Strung(21)

“Understandable. Tell me about Sebastian.”

“You sure are asking a lot of questions for someone that’s pissed at me,” I say with amusement.

“Yeah, well, oddly I need to know. I’m not sure why, so please don’t make me feel like an idiot.”

“Okay.” I grip the steering wheel, because I hate talking about Sebastian’s problems. Mostly because he reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger. “He came into Vortex about two years ago, looking like a tween with an ID that said he was twenty-one. I took one look at the shit-job some idiot sold him and tossed him out on his scrawny ass. He kept coming back and eventually I started looking out for him because I knew no one else would. He’s seventeen going on eighteen now and I’m still kicking him out of the bar weekly. He’s got some balls. That’s for sure.”

“Where are his parents?”

“Not taking care of him like they damn well should be. The kid doesn’t even know where they are right now.”

“That’s sad and entirely messed up. No kid that young should have to be on their own.”

Just as expected, she doesn’t speak to me the rest of the ride back to Alexander’s, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t catch her looking over at me whenever she didn’t think I would notice.

It seems I bring out her creeper tendencies and I can’t deny that it gets me somewhat excited.

The fact that she feels the need to look at me whenever she can means that I’m most likely on her mind just as much as she’s been on mine.

Fuck me, I need to get out of here.

That shit is messing with my mind, and I’m two seconds away from pulling her into my lap so she can ride me long and hard to show her I’ve been thinking about her too.

And now that she’s showing interest in my bar and Sebastian it’s only messing with my head more, confusing me.

“Goodnight,” I say as she’s opening the truck door.

She’s about to jump out but stops to look back at me. “You’re not staying here tonight?”

“No.” I grip the steering wheel and give her a quick glance. “I’ll wait here until you get inside. Lock the doors so I know you’re safe.”

Without another word, she jumps out of the truck and shuts the door behind her, walking away.

Just as I do with Sebastian, I wait until she gets inside before I drive off and head to my small apartment.

It’s not much, but it’s the best I could afford while putting all my money into Express.

Once I get upstairs and pour myself a drink, I text Sebastian on the phone I picked up for him earlier today to check on him.

As soon as I get the confirmation that he’s home safe in bed, I allow myself the pleasure of drinking until I pass out, because I know that’s the only way I won’t make the mistake of changing my mind and ending up inside Tegan’s room.





IT’S BEEN THREE DAYS SINCE Micah has come around the house, and even though I want to see him I’ve been avoiding Vortex because I know it’s the best thing to do.

It seems whenever he’s around I can’t control my mind or body and all I want is for him to touch me. I want him to push me with his dirty mouth like he always does, because it’s become exciting and something I crave now.

As much as I hate to admit it, being around Micah is a rush and he makes me feel things I’ve never felt before.

I just haven’t figured out if that’s a good or bad thing yet, and maybe it’s best if I never do.

“There you are!” I sit up at the sound of Jamie’s voice and open my eyes to see her running through the sand toward me, dressed in a white bikini top and a pair of cut-off shorts. “I’ve been calling you all day. What the hell have you been doing?”

“Sorry.” I reach for my sunglasses and remove them, before laying back down on my towel and looking up at my friend as she hovers above me. “I just needed some peace and quiet for a bit so I could think. I left my phone on the charger in my room because I didn’t feel like dealing with it today. My parents have been calling nonstop to check on me, as if they think I’m not coming back when I already told them it’s only for the summer.”

“Because they’re right and we both it. There’s no way you’re going back home once the summer is over. Not after seeing what it’s like here. Oh, and by the way, I went to the house looking for you there first and your brother answered the door, wet, only wearing a towel. Ooh wee.” She begins fanning herself, before throwing a towel down beside me and taking a seat. “He offered me this towel once I told him I was looking for you. I was hoping he’d give me the one he was wrapped up in, but he totally gypped me by giving me this clean one.”

“I haven’t made any plans past summer, so please don’t be like my parents. And stop it, I’m completely disturbed by that,” I admit with a scowl. “Please tell me you didn’t come here to blab about your fantasies in regards to my brother, because if so you can find somewhere else to lay that is nowhere near my immediate vicinity. My ears can’t handle that mess today.”

She laughs and lays back, getting comfortable as she reaches for my bottle of water and takes a drink. “I wasn’t planning on it, but I am sort of having fantasies after seeing the way he looked in that towel. It was hard to keep my eyes away from his . . .”

“Don’t even say it, Jamie.”

She sits up and smiles down at me playfully. I hate that smile because I know it well, but unfortunately, I’m not quick enough to cover my ears before she can say it. “Bulge.”

“That’s so gross.” I sit up and give her a dirty look, wishing I could slap her for that one. “You’ve ruined my whole day with that one little word.”

“Oh, it wasn’t little, sweetie.”

“Okay, my whole damn week! You’ve ruined my whole week now. I did not need to know that.”

“You act like you haven’t had bulges on your mind lately. I’m pretty sure I caught you checking Micah Beck’s out last week during his performance.”

“His guitar was covering it,” I say defensively. “I couldn’t check it out.”

“Exactly,” she points out. “But you looked for it and that’s how you know it wasn’t visible.”

“I’m here to relax, so let’s not talk about my brother or Micah please. Can we move on from bulges now, sheesh?”

She shrugs and lays back at the same time I do. “Alright, fine. I’ll let you tell me what’s going on when you’re good and ready.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask, quicker than I probably should’ve.

“You tell me.”

“I can’t.”

“You can.”

“It was a mistake.” I sit back up and run my hands through my hair, because this conversation is anything but relaxing.

“Um, what?” She shoots back up and slaps the sand excitedly. “I knew it! I knew the moment I saw the two of you in the backseat of my car that something had either already happened or was going to soon. I could just feel it.”

Something happened between me and Micah alright, but just the idea of saying it out loud has my heart kicking into overdrive.

I’m so nervous that it feels like it’s about to beat out of my chest and it’s making it hard to breathe.

This is ridiculous.

“You can’t say anything to anyone, got it? Because Xan will lose his shit if he finds out and I can’t do that to their friendship.”

She nods excitedly while reaching for the hair tie wrapped around her wrist and pulling her light hair into a quick ponytail. “I won’t tell a soul. I swear. Especially Alexander because I know how he is when it comes to you and boys. I promise.”

The fact that someone else other than Micah and I is about to find out that we’ve had sex makes it feel so much more . . . real. I almost can’t handle it, but it’s too late to turn back now.

“We had sex . . . outside . . . against his truck . . . in the dark . . . outside my brother’s house.”

The moment the words leave my mouth my whole body ignites into flames at the reminder of how hot and exciting the moment was.

Micah’s hard body against mine . . . the V of muscles leading down to his long, thick dick . . . and most of all the way he felt inside of me as he fucked me hard, as if he wanted me to feel him inside of me for days. I never knew being backed against a truck could be so damn hot.

I can’t even pay attention to Jamie’s reaction because I’m too busy jumping to my feet and rushing over to the water to cool off. I’m so worked up by the pictures flashing through my head that my skin is scorched.

What the hell is wrong with me?

You’ve had your one night, Tegan.

That’s all it was and all it can be.

I hear Jamie splashing in the water behind me, trying to get to me. When I turn around to begin making my way back to the sand, her mouth is hanging open.

“Holy shit, Tegan,” she begins following behind me, almost falling to keep up. “You can’t just tell me things like that and then run away. That’s crazy hot.”

“That’s the problem,” I say quickly. “It was hot and amazing and I can’t stop thinking about the way he made me feel, Jamie. It never should’ve happened and now I can’t help but want it to happen again, even though it could very well mess up his and Xan’s relationship. I hate it. I don’t want to be that girl.”