Middleweight (Hallow Brothers Book 2)

by Trish Andersen

  “Get the fuck out of here, Caleb,” Micah warned.

  “Not fucking likely, big bro.”

  Eve wasn’t coherent enough to straighten her clothes. The mysterious pull had her so tight in its grip she didn’t care if Micah screwed her right there in front of his brother, just as long as he did it soon. Micah’s voice was a low growl. “I will fucking kill you.”

  “You’ll fucking thank me.”

  “How so, asshole?”

  “How long have you known each other? A week? Maybe a little more? You don’t know each other well enough to prepare you for what happens when we have sex during the week of a full moon.”

  Micah wrapped his fingers around Eve’s hips and rocked himself a little inside her. She whimpered. She wanted more. “Fuck off, Cay.”

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you when your friend ends up like Meg is now. We’re only fertile during the full moon, dumbass. Are you ready to be a daddy?”

  Micah froze as his eyes grew wide. The raging heat that tore through Eve was suddenly doused. She could tell the primal power inside her didn’t approve. She fought back the sting of tears. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Micah looked at her. “Why not?”

  She forced a small smile on her face. “I can’t have children. I’m sorry, Micah. I’ll explain more another day. Just not right now.”

  She felt void and cold when he pulled free of her. Then she was wrapped tightly in a pair of strong, warm arms. Micah’s voice rumbled in her ear. “It’s all right. Whenever you want to talk to me more about it, I’m here to listen.”

  She heard a noise at the door. “I’m sorry, guys.” Eve caught sight of Caleb shuffling away just before he disappeared.

  She snuggled tightly against Micah’s chest again as the tears flowed down her cheeks. “You’re a good man, aren’t you?”

  “I’m the least threatening of seven beasts of Satan if that compares at all.”

  She looked up, barely able to discern him through the sheen. “I’m not a good woman. I’m not. Micah, you shouldn’t be with me. You should be with a good girl.”

  He kissed her forehead. “You’re shaking like a leaf. I can feel your heart pounding against me. This is too much to take in. Let me take you down to Sharky’s, and he can bring you to my aunts’ house. You can wait out the week with my mother and Meg.”

  She pulled out of his arms and dressed without looking at him. “It’s okay. I can get to Sharky’s myself. I’m sure you have stuff to do.”

  “Sleep. Train. It seems I have a fight coming up.”

  She fought back a cringe. “Yeah. You do.”

  Micah cupped his fingers under her chin and nudged her face toward his to look in her eyes. “Why do I have a feeling you’re not coming back?”

  “I’m not sure I have a choice.”

  She pulled from his grasp and slipped out of the bathroom. She wove through the sparsely decorated living area to the door. She stepped out into the early morning sunshine that bathed the camp. She instinctively counted the men standing outside watching her as she crossed the large yard toward her bike. One, two, three, four, five, six. The naked one she left behind was number seven. Seven very human, very deadly Hallow Brothers. And all of them were large, strong, intimidating, dominating. And they all held a deep, dark secret. Her body, mind, and soul were twisted chaos as she mounted her bike and fired it on. Micah’s face, as he stood in only a pair of jeans outside his cabin, was the last thing she saw before she plunged down the trail into the woods.

  Chapter Six

  Eve was thankful the path didn’t branch off as she drove through the early morning dawn back to the highway. She couldn’t formulate a coherent thought if she tried. She was filled with lust, regret, and anger. Before she realized it, she was spat out onto the road not far from Sharky’s. The old man was outside polishing a pump with a dirty rag as she pulled into the lot.

  “Alo, Miss. Yer Micah’s girl,” he announced.

  “Eve, yes,” she answered quietly.

  “I didn ear ye pull up from de highway.”

  “I didn’t come from the highway.” Eve pointed a shaky finger toward the line of trees. “I spent the night up there.”

  Sharky gaped at her as he ran a weathered hand through his thin hair. “Miss Eve, da full moon.”

  Her voice was a hoarse whisper. “I know, Sharky. I know. I’m wishing it was a bad nightmare.”

  He tucked the dirty rag in his back pocket. “Do ye want me to take ye to Miz Edith’s and Miz Edna’s? Ye can be with Missus Evelyn and Missus Meg then.”

  “Not really. I don’t know them at all. But I don’t want to go home and deal with my roommate either.” She gazed at the forest and sighed. “I guess I have nowhere to go.”

  “Ye can stay ‘ere with me till the moon iz pass.” Sharky billowed his chest out proudly.

  Meg couldn’t help but laugh. “I would appreciate that. Thank you. I do need to get a few things from town. I can’t wear this same outfit every day.”

  “Righty. Me’ll fix uz up a big pot of stew for sup’r. Me brother Amos can keep iz eye on it. He lives ere wit me.”

  “That sounds great. I’ll run into town now. My roommate shouldn’t be home. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

  “See ye then.”

  Sharky waved wildly as Eve kicked off the ground and drove down the highway. She forced her brain to process a list of things to pack to take back. She needed clothes. She highly doubted the old man had any soap and shampoo for her to use. Did he use any of that at all? She would need something to wear to bed at Sharky’s. What would she wear to sleep with Micah? Nothing but his skin on mine. I’ll stay warm with his body heat.

  She raced up the steps to her apartment and slipped the key into the lock. She froze as she heard voices inside. Shit. Was Tabitha home? She stood in silence as she strained to hear. She exhaled slowly in relief. Tabitha must have left the television on. She popped open the door and stormed in.

  She grabbed the first bag she could find in her closet and jammed clothes into it. She had more bags than a woman should, but they were helpful in her line of work. She could pack several of them to go out on jobs to strip for private parties when Deacon assigned them to her. What she would do with them now she didn’t know. Sell them, give them away, she didn’t care. She just wanted to get back to Micah.

  She hurried through her bathroom and then opened a dresser or two. The bag was about to burst. She zipped it closed as her gaze fell to beneath her bed. She slumped to the floor and stared.

  Eve crawled across the carpet and pulled a cardboard box out from beneath the frame. Popping the top off, she searched the contents inside. The plastic bag was nearly full of white powder. There were also some plain white straws, a lighter, a package of syringes, and a metal spoon.

  She closed her eyes. When did she get high the first time? She let out a heavy sigh. It was right out of foster care when she was on her own for the first time. She should have been excited. She didn’t have to answer to anyone but herself. It was the worst time of her life. She couldn’t get lower than she was then. Shooting up was the only thing that took away her pain. It was the only way to forget the life that she loved, the one that she lost, the one that never got a chance to be born. It was either that or suicide.

  She had just kicked the habit when she met Deacon. He forced her into the ugly spiral once again. Every time she thought she could get clean again, he found a way to tempt her. And if temptation didn’t work, he jammed the needle in her arm.

  Could Micah be her new start? She wanted him to be. Despite what she saw, despite what the truth about him was, she wanted to be Suzy Homemaker. Her heart sunk in her chest. A tiger couldn’t change its spots. All she knew was abuse and scorn. Love wasn’t possible for her.

  Eve pried open her bag and shoved the things inside.

  She closed it again and fled her apartment, locking the door behind her.

  Eve parked her motorcycle outside the statio
n as the sun bathed the barren fields around it in a pumpkin glow. She strode to the door to knock, but Sharky yanked it open before she could. “’Bout to lock ‘er up. Come in. Let’s git some grub.” Sharky waved her in the store and locked it behind her. He led her through the dark shop. Eve was a little shocked to find modern cars perched on the lifts. She assumed that Sharky would only be experienced with the antiques the Hallows drove. She shook herself to her senses and followed the old man through a hallway into an amber lit room.

  The shack was hardly bigger than her apartment, but it was warm and cozy as far as bachelor pads went. The smell of beef and vegetables hit her the second she crossed over the threshold. Her stomach growled in protest. It suddenly dawned on her she hadn’t eaten yet that day. The smothering feeling of need and fear took away any desire to eat.

  Sharky waved toward the farthest door on the left. “Ye can ‘ave my room. I’ll just bunk wit Amos. That right, old coot?” Sharky smacked his brother in the shoulder with the back of his hand. Amos grunted in agreement.

  “Thank you.” Eve scurried through the living room until she was surrounded by the cool dark of the bedroom. She dropped the bag on the bed then stared at it. Did she have time to shoot up? With the day she had, she really could use it.

  “Miz Eve,” Sharky called.

  “Shit,” she muttered under her breath. “Coming,” she called back. She stepped into the living room again to be greeted by a toothy grin and the biggest bowl of stew she’d ever seen.

  “’Ave a seat. Eat ‘er up.” Sharky waved toward the sofa and then sunk into a faded, threadbare recliner. Eve settled on the couch and took a bite. She groaned. It was the best stew she had ever had. She inhaled half the bowl before she realized it. The two old men picked at theirs as they grumbled at each other.

  She sat quietly with them as they watched an old black and white western on the console TV. She felt like she was back in the fifties. It just lent to the nightmare. She stood to get a drink of water. Neither man moved as she opened cupboards to find a glass. She stopped as she found a piece of paper taped inside one door. Eight phone numbers and the person each belonged to was handwritten onto it.

  “Sharky, are these the cell phone numbers for the brothers?” she asked.

  He bolted upright in his chair. “And Missus Evelyn. But none ‘posed to know those.”

  She smiled. “I’m only interested in one. Do you mind? The full moon isn’t quite out yet.”

  He slumped back in the chair and took a bite of stew. “’Pose it won’t hurt.”

  Eve slipped her cell from the back pocket of her jeans and typed the phone number into her contacts. Then she opened up a screen to send a text.

  Hey, sexy. Still human?

  She gnawed on her lower lip as she waited. Maybe the moon didn’t have to be up to turn. She smiled as a message popped on the screen.

  Who is this?

  I hope only one woman is calling you sexy. Or at least there should be since you and I are mates.

  She hit send and then took a selfie and followed up by sending it too. She wished Sharky and Amos good night and then disappeared into Sharky’s room, closing the door behind her. Her phone lit up before she could land on the bed.

  This is a surprise. I didn’t know you had my number. Are you with my mom and Meg?

  Her fingers flew across the screen before she hit send. No. I’m staying with Sharky. I got your number from the list he keeps. Hey, I sent you a selfie. Where’s mine?

  She frowned when the response came. Let’s not play that game, baby.

  Why not? Just send me a selfie.

  There was a long moment before Micah texted back. The photo he sent made Eve’s throat go dry and every nerve in her body tingle in anticipation. He stood in the bathroom, the one she was trapped in that morning, taking a photo of his reflection. He was naked with an erection bigger than she remembered. The sight alone made her pinch her breast through her shirt until her nipple was hard.

  She let go of herself to tap on the glass. Wow. What the fuck are you thinking about to get that hot and bothered?

  She licked her lips as she waited. It’s a typical reaction before the change. It helps to have inspiration though. I’ve probably fucked you five or six times in my mind tonight.

  She typed before she could think. I want you here to fuck me now.

  I want the same thing.

  I can be there in an hour.

  The moon will be up before then.

  Fuck. Eve exhaled loudly. The torture was too much. She glanced back at the cell to see another message. Lay back. I want to try something Cay told me about.

  I’m on Sharky’s bed. She protested in text.

  Don’t give a shit. Do it. But hurry. We’re running out of time.

  Eve lay back on the mattress with her head resting on the pillow. She texted him back. Okay. I’ve laid back. Now what?

  She nearly jumped off the bed when her phone rang with a call instead of a text. “Hello?”

  Micah’s voice was a deep rumble. “Lay the phone on the pillow next to your ear. Listen to what I say. Do whatever I say. Understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “All right. Unfasten your pants. Slip your hand inside your panties. Rub yourself.”

  Eve popped the fly on her jeans and slid the zipper down. She ran her hand down her body inside her underwear. She turned her head toward the phone, so the men couldn’t hear her on the other side of the door. “I’ve done it.”

  “Imagine me running my tongue up and down the length of you, teasing you, dipping inside you to taste you. Feel my fingers pump in and out of you.”

  She didn’t have to imagine it. His voice hypnotized her. She tugged and rubbed herself as her imagination ran wild. As he spoke again, she dipped a couple of fingers inside her and rocked hard against her hand.

  “Next I smother your breasts with kisses and bites as I thrust deep inside you. Each stroke gets deeper and deeper until I fill every sweet, hot crevice of you.”

  Eve whimpered as her hand picked up the pace. She felt a knot grow in her belly. She needed release. She needed him. She writhed and thrashed as the fire built inside her.

  “I kiss you deep as I pin your hands to the bed with mine. I swell inside you, pulling you apart, as I get closer to coming. Come with me, baby. Come now, Eve.”

  Eve bit down on the sleeve of her shirt to muffle her cries as the orgasm ripped its way through her. She shook in sheer pleasure. No man ever made her come over the phone. It was too hard to take them seriously. Micah did things to her she couldn’t understand. It terrified her.

  She was slightly aware of the long string of curses he spat out followed by a guttural groan. Eve wiped her hand on her jeans and then pressed the phone to her ear. “Did you?”

  She heard a breathy pant. “Fuck yeah. The same time you did. You were a good girl. You listened well. I won’t have to punish you now.”

  The thought of Micah’s large hand swatting her ass sent one last shiver through her. “I might like that.”

  There was no response. Eve frowned. “Micah?”

  The sound of his cell clattering to the floor hit her ears. There was silence for a long time. “Micah.”

  An inhuman growl came through the receiver. There was huffing and snorting. Eve turned toward the window and sighed. The yard outside the shack was bathed in the pure white light of the full moon. “I’ll talk to you soon. Stay safe out there.”

  She ended the call and set the phone on the end table. She flopped to her other side and fidgeted to get comfortable. She stared at her bag. It wouldn’t take much to get her things out, to get a quick high before she went to bed.

  Her eyes suddenly grew heavy. She tried to push herself up to get to her things. The mystical force that made her lust so strong for Micah now beckoned for sleep to overtake her. She hugged her pillow tight and fell asleep.

  »»•««

  The next few days of the full moon felt like an eternity. Eve hit the ne
edle hard for the first couple of days. She wasn’t sure if it was to numb the insane desire that possessed her or to help her forget a man she hardly knew but had already saved her life. She hated herself each time the syringe pierced her skin. There was no hope for her. Micah deserved better.

  Then Sharky asked for help in his shop. It wasn’t much. He just asked if she would mind pushing a broom along the garage floor. He must have sensed the abuse she was putting herself through. She reluctantly agreed. The old man had offered up his bed to her. But sweeping led to ridding each flat surface of the half-inch layer of dust that caked over it. Dusting led to scrubbing the dingy windows until the sun streamed through. By the time she was done, the place looked almost new.

  Each night she found a wad of bills tucked under her pillow. She tried to return them, but he wouldn’t accept it. She didn’t want to insult him even though she was sure he needed the cash. With all the chores she did for Sharky, she kept herself busy enough and exhausted enough to avoid getting high. Not that her body didn’t crave the drugs. The pain and sweating was almost too much.

  She was on her hands and knees cleaning the cement floor when the bell over the door chimed. She gazed up at the person she had been fantasizing about the past week.

  Micah grinned at her. “This is an exciting position to find you in.”

  She sat back and glared at him. “What are you doing here?”

  “The full moon is over. I’ve been sent to tell Sharky to go get Momma and Meg.”

  “You guys have phones. Why don’t you call?”

  “Momma and Meg get extremely anxious to get back to us. We can’t waste time trying to reach Sharky by phone. The old man doesn’t hear it ring half the time anyway.”

  “Oh.” Eve stood, wiping her hands on her pants. She felt her nerves quake. He never left her mind. He filled her dreams. Now he stood here in the flesh. “So, I need to figure out a place to li…”

  Her words were stolen by his kiss. She clung to him and pulled him against her. Her body craved his. He cupped her head in his hands so she couldn’t escape. Not that she wanted to. It was the last thing she wanted to do.