Roughneck: A Payne Brothers Romance

by Frost, Sosie

  “You don’t need to fight anymore.”

  “You’re the only one resisting.” His words darkened. “Struggling against that thick cock inside of you. Come for me, Honey. Let go. Take me deep and show me what a bad girl you wanna be.”

  And I might have surrendered, might have given into his demands and let him ravage me into the night. But I shook my head. Gasped. Spoke through whimpered words.

  “Go out with me,” I said.

  His chuckle was low, dangerous. He nipped my neck. “Why? I just got inside.”

  “Go on a date with me.”

  His movements slowed, but that didn’t stop him from using the most underhanded trick in the book. His thumb pressed hard against my clit, and he rubbed dizzying circles with every stroke.

  “Why?” Tidus asked. “I’m already fucking you. I got what I’m after.”

  Now he tried to insult me.

  It wouldn’t work.

  “You don’t even know what you want, Tidus Payne.”

  His smile turned feral. “Know I want to come in that pussy.”

  And I wanted it too—the warmth, the vulgarity, the connection. I couldn’t hold back much longer.

  “No.” I nearly fell into his arms. “You want to be normal. Have a real life. Be like any other man who takes his woman out for a date. You want to be allowed to smile, to be happy, to think about the next time you get to take me out on the town, all dressed up and beautiful for you.”

  His grip tightened on me. “You gotta stop trying to make me into another man.”

  “Tidus, you’re already him.”

  It frustrated him. My resistance. The words I whispered.

  The truth he wasn’t ready to admit.

  “I told you to come,” he hissed. “I want you to come.”

  That’d be too easy. “That’s not what you really want.”

  His words ached with brutal pleasure. “I got my cock buried in a beautiful pussy. Stuffed a woman to the brim with me. I’ve got her on the edge, wishing she could hold on for a little longer to prove she’s stronger than me. What else could a man want?”

  My heart broke for him. “Everything else in the world.”

  He didn’t want to hear it. Couldn’t hear it. He held my hips and drove inside me, again and again, rattling cupboards and clattering the plates.

  What use was it fighting against him? Tidus was more experienced than me. He knew how to hide, deflect and deny everything and anything.

  But I didn’t want to hide.

  I wanted him to see.

  “I can give you everything…” My fingers dug into his arms. “And I can take everything you can give. The choice is yours, Tidus. Take me, fuck me, make me come…but afterwards?” My voice broke as I began that endless tumble into the darkness that was unrepentant pleasure. “After this…you’re taking me on a date. I’ll show you what you’ve missed, the life you’ve refused to live. You have nothing to fear.”

  My lips parted as I begged for a kiss. He rewarded me, sealing a deal he’d never wanted to make but couldn’t possibly refuse.

  My words burned. “Make me come, bad boy.”

  I needed nothing more than his rasped, masculine roar. He wrapped me into his arms and hauled me from the counter, crashing my body against his hips in a feat of frustrated, hungry strength. I crashed against him, biting his shoulder as I called out his name.

  The world dissolved.

  The frustrations ceased.

  The uncertainty vanished.

  And I fell into the eternal chaos that was loving this man.

  His heat filled me. I bucked into his hips and took as much as he could give. He strained, slamming me harder against his legs as he used every inch of my body to pleasure himself.

  We nearly tumbled to the floor. I wished we had. His cock hadn’t softened, and he would have taken me like an animal there on the ground, dominating me with rabid strokes and coating me in sticky seed.

  His kiss consumed me. Ravished me. Devoured me as if he hadn’t just emptied himself within my velvet heat.

  “You better get in the bedroom, good girl…” His voice lowered to a graveled threat. “Before I shove my cock in your mouth to keep you from talking.”

  I took it as a challenge. “Can’t handle all those promises?”

  “Can’t believe you’d promise them to me.”

  “You deserve a lot more than promises, bad boy.” I ran my hand over his cheek. “How about I start making some of them come true?”

  “Honey—”

  A sudden pounding rattled the door. I flinched. So did Tidus. He frowned, checking the time before slowly rising to his feet.

  Spencer’s voice carried through the night. “Uncle Tidus! Please! Open the door!”

  Tidus rubbed his face. “Christ. This kid is getting good at cockblocking me.”

  “It’s after midnight…” I raced into the kitchen to find my pants. “What is Spencer doing out this late?”

  “What do you think?” Tidus adjusted his jeans and brushed a hand through his hair. “He’s getting into trouble.”

  He waited until I was decent before opening the door. Not a moment too soon. Pretty sure Spencer would’ve beaten the damned thing down.

  The kid looked like hell. He staggered into the living room, face dirty, tears streaming over his cheeks. He sobbed and crashed into Tidus, capturing him in a fierce hug.

  “I didn’t do it!” He wailed. “I told them and I told them, but they don’t believe me! I didn’t do it, Uncle Tidus!”

  Tidus froze as Spencer curled against his chest and wept.

  My stomach dropped. I didn’t like that Spencer was alone. Liked even less that he was so dirty, coated head to toe in grime and mud.

  But I really didn’t like the red and blue flashing lights that pulled up outside the garage.

  Tidus knelt. “Spence, what the hell happened? Are you hurt?”

  “I didn’t do it!”

  I peeked out the window. Sheriff Samson hesitated near his car, hiked up his pants, and adjusted his hat. Official business then. We were all screwed.

  Spencer sniffled, but he was beyond comforting. He collapsed to the floor, kicking and crying.

  Tidus grabbed his arms before he did any damage to the living room or himself. “Spencer, you gotta tell me what happened. I can’t help you if I don’t know what happened.”

  Sheriff Samson respectfully knocked at the door. I hurried to answer it, greeting him with a subdued smile. He looked tired, worn out from decades of chasing boys like Spencer and Tidus.

  “Beg your pardon, Miss Hudson…” He said. “But I’ve gotta take the boy in. Come on, son. Don’t make this any harder than it’s gotta be.”

  Tidus cast a protective arm in front of Spencer. “What the hell is going on?”

  Samson sighed. “Had a problem down at Barlow’s Market. They seem to think Spencer had something to do with it. Tried to talk with him at the farm, but he took off running.”

  “That’s cause it’s not true!” Spencer yelled. “I told you! It’s not true!”

  I hated to ask the question. “What sort of problem?”

  The Sheriff’s words hung in the air.

  “Arson.”

  15

  Tidus

  Didn’t surprise me that the kid would eventually get in big trouble.

  But I didn’t know it’d be this soon.

  Figured he’d go the usual route—issues at home, problems at school, then run-ins with the law. At least I knew my way around the police station. Was used to their procedures too. The fingerprinting. The photos. The lectures.

  You gotta change your behavior.

  Think about what you’re doing to this family.

  We can’t let this one slide.

  Problem was, Sheriff Samson wasn’t saying it to me anymore. And instead of Mom crying in the corner and Dad biding his time to cold-cock me, it was Cassi and Rem who took on the brunt of the problems.

  Sheriff Samson said what ev
eryone was thinking. “Maybe it’s time he goes to live with his momma.”

  The kid wouldn’t have a prayer. We’d lose him forever.

  Cassi knotted her fingers together. “Um—I mean…he doesn’t like Butterpond. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to send him to Ironfield? He could get away from all the bad influences.”

  She looked to Rem for his advice. He said nothing, realizing exactly what would happen to Spence if he got shipped off to his mother.

  “Maybe,” Rem said. “Or it might just cause more trouble.”

  We clustered tight in Samson’s office, a space cluttered with boxes and dust, unopened books and loose papers collected for the town’s monthly meeting. Doubted he’d have much to present to the mayor and council besides the fire at Barlow’s Market. Didn’t bode well for Spencer.

  The office looked smaller now that I wasn’t the one sitting in the center chair. Rendered me just as helpless though. Spencer had stopped crying—probably the worst thing he could have done. At least they saw tears of remorse. I saw the truth. He’d wept out of frustration. Nothing worse than a world out to get a boy. He crossed his arms, went silent, and seethed in a quiet hatred of everyone and everything.

  It’d only get worse from there. The more he hated them, the more they’d hate on him.

  Eleven-years-old was a hell of a time to learn that lesson.

  “Don’t send him anywhere,” I said. “Let him come home with me. We’ll figure out what happened once everyone cools down.”

  “Not sure the Barlows are gonna cool down.” Samson gestured to his phone as it rang once again. “They’ve called every fifteen minutes, demanding to know what’s being done.”

  Honey slipped close to Spence, giving his shoulder a little squeeze. “What exactly do they think happened?”

  Samson sighed. “Far as we can tell, Spencer tossed some fireworks in the dumpster behind Barlow’s Market. Nothing too outrageous on its own, but the dumpster contained some material that caught on fire. It spread from there to a bit of wiring above the dumpster which shorted the electricity. Blew out the air conditioning service for the market. Place is running on a generator now, but at least it’s still standing. Could have been worse…” Samson narrowed his eyes on the boy. “A lot worse.”

  I set my jaw. “And you think Spencer did it?”

  Spencer gave up trying to defend himself. “Don’t bother, Uncle Tidus.”

  “We had our suspicions,” Samson said. “I took a ride up to the farm, and Spencer was sneaking into the house when I arrived. Took one look at the car and bolted.”

  Spencer groaned, scowling at the room as if he wanted to tear the place apart brick by brick. “I told you. I didn’t go into town. I was at the farm the whole time.”

  “Then why did you run when you saw my car?”

  “If you were me…wouldn’t you run?”

  Honey knelt beside Spencer’s chair. She took his hand and gently motioned for him to stay quiet.

  “I agree with Tidus,” she said. “Spencer can come back with us tonight. Then we can sort everything out with the Barlows in the morning, once everyone is rested and a little calmer.”

  Cassi didn’t say it, but the relief whispered in her words. “Okay. He can stay with you tonight. But keep an eye on him.”

  Samson nodded. “Unfortunately, my hands are tied. Boys will be boys…but the market has some heavy-duty damage on their equipment. And the Barlows are none too happy. They’re gonna need a resolution to this. They have insurances, but…” He shrugged. “Vandalism is vandalism, even if he’s a minor. We might be looking at restitution, fines. The Juvenile court tries to be proactive about this sort of thing…but I don’t have to tell you two that.”

  Rem and I scowled. Spencer didn’t answer. Didn’t even look at the sheriff. He kept his head down, grumbling under his breath, even as I hauled his ass out of the chair and dragged him from the office.

  Rem elbowed me, but even his smile was flat. “Place feels a lot smaller now, doesn’t it?”

  “Bet we can still find our names carved in the holding cells.”

  “Not as fun now though.”

  I glanced at the boy. “No. Not really.”

  “Payback is a bitch. Is this what we put everyone through when we were kids?”

  I snorted. “Then and now.”

  Rem frowned. “Well…one of us.”

  I didn’t answer. Spencer tried to run as soon as we stepped outside. I grabbed him by the shirt and kept him close.

  “Tell Aunt Cassi goodnight,” I said.

  “Why?” Spencer swore. “She doesn’t care.”

  My little sister did care—too much. But there was a limit to how much a woman could handle, and both of us had long since crossed the line. Cassi gave him a smile.

  “Night, Spence,” she said. “I’ll call your mom and let her know what’s going on. Don’t worry. We’ll…get through this.”

  Spencer doubted it. So did I.

  Honey took Spencer by the hand and led him to the truck. Wasn’t the greatest end to our night. But hell. I wasn’t a stranger to midnight releases from the police station.

  Honey thought it was easy to imagine a future with us, but she’d never bothered to look into my past. Was she that forgiving…or just completely delusional?

  Spencer stormed into the garage, stomped up the stairs to the apartment, and faceplanted on my couch. Couldn’t blame him. I was exhausted too. Unfortunately, that made us both very cranky.

  “Get up.” I tossed a pillow at him. “What the hell were you doing playing with fireworks?”

  “They weren’t fireworks.”

  “What was it then?”

  “Road flares.”

  Honey plunked onto a chair. “Oh, Spence…not the ones from Tidus’s truck?”

  The boy groaned. “Yeah, those ones. But it’s not what you think! God. No one listens to me.”

  “I’m listening now.” I picked him out of the couch cushions and forced him to look at me. “Tell me what happened.”

  “It wasn’t me.”

  “What were you doing tonight?”

  He grumbled. “I was with Alicia.”

  Honey had poured Spence some water, but she sputtered and nearly broke the glass. “You were with a girl?”

  The kid got frustrated, his face reddening. “No. Alicia is the alpaca. I was in the barn. I wanted to get out of the house. It’s all babies there. Aunt Cassi had Uncle Rem’s nieces over. And Uncle V and Glory brought Lulu. And Max goes to bed at seven and I’m not allowed to make any noise. So, I went to the barn. Thought everyone would just leave me alone.”

  I frowned. “And you stayed there all night?”

  “…Yes.”

  “You sure?”

  Spencer stood. “Of course, I’m sure!”

  “If you’re lying to me—”

  “—Why does everyone think I’m always lying?” Spencer stood and kicked the couch, hurting his toe. He swore and collapsed. “I’m not lying. No one believes me!”

  I shrugged. “You’ve been pulling a lot of pranks lately.”

  “I said I was sorry!” He looked at Honey. “You believe me, right? I said I was sorry.”

  She knelt beside the couch, taking his hand. “I want to believe you, Spence. But I think we’re still missing some of the story. Can you start at the beginning? Tell me the whole truth.”

  Tears flooded his eyes. “But if I tell you the whole truth, you’ll never believe me.”

  “We won’t know until you tell me.”

  He wiped his nose on his sleeve. “Fine. I was at Barlow’s Market.”

  Son of a bitch.

  It didn’t surprise me. I’d just hoped Spencer had a few more years before he needed to learn how to cover his ass. I ran a hand through my hair and swallowed a profanity.

  “Spence, you told Samson you weren’t at Barlow’s Market,” I said. “You have no idea how bad this is gonna get.”

  “But I didn’t set off the flare!” Spencer stoo
d. “That was Jimmy and Justin Abernacki. They stole it from me!”

  “You’re not supposed to hang out with those boys.”

  Honey frowned. “Why?”

  “Because the Abernaki twins are three years older than him.” I said. “They’re shit kids.”

  Spencer lowered his gaze. “Their mom said I was the bad influence. But that’s not true—they’re just as bad!”

  My patience wore out. “Spencer, you aren’t bad. You just do stupid shit.”

  “But I didn’t do this, Uncle Tidus. They said they’d give me the flares if I met them at the Market, but when I got there, they wanted to set them off. I told them no. They said I was a baby, so I called them something Aunt Cassi told me not to say in front of a lady.” He shrugged towards Honey. “Then I went home. I didn’t see them do it, but I know it wasn’t me. It. Wasn’t. Me.”

  “And that’s the truth?” I asked.

  “Don’t you believe me?”

  “I want to, Spence.”

  The boy wept harder. He pounded the couch with his fists. “You’re supposed to understand! I swear, Uncle Tidus! It wasn’t me this time!”

  The tears stole his voice, and his frustrated, messy cry nearly hyperventilated him. He tore at his hair and stomped his feet, even refusing Honey’s hug.

  “No one believes me…” He sunk to the floor. “Why doesn’t anyone believe me?”

  It wasn’t fair for such a young kid to learn this lesson. But it had to be taught. He had to know it.

  It’d haunt him the rest of his life.

  I edged onto the floor beside him and shrugged.

  “Spence…” I said. “I believe you. If you say you didn’t do it, you didn’t do it. We’ll go tomorrow and talk to Sheriff Samson, and we’ll take it from there.”

  “He’s never gonna believe me.”

  “You’re right.” I nodded. “He won’t. And you’re gonna get in trouble for this. Big trouble.”

  “Can’t you talk to him?”

  I laughed. “Nothing I can say will make a difference. No one will ever believe men like us.”

  He sniffled. “Ever?”

  “No. The world doesn’t like men like us. They don’t want us around. Think we’re trouble.”

  “Why?” His voice broke. “I’m trying so hard to be good.”