What Matters Most (10 page)

WHAT MATTERS MOST

Bailey Bradford

58

Almost there. White ford dually.

Nick’s heart gave a hard lurch as heat zipped throughout him, making his toes and fingers tingle. His dick gave an answering lurch, thickening and pressing uncomfortably against its confines. He clutched the pink phone tightly in one hand while opening the truck door with the other, scanning the parking lot. A white Ford dually turned the corner and slowed as it neared the parking lot. Nick huffed as his heart did something that he could only imagine should have killed him. It had to be skipping rope in there, using his arteries to double Dutch. He wasn’t altogether steady when he slid out of the truck, and he held tightly to the handle as he waited for his knees to morph back from the gelatinous goo they’d apparently turned into.

The driver of the white truck was the same man he’d seen with Annabelle, the same man he’d seen rushing from Josh’s apartment the other night.
Evan.
Hopefully he wasn’t as hotheaded as Josh’s brother.

Evan parked one row over. Nick tucked Josh’s phone in his back pocket then scooted out from behind the door and carefully closed it. He couldn’t take his eyes off Josh, his dark hair tousled, those pink lips curving up on a smile Nick wanted to taste. The desire to do so was so strong, Nick found himself walking towards the white truck, wobbly legs be damned.

He had to see Josh, trace the outline of his pink lips with his fingers, his tongue—

And he had a raging boner that couldn’t be hidden. Nick stopped in his tracks and started to try to cover himself. Surely that would draw more attention to his aroused state, though. He hesitated for several seconds, wondering if he’d rather risk being humiliated or see Josh, maybe even touch him—“Fuck it.” Evan could deal with it. Josh would appreciate knowing he’d made Nick so hard he could hardly breathe. That was really all that mattered.

As Nick got closer to the truck, he could make out the dark bags under Josh’s jewel green eyes. Was he hurting? Not sleeping? Nick frowned as he walked faster. Weren’t Justin, Annabelle and Evan supposed to be taking care of Josh? It looked to him like they’d done a shit job. By the time He made it to the now open passenger door, he was scowling. He ignored Evan as he studied Josh. The ankle brace was better than a cast, but the pinched look around those beautiful eyes, the fine lines around the outer edges, and the white knuckled hold the smaller man had on the dash sent ever-protective instinct Nick had into high gear—

and he had a hell of a lot more of them than he’d ever realised.

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“Josh,” Nick ground out, his throat tight with emotions he didn’t dare analyse. Josh opened his mouth to reply but ended exhaling noisily, breathlessly, when Nick flicked a glance at him then leant in the truck to unbuckle him. His hand brushed another and Nick snarled before he knew what he was doing. He shoved at the other hand, large, dark hair on the knuckles. Not as large as his hand, though. Josh hissed and his thighs under Nick’s outstretched arm stiffened. Nick looked at him, saw the disapproving expression, the white lines framing that sexy mouth, and was immediately contrite. Josh had probably had enough alpha male idiocy over the past few days to last him a lifetime.

“Sorry,” Nick murmured, his hand hovering over the seatbelt buckle. “I’m an idiot.”

Josh narrowed his eyes and frowned deeper. Nick tried again, needing to see that smile he craved. “A chest-thumper? Maybe a throwback, evolution is all a lie, there’s plenty of us cavemen still around. Something further back than the Neanderthal, don’t think I’m that advanced—” Josh’s lips trembled then a giggle slipped out. The sound slithered over Nick’s skin, lighting him up so that he thought his dick was going to burst through his boxers and jeans. He knew he must be staring like an idiot, but shit! How could a giggle have such an effect on him? It irritated the crap out of him when women did it, but Josh… Nick had no idea men
ever
giggled, but he could definitely get addicted to that sound.

Josh’s cheeks darkened beautifully as he slapped his hand over his mouth. Nick forgot about everything, the seatbelt, Evan, even his own arousal as he reached up and tugged at Josh’s hand, his eyes locked with Josh’s. The feel of Josh’s skin set Nick’s heart to doing that funky jumpy thing again and he bit his bottom lip to keep back a sound he was pretty sure would have embarrassed him.

“Don’t,” he said as he slipped his hand around Josh’s. Nick slid his fingers down between Josh’s palm and his jaw then slowly peeled Josh’s hand back. The back of his knuckles brushed over Josh’s lips and lust slammed into him hard enough to knock a grunt from him. Josh made a similar sound as his eyes widened and his pupils dilated, leaving only a thin ring of green around his expanded pupils.

“Uh, guys.”

Nick didn’t even hear it, not when his blood was pounding in his ears.

“Guys… Josh. Josh! Hey! JOSH!”

Nick barely kept from snarling as Josh jerked his head back then turned to look at Evan. There was nothing for it, Nick had to look at the guy, too. Evan was grinning at Josh.

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“I was afraid y’all were gonna jump each other right here for a minute,” Evan

snickered. “Especially after those texts.”

Josh sputtered and Nick flushed from the top of his head to his heels—he could feel the warmth of it all over. Josh had shown Evan their texts? Or…or maybe he’d given the phone back to Evan before—

“Now I’m sorry,” Evan said, drawing Nick’s attention. “I shouldn’t have said that. I happened to be holding the phone when you, ah, sent that very hot demand to Josh.” Evan grinned and winked. “Poor kid’s been squirming the whole drive in.”

Nick leant in further, reaching for the seatbelt once again although he kept his vision locked on Evan. “He’s not a kid.” Whether it was an affectionate term, or the people around Josh kept forgetting he was actually an adult, Nick didn’t know, but he got the feeling none of the people who supposedly loved Josh treated him like an adult. Maybe Annabelle, but he didn’t know, and the kid thing really also just kind of made Nick cringe. He
was
quite a bit older than Josh.

He pressed the button, unbuckling the seatbelt as Evan glanced from him to Josh

before nodding. “You’re right, it’s a habit we all probably need to break,” Evan admitted.

Nick didn’t think there was a ‘probably’ to it, but now was the time, not when he could finally slip his hands around Josh’s waist.

So warm.
Josh was like a furnace, his body heat seeping through his clothes. Nick traced the edge of Josh’s shirt with his fingers, watching Josh’s bright eyes, his mouth, the tip of a dark pink tongue licking over slightly chapped lips. Nick slipped his fingers under the shirt, his hands trembling at the first brush of that soft skin under his rough, callused hands.

Josh twisted around and placed his hands on Nick’s forearms. “Help me down?”

Nick smiled, anticipation surging through his veins. “Oh yeah.”

Since all the blood had rushed to his cock, Josh’s ankle didn’t hurt, or at least he didn’t notice if it did. How could he when Nick was being…unlike Nick. Or maybe this was the
real
Nick, not the man who’d tried to use him, played him—Josh grunted as he shoved that thought aside. Nick’s big, rough hands felt too good on his skin, the hairy, muscular WHAT MATTERS MOST

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forearms too sexy under Josh’s hands, for him to ruin this moment with doubts and fears and anger. All that mattered was that hot look Nick was giving him and the feel of skin on skin.

Josh felt Nick’s muscles harden and ripple as he was lifted from his seat and pulled from the truck. Nick brought Josh forward in a controlled move, slowly pressing Josh’s chest to his. Josh reached up and looped his arms around Nick’s neck, burying his hands in the thick black hair as he stared into Nick’s dark eyes. Nick slid one arm around him, right under Josh’s ass. The other he hooked around Josh’s waist. Josh shivered, the sensation of the hair on Nick’s forearm rubbing against his skin making his swollen dick spurt out pre-cum.

“God, baby,” Nick rasped, his eyes narrowing as he lowered his head, his lips parting as they neared Josh’s.

Josh fisted his hands in the silky strands, trying to slow the descent of that tempting mouth. “Evan’s—umph.” Nick obviously didn’t care that Evan was watching, or there, or alive. Josh’s eyes drifted shut as Nick tightened his arms. A warm, slick tongue ghosted over Josh’s lips, drawing a groan from deep in his gut. Nick’s responding groan shot through Josh, drawing his balls tight as Nick licked into his mouth. He shivered again, feeling the tingling in the base of his spine. Fuck and damn, he was going to come from a kiss! Well, if that was the case…Josh hitched his legs up, careful not to bump his ankle as he sucked at Nick’s lower lip. Nick’s hand smoothed up to Josh’s ass, cupping and squeezing in a way that made Josh grind against the other man. Nick gasped, sucking Josh’s breath right from his lungs. Josh took advantage, slicking his tongue over Nick’s, swirling it over the roof of his mouth, his teeth, every bit he could reach.

“Guys, you might want to cool it. Need I remind you, this is south Texas? Rednecks and shotguns and not a lot of tolerance at times?”

“Ungh,” was the best Josh could manage when Nick slowly ended the kiss, nibbling at Josh’s lips, nipping his chin, his jaw.

“Come on, baby,” Nick ground out, patting Josh’s ass. “We’re giving your…friend…a heart attack.”

“Friend?” Josh forced his legs to unwind. The reward was a rough rub of their clothed dicks as Josh slid down Nick’s taller body. Nick hissed, his hands clenching against Josh’s back and butt. “Oh.” Josh glanced aside and found Evan staring at them, one brow arched and a grimace on his handsome face. “Oh. Evan. He’s my brother-in-law, to me, anyway.”

Yours, too.

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“Yeah,” Evan muttered, “And I’ve officially been kind of scarred for life. Now I know why you cringe when you see any of us kissing.”

“Or groping,” Josh added. “There’s always someone groping, and the walls are really thin, or y’all are really,
really
loud.”

Evan blushed furiously, a dark shade Josh hadn’t seen on him before. It was great, he really wished he had a camera, or his phone—

Nick snorted and traced the skin under Josh’s left eye. “Poor thing. No wonder you look so tired.”

Evan let loose a strangled sound as Josh cocked a hip and glared up at Nick. “Really. I look tired. You were, what, tracing a bag under my eye?” Nick’s eyes widened as he seemed to realise where he’d screwed up. Josh ploughed on, because he hadn’t had any fun since…well, since Nick. “And you think saying sweet things like that is gonna get your dick sucked?”

Nick’s entire body jerked, his arms tightening so that Josh was pressed up against him so tightly Josh could barely breathe. Evan just chortled and walked away.

“I…” Nick swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing rapidly. “You can’t… Fuck, Josh! I don’t…” More swallowing as a look that was suspiciously close to panic lit Nick’s eyes.

Oh yeah. Not. Gay. Idiot. Fucking Idiot!
How could Josh have been so stupid? Nick had the deer in the headlights look, but Josh had been so caught up in the look before that, the one that practically shouted ‘I want you more than air, more than the next beat of my heart’.

At least, that’s what Josh thought it meant, but he was obviously wrong, big erection jabbing him in the belly or not.

“Sorry,” Josh mumbled, trying to back away. Nick’s arms tightened, forcing the air to gush from Josh’s lungs.

“No,” Nick growled, the look in his dark eyes enough to still Josh’s struggles if the lung compression wasn’t. “Stop. We’ll talk inside.”

That sounded ominous, and Nick’s gravel rough voice was so sexy Josh thought for sure his balls were going to crawl up his dick and spew out the end until he was completely and utterly drained of cum. Unable to do more than gasp, Josh nodded.

“Good, that’s good,” Nick said before brushing his lips over Josh’s. “Now introduce me or whatever so we can be alone.” He loosened his grip only enough for Josh to draw easier breaths.

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Josh waved Evan, who was by the tailgate holding Josh’s bag, over to them. “Evan, Nick, Nick, Evan.”

Nick lifted one hand to shake Evan’s. “Nick…?” Evan asked.

Josh realised he didn’t know. What if it was Calhoun?

“Mendiola,” Nick answered.

“Got it. Nick Mendiola. I’m Evan Caldwell,” Evan offered, “Josh seems to forget about last names.”

Josh almost blurted out his—Nick didn’t know it, did he? But then Evan would

wonder why Nick didn’t even know Josh’s last name, and that would just be awkward. Best to avoid the whole mess.

“I can take the bag,” Nick said.

Evan hesitated, looking from Josh to Nick then back again. Josh felt Nick tense against him.

“I’m not going to hurt him.” Nick held his hand out.

Evan shook his head. “No, I didn’t mean anything like that. I was just trying to figure out if Josh would need help up the stairs, and if I should carry the bag so you could—”

Josh had no warning. One minute he was flat footed, the next he had a shoulder in his gut and he was lifted off his feet until he was being held in a fireman’s carry.

“I’ve got it covered,” Nick said, not even slightly out of breath. “It was nice to meet you.” He twitched the fingers of his outstretched hand. Josh was about to point out
he
might very well have a problem with being carried like a damn sack of potatoes, then he realised he had an excellent view of Nick’s gorgeous ass. Josh’s dick gave a resounding throb of approval, pulsing against the front of Nick’s shoulder.

“Fuck,” Nick hissed. Josh peered around the man to see him taking Josh’s bag from Evan.