Amber to Ashes (The Torn Heart #1) (30 page)

Drummed up from too many shots and mind askew from Brock’s recent attack, I smile like an idiot, just now realizing the band’s back.

Lips continuing to tantalize the shell of my ear, his voice tangles with the sultry beat. “Second, the girl in my arms is a better match for me. It makes the act more . . . bearable, if you will.”

“Is she?” The question scratches up my throat, a sheen of desire further dampening my skin.

He drops his hand from mine and reunites it with his other around my waist. “She is.” Another whisper, this one breathed soft against my cheek. He pulls me closer, his erection stroking my stomach as we sway to the music. “She can throw a man off balance, leaving him with nothing but tiny fragments of what used to be a pretty sane mind.” He runs his fingers up the dip of my waist, along the curve of my breasts, and curls them around my elbows, dragging my arms around his neck. A grin tugs at his lips as I knot my fingers in his hair. “And you wanna know something, peach?”

I nod. My vision blurs, a million sensations tumbling over my skin as he sinks his forehead to mine, keeping it there.

“I think she knows what she does to a man.” His hands find my hips, slowly clenching and unclenching. “How she completely takes over every goddamn thought he owns. Whether he’s awake or not, she’s there in his head, jacking up his universe. But hell if he wants her to stop. He’s addicted to her eyes, the way her sweet taste lingers on his tongue, and the way she moves when she’s near him.” He takes a
deep breath, his barbell peeking out as he licks his lips. “So fucking in tune with her, he hears the silent call from her body when she craves his touch.”

Blood overheated, I stare at his lips, my own quivering as he moves his along my temple, down the side of my cheek, resting them against my jaw. “Yes. I think she knows
exactly
what she does to a man.”

I shiver, my words strangled. “I think you’re wrong.”

“I think he’s right,” Brock whispers into my ear, gripping my waist from behind.

I jump, my heart speeding toward implosion. I go to turn, but Brock holds me in place, his nose buried in the sweaty waves of my hair as he pushes his pelvis against my ass.

“Without a doubt, he’s correct.”

“There’s no question I am.” Ryder’s voice comes out a hungry rasp as he steps back. “I’ll meet ya at the bar.”

“Don’t leave, bro.” Brock moves my hair from my neck, his mouth landing there, teasing, taunting. “Amber won’t mind if we both dance with her, will you?”

“No,” I breathe, immediately shocked at my answer as I sink into the soft touch of Brock’s fingers kneading my hips. I hesitate a second, embarrassment seizing my thoughts. “Do . . .
you
mind?”

“Not at all. That’s why I’m offering, baby.” Brock lightly bites my shoulder, his breathing heavy as he hooks his thumbs in the waistband of my skirt. “The thought of you sandwiched between us turns me the fuck on.”

Convinced the alcohol’s talking for Brock, a nervous giggle erupts from my throat. I stare at Ryder, waiting for him to make a move. Frozen, Ryder offers a guarded smile, surprise evident in his loss for words.

“Stop being a pussy, Ashcroft,” Brock says, “and put your hands on my girl.”

Ryder blinks. “Well, since you put it that way, how can I resist?”
He steps toward me, takes my face in his hands, his eyes searching, gauging my reaction. Chest pressed to mine, he whispers into my ear, “Are you sure you’re cool with this?”

I nod, my heart galloping as our bodies sway in unison to the slow, sultry beat. Ryder grins, his fingers tiptoeing down my cheeks, along my collarbone, their journey ending on my waist, where he grips them.

“She feels nice, doesn’t she?” Brock lifts my arms, swathing them around his neck as he feathers his mouth against my ear.

A soft moan escapes me as I hold Ryder’s gaze, his heady cologne swamping my senses. He bites his lip, raw hunger surfacing over his face as he moves his hands to my rib cage, his thumbs drawing small, tantalizing circles just below my breasts. My pulse rocks, the perils of their seduction wrenching the oxygen from my laboring lungs.

“Like fucking heaven.” With his eyes locked on mine, Ryder’s thumbs continue their gentle persuasion along my ribs, each pass testing new limits, nearly brushing my nipples. They bud, hardening like gemstones. Flames of sin ignite me, chills skidding across my skin as he pushes a knee between my legs. My lips part on a second moan, and Ryder smirks, my heart bouncing out of control as he grinds his hips against mine. “She’s a beautiful gift. One neither of us deserves.”

My muscles go limp, my need for him—for
them—
mounting by the second. I dig my nails into Brock’s scalp as he tips my head back and slides his tongue against my neck, licking the sweat from my flesh.

“She
is
a gift. But I’m not sure she realizes this,” Brock points out. “I wonder if there’s anything we could, I don’t know,
do
to make her aware of just how fucking sweet she is.”

“That might be difficult,” Ryder says, a delicious grin spreading over his mouth as he coils a piece of my hair around his finger. “But I’m sure we could come up with something that would . . . satisfy her.”

“Oh, you two are good.” I smile, their dual stimulation sucking
the last vestiges of morality from my brain. “Did either of you go to school for this?”

“No. They’re just players.” A hiccupped giggle freezes the air. “They’re about to do you real good, but
real
dirty.”

I twist my head, my gaze landing on an inebriated Hailey Jacobs. Blonde hair hanging messily over her shoulders, red lips puckered into a sneer, and an arm wrapped around her friend’s waist, the chick can barely stand.

“Christ,” Ryder mumbles. He drops his hands to my hips, a scowl anchoring his face as he stares at Hailey.

“What’s the matter, Ryder? Afraid you and your buddy’s secret’s gonna come out?” She turns her wicked blue eyes on mine. “I thought I was the only one they liked double-teaming. Apparently I was wrong.”

My breathing screeches to a stop. I jerk back, neither man’s possessive hold able to keep me in place. “What the hell did you just say?”

She stumbles into my chest, and beer from her bottle splashes onto my sweater. “I’ll make it quick, bitch. Don’t feel special that they’re all over you at the same time. You’re nothing but—”

“Shut the fuck up, Hailey,” Brock growls. He grips the back of her neck, tugging her away from me. “You’re drunk, and you’re about to catch a fucking beating if you say another word.”

She drags a finger down Brock’s cheek, a purr seducing her tone. “Since I know you’d never rough up a woman, I find your threat entertaining but sexy. If
anyone
knows that I like it rough, it’d be you and Ryder, wouldn’t it?”

Blood.

Hers.

I want it.

But the poison in Brock’s eyes stills my rapid heart. What the skank said is true—Brock would never lay a hand on a woman. But she can only taunt a hungry lion for so long, and I know that look. I’ve lived in homes where it was the last warning before a man lost it.

“No, Brock!” I yank his hand off Hailey’s neck, my pulse hammering as I glance between him and Ryder.

Remaining silent, Ryder shakes his head.

Rage coils through my muscles as I bring my confused gaze back to Brock’s. “What are you hiding from me?”

“I’m not hiding anything, Ber. Let’s go.” He levels Hailey with a glare and wraps his fingers around my waist, attempting to herd me out of the bar.

“Are you kidding me?” I spit, my tone clotted with venom. Forget not taunting the lion. I shove against his chest, hardly moving him. “Are you fucking that skank behind my back with Ryder? Is that what’s going on?”

“No!” Brock argues, his voice barely controlled as he reaches for my hand. I wrench it back, my lips parted in silent shock. “Calm down.”

“Calm
down
?” I feel heat explode, blotching across my face. “You didn’t answer the question. What the hell is she talking about?”

“What a mess I’ve caused,” Hailey interrupts through a slur. She tilts her head, the movement unsteadying her. She falls against my shoulder, her listless weight knocking me back a few inches.

Ryder catches her by the elbow, hauling her away from me. “What the fuck are you doing, Hailey? Huh? You getting off on this shit?”

“I’m
totally
getting off on it.” She pulls her arm from Ryder’s hold. “And I’m telling the truth. I’m done with you and Brock warning me to stay away from her and not open my mouth about what happened.”

“What the heck’s going on?” Madeline asks, confusion pinching her forehead as she and Lee approach. “I go to the restroom, and all hell . . .” Her words die in her throat, her eyes narrowing on Hailey. “What’s
she
doing here?”

“The last time I checked, I was allowed in
any
bar in Maryland.” Hailey turns to me, one side of her mouth curled up. “But
she’s
not. Maybe I should let the owner know her ID’s fake?”

“Goddamnit! Just shut the fuck up already!” Ryder booms, a muscle ticking in his jaw. He looks at Hailey’s friend. “You sober?”

The petite brunette nods, something akin to fear breaking out across her face.

“Good. Get her the fuck outta here before she makes me do something I can’t take back.”

The girl swiftly obeys and snags Hailey’s hand, but as though unaffected by Ryder’s threat, Hailey yanks it away and resumes tripping up my brain. “Let me guess, your lover boys here had the ID made for you? No surprise. They conjured up one for me too, while they were
fucking
me,
together
, at the
exact
 . . .
same
 . . .
time
. Again, you’re nothing special, bitch.”

Confusion dips its poisonous rods into my alcohol-soaked brain as voices fade into nothing but sinister notes of chaos. I take a deep breath, my hearing sparking back to life when Hailey speaks again.

“The only thing that actually has me surprised is that they’re willing to share a bitch whose father wasted a bullet on her mother instead of her.”

The hairs on my neck jump, prickling at her words. Every wicked thing the skank’s ever done to me has nothing on this very moment. All coherent, rational thoughts peel from my head, tearing the sanity right out of my skull.

I lunge, my hand gripping her neck faster than any of us can comprehend. Before I can process what’s happening, I have her on the ground, my legs straddling her Coke-bottle waist, as my fist connects with her dainty nose. Twice. With blood streaming down her rosy cheeks, she no longer looks like a porcelain doll. I barely have time to relish the destruction I’ve caused to her overpriced nose job before I’m hauled off her by Brock, his hands under my armpits as he drags me into the amped-up crowd.

“Ber, look at me.” Brock’s voice is panicked, his hands all over me.
Face, shoulders, arms, neck, he inspects every inch of my body. “Look at me, baby.”

I catch his eyes, the sincere worry in them sinking me. But it only lasts a second. Resting against a metal pole, I turn my head and bask in the sight of Hailey crying as she scrambles to her feet. Blood’s spilling from her nose, seeping between the grains of the wooden floorboards as her friend and a bouncer help her toward the exit. Eyes flaming hot as coals, I lunge again, attempting to nip one last piece of her before she leaves.

Brock stops me, caging me in. “Ber, no! She’s not worth it, baby.”

“She’s not,” Madeline says, approaching us with Lee. She swipes my hair away from my face, a sad smile on her lips. “Are you okay?”

“Not worth it?” I scoff, ignoring Madeline’s question. “Not worth it, Brock? Apparently she was worth it to you at some point. My God, how could you
lie
to me about her?”

He drops his forehead to mine, anguish thrumming through his whisper. “I didn’t lie to you.”

“
What
?” I take an exasperated breath. “Yes, you did! I asked you about her.”

“And I told you the truth. That she meant nothing to me. Every time we hooked up, I was drunk, she was drunk. That’s all it was.”

“But you so conveniently left out the part where you double-teamed her with
Ryder
?”

“Yeah, I did. Why the hell would I tell you that?”

My eyes bug from their sockets. “Why the hell
wouldn’t
you?”

“That’s not something I’d tell Madeline,” Lee interrupts, curling his arms around Madeline’s waist from behind. “Definitely not.”

Madeline swivels her head. “Oh,
really
?”

“Don’t get upset, pussycat.” He burrows his face into her neck. “It’s just not something a dude’s gonna tell his girl. Amber knew he messed around with her. She didn’t need to know the specifics.”

“Mm-hmm,” Madeline hums as I debate whether or not to release
the rest of my anger on Lee. “Did you know that Ryder and Brock . . . did the little whore?”

“Of course I did,” he admits as Ryder approaches. “It was impossible to fall asleep while these two fuckers were banging the shit outta her in the next room.” Lee grinds his pelvis against Madeline’s ass, his tone a high-pitched, mocking squeak. “Ryder, please don’t stop. Brock, yes. Oh God, Brock, right there.”

Ryder smacks him upside his head, his eyes drilling into Lee’s. “You’re an asshole.”

Lee shrugs. “Bro, Amber knows what happened. What’s the big deal?”

“Go take a walk before I make it a huge deal,” Brock grits out.
“Now.”

Madeline drags him toward the exit. “You knew about what they did with her and didn’t say anything to me?”

Lee’s response is indistinguishable as they push through the crowd and out the doors.

I look at Brock. “You two really did share her.”

“Did.”
Brock’s stare is pinned on mine as he brushes his knuckles along my jaw. “I haven’t messed around with her since the first time I talked to you, Ber.”

A tear slips down my cheek. “You expect me to
believe
that?”

“I swear to fucking God I haven’t,” he implores, sinking a nervous hand through his hair.