy said, with one more hug. Then she grabbed a Tupperware full of a selection of sweets and tromped down to the cabin.

  When she shut the door behind her, she held it together long enough to fire up the woodstove and munch a few cookies, barely tasting them. Then she climbed up to the cold bed, took off her clothes, got under the covers, and cried herself to sleep.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Drill drove up to the farmhouse. It was midnight. He’d left the Dragon Bar, slipping out as people got drunker and the party celebrating the “promotions” got progressively wilder. He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t leave things with Thuy the way they were. He could text her, or call her. He tried to argue with himself that he didn’t want Catfish to find anything on his phone, but he could always delete the messages.

  The thing was, Thuy deserved more than a text saying he couldn’t see her again. She deserved better than that. Hell, she deserved better than him.

  He shut off his engine and walked his bike up the driveway in the dark, not wanting to wake up Maddy. He owed her an explanation, as well, but she’d understand. He’d already walked away from family once before. He’d send her a letter, explaining everything.

  But he wanted to see Thuy. He wanted to feel her — even if it was only a hug, or one kiss. And even if it was the last time.

  He frowned as he noticed a Kia, parked by the house. He wondered absently if Maddy had traded in the Continental or the truck for it – it’d definitely be easier for someone as small as Thuy to drive. He was about to knock on the door when he saw there was smoke coming out of the stovepipe on the cabin. He frowned, wondering if Thuy was waiting for him there. The steps to the loft were steep; he couldn’t imagine Maddy risking it.

  His body tensed. He parked his bike and went to the door, unlocking it. Only Thuy would lock doors out here, he thought with a grin. Good thing he kept the key.

  When he walked in, the fire had burned down, but still crackled a bit. She’d been feeding it. The lights were out. He walked to the steps, wincing as the creaked.

  “Drill?” she asked, in a harsh whisper.

  “It’s me,” he whispered back. He moved quietly over to the bed. She was swaddled up in the blankets.

  “What happened to you this morning?”

  He sighed. “I had to deal with Catfish. I was pretty sure we were in the clear, but after last night, I wanted guarantees that you’d be safe.”

  She was quiet for a second. “Next time, wake me up and tell me, okay? I felt terrible when I woke up and you weren’t there.”

  He felt his chest clench. Next time. God, what he wouldn’t give for a “next time.”

  She sensed his sadness, and sat up, reaching her arms for him. “Come here.”

  He hesitated. “Thuy,” he said, and his voice was hoarse with regret. “I… we have to talk.”

  She stiffened. “It’s going to be a bad talk, isn’t it?” Her voice was small.

  “Yeah.” He rubbed his face with his hand. “It is.”

  She took that quietly. “I want you to hold me first.”

  His body tightened and he was reaching for her before he knew it. He had to force himself to stop before he finally touched her. “Thuy, I don’t… this is a bad idea.”

  “I think I know what you’re going to say,” she replied, her voice low and even. “But I have had a shitty day. And I’m pretty sure I’m going to lose you. But you’re here tonight, and so am I.” She paused. “Can you give me one more night, Drill?”

  He groaned. He already knew he couldn’t, wouldn’t, say no to her.

  She pulled back the covers, revealing she wasn’t wearing anything. Her tight little body was inviting, and she presented herself like a gift. The most precious gift anyone had ever offered him.

  “Come here,” she murmured, her eyes filled with both passion and pain. “Just come to me.”

  He was moving, stripping down before his rational mind could catch up. He reached for her. Just enveloping her, smelling the scent of her warm skin as his body smoothed along hers, was the ultimate sense of comfort. It was a relief that he hadn’t felt ever. He’d heard church types talk about a “balm for the soul” and he’d thought it was bullshit.

  Until her.

  He nuzzled her neck, breathing deeply. Then he nipped at her, little love-bites. He felt her pebbled nipples dragging against his torso. He notched himself between her thighs, then cursed himself, getting up. “Condom,” he muttered.

  She kept her legs parted, smiling.

  He got himself covered, then moved back, wondering absently what it’d be like to be inside her bare. But even though he knew he was clean — he was damned careful, and had tests to prove
it — he couldn’t ask her to trust him like that. Not when he was leaving.

  When he put himself back in position, she wrapped her legs around his, arching up to reach his lips. “Is this okay?” he asked, keeping himself propped up on his arms so he wasn’t crushing her.

  “Yes,” she breathed. She rubbed her hips up, stroking his cock along her seam. He could feel the hard knot of her clit against the underside of his shaft, and he shuddered slightly, almost dizzy with the sensation of it. She made a sexy little whimper of need. “Inside me. I want you inside me,” she all but chanted.

  He inched lower, reaching down, stroking his cock head against her opening. She gasped, panting softly, her legs tightening around him as if she were trying to force him inside her.

  “You’re so damned wet,” he said, as his cock slicked inside her with no resistance. “It feels so good.”

  She made mewling little sounds, and in the dim light from the lower level, he could see her eyes were shut, her mouth working in a small “o” of pleasure. He pressed hot kisses across her chest, up her throat. He slid in all the way, seating himself deep, then pulled out almost all the way. The stroking sensation was driving him haywire.

  It seemed to be doing the same thing to her. She circled her hips, her inner muscles clenching at him. “Drill,” she rasped, her hips juddering slightly.

  He kept up the slow, relentless rhythm, driving and retreating like ocean waves. He wished it would last longer. I need more time with her, he thought, as his body kept pace, joining with her tenderly yet with relentless persistence. Forever might be enough.

  The ache of loss was brutal, and the only thing that was keeping him from driving mindlessly inside her, losing himself to the pleasure of her body.

  “Drill,” she cried, her body moving faster, her hips shifting and moving, drawing him deeper. Their bodies pistoned together. His movements turned jerky as he felt his orgasm start to hover, unstoppable.

  “Come for me, baby,” he pleaded. Then he drove into her, a firm thrust right where her G-spot ought to be.

  She let out a yell of pleasure, and he felt her muscles clench around him like a fist as her whole body shuddered. She clawed his shoulders. “Oh, God, yes!”

  Her body, her words, her damned sexiness slammed him into his own orgasm, and he came hard, harder than he could ever remember doing, his vision going black and his ears ringing. His hips jerked forward and he emptied himself into the condom with each thrust.

  “Thuy,” he hissed, resting his head against her shoulder. He felt her little butterfly kisses, light as whispers, against his neck.

  The sense of sorrow was overwhelming.

  He pulled out, taking care of the condom in the small trash basket. Then he turned to her.

  She was sitting up now, holding a pillow to her, covering her nakedness. Her hair was mussed, her eyes large and dark and troubled. She looked vulnerable — and expectant.

  “So,” she said, in a tiny but unwavering voice. “I guess you’d better tell me now.”

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Thuy braced herself, pulling up the covers over her rapidly cooling skin and clutching the pillow to her like a shield.

  This is going to be bad.

  She knew from the moment Drill came in that he was stopping whatever was going on between them. It was all over but the shouting — and the details.

  Maybe it was masochism. But after her shitty day, she had to know why he was breaking things off.

  He took a deep breath, getting under the covers next to her, propping his head up on one muscular arm, his bright blue eyes intent. “You know I talked to Catfish,” he said slowly. “I told him you and Maddy were staying on the farm. He thought I was just selling it and keeping the cash. If it looks like I’m letting my sister — who I shouldn’t even be calling my sister, you know? — stay in the farmhouse… if it looks like I’m walking away from a small fortune, just so she can be comfortable… especially now that Sledgehammer knows I’m interested in you…” He let out a rough breath. “I’m trying to squash some of the rumors. Tried to make Sledgehammer believe that I just wanted to bully you myself, and that he’d invaded my turf.”

  She shuddered, thinking of the large, ugly man.

  “But I don’t know if he’ll believe it.” Drill sounded worried. “And the rest of the crew needs to be convinced that Maddy paid me off, somehow.”

  “That shouldn’t be too hard, actually,” Thuy finally commented. “David came back, and he’s buying half the farm.”

  “Who’s David?”

  “Her boyfriend. Father of the baby?”

  Drill’s expression darkened. “He’s showing up now?”

  “And he seems to have gotten his act together,” Thuy said, surprised that she was defending the guy. “Anyway, people will see that your sister has her man back, and he comes from money, so at least that should take some pressure off.”

  She felt a tiny sliver of hope: does that mean we can still see each other? Even if it meant sneaking around…

  “It’ll help,” he admitted. “But right now, the leadership of the Wraiths is still shaky. There were too many power struggles. If I show the smallest weakness, somebody’s gonna go after it.”

  He reached out, stroking her cheek.

  “You’re my weakness,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. “I can’t have anybody hurt you, Thuy. I just can’t.”

  She felt tears form in the corners of her eyes, and wiped them haphazardly with the back of her hand. “Damn it. Damn it. There’s no other way? No way to get out of the Wraiths?” She paused. “Is that even something you want?”

  “It’s definitely something I thought about,” he said. “I considered talking to somebody… I mean, I don’t want to go state’s or anything, like Darrell Winston did. But I know a lot of shit about the club. I’ve been around a long time. I know where the bodies are buried.” He swallowed. “Literally.”

  She shuddered.

  “But a lot of what I know tracks back to Darrell and Razor, not the guys coming up now,” he said, with a frown. “And besides, if I tell them that the evidence will be released if anything happens to me, or you guys, I don’t know if that will stop them. These guys respond to power. I think they’ll see it as cowardly — and push back for it.”

  Thuy closed her eyes. He was right. She remembered what her father was like, what his crew was like. They didn’t respond well to threats like that, either. Because the shit they did was worse than going to prison.

  “I don’t know what else to do,” he said. He sounded as miserable as she felt. “I… I can’t see you, not after tonight. I shouldn’t have come even now, but I didn’t want to leave you hanging. I couldn’t just walk away like that.”

  On one hand, she was glad. She knew it was going to come to this when she’d seen his hangdog expression walking in. She’d slept with him again, with a clear understanding that he was going to walk away.

  On the other hand, she was now dealing with the slashing pain… and the aftermath.

  “They’re probably going to fire me from the library,” she said softly.

  He looked surprised. “What? Why? You’re awesome,” he said staunchly.

  She hiccupped, a soft, watery little laugh. “How would you even know?”

  “You got me reading,” he said simply. “I’m getting pretty far in that book you recommended. Even stayed up too late reading it.”

  She laughed. “That’s maybe the best compliment anyone’s ever given me,” she said. “But I guess they don’t see it that way at the Green Valley library. I’m only there in a probation period, and if I don’t fit in, they’re canning me. And they’re kind of pissed at me,” she added. “I think I’m going to be fired, maybe before the holidays.”

  He made a sound of disapproval. “Fuck them.”

  She smiled. He was supportive. A lot of her ex-boyfriends — who she now realized were tools — would’ve asked “well, how might you have contributed to the situation?” o
r brushed off her concerns, or shrugged and said “it is what it is.” Drill’s superpower was loyalty. It was unfortunately what drew him to the Wraiths, but his unwavering support was something she’d miss.

  “And now David’s back,” she continued. “He’s an actual farmer, or wants to be one. That’s what he’s studied. He’s strong, he’s the baby’s father, and he’s devoted to Maddy. Maddy doesn’t really need me anymore, either.”

  She looked at him. And now you. He seemed to follow her hint, nodding sadly.

  “I’m just wondering,” she said slowly, “if there’s any reason for me to stay here, in Green Valley. If I don’t have a job, I feel like I won’t have anything to offer Maddy. I’ll just be sponging off of her and David. I quit my old job, but I might be able to get another one on campus, or at a corporate library. I still have the apartment. I could just go back to my old life in Oakland.”

  She stared at Drill, imploring.

  “Or… I could stay,” she said softly. “If there’s any sort of chance.”

  With you.

  He closed his eyes for a moment, his expression filled with longing. She almost reached for him, wanting to hold him tight. Hold him always.

  Then he opened his eyes, which were filled with regret and loss.

  “Maybe,” he said, “going back would be best.”

  And just like that, her heart broke as she watched him put on his clothes mechanically, send her one last longing look, and walk away, closing the door softly behind him.

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Drill had spent the better part of the weekend sullenly drunk, passing out at the Dragon. He didn’t initially mean to. He just wanted to drown his sorrows. People kept buying him drinks, thinking he was celebrating his promotion to Vice President. They didn’t realize they were buying a dead man drinks at his own wake. He could see the rest of his life stretching out like this, surrounded by “family” that didn’t really give a damn about him or each other. Guys like Timothy King, and Burro, and Sledgehammer. Guys he didn’t come up with. Some of the kids showed some promise. He wished he could send them away.