Текст книги "Something for the Pain"

Автор книги: Victoria Ashley

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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

He smiles. “You know I’ll do whatever, Tripp. Don’t I always?”

I nod my head. “Play your guitar for us,” I whisper. “Please. Please. Please.”

His lips turn up into a smile, but he doesn’t respond. He looks around the crowd full of people, before bringing his attention back to me.

“Please. It will help relax me.”

He lets out a huff. “You’re so damn lucky that I can’t say no to you. You have no idea.” He turns to Mel. “I’ll be back.”

Mel looks at me, and smiles awkwardly, but doesn’t say a word. She almost looks . . . jealous. Of me? Ha! That’s funny.

Alex is inside for about ten minutes before I notice him come back outside. Everyone clears a path for Alex, as he walks confidently with his guitar. He doesn’t seem to have a care in the world. He’s about to own this party and he knows it. I know it. He’s owned me for years with that guitar.

Something about his confidence has always drawn me to him, making me want him way more than I should, and seeing all these people waiting for him to sing for us makes me want him that much more. It’s almost unbearable.

He stops once he gets back to the fire pit and smiles as he throws the strap of his guitar over his head. Almost everyone is now looking at him, and the DJ has stopped the music. “You asked for it.” He works on adjusting the strings of his guitar, while still talking. “I’m playing this song, because let’s face it, all you fuckers are having sex after you leave this party.”

Everyone starts screaming and cheering him on, but his face stays focused as he starts playing the melody to a song that I recognize right away: Wicked Games by The Weeknd. If people weren’t planning on fucking after this party . . . well they will be now.

A few girls, including Mel, start dancing close to Alex as the seductive words leave his lips. Holy shit . . . that voice. It’s been a while since I’ve heard him sing.

Closing my eyes, I get lost in his words, imagining his lips running across my skin with each word; the vibration of his voice against my flesh as he touches me in all the right places. Oh the things he can probably do with his mouth.

Maybe being drunk isn’t helping liked I’d hoped . . .

Before I know it, I’m standing just a few steps away from Alex, hanging on his every word. His eyes meet mine as he sings, “Just let me motherfucking love you.”

My eyes stay locked with his, unable to pull away. There’s something in his eyes right now that almost makes it feel as if he’s truly singing those words to me. It feels like just the two of us.

I feel my body shuddering with each word that leaves his sexy as sin mouth, as he gets deeper into the song and the melody picks up.

While still singing, he swings the guitar around his body so that it’s now hanging from his back. Reaching out, he pulls me against his body as he grinds his hips against me and sings, “Let me see you dance. I love to watch you dance.”

Letting out a small breath, I spin around in his arms and lean my head against his shoulder as I let myself dance against him. I feel his lips against my ear as he continues the song, seductively running his hands up the length of my arms as I hold them out at my sides.

Then, before I know it, he’s gone and reaching for his guitar again. I stop dancing for a second, but he nods his head at me, encouraging me to keep going.

A few seconds later I feel another set of arms wrap around me, and I know right away that it’s Lucas. He starts dancing against me, but his movements aren’t in sync with mine. Not like Alex’s were.

Knowing that I need to get my mind somewhere else, I dance with Lucas, hoping that feeling him against me will bring my thoughts to him.

“You look so sexy when you dance,” he whispers in my ear.

I feel myself leaning into him as we both dance to the sound of Alex’s voice, but as soon as the song finishes, I suddenly start to feel really anxious, as if I need to get away for a minute.

I turn around in his arms and place my hands to his chest. “I’m not feeling so hot right now. I think I need to go inside for a minute.”

“Alright.” Lucas takes a swig of his beer before kissing my forehead. “Come back when you’re feeling better. I’m going to keep our guests busy.”

My eyes pull away and meet Alex’s before I push my way through the crowd and break through the silence of the back door.

Once I get inside, I walk over to the stairs and take a seat half way up the steps. Closing my eyes, I lean my head against the wall and let out a deep breath.

My thoughts are really messing with me right now. I’m starting to wonder if asking Alex to move in was good for any of us. I can’t seem to keep my eyes off of him long enough to think straight.

“You feeling okay, babe?”

I look up to the sound of Alex’s voice. He’s standing at the bottom of the stairs with his guitar in hand. My heart swells at the sight of him.

“I’m fine.” I watch him with a smile as he walks up the steps and sits down next to me. “You should be out there enjoying the party and not in here worrying about my ass. I’m sure Mel is waiting on you.”

He bites his bottom lip in a teasing manner. “Oh, I’m always thinking about your ass . . . and Mel can wait.”

Blushing, I push his shoulder.

His face turns serious. “No, for real though . . . I can’t enjoy myself knowing that my favorite girl isn’t feeling well.”

I look up and smile at him as he reaches for my hand and helps me to my feet. “Come on. Let me get you to bed.”

Walking in front of him, I rest my head on his chest as he grabs my hips and guides me up the stairs. I feel a bit wobbly. “You’re the best friend a girl could ask for. You know that, right?” My words slur a little, but I hope he knows how much I mean them.

He pushes my bedroom door open and takes a seat in my chair as I plop down onto my bed.

“I know,” he says softly. Without me even asking, he starts playing his guitar as I close my eyes and eventually dose off.

I’VE BEEN UP FOR THE last two hours. Actually—I barely even slept at all. I’ve never been one for sleeping much, so there’s nothing new there, but I have a feeling that last night had something to do with my lack of sleep this time. I couldn’t help but notice Lucas make his way into Tripp’s room late last night. The little noises that she made while he pounded into her will forever haunt my dick now. He was in there for twelve minutes before I heard him leave again. Yeah, that’s right . . . I timed it. Something about knowing that he fucked her just a room over from me didn’t settle well with me last night, and I couldn’t seem to shut my mind off. Especially since he couldn’t even be man enough to take care of her when she needed it. That just pisses me off.

The party ended for me earlier than I expected last night. After Tripp got sick and I put her to bed, I returned my guitar to my room and went back outside to join the party. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t seem to get my head back into partying like everyone else. A huge part of me felt like I should’ve been lying in bed with Tripp, holding her. Except . . . that’s not my place. It’s someone else’s. So I didn’t.

Instead, I tried my best to focus my attention on Mel, who wanted nothing more than to hang all over my nuts. Especially after she heard me playing my guitar for everyone. She said it was the sexiest thing she had ever seen a man do. I knew she wanted to fuck, so that’s what I gave her. I took her to the downstairs shower, banged her until she couldn’t walk, and then sent her on her way.

That’s how things always work with me and women. I meet them at the tattoo shop, take them home, fuck them, and move onto the next. It’s been that way for six months now. You might call me a prick, but I never promise these women anything. They want to be fucked, so that’s what I give them. Nothing more.

I’ve been running for the past fifty minutes now; sweat pouring down my bare chest as I let out a bit of frustration. It’s hot as balls out here, but I haven’t been able to force myself to stop. I won’t stop until I’m out of breath and my legs give out on me, just like with sex.

Ever since I stopped fighting, this has been my release. It feels good to just run and never stop. It’s freeing.

I’ve already passed the house—our house—three times now. And every time I do, I can’t help but to stop and look up at Tripp’s window to see if she’s awake yet. I want to know if Lucas is back in her bed. As fucked up as it sounds, I want to drag his ass out of it.

Running to the back of the house, I open the large gate and let myself into the yard. I start stripping myself of my shorts and boxer briefs as soon as the pool comes into view. Taking a long, deep breath, I dive into the deep water and relax, letting myself sink to the bottom before swimming back up to the surface.

The cool water feels good on my heated flesh, but it does nothing to calm my thoughts of Tripp.

I need to push these fucked up thoughts aside. It’s messing with everything. Tripp. Naked. In my bed. Me fucking her. Hard. So damn hard.

I swim for at least thirty minutes, trying to clear my head, before climbing out of the water and reaching for my boxer briefs. Without bothering to get dressed, I just cover my junk up with my boxers and let myself in through the back door.

Everyone should still be asleep anyways. When I walk into the kitchen, I’m surprised to see Lucas standing at the bar with a cup of coffee in hand. Guess I was wrong.

He holds up his mug and smiles lazily at me, while glancing down at the small piece of fabric covering my dick. “Someone’s up early.”

I nod my head. “Yeah. I don’t sleep much.”

I’m standing here dripping wet and naked, but Lucas doesn’t act as if it bothers him. Part of that makes me want to say fuck it and just run around naked all the time. If he doesn’t care if Tripp sees me naked . . . then I sure as hell don’t.

Walking over, he holds his fist out for me to bump it. “Someone got a good fucking in the shower last night. Damn that girl can scream. I can see why you had to cool off in the pool.”

I smirk, but don’t say anything as I reach into the fridge for a bottle of water.

“Shit man, I had to go upstairs and get mine in after that. I seriously don’t think I’ve ever fucked Tripp so fast and hard in my life. I had to cover her mouth just to keep from waking you up.”

I feel my stomach sink and anger build up inside, but I push it aside and pretend that his words don’t bother me. Tripp is a grown woman now. I need to remember that.

I tilt back the water and down the whole bottle as he continues to talk.

“That pussy is tight, man. So damn tight. And talking dirty to her had her soaking wet. That girl is special.” He pauses for a second to moan at his memories. “Well, I need to be at the bank in twenty minutes, so I need to take off. Tell Tripp I’m off at one, will ya?”

I nod my head as I toss the empty water bottle down and grip onto the sink, letting my briefs hit the floor. “Yup. Not a problem.”

I wait for his footsteps to retreat before I look up again. I stand by the sink for a few more minutes before I reach for my briefs and pull them up over my now dry body.

“Fuck. What the hell is my problem?” I run my hands through my wet hair before digging through the fridge in search of eggs and strawberries.

Trying to block out everything that just came out of Lucas’ mouth, I cook up some French toast and scrambled eggs, topping the toast off with a little powdered sugar and fresh strawberries. Then I quickly pour a glass of orange juice before making my way upstairs.

Thanks a lot, Lucas. Don’t think about her pussy. . . . This is so messed up.

I HEAR MY DOOR PUSH open, but I’m too tired to acknowledge it. It can’t be any later than seven thirty in the morning, so I just stay lying on my stomach.

I hear something get set down on my computer desk before I feel the bed dip down next to me. It must be Lucas saying goodbye before he has to get ready for work.

Groaning, I reach out and grip his upper thigh, surprised at how hard and thick it feels in my hand. I guess I never really paid his legs much attention before. “Ughhhh . . . my head. Why did you give me all those shots last night? I feel like hell?” I run my hand up higher, stopping just below his package. Why does he feel so good right now?

“You look like hell too,” Alex says playfully.

Shocked, I let go of his thigh and grip onto the sheet to cover my bare breasts, while maneuvering my way to my knees. I almost forgot that Alex finally moved his stuff in last night. Man, I really must’ve had a few too many shots.

“Crap, Alex. I thought you were Lucas.” I reach up with one hand to cover my face as my head starts pounding. “I guess I drank a little too much last night.” I pull my hand away and squint from the light shining in my room. “I almost grabbed your dick, Alex. You weren’t even going to say anything?”

Grinning, Alex stands up, and I can’t help but to notice how sexy he looks, wearing only a tight pair of boxer briefs. Not only do I get him as a roommate, but now I’ll also have to see him running around in his underwear. Talk about a distraction.

“Just a few too many.” He runs his hand through his wet hair. “And I’m not going to stop something that feels good. I’m sure your hand was enjoying it too much. Now sit up straight.”

I watch as Alex walks over to my desk and grabs a plate and a glass of something. My head hurts too much to even pay attention to his words. “What’s this?” I ask as he sets the plate on my lap. “You made me breakfast?”

He sets the glass down on the nightstand beside me and I peek over to see that it’s orange juice. “Yeah.” Without another word, he walks into the bathroom. I almost think he’s going back to his room, until he emerges a few seconds later, holding something in his hand. He places two pills into my hand and crosses his arms over his chest. “Ibuprofen. Take those and eat your food.”

Not questioning him, I do as told. The first bite of food causes me to smile at its deliciousness. “Oh my goodness, Alex.” I point down at the toast before taking another bite and quickly chewing it. “This is absolutely delicious. Wow.”

He smiles. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

I toss a piece of egg at his head. “Cocky much?” I laugh as he grabs my hand and takes a bite of the eggs that I was just about to eat. “Very much so.” He chews the eggs and rubs a hand over his stiff abs. “What you doing before work?”

“I was going to stop by and visit Tara. You want to come with?”

He nods his head and starts backing away to the bathroom. “Yeah. I’m sure she misses the shit out of me.”

I laugh, accidently spitting the mouthful of toast out. “Seriously?” I cover my mouth and smile. “It’s only been like a week. Trust me, she does not miss you.”

He flashes me his dimples. “We’ll see about that.” He gets ready to walk out of my room, but stops and grabs onto the frame. “Oh and Lucas left for work already. He said he’ll see you around one.”

Figures he wouldn’t say bye. “Alright . . . thanks.” I take a sip of my orange juice. “I’ll shower after I eat and then we can go. Sound good?”

“Everything out of your mouth sounds good.” He attempts to catch the egg in his mouth as I throw it at him. “You have a horrible aim. I’m going to go downstairs and work out for about twenty minutes and then take a quick shower. I’ll shower downstairs so I don’t slow you down.”

Eyeing his body up and down, I swallow, remembering the dirty sounds coming from the downstairs shower last night. I tried so hard to block them out, but it was pretty hard to miss. I have to admit that hearing Alex fuck, both turned me on and bothered me at the same time. A part of me wanted to imagine myself taking her place, while the other part wanted to pretend that I wasn’t imagining it at all.

Then Lucas came up here saying dirty things to me about Alex . . . once again, turning me on so bad that I practically knocked him down and jumped on his dick. We had wild, meaningless sex, and then I sent him down to his room. Sleeping in the same bed as Lucas is something that I haven’t done yet. I’ve only slept next to Alex, and for some reason . . . I want to keep it that way for now.

“Sounds good. We can take your truck.” I smile while taking another bite of food.

“You just can’t get enough of my awesome driving, can you? You like it fast and wild.” He winks. “I like that.”

I point my fork at him. “Just hurry up so we can get going.”

“Sure thing, babe.” He dodges out of my room, leaving me grinning from ear to ear. He always has a way of making me smile. I honestly don’t know what I would do without him.

After I finish with breakfast and down the pills that Alex gave me, I start searching through my closet for fresh clothes to wear. Settling on a pair of old jeans and a black tank top, I throw my clothes down onto the bathroom rack and listen for the shower downstairs.

I can’t tell if he’s already inside yet, so I throw on the first shirt that I see and run downstairs to see if he’s still working out. I just remembered that I have the early shift at the bar today so we really don’t have a lot of time to waste.

By the time I get to the rec room, Alex is standing up beside the huge weight bench, wiping sweat from his face. My eyes trail down, following the beads of sweat dripping down his heaving chest, wetting the front of his tight briefs. My breath catches in my throat as I notice the shape of his dick moving beneath the fabric with the rhythm of his heavy breathing.

He notices me standing here and smiles as he pulls the towel away. “I’m getting in the shower now. Am I holding you up?”

I watch as every muscle in his body flexes to his movements as he reaches up to dry his hair with the towel. Shaking my head, I respond. “No. I was just making sure you were about to jump in the shower. I only have two hours before I need to leave for the bar.”

He tosses his towel aside and walks over to me, throwing me over his sweaty shoulder. He walks us out of the room, down the hall, and sets me down at the bottom of the steps. “Well then, we better hurry up.” He turns around to walk away and my eyes land directly on his firm ass. “Meet me by my truck in twenty minutes.”

Mmm. . . . so perfect. Too perfect . . .

“Alright.” I jog up the stairs and quickly strip myself in my room before closing myself into the bathroom and turning on the shower water. I shake my head, trying to clear it. Living with Alex is just too damn much.

I’m going to be in a world of trouble with this boy . . .

TWENTY MINUTES LATER, I’M FOLLOWING Alex outside and to his truck. He opens the door for me and grips the back of my thighs, boosting me into the seat. “Hold on, Firecracker.” He winks and shuts the door, before jogging around the truck and to the driver’s side.

Turning to me, he notices that my seatbelt isn’t on, so he reaches over and secures it before slamming his door shut and buckling his own. “You know . . . I think I can manage to put on my own seatbelt.”

He laughs while turning the key in the ignition and shifting the truck into reverse. He turns to me. “Nah, you definitely can’t handle that.” He starts backing out of the driveway while still talking. “Don’t think that I haven’t taken notes of the times I’ve seen you driving without a seatbelt. That shit won’t happen on my watch, Tripp.”

Turning red, I look away, embarrassed. I sometimes forget when I’m in a hurry, but I hadn’t thought that anyone else noticed. That’s just another reason that Alex will feel the need to take care of me now. I hate making him feel that way.

“I’ll make sure I buckle up every time I get in a vehicle, okay?” I turn back to him as he concentrates on the road. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“I try not to,” he mumbles. “But I find it hard as shit.”

I know that feeling well, because I feel the same way about him.

When we arrive at Tara’s, me and Alex jump out at the exact same time and meet at the front of his truck. He places his hand on my lower back as we walk to the door.

Tara is standing by the TV on her tippy toes, attempting to hang a picture when she notices our entry. “Tripp.” She inches a little higher, still struggling to get it hung. “Glad you’re here. How about some help?”

I hear Alex chuckle before walking up behind her and helping her hang it and straighten it. “Good thing she brought a man along,” Alex says.

Tara turns around and greets Alex with a warm smile. “And I was starting to miss this man.” She squeezes his arm teasingly. “These muscles come in handy.”

Alex flashes me his dimpled smile. “Told you,” he says in a cocky tone.

I throw my arms up. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You win. Apparently everyone misses you when you’re away.”

Laughing, Tara walks over to give me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Jealous much? Don’t worry . . .” She pinches my cheek. “I missed you too.” She turns away and whispers to Alex. “Not as much as I missed you though.”

Nudging her with my arm, I move past her and make my way into the kitchen. “Did you make my favorite brownies? I need a stash for work today.”

I start looking through her cupboards, not finding what I’m in search of. Then out of the corner of my eye, I see Tara open the oven and pull out something wrapped in foil.

“Oh calm down. You know I always have some ready for you when you ask.” She tosses the brownies to me and reaches to pour herself a glass of wine. “You’re just lucky I was in the baking mood last night and that I was bored out of my mind.”

Tara was only twenty when my parents disappeared, leaving her to watch over me. She wasted all of her young adult life raising me as her own and I can never be more thankful to her. I owe her so much. She just turned thirty-three a few weeks ago, but she doesn’t act a day over my age. I guess she’s making up now for all her lost years.

Not even two seconds after Alex walks into the kitchen, Whisper—the cat that Alex gave me when I was fifteen—runs up to Alex’s leg and digs her claws in, asking to be picked up.

I swear that cat is in love with him. Even though I raised her, she always clings onto Alex whenever he’s around. I find it to be adorable and sickening at the same time.

Without hesitation, Alex picks Whisper up, burying his face into her fluffy, white fur while rubbing under her chin. “Hey girl. You missed me too, huh?”

I roll my eyes, but laugh to myself. I love seeing Alex so happy and full of love. He’s in a much better place than he was over six months ago, before his brother Memphis returned. I wouldn’t trade seeing Alex happy for anything else in the world. He deserves it more than anyone.

He’s been through more pain and suffering than anyone I know and he’s still open to happiness, always thinking of others first. I, on the other hand, get abandoned by my parents and can’t even manage to let anyone in. Well, besides Tara and Alex. Trusting just doesn’t come easy to me. That’s why Lucas and I have the arrangement that we do.

It’s worked well so far . . . I guess we’ll see if we can make it past this year mark.

“How’s the living arrangements working out,” Tara asks while sipping on her wine. “Must be nice living with two guys. I really need to find myself one of those.”

I laugh while shoving the brownies into my purse. “It’s fine. Too bad you missed our party last night. There were plenty of hot guys there. You just need to get out more.”

“Had to work. I always have to work. It doesn’t leave me much time to go looking for dates at a party.” She turns to Alex. “Don’t you have an older brother or something?”

Alex gives her a little smile. “You’re a little late on that. He’s taken now.”

“Well shit.” Tara refills her wine glass. “Oh well. I’ll find me a hunk sooner or later. I get a vacation in a few weeks. Maybe you two can hook me up.” She raises an eyebrow. “As long as he’s over the age of twenty-five and looks half as good as Alex, I’ll be happy. Oh and he has to have a job too. I won’t be anyone’s sugar mama.”

Alex flashes his dimples, but doesn’t say a word while he pets Whisper.

“I’ll get right on that.” I tease.

We hang out with Tara for the next hour, talking and having a good time before saying our goodbyes and heading back to the house.

I have to be at work in less than twenty minutes now, so I need to be able to grab my apron and throw my hair up.

Alex stops at the bottom of the staircase, yelling up at me as I dash into my room. “I’m going to be at the parlor until around six. How about I just drop you off and then I can meet you at Dax’s when I get off?”

Dax is the newest bar here in Crooked Creek. It opened up about four months ago and Dax, the owner, asked me if I wanted to start out as a cocktail waitress and work my way up to bartending. It seemed like a fun time, so I said yes. I love getting to interact with the customers, and just have a good time so it seemed perfect.

“Yeah, sure.” I scream down to him while tossing my hair into a loose bun. “I’ll meet you at your truck in five. I just need to find my . . .”

I look up at my doorway from shuffling through the pile of clothes on my floor, to see Alex holding my apron. “This? I saw it laying in the bathroom last night, so I threw it in the washer with my clothes this morning.” He tilts his head to the side. “Let’s go. My truck’s running and ready to go.”

Grateful, I jump back to my feet and grab my apron out of his hand. “Always thinking ahead. You’re too damn good to be true, Alex.” I throw an arm around his neck, in a quick hug, before jogging down the stairs. I need to be at the bar in time to do all of the opening procedures and we’re really starting to push for time. The night waitresses never leave the station stocked, so I end up spending most of the time refilling sauces and crap.

I beat Alex out to his truck and quickly hop in, buckling my seatbelt before Alex can say anything. He hops in about two seconds behind me and quickly backs out of the driveway.

He groans when we pull up at the bar to see Dax leaning against his black Mercedes, most likely waiting on me. “What a fucking douche.”

“He’s not that bad, Alex.” I lean over and plant a quick kiss on Alex’s cheek. “I’ll see you later. Stop worrying about Dax, and thanks for the ride.”

I hop out and slam the door, right as Alex mumbles bye back. He waits until Dax and I are walking in the door before taking off and heading to the tattoo shop.

Overprotective much?

Dax raises an eyebrow, while flipping on the light switches. “I guess your boyfriend is worried I’ll make a move on you?”

I shake my head and walk past him. “We’ve already had this discussion. He’s not my boyfriend.” I laugh and set my purse down. “But yes. He probably thinks you’re going to make a move. He’s just really protective of me, and for some reason . . . he doesn’t like you.”

“Yeah, well if you ask me, he might as well be your boyfriend.” He opens the door to his office and stops to look back at me. “He already acts like it anyways. And by the way . . . if I knew that you wanted me to, I would.”

“Good to know.” I tease. “You would know if I wanted it, but I’m good.”

“Alright. Just pointing it out,” he says teasingly. “Let’s get things ready and fast. I have a feeling that we’ll have an early rush today.”

Without another word he disappears into his office, leaving me to set up the waitress station.

My boyfriend. Alex as my boyfriend.

My heart skips a beat at the thought.

If only it were that easy . . .