Yes to Everything (13 page)

“We’re fucking sitting right here, Brooke.” Logan was staring at her incredulously.

“Why, yes you are, Logan, and that’s only because Kyle went to sit with Finn. You stayed because you saw an opening when I wasn’t with my pretend-boyfriend. You’re focusing again because you know I haven’t really fucked him and you see the chance to be with someone who’s been with one man, one time. And it sucked, by the way. I totally didn’t get the draw at all. Not a fucking fizzle. I did a better job on myself at fifteen. Fucking bullshit.”

Logan and Decklan both groaned. Rex was frozen in shock, the needle an inch over her hip, his gaze so hot and hungry she could feel it touching her. “Brooke honey, are you telling me you’ve had sex once ever?”

“Technically, I’m non-virgin and glad to have that part over because it sucked worse than the rest of the experience. I’m also non-orgasm so that pretty much blows.” Brooke glanced down then back up to meet his eyes with a cheeky smile, “Rex, your hand is shaking.”

“I’m sorry, honey. I think I may be having a bit of a fit. I hope it isn’t a fucking heart attack.”

With a tinkling laugh, she raised herself up on one elbow and said quietly, “I think I’m going home with you, Rex. Logan and Decklan always find someone to play with. I’m not worried about them one bit because it really is about sex for them and you can get sex anywhere, Rex. Little backwater towns, big cities and rest stops. They can and have gotten laid just about everywhere. They think I don’t notice which is really fucking insulting. I notice, Rex.”

She glared at the two brothers. “Meanwhile everyone thinks I’ve been getting laid with my sweet pretend-boyfriend who’s really gay but the nicest damn person. I have not been getting laid, Rex. I get totally worked up from these two rubbing all over me and fans grabbing my ass. Then I go home with my brother and sisters. They have a different piece twice a day. I’m fucking done. When do I get to enjoy being a grown-ass woman? Huh? When do I get some action without worrying about catching a disease from one of fifty sluts or getting my dignity trampled on?”

Decklan’s voice was pleading, “Brooke, we can change.”

“Someday you will, Decklan. I believe that. When you’ve worked this shit out of your system and are ready to be grownups. Sure. But not now and I’ve told you time and again I didn’t expect you to. But you are not going to fuck me and hurt me because I am not that woman.”

One fist clenched on the table, “And if you mistakenly believe I’ll be celibate while you fuck every piece of ass that catches your eye, you really don’t know who you’re dealing with. Talk about being hypocrites. You meet someone you wouldn’t know on the street the next day and fuck them until you’re exhausted. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Rex. He’s nice, good looking, reads me better than either of you, and I bet would be very careful with me.” Rex growled. “Oh my god, Turn the Page. Seger was so ahead of his time, don’t you think?”

Logan said quietly, “You’re right, Brooke.” He sighed, “We aren’t ready to treat you well and we’d use you up because you’re emotionally invested. Yeah, we are too, but not to the extent you are. It isn’t right of us to expect you to sleep alone every night while we play with whatever new toy we happen to find.”

“Logan, are you fucking crazy?” Decklan asked him.

“Yeah, apparently I am, because the thought of her being with anyone but us has me seeing red. But we don’t have the right to claim her, Decklan. We’re going to stomp on her heart. Think about it. If we pushed, we could have her tonight. Then what? Are we going to abstain from the buffet tomorrow and the day after that? I want her. I look at her and I get hard, I think forever. But we try that shit now and we’ll lose her forever. Can you not see that?”

“I was dying when I thought she was fucking Kyle, Logan. I don’t want to do this. Don’t ask me to.” Decklan was shaking. Brooke saw tears in his eyes.

Logan didn’t care, pushing on angrily, “Did that stop either of us from fucking thirty groupies since?” Sucking air hard through his teeth, Decklan stared at his brother. “See? And it wouldn’t now. She knows that, it’s why she’s backed away from us. She wants us but won’t be used. Should we want her to let us use her, Deck? Would we want her as much if she was like the groupies we fuck daily?”

Glaring at his brother, he practically spit, “Logan, I swear to god, if you keep talking about all the other women we’ve fucked in front of her, I’m going to bust you in the mouth. Shut the fuck up.” Standing, Decklan bent over her, his hand beside her head. “Brooke, I could be faithful to you.”

She couldn’t stop the tear that slid into her hair as she touched his face, “No, you couldn’t, Decklan. I know you’d want to be, you’d try to be for me…but you couldn’t. Not long-term. Do I wish you were ready now? Sure. But you’re not. Watching you two do your thing is making it worse because I don’t have anyone. I keep being alone all the time and I’m going to end up hating you both, don’t you understand? I don’t want that.”

“What if…what if you find someone you want forever…that you fall in love with? What then?” Decklan’s voice was broken and hoarse as he tried to leash his emotions.

She shrugged sadly, “Then it happens and you’ll realize you shouldn’t have been so stupid. Isn’t that a risk you take, too? You could find someone who really does it for you, Decklan. Forget all about the warm and fuzzy feelings you think you have for me. I realize that every time you two find a new playmate.”

Logan sighed, “Shit, for months you’ve held all this inside? How do you even talk to us? How are you so great onstage?”

“Because she’s not stupidly one-track minded like you two losers,” Jackson said behind them. Only Rex had heard him come in. “I figured you guys needed some chat time. I walked for a while. Wow, Brooke that is so pretty. The comets are these two. Kind of also representing fame and fortune, huh?” She said nothing and he handed the twins coffee.

“She finally have the ‘I’m tired of watching you singlehandedly fuck the planet while I sleep alone’ talk? It’s about damn time. I’m a guy and even I’m offended at how bad you two are. You put rock bands to shame. You’re not doing that shit to my sister. I’ll take you out with a hunting rifle.”

He leaned up against the counter while Rex laughed. “I see your plain way of speaking runs in the family.”

“We won’t, Jackson.” Logan’s voice was tired. He stood beside his brother and they stared down at Brooke. “We won’t hurt you. We won’t make moves on you again until we can guarantee we won’t hurt you, Brooke. I don’t give a shit what Decklan says, that time isn’t now. I’m ashamed of that but I won’t lie about it either.”

“It might help if you approach it like quitting smoking. Only one woman a day, then one every two days and so forth. Step yourselves down a little at a time. You should be ready for me in about ten years. The good news is, I’m so young now, I’ll still be in my twenties. It’s very likely I’ll find a grown man before then.”

“We don’t want you to hate us, baby,” Decklan whispered. “I see so many possibilities with you.”

“We’ll try to be grownups sooner rather than later. You’re right about one thing in particular.” Logan swallowed hard, “It has become an addiction. I don’t think we realized how bad until now. As bad as we want you, need you, that we can’t commit is disgusting. When we’re ready for you, you’d better be ready for us, Brooke. Because once we have you, we’re not letting you go.”

Her smile was tight, “It’s a gamble either way. You guys go. I’ll make sure Jack gets back to the hotel.” Each of them kissed her lips gently and smoothed her hair back. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Please don’t be late to rehearsal. I hate that.” They nodded and left, ruffling Jack’s hair on the way by and telling him they’d take a cab.

When they were gone, Jackson came to stand over her and held her hand. “I’m fine. I really am. Either they grow up or they don’t. I can’t keep stressing over it, Jack.” With a huge smile that belied the sadness in her eyes, she asked, “Have you decided what you’re going to get?”

“A drum set with yours, Molly’s, and Becca’s names on them.”

“Well that’s going to make me cry. You’re such a great brother.”

Rex worked on her in silence, listening to her sing along to his music. Jack sat back and watched as Rex tattooed and wiped the extra ink and blood away. He was very careful and both the Kincaids were impressed he was doing the design freehand. When he was finished, he cleaned it and took a picture with his digital camera to show her. “Oh my god, it’s perfect. Thank you, Rex.”

He went over everything she had to do to keep it clean then covered it. Asking Jackson to turn away, he helped her sit up, lifting her to the floor. She pulled the towel around her and he took her back to her clothes.

He gave her privacy long enough to pull on her panties and pants, then came across the room and took her in his arms, tilting her back and dropping his mouth over hers. There was no hesitation as her arms went around his back and shoulders. Rex licked across her lips and she opened for him, sighing as his tongue coiled around hers. He gentled and sucked her lower lip as he pulled back, staring at her in shock. “Holy shit…you’re serious.”

“You thought I wasn’t?”

His voice was barely more than a growl as he said, “I was doing my best to help you make them jealous.”

“I’m not stupid, just young. I know that won’t work. Not forever. I don’t want anyone who doesn’t think I’m enough. I’m not dealing with cheating and I shouldn’t be expected to. Fame and fortune don’t give them the right to ask that of me.” Shrugging her shoulder, she added, “You’re an excellent kisser, Rex. I don’t have much to compare it to but it felt outstanding.”

He flashed his dimples when he smiled and she found him utterly gorgeous, “Thank you. This does not happen in the real world. It doesn’t, Brooke.”

Giving him a big grin, she said, “And yet, here we are.” He kissed her again and she worked with him, knowing a little more what to do this time. Tightening her arms around him, she pulled her body snugly to his and he groaned, lifting his mouth away and ready to die when she followed him.

“Your brother. Let me handle his tattoo. Sit where I can see you.”

She nodded and he left her to pull on her boots and socks. When she came out to the main room, she realized he’d flipped the sign to closed and shut off the front lights. Taking up a seat beside Jackson’s shoulders, she sang along to CCR and ran her hands over his hair. The tat was going on his bicep.

“You know, Jackson, I remember when Mama and Daddy brought you home. You were still wrinkly. You filled out so fast though and you never cried. I used to change your clothes about ten times a day. Mama didn’t care because all your clothes could be washed in one load, they were so little. I’d pull you around in the wagon out back and you’d laugh. I think you were more my baby even then. But when we lost them, Jackson, you stepped up like a man to help me with the girls. I don’t know if you know how much I love and appreciate every party you said no to, every football season you opted out of to help me. I couldn’t be prouder of anyone like I am of you, honey.”

“Brooke, you make me cry in front of this big motherfucker and I will tickle you until you throw up.” Then he sniffled.

“Kid, I’m fucking tearing up myself. No worries. You guys had it hard but it seems like stuff turned around for you. How old are your sisters?” They told him and Rex stared at Brooke for a long moment. “You were sixteen when you lost your folks?” She nodded. “With a four, seven, and thirteen-year-old to take care of? A ranch?”

“Bad assed, right? We’ve never spent one day in foster care. She kept us rolling from day one,” Jackson said proudly. Rex worked steadily and they talked to each other and him the entire time. Brooke and Jackson loved to laugh and made it their goal to make him laugh. They asked him questions about his life and answered his questions about theirs.

When the tattoo was finished, they both cried and Brooke kissed her brother’s entire face. Rex went through all the procedures to take care of it while he cleaned and covered it and Jackson smiled in happiness, “Thank you, Sissy. I mean it. It’s what I really wanted. I’m heading to the hotel. Call me if you need me to send the car for you. Rex, it’s been a real pleasure. I don’t think I need to tell you to be careful with my sister. She’s one of a kind.”

Completely serious, he replied, “Understood, young man.”

They shook hands and Brooke made sure her brother was in the limo and pulling away toward the hotel before turning to Rex and asking, “Where to?”

The big man locked up and shut off all the lights then came to grab her hand, pulling her to the back of the shop. Turning on the alarm and locking the back door, he led her to his huge Harley, climbing on and pulling her on behind him. “A Harley? Rex, you are exactly what I was in desperate need of. I knew it the second you checked me out so well, not ashamed at all.”

His laugh echoed through the quiet alley, “Everyone checks you out, Brooke. You probably just don’t notice, honey. You were in a place mentally to see it tonight and I’m fucking thankful.” He started the bike and roared from the alley onto the street. He drove a couple of miles, Brooke hugging his torso snugly, and pulled into a parking space in front of a pretty house.

Kicking down the stand and shutting off the bike, he held her hand so she could get off then followed her. He didn’t let go as he led her up shallow steps and into a house that was simple, spacious, and clean. “Hungry or thirsty?” he asked her carefully as he locked the door.

“Um, no. I’m definitely not. Lead on, Rex.” He scooped her up like she weighed nothing and carried her upstairs. The man was a pro at removing clothing and hers was gone inside a minute. Stripping himself, he soon stood in front of her naked.

“Jesus…” She ran her palms over his muscled chest and ripped torso. He had to be six-five now that they were both in bare feet. His arms were the size of her thighs. His shoulders and chest were massive and he had an intricate tattoo that went from one shoulder across his upper back to the other. He was hard all over. No give anywhere on his body. A cock unlike anything she’d ever seen before stood proudly from his body and she whispered, “You are beautiful. I can’t believe how much more gorgeous you are naked, Rex.”