Three Ways to Wicked (20 page)

“What are you thinking?”

He couldn’t tell her. Not when he didn’t understand any of it himself. This was supposed to be a fun summer fling. An opportunity to burn out the crazy attraction he’d harbored for her and Gibb. Love only complicated matters. Particularly when he had no fucking clue if they felt the same way about him.

Adopting a forced breeziness, he hefted to his feet with a lazy stretch. “That I’m going to have to buy my folks a new couch or risk never being able to look them in the eye while they’re sitting on
this
one.” He rolled his shoulders. “I’m gonna go hit the shower.”

Feeling like a worse chickenshit than he’d ever accused Gibb of being, Ty turned his back on them and strode for the hall.

The instant they stepped onto the packed back patio of the Rusty Anchor, Kay was ambushed by Zack Cooper’s six-foot-four, two-hundred-plus-pound wall of muscle. Despite Coops’s intimidating size, Ty was slightly tempted to do a little rearranging of his friend’s face when Zack swung Kay up into his burly arms and planted a not-so-innocent smacker directly on her lips.

Just because Ty got fucking hot watching Gibb and Kay kissing didn’t mean the sentiment extended to Coops. It didn’t help that his emotions were still raw from this morning. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Gibb shooting him a warning look. Smothering a growl, he relaxed his fists and stalked to the nearby tiki bar.

Sandy, the bartender, flashed him a flirtatious smile while she measured a shot of rum into the shaker in front of her. “Hey, gorgeous. Your usual?”

“Yeah. Make it two.” He sent a glance toward Kay and was happy to note she’d escaped Coops’s overly affectionate embrace and was now exchanging hugs with Reese. “Also a Rum Runner while you’re at it.”

“Those are popular today.” Sandy peeked past him, blatantly scoping out who the extra drinks might be for. She’d made it crystal clear since moving into the area three years ago that she was open to the idea of some mattress mamboing with him. While he found her cute and her body custom-built for sin, she wasn’t Kay. Or Gibb.

Was this how it’d be for him from now on? Complete disinterest in any willing parties beyond the two people who held his heart in their hands?

Didn’t that just suck the big one.

Itchy anxiety crawling beneath his skin, he waited for Sandy to assemble Kay’s Rum Runner. After passing her a twenty and telling her to keep the change, he collected the drink along with his and Gibb’s Bud Lights. He handed the spare beer off to Gibb and offered the cocktail to Kay. Without thinking, he rubbed her back when she gifted him with one of her beaming smiles. Bailey’s gaze narrowed to a menacing squint.

For shit’s sake, Coops practically molested Kay in public, and here
he
got the death glare? Snuffing his grumble, Ty dropped his arm to his side.

Apparently intuiting the tension orbiting in the air, Reese cleared her throat. “You guys missed a fantastic parade.”

“Yeah, where were you three?” Zack boomed in his crowd-clearing baritone. “Thought we were all supposed to meet up at the corner of Appleton and Sixth. You get lost on the way?”

Yeah. Inside Kay’s wonderfully snug ass. Sucks to be you, motherfucker.
Not the least bit ashamed for that gloating thought, Ty smirked at Coops.

Before Bailey could jump in with her own version of the Spanish Inquisition, Dane and Finn appeared from the noisy depths of the restaurant. Both men took their turns hugging Kay before clinking their longneck bottles of Bud with Ty’s and Gibb’s. For several minutes the conversation revolved around the current events in Kay’s life. She filled everyone in on the mundane stuff, but she made no mention of her books. Or her involvement with him and Gibb. That last part was an understandable necessity, but her silence about her writing career didn’t sit well on him.

He was fucking proud of what she’d accomplished, and she should damn well be too. Screw the bullshit her mom and ex-fiancé had filled her head with. Judging from the deep furrow indenting Gibb’s brow, he was mulling over similar thoughts.

The subject shifted to the recent storm that’d swept through the marina and left Master Charters’ rooftop a shambles.

“When you’re ready to start looking for roofers, my cousin has some connections through his construction biz,” Finn suggested. “You can trust anyone he’d rec.”

Gibb nodded. “I’ll give him a call Monday.”

Bailey’s face instantly lit up. “Did you get your insurance check?”

“Should be arriving the first of the week. The claim agent finally stopped by early Friday morning and pushed the paperwork through.” Gibb swiped his sweating beer bottle on the hem of his T-shirt, drawing Ty’s focus to his best friend’s fly.

Ty licked his lips before sucking down a frosty swig of his beer. It did nothing to cool his insides
or
his racy thoughts. He listened to Gibb ramble about the excellent runs they’d been getting on king macks lately, but his focus remained intent on other fascinations, like the tiny silvered scar that bisected Gibb’s right eyebrow—a leftover remnant from a bar fight he’d inadvertently landed in the middle of during his early twenties. Ty couldn’t recall precisely what had started the bar fight, but he had a sudden urge to kiss Gibb’s boo-boo and make it all better. Preferably while he was riding Gibb cowboy style and devouring Kay’s pussy.

The unmistakable stirrings of lust grabbed him by the shorthairs.
Aw hell.
HairyItalianshairyItalianshairy—

A poke in his side distracted him from the mantra in his head, and he slashed his attention to the young waitress standing next to him. She offered up a dazzling smile. “I was hoping you’d show.”

He glanced to her name tag. “Hey, Anna. How’s it goin’?”

She blushed. “Insanely busy, but great. I’m so happy to see you, though.”

Not sure what else to say, he nodded blankly. “You too.”

An irritated sound rolled from Bailey. The waitress darted a look her way before mumbling a quick, “Gotta go,” and scooting off in the opposite direction.

“Oh my God, Ty. What the hell is
wrong
with you?” Bailey’s incensed glare drilled into him. “That girl isn’t even out of high school. Do you really want her daddy and his shotgun showing up on your doorstep?”

“What the fuck are you talking about? I was just being nice to her.”

“By ogling her boobs?”

“I was looking at her damn name tag.”

“You are so full of crap.”

Nowhere near mellow or drunk enough to tolerate his sister’s typical haranguing, he pivoted and stalked toward the bar again. He spied the young waitress waiting for Sandy to fill drink orders and made a detour to the double doors leading into the inside dining room instead. Last thing he needed was Bailey accusing him of slipping Anna his number or some equally asinine assumption.

Anger and an unlimited supply of curse words roaring in his head, he strode to the crowded bar and elbowed his way through the gridlocked congestion. He flagged down the bartender. “Another Bud.”

A second later he took a swig from the fresh bottle, the swallow going down hard. Most days he let his sister’s and others’ opinions of him roll off his back, but today he felt the sting to the marrow of his bones. Yeah, he’d made some big stupid-ass mistakes in his past. He had no problem owning up to that. But it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt being constantly judged and found morally lacking. Especially by those he loved.

Gibb had sworn those days were behind them, but were they truly? Maybe, like Bailey, he still viewed Ty as nothing more than an irresponsible manslut out for a piece of ass. For all he knew, Kayla looked at him in a similar light. He didn’t doubt for one second that Bailey had filled her in on his shady past. And really, had he given Gibb and Kay any reason to think he
wasn’t
a raging horn dog?

He sifted through the endless sexual smorgasbord of their time together and hung his head. There was no way in hell he’d be able to prove to them
they’d
been the catalyst for it, and not some invisible devil riding his shoulder looking for the next bed to fall into. Hell, if he were in their shoes, he wouldn’t believe it either.

“Ty.”

The sweet sound of Kay’s voice near his ear drew his eyes open. Shifting his head, he met her compassionate gaze. The gentle brush of her fingertips along his cheek made his heart ache. He’d never been more regretful of things he couldn’t change, of a soiled past he couldn’t shake.

“Bailey shouldn’t have gone there with you.”

He shook his head. “There’s a reason she did, Kay. And I get it. Probably deserve it too. Truth is, though, I don’t give a fuck what people say behind my back—or to my face, in my sister’s case. But I
do
care what you think. And Gibb.”

“Your past doesn’t matter.” She traced the dimple in his jaw. “No, I take that back. It does, because it’s shaped you into who you are. And I happen to think who you are is pretty freakin’ terrific.”

“Even though I’m an irredeemable horn dog?”

“Remember how you told me I don’t ever have to worry what you think about me because it’s all good?”

He nodded.

“Well, the feeling is one hundred percent mutual.”

He stared at her for a long time, his heart pounding.
Tell her.
Kick the fucking Day-Glo ninja permanently from the closet.
He blew out a shaky breath. “If this were a scene from one of your books, this is the part where I’d kiss you and say I’m fucking head over ass in love with you, isn’t it?”

She went dead-still, her hand frozen on his face. Her lips parted slowly. “A-are you?”

His focus remained glued to her lips. “Remember, I’m supposed to kiss you first before getting to that part?”

“Or you could just tell me.”

“Nah, gotta do this right.” Slipping his hand around her nape, he pulled her closer. Their lips met in a soft glide, and he eased his tongue inside her mouth. She drifted her fingers down his neck and splayed her hand over his thundering heart.

Far sooner than he would have preferred, she broke the kiss and tipped his chin up so they were eye to eye. “Now what were you saying?”

He opened his mouth, but a movement behind Kayla stalled him short. He looked past her head and directly into Bailey’s stricken, accusing gaze. Only his sister’s look wasn’t reserved for him.

It was all for Kayla.

Chapter Seventeen

Even without following Ty’s point of focus, Kayla had a sinking feeling she knew the cause for the trepidation stealing over his features. Sucking in a deep, unsteady breath, she steeled her spine for the worst and slowly turned.

The unrestrained betrayal emanating from Bailey brought a greasy wave cresting to life in Kayla’s stomach. “Bail—”

“You must have thought it was hilarious, listening to me carry on about Ty all this time. Trying to
protect
you from how he is.” Bailey’s laugh came out sharp and brittle. “Guess the joke’s on me, huh?” She transferred her attention to Ty, and hurt instantly transformed into fiery outrage. “Fucking every woman in this state wasn’t enough for you? You had to go after my best friend?” Bailey’s outburst managed to attract half the bar’s attention, but she was either uncaring or oblivious of the fact. “Just when I think you can’t stoop any lower as a decent human being, you go and prove me wrong, Ty.”

Kayla flinched at her best friend’s barbed words. “Bail, enough. You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Oh puh-lease don’t tell me this is where you’re going to start defending him to me.” Bailey waved a hand in Ty’s direction while she glared at Kayla. “He’s only looking for a good time. You deserve better than a stupid notch on his bedpost.”

Before Bailey could spout another word, Ty hefted from his seat and clamped a hand on her arm. Ignoring her furious curses, he hauled her toward the exit. Not certain which of them she was more worried for, Kayla scurried to catch up. She stumbled out onto the patio just as Ty slammed to a halt in front of a confused Dane. “It’d be a fucking excellent idea if you take my sister home. Now. Before I really lose my patience with her.”

“Uh, okay.” Dane reached for Bailey, but she sidestepped him, her murderous gaze still pinned to Ty.

“I’m not going anywhere,
best-friend fucker
.”

Under different circumstances, Bailey’s creative name-calling and stubborn chin slant would have been giggle worthy, but Kayla couldn’t feel any farther removed from laughter at the moment.

Dane placed a hand on Bailey’s shoulder in an obvious attempt to soothe her. “Honey, calm down. This isn’t a place to make a scene about…whatever.” He raised his eyebrows at Ty.

“She’s pissed because she caught me and Kay kissing.”

“So?” Coops looked suitably baffled. “I kissed her earlier too.”

“You didn’t use tongue.” Ty narrowed his eyes. “And if you value keeping your balls intact, you’re never gonna in the future either.”

Gibb expelled a heavy breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. “What happened to the hairy Italians in banana hammocks?”

“They took a permanent siesta with the Day-Glo ninja.”

Finn grunted. “Am I the only one who has
no
damn idea what’s going on right now?”