What Matters Most (5 page)

“What are you doing?!”
Josh slapped a hand over his own mouth, surprised at the way he’d shrieked. Nick’s broad shoulders shook as the big idiot laughed and Josh decided there hadn’t been anywhere near enough mean words or violence tonight. Especially violence. Josh had his knee in motion before he had time to think the move through. If he had thought about it, he might have remembered his sprained ankle and realised trying to put all his weight on it was a
very bad idea
. Nick simply stepped aside and let Josh slam into the tailgate.

“Looks like that hurt,” Nick mused. Josh wished he had Annabelle’s nail clippers. He could manage a castration with them. “I got smart after the last time you tried to knock my nuts into my throat.”

“You didn’t get smart, you got lucky,” Josh snapped, glad he didn’t whimper like he wanted to, because his ankle was hurting like a bitch, the pain growing exponentially with WHAT MATTERS MOST

Bailey Bradford

28

every beat of his heart. “If I hadn’t sprained my ankle—hey!” Nick could move faster than Josh thought. He must be hurt worse than he’d suspected to be letting Nick pick him up and toss him over his broad…firm…muscled… “Stop it,” Josh hissed, more to himself than to Nick, who was carrying him like a damned sack of potatoes over his shoulder.

“Aw now, I think you like being, hmm, manhandled.”

Even Josh’s ankle wasn’t as painful as that joke. “God, shoot me now if you’re gonna spew lame crap like that.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Nick growled, and he didn’t sound the least bit amused.

Well, well,
someone
can’t take constructive criticism.
More info for Josh’s arsenal. The truck’s horn beeped then Nick pulled open the passenger side door and plopped Josh down hard enough to rattle his teeth. Josh didn’t care, he was busy grinning up at a hatless and apparently clueless about it, Nick.

Josh’s grin faded a bit as he got a good look at Nick’s thick, dark hair. It was a little longer than fashionable, and wavy, with a hint of white at the temples. By the time Josh finished his quick inspection, he wasn’t so much as smirking or even twitching his lips, because he realised he might just be fucked. Nick whatever his name was, was the walking epitome of sex. Well, if sex wasn’t the quickest guy on the planet and told shitty jokes.

Still, thick black brows that were just made to arch and accentuate those ‘I’m better than you’ looks he bet Nick handed out like candy at a parade, large—God, Josh was a sucker right here—large dark eyes that looked to be black but surely were a dark brown, a narrow nose that had evidence of at least one break, giving it a bump that saved it from being pretty—Josh did prefer to be the pretty one, truthfully. He liked men who were way more masculine than him, and Nick had enough masculine to kick all the little boys in Texas right through puberty and into manhood in a blink. So, perfect nose, thin top lip and fuller bottom on, square chin and strong jaw… And those shoulders…

“What are you—shit!” Nick jumped back away from the truck. Josh wondered if he

wasn’t quick in more ways than one.

“It’s your fault you ruined the mystery in our relationship. It’s all downhill from here,” Josh sang out, “the thrill is gooonnnnneeee…”

“God, would you shut up?” Nick reappeared with his hat back in place. “And we

don’t have a relationship—”

WHAT MATTERS MOST

Bailey Bradford

29

Josh clucked his tongue and wagged a finger at Nick. “So not true! You’re stalking me, and now you’ve kidnapped me. I’ll probably develop Stockholm Syndrome and start

humping your leg in sheer desperation any minute now.”

He really thought he got Nick with that because Nick’s eyes widened—how could

they possibly do that?—and his mouth dropped open, but then he roared with laughter and thumped Josh on the back hard enough to rattle his teeth.

“You’re something else, you now that?”

“Well,
duh,”
Josh sniped. “Are we done here? Does this conclude out stalking session for the day? Or, wait! Twice in twenty four hours, less than a couple of hours, so I shouldn’t be expecting any more incidents in, say”—Josh tapped his chin and stared up at the headliner—“oh,
forever
maybe?” Josh tried to scoot out of the truck only to very nearly end up humping one of Nick’s thick thighs. Josh’s humour and patience imploded and sent up a big cloud of pissed off through his system.

“Oh, would you fucking stop already? Find someone else to bug and stalk, and find a better goddamned excuse than spying on your brother and sister, who are doing just fine without you!”
Oops. That might have been too much. The Bitch Queen was unloosed and possessed
my innocent soul.
And crap, but Nick looked really mad, worse than when Josh had kneed him in the balls. Josh scurried back across the seat, because an exit through the driver’s side sounded like the most excellent idea ever.

Nick must have developed some last minute superhero powers because he had Josh

by his ankle and was jerking him back towards the passenger door. Josh’s vision dimmed as the throbbing in his ankle slammed up his leg, kicked him in the gut, then cracked his brain into tiny pieces that screamed in agony.

“Josh! Josh!”

“Another boyfriend of yours—Josh?”

Josh knew he was dying, because Nick didn’t look mad, or scornful, or like Josh was contagious with gayness that Nick just knew he’d catch. He looked…worried? Guilty? Yeah, no, Josh was dying. Lack of sex could do that to a guy his age, he’d heard tales—

The truck rocked with the force of an impact. Josh was going with an elephant, or maybe a small rhino. Nick had disappeared and there was a lot of cussing and what sounded like fists hitting—

WHAT MATTERS MOST

Bailey Bradford

30

“Oh no, no—” Josh forced down the nausea that swirled in his stomach and made his jaws water. He scooted towards the open passenger door and narrowly missed getting tackled by one big body, he thought it might have been Justin. This would not do, Annabelle was going to kick his ass if Justin got broke.

“Enough! Stop it before I call Annabelle over here to kick both your asses!”

“She can kick my ass all she wants and I’ll love every goddamn minute of it, but I won’t let some fuckin’ psycho hurt you!” A solid punch followed what was obviously Justin’s declaration.

“You chasing after another man’s girl, boy?” Nick, and the punch sounded the same, and the grunt that followed sounded like Justin’s. “Or maybe you like hurting the pretty boys like Josh here—”

Josh didn’t need to hear the growl to know it was Justin’s. The lamplight caught Justin’s face and Josh was petrified for a moment. He’d never seen his brother look that angry, and he knew once again he and Evan had been right to keep their secret from him.

Evan had been an idiot for finally deciding to share, because if he hadn’t, Josh wouldn’t be sitting here thinking he was going to have to decide what to tell a jury when his brother went on trial for murder.

Until Justin snarled, “Josh is my brother, you sick fuck, and Annabelle
is
my girl—and my partner’s girl.”

Then Josh did the only thing he could think of, since there were two over—

testosteroneised morons circling each other with murder in their eyes. He leapt from the truck onto his good foot and tackled the closest man to him. He had a fifty-fifty chance…

“Jus, please, I think maybe my ankle’s broke, and I can’t…” His leg slipped, his foot slapping the ground, and Josh didn’t have time to see who caught him before he finally blissfully passed out.

WHAT MATTERS MOST

Bailey Bradford

31

He really didn’t want to open his eyes and lose the cocoon of safety unconsciousness provided him.

“Josh, damn it, wake up!”

Justin sounded furious as he lightly slapped Josh’s cheek. Josh groaned and batted at his brother’s hand. He had had enough of that particular emotion tonight. The sounds of a scuffle and a grunt made him pry his eyes open anyway as warm breath washed over his face.

“Stop smacking him, he’s already beat to hell!”

Josh blinked then inhaled sharply as he stared into eyes so dark he couldn’t

distinguish the pupils from irises.
Nick.
Josh opened his mouth to say…something, maybe

‘You fucking idiot’, or, more likely, ‘You have the sexiest eyes I’ve ever seen’, but all that came out was a sputtered cough that sent Nick reeling backwards.

Not the cough, Josh realised when the sound of fist meeting flesh penetrated his confusion. Nick landed on his ass with Justin hovering over him. The two bigger men glared at each other for one long moment then dove at each other again.

They were both fucking idiots, and obviously not the least bit concerned about him.

He was just an excuse for them to revert into testosterone-infused, chest thumping, dick wagging dumbasses. Josh sat up carefully, keeping an eye on the fighting. They looked pretty evenly matched. He scooted back on the asphalt, careful to keep his weight off his throbbing ankle. When he was close enough, Josh hooked an elbow onto the passenger side floorboard of the truck, grateful it’d been left open. With his other hand he grabbed the inside door handle support and slowly pulled himself up until he stood on his good foot. The other two men were still going at it.

Josh hurt from head to toe, but did either of those guys care? Not that Nick should or would care, Josh was only a possible source of information. But Justin should at least be more concerned about his brother than his freaking pride, shouldn’t he? Even his hot temper wasn’t an excuse for forgetting about Josh. San Francisco was looking better and better, Josh WHAT MATTERS MOST

Bailey Bradford

32

thought, his eyes burning with tears he tried to blink back. He would
not
stand here and have a pity party for himself. Justin loved him, he was just…

“Whatever.” Josh was done making excuses for his brother, and he had no business making them for Nick so he didn’t bother. With a last glance at the two men, Josh turned and heaved himself into Nick’s truck. He’d seen the keys in the ignition earlier, and he still had his own in his pocket. He scooted across the seat, indignation and the sting of his brother forgetting about him firing him into action. It wasn’t until he looked at the shifter that he realised there’d be a problem with his plan.

Josh’s laughter sounded a little hysterical to his own ears.
Figures Nick would drive a
standard. Could this night get any worse?
The driver’s side door was flung open and Josh found himself confronted by a battered, snarling Nick.
I had to ask.
Josh slumped in the seat, his hand dropping off the steering wheel. His ankle throbbed as his heartbeat increased, and Josh thought for a minute he might get to escape back into that lovely comforting darkness as spots pulsed in his vision.

“Shit.”

Nick’s deep voice caused Josh’s heart to race for a totally different reason and he mentally cursed himself. What was it about this one man that got to him?

“Come on, let’s get you to the hospital.” Nick leaned in and touched Josh’s shoulder.

“You’re bleeding.”

Josh rolled his tongue, his stomach heaving at the taste of blood. Lifting the hem of his T-shirt up to swipe at his mouth, Josh frowned as he looked at the bigger man. Nick was bleeding too, and where was Justin?

“Josh, come here and let me drive you to the hospital.”

Josh turned his head to glare at his brother. Justin was leaning in the passenger side, his face as battered and bruised as Nick’s. Annabelle was going to kick all of their asses. Josh was in at least as deep shit with her for keeping his mouth shut about Nick.

“I’ll take him,” Nick growled to Josh’s left. Justin snarled and started to argue.

Josh wondered why guys always bitched that
women
were the moodier, complicated sex. He pointed at his brother when Justin looked like he was fixing to go after Nick again.

“Stop it, or so help me I will pack everything I own and be on the first plane out of this hell hole in the morning. Then you two idiots can beat each other to death.”

WHAT MATTERS MOST

Bailey Bradford

33

Justin looked like he’d just been kicked by a horse but Josh slapped down any

sympathy for his brother. He turned back to Nick. “Do you think it’s possible for you to drive me to the hospital without kidnapping me, bullying me, intimidating me, or trying to kill my brother?”

Nick’s clipped nod and averted eyes was the only answer he got, but it was enough.

“Fine.” Josh pulled the keys from his pocket and flung them at Justin. Justin caught them right before they would have hit his chest, much to Josh’s disappointment. “Jus, either follow us since you are convinced Nick’s a psycho—” Josh glared from one man to the other, settling backing on his brother. “I think you
both
are, but whatever. Follow us, ride with us, or fucking stay here. I don’t care at this point.” Josh looked away and gingerly edged to the middle of the bench seat. He knew he was losing man points for crying, but he hurt, and not just physically. As much as he hated self-pity, it sure seemed to have a stranglehold on him tonight.

“I’ll ride with,” Justin said, his voice rough and strained. No doubt from the idea of riding with Nick, Josh thought. The truck bounced as the two larger men got in and Josh found himself pressed between two brawny shoulders. If one of them hadn’t been his brothers’, and if Josh hadn’t felt like he’d been run over by a Mack Truck, he might have sprouted wood. As it was he let his chin drop to his chest and crossed his arms over it for good measure in an attempt to keep from touching either man.

Justin’s arm slid over his shoulder and pulled Josh to his brother’s side. “Josh, I’m sorry. I should have—”

“Whatever,” Josh snapped, all thoughts of trying to be a responsible adult fleeing as he gave in to the need to pout. Why should he worry about trying to be mature when he was surrounded at this moment by two men who each had the mentality of a teenage boy? And that was being generous. Josh was pretty sure most teenage boys would have more sense than these two. He sank farther down into the seat as Nick started the truck.