Ethan (Alluring Indulgence) (7 page)

Ethan
leaned in closer to Blake, lowering his voice so only he could hear. “That’s
not any of your damn business.” Ethan knew he should’ve just denied it, but he
didn’t. He wasn’t dating anyone, hadn’t
ever
dated anyone, in fact. But
more accurately, there wasn’t anything between him and Beau.

Blake
met his gaze, his green eyes glittering like emeralds. He was pissed, but Ethan
wasn’t sure why that was.

“You
fucker,” Blake yelled at Beau over Ethan’s shoulder. “You should learn to keep
your fucking mouth shut. What happens between us is none of your goddamn
business.”

Ethan
grabbed Blake’s arm, pulling him around the side of the truck and out of Beau’s
line of sight. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I
know he told you. But he’s a fucking liar.”

When
Ethan stared back at him, trying to catch up to the crazy that had obviously
infiltrated Blake’s brain, Blake stopped talking. Ethan spurred him on when he
said, “What exactly did he lie about?”

“I
wasn’t really with that guy that night. But I knew he’d lie about it so you
wouldn’t want to see me anymore. He was just a friend. Nothing happened.”

Ethan’s
heart did a strange misstep in his chest. He felt his face warm as the ever-present
anger that simmered on low inside of him roared to a full boil. The biting cold
wind had nothing on the fire that suffused his face as he stared back at Blake.
Of all the crap he had expected of Blake, being a cheater hadn’t been it. But
obviously, based on the story he was telling, that’s exactly what he was. And
Ethan had no room in his life for that shit.

“You
cheated
on me?”

Shit.
Why did he ask that? It sounded like they’d actually been in a relationship.
They hadn’t. It was just casual sex. Friends with benefits. Ethan didn’t do
relationships. And he damn sure didn’t have a relationship with Blake.

“I
didn’t. Beau’s lying,” Blake retorted defensively.

“Well,
then, why don’t you explain your side of the story.” Crossing his arms over his
chest again, Ethan tried to contain his temper.

Sure,
Ethan was now being manipulative, but he deserved the full story. Part of him
wanted to rip Beau a new one for keeping something like that from him, but if
he honestly thought about it, it wasn’t any of Beau’s business.
Still
wasn’t Beau’s business.

“It
was one date. A long time ago. The guy wouldn’t leave me alone, so I met him at
a restaurant, but I was very clear up front that I wouldn’t sleep with him.”

Narrowing
his eyes at Blake, because honestly, he didn’t believe a single word that came
out of his mouth, he waited for him to continue.

Blake
looked down at the ground, then back up at Ethan. “I only slept with him once.”

Ethan’s
throat closed, he couldn’t swallow.

It
didn’t matter that what he and Blake had before wasn’t serious. Never had been.
However, during their time together, Ethan thought it went without saying that
they wouldn’t be with anyone else. Cheating was one thing Ethan didn’t
tolerate.

Yanking
his ball cap off of his head, Ethan shoved his hands through his hair, he
turned his back on Blake, making sure not to look at Beau. How the hell had
this happened? And why did Beau have to be witness to this? Why the hell did
Beau have to be anywhere around him?

He
felt like an idiot. He’d kept Blake around because he was convenient, but that
wasn’t something Ethan would’ve ever shared with Blake. He wasn’t that guy. He
didn’t get off on hurting people.

Before
he could relay how he felt about the whole thing, Blake pushed past him, moving
at a fast clip toward Beau.

“You
son of a bitch! Why couldn’t you just stay the fuck out of our business?”

Beau
cocked an eyebrow, never moving a muscle and Ethan’s gaze was locked on him. He
was even attracted to the guy’s patience, his self-assurance. That cocky way he
stood there like nothing or no one could hurt him.

When
Blake apparently got too close for comfort, Beau put one hand out, right up
against Blake’s chest. God, the difference in their sizes was significant. Beau
must’ve been at least six-foot-six, considering he was a tad taller than Ethan
at six-foot-five. And Blake was just shy of six-feet.

“Why
couldn’t you just keep your mouth shut? What I do is none of your fucking
business!”

Blake
sounded just like what he was. A pissed off ex-lover.

Taking
a deep breath, because hell, what else could he really do, Ethan made his way
over to Beau and Blake. After inserting himself between them, he faced Blake,
trying to ignore the feel of Beau so close behind him. He was big enough to
block the frigid winds and Ethan hated himself for noticing that.

At
the moment, he hated himself for a lot of things.

♂♂

Beau
wanted to laugh.

He
also wanted to punch something.

Or
better yet. Someone.

Blake
Henley was a jackass. A jackass who just put his foot in his mouth. And somehow
he was still trying to make it Beau’s fault. And when the little man came
running at him, he had to fight to keep a straight face.

“You
need to go,” Ethan told Blake loudly. “We’ll talk about this later.”

Would
they really?

Beau
had come to loathe Blake, including his cheating ways. Ethan deserved so much
better than a little fuck-up like Blake.

For
reasons unknown, Beau’s thoughts lurched back into the past to that kiss he
shared with Ethan on the Walker’s front porch on Christmas Day. Yes, he’d
kissed Ethan. Lord, Ethan had kissed him back and to this day, Beau still felt
as though he’d been shaken and not stirred.

Wait.

Was
that considered cheating? Should he feel guilty for kissing Ethan when, at the
time, he was technically still seeing Blake? For a brief moment, he almost
allowed guilt to sink in, but then he remembered seeing Blake and that loser at
the restaurant and he couldn’t bring himself to feel bad about it.

“When?”
Blake asked, a hint of anticipation in his voice, his eyes darting back and
forth between him and Ethan.

“Don’t
know. Just go home, Blake.”

Beau
kept his mouth shut, knowing that anything he added to this conversation would
just make it worse. And he definitely didn’t need another downturn in his day.
As it was, he’d already lost his job and would now have to rent a storage unit
just so he could house his tools until he got another one.

Maybe
Zane would let him keep them at his house.

Beau
watched as Ethan directed Blake to his truck. He made sure to meet Blake’s
scowl every time he turned back. As far as he was concerned, Blake’s idiocy was
a blessing. For months, Beau had hated himself for not telling Ethan about
seeing Blake at the restaurant with someone else, but it wasn’t his place. No
matter how many times he’d played the scenario over in his head, he knew what
it would’ve looked like. And despite how much he wanted Ethan, how crazy he was
making himself with that need, Beau wouldn’t stoop to that level.

Beau
dropped his arms, letting go of his defensive stance as soon as Blake’s truck
was out of sight.

“Where
do you want me to drop this?” Ethan asked, pointing toward the toolbox that
still sat up on the flatbed.

Beau
grabbed his phone from his hip. “I don’t know. Let me call Zane.”

He
dialed the number, but after several rings, the call went to Zane’s voicemail.
Beau figured he was still in a meeting with Travis.

“Shit.”

“How
about I take it back to the shop? You can leave it there for the time being. At
least until you get another job and need them again. You’re welcome to come by
if you need something.”

Beau
started to argue. Then he thought better of it. Ethan had just given him an
open invitation to stop by the shop. He had spent months running in circles
when it came to Ethan, and now this? He wasn’t sure he even knew what to say.

“I’ve
gotta go. I’ll have Jared help me get it down when I get there.” Ethan took off
toward the wrecker without a backward glance.

“Give
me just a few minutes and I’ll meet you there. No sense in bothering Jared.
It’s my stuff. I’ll get it down,” Beau yelled at Ethan’s retreating back.

Ethan
waved him off, but Beau wasn’t going to leave it at that. As Ethan drove off,
he grabbed what was in the bed of his truck and lugged it up to his apartment.
He didn’t want to carry all of his tools around because they were too expensive
to have to replace. Especially now that he was without a job.

Once
inside his tiny apartment, Beau was wishing he’d taken off after Ethan
immediately. Why was he wasting time? He should be jumping at the opportunity
to go to the shop, spend just a few minutes with Ethan. After all, he knew Ethan
wasn’t in a good mood. How could he be?

Finding
out that the guy you’d been inadvertently dating for the last few months was
fucking around on you couldn’t be easy. Didn’t matter whether they were serious
or not. It was the principle of it. Even Beau knew that much.

A
minor twinge of guilt tugged at Beau’s insides as he remembered that kiss. It
didn’t matter that Ethan hadn’t initiated the smoldering encounter, Beau still
felt a degree of remorse for his actions.

Grabbing
the towel he had hung over the back of the chair in the kitchen, Beau opted to shower.
Then he’d head over to Walker Demolition. Maybe he could get there before Ethan
had to bother Jared. And if he didn’t, that was all right too. At this point,
it wasn’t like his day could get much worse. He’d been laid off, nearly beat
the boss’s brother’s head in for his stupid remark, and on top of that, he had
to ride out the scene between Blake and Ethan.

Without
waiting for the water to heat, Beau hurried through his shower, toweling off as
fast as he could before making his way back to his bedroom.

What
a joke. Beau hadn’t given much thought to his living quarters. He was just
happy to have a place of his own. Until today, or rather, until Ethan.

Now,
for some reason, his humble surroundings seemed lacking. His bedroom consisted
of a mattress and box spring sitting on the floor. Hell, he didn’t even have a
headboard. No fancy comforter. And the dresser was second hand, but it worked
for him.

He
thought about Zane’s house. How nice the place was, and he couldn’t help but
wonder whether Ethan’s was the same. He knew the structure itself was
impressive. Different from his brothers because of its modern design, versus
the rustic preference the other brothers seemed to have. He could only imagine
that the interior was similar.

But
Beau tried to remind himself that he came from a different world than Zane and
his brothers. He knew the Walkers didn’t hurt for money, but he also knew that
Lorrie and Curtis didn’t spoil their kids just because they could. From the
time each of them was old enough, they’d had to work for their extra money.

For
Beau, he had to work for
any
money. There hadn’t been money for college
because his father said he had wasted every penny he had on Beau’s high school
football and the dream that he would one day make it to the NFL. Any time the
opportunity presented itself, his father had ensured Beau understood that he
had failed them.

Pulling
his t-shirt on over his head, Beau tried to ignore his own meager possessions.
If it ever came down to it, could he actually bring Ethan there? Would he want
him to see his meek surroundings? Would Ethan think he was pathetic?

Beau
forced the thoughts away. It wasn’t like it mattered right at the moment. Maybe
if he could get a few minutes with Ethan, some time to talk, then he’d worry
about what the next steps might be.

♂♂

By
the time five o’clock rolled around, Ethan decided to call it a day. He’d kept
himself away from the shop, handling the tedious errands that he always put off,
all in an effort to avoid running into Beau. He knew if he had gone back to the
shop they would’ve had another encounter, and at this point, Ethan was fresh
out of defenses – something he needed when Beau was around.

Walking
into Moonshiners, Ethan glanced around to see who was there, a habit he
couldn’t break. The trucks in the parking lot were familiar, some belonging to
his brothers. There were times, based on the vehicles outside, when he knew
better than to stop in. Today didn’t look to be one of those days.

Most
of the faces were friendly, although Ethan wouldn’t call them friends. At least
he didn’t have to worry about a confrontation. And the best part… Beau wasn’t
there which meant he didn’t have to worry about being on guard.

“Hey,
Mack,” he greeted the bartender as he took one of the empty stools at the bar.

“E,
how’s it goin’?”

Ethan
knew the question was merely a pleasantry, and he didn’t bother with replying.
Mack didn’t expect him to either.

A
minute later, Mack passed over a Heineken and let him be without further
conversation. As Ethan stared blankly at the scarred bar top in front of him,
his mind insisted on wandering back to the events of that morning.
Particularly, when Beau went after Ricky Dillinger for his comment.

He’d
had a hard time not thinking about that, but somehow he had kept himself busy
enough that the past hadn’t come back to haunt him through the day. But now…
well, now Ethan had nothing else to do but sit and think and those memories
from all those years ago came flooding back.

“Hey,”
Gavin greeted as he made his way around his truck.

Ethan
watched Gavin approach, admiring the man he’d found himself falling in love
with in recent weeks. The mere sight of him made his heart rate speed up.

Several
hours ago Gavin had called and asked Ethan to meet him down by the lake, and
without a second thought, Ethan had agreed. For the last month or so, they’d
spent many evenings out by the lake, mostly talking, but in recent days, things
had continued to escalate between them. And the more time they spent together,
the hotter their encounters seemed to get.

Considering
all that they had shared so far, the only logical step would be to commit to
one another unconditionally. More so than just in the physical sense. Although
Gavin hadn’t out-and-out said he was looking for a relationship, Ethan got the
impression that the need for something more was mutual.

At
nineteen, Ethan had finally come to the full realization that he was gay. No
matter how many times he’d tried to convince himself otherwise through the
years, the mere fact that he wasn’t attracted to girls and never had been made
it glaringly obvious. After trying to deny it to himself for the millionth
time, Ethan had finally accepted it.

And
when Gavin dropped into his life out of the blue, Ethan knew the man was heaven
sent.

To
have found someone who made him want something more, something he’d never
wanted before, Ethan hadn’t been willing to let Gavin get too far away from
him. And the last week had been the most unbelievable time of Ethan’s life.

First
there was the kiss that had rattled the ground beneath his feet and… And then
the few times they’d made love, right there by the lake under the moonlight.
After the first time, – Ethan’s
very
first time – he
had known his heart had finally found what it was searching for.

“Want
to go down by the water?” Ethan asked as Gavin got closer.

Gavin
glanced around, then back to Ethan. Was he trying to make sure no one would see
them? It was something Ethan always found himself doing. Not that he honestly
cared who saw him with Gavin like this, but if something else were to happen
again tonight, he definitely wanted to ensure they were the only two there. He
liked the idea of having Gavin all to himself.

“Sure,”
Gavin replied, moving ahead several feet.

Ethan
could sense that something was wrong, so when they reached the edge of the
water and Gavin took a seat on one of the fallen tree stumps, Ethan decided to
approach things head on. “You ok?”

“Sure.
Why?” Gavin asked, a note of tension in his voice.

“You
seem… nervous.”

Maybe
that was it. Maybe Gavin was nervous to be around him. Lord knew that Ethan had
been overwhelmed by nerves to the point of nausea in recent days. With each
passing minute that the two of them spent together, Ethan’s longing for this
man was coalescing into something so potent, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to
survive all of the feelings he was beginning to have.

“Sit,”
Gavin said, nodding his head toward the log across from him.

Ethan
momentarily glanced down at the spot directly beside Gavin but moved backward
instead. He would prefer to sit close to him, to be able to feel the warmth of
his arm, smell the scent of the cologne he’d been wearing more of these last
few weeks. Maybe lean into him and steal another kiss.

“What’s
up?” Ethan knew Gavin had something on his mind, but for the life of him he had
no idea what it was. Unless of course Gavin was trying to find a way to share
how he was feeling. Ethan had been trying to come up with the words, or even
put them into actions for the last few days, but every time he thought he was
ready to cross that line, he choked, unable to process any of his thoughts into
either.

Gavin
glanced around again and finally met Ethan’s gaze. His beautiful green eyes
were so bright, so clear, Ethan wondered if he could see right through them
into Gavin’s mind. If he could, he damn sure wished he could figure out what
the guy was thinking.