Vote Then Read: Volume I

by Carly Phillips

  Why did she believe that?

  “I can’t do just sex with a woman. I’m not that kind of guy.” He stood straighter, holding on to the last shred of his pride.

  “Oh yeah?” She turned to go, delivering her parting shot over her shoulder. “Because you just did.”

  17

  Andre

  Turning left at the light, Andre drove down the road to The Shipwreck. His phone rang, and he answered using the Bluetooth option in his car.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Andre. It’s Tom.”

  “Hey, buddy. How’s the hand?” Andre asked, slowing as he approached the parking lot of the pub.

  “Doc says it didn’t go through the bone. Got some pain meds, and I’m all stitched up.”

  “That’s great news.” He cracked his neck as he pulled into a parking space. “I’ll take care of the medical bill and send you your regular check until you recover enough to come back to work.” Yes, it was generous, but he valued the man’s work ethic and skill. It had been his fault Tom had gotten hurt in the first place. He’d make sure the man and his family were cared for, even if it put him in the red.

  “You don’t have to do that—”

  “I insist, Tom. You’re a valued member of our crew,” Andre argued.

  “Thank you, sir. It’s just that Miss Garcia stopped by the hospital and gave me a check already. I wouldn’t have taken it, but she handed it to my wife and insisted she’d cleared it with you. I wish I didn’t need it, but I’m the only one bringing in money in my family.”

  Mia had visited his employee? She’d paid him? She had said she would.

  “Let me know if it’s not enough, or if you need anything else,” Andre said.

  “I will. And I’ll be back to work as soon as the doctor clears me. I want to pay her back. I know I’m leaving you in the lurch.” Tom’s voice lowered as if he were ashamed. There was nothing shameful about doing what you needed to do to support your family and put food in your kids’ mouths.

  “I know you’ll be back at it in no time. You have a good night with your family.”

  “You too,” Tom said before ending the call.

  Andre sighed, a mixture of emotions battering his rib cage. He’d fought with Mia and blamed her for Tom’s injury, then he’d fucked her before picking yet another fight with her. He was an asshole. Why was everything falling apart, slipping through his hands like quicksand?

  What had he done? He’d crossed lines that could never be uncrossed. It was reckless and stupid, not even using a condom. He hadn’t asked her if she wanted it—he’d acted like an animal. Though she had too. He smiled, touching the tender flesh of his bottom lip that was still sore from her bite.

  Maybe now that she was out of his system, he would be able to carry on and not react so strongly to her.

  Andre climbed from the truck and headed into the pub to meet Bently and Mikel. He nodded to Mason, the guy who worked security most evenings.

  “Hey, buddy. Nice night.”

  One side of Mason’s scarred face turned up into a smile. “Sure is.”

  Opening the door, Andre entered the blue-lit room. The giant fish tanks built into the walls on either side danced water shadows across the dance floor.

  Bently was already seated at the bar with Mikel, making him the last to arrive.

  “Look what the cat dragged in,” Mikel said, before taking a drink of his soda.

  He had to hand it to the man, staying sober while having temptation thrown in his face all the time. Andre didn’t know if he’d be able to abstain, and yesterday evening with Mia was proof of his lack of self-control.

  “What are you two troublemakers up to tonight?” Andre asked, taking a seat next to Bently.

  “Bent is having a bit of woman troubles,” Mikel supplied.

  Andre exaggerated his shocked expression. “The myth, the legend—the man-whore of Shattered Cove is having . . . woman troubles?”

  Bently punched his arm hard enough to leave a bruise. “It’s not like this guy could help. He’s been a fucking priest for the last year, unless you hooked up with that blonde a while back?”

  Andre shook his head. “Nah. I don’t have it in me to take the kind of risks you do.” Except with Mia apparently.

  “What risks? My heart isn’t ever involved. I think you might be defective. You are the only man I’ve ever known to always get his heart involved when he uses his dick. Don’t you know they’re separate organs?” Bently chuckled and took another swig of his beer.

  “I meant risks like herpes, you dumb fuck.” Andre smacked his friend’s back.

  “What can I get you, Dre?” Charli asked.

  “I think I need the hard stuff tonight,” Andre answered.

  “It’s probably the only thing that gets hard for you anymore.” Bently and Mikel burst out laughing.

  He could end all of this teasing with the fact that he had gotten laid just yesterday, but then his friends would ask too many questions.

  “Alright, lay off Dre. This is about you, bro. And how you’ve been chasing a woman who won’t give you the time of day,” Mikel said.

  “What? Your charms aren’t working on someone for once?” Andre smirked.

  “They seem to have the opposite effect on her actually,” Bently grumbled.

  Does he mean Mia? The tiny hairs on the back of Andre’s neck stood on end. The air around him buzzed with an electric current as his senses became hyper-aware. He turned around, catching sight of her brown eyes. His chest tightened as he struggled to draw a breath.

  Mia looked away from him as she walked towards the bar. She had on a bright yellow dress that stopped a few inches above her knee. Her coffee hair spilled loosely over her shoulders as she brushed a stray lock from her face.

  “You know what they say though—try, try again,” Bently said. “I think I’ll practice a little more with Mia.” He laughed as Mia approached them with a hesitant smile directed at his buddy.

  Dread and pain coursed through Andre, jealousy rearing its ugly head. He still couldn’t believe they’d had sex. Explosive, world-shaking sex. Mia had to be the one Bently was talking about. I’m so fucked.

  “Hey, baby,” Bently said, standing to give Mia a hug. Andre clenched his fists and grabbed the glass Charli had placed in front of him at some point, savoring the burn of the alcohol as he downed it in one shot.

  “Another.” He waved to Charli.

  “Sorry I’m late,” Mia said.

  “You’re right on time, and my, you look delicious.”

  Andre wasn’t facing them, but he would bet his business Bently was flashing Mia his best smile complete with eye-fucking. This shouldn’t bother him as much as it did.

  Mia laughed. “Is he always this much?”

  Mikel answered her, “Bently never changes. His ego is bigger than anyone else I know.”

  “That’s not all that’s big,” Bently said.

  Charli tugged at the glass in Andre’s hand. He’d been gripping it like a vise as she studied him curiously. She filled it with more amber liquor.

  “Thanks,” he said, taking another drink as soon as she’d finished. Maybe he could drown the turmoil wreaking havoc in his chest with the alcohol.

  “Don’t mind our rude friend. He’s just cranky because he hasn’t gotten laid in a loooong time,” Bently joked, as Andre turned around to face them.

  Mia’s eyes darted from him to the dance floor, her cheeks glowing with a slight blush as her finger traced the light purple bruise on her neck where he’d marked her. She’d done her best to cover it with makeup, erase him. Too bad he couldn’t forget her.

  “That’s okay. How about a dance?” she asked Bently.

  He hooked his arm around her waist and led her towards the other couples on the dance floor.

  “You okay, man?” Mikel asked.

  “Just peachy.”

  “You worried about what happened to Tom?” Mikel took another sip of his drink.

  “Ye
ah, he’s gonna pull through though,” Andre answered his friend as Bently pulled Mia close, wiggling his hips and spinning her around. She laughed. His hands roamed dangerously low, landing just above her ass. The same ass I had in my hands as I came inside her little more than twenty-four hours ago.

  Mikel chuckled, but he’d missed whatever he’d said. Andre was too preoccupied by Bently and Mia. The woman he wanted. Fuck, he did want her. Again, and again.

  “I’m gonna head home. It’s my turn to put the kids to bed while Remy has some alone time,” Mikel said, throwing some bills onto the bar top.

  “See you later.” Andre nodded, not taking his eyes from Mia.

  Mikel leaned in and spoke close to his ear. “You know he brought her here to rile you up, right?”

  “What?”

  Mikel nodded towards the dance floor. “He’s got it bad for some other girl who won’t give him the time of day. He said he’s lost all interest in other women. The only reason he invited Mia was to get your stubborn ass back into enjoying life.”

  Bently didn’t want Mia? “What the hell does Mia have to do with that?”

  “Dude, you really are in denial. The tension between you two is white-hot.”

  “That’s why we fight like cats and dogs?”

  Mikel shook his head and chuckled. “Sometimes the best fucking comes after all that fighting. All that passion bottled up.”

  If only Mikel knew how right he was. “I don’t need to hear that shit about my sister.”

  Mikel shrugged. “I’m not saying Bent won’t take advantage of your situation. You know how he is. It’s now or never.” His friend walked away, leaving him alone at the bar to stew in the anger and jealousy radiating through every cell of his body.

  Mia’s head rested on Bently’s shoulder as they moved to a slow dance. Did she fit Bently’s body as perfectly as she’d felt against his?

  Andre gulped the rest of his drink and got to his feet. His heart raced the closer he got. He tapped on Bently’s shoulder.

  “Mind if I cut in?”

  Bently smirked like he’d won the biggest prize at the fair. “About damn time.”

  Mia looked between the two men, obviously as in the dark about this setup as he had been.

  “I gotta get going anyways. You’ll make sure she gets back to her car safe?” Bently asked.

  “Of course.” Andre wrapped his arms around Mia as they started to dance.

  “What is this?” she asked, straight to the point.

  “Did you know I was going to be here?”

  She shook her head. “I agreed to meet Bently for a drink. I figured it would just be us. He’s been asking me for a while.”

  “It really was just sex to you?” he asked, emotion clogging his throat. What answer did he want from her?

  “Yes.” Her voice rose an octave higher with her answer.

  “Do you still want that?”

  She pulled back to look him in the eyes. “I’ve made it no secret that I’m attracted to you. I meant it when I said I can’t do a relationship right now. It will just be sex, nothing more.”

  “Then I just have one more question for you.” He nearly growled his words as his cock throbbed with the fantasies playing out in his head that could now come to fruition.

  “What?” Her voice came out breathy as she slid her hands over his chest.

  “Your place, or mine?”

  18

  Andre

  Andre held Mia’s hand as they rushed through the alley in the darkness.

  “Do you always walk through here at night?” Shattered Cove was a safe town, but things still happened.

  “No, it was just such a beautiful night, so I left my car at the studio.” After a moment of silence, she laughed. “I can’t believe stone-cold Andre is actually going through with this.”

  He stopped abruptly, pulling her close enough to taste her cinnamon breath on his lips. “I couldn’t resist you.” Pawing her ass, he pulled her tightly against him.

  She let loose the tiniest of moans and his cock twitched against his pants in anticipation of the fun ahead. It was going to be a long night. “Little witch?”

  “Me?” she asked, her voice molten.

  He nodded, his nose brushing hers in the darkness. Her face glowed in the moonlight. The lunar sphere glinted off the broken glass in the otherwise black alley.

  “I’m gonna make you come on my mouth.”

  She licked her lips as a breathy sigh left her. Her thighs clenched against his.

  “How many times have you ever come in one day?” he asked, enjoying the torturous foreplay with words. There was no need to rush this time—they had all night.

  “Just one.”

  “Then I can’t wait to show you what it’s like to fuck a real man.” He kissed her jaw as she tilted her head to grant him better access. He ran his finger over the makeup covering the bruise on her skin. “You tried to hide this?”

  “Yes,” she admitted.

  “Don’t ever do that again,” he said, slipping into the commanding role that came so naturally to him.

  “If I do, will you punish me?” she asked, her eyes wild with lust.

  His heart rate increased as her words shot arrows of desire through his chest. Damn if this woman wasn’t perfect enough. That was the hottest thing he’d ever heard. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

  She bit her lip and looked him confidently in the eyes. “Yes, but I should warn you—I’m a stubborn woman, so it may take a lot of punishment to teach me a lesson.”

  Dead. He was gone. All the blood rushed to his cock. He needed to have her. Right fucking now.

  His mouth crashed onto hers as his tongue invaded Mia’s mouth, seeking to conquer just a piece of the control she’d stolen away from him. She moaned, leaning into him, surrendering. He pulled back to drink her in. The moon highlighted her glossy swollen lips and lust-filled eyes. He couldn’t wait any longer.

  Mia’s gaze widened, and her shoulders tensed under his grip. Before he could utter another word, cold sharp metal pressed against his neck.

  “Back up slowly or I’ll cut your throat,” a malicious voice said.

  Every muscle in his body went rigid. Fear coated Mia’s expression. She trembled. He backed away from her, following instructions, hands held up.

  “What do you want?” Andre asked, assessing the situation. Every muscle in his body went rigid, his senses on high alert. He was ready to fight, to protect his woman. My woman?

  “Your wallet is a good start.” Rough hands reached into his back pocket, pulling out his billfold.

  “Sure, man. Take it and leave us alone.”

  The guy chuckled. He sounded young, like a teenager.

  “Get her jewelry,” the one with the knife said as a dark figure moved from behind the shadows. An accomplice’s footsteps crunched on broken glass.

  “I didn’t sign up for this, man. W-what are you doing?” a kid in a red sweatshirt, no more than five and a half feet tall, asked timidly, his eyes darting around nervously.

  “Just shut up and do what I said or your pretty sister is next,” knife guy growled at the shaky kid.

  The kid walked over to Mia and tried to unclasp her necklace. Mia shifted, turning her face slightly away. Andre’s self-control was fraying at the edges, about to snap. He wanted to fight back. But he had to protect Mia. They just needed to give these guys what they wanted and they would leave them alone. That was the safest option.

  Mia moved her shaking hands behind her body, not making a sound.

  “I’m sorry,” the kid said, struggling with the clasp in the dark.

  “Just rip it off!” the first guy yelled as the knife pressed harder into Andre’s neck.

  Andre’s body was too fueled on adrenaline to do more than register the pain.

  Knife-guy reached to the side of Andre and yanked on the chain as Mia winced.

  “Don’t you fucking touch her!” Andre snapped.

  The knife grou
nd tighter against his throat. Andre winched his face towards the night sky. The blade serrated into his skin.

  His attacker chuckled. “I can take whatever I want from her and there isn’t a damn thing you could do about it. I’m the one with the power here, not you.”

  Fuck. He was right. Andre was powerless with the weapon pressed to his throat. Rage burned him from the inside out like hellfire sent straight from Hades himself. His hands itched with helplessness. There was no way he’d let this motherfucker lay a finger on Mia. Over my dead body.

  “You got what you wanted. Now leave us alone,” Mia said, her voice steadier than her trembling body.

  The knife loosened enough for him to look down at her.

  “I want that ring you’re hiding behind your back too,” his attacker sneered.

  “It’s not worth much. Please, it—it was my mother’s.” Her voice sounded so small. Damn it, Mia. Just give them the ring.

  “Hand it over or I’ll cut it off.”

  Mia’s gaze hardened as she twisted the gold band from her finger and placed it in the timid kid’s hand.

  “Now count to one hundred and don’t turn around until then. If you do, I’m gonna pay a little visit to the address from this wallet and make you regret the day you were born. And don’t think I can’t find out where you live, dirty whore,” he threatened Mia.

  The knife disappeared from Andre’s aching neck as the sound of running footsteps echoed in the dark alley.

  She sighed, taking two shaky steps forward before collapsing against his chest, as his arms went out instinctively to hold her.

  “Are you hurt?” He carefully caressed her face and her neck as if he could tell through touch alone. Concern laced around him, constricting his airway as her eyes grew glassy.

  “Just my pride . . . and my mother’s ring.” She sniffled.

  “Let’s go. We need to get somewhere safe and then call Bently,” Andre said, taking her hand and hurrying the rest of the way out of the alley. They emerged in the busy Main Street under the lights, where several pedestrians milled about.

  “Let’s just forget this ever happened. Don’t call Bently,” she said, and he stopped in his tracks, doing a double take.