The First Last Boy(14)

He put his hands on my lower back, urging me closer and I got the memo  that he was as affected by our bodies pressed together as I was. I moved  so that I deliberately brushed against his erection and he dug his  fingers into my hip. Images flooded my mind and I imagined being back at  the garage with Ryan only this time, instead of stopping, we'd carried  it through until the end with me splayed across the desk as Ryan drove  into me. The fantasy made me breathe harder. I swallowed and looked away  from him.

Tristan made his way over to us, his eyes bloodshot and his words  slurred. "Hey man, I'm taking over." He bumped Ryan with his elbow and  reached for my hand.

"No, Tristan." I tried to tug free of his grasp.

Before Tristan could pull me away, Ryan's hand clamped onto Tristan's  wrist. His eyes darkened and his face hardened as he squeezed until his  knuckles were white. "She said no."

"What the hell?" Tristan pulled back his fist and aimed a punch at Ryan,  barely missed hitting me and ended up swinging himself around with Ryan  still holding onto his wrist. Ryan moved away from me and jerked  Tristan up into his face. "Go sleep it off."

Tristan's lips curved into a sneer. "Don't tell me this piece of ass is  your girlfriend. I shouldn't be surprised. She'll screw any-"

Ryan's fist connected with Tristan's jaw and the momentum pushed Tristan  backward right into Ryker. Tristan howled and surged forward but  couldn't move thanks to Ryker. With a hard hold on his shoulder, Ryker  gave him a shake that jarred Tristan's teeth together. "You want a new  face, Ryan will be glad to fucking oblige but let's take it outside so  girls don't get caught in the crossfire."

Three of Tristan's friends stepped toward Ryan but stopped when Zane and  Cooper appeared out of the crowd to flank him. The guys held a staring  contest for a minute, then Tristan's friends held their hands up and  backed off.

"This is going in a bad direction. It's time we book it," Brooklyn said.  "I only had the beer at your house so I'm good to drive but I can't  find Shelby."

In the distance, the sound of sirens wailed over the thumping music.  Brooklyn smacked her forehead. "Great. A neighbor probably called in."

Cooper herded us toward the door. "Leave before the cops arrive.'

The last thing I wanted was to get busted but I wasn't leaving my  friends. "I'm not going anywhere without Shelby." I tried to go past  Cooper to find her but Ryan stopped me.

"Outside, Tana. I'll find Shelby."

The front door opened and thinking the cops were already here, everyone  froze. "Tristan?" A high pitched voice carried over the music and the  talking.

"The girlfriend." Brooklyn snickered.

"What's going on?" She looked around, her eyebrows drawing together in a frown.

A very drunk Shelby staggered into her and then giggled, wiping her hand  down the girlfriend's arm. "Oops. Sorry. Spilled a little drink there."  She peered down into her cup. "I don't know what this is, but it's  great. I don't feel a thing." She wagged her pinky finger at the  girlfriend. "Tristan invited Tana because he has a little..." Frowning,  she searched for the word, then her face lit up as she wagged her finger  again. "Woody? Boner? Ha ha, for Tana."         

     



 

The girlfriend looked murderous and Brooklyn and I each grabbed one of  Shelby's arms and tried to get her to leave with us but she fought us  off. "No. No. I'm staying. I want to see this."

Cooper cussed and grabbed Shelby's drink, tossed it toward a table, then  stooped and put his shoulder at her stomach. He stood with her and  headed toward the front door.

Shelby clung to him, her lips pale. "Oh...everything is spinning. I don't feel so good. I'm gonna be sick."

Cooper whipped her onto her feet and aimed her head toward a bush beside the door.

"We've got her, man. Go." Ryan and Cooper exchanged a look I didn't understand.

"Coop's on probation," Zane said to me after Cooper reluctantly headed for his car.

"Rich girls are such a pain in the ass," Ryker muttered and steered  Shelby toward the street. "Come on, princess. Let's get you back to the  castle."

Ryan and I ended up taking Shelby home and helped her sneak inside and  upstairs to her bedroom. She reeked of alcohol and vomit. I couldn't  leave her like that or there'd be hell to pay when her mom saw her.

"I'm going to stay with her. I'll get her to take me home in the  morning." I gave Ryan a hug and kissed the side of his face. "Thanks for  going with me to the party even if it was a bust."

"No problem."

I lifted his hand and studied his knuckles. "Is your hand okay? You  threw a pretty hard punch. Wait a second. What's all this?" I rubbed my  thumb across the multiple scars.

"Nothing."

I let go of his hand. "You have so many secrets. Why won't you share them with me?"

He tugged on a strand of my hair. "Does it matter?"

"You never know. Maybe I can help. You carry a lot of pain." I shrugged  my shoulders when he gave me that what-the-hell look. "It might not be  obvious to everyone because it's not like you're an open book, but I  guess I know you well enough to be able to read what you don't say."

"Tana, honey, if I wanted a therapist, I'd go find one."

That irritated me. I wasn't interested in psychoanalyzing him. I just  wanted to be a part of him. All of him. "Why are you so afraid to let me  all the way in?"

"I'm not afraid of anything." He glanced at Shelby when she rolled over on the bed and moaned. "Are you coming by tomorrow?"

I sighed as he slammed the emotional door in my face yet again. "I'm  planning on stopping by." Every Sunday I went to his house to drop off  bags of food my boss gave me to give to Mama Leena to take to the food  pantry at her church.

"See you then." He gave me a one armed hug and left Shelby's room.







Sunday afternoon, I drove to Ryan's house. My nerves were live wires,  sparking and dancing within my body. The anticipation of seeing him  again grew with each mile. I'd always looked forward to seeing him, but  this time was different and that difference had begun when he'd kissed  me at the garage. I'd always known that there was something a little  wild in Ryan, something that he kept caged around me. But that kiss had  opened the cage door, giving me a taste of the wildness.

He was in the driveway, the hood up on his Charger, music blaring from  the speakers. He didn't have a shirt on and I swallowed hard as my eyes  drank in the beauty of his body. He moved so deliberately, like he was  prepared for anything. The sun glistened over him, highlighting the  tattoos and the contours of his abdomen. His jeans hung low and it made  me think of the bullet scar on his thigh.

I parked and got out, forcing my legs to carry me closer to the guy  who'd caused me to lose sleep last night. I'd tossed and turned over the  blows I'd sensed life had given him. Wanting to absorb the wounds he  carried, I'd ached to wrap my arms around him and comfort him in any way  I could. My thoughts were churning as I walked but I schooled my face  into a we're-just-friends-nothing's-troubling-me expression.

Typical Ryan, he didn't say anything when I approached, just watched me  with those blue-green eyes of his that made me crazy with need. I hoped  the longing didn't show in my eyes but it probably did. I worried that  if he thought I wasn't cool about us, he'd call off us being together.  Or he wouldn't but would think I was an idiot.

"What are you working on?" I asked.

"Don't." He put his arm out when I started to lean against the car and  my hip rested against his hand instead of the metal. "It's greasy."

The last thing on my mind was keeping the short denim skirt I wore  clean. Taking out the key Shelby had given me to her grandparents'  vacation house, I held it up. "I have a house for us."         

     



 

He frowned at it. "I told you I'd find a place."

The heat from his hand was burning a hole through my skirt. "I know, but  this was available. It's by the Huron River. I've been there before and  it's really nice. We'd be able to spend the night." My heart beat in  slow motion while I waited for his answer.

Ryan stared at me and his lips thinned. "I never spend the night."

His meaning was clear. Ryan fucked. He didn't do relationships. I didn't  take offense. "It won't be different from what you normally do.  Spending the night won't mean anything, okay? I thought it would be  nice, that's all."

He finally nodded and then slowly moved his hand.

Relief flooded me. "So what are you working on?" He was my best friend  and we'd always had an easy time together and now I had to think up ways  to carry on a conversation because I felt so stupid and awkward around  him.

"The temperature gauge is riding too high. Radiator's cracked so I'm putting in a new one."