Boys South of the Mason Dixon ~ Abbi Glines

by Abbi Glines

  “I thought she went up north to college somewhere,” I said a little too loudly, trying to then soften my voice at the end, but you could still hear it sounded all wrong.

  “She did. Guess she’s home for the summer.”

  A summer romance.

  My stomach turned sour.

  I wasn’t going to be able to eat anything now. Not a single bite.

  Why did I have to see this? I wanted to see Bray, not Asher.

  “Ready for lunch?” Steel asked as he parked the truck.

  “Yeah,” I replied with even less enthusiasm than before, unsure I’d be able to swallow even one fried shrimp after the scene I’d just witnessed in the street.

  I watched as Asher walked out to his truck and Hannah climbed on the passenger side. They had ridden here together. They were headed somewhere together. Asher was supposed to be working. Why wasn’t he working instead of gallivanting all over town with Hannah? My stomach clinched, jealousy dulling everything around me, even the air now smelling different to me. The sun looked less bright, the sky less blue, and my heart kept fracturing more and more. I didn’t know that it could break any more. But it seemed it could.

  Asher Sutton

  I HAD NO idea why I was at Jack’s with Amber Fort. But after the day I had with Hannah flirting incessantly with me and my trying to make sure she understood we were just going to be friends, I needed a drink. A big one. Hannah wasn’t taking the hint, though. When I walked into Jack’s, Amber had been here all tanned up from working at the salon with her tits and legs on display and I figured I needed a distraction. Amber knew the score. She wasn’t in it for the romance or promises of a forever. We’d messed around once in high school. She knew the drill.

  Amber sat down on my lap as soon as I took a seat on the closest bar stool. “My day just got a helluva lot better,” she drawled, leaning in to shove her cleavage in my face. I wished that I could say the same.

  “Heard you were driving around with sweet Hannah Watson,” she continued. This town had little to do but talk about people. I figured they’d have me and Hannah engaged by next week at this rate. Another reason to let Amber sit on my lap. Maybe enough people would see it and I’d just get labeled a manwhore instead.

  “I’m working for Denver,” I told her as if she didn’t know this already.

  She wrapped an arm over my shoulders and leaned in closer. “I heard that, but I also know you like your girls sweet. I figure it’s about time you tried some naughty.” I assumed she saw herself as the naughty in that sentence.

  Vince Wallace and Todd Hyatt walked in and headed for a pool table. “Asher! Heard you were in town,” Vince called out while walking over to me. I’d played football with both of them. Wasn’t sure what either of then were doing now, though.

  “Yeah, I’m home for a bit,” I told him.

  “I see you got some good hometown entertainment,” he said grinning at Amber who just giggled.

  I wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

  “Ash, man, saw you play this year on TV. It was fucking crazy to see. Kept telling the boys I used to play on the same field as you,” Todd said as he took a beer from Jack’s nephew Roy who was working the bar today.

  That seemed to excite Amber because she managed to wrap herself tighter against me. I knew I could have just taken what she was offering all too happily. But I also knew I’d feel guilty later. Not sure why. Dixie was my brother’s girlfriend. I’d been with other women since her. Something about being home and seeing her again made it all different.

  “You’re living the dream. Living the dream,” Todd said with a wistfulness in his tone. He was my age, but he’d gotten married the week after high school graduation and his twin boys had been born the next month. That is all I knew about Todd.

  “Good to have you home,” Vince told me, then the two of them moved to the pool table.

  Amber’s thigh moved down between mine until she was pressing and rubbing it against my dick. “Want to go somewhere so I can kiss on that?” she offered.

  Before I had to make a decision, the door opened again and Bray walked in. He became my excuse for telling her no. “Tap,” was all that Bray said to Roy before walking to stand beside us and looking at me.

  “You the only one here?”

  “Yeah. The others are . . . out,” I told him, not sure exactly where they all were.

  “What up, Amber?” Bray asked, winking at Amber who squirmed in my lap some more. I was walking out of here if she started mentioning a threesome. I’d had enough women in the past who’d asked for one with one of my brothers and that shit was not happening. Ever.

  “Trying to get this one to take me out to his truck,” she said, pressing her body against mine some more.

  “Good luck,” he replied. He knew me too damn well. “You up for a game,” Bray asked me.

  “Yeah.” I needed to do something other than let Amber rub all over me. The fact that my dick was hard didn’t mean I wanted her. It meant it was being rubbed on and it was what a dick did. I patted her leg. “Let me up, babe.” As soon as I said the words, her eyes lit up. Damn. I hadn’t meant it as a term of endearment.

  Suddenly, her lips were on mine and I decided to just go for it. To try and see if I wanted more. But I knew immediately that this wasn’t something I could fake. Her body felt good, she had a great one, but this would only end up being one more pointless fuck.

  Taking her by the waist, I moved her gently off me and stood up. It was then that my eyes locked with Dixie’s. Her skin was pale and the raw pain in her eyes shook me to my core. I didn’t want to hurt her. I never wanted to see her look at me like that again. I’d seen that look too many times in the past.

  I forced my legs to move away from Amber before she did any more groping. “Rack ’em,” I said to Bray, tearing my gaze off Dixie.

  “She ain’t worth it,” Bray said under his breath.

  “Yeah, she is,” I replied. She was worth so much more than Bray would ever understand. He didn’t love anyone like that. I doubted he ever would.

  “Amber’s hot,” he said as if I needed that pointed out to me. I glanced back at Amber, wondering if I could go there. Lose myself in her, even if only for one night.

  “I know. I’m trying to focus on that,” I told him.

  My head was so fucking messed up with Dixie being there, I had missed my other brothers walking into the bar. “I got the winner,” Steel said all happy like he owned the damn world. He did. He had my world. He had my Dixie.

  “So you’ll be playing Bray. Nobody can beat his ass,” Brent said with an amused smirk directed my way. He was right. Bray was the undefeated champion among us.

  Although, at the moment, Bray looked wound up tight. He had that crazy look in his eyes he would get whenever his temper was about to flare up. Bray’d had anger issues since he was a little boy. He’d lose his shit in an instant and calming him down had never been easy. Dad had been good at it. But once Dad was gone, we never really knew how to do it. The older he got, the less it happened. But when it did, it was dangerous for everyone involved.

  Momma said he needed to see a psychiatrist. Regularly. Bray said he had no use for a shrink. We all agreed he was wrong. He needed help controlling himself. I wasn’t sure what the fuck had just set him off, but it was clearly boiling under the surface. He then turned to a blonde I knew he dated in high school and started flirting. She didn’t know to stay away from that dangerous gleam in his eyes. He was going to use her as a distraction. But from what?

  I turned to look at Brent to see if he noticed it, too, but he was leaving with Scarlet. As much as I didn’t want to look at Steel, I did. I needed backup and soon. But Steel wasn’t looking at Bray, either. He was smiling back at Dixie. Shit.

  “Brent leaving?” Steel asked, then looked at me.

  “Looks like it,” I replied, giving him a pointed look, then shooting my eyes toward Bray to get his attention.

  Steel frowned like he wasn’t su
re what I was trying to say. Were they all blind?

  Bray slammed his stick down then and turned to stalk out of the bar. That caught Steel’s attention and he was right behind me as I hurried for the door. Hell was about to break loose and I was afraid I had just figured out why. Fuck.

  Dixie Monroe

  STEEL CURSED UNDER his breath and hurried after Asher. Both of them were now following Bray who had seemed angry. I must had missed something. I wasn’t exactly sure what that was since all my focus had been on Asher. I was watching him to see if he looked at Amber anymore. It was ridiculous of me, but I had needed reassurance he wasn’t really interested in her.

  I followed behind Steel who seemed to have forgotten about me. Not that it mattered. Something else was obviously wrong. I wish Scarlet had stayed. Brent had been so determined to leave with her.

  I had barely made it to the steps when Bray’s voice rang through the parking lot, “Don’t, Scar.”

  I squinted in the dark to see Scarlet pressed up against Brent’s truck and Brent and her were obviously doing stuff. But the raw pain in Bray’s voice stopped me in my tracks. Caused me to stop breathing. Because in that moment, I knew. I knew what I had feared was true after all. Had Steel and Asher known? They’d ran out of there like they did? Surely they weren’t okay with this? Not when Asher was so determined that he couldn’t be with me because of his brother.

  “Come here, baby,” Bray said. His tone was gentle yet demanding. My stomach turned. Oh, god. This was bad.

  I stepped closer just as Scarlet looked up at Brent and said, “I’m sorry.” Then she left his arms and rushed into the arms of his twin brother.

  Asher moved then. Fast. “What the fuck,” he roared. His voice was loud and full of fury. I’d never heard him so angry.

  “Please tell me you’re shitting me,” Steel said moving to stand beside Asher. Like they were a united front, ready to take on Bray.

  “Oh, shit, what have you done?” Dallas was here now, too. He was coming up from behind me. His boots hitting the gravel as he moved to stand with the others.

  I’d feared this. Deep down, I think I knew it all along. Scarlet loved Bray. But I’d not wanted to believe she would do this to Brent.

  “She’s mine,” Bray said, turning to look back at the brothers behind him, then back to his twin.

  “What have you done?” Brent sounded like he’d been ripped in half. I knew how that felt. My heart broke for him.

  “She’s been mine. I wouldn’t admit it and you kept pushing to get her to go out with you, so she did. I should have said something then. I didn’t. I fucked up. But she’s mine. She’s been mine all along.”

  How could she do this? I understood loving one Sutton and being with another, but I’d never do this. Or was what I was doing even worse? Was this what it would feel like for Steel if I kept this up, knowing he’d never have my heart?

  “Dixie, you need to take Scarlet,” Asher’s voice was loud and cold. His gaze locked on Bray. Daring him to say anything. He moved toward Bray. “Let her go with Dixie. We got shit to clear up,” Asher wasn’t asking. His voice was tight and hard.

  “Scarlet,” I said taking a step forward. I would do whatever they needed me to. I agreed with Asher. They all needed to deal with this on their own and Scarlet needed to leave. Her being there just made it all worse.

  “Don’t touch her,” Bray growled as my hand touched her arm. In that moment, my heart skipped a beat from the sheer terror I felt. The look in Bray’s eyes was that of a demon. Evil. Cruel. Nothing like his usual self at all.

  Scarlet was startled by his words, too, and I jumped. Moved away fast. Something was wrong with him.

  Dallas was there suddenly, pulling Scarlet back, just as Asher’s fist slammed into Bray’s face. Scarlet screamed. I screamed. I heard other screams.

  “Don’t ever fucking talk to her like that again,” Asher’s threat was full of his own anger. This was the first time I’d seen him like this, too. His fist landed again on Bray’s face.

  Scarlet was trying to break free from Dallas. She was screaming, “Stop! Please stop!” She was begging Asher to stop.

  He was going to kill Bray. Or it looked that way, at least. Bray couldn’t seem to get his head clear enough after each hit to do anything. None of the others were stopping Asher. He’d regret this. I knew him too well. If he truly hurt Bray, he’d never forgive himself. Dallas was so busy holding Scarlet, so I was able to go to Asher. I grabbed his arm before he swung again.

  “Asher, don’t,” I said hoping he could hear me over Scarlet’s screaming. He did. He stilled. Bray began wiping the blood running from his nose.

  “Back up, Dixie,” Asher said, not looking at me. His glare remained fixed on Bray.

  Bray moved then. But not toward Asher. He moved toward Scarlet. “Let. Her. Go.”

  Dallas shook his head. “Seriously, Bray, you got some shit to work out. She needs to leave with Dixie.”

  Asher finally looked at me. “Step away from this. If you’re hurt, I’ll end up killing him.” He wasn’t exaggerating. That wasn’t a threat. He was serious. I moved back then. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Knowing he’d physically hurt his brother over me.

  “You need to leave with Dixie. And Dallas needs to take you both home,” Asher told Scarlet. I looked at her pleadingly. She needed to listen to him. This was only getting worse with her being there.

  “Okay,” Scarlet agreed, “but don’t hurt him again. I did this. It was all me. I played games and caused this. I just wanted him . . .” She didn’t finish. She’d said enough right there. Enough to cause damage. Was this what Asher didn’t want to happen between him and Steel?

  Asher swore again and shook his head, then pointed to Dallas’s truck. “Take ’em home. Then you need to come back.”

  Dallas nodded. No one was arguing with Asher. “Let’s go,” he said to both of us and I walked over to stand beside Scarlet. Dallas let her go and put a hand on both our shoulders. “My truck,” he said in a low voice.

  Scarlet looked at me then. She was scared and she was sorry. I could read the regret in her eyes. But she also was worried about me. Because of Asher’s actions. He hadn’t hit Bray over Scarlet. He’d hit him because of how he spoke to me. But what did I do with that? I couldn’t hope. After tonight, after this, he’d never do the same to his brother. But then, I wouldn’t either. I’d end things before that ever happened. It was what Scarlet should have done in the first place. I turned back to see all of them squared off, bodies tense, and blue lights coming down the road. The cops had been called. Wouldn’t be the first time the Sutton boys were greeted by the police. It was a good thing. Otherwise none of them might survive the night.

  Bray Sutton

  BRENT’S TRUCK WAS parked out by the barn when I finally came home. So was Asher’s and Steele’s. Only the old rusted farm truck was missing. I headed for the barn, not sure what I was about to face. There was a good chance they would all take turns beating the shit out of me.

  When Brent would be ready to listen, I would find a way to explain it to him. But if he needed to hit me until his hand was bruised, I’d let him. I owed him that much. I handled this wrong. I wouldn’t apologize for needing Scarlet. That was something I wasn’t going to do. Because I needed her. I hadn’t been sure that I could ever feel any real emotion until Scarlet managed to get under my skin and wedge herself firmly in my heart. It was like I had walked through life without understanding passion, jealousy or even love . . . before her. I’d only known anger. It was a numbness I never wanted to live with again.

  Scarlet changed all that for me. Maybe I was obsessed. Fuck, maybe I needed a new medication. But I needed to touch Scarlet and feel her to experience real pleasure. She gave me something I didn’t know existed and now I wasn’t willing to let that go. Not even for my brother.

  I opened the barn door and Asher turned to look at me. He was the only one in there. And he was going to hand my ass to me now that I was hom
e. I was prepared for that. As long as I had Scarlet. As long as she was mine, I would happily take whatever they wanted to give me.

  “He’s out helping Steel,” Asher informed me.

  I nodded. I wasn’t sure what he thought I should do. Go find him? He’d be back soon enough. I turned to walk back out of the barn. I needed a shower. Sleeping outside in the back of my truck all night hadn’t left me smelling good. I could still smell Scarlet and sex on my hands, too. I didn’t want to wash her off, but I also knew the sex smell would have told my brothers more than any of them needed or wanted to know.

  “She came by to see him,” Asher said just before I walked out the door.

  I froze. I didn’t want Scarlet coming to see Brent or anyone else for that matter. I had unleashed some kind of fucking monster last night when I’d allowed myself to lay claim to her. My hands clenched tightly into fists at my side at the thought of her apologizing to Brent.

  “When,” I bit out through my teeth.

  “About three hours ago,” Asher replied.

  I took a deep breath through my nose and tried like hell to calm the fuck down. “What did she say?”

  “She said she’d been selfish and she was sorry,” Asher informed me.

  My heart slammed against my chest and I grabbed the doorframe to keep from putting my fist through a wall. “Did he touch her?” If he had, I wouldn’t be able to control myself.

  “No. She didn’t get within ten feet of him when she spoke to him,” he said slowly. “Bray, what the hell is wrong with you? You’re acting like someone fucked your girlfriend. Not the other way around.”

  I ripped off the door facing and tossed it aside, before glaring back at Asher. “She’s mine.”

  Asher raised his eyebrows. “She was Brent’s. You didn’t respect that.”

  “No,” I roared, taking a step toward him. “She was always mine.”

  Asher studied me, but he didn’t move. He didn’t even flinch. “What’s happened to you?”