Something for the Pain (Pain #2) (10 page)

She begins to walk away, but I stop her. There’s no way I’m leaving this bar without paying. She knows how much I hate that. “I’m paying for the drinks and I’ll fight it all I fucking want. That’s what I do.” I pull out a twenty and two tens, and then hand them to her. “I don’t want any change either. You two split it.”

She tries protesting, but I send her on her way with a slap to the ass. She glowers at me, before walking away and yanking her apron off.

Mandy stands up and gives me an uncomfortable look. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that you had a girlfriend. I knew you were too gorgeous to be single.” She holds up her drink. “Thanks for the drink. I can pay you back if you’d like.”

I smile up at her and reach for my beer. “She’s my best friend.” I take a swig. “And it’s not a problem.”

She hesitates for a moment before speaking again. “It looks a lot to me like something more is going on.”

“There isn’t,” I reply simply.

Looking me up and down, she reaches into her bag and pulls out a pen. “Well I have some friends over there.” She points over to a table close by, occupied by three girls that suck at hiding their girly chatter and excitement for their girl, Mandy. “And I’m pretty sure you’re about to leave anyways. Can I give you my number?”

I tell her like it is, just like I do all the other women. “I know this sounds shitty, but I’m more of a one night type of guy. I’m just not looking for anything else. So if you’re okay with just having a good time . . .” I tilt back my beer before setting it down in front of me. “Then you can leave your number. I’m not trying to get mixed up in anything that I’m not ready for.”

She bites her bottom lip in thought, before reaching for a napkin and scribbling down her number. She slides it across the table with a grin. “I’d take anything I could get from a guy like you. Sometimes that’s all us women need.” She stands up straight and starts backing away. “Call me anytime . . . Alex.”

I grab her number and nod my head as she turns and walks away, joining her table of girlfriends. Then, I turn back to my drink and quickly finish it off before checking on Tripp to see if she’s ready.

She grabs my arm and starts pulling me toward the door so fast that she almost trips on the way out. “I need to get out of here, Alex. What the hell was Dax thinking?”

I shrug while holding the door open for her. “Told you he’s an idiot. I never lie to you, babe.”

She laughs under her breath, but doesn’t look back at me. “Sticking with the M’s, I see.”

“Only this week.”

I open my truck door for her, but she just looks at me and lets out a frustrated breath. She looks as if she has something to say, but stops herself. I don’t like her doing that.

“Say it, Tripp.” Grabbing the top of the truck, I pin her against it and look into her eyes, waiting for her to speak.

Nothing. She just shakes her head and smiles weakly. “I’m just tired and frustrated. I want to give Dax a piece of my mind.” Maneuvering her way past my arm, she jumps into my truck and shuts the door. Moments later she pokes her head out the window. “Any day now, Carter,” she says teasingly.

Tell me about it . . .

I SIT IN MY ROOM for a bit, playing my guitar. It’s close to midnight and Tripp and Lucas have been downstairs, drinking and laughing it up. A part of me wants to join in, but the other part is too exhausted to pretend that I don’t want to have my way with her.

That’s all I’ve been able to think about since moving in the other day . . . and the more time I spend with her, the more the desire seems to grow. If only I could get it out of my system. I just need one damn night with her.

I look up when I hear a little giggle come from the doorway of my room. Tripp is standing there in a pair of small cotton shorts and a tank top. I can see her nipples pressing against the thin fabric of her shirt, and my cock instantly twitches in excitement. What I wouldn’t give to suck them into my mouth and bite them.

“Come downstairs, Stud.” She tilts her head in thought and grips onto the doorframe. “You’ve been up here for the last hour, alone. Have a little fun. Come on.”

Setting down my guitar, I smile as she runs into my room and jumps onto my lap. “You have no idea how happy I am to have you here. It’s all I’ve been able to think about for days.”

Standing up, I pick her up with me and toss her over my shoulder. She slaps my ass, only causing me to want her more. “Let’s have some fun then. I owe you for making you wait so long.”

I keep her over my shoulder while making my way down the stairs. As soon as we enter the kitchen, Lucas cheers and holds up a shot for us to join him.

“There he is. Finally come down to play?”

I arch an eyebrow while setting Tripp down beside me. “I guess so. This really hot chick said I have to. So . . .” I grab one of the shots and hold it up. “Let the fun begin.”

An hour later, we’re all pretty buzzed and talking about the most random shit in the world.

When I look over at Lucas, I find him looking at me as if he’s trying to figure something out. “What?” I ask while throwing my second dart.

Lucas grins before tilting back another shot. “I was just thinking about something.” He nods his head toward Tripp as she sits up from her tanning bed, oblivious to us watching her from across the room. “Have you two ever kissed?”

I pause from throwing my last dart. “Yeah.” I throw it hard at the dartboard. “She was my first kiss.”

Lucas is silent for a second before continuing. “Ever think about fucking her?”

“Are you fucking serious?” I turn to him, my eyes heated. “What the hell are you getting at, Lucas?”

“I want to see you two fuck,” he says without hesitation. “It’s just always something that I’ve wanted to experience with Tripp, but I want it to be with someone that she feels comfortable with. You two have been friends for a long time. There’s no one she trusts more than you.”

I take a long drink of my beer, my heart racing at the thought of me being inside Tripp. “Is this a damn joke?”

“Is what a joke?”

We both look beside us to see Tripp standing there in her bikini, looking so damn beautiful that it’s hard to breathe. How the hell am I supposed to look at her the same after what Lucas has just asked?

Fuck me . . .

“Nothing,” I mutter. “Just Lucas talking some crazy shit that will never happen.”

Tripp turns her gaze to Lucas. “Alright . . . what is Alex talking about?”

Reaching out to grab her waist, Lucas pulls Tripp to him and turns her around so that she’s facing me. “I think it would be really hot for me to watch Alex fuck you. I’m not just saying this because I’ve been drinking. I’ve been thinking about this since he saw me fingering you in the hall. Fuck, it got me so hot, hotter than I’ve ever been. We both had the best sex we’ve ever had after that. You and I both know it.”

I can’t help but to notice the look of desire in Tripp’s eyes before she quickly pulls them away and pushes her way out of Lucas’ arms. “Are you serious, Lucas? Who the hell just comes out and says that?” She runs her hands over her face and then starts playing with her ring. “Alex is my best friend. I can’t sleep with him, especially with you watching. I know we’re all game for a little fun, but that is just crossing an invisible line. That line should never be crossed.”

I really don’t know what to say at this point, so I just grab another beer, twist the top off, and quickly tilt it back.

“That’s why you should do it with Alex. I’m the only person you have had sex with, Tripp. We only have a few weeks to figure things out before everything changes. It will be good for all of us. I get to enjoy watching another guy fuck you and you get to experience sex with someone else before settling down with me. . . . And well, as far as Alex . . . he gets to sleep with you. That’s all the reason he really needs.”

“And if she falls for me?”

Lucas and Tripp both look at me at the same time.

I set my empty bottle down and walk over so that I’m face to face with Lucas. “I’m not ruining thirteen years of friendship just so you or I can get off. She’s worth way more to me than that shit.”

“That won’t happen. It’s a little hard to get intimate when you have someone watching you. Don’t you think? All you have to remember is that it’s just for fun. Nothing more. This could be the hottest experience of all of our lives. Not just mine.”

Tripp grips onto the pool table, but doesn’t say anything. It kills me not knowing what she’s thinking.

“You two think about. That’s all I’m asking. You can’t tell me that I’m the only one that thinks this will be hot.”

I need to get the fuck out of here. This is fucking with my head. I slam my empty beer down and wipe my mouth off with my arm. “I’m taking a swim.”

I walk away, leaving Tripp and Lucas alone. I’m sure Tripp will talk some sense into him. I wish that I could, but a part of me wants it to happen, just so I can be with her once; just one damn time, and maybe I can get my want for her out of my system. If I stay, I’m going to give myself away. This is the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to pass up and I can only resist for so fucking long.

ALEX’S NAKED BODY ON TOP of mine as he slowly slides his dick between my thighs . . .

My hands roaming his sexy body as he swirls his tongue around my nipples . . .

Lucas watching as Alex fucks me . . .

These thoughts have been running through my head for the last hour. I’ve tried so hard, but I can’t seem to make them stop. They’re on repeat in my fucking brain, driving me to the brink of insanity.

I stop pacing my bedroom and walk over to the bathroom door to see if I can hear any movement coming from Alex’s room. I haven’t heard him come upstairs yet, but with Alex being so slick, he could be already sleeping and me not even know it.

I’m starting to feel panicky that Alex hasn’t tried talking to me about what Lucas suggested. We talk about everything. It worries me that the idea of sleeping with me might’ve pushed him away. He hasn’t uttered a word to me since. I hate that feeling. It’s the worst feeling in the world to me. I can never lose Alex. I seriously can’t imagine a world without him in it.

Making my way through the bathroom, I pause in front of his closed door before slowly turning the handle and cracking the door open. I poke my head inside and quietly say his name, even though I can already see that it’s empty. My mind is too messed up right now to even think straight. I just stare at the back wall that I painted him and fight the urge to cry.

He’s either still swimming or he’s trying to avoid me. Either way, it’s not good. Alex swims to release stress. I’ve noticed that since he stopped fighting a while back, but he usually never swims for this long.

I go back to my room and pace for a little while longer, letting all my emotions build up, before deciding that I can’t take it anymore. I have to talk to him about this and make sure that everything is still okay with us.

I feel sick to my stomach right now.

Swallowing back my queasiness, I quickly make my way downstairs and down the hallway, stopping in front of the double doors. My heart is racing so fast at the thought of seeing Alex that I have to take a second to catch my breath.