The Vincent Boys Collection Page 25

  “Didn’t think you’d come to this,” Beau said in way of greeting.

  Shrugging, I held up the Corona in my hand. “Free beer.”

  Beau grinned and nodded. Free beer was definitely something he understood. His eyes didn’t leave Ash as she chatted happily with the other girls. The tiny cover-up she was wearing over her bikini left little to the imagination. She’d never dressed like that when we’d dated. That probably had been another one of her attempts at being perfect for me. What bullshit.

  “Better be Lana you’re checking out,” Beau warned.

  I shifted my eyes to Lana and was surprised to see her in a pair of really tiny shorts. Her legs weren’t tanned like Ash’s, but they were long and shaped exactly like hers. The pale, creamy color was delicate-looking. I ran my gaze up her body and took in the way her hips flared just below a very small waist that was completely visible through the halter top she wore over her bikini. It was odd that she had so many freckles on her face. The rest of her body looked so perfectly smooth that she appeared almost airbrushed.

  “I think she likes you.” Beau’s words broke into my thoughts. I tore my gaze off Lana’s dark copper curls and looked at my brother.

  “What?”

  “Lana. She asked about you this evening. Wondered if you’d be here.” Beau smirked. “I think she might have a crush on the quarterback.”

  I shifted my attention back to Lana at the same time she peered over her shoulder, and our eyes met. She froze, as if in shock I’d been looking her way. Ashton’s cousin wasn’t hard on the eyes and she was really sweet. I took another drink of my Corona as I played around with the idea of talking to Lana to get my mind off Ash.

  “Told ya,” Beau said in an amused tone.

  Maybe he was right. Lana’s mouth lifted in a small smile, and I remembered how soft her lips had felt under mine. It’d been one helluva kiss.

  “Come on. Let’s go get you something a little stronger than a beer. It’s time you moved on from Ash before we end up beating the shit out of each other again.”

  Beau headed for the pool house and I followed my brother, reluctantly breaking the lingering gaze Lana and I had held longer than I’d expected.

  LANA

  Beau pressed his hand on the lower part of Ashton’s back in a territorial way as he led her toward the stairs. I watched as she fought between the desire to go with her boyfriend and her duty to stay with me.

  “I can’t leave Lana,” Ashton whispered.

  Beau grabbed her waist and tugged her up against his chest. His eyes never once left her face. “Lana is a big girl and won’t mind if I steal you away for a few minutes . . . or more.” He lifted his hazel eyes and grinned at me. “You don’t mind, do you, Lana?”

  Like I was going to piss off Beau Vincent by admitting that I really didn’t want to be left alone. Shaking my head, I forced a smile. “Um, no, that’s fine. Y’all, uh, go do whatever.”

  Beau turned his gaze back to Ashton. “Please come with me.” His voice had dropped, and his eyes became dark and pleading. No way Ashton was going to turn him down now.

  “Okay,” she whispered without giving me a second glance. I watched as Beau led her up the stairs. Surely, she wasn’t going to have sex with him in Kayla’s house. Shaking my head, I turned to head back outside. Maybe Sawyer would be alone, and I could work up the nerve to go talk to him.

  Before I reached the door, Sawyer walked inside. His eyes seemed a little glassy and his normally perfectly styled hair was messy. I stopped and watched him as he scanned the room until his eyes found me and stopped. A slow grin spread across his lips, and he sauntered toward me. Was he staggering a little?

  “Hey, Lana, what you doin’ all alone?”

  I swallowed the nervous knot in my throat as he stood so close to me that my arm was touching his. “Uh, well, Ash and Beau went . . . ” I pointed toward the stairs, unable to tell him what they’d gone to do.

  His amused smile became an angry snarl as he shifted his focus to the steps, as if they were repugnant. Great, I’d gotten him all worked up over Beau and Ashton again.

  A hand closed around mine, and I squeaked in surprise. Sawyer chuckled and slipped his warm fingers around my cold ones. “Come on, sweet little Lana. You can come entertain me since you’ve been left stranded. Besides, I’ve been looking at those long, sexy legs all night. You make them shorts look real good.”

  I gaped at him as he pulled me over to an empty couch. Had Sawyer just said my legs were sexy? I didn’t have time to think about his statement before he was pulling me down to sit on his lap.

  He buried his face in my hair and inhaled loudly. “Damn, you smell good,” he murmured. One of his hands slipped around my waist and spread out across the front of my bare stomach while his other hand wrapped a strand of my hair around his finger.

  “Feels like silk,” he whispered, and ran my hair across his lips. After experiencing an initial shock, my heart started racing. This was the closest I’d ever gotten to a boy, and the fact it was Sawyer terrified and excited me all at once.

  His nose trailed up my shoulder, and then he began nuzzling my neck. I couldn’t help the shiver that ran through me when his warm breath tickled my ear. The hand on my stomach inched up a tiny bit, and he turned me around so that I was facing him.

  “You feel real good, Lana. Makes me forget everything else,” he murmured as his hand cupped the back of my head and gently guided my mouth to his.

  The same intense hunger I’d felt the last time we’d kissed overtook me. His tongue darted out and licked at my bottom lip and he groaned. Sawyer Vincent groaned as he licked and tasted my mouth. I pressed closer to him and ran my hands through his dark locks, hoping this kiss didn’t end as abruptly as the last one had.

  When his tongue swept into my mouth, I was the one to groan. He tasted like something dark and dangerous. Cautiously I touched my tongue to his. Both his hands gripped my waist and picked me up to straddle him as he ran his hands up my back and pulled me tighter against his chest. His mouth left mine, and I started to protest until he began trailing kisses across my jawline and softly nipped my earlobe and kissed a trail down my neck. I wiggled anxiously as heat pooled in my belly and a strange tingling began to occur between my legs.

  “Yo, Saw, get a room, man,” a loud voice called out, breaking through my fogged brain. I stiffened, jerking out of the warmth of Sawyer’s embrace. I’d completely forgotten that we were in the living room! Other people were around us. My face was on fire. I chanced a peek at Sawyer, who was watching me with an amused grin.

  “Don’t go getting all shy on me now, Lana,” he drawled, squeezing my sides with his hands.

  Who was this Sawyer? He was so different.

  “Sawyer! What are you doing?” Ashton demanded from behind me, and I scrambled off his lap like I’d been doing something wrong.

  “Well, Ash, I’m doin’ exactly what it looks like I’m doin’,” Sawyer replied.

  “You were all over Lana!”

  “Yeah, baby, I was. Your cousin is a sweet little thing. And she wasn’t fighting me. I’m pretty damn sure she was enjoying herself too.”

  Hoots and whistles came from somewhere around us. I couldn’t seem to do anything but stare at Sawyer in shock.

  “She’s off limits. Do you hear me? Don’t you dare use her—”

  “Use her? Really, Ash? You think that’s what this was about? Because, baby, it ain’t. I can be attracted to other girls. It is possible.” The pleased tone in his voice was unmistakable. Why was he so pleased?

  “That’s not what I meant,” Ashton all but yelled.

  Sawyer raised his eyebrows in disbelief. “Really? ’Cause that’s sure what it sounded and looked like from here, sweetheart.”

  “That’s enough, Sawyer.” Beau’s voice startled me, and I turned to see him walking into the room. Oh, good Lord, he was mad.

  “It ain’t me this time, bro. She started it.” Sawyer didn’t sound worried at all abou
t the fact that Beau looked ready to hurt someone.

  “And if you don’t shut your drunk-ass mouth, I’m going to end it.” Beau’s voice was cold and even.

  Sawyer wasn’t drunk, was he? I stared at him; he just looked relaxed. When my dad had come home drunk, he’d been loud and mean. Sawyer was sweet and gentle—or he had been before we’d been interrupted.

  “Lana, just come on. We need to go,” Ashton demanded from her spot beside Beau.

  Sawyer’s hand reached over and grabbed mine. “Don’t leave,” he said in a pleading whisper. That was all I needed. I’d come here for one reason: to get Sawyer Vincent to notice me. I wasn’t about to leave when I had his attention.

  “I want to stay here awhile longer, if that’s okay,” I replied, hoping Ashton didn’t get angry. Not that she really had a reason to be.

  “But he’s—”

  “Not your business,” Sawyer said, interrupting Ashton.

  Anger flared in Ashton’s green eyes, and Beau pulled her tight against his side and whispered something to her. She seemed to relax a little, then nodded.

  “Okay, fine. Stay. But do not let Sawyer drive you home. Beau and I’ll come back and get you when you’re ready. Just call.”

  I nodded. Sawyer hadn’t promised to take me home anyway. That sounded like a good plan.

  “Glad you two are leaving. Lana and I needed a room,” Sawyer announced, standing up rather unsteadily and tugging me up beside him. Laughter from the audience we’d drawn was the wake-up call I needed.

  Jerking my hand out of his grasp, I mentally cursed my fair skin and the blush I knew was covering my face and neck. Maybe Sawyer was drunk. I hoped he was, because insinuating to everyone around us that we were going to go do something in a bedroom was not something the Sawyer I knew would do.

  “You know, I think I will leave with Ash and Beau,” I replied, hoping I’d masked the humiliation in my voice.

  “Wait. No. What’d I do?” Sawyer’s hurt little boy voice almost stopped me. But his words, which had implied that we were going to go up to the bedroom and do God knows what while a room full of people listened, kept me moving toward Ashton.

  “Come on,” Ashton whispered, pulling me to her side and leading me out the door.

  “Someone sober drive him home, or call me to come get him,” Beau said in parting, before he turned and followed us outside.

  “I’m not drunk!” Sawyer declared loudly.

  Then the door closed, and I had to fight back the tears.

  Chapter 6

  SAWYER

  I was drunk. I’d only been drunk one other time in my life, and that had been the day I’d found out about Beau and Ashton. I was almost positive that I was even drunker than I had been then. My stomach rolled, and I bent over for the third time and hurled into the bushes in the front of Kayla’s yard. Cold sweat trickled down my face, and I rested my hands on my knees and closed my eyes, praying I didn’t pass out in my own vomit. What the hell had I drunk? All I could remember was pouring some rum into a few or more of my Cokes. Maybe I’d stopped adding the Coke after a while and just went with straight rum. . . . No, wait, I’d switched to vodka. We’d run out of rum. My stomach heaved again, but there was nothing left to come out. Backing up, I leaned against the cold brick wall and let the fresh air cool me down.

  “Drink this, you stupid fucker.”

  I peeled my eyes open to see Beau’s annoyed expression as he pressed a chilled plastic bottle into my hand. Dropping my gaze, I saw he’d brought me water. The aftertaste of my regurgitated liquor wasn’t appealing. I should have thanked him for coming to the rescue, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

  Opening the bottle, I took a long swig and instantly felt better.

  “Get a few more drinks, then come on. I’m taking you home.”

  His bossy attitude was beginning to get on my nerves. He wasn’t suddenly the good brother—or cousin, as far as everyone else knew. Just because he had Ash didn’t make him the smart one.

  “Back off, Beau,” I said with snarl, and took another drink of my water.

  “I promised Ash I wouldn’t knock some sense into you tonight. Don’t make me break that promise.”

  Rolling my eyes, I pushed off from the side of the house where I’d been resting and walked past Beau toward my truck. I wasn’t drunk anymore. I’d just expelled every drop of alcohol from my body in the Jenkinses’ shrubbery.

  “Don’t do this, Sawyer. You’ve had too much to drink and you’re ready to pass out. Let me take you home.”

  Stopping, I turned around and glared at him. “Why? All I do is piss off Ash. I can’t stop looking at her. Wanting her. Why the fuck do you want to help me so bad?”

  Beau let out a sigh and returned my glare. “Because you’re my brother.”

  That was the crux of it all. It sure hadn’t mattered to him that I was his brother when he’d taken my girl. Technically, he’d thought I was his cousin, but we’d always been as close as brothers.

  “I thought we’d gotten our closure on this, Sawyer. You gave me your blessing. You gave Ash your blessing, and you walked away. What’s wrong?”

  What was wrong? Everything was wrong. He got my girl. He got the college I wanted to attend. He got every fucking damn thing I wanted in life.

  “Nothing,” I muttered, and turned around and headed for my truck again.

  “Sawyer, I will literally force you into my truck if I have to.” Beau didn’t sound angry, just sincere.

  Tonight I wasn’t up to handling a one-on-one with him. I was more than positive I’d lose and possibly have a few bruises to show for it.

  “Fine. Drive me home.”

  * * *

  After Beau dropped me off, I’d taken a long hot shower and then crawled into bed. Luckily, neither of my parents got up to check on me. I was safe from getting caught coming home trashed. My mother would never get over it if she saw me like this. I’d always been the good boy. Not one time had I given them any reason not to trust me completely. Look where that got me.

  Once I pulled the sheets up over my waist, I stared at the ceiling and replayed the fit Ashton had pitched tonight in my head. She’d been angry. Why? Because I’d been making out with Lana in public? All we’d done was kiss. Granted, it was one really hot kiss, and that girl’s skin was incredible to touch. Her hair smelled like some sort of soft flower, and before we’d been interrupted by a stupid demand that we get a room, I’d been thinking about how I wanted to taste the skin in the curve of her neck. Her pulse had been racing under my lips and it had been intoxicating . . . like nothing I’d ever experienced before.

  Ashton had put a quick stop to things, though. She’d been spitting mad—almost a little too mad. Was she . . . jealous? Could she be? I hadn’t really dated anyone since our breakup. She’d never seen me with any girls—certainly not making out like that. But . . . jealous . . . maybe. A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, and I reached for my cell phone.

  Me: Please tell Lana I’m sorry I got drunk and was a jerk.

  I pressed send and waited to see what Ashton’s reply was. Almost immediately my phone dinged. Grinning, I sat up and read.

  Ashton: Yes, you were. I’ll tell her. Just stay away from her, Sawyer.

  She was jealous. She didn’t like me being interested in someone else. Ashton wanted both Vincent brothers enthralled with her. Well, this could turn out to be fun as hell.

  Me: Can’t do that, Ash. I really like her.

  I almost thought she wasn’t going to reply when the phone lit up and I read her text.

  Ashton: I don’t want her to get hurt.

  I laughed to myself; I knew better. She didn’t want to share my affection. Stingy little brat.

  Me: I wouldn’t hurt her. I want to spend some time with her. Can I have her number?

  Ashton: Not tonight.

  I lay back in bed, grinning, thinking that Ash had just made this game too fun to walk away.

  LANA

>   “Lana?” Ashton’s voice broke into my internal battle of staying there or just giving up and going back home.

  “Yeah,” I replied, wishing I could successfully fake-sleep.

  Ashton opened the door to the guest bedroom where my aunt had insisted I sleep, instead of the extra mattress on the floor of Ashton’s room where I’d normally slept. I sat up and watched as she walked over to me, wringing her hands. That one small nervous mannerism of hers told me that this was about Sawyer. Not something I wanted to talk about—at least not tonight.

  “Um . . . do you, uh, do you like Sawyer?”

  How blind could one person be? Ashton had always been clueless to the world around her. She had her small bubble, and she worried about what affected her and nothing more. I was invading her bubble, and she was noticing things that she should have picked up on years ago.

  “Yes, a little.”

  Her bare, perfectly tanned shoulders lifted with a sigh, and she nodded. “I thought so.”

  She sat down cautiously on the edge of the bed. I studied her face and wondered if the concern was for me or herself or possibly Sawyer.

  “Sawyer wasn’t himself tonight. You know that.” She lifted her eyes to meet mine, and I saw only sadness—no jealousy or anxiety. She was just sad.

  “I know. I didn’t even realize he drank. I thought that was Beau’s M.O.”

  “He normally doesn’t. Tonight I saw a side of Sawyer I’d never seen before. He was very . . . Beau-like. Or at least the way Beau used to be.”

  Her words made everything click. The puzzle that Sawyer had created tonight all fell into place. He had acted like Beau back when Beau wanted Ashton and didn’t have her. A small ache in my chest started and, unfortunately, it was all too familiar. It was the same ache I’d felt when I’d seen the tender, completely devoted look Sawyer bestowed on Ashton every time he glanced her way, which had been often.

  “Makes sense,” I muttered, more to myself than to Ashton.

  Instead of asking me what I meant, she only nodded and stared helplessly at the pale blue wall across from her. At least she got it, and I didn’t have to spell it out for her. Sawyer was coping with not having Ashton by drinking and acting out. It had been six months for crying out loud. How long did he need?