Ethan (Alluring Indulgence) (19 page)

“Is
this really what you want?” Beau asked seriously.

He
was tired of playing games. If Ethan wanted to do this, to put a halt to this
extraordinary thing happening between them then Beau would back away. Not
happily, but he wasn’t up for the bullshit that came along with following Ethan
like a fucking puppy.

He
knew what sparked between them. Had felt it firsthand. He also knew that what
they’d shared didn’t happen every day to every person. But if Ethan was too
fucking stubborn to realize that, Beau would walk away. It was all he had to
offer at the moment. Falling in love with someone didn’t mean he had to let go
of his pride.

“What
do
you
want?” Ethan asked, his eyes narrowed on Beau’s face.

“You,”
he replied simply.

“That
didn’t seem to be the case last night,” Ethan retorted with an abundance of
frustration ringing clearly in Beau’s ears.

Beau
sucked in a deep breath, trying to hold his anger inside. He wasn’t the type to
fly off the handle without some serious provocation, but for some reason the
anger was on a rapid boil and threatening to overflow at any second. “Then you
don’t remember things quite the way I do,” Beau said calmly, choking back the
rage that was threatening to spew forth.

He
had to get Ethan over the fact that he’d left. It was time that they moved on.
That was one thing he noticed about Ethan, he clung to things from the past,
let them build until chaos drown out anything reasonable. It explained a lot
about the man.

“I
remember asking you to stay. I also remember you walking away.”

Beau
heard the words, heard the pain in Ethan’s delivery. He also noticed that,
although Ethan was pissed, he wasn’t trying to pull away. That was a good sign.

“I
remember your cock in my ass,” Beau said, keeping his voice low and even, his
eyes trained on Ethan’s. “I remember you sucking my dick until I thought my
head was going to explode.” Beau lifted Ethan’s wrists a little higher as he
leaned in close. “I remember wanting to fuck you until neither one of us could
see straight. To find out for myself just what it feels like to be deep inside
of you.” Beau paused, letting his breath fan over Ethan’s lips. “I’m still
waiting to find out. So, you’re right. We don’t remember it the same.”

The
irregular rhythm of Ethan’s breathing told Beau he was just as affected by his
descriptive recollection as he was.

Figuring
Ethan would either give up or get more defensive, Beau decided to leave the
decision to him. Releasing his wrists, he started to move back, but before he
could get out of Ethan’s personal space, he was being pulled back. Ethan’s
hands were in his hair, pulling him close, sending shards of pleasure/pain
bolting through his scalp. He didn’t even have time to inhale before Ethan’s
mouth was on his, his tongue plunging in deep and hard.

Beau
let Ethan control the kiss, didn’t use his hands to touch him in return
although he wanted to. If he had his way, he’d strip Ethan bare right there in
the middle of the shop and drop to his knees and suck him deep into his mouth.
Then he’d turn him around and fuck him until they were both wild with lust.
Because yes, Beau had never been so eager to know what it felt like to be
consumed by Ethan completely.

“My
house,” Ethan moaned against his lips a few seconds later.

Beau
contemplated the idea for a minute. He wanted nothing more than to go to
Ethan’s house, hide away for the night and steal several hours of alone time.
Hell, it was all he’d been able to think about. But, for some reason, he didn’t
think that was the most brilliant plan. Allowing Ethan to turn this into
nothing more than a casual sexual encounter wasn’t going to get them where Beau
hoped they’d be.

“Not
just yet,” Beau said softly. “I’ve got to meet Zane. And I want you to come
with me. It’s just to Moonshiners.” Before Ethan could argue, Beau put his hand
up to silence him. “We don’t have to be obvious, but I’m not going to let you
hide from everyone. One beer, that’s all I ask.”

Beau
thought for sure Ethan was going to say no. In fact, the silence that lingered
between them for long, agonizing seconds had sparked the disappointment in his
gut. And then, before he could say anything more, Ethan nodded his head.

“One
beer. I’ve got to go home and shower first. I’ll meet you there.”

Beau
studied Ethan for a moment, wondering if he was just agreeing in order to
placate him. Even if he was, Beau had to trust him this go round. If he didn’t
show up, Beau would be at his doorstep, and they’d hash it out then.

Beau
nodded his head in agreement, placing another gentle kiss on Ethan’s lips.

“I’m
gonna head home and shower too. I’ll see you there.” Without waiting for Ethan
to respond, Beau turned away. He only stopped when Ethan’s strong hand circled
his bicep.

“Pack
a bag,” Ethan said with a wicked grin. “I expect you to stay at my house
tonight. And this time you won’t have the option of walking away.”

Beau
smiled back, realizing exactly what Ethan was saying. If he didn’t intend to
show up, he wouldn’t have made plans for after.

For
now, he was going to celebrate this very small victory.

♂♂

When
Ethan stepped into Moonshiners a solid hour later, he was wondering what the
hell he’d been thinking when he agreed to this. The only positive was that it
appeared it was a Walker reunion. Despite his opposition to calling negative
attention to his family, Ethan still felt more comfortable when they were
around. They were his family, and family was like a security blanket of sorts.

All
of his brothers and their significant others were there. Even his cousin Jared
had graced them with his presence. Had Beau known they’d be there? Was that why
he suggested they come?

“Hey,
Mack,” he greeted the bartender as he approached the bar. “Can I get a
Heineken?”

“Coming
up, E.”

While
he waited for Mack to pass along his beer, he took inventory of those who were
in the small bar, other than his brothers. Luckily, aside from his family
members taking up half the available space, the place was relatively empty for
a Tuesday. And it didn’t slip past him that Beau wasn’t there yet.

“Here
you go,” Mack said as he passed the beer over.

“Thanks,
add it to my tab?”

“Already
done.”

With
a simple nod, Ethan headed toward the back where the pool tables took up most
of the space. And where the two felt-covered tables weren’t sitting, his
brothers were.

There
was a round of greetings from his brothers and Jared, a couple of hugs from
their wives. When everyone went back to what they were doing, Ethan joined
Kaleb and Zoey sitting at one of the tables beside the pool table that Travis
and Gage were at.

“Hey,”
Zoey greeted with a giant grin.

“Hey,
back. Where’s Mason?” he asked, referring to his nephew.

If
it were possible, Zoey’s face lit up even more. “He’s with Lorrie and Curtis.
They wanted some alone time with him tonight.”

Ethan
couldn’t say he blamed them. He had been meaning to stop by to see the little
guy. For the first month after Mason came home from the hospital, Ethan had
made a point to go by at least once a week. When he finally felt as though he’d
worn out his welcome, he had cut his visits back. Now he was going through
withdrawals.

“When
are you gonna stop by and see him?” Kaleb asked, motioning toward the empty
chair near the wall before tipping his beer bottle to his lips.

“Whenever
I’m invited,” he said gruffly. He had made a point not to let on just how much
he enjoyed spending time with the baby, but he had a feeling Kaleb and Zoey
knew just how infatuated he actually was.

“Well…”
Zoey said with a smile, glancing back and forth between Kaleb and him.

“Well,
what?” Ethan asked as he turned the chair around and straddled it, resting his
forearms on the back and letting his beer bottle dangle from his fingers.

Casual.
That’s what he was going for. Never mind the fact that he found himself
watching the door for Beau to arrive.

“We
were wondering…”

Again,
Zoey let the sentence hang, and Ethan wanted to pull the words out of her
mouth, but he could tell she was hesitant.

“Spill
it, woman,” Kaleb encouraged her, laughing before downing what was left in his
beer bottle.

“Would
you possibly be up for babysitting?”

Ethan
had to clamp his mouth shut to keep his answer from forming too quickly.
Babysit? Really? Did they trust him enough to be left alone with their baby?

Zoey
must’ve taken his lack of response as a negative because her face fell and she
glanced over at Kaleb.

“Sure,”
Ethan said, trying to harness his enthusiasm. “When?”

“I
wanted to take her out this weekend,” Kaleb explained. “Saturday night? Just
for a few hours.”

“Count
me in,” Ethan said easily, glancing past the two of them to where Beau was
heading their way. He tried to act unaffected, but it was harder than he
thought it would be. Seeing the man, watching all that power and grace as he
made his way toward him was an intoxicating feeling, more so than if he’d
consumed all the alcohol behind the bar.

“Yay!”
Zoey exclaimed. “Thank you!”

When
she reached over and kissed him on the cheek, Ethan laughed and then glanced up
to see Beau standing just a few feet away.

“Hey,”
he greeted Beau, surprising not only himself, but obviously Kaleb and Zoey.

“What’s
all the excitement?” Beau asked, glancing between the three of them.

“E’s
gonna babysit for us on Saturday,” Zoey explained and then clapped her hands wildly,
causing Ethan to laugh again.

“What.
The. Fuck?” Zane bellowed, moving close to the table where the three of them
were sitting.

Ethan
immediately got defensive, fully expecting Zane to lay into him after their
last turbulent conversation at the shop the day before. He prayed that with
Beau standing that close, they wouldn’t have it out here and now, but with
Zane, there was no way to tell what was going to come out of his mouth.

“Did
he just laugh?” Zane asked seriously as he glanced back and forth between Zoey,
Kaleb and Beau. “I seriously think he did.” Zane turned to address the bar.
“Hey! Hey! Seriously, y’all pay attention here!”

Fuck.

Ethan
hated when Zane felt the need to spout off. Although it was something Ethan had
grown accustomed to, he seriously hated when his younger brother singled him
out. It went against everything he was to be called out in public. There was a
reason he kept his head down and out of the limelight. Being around Zane didn’t
help in that regard.

“Ethan
Walker does know how to laugh. So, for all of you assholes who said otherwise…
you owe me ten bucks.”

The
group at the back laughed along with Zane, and even Ethan found himself
grinning. Granted, he did so behind the lip of his beer bottle, not wanting to
encourage Zane any further.

“Fucking
faggot!”

The
words came from someone on the far side of the room, but Ethan heard them like
they’d been shouted through a megaphone and apparently so did the rest of the
bar.

That
wasn’t the unsettling part.

The
part that had Ethan’s heart rate jumping was the sound of chairs scraping
against the wood floor, pool sticks being tossed onto the felt table tops, beer
bottles slamming down on tables. It all came together as a line of Walkers made
a stand and turned to face whoever had spouted the nasty comment.

“What
the fuck did you just say?” Sawyer’s deep baritone boomed through the small
bar.

Fucking
hell
.

Ethan
stood from his chair, backing away from Beau as best he could because he surely
didn’t want to drag him into the middle of the chaos that would likely ensue.
This was the exact fucking reason he hated being out with people. It was the
main reason he usually kept himself isolated from his brothers – yes, isolated.
Even when they were all hanging out at their local bar.

“You
heard me.” The mumble came from a bunch of guys sitting near the door. Ethan
searched the shadows to see who was there, and he noticed Ricky Dillinger was
amongst them. The rest Ethan didn’t recognize, but there was one whose face he
couldn’t see.

Ethan
knew immediately who that was, and the past nearly came back full throttle,
making his legs shake from the effort to remain standing.

Jimmy
Reardon.

Gavin’s
older brother.

The
guy who’d almost beaten Ethan within an inch of his life all those years ago.

Fucking
hell.
Ethan knew without a doubt he wasn’t going to be
able to hold Sawyer back this time. Especially since Sawyer was the only one of
them who knew what happened back then because Ethan had needed someone to help
him, someone who could keep a secret. And then he had needed a place to go,
refusing to let his parents see him in that state.

At
the time, seeking Sawyer’s help had been a no-brainer because Travis had been
in the Army. His oldest brother would’ve been his first choice, but now that he
thought about it, Ethan was glad Travis hadn’t been around. It probably
would’ve ended badly, all things considered.

But
the blinding rage that he’d seen on Sawyer’s face after he managed to explain
what happened was something he would never forget. It was a miracle Sawyer
hadn’t gone after Jimmy already. Ethan also knew Sawyer had never said a word
to their brothers because Ethan knew Travis would’ve probably done something
they would’ve all regretted.

“No,
I don’t think I did,” Sawyer answered loudly, moving closer.

“Come
on, boys,” Mack hollered from behind the bar. “Not in here.”

No
one seemed to pay the bartender any mind, especially not Sawyer.

And
that’s when Ethan realized he’d have been better off staying at home.

♂♂

The
anger pumping through Beau’s veins was making his vision hazy. He’d heard the
words, but he didn’t even have time to process the voice to know whom it
belonged to. And he’d immediately turned to face the crowd near the door where
everyone’s attention was now focused, but before he could make it very far, he
was tucked at the back of a group of pissed off Walker males.

Sawyer
was in front, his cowboy hat sitting low on his head, shielding his face, but
the balled up fists at his sides and the hatred in his tone was unmistakable.
The guy was pissed. Possibly angrier than Beau had ever seen him.

Behind
him, Zane, Brendon, Braydon, Jared, and Kaleb looked like linebackers as they
too took careful steps forward, coming around to circle Sawyer when he stopped
a few feet short of the table.

Beau
caught movement and noticed Ethan had eased away from him and was standing next
to Travis and Gage who’d carried up the rear, looking damn ready to rip some
heads off.

“Care
to repeat it, Reardon?” Sawyer asked, his voice low and deadly.

The
scene wasn’t new to Beau, but seeing all of the Walker brothers standing
practically shoulder to shoulder, their six-foot-five-plus frames taking up any
available real estate was an intimidating sight, that was for damn sure.

Beau
moved in closer, coming to stand next to Zane. Ready and willing to jump in if
he needed to. In fact, he was burning for a fight, something he hadn’t done in
years. And these foul mouthed mother fuckers were beginning to piss him off.

“I
wasn’t talking to you,” Jimmy said, keeping his head low, his body obviously
braced for a fight.

“I
don’t give a fuck who you were talking to, boy.”

Another
chair scraped across the hardwood as Jimmy got to his feet. “Who the fuck are
you callin’ boy?”

Sawyer’s
chest bowed up and his arms bulged as he went nose to nose with Jimmy. It was clear
to Beau that there had to be bad blood between the two men. They were staring
one another down like they were geared up to kill each other. Sure, a comment
the likes of which Reardon spouted could undeniably trigger retaliation, but
this was more. This seemed… personal.

“Lay
off the boy, Walker,” an older man sitting in the corner said.

“No
can do, Charlie,” Sawyer answered simply, his head never turning, which meant
his eyes never left Jimmy’s face. Beau almost felt sorry for the prick. Almost.
It would serve him right to have to go toe to toe with Sawyer.

Beau
didn’t know much about Jimmy Reardon, other than the guy liked to run off at
the mouth. If he remembered correctly, Jimmy had a younger brother, but for the
life of him, he couldn’t remember the guy. For some reason he wanted to say
there was a story there, but he couldn’t get his brain to function long enough
to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Beau’s
attention was redirected when Ricky Dillinger pushed his chair back, his eyes
darting around the room. Beau followed his gaze until he noticed where it
landed… on Ethan. He was standing beside Travis, his arms crossed over his expansive
chest, his eyes narrowed and intent.

“No,
bullshit. Sit your fucking ass down,” one of the other guys at the table
mumbled when Ricky started to rise to his feet.

“We
don’t want no trouble, man. Fucking sit down, Reardon.”

“Looks
to me like you should choose your friends more wisely if you’re not lookin’ for
trouble,” Sawyer mouthed, never moving a muscle as he faced off with Jimmy.

It
was clear to Beau that Sawyer was itching for a fight. Never mind the fact that
no one else seemed to know whom Jimmy was mouthing off to. No one except Ethan.
And Beau only knew because Ethan had told him that Ricky had spouted the same
bullshit before. Coincidence? Definitely not.

Then
again, Zane had mentioned Ethan’s name, calling him out in the middle of the
bar. Would people put two and two together?

“Fucking
cocksucker,” Ricky murmured, probably thinking no one could hear and presumably
hoping he’d have Jimmy to stand behind. Since the bar was eerily quiet, the
words lingered in the still air.