by Kara Jones
“Please don’t leave me!” she cried, tears streaking down her ashen face. David’s eyes widened and he placed his hands on the top of her head and her back to comfort her.
“I’m not going anywhere,” David murmured.
When he finally got Brooke to calm down a little, he gently pulled her hand off from gripping his shirt and, instead, held it tightly in one of his own. He was still hoping she was right and that her mother would come back for her, but he knew it was wishful thinking. He was used to seeing kids being abandoned by their parents on the side of the road like dogs, since the kids he played with that hung outside his father’s bar were exactly like that. He just didn’t think it was a good idea to tell her when she was still hoping her mother would return.
“Listen,” David asked, and Brooke looked at him imploringly. “You’ll get sick if you wait here, so why don’t you stay with us for a while? Besides, I’m really hungry, so you’re probably hungry too,” he said hurriedly.
Brooke pat her stomach with a slight frown as she realized that she hadn’t eaten anything except the sandwich her mother had prepared for her earlier this morning. She didn’t like the idea of leaving this spot though, because then her mother wouldn’t find her anywhere and may leave without her.
“But I–” she started, and David quickly cut her off.
“My dad knows a lot of people, so I’m sure he can help you out!” he said, and Brooke’s eyes widened at his outburst.
“And if you still want to come back, then we can come back every day and wait a bit, but we have to go home,” he explained. He yanked her hand softly, pleading. Brooke bit her lip.
“Well, I am kind of hungry,” she admitted. David smiled.
“Let’s go. If we’re going to be waiting again later, then we’re going to need all the energy we can get,” he said, pulling her hand and leading her in the direction of his house.
Not once did he ever let go of her hand as they walked home, and Brooke never made a move to pull away. The warmth that came from his tiny hands spread all the way to her heart, which was further intensified by how welcoming his father and mother had been when he brought her home with him.
Her trips to that corner of the street slowly became far and few between, until it merely became a habit and a way of reminiscing; not about the mother who left her in the rain, but about being found by a boy who gave her another chance at a family.
Chapter Five
David
I woke up to my alarm blaring in my ear, and I swatted the offending object away with my hand, hearing it crash to the floor. I sighed, putting my arm over my eyes to shield it from the light as I felt my brain trying to burst out of my skull. I guess drinking all that scotch after my argument with Brooke was a bad idea.
Then again, once Brooke saw me like this, she’d probably tell me drinking all that scotch wasn’t a good idea, period.
I groaned as I pushed myself out of bed, still squinting my eyes as I trudged out of my room and into the kitchen. I was expecting breakfast to already be on the table, so imagine my surprise when I didn’t see it there. I turned and looked around – slowly because my head still hurt – but Brooke was nowhere.
“Jesus, she’s not still mad at me, is she?” I muttered. I crossed the hall toward her room and knocked on her door; nothing.
“I’m coming in,” I called before trying the door knob and twisting it. It was locked.
She left the house early, then. But she didn’t leave me a note explaining where she went like she usually does whenever she goes out to buy groceries, which means she was probably still mad at me. Great.
I scoffed in disbelief because she could’ve at least fixed me an omelet or something. She knows I can’t cook worth anything. Talk about holding a grudge. I roved my eyes uninterestedly until I zeroed in on a post-it stuck to the microwave. I walked over to it and read the note scribbled with Brooke’s curly handwriting.
“Smoothie for your dumbass hangover is in the fridge. Omelet is inside the microwave. Seeing Frank and will go straight to office after. BE SAFE.”
I glared at the note like I was willing it to catch on fire. She’s still going out with that Frank? Even after last night? Unbelievable!
I ripped the note off the microwave, crumpling it up in my fist before punching in the numbers on the timer and turning it on. Immediately, my mind went into overdrive. I imagined them having coffee in some spiffy-looking café, her laughing and giggling over the stupid shit that comes out of his mouth. I imagined him smiling and reaching over to hold her hand across the table.
I imagined stuffing my foot down his throat until it came out of his ass.
The microwave beeped and I took out the plate, not even registering how hot it was as I carried it over to the table. I pulled out the hangover smoothie from the fridge and took a long swig, the strange taste coating my tongue. It may taste weird, but it really does the trick; bless Brooke and her knack for experimenting on drinks.
Wait, I’m supposed to detest her right now, aren’t I?
I cursed under my breath. I don’t think that I’ll ever be able to hate Brooke – at least, not in this lifetime. We have so much history that this Frank was just going to be one of those little fights we have and then forget ever happened. That’s how Brooke and I have always been. We fight all the time, but we always come right back together.
But lately, she hasn’t been as forthcoming with accepting my apologies as before, not since I became the head of the West gang. I mean, I knew she didn’t want me to be involved with the family business, but I didn’t have a choice. Like dad said, someone has to lead them, and if it wasn’t me, then who will?
I looked at my watch, wondering if I have any buys scheduled for the day. I didn’t get any calls from Mathias either, so I was pretty sure I’d be free until later that night at the bar to meet with some prospective ‘clients.’
I got up and washed my plate, throwing away whatever was left of my drink before diving onto the couch and closing my eyes. Brooke’s long and straight blonde hair, hypnotic, cobalt blue eyes, and sexy mouth immediately filled my brain and I sighed. The first time I thought about Brooke like this, I was horrified. She was my best friend and the closest thing I had to a sister. But the years passed by, I became a horny individual, and Brooke became every guy’s wet dream – including mine. I tried to nip that dream in the bud, but the feelings inside of me just grew until I didn’t want to fight it anymore.
That said, realizing early that I had feelings that ran deeper than sisterly affection for my childhood best friend did not mean that I stopped being a jerk. I continued sleeping around with other women – mostly those who kind of looked like her – just to try to get her out of my system.
So I kind of understood why she’d be pissed off at me for getting mad at her for not shooting down other guys. She’s not mine – not yet anyway, but she doesn’t know that – and she’s free to hang out with other guys.
That doesn’t mean I have to like it though.
I buried myself into the couch more to get comfortable. I should just try to get some sleep instead of thinking about Brooke’s date, because it’s not going to change anything. The only way to get ahead of “Frank” is by apologizing later to her tonight during her shift at the bar,.
And maybe, just maybe, she’ll be a little more interested in getting it on with me after that.
Chapter Six
Brooke
The bar was pretty crowded tonight, so I was pretty much going back and forth behind the bar and to the booths, taking orders. I have two of the kids in Dave’s gang working in the kitchen and another serving the drinks, because they were too young and I wanted to keep them off of that kind of life, which David agreed to.
One of them is going to keep working here to pay for college, and the other one is about to graduate from high school. I couldn’t have been prouder of them.
I wish I could do the same for the other kids though. Most of them still want to live dan
gerously, only because they’re used to that life and too afraid to live another way.
I saw Dave walking toward the bar from the corner of my eye and I stiffened, waiting for him to come closer. I felt him staring at me from across the room since he got here a couple of hours ago, and I was expecting a continuation of our “talk” already.
“Hey,” he said cautiously. I continued wiping the glass I was holding, not looking up at him. “How was your day?”
I snorted. He wanted to know what happened when I met up with Frank. He’s just too stubborn to ask it outright.
“It was wonderful. Frank and I got our nails done and we gushed over his hot as hell boyfriend,” I told him, looking at him dead in the eye. His eyes widened and his cheeks were a little pink as he realized how wrong he was.
“Oh,” he said, and I bit the inside of my lip to keep from laughing at him. “So, he’s not–”
“No, he’s not. He’d probably be more interested in you than me,” I said, teasing him. He shook his head, smirking.
“He could try but,” he leaned on the counter, moving his face closer to mine and my heartbeat was drumming in my ears as I looked at his teal blue eyes, “I’ve only got eyes on this girl working behind the bar,” he whispered.
My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest at those words. I’ve waited a long time for him to say something even remotely showing interest toward me. I’ve been in love with him since he gave me his jacket that day in the rain, and the only reason I’ve held back from confessing it was because he was a player. He brought girls home every night, sometimes even keeping me awake from all their moaning and screaming. I wasn’t about to turn myself into just another notch on his bed post. I was worth more than that.
My musings were cut off when I noticed a small group of men enter the bar, all wearing leather vests and jackets bearing one insignia, and carrying weapons on their holsters when I specifically posted that they should be handed over before entering the premises. I scowled. If they still have their weapons on them, that means they frightened or knocked out my guy who’s in charge of confiscation. I set this place up as a sort of sanctuary where other gangs could meet up privately and get along with each other, and they didn’t look like they wanted to be friendly.
Their presence could only mean trouble.
“Hey! Can’t you read? It says ‘No weapons allowed!’” I called out, getting everybody’s attention as they all stared at the newcomers. Dave’s jaw tensed up as he looked at them, not saying anything.
“Don’t you worry, doll. We just came here to have a little chat about what happened between one of your boys and one of mine,” he said, one corner of his bearded mouth pushed up in a weirdly sinister smirk.
“If you wanted to just talk, you could’ve left your weapons outside,” I pointed out, and he frowned, coming closer to the bar. I saw the gang tense up and ready while Dave took a step forward, blocking me from the guy’s view.
“If you want to talk to someone, talk to me. I’m the one you’re after,” Dave said, and the bearded man raised one eyebrow at him.
“So, you’re the one who stole our buy?” he asked.
“He stole it from us first,” Dave snarled, clenching his fists. “And, since you seem like the one in charge of your little group, then that means you should take responsibility.”
“I don’t want any fight here, folks. If you’re gonna start busting heads, I want it out,” I said, already reaching for the steel baseball bat under the counter.
“Oh, I think we’re just fine here, right boys?” the man asked his boys, and they all grunted in agreement.
“You asked for it,” Dave said, and he threw the first punch.
It set off the rumble. I winced as I watched bottles and glass flying, tables being turned over as the two groups fought. One of them even tried to go behind the bar and take the cash, but he met the end of my baseball bat with one swing, and he fell to the floor on his back, out cold. I saw Dave fighting off three guys at once, but I resisted the instinct to jump into the fray to help him. He’d only get offended if I did, and I knew he could handle himself.
Soon enough, the fight was over. Most of the visiting gang’s forces were wasted by our group, and Dave didn’t even look winded. He did have a cut on his lip and his sleeve was ripped off on one arm, but otherwise, he looked fine. The others weren’t worse for wear either.
The bearded man and his gang were seriously roughed up and he struggled to get on his feet. His lackeys went to pull him up, but he shoved them away, still putting on a tough guy act even though it was pretty clear he was dizzy from the way he swayed on his feet.
“You are going to pay for this,” he said, and to be honest, it was hard to take him seriously when he was like this. Dave probably thought the same thing because he merely shook his head in amusement.
“Sure,” Dave coolly replied, making the other man grit his teeth in anger. The rest of the gang proceeded to kick them out of our bar and I went back to my station, putting my bat back under the counter before grabbing a few of the cold compresses I stored in the fridge just for emergencies like this. I started handing them out to the members, saving one for Dave. I walked over to the table he was leaning against and held it out for him, but instead, he tilted his head up and pointed his finger to his mouth, looking at me with those puppy dog eyes of his. Ugh.
I put my fingers under his chin and set the compress on the cut of his mouth, making him wince at the cold. Slowly, his eyes started to glaze over as he stared at me, and I felt a little hot underneath my collar because of it.
“What?” I said, a little shakily, struggling to keep the anticipation and fear from my voice as he continued to pierce me with his stare.
“Are you okay?” he said gruffly, and I nodded. “Your face is red.”
“That’s because you’ve been staring at me for a while,” I told him, and he took one of my hands in his, bringing it softly to his lips. “David, what–” I started to ask, but he cut me off.
“When do you get off work?” he asked.
“I close at eight tonight,” I whispered, and his gaze got even darker.
“Perfect.”
Chapter Seven
I can’t take it anymore. I need to be with Brooke.
The sight of her whacking that baseball bat on those thugs was so hot it distracted me from my own fight, resulting in the cut she was currently nursing me for. It was worth it for her to take care of me without complaint.
After me and the guy got to work on fixing up the wreckage that we left after the brawl, Brooke closed down early and served us drinks instead, congratulating all of them for standing up for their family. She gave the greens higher praises, and my eyes softened as those kids looked pleased with themselves for what they did. She didn’t have to, but she did.
That was just another quality of hers that I liked. She knew what it was like to feel underappreciated and ignored, and she worked hard to make sure that no one felt the same way or went through what she went through. Her kind heart made her all the more beautiful to me, and it made me appreciate all she’d done for me over the years.
I waited impatiently for the hours to pass by, shaking my head whenever someone offered me a drink or coaxed me to join in the revelry. I didn’t want to give Brooke any outs like I only want to sleep with her because I was drunk, and I don’t want any possibility of me not remembering being inside of her because I wasn’t sober.
When I finally managed to convince the gang to go home and I waited for Brooke to lock the doors, my brows furrowed when I noticed her trying hard not to look at me. She finished locking the door and was about to turn around and walk away, so I pulled her back toward me. She opened her mouth to protest and I lowered my head and covered her lips with mine, plunging my tongue into the warm, sweet depth of her mouth. I felt her hands on my chest, pushing me lightly, so I tightened my grip on her waist, pulling her closer against me as I held her still with my hand at the back of her
neck.
She tasted so tangy as I sucked on her tongue, relishing the taste and making her mewl loudly. I snapped my eyes open at the sound and pulled away to look at her. Her lips had already started to swell from the kiss I just gave her, her hair slightly messed up because of my hands, and her eyes were unfocused, all of which made me purr in approval.
“Let’s go,” I said, offering her my hand.
She looked down at my hand and my face a couple of times, going back and forth like a tennis match, until finally, she nodded, taking my hand in her little ones.
“Okay,” she said.
Chapter Eight
Brooke
I stayed quiet the whole time we rode back to our place, me sitting behind him on his bike, my arms wrapped around his waist, and my hair flying in the wind behind me. He drove like a maniac, but then again, Dave had always been somewhat of a speed demon, and if it kept him alive, then I’d gladly turn the other way.
I knew what he wanted us to do once we got home, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared about it. Hell, thinking about it scared me, so I couldn’t imagine the actual carnal act was going to make me run for the hills.
Was I really ready for this?
I didn’t mean having sex, because I wasn’t born yesterday. I have had sex before without Dave’s knowledge, of course. I just wanted to know what all the fuss was about, but sadly, the first time not only hurt a little, but I couldn’t feel much. It was uncomfortable on so many levels and I did not understand why people liked doing it.
I have a feeling things might be different with Dave, though.
We arrived at our place and, as soon as Dave turned the engine off, he turned around and grabbed me hard for a brutal kiss, forcing his tongue deep into my mouth and making me moan once more.