Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Crew
Before .
T he taste of whiskey settled on my tongue, and I did my best just to sip. What I wanted to do was slam it back, and then have another. And then another. With the way my week was going, maybe if I buried myself in the bottle, I wouldn’t have to think about anything else. However, that wasn’t how I worked. I’d seen too many people rely on that bottle, and the so-called sweet elixir within.
So I set my half-empty glass on the bar and picked up the water next to it.
The bartender gave me a look, and I shrugged, not really caring what he thought.
If I didn’t finish that two-hundred-dollar two fingers of whiskey, I didn’t really care. I had the money, and if I wasted it, it felt like maybe I was just wasting my parents’ money. Even though I technically refused to touch it. The money I had on hand was all mine. And if I was thinking about my parents and their money, I was one sip too close to issues. Instead, I took my water and slid off the barstool.
What I really needed was to get laid. It had been far too long, and jerking off to images of one of my best friends wasn’t helping anything.
“Why are you growling at me?” Lex asked, as he glared at me.
“I’m not growling,” I growled.
Lex gave me a look, and then burst out laughing. “You’re ridiculous. And now, I’m going to leave you alone because I’m pretty sure the woman at the end of the bar is giving me the eye.”
“It could be dust. It’s probably dust.”
Lex flipped me off. “Fuck you.”
I met his gaze, my lips twitching. “Didn’t we already establish that I wasn’t going to fuck you?” I muttered. I didn’t care if anybody heard, but considering Lex was looking to get laid tonight, I thought I might be better off not shouting that last part.
His cheeks pinked even under the dim bar lights, and I just grinned. “You are the one who asked, not me. ”
I shrugged and didn’t deny it. Lex and I were friends, nothing more. There could’ve been a little attraction between us, but it hadn’t amounted to anything. We were better off as friends, and a kiss here or there just because we could. And to keep people on their toes.
But I didn’t want Lexington Montgomery.
Sadly I wanted one of the Montgomerys currently on the dance floor.
Lex’s gaze followed mine, and he clucked his tongue. “Playing with fire there, brother.”
“Please don’t call me brother after the conversation we literally just had,” I said dryly.
“And on that note, I’m going over to the other side of the bar. The redhead wants me.”
“Wasn’t it just a blonde?”
“I said what I said.” Lex snorted, and then headed off to go hit on the redheaded woman. Lex wasn’t a creep. However, no one else in our friend group was looking for serious.
The fact that my ex had found her serious partner should’ve probably made me worry. But it hadn’t. Daisy and I had just been good friends in the end. The sex had been great, but I liked the way she was with Hugh. And in one fell swoop, she gained a daughter. Instant family and all of that. It was perfect for Daisy .
And yet all I could do was look at Aria on the damn dance floor.
She had come with another one of her friends who wasn’t related to the family, and was now dancing between the group, as well as five different guys who seem to be prowling like hyenas on the safari.
I wanted to rip one of the dudebro’s arms off, but I figured that might be going a little too far. Especially since I hadn’t even spoken to Aria tonight. There was just something about her, even though she annoyed the fuck out of me. Maybe that was why I wanted her.
Apparently, I was a masochist and hadn’t known before this moment.
Dudebro number two slid his hand up her shirt and squeezed without even a hello, when Aria twisted, elbowing the man in the gut. I hadn’t even realized I was moving until I was there.
Aria had taken care of it herself and the guy was already breathing heavily, but I still couldn’t help myself. I had the man pinned to the wall, my forearm pressed against his throat in two steps.
“You think it’s okay to touch a woman without consent?” I said, my voice so pointed, it was scarier than a growl.
“Who the fuck are you?” the guy rasped.
Considering the man could talk, I wasn’t pressing hard enough. So I leaned in. “Different answer.”
The guy’s eyes bulged. “Shit.” A choking rasp. “I didn’t realize she was yours.”
She wasn’t . And never would be. She was off-limits for so many reasons.
“You’re really not getting this. You touch a woman like that without asking? You deserve to get your nuts ripped off. So why don’t you apologize.”
The guy blinked and looked over my shoulder to where I knew Aria stood. “Sorry,” he croaked.
“You know, it took you a little too long to get to why what you did was wrong. So maybe I’m the one who will take your nuts instead of him,” Aria said the threat so sweetly, that my dick got hard just thinking about it. Damn, that woman was something.
“Sorry,” he said again, looking a little scared. About time.
Before I could do anything though, there was a tap on my shoulder, and I raised brow at security. “Hi Jim.”
The guy rolled his eyes. “Thank you for handling this for now. But I can take care of it from here.”
I glared at the man. “You were a little late handling it now .”
“I was right behind you, but I didn’t realize you were a sprinter, instead of just a boxer,” he said with another roll of his eyes, and I let the little weasel go. Jim and the rest of security dragged the guy out, as well as his friends. Most of the women in the club cheered, and I shook my head.
Men. Disgusting creatures.
And as my cock pressed against my zipper by the mere presence of Aria, I included myself in that.
“Well, I’m going to get another drink,” Aria said, and I watched as she walked back to the bar, my gaze glued to her ass. I cleared my throat as I caught Lex staring at me. I saw the worry in his gaze for his cousin and the fact he’d moved away from the redhead and toward us. I shook my head, letting him know I’d handled it, and he backed down.
Mistake.
I followed Aria to the bar, like she was the Pied Piper and I couldn’t stay away.
“Tequila?” she asked.
The thought of it made me want to gag, but I nodded in answer anyway.
She held up two fingers, and the bartender immediately slid over to accommodate her. When the guy met my gaze, he moved his hand from the well to the top shelf, and I nodded.
As I owned the place, I only got the best. Not that anyone knew I owned the place. The fact that some guy had dared to touch Aria underneath my roof, he was lucky I hadn’t killed him. And Jim would be faster next time.
I trained him for a reason.
“Why do you always get the fancy things without saying anything?” Aria asked as she tilted toward me.
I shook my head. “This stuff is good enough you don’t need salt or lime. I get the fancy shit because I’m a gentleman.”
She snorted, and I just grinned.
With my gaze on hers, both of us tapped the glass to the bar and took the shot with ease. The tequila was so good that there was no burn, and it was probably better as a sipping drink, but I didn’t do swill. I’d been born with a silver spoon in my mouth, after all, and some things never went away.
We set our glasses down, and Aria shivered.
“Cold?”
“Maybe. The tequila was damn good though. Going to have to drink with you for always.”
“Somebody sure is getting bougie,” I teased.
“I can’t help it. I like pretty things.” She fluttered her eyelashes, and I chuckled, shaking my head. She checked her phone, for what I realized had to be the fifth or sixth time in a short amount of time, and I frowned .
“Waiting on a call?”
“Travis was supposed to meet me here.”
Just the sound of that man’s name set my teeth on edge, but I did my best to school my features. Aria hated when we questioned her about that man. He was useless, a user, and drained every ounce of spark from the woman in front of me. But if we said anything about it, she fought back. Because I knew she wanted to see the best in him. To try to keep him on the good path.
Only I knew it was a lost cause.
“Maybe he’ll show later,” I lied.
She met my gaze and sighed.
“Are you okay?”
She shrugged and looked down at her dress. That’s when I realized that one of the double straps had torn, and my jaw tensed.
“Did he do that?” I asked, my voice so low I could practically see the ice crystals forming in the air.
“It’s fine. It happened when I got out of his grip.”
I was already moving toward the back door, hoping I could catch that little asshole, before she could even say a word. I made it all the way to the hallway where it was just the two of us, before she put her hand on my arm to stop me.
One touch and I was in her control.
How fucking weak was that ?
“Don’t. I don’t care about him. I’m fine.”
I let out a breath. “You shouldn’t be so nonchalant about a man groping you.”
“I’m not nonchalant. But security took care of it, and I don’t want to think about it anymore. Okay?”
I turned then, caging her to the wall. Her eyes dilated, and I looked down at her, both hands pressed against the wall beside her head. “Fine. But if I see him again, he’s a dead man.”
Her chest rose and fell as she took a deep breath. “Just don’t go looking for him. And you don’t have to keep protecting me. You’re not my brother.”
I narrowed my gaze. “Thinking about you as my little sister is the furthest thing from my mind.”
Aria’s lips parted, and I cursed.
“You should go home, Aria.”
“But what if I don’t want to?”
In answer, I broke my cardinal role, and I slammed my mouth to hers.
Now
“What do you have on your docket today?” I asked as I leaned against my kitchen counter. We had eaten breakfast—after I had eaten her out again—and now I stood with my second cup of coffee, just watching thoughts pass over her face in quick succession. Sometimes I could read her. Sometimes she was an open book.
And other times, like now, I would do anything just to see what was going on in that mind of hers. A single note of the lyrics that was the melody of her soul. A single line of the verse that stroked against her heart.
“Family dinner was moved to Friday, so I don’t really have anything.”
I tilted my head, staring into those gorgeous blue eyes. The Montgomery eyes . “You want to go for a drive?”
A small smile played on her lips even as her eyes brightened ever so slightly. “You don’t have to work today at one of your many mysterious businesses? Or paint?”
I took a sip of my coffee before shrugging. “I have a few projects in various stages but I don’t have any commissions. Just doing what I feel like.”
“That must be nice,” she said wryly.
“What about you? Any projects or commissions?” I asked as if I didn’t know what project she was working on. Hell, I knew that she knew every single one of my art pieces.
I loved her photography. She could capture an exact moment in time in a way that few others could. It wasn’t portrait work, but another type of art that was all beneath the surface.
“I just did a large spread for Adventure , and have three more coming up, but it’s the wrong time of year for what I want. So now it’s just what I can sell on the website and in-house. Thankfully my last payday was enough that I don’t have to worry for a while. Which is always a relief.”
I drained my coffee and set my empty cup in the dishwasher next to hers. I didn’t know why that sight made me so damn happy, so I pushed those thoughts away. No need to get sentimental. It was just a damn coffee cup. Just like her damn toothbrush was next to mine in the bathroom.
“Well then, let’s go get some air. We can take the convertible up I-70 into the mountains until it gets too winding for us.”
Her eyes widened. “Just like that?”
“Just like that. Bring a hat if you want, or let the wind make your hair go in a thousand different directions. Anything you want, Aria.”
“Anything?” She smiled then, before walking toward me and putting her hands on my chest. She was so damn short that she had to go to her tiptoes in order to kiss the bottom of my chin. I did not lean down to make it easier for her. I couldn’t help but relish the warmth of her. I really needed to calm the fuck down.
“Go get your shoes and stop teasing me.” I leaned down quickly and bit her bottom lip, before smacking her ass.
She yelped and glared at me, before she burst out laughing, and went to the bedroom.
I shook my head, wondering what the hell I was getting into.
By the time we were in the car, music blaring and wind in her hair, I could feel the stress and tension easing from her.
We couldn’t talk that much with the top down, but it didn’t matter. It was a perfect Colorado day. Not a single cloud in the sky, and not too hot or too cold. We’d souped up the engine of this beauty so I knew she could handle these roads as she had before. Maybe next time I would go up on my bike, with Aria on the back, legs spread around me. I shifted slightly in my seat, trying to adjust myself.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Aria give me a look, that smirk on her face making me want to kiss it off.
“You keep looking at me like that, I’m going to give your mouth something to do,” I shouted.
“Promises promises,” she called out over the wind. And then she leaned back into the seat, that relaxed smile on her face.
I hadn’t realized how fake and forced her smiles had been recently. But right then and there, this was the real her.
We pulled up to a rest area where there were a few park benches and got out. I took the cooler with me, and Aria just stared at me.
“When did you have time to pack that? And why didn’t I know you have it?”
“It took you thirty minutes to do your hair and makeup, even though you just let the wind have it.”
“It took me like ten minutes. And I had to call my dad.”
I froze in the act of unloading our lunch and tilted my head at her. “Everyone okay?”
That curious expression on her face did something to me I didn’t want to name. “Yes. I just wanted him to know that I was sorry for running out like I had.” She moved closer, and we unpacked the cooler together, acting as if we had done this countless times before.
After a moment, Aria finally let out another part of what had been bothering her. “I hate the fact I always feel weird about my dad and our work. I know that he loves me. And I know that he loves my work. And yet I can’t help but feel like the little girl standing in her dad’s too big shoes, wondering why she keeps tripping on her face.”
When I set her camera bag next to her, she blinked down at it before running her fingers along its edge. She’d always had her camera on her for as long as I could remember. But recently, she’d stopped bringing it with her everywhere. It wasn’t my place to push her, but if I could at least show her what she could have… Maybe it was for the best. Maybe I wasn’t making a mistake.
She smiled up at me and I let out a relieved breath, grateful I’d gotten it right.
I pulled the tab on Aria’s soda before handing it over to her, and she raised a brow.
“I’m well aware you can open it yourself, but you did just get your nails done with Daisy. So why ruin the manicure?”
She snorted and shook her head. “Why do you notice things like that?” She looked at her nails and grinned. “But I do like the steel color.”
“I do not understand the need for fake nails like that, however I did like them digging into my back last night and on my shoulders this morning. So you do you so you can do me.”
Her cheeks blushed again, and I had to adjust myself in my jeans once more.
We sat down with a cheese and meat concoction that I had made up with some fruit, a couple of spreads, and crackers. It wasn’t much, but if there was cheese, I knew Aria would be happy.
“You know, we should probably talk.”
I drank the rest of my soda, before pulling out a water. “I hate those words.”
“Of course you do. And not just because you’re a man. But because you’re you.”
“I feel like I should be offended.”
“No. I’m in the same boat as you. I hate talking about my feelings. But we might’ve said that whatever is happening between us is what it is.” She gestured with her fingers at the two of us. “But it’s a lot more complicated than that.”
I shrugged. “Yeah? So?”
“So.” She rolled her eyes. “When we slept together the first time, we didn’t say anything. And then every other time we always said it was the last time. And we were mean to each other about it.” Her teeth bit into her lower lip, and I reached out with my thumb to rub the sting.
“I was mean to you because I wanted to keep you. Is that real enough for you?” Tears filled her eyes, and I cursed. “Shit. Forget I said that.”
“No. I’m not going to forget. Because it was the same for me. When did you get so good about speaking about things?”
“I’m not. But I don’t know.” I sighed. “You had to deal with a liar for how many years? I don’t want to be that guy. Even if we just end up friends that talk about things. I’m not going to be the guy that lies to you. Or uses you. Or pretends that I need you in my life. I’m just going to be me. Are you okay with that?”
A single tear fell down her cheek, and I moved to sit next to her on the bench, straddling it. I wiped away that tear, before licking it off my thumb. The salty taste brought me back to the present, and I wondered if I was moving too fast. Especially because I didn’t know what I wanted. Or what she needed.
“You’re not him.” She let out a breath. “I’m going to tell you a story and know that I just need to get it out. So you understand. I’m not comparing you two. Okay?”
I nodded even though I didn’t want to hear about the asshole. However, he was the ghost between us even if the man still breathed.
“The first time I met Travis, I was trying to keep up with Sebastian on my skateboard. And not completely failing.”
I raised a brow. “How did I not know you used to skateboard?” I loved learning new things about her. I should have realized long before this how gone I was for this woman.
“Because I only did it for a little while. It was Sebastian’s thing. And Raven’s now that I think about it,” she said, speaking of Sebastian’s wife. “Marley would stand back with me, both of us pretending we were having fun and knowing what we were doing.” Marley had been Sebastian’s high school girlfriend and had died while giving birth to their daughter. I had no idea how Sebastian even moved day by day with what happened. But now he had Raven, and their family was a unit. The man was far stronger than I was.
“I can picture that clearly.”
“Well one day, Marley couldn’t make it because her parents were being assholes.” She rolled her eyes at that, and I figured it was a common refrain from what I knew of the couple. “So Sebastian and Raven and a few of the cousins were out there, doing what they did best, and I was trying to keep up. It didn’t matter that Sebastian was my twin, he always acted like the older brother. It’s just who he is. But he was in a bad mood because of Marley’s parents, so he left me behind.”
“I’m not going to like this story, am I?”
She gave me a small smile that wasn’t an answer. “Maybe. Anyway, I fell hard, and though I was wearing a helmet, I had foregone my elbow pads. Because I was a Big Girl and had taken them off when my family wasn’t watching.” She rolled her eyes. “So stupid. My parents were watching, and running over, but this other kid came over and immediately helped me. He had an ice pack in hand, a bright smile, and made me laugh. Because Travis was accident prone.”
“So he saved the day,” I bit out.
“Yes, and then he continued to do so.” She met my gaze, as if willing me to understand. And the sad part? I did. Because Travis hadn’t always been the wraith he was now. “We clicked right away. He was my friend, and then someone I crushed on. Don’t get that look,” she warned, and I tried to fix my face. “He never crushed on me. When college came around, I got my business degree because I wanted to make sure I could handle my affairs with my art or if I stayed with Montgomery Security. And then I ended up working with my cousins in security, because I liked the idea of owning a business. In the end, that wasn’t the right move for me, so I sold my shares in that, and put together the art house with my other cousins.” She shrugged. “I had my plan, even though it went in a few different directions. But Travis threw himself into art. He’s a brilliant sculptor, Crew.”
I tensed, hating the truth. “He is. When he’s sober enough to do something about it. I’m not going to lie, Aria. He’s fucking talented.” I let out a breath. “Even though I hate him.”
She squeezed my hand, and I ran my thumb over her skin, needing that connection. “He is talented. And, of course, then he realized he was talented and thought he was a goddess’s gift to earth. And while it’s good to have self-esteem, something that I do not have in large portions right now, he took it too far. He wanted to be that Tragic Artist. And leaned into it. I couldn’t hold him back. The boy who eased my hurts and saved me, was out of my grasp. And I know it’s ridiculous. I know that it is not my fault. But that doesn’t help the little voices screaming that it is.”
“I want to hit him all over again.”
“I know you do. But you can’t. He left town.”
My eyes widened. “Oh?” I did my best to make my voice calm.
“Yes. He texted to say he was taking a break and leaving town. I don’t know where. I don’t want to know anymore. I’m honestly tired of everybody walking on eggshells around me. So worried about me because they think I’m deeply in love with that man.”
I raised a brow. “Instead you were upset with yourself for not being able to save him.”
“Pretty much. How self-righteous is that?”
I ran my hand over her hair. “You’re a damn good person, Aria. And we’re going to go back to that self-esteem thing.”
She gave me a wry smile, her fingers dancing over the denim on my thigh. “Of course you would pick up on that.”
“I’m a jerk like that.” I frowned. “If we’re going to talk about past people we dated or didn’t date, you know Daisy and I only hung out for a little while, right?”
She nodded, though I saw the tension sliding back into her. I hated being the one to do that.
“It was more of friends figuring out what we wanted, and it wasn’t real.”
“But you were having sex. And good sex according to Daisy. Because she went into detail.” At my widened eyes, she continued. “Daisy is one of my best friends. Practically my sister versus my cousin. Of course we tell each other everything.”
I winced. “I don’t really want to know any more, do I?”
“She was very supportive.” Her voice was its most prim and proper.
I threw my head back and laughed, thoughts of what exactly had been said filling my mind and honestly terrifying me. “Dear God. Women really do talk about everything, don’t they?”
“Maybe.” She held up her hands a little over ten inches apart, grinning far too widely for my taste.
I ran my hand over my face. “Aria Montgomery.”
“What?”
“Please do not tell any more of your family members the size of my dick.”
She burst out laughing. “I will do my best not to. Although Daisy knows.”
“Daisy is married, and not going to talk about my dick anymore. At least I hope not.”
“No, there’s a code. She only talks about her husband’s dick.” At my look, she grinned. “No, she keeps that dick to herself. Don’t worry.”
“I think I should be worried.” I cleared my throat. “Lex doesn’t know what my dick looks like either.” I paused. “No, wait, that’s wrong.”
Aria had just taken a sip of her soda and spewed it over the table. “What? I thought you said you and Lex were just friends.”
“There are showers at the gym. And we have peed next to each other. At a urinal. Outside. Camping. And a group of us skinny dipped in the lake once. So I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a few Montgomery dicks. But not in a fun way.” I did my best to keep a smile off my face, but at her wide eyes, I couldn’t help but grin .
“We’ve said the word dick a lot.”
My shoulders shook. “We can talk about cock if you want. Or penis. What innuendo would you like?”
She studied my face, her smile softening. “I like you like this. Laughing and smiling. You don’t do it often enough.”
“You haven’t recently either.” I reached for a chip even though I wasn’t hungry anymore. “It feels weird to think about ever even being with Daisy. Or people thinking I’m with Lex. They are family.”
“But I’m not,” Aria said, even though it sounded like a question.
“Sleeping with you would be fucking weird then. Wouldn’t it?”
She burst out laughing, and I tugged on her waist slightly so I could press my lips to hers.
“You’re not like the others, Aria.”
Her eyes widened, and I knew that was enough of baring my soul for the day. As it was, everything felt a little too rushed, a little too weird. And I wasn’t sure I liked it. I didn’t like this feeling. This happiness that seemed to be seeping through my pores.
We sat there a little longer and when Aria pulled out her camera, fiddling with the buttons, I leaned back and watched her work. I was decent with a point and shoot, but nowhere near her caliber. As she lifted the camera to her face, adjusting the lens, I held my breath. Then she turned toward me and snapped her first photo. Her shoulders relaxed, that tension she’d been holding for so damn long beginning to leave her.
Then she moved her focus to the trees behind me, taking another photo, then another. We didn’t say anything, we didn’t have to. She’d find her frame. Her center.
And I’d watch her work knowing this would always be one of the best parts of my day.
My phone buzzed in that instant. When I looked down at the readout, I realized that any feeling I had was only momentary.
“What is it?” Aria asked.
I tilted my phone to her, because she was one of the few who knew my mother was a bitch. They didn’t know everything. I wasn’t sure I would ever tell them. But this text I could show.
Satan’s mistress a.k.a. Mom:
I see you’re finally showing your worth by getting arrested.
Satan’s mistress a.k.a. Mom:
I had to hear about it at the Club.
Satan’s mistress a.k.a. Mom:
If you’re going to keep shaming me, I’m going to ensure the world knows how useless you are.
“I really hate that woman.” The ice in Aria’s tone matched the ice in my veins.
Chilled, I lifted my shoulder before putting my phone away. “It’s nothing new.”
“You were arrested because of me.”
“If you say that one more time, I’m going to spank that ass.” At her widened eyes, I shook my head. “No, that’s not a good deterrent because you like it when my hand makes your ass all pink.”
She narrowed those blue eyes of hers. “I should spank yours instead.”
“If you can pin me down, you’re welcome to try. Later,” I promised. “The arrest was Travis’s fault. We’ve already discussed this. Stop backtracking.”
“Fine. As long as you realize that your mother is an evil person, and you don’t need to listen to anything she says. I would say that you could use my mother as a good mother, but then we get into the weird family thing again.” I knew she was trying to make me laugh, but I didn’t have any words. Instead I lifted her onto my lap and held her close. She seemed to understand, and she wrapped her arms around me, pressing her cheek to mine.
I knew this wasn’t forever. That we’d accidentally fallen into this moment, this connection. That would have to be okay with me.
But for now, I would take this.