IT’S BEEN A FEW HOURS since Micah took off to take care of the kid he mentioned. Since then, what we did outside . . . against his truck . . . has been running through my mind non-stop.
My legs are still shaking and I can’t seem to stop sweating, because I keep replaying it over and over in my head, despite the fact that I’ve been trying to think of anything but.
The way he slammed me against his truck and stripped me out of my shorts, as if he was desperate to have me, is quite possibly the single hottest moment of my life. I seriously thought I was going to die if I didn’t have him inside of me right then.
That’s how turned on I was and I hate it.
My whole body felt as if it ignited into flames the moment he slid that condom on and slammed into me. It was like he owned me.
He didn’t take it easy on me like the men I’ve been with in the past. He didn’t treat me like he was going to break me in half if he moved too fast or too hard.
No, he owned every single part of me with just one thrust of his hips. And now I’m sitting here screwed because I allowed it to happen, and I know without a doubt that I’ll only want to feel that way again.
How the hell can I not? Any woman breathing wants Micah Beck and having him once isn’t enough.
How am I supposed to be around him every day and pretend like nothing happened when it was the best sex of my life?
I thought maybe . . . just maybe . . . one night with no strings attached would be enough, but I was wrong.
So damn wrong.
I let out a frustrated breath and exit out of Word, before turning on some Amber Run. I’m not getting anywhere tonight with where my thoughts are.
The words aren’t flowing like they have been lately and all it’s doing is giving me a massive headache.
When I look over at the clock and realize that it’s past two, I get nervous, thinking about my brother coming home soon.
I haven’t kept anything from him since we were kids, and knowing that I have to do it now has me feeling like a shitty sister.
All he wants to do is ensure I don’t get hurt, and instead of listening to my brother I went and slept with the one person he warned me not to.
My brother seems to be closer to Micah than he has been with anyone for as long as I can remember, and the last thing I want is to mess up their friendship. For some reason Alexander has a hard time trusting people, which has always made it hard for him to have close friends.
So, I just need to remind myself that it’s okay to think about Micah but not to touch him ever again, no matter how badly I want to.
The sound of my brother’s motorcycle has me shutting my laptop and sitting up, anxiously looking out the window.
I know it’s bad, but for some reason I was hoping to see Micah’s truck pull in as well, even though he told me he wouldn’t be back tonight.
But my brother is alone.
My stomach twists into tiny knots when I hear my brother’s footsteps coming up the stairs a few minutes later, because I have no idea what went down at the bar once Micah arrived.
I remain sitting here in the dark, my heart pounding as I listen to his footsteps stop in front of my opened door.
Please keep walking . . .
“Are you awake in there? It’s really late.” He pokes his head inside my room, squinting as he tries to adjust to the dark. I consider hiding from him, but I’m pretty sure he’s already seen me at this point. “Tegan?”
“Yeah, I’m awake.” I reach over and turn on the bedside lamp, yawning as I sit back and get comfortable. “I’m just thinking about my book and what I’m going to write in the morning. Sitting in the dark usually helps me think. How was work? Everything good?”
He laughs and nods his head, which relieves me. “Yeah, just tiring is all. I think I may need to have Micah hire more staff soon. I had to jump behind the bar to help my guys most of the night because they couldn’t seem to keep up.”
“That’s a good thing though, Xan. You should be really proud of your bar. It was a smart business decision for sure. I mean . . . shirtless men serving drinks on the beach. That’s genius.”
He smiles proudly and takes a sip of his soda. “Appreciate the compliment, little sis. It definitely took a lot to get Vortex to where it is now and I have Micah to thank for the most part. That’s why it’s going to suck when he leaves to open his own bar. Don’t get me wrong . . .” He runs a hand through his hair and exhales. “I’m proud as shit of him; he’s my best friend, but it’s going to be hard not having him there when he’s been there pretty much since the beginning.”
My heart is still pounding inside my chest from the first time he mentioned Micah since he’s been home, but somehow the mention of his name for a second time has my heart beating even harder.
It’s pounding so hard that I’m almost afraid my brother will hear it from across the room. Talk about being paranoid.
I begin fidgeting with the blanket on the bed when he looks down at his phone, as if to read a text. “How is the kid doing?”
My brother looks up from his cell and gives me a weird look. “How did you know about the kid?”
I swallow, just now realizing me asking about the kid gives away that I was with Micah when he called. Might as well tell him the truth. Well, most of it at least. “I was bored earlier, so I went to Express and helped Micah clean up the place a bit. He repaid me by ordering us a pizza and we just got back here when you called him.”
His face hardens as he squeezes the door frame. “That better be the only way he repaid you, Tegan.”
“It was,” I lie. “Jeez, Xan. You don’t have to worry about Micah getting to me. I’m a big girl. Now, are you going to answer my question or not?”
He flexes his jaw as if he’s worried about me now, and I hope with everything in me that he doesn’t question me further. “Sebastian showed up at the bar pretty wasted, but I kept him inside my office before he could get into any trouble. At least I hope. The kid is only seventeen and Micah has taken on the responsibility of taking care of the troubled little shit because his parents are never around for him. They could care less what that kid does and Micah is afraid he’ll get hurt or arrested. He’s been coming around for two years now and he hasn’t given up on him yet.”
My heart melts at the knowledge that Micah has been taking care of him for two years now. Micah can’t be much older than I am and I can’t even imagine having the responsibility of keeping someone else out of trouble. “How old is Micah?”
“Twenty-five. But Micah knows what it’s like not to have a parent around who cares about him. His mom abandoned him at a young age and he spent most of his childhood bouncing from group homes to different foster families. He’s pretty much been on his own since he was sixteen or something.”
My heart drops hearing something so sad and personal from Micah’s past. When he mentioned his mother to me and how she used to make him read before bed, I just assumed she’s been around the whole time.
Knowing now that she abandoned him and made him feel so unloved and unwanted makes me feel sick to my stomach.
“Then it’s a good thing he’s been there for this Sebastian kid. He sounds like he needs someone who cares about him.”
“Yeah.” My brother nods his head and slaps the door. “Well, I should probably get some sleep. Micah is playing tomorrow night and you saw the crowd he drew in last week. It’s like that every week and sometimes it’s even crazier.”
“Well, he’s got a pretty amazing voice.” One of the best I have ever heard, but I leave that part out.
“That he does,” he says, while looking hard into the room, as if he’s thinking. “I forgot to tell you that Parker Wright is stopping by the bar tomorrow and I thought maybe I’d introduce you two. He seemed interested when I mentioned you to him.”
I give him a surprised look, because usually he wants to keep me away from his friends. The last thing I expected was for him to want me to meet one of them. It’s a little odd and makes me wonder what he’s up to. “Who’s this Parker Wright person and why did you mention me to him without letting me know first, Xan?”
“He used to work for me. Once Micah leaves to open Express, Parker’s coming back as management. The girls think he’s cute and he’s respectful when it comes to dating. I just thought you’d be interested in him, and if you’re going to date anyone while you’re here I figured he was the best choice.”
“Are you telling me that you’re setting me up on some kind of blind date or something? What the hell, Xan? I don’t need your help finding a damn date.” I try my best not to sound nervous, but the idea of going on a date with some other guy after what just happened with Micah has me feeling anxious.
It’s definitely too soon.
“Parker is the only guy around here that I’d trust you to go out with, so yeah. This is me setting you up. If you guys hit it off then I can stop worrying about all the dickheads at Vortex trying to get with you. Micah included. I see the way he looks at you when he thinks I’m not watching. That shit isn’t happening. When it comes to women he’s nothing but trouble and I’ve already told you this.”
It’s already happened and it’s the only thing I can think about now. It’s completely taken over every single thought. “Dammit, Xan. You don’t have to keep warning me about Micah!” I wave my hands at him and motion for him to leave. “Now go. I’m tired and don’t feel like discussing this right now.”
“So . . . can I count on you meeting Parker tomorrow? I already promised him and it would mean a lot to me. Help a big brother out so I can get some damn sleep.”
I huff, while reaching over and turning the lamp off. I don’t even want to look at my brother right now, because he’ll only see how angry I am with him. He and I both know I’ve never had a problem wanting to meet a cute, respectful guy before, so I need to play this off as just being tired and cranky. “I’ll think about it. I need some sleep. I’m really stressed right now.”
“Fine. Text me in the afternoon and we’ll figure it out?”
“Fine,” I say annoyed. “Now go away, Xan. You’re making my head hurt even more and I’m close to throat punching you if you don’t walk away soon.”
“That’s what big brothers are for, but I’m tired as hell so I’ll let you sleep.”
“Oh, how nice of you, big brother. Lucky for me you’re tired.”
Once he walks away, I roll my eyes and punch my pillow to make it comfortable.
I lay back and try to imagine what this Parker guy must be like if my brother actually trusts him with me.
But all I manage to do is toss and turn for hours, thinking about Micah’s hard body and cocky mouth and how badly I want them both on me again.
Micah has a body that screams trouble with every rock hard muscle.
He’s wrong in every way according to my brother . . . yet it’s him that I’m thinking about when I fall asleep.
It’s well into the evening and I still haven’t messaged my brother like he asked me to last night.
I’m dreading it because I don’t know how to tell him I’m not interested in meeting this Parker guy without him putting it together that it’s for a certain reason.
Once he realizes it’s because I have another guy on my mind, he’s going to question me and all of the guys who work for him until he figures out who it is he has to hurt.
I don’t want that.
So, the only other option would be to meet this Parker guy to make my brother happy and then later tell him that we just didn’t hit it off.
Agreeing to go on at least one date with him will give my brother reason to believe there’s nothing to worry about when it comes to Micah or any of the other guys at the bar.
At least that’s what I’m hoping for.
After taking a quick shower and getting dressed, I shoot my brother a text and he asks me to meet him at the bar.
It’s getting close to sunset, which means Micah will be playing soon, but I’m hoping maybe he’s not there yet. I’m not sure I’m ready to see him again so soon.
My brother is waiting for me to show up because he wants to sit down and talk to me about this Parker guy, so Micah being there would only make this situation weirder.
My nerves are all over the place the second I step foot into Vortex and I can’t seem to stop wiping my sweaty palms down the front of my dress.
Seriously, how could one person’s hands sweat so damn much?
I nod and say hi to Colby as I pass through the bar to go out back where my brother told me he’d be at. This place is already packed, so it takes me a good minute to spot my brother out here.
I freeze in place, causing someone to bump into me, because the last thing I expected is to see Micah and some other guy sitting at the same table as him.
As hard as I try I can’t pull my eyes away from Micah looking so damn hot.
My heart instantly speeds up at the sight of him, sitting there dressed in a white button-down shirt and a pair of slim, black dress pants. The top two buttons are undone on his shirt and his sleeves are rolled up below his elbows.
But it’s the messy hair blowing in the breeze that has me feeling weak in the knees. It reminds me of how I had it in my hands last night, pulling on it while he was inside of me.
Micah was inside of me less than twenty-four hours ago.
The reminder has my body reacting in a way it’s never reacted before, and I have to clench my thighs to get rid of the sensations between my legs, making me sensitive.
Erase it from your mind. Don’t think about Micah’s hard body. Don’t . . .
“Shit. This isn’t working.” I begin to panic, about to back up and turn around, but my brother waves at me before I have the chance to escape.
He’s the first one to spot me and it’s not until he stands up and says my name that Micah and who I’m assuming to be Parker stands up and looks at me.
Micah’s blue eyes harden the moment he sees me and he slams back the shot in front of him. It’s as if he’s just now realizing why Parker is here and doesn’t like it one bit.
I swallow back my nerves and finally set my attention on the third person at the table, before I can get too lost in Micah.
He’s tall and fit with short, blonde hair and one of the cutest smiles I have ever seen.
He’s handsome, whereas Micah is sexy and breathtaking.
But as good looking as he is, it’s hard to appreciate the fact that he’s cute just as my brother promised he’d be with the way Micah is looking at me, as if he wants to bite me and be rough with me again.
“Parker . . .” My brother grips the tall guy’s shoulder and gestures toward me as I finally find the courage to walk up to them. “This is my little sister Tegan; the one that I’ve been telling you about. She just turned twenty-one a few weeks ago and is visiting for the summer. I thought you two would get along well.”
From the corner of my eye I catch Micah’s jaw flex as he watches Parker reach out and grab my hand, pulling me closer to him.
“Oh wow. You’re even prettier than I expected.” He shakes his head and flashes me an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude. It’s great to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you. But wow.”
I offer him a smile as he leans in to give me a quick hug. “Thank you.” My attention sways toward Micah, but I’m able to quickly catch myself and focus on the cute guy in front of me before anyone takes notice. “It’s nice to meet you too. I’ve . . . well . . . not heard much about you.”
I can’t tell if Micah has totally forgotten that my brother is here watching us, but he hasn’t pulled his eyes away from Parker. It’s as if he’s watching his every move and is ready to rip his throat out if he does or says anything he doesn’t like.
And from the annoyed look on my brother’s face he’s noticed it too.
“Micah,” he says stiffly. “I need you to help me with something in my office before your show. We should leave these two alone to get to know each other.”
“Wait . . . what?” I grab my brother’s arm and yank him out of earshot. He’s an asshole for setting me up like this. “What the hell are you doing? You’re just going to leave me with him?”
My brother flashes me a small smile. “He is your date, little sis. That’s how it’s works, in case you’ve forgotten.”
“What the . . . right now? Right here?” I begin to panic at the idea of being on a date in front of Micah. Not that we plan on being anything more than what we are, which is two people who need to stay away from each other, but still, I don’t feel right about it. “Why not tomorrow or next week or . . . I don’t know. A time when I’m ready. You tricked me and I’m pissed.”
“You’ll be fine. You may be pissed now, but you’ll be thanking me later. Trust me. Now go talk to the guy.”
Before I can say anything else, he smiles and gives me a little nudge toward Parker, which has Parker looking me over with a smile.
“Parker,” Micah says in a deep voice, while reaching out to grip his hand. It’s pretty hard to miss the tight squeeze he gives it as he leans in close to Parker’s ear.
I stand here awkwardly and watch as Micah backs away from Parker with a scowl, his blue eyes locking on me momentarily, before he walks away without a word.
“I’ll be back you two. I’ve got some shit to take care of,” my brother says, before walking away after Micah, who’s now being stopped by almost every girl he passes.
I hate the way they all smile and flirt with him, batting their stupid eyelashes to show him how much they want him.
It has me wishing I had my own shot to slam back now.
“I’m guessing Micah has taken on the role as your second big brother?” He gives me a somewhat nervous smile and takes a seat across from me as I sit down. “Hell, he seemed more concerned than Alexander did.”
Definitely not a second brother role. “Yeah, something like that I guess. You can say he’s taken on the role of being responsible for me it seems. I’m pretty sure Xan has been making him keep an eye out for me around here.”
He messes with the buttons on his slick, blue shirt, unbuttoning the top two as if he needs some air. “Well, you definitely don’t have to worry about me trying to kiss you on the first date with those two around. I’m afraid I’ll break something valuable.”
I’m not sure if I should laugh at that, but I do. He’s afraid of my brother and Micah and I don’t blame him.
Poor guy.
“Yeah, it could end up being a bit painful for you,” I tease. “Everyone around here seems to be afraid of my brother and Micah. They’re a bit intimidating when they want to be.”
“I think it’s mainly Micah everyone’s afraid of. He’s only intimidating about ninety percent of the time.”
I find myself laughing, because from what I’ve seen it’s true. It’s one of the things that sort of drew me to him in the beginning.
Watching Micah demand orders and intimidate all the men around him is sort of hard not to find extremely hot.
Maybe I’ll at least get a good laugh out of this little “date”.
“I hope you like beer,” Parker says as Gavin appears at our table and sets two bottles down in front of us. “Your brother said you did. Not a Martini girl like most of the girls who come here?”
“Yes, please.” I nod and reach for a bottle, placing it to my lips, before I answer his second question. “Sometimes, but not often.”
I have a feeling I’m going to need a few of these to get through this awkward situation. It’s nearly seven, so that means Micah will be coming out to start his set soon.
Parker watches me with a smile and pays Gavin before he walks away. “Hey, I’m a little nervous too. It’s been a while since I’ve been on a date. I wasn’t really prepared for tonight since your brother only gave me a few hours’ notice.”
I set my beer down and look across the table at him. “A few hours?”
“Yeah.” He takes a drink and nods. “He called me a few hours ago to ask what I was doing.”
“Is that right?” I ask stiffly.
That asshole . . .
“I had plans to meet up with him soon to talk about the management position, but I had no idea what day exactly that would be, until today.”
“I see.” I take another drink, biting my tongue before I end up going off on my brother.
He made it seem like he had it planned beforehand and it wasn’t just a last-minute thing; otherwise, I would’ve declined.
“So, you’re a writer? How long have you been publishing books?”
I offer a tight-lipped smile as I set my beer down. I’m annoyed with my brother right now, but that doesn’t mean I should take it out on this guy. He seems nice. “I started writing about a year ago, but just recently published my first book; a little less than six months ago. I’m currently working on the second.”
“That’s pretty great. My sister has always wanted to publish a book, but doesn’t know where to start. Maybe you could give her some pointers on how to go about that.”
I nod. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be sure to give you my number before the end of the night and you can pass it to her.”
“That would be awesome. She’d really appreciate that. Thank you.”
“Not a problem.”
There’s an awkward silence for a few moments, so I look around and watch as everyone around me talks and gets excited about Micah’s show.
It feels really strange that I’m here with a “date” about to watch him perform. I didn’t expect tonight to go down this way and now that it has, I’m not feeling good about it at all.
“So . . . my brother tells me you used to work for him. Were you the old babyface?” I ask, attempting to keep the awkward silence to a minimum.
“For two years . . .” he pauses to take a quick swig of his beer. “I left for a bit to help my dad manage his restaurant when his assistant manager quit. I stayed on for a while and helped him find a replacement. That’s when I got a call from Alexander asking me if I wanted to take over for Micah once he leaves.”
“You sound pretty excited about that.”
“I love this place,” he says with a huge smile. “Who wouldn’t love it here? It’s amazing.”
“I agree. I’m not sure I’m going to want to go back home once summer is over.”
“I’m sure no one will be complaining if you decide to stay.” He flashes me a flirty smile as his gaze lowers to my lips.
I tilt my beer back and chug it. He’s extremely cute, but the idea of him wanting to kiss me has me on edge.
“I’m going to toss this and order us a couple more beers.” I get ready to stand up, but Parker stands up and puts his hand out to stop me.
“Please, let me handle all the drinks tonight.” He grabs my empty bottle, before downing the rest of his drink. “I’ll be right back. Want a shot?”
“I’ll take two. Doesn’t matter what.”
As soon as he walks away, I look over toward the door, as if knowing Micah would be exiting it at this very moment.
The sight of him walking out with his guitar, his shirt open and blowing in the wind, steals the air straight from my lungs.
Everyone around me begins screaming and whistling as he walks past their tables to get to the stage, but he keeps his gaze locked on me the entire way.
I wish I had a beer to chug at the moment, or a bag I could breathe in to catch my damn breath.
I don’t know how his stare alone can cause this kind of reaction from my body, but there seems to be so much intensity behind his eyes.
He doesn’t even look away as he adjusts his microphone and acoustic guitar.
“That took a little longer than I hoped. Sorry about that.”
I manage to pull my eyes away from Micah long enough to smile up at Parker and snatch up one of the beers. “Thank you.”
I can feel both of their gazes on me as I chug back the beer, wishing I could disappear from this messed up situation right now.
He fucked me hard last night.
The man on stage.
Right in front of us.
Of me and my date.
If it weren’t for trying not to upset my brother, I’d get up right now and walk away. I’d take this beer and two shots with me and walk out onto the beach and listen from a distance as Micah sings.
Because I don’t want to miss that.
Not after hearing and seeing what it’s like when he’s up on that small stage.
I get so lost in watching Micah prepare that I almost forget that I’m with Parker until he speaks.
“Have you heard Micah play before? He has a great voice.”
“Yes. He has an amazing voice. One of the best I’ve ever heard.”
“I take it you find that to be hot.”
My eyes widen as I look across the table. “What would make you say that?”
He laughs and places his beer to his lips. “The way you just said it is all. It’s cool.” He pauses to tilt back his bottle. “Every single girl who comes here thinks it’s hot. I don’t think there’s been one girl who’s come here and hasn’t wanted Micah to take them home and sing to them in bed.”
I swallow, trying not to imagine that in my head, but it’s too late, and I find myself getting extremely hot and nervous. “Not every girl, I’m sure.”
“Right. Good thing he’s taken on the role as a second brother figure to you. Or else I’d have problems getting a second date.”
“Yeah . . . good thing.” I let out a nervous laugh and jump into changing the subject. “Have you lived here your whole life?”
“I have.” He flashes me this cute little charming smile that I can’t help but to somewhat like. “Since you’re asking me personal questions . . . maybe I can assume I’m doing okay so far?”
I smile back, feeling a bit more comfortable. “You’re better than most guys I’ve been on dates with. The fact that you haven’t texted another girl to flirt gives you some bonus points.”
“Oh man.” He lets out a small laugh. “Someone did that to you?”
I nod. “More than one guy, actually. What does that say about me?”
“That they couldn’t handle a woman as beautiful as you.” He winks over his bottle before tilting it back. “Good thing I’m man enough.”
As awkward as this whole situation is, I have to admit that Parker is a really nice guy and I like his company.
Everyone seems to be quieting down, so I turn my chair toward the stage, giving Micah my full attention.
“How’s everyone doing tonight?” Micah asks the crowd with that confidence he has that I love so much.
Everyone screams out their answers, but all I can focus on is Micah’s fingers as he plays with the strings of his guitar while he talks.
I love how confident he is with them . . . as if he knows exactly what to do with them without even looking.
“Good. We’re going to start the night out with one of my favorite bands: Kaleo. So, just tilt back a few drinks and relax.”
His voice instantly has me mesmerized just like the last time I heard him sing, and I find myself lost in his voice all the way up to the very last word.
Everyone takes a few seconds to clap and whistle for him, but the crowd is quick to grow quiet again as Micah begins strumming his guitar, ready for the next song.
I know I should be focusing most of my attention on Parker, given the situation, but I can’t, no matter how hard I try.
Micah’s performance has me completely lost in him right now . . .