by Jenika Snow
She wanted to explore the world and leave behind the town of Ecstasy.
“Well, I’ll be damned. If it isn’t Jane Silver and the Holden boys.”
Jane smiled at the voice that pierced through the music. Brooklyn Iverson, the owner of Rowdy’s, pushed through the thick throng of people and smiled down at her. She might not be very popular in their small town, but there were decent people in Ecstasy, and Brooklyn was one of them.
He wrapped her in a one-armed embrace and kissed the top of her head. She knew if she did decide to come to Rowdy’s alone, Brooklyn would make sure no one bothered her, but she wasn’t blind or deaf. People didn’t have to call her white trash to her face for her to know that was what they were thinking.
“Hey, man.” Brooklyn and Rys clapped hands together in the way men do, and then William and Brooklyn did the same. “You guys thirsty?” Brooklyn gestured for them to follow him to the front of the bar. He slipped behind the scarred counter and grabbed two Sam Adams bottles for Rys and William. “What would you like, sweetheart?” He handed the beers to the guys on either side of her.
“Just a beer, Brooklyn. Thanks.”
He gave her the longneck and turned to help other customers.
“Come on, let’s find a table.” Rys grabbed her hand and gently steered her toward the corner and an empty table. She could feel William right behind her, his hand on the small of her back. She kept her head lowered, because she knew damn well if she looked at any of these people, they would all have the same expression. Disgust. Even though she knew they didn’t speak it out loud, she could hear their thoughts.
“Slut.”
“Whore.”
“She is such a bitch, sleeping with both of the Holden twins.”
She supposed their conclusions were to be expected. It wasn’t every day a girl was best friends with two guys. She supposed it was only natural for them to assume the worst about their relationship. After years of denying there was any kind of sexual relationship between them, Jane and the guys just stopped worrying about it. Well, the guys did. It still bothered Jane though.
For twenty of her twenty-five years of life, it had always been her, Rys, and William. From the first time she met them in kindergarten, she knew there was something different about the Holden twins. At first, the guys hated her. She could admit she was an irritating little girl who followed them around wherever they went. But all it took was one five-year-old boy pulling her hair for Rys and William to come to her rescue. After that, the three of them had been inseparable.
Silence descended over the table, and Jane looked at one brother then the other. They watched her over the rims of their bottles with identical expressions of worry and curiosity.
“What happened, Janey?”
Jane couldn’t help but smile at William’s nickname for her. He had called her that since middle school, and every time, it made her heart pound in happiness. Swallowing roughly after she took a small sip of her beer, she looked from one to the other. Why in the hell did they have to be so damn attractive?
It was like overnight in high school she had found them ridiculously good-looking, but they also knew her better than anyone else, even her mother. She spent long, sleepless nights talking to them at the lake, telling them all of her dreams, aspirations, and fears. They had always listened, always been supportive. Where William held her and murmured acknowledgments to everything she said, Rys had been the opposite. He was the strong, silent type, listening to her diligently but giving her the space she needed. Their different personalities drew her to them like a moth to a flame.
Their dark hair was cut short and fell over their foreheads. Every time she saw those brown locks, she itched to brush them away. Their eyes were an intense blue that watched her like they knew she was about to lie. She didn’t want to confess she had gone on a date with Trevor Lane. It was no secret Rys and William didn’t like Trevor. Hell, a lot of people in town didn’t like him.
He used his father’s status as a member of their town council to get away with a lot of things. She still didn’t know why she went out with him, why she agreed to get in his car when she knew he was a drunken asshole. She was a damn fool; that’s what she was. Even if she didn’t want to tell them, she knew they would know as soon as a lie slipped from her mouth.
She sighed then took another long drink and set the bottle back on the table. She started picking at the corner of the label on her bottle and then finally lifted her eyes to Rys and then William. “I don’t know why I did it.”
“Did what, Jane?” She snapped her gaze to Rys and saw the stern look on his face. “What happened, Jane? Tell us.”
Rys was always so commanding, like he expected everyone to just do as he said. That’s usually the way it worked though. At six-foot-five and over two hundred pounds, Rys was used to getting what he wanted. People tended to listen.
“I agreed to go to dinner with Trevor Lane.” Both of them cursed and stared at her incredulously.
“What the fuck, Jane?” Rys eyed her hard for several long seconds and then finished his beer. He gestured for the waitress to bring them another round. She recognized the short blonde who bounced over. Her breasts were barely restrained in her tight top, and her shorts were the size of some of Jane’s underwear. She didn’t remember her name, but she dropped her eyes to one of her double-D boobs and read the name Kass. She was all too eager to help the guys, but when she bounced away, Rys and William’s gazes were back on her.
“I know, and I don’t know why I agreed to do anything with him. He’s an asshole.” Jane finished her beer, and William slid over the new one Kass set on the table. He gave her a sympathetic smile. She saw their waitress flirting with some guys at the bar and wondered whether William and Rys had slept with her. She pushed it aside, knowing they probably had and hating how that made her feel.
“The guy is bad news, Janey.”
Here it comes. Jane was expecting this, and it was why she didn’t want to be having this conversation.
“Will’s just being nice. The guy is a fucking douchebag. He goes through women like he goes through a case of beer.” The anger in Rys’s voice was evident. He picked up his new beer and drank half of it in one swig. He slammed the bottle down so hard the small circular table jumped from the assault.
“Really, Rys?” she said in a bland tone, really not wanting to talk about this.
Rys’s face stared at her. Well, he was in for a surprise, because she wasn’t going to back away from this. She knew damn well it had been a mistake going out with Trevor, but the way he was acting, like some kind of damn Neanderthal, was infuriating.
“Chill, dude.”
Rys spared his brother a glance, but just as quickly, he was back to glaring at her. He leaned forward to rest his forearms on the table.
“You knew how we feel about him. Shit, Jane, you know damn well what a cocksucker he is.”
“God, Rys. Do you have to be so vulgar?” William’s voice was getting deeper, a sign he was about to get really angry. Where Rys was an open book, William kept a lot of stuff bottled up. Rys didn’t respond right away, just picked up his beer and finished it off.
“Did you fuck him? Is that why you’re upset, Jane? Did you let him fuck you, and then he pushed you aside like all the rest of the girls he uses?”
Jane felt her face heat at the crass words coming from Rys.
“Christ.” William’s voice was raised, and his face was turning an angry shade of red.
Rys didn’t look at his brother. He kept his blue eyes right on her. “Well? Did you fuck him, Jane?”
Chapter 4
Jane gripped the bottle so tightly she wouldn’t have been surprised if the glass shattered. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute as she held his stare. Rys was an intimidating man, but she refused to let him act like some kind of caveman.
“He pushed me aside because I wouldn’t fuck him.” She shoved her shirtsleeve up and showed him her arm. She knew there was a hand-siz
ed bruise marring her upper arm. She had seen it on her trek back to town by the muted glow of the streetlamps.
Rys dropped his gaze to the skin she exposed, and she saw his eyes widen, his nostrils flare, and his jaw clench. William cursed beside her, but she refused to look away from his brother. She shouldn’t have showed them, had known it would only upset them, but dammit, Rys had pushed her too far this time.
“Do you think I’m so easy that I’d sleep with the first guy who offers me dinner?” She stood and dug in her purse for a few bills. After throwing them on the table, she gripped the strap of her purse tight as she looked at them before swinging her eyes back toward Rys. He was still staring at her arm, although he couldn’t see it now that her shirt was down.
“Janey—”
She shook her head to stop William. Rys lifted his eyes to hers, and she held her ground. The rage on his face was visible, and she didn’t know if it was because he was pissed about her bruise or because she went out with Trevor. “Maybe I was so desperate for attention, for someone not to think I’m white trash for just a moment, that I made a bad decision and agreed to go with him,” she whispered as tears formed in her eyes.
Why did she even bother? This was Rys, one of her best friends, one of the men she was in love with. She looked over at William and gave him a sad smile.
“Sorry.” She pushed her way through the crowd and out the front door. Why did Rys have to be such an asshole? Why did he have to always get his way? Why did she have to love him? Tears spilled down her cheeks, and she brushed them away. She wasn’t really crying because of him. All her life, he had been rough to everyone, more hardened. William had always balanced them out, given her the hugs, the comfort. She wanted that from Rys as well, but she couldn’t deny she loved the coarseness of him. Was she a masochist?
She laughed bitterly. She could never reveal that she loved them, never have the guts to be so vulnerable. Wasn’t she always vulnerable around those two?
Jane started walking through the parking lot. Maybe she was being immature running away, but she wasn’t in the mood for Rys’s bullshit, not after the crap Trevor pulled tonight.
“Well, if it isn’t Little Miss Cock-Tease.”
She looked over her shoulder at Trevor stumbling out of his car. Missy Stanton climbed out of the passenger side, wove her way over to Trevor, and wrapped her arms around him, a smirk on her face.
“I don’t see your two guard dogs,” Missy snarled.
Jane was not going to take their bait. She turned around and started walking toward the street. If only this night could be over. Missy’s shrill scream pierced the night, and Jane spun around just in time to see Rys charge Trevor. Missy let go of him and stumbled back, shock and fear on her overly made-up face.
Trevor lunged forward, and Rys reared his arm back and slammed his fist into the side of his face. His head cocked back, and he fell backward. Dust puffed around him from the impact, and a moment later he was gripping his jaw as blood dripped down his chin. Rys stalked over and stood over him, cracking his knuckles in the process. The look on his face was frightening in its intensity, and her heart thundered against her ribs. Missy’s scream had caused the patrons to file out of the bar.
They now made a circle around the fight. Jane saw William push through the people a moment later. Surprise was on his face as he looked at Rys, but then his gaze swung to Trevor and anger morphed his handsome features. He moved with just as much deadly intent as his brother had, and soon the Holden twins were standing over Trevor. Jane could see their mouths moving, but she wasn’t close enough, and they were speaking far too quietly for her to hear.
“Looks like these two jokers are pissed I got to sample Jane’s pussy. Although she must be holding back and keeping the good shit for you two, because I didn’t see what the big deal was,” Trevor shouted at the twins.
There were a few gasps in the circle of bodies.
“Dude, do you have a fucking death wish?”
“You do realize there are two big motherfuckers right in front of you?”
“He’s obviously sloshed out of his brain.”
The comments were coming from every direction, and she saw a sliver of fear flash across Trevor’s face, as if he finally realized who he was speaking to. Missy was pressed against the Camaro, and she kept looking from Rys to William and back Trevor. Her date was half the size of the twins. They looked like mountains compared to him.
“Get a grip. Fucking her once was enough for me. She’s all yours.” There was a collective groan, and Jane could hear a few people say “dumbass.” Rys was positively shaking with anger, and he and William went after Trevor. The asshole swung again and nearly connected with William’s face, but at the last second, William moved out of the way and slammed his fist into Trevor’s side. He grunted in pain and gripped his waist as he hunched over. Rys made a move to go after him, but Jane stepped into the crowd.
“Stop. Please, stop.” The twins tensed and turned their heated gazes toward her.
“Did you not hear the shit he was saying, Jane?”
“The guy has an ass-beating coming to him, Janey.”
Exhaling loudly, she looked at Trevor. Missy was helping him to stand upright. “I know, but he isn’t worth it.” If things continued to escalate, there was no doubt in her mind Trevor would get the shit kicked out of him. No one would jump in and help him, not with the chance of having the Holden twins’ anger directed at them. It took them a moment, but their bodies relaxed slightly, and they moved closer to her. Rys grabbed her in a tight embrace. She rested her head on his chest and listened to the steady beat of his heart.
She heard Trevor murmur something unintelligible and turned her head to see Missy carrying him into Rowdy’s. The front door opened, and Brooklyn stormed out.
“Dammit, Rys, Will.” He pushed his way through the circle of people and barked at them to get the hell inside or go the fuck home. “Get out of here before one of these drunken assholes calls the sheriff.” Brooklyn tossed the white rag he held in his hand over his shoulder.
“Thanks for not calling Brody.” Jane pushed away from Rys as she addressed Brooklyn. Rys kept his arm wrapped around her waist. Having the cops show up would have just topped the already shitty night. If the sheriff had shown up, he wouldn’t have thought twice about hauling in the twins and Trevor just for the sake of proving a point. “Let’s go, guys.”
William took her hand, and Rys led them back to his truck and helped her inside the cab. When they both flanked her and Rys pulled out of the parking lot, she rested her head against the seat. She closed her eyes and sighed. All she wanted was to go to sleep and put this horrid night behind her. The ride to her house was less than ten minutes, so when someone gently shook her, she was surprised she had fallen asleep.
“Come on, sweetheart.” William’s voice was right by her ear, and she couldn’t help but smile. She rested her head on Rys’s shoulder and felt him stiffen. Obviously, he was still upset. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” William pushed her hair off her shoulder and leaned down to kiss her cheek. The scent of his cologne was intoxicating, and she looked over at him. He was so close, his mouth just inches from hers. Her heart started pounding quickly, and she wondered if he could hear it. She could feel it beat in her ears, feel it pound in her throat. The air shifted, and she clenched her hand in her lap.
William’s eyes dipped down to her mouth. Oh, God. Is he going to kiss me? Everything seemed to still as they stared at each other. She could feel Rys beside her, feel his heat through her clothes as it seeped into her body. Being between them, feeling her arousal grow, seemed to snap her out of whatever haze she was in. Clearing her throat, she ducked her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“William.” Rys’s voice, right behind her, was tight and held a silent warning.
“Thanks for the ride.” She moved toward William so she could get out of the truck, and after
a moment, he let her out of the cab. William wrapped his thick arms around her once her feet touched the ground and kissed the top of her head.
“Everything will be okay, Janey. We won’t let anyone hurt you.” She pushed away from him and looked into the cab. Rys was watching her with a strange expression on his face. The shadows of the night wrapped around him, hiding half his face and making him seem dark, frightening.
“Aren’t you guys sick of that?”
“Sick of what?” There was confusion in William’s voice, and she looked up at him.
“Always taking care of me, keeping people off my back? How in the hell can you have a life of your own if you’re always watching out for me?” She rubbed her eyes as she finally spoke up and told them how she felt. “A girl isn’t going to be okay with our relationship. No one in town is.” She didn’t want to push them away, but the truth needed to be brought to everyone’s attention. How much longer could their friendship last with everyone against them?
“Jane.” Rys ran a hand over his hair, and she watched the muscles in his bicep flex and move. “We don’t give a shit about what people think. We love you, always will.”
“We will always watch over you. Always.” She felt William’s hand engulf hers but kept her gaze on Rys.
“And about other girl—” His gaze shifted, and she knew he was looking at William over her head. Whatever he was about to say, he didn’t finish. He cleared his throat and turned his attention to the windshield. “Don’t worry. Everything will be okay.”
She wanted to believe him, but that just wasn’t how her life turned out. Rys and William were the only solid thing in her world. If she lost them, then her life would really be bleak. She could easily see herself slipping into the hopelessness that her mother had been in when her father deserted them. No, she couldn’t think like that, couldn’t worry about losing the two of them. She loved them, was in love with them.