Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Crew
M usic blared from the speakers, a pounding beat that I could feel against my heart. I rolled my shoulders back, letting the so-called “dad rock” get me in the mood to finish this painting. I wasn’t on a commission, this was just for myself, but I needed to get it out of me. Frankly, I rarely worked on commissions. I didn’t like the idea of paint by numbers or paint on demand. And I didn’t need the money.
Many of my contemporaries did however, but they were all of the same mindset. If somebody wanted a commission, they would get what they got, given a slight direction, rather than a firm checklist.
One of my sculptor friends said it was easier for them to make a bowl or a vase for some clients, and still have their own inspiration in it.
The eight foot by ten foot painting currently filling my studio, however, wasn’t something I could whip up in a breeze. I frowned, wondering why I was harping on that. It didn’t matter what anyone else did with their art. Just because I had the privilege of doing whatever the fuck I wanted, didn’t make anyone else less of an artist. I was in a damn mood since the memory care center had called twice in the past week. My dad was declining rapidly, and there would have to be some decisions made soon about what facility would be best for him.
God forbid my mother actually did something. Instead it was on my shoulders. Because apparently the son who hadn’t been worth anything while the father could remember, was the one who was supposed to decide quality of life.
I dipped my paintbrush in a deep and vibrant red I had blended together earlier and went to war with the canvas. Sometimes I went abstract, sometimes I went portrait or realistic. Today I was in the mood to work with oils, meaning everything was a mess, and I’d have to deal with the clean up later. The art called me in this instant and I wanted to see what I could do with this, and that wouldn’t go away.
Hence why I wanted to get this painting out of my studio. Either in the trash, out on some tour, or in somebody’s house who could get something from it.
I kept going, adding a slightly different red, then changing techniques with black and grays. The layering itself felt as if it were jagged edges of whatever the hell feelings wouldn’t get out of my brain. I just kept going, knowing that if I didn’t finish this soon, I’d be unpleasant to deal with later.
I added a touch of purple, and then went into shading, when my phone alarm finally went off.
Startled, I pulled myself out of the zone and set down my paintbrushes.
I was in my home studio, tarps and drop cloths draped everywhere, and I looked like I had rolled in my paint right along with it. I wasn’t always this messy, but it had been a hell of a day.
Using my nose to turn off the alarm because it was the only thing not covered in paint I could use, I began cleanup. I didn’t like working on a timer, but I had somewhere to be.
A smile finally covered my face after the day from hell, and I couldn’t help but wonder when exactly I had fallen into this.
Aria had an art show later today, as well as some students from the Montgomery Gallery, and a few of the other Montgomerys themselves. I was excited to see what she was going to show since she had been secretive about it. That was the way she was sometimes though. Art was personal, even when you told yourself it wasn’t.
Hell, I didn’t like the art in front of me, and I didn’t know if I would ever, but if I looked too deep, I would realize it was because I didn’t like the person I became after dealing with my parents. I didn’t need additional therapy hours to come to that conclusion. I’d already been through enough therapy to get to this point.
I snorted as I finished cleaning up, shaking my head. Considering my therapist was the one who told me to finally shit or get off the pot when it came to Aria, I couldn’t really complain.
Of course, the old man who listened to my troubles and usually had a good word to say, wouldn’t be that vulgar. He would have some elegant way to say that I should focus on what I had and speak about my feelings.
Only I wasn’t quite sure how to tell the woman who I was just now seeing that I had been in love with her for years.
That wouldn’t go well for anyone.
Aria was like a deer in headlights. And she had just blinked, slowly moving to the other side of the road. But if I revved the engine, or made any sudden movement like turning off my lights, or saying something as idiotic as I loved her, she would either freeze once again or run. And I’d seriously taken everything out of that metaphor apparently.
She was just getting out of whatever hellscape relationship she had with Travis. And while I knew it wasn’t a romantic relationship, it was still a tethered emotional one. Because her past with that man wrapped around the history I shared with her. Every single pivotal moment between us until recently had been due to Travis and his addiction, or our reaction to the space he had made.
I wasn’t quite sure I liked putting it that way. But then again, Travis would always be there.
No, she was no longer helping him. No longer actively trying to make him a better person than he was, but the man was still out there. And that, combined with dealing with both of my parents today, meant that I needed to get in a better mood before I saw Aria.
She needed me to be the strong one. Because she always got so stressed-out during art shows. And one where people would actually be seeing her pieces, my worry over a man who had nothing to do with this, would just make things worse.
I had no idea where we were going, what the hell she felt, or what I even wanted out of this, but considering I was the one who brought us this far, I wasn’t going to back down. I shook my head, wondering why I was being so introspective, considering whenever I finished a painting, that’s when I could purge everything. Except Aria always did something to me.
I quickly showered, grateful for paint remover, and changed into dark gray pants, nicer biker boots that fit the suit that Aria had bought me one day since I hated dress shoes most days, and a dove gray button up shirt. Honestly, I could’ve worn anything I wanted to this. It wasn’t going to be formal, but Aria had mentioned she was going to wear a dress, so I might as well not look like a heathen next to her.
I winced, knowing that at some point the two of us needed to talk about what the hell we were to each other. But that wasn’t right now. Instead, I grabbed my phone, wallet, keys, and headed to my car.
I called Aria on the way, knowing that I was meeting her there, rather than picking her up like I wanted. We had been sleeping at each other’s homes nearly every night, and I was getting used to waking up next to her.
Before, when we just used each other to get whatever we were feeling out of the other, we hadn’t slept over. I hadn’t let myself think we would even want that. But now, waking up with her in my arms, with that sweet little ass pressed up against my cock every morning, I wasn’t sure I wanted it any other way. I probably should be listening to the warning sirens at that, but I wasn’t. That was a warning in its own right.
I pulled into the main parking lot, happy to see it was nearly full. A few people were already parked on the street, and I was grateful there was a small employee area. I noticed Aria’s SUV in the corner, and I quickly made my way inside.
When she had said she would wear a dress, I should’ve asked her what kind of dress.
Because my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth, and my eyes nearly rolled out of my head.
She had on this asymmetrical flowing piece of fabric that made my mouth water and my cock standing at attention. The slit on the right side was high enough that I could see long swaths of tan thigh. She had on stiletto shoes to match the dress, and while the front of it was pretty demure with the neckline being right at her collarbone, the back was nonexistent.
You could see all of the ink that her family had given her over time because she had pulled that dark hair back into an elegant bun thing. The dress left her arms bare and the rest of the dress showcased those luscious curves I had licked every inch of. And the deep, vibrant ruby color of it made her stand out in a sea of mostly black and white. Of course, there were a few other colors among some of the patrons who had strolled in as well, with one guy wearing this peach suit thing that reminded me of an older movie. But I only had eyes for Aria. Then again, that was usually the case when it came to her.
With a smile on her face, she spoke to Lex. My best friend had a worried look, but it was gone in a blink. I knew I’d have to get the information out of him soon. Her cousin wore a dark purple shirt with black pants, the two of them laughing at something Lex said. And while Lexington looked like he meant it, I saw the tension hiding in his smile.
Ignoring others calling for me, because I had forgotten that I had a piece in this as well, I made a beeline toward Aria.
Lexington’s eyes widened as he saw me, before a clever smile covered that face of his. “I think you’re about to be stolen from me.”
Aria turned, a frown on her face, before her shoulders relaxed marginally. “You’re late.”
“I was working.”
“Taking over the world or painting?”
I leaned forward and kissed her jaw. She smelled of roses, and I had to swallow hard. She kept changing that scent on me. It was like a surprise every time I was near her.
“Painting. ”
“That’s good considering your piece over there already sold,” Lexington said, gesturing with his champagne flute.
I looked over my shoulder and frowned at the dark landscape painting I had set aside a few months ago. I could see the errors in it, but I still liked that piece. I had captured that moment in the mountains after an event with the Montgomerys. When Travis had shown up drunk, and Aria had done her best to try to save her friend. And in the end, the first fracture in my friendship with her had begun. We had sealed it now, because we had done the one thing we were never good at before: communicate. But I could still remember that night, when another one of us had nearly died, and Aria had lost part of herself along the way.
Her hand slid into mine and squeezed. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, swiping a champagne flute from a passing server. “Just thinking about that painting. I forgot Riley was using it.”
“It was okay, right? You signed for everything but I’m sure we can change it if we need to.”
“Oh it’s fine. I was just thinking about your work, and my current project.” And my parents.
“You artists always surprise me with what you can do,” Lexington said with a shake of his head. “But whoever bought that is lucky. I was looking at it, but it’s too rich for my blood.”
“You know I would paint anything for you,” I told one of my best friends. “For a price.”
“And there it is,” Lex said with a laugh, gesturing with his drink.
Aria leaned into me, her eyes filled with nerves. “Will you walk with me to the other side of the room, so I don’t have to see people looking at my art? I’d rather hang out in the student area. They’ve done such fantastic work.”
I leaned forward and brushed my lips against her ruby red ones. “Of course. But you have nothing to be worried about.”
“I didn’t say I was worried,” she bit out.
I winced, knowing I’d read her wrong. Maybe we weren’t communicating the way we should. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I will leave you two to it.” Lex practically ran down the hall and toward another group of our friends.
Aria wrung her hands together but didn’t look at me. “I know it’s good work, and I know it’ll sell. If that’s what I really want. I’m fine.”
I tilted my head to study her face. “Then what’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nothing. Just always feel awkward at these things. ”
“Then let’s go see how the student section is doing and keep your mind off it.”
“Why are you being so reasonable when I’m being a bitch?” she muttered as we went to the front of the gallery where a few student pieces were being showcased.
“I can be an asshole if you want. I’m pretty good at it. But you’re not being a bitch.”
“If I agree with you, then I’m once again that bitch,” she said, but her lips twitched.
My girl had layers and we both knew this. Aria made sure everyone around her knew they were at their best but was harder on herself than anyone else. “These things don’t make me nervous. I don’t know why. Other shit with this job makes me nervous, but not this. So I just take it in stride. If you want to lash out at me, I can take it out on your ass later,” I teased.
Her cheeks flushed, and I just grinned. She opened her mouth to say something, but then her face lost all color, her jaw tightening. Worried, I set down my glass and turned, only to come face to face with the person I had hoped moved on into oblivion.
“For a woman who declared her love for me, you moved on pretty quick,” Travis slurred, his eyes glassy. He had lost weight since I had last seen him, the dark circles under his eyes growing. He reeked of booze, and from the way he twitched, he had to have something else in his system.
The showing hadn’t been invite only, so anybody could walk in from the streets. However, we did have security considering the Montgomerys owned the company. Travis was a usual so perhaps the others hadn’t gotten the memo he was no longer wanted. Or worse, maybe Aria had invited him. I ignored the ache in my gut at that thought.
Daisy and Noah were already walking toward us, ready to deal with the situation, and as people turned, the spectacle growing, Aria tensed beside me.
“Travis. Please. Not here. Not now.” Aria’s voice was calm, but I heard the strain beneath it.
“Oh? You’re going to dictate what I can do now? You’ve always done that.” He turned to me. “Is she a better lay than I’ve heard? Because she’s always been a frigid bitch. I assume she’s like that bed too. I’d have fucked her since I knew she wanted it. But she was too easy. Always was.”
Without thinking, my fist collided with Travis’s jaw. The man crumpled, and people started shouting. Noah pulled me off him, and I held out both hands.
“I did my part.”
“I think you did enough,” Aria murmured before she looked at Travis on the floor, as some of Noah’s team began to drag him out.
Then she looked up at me and I staggered. The disappointment I saw there enraged me even more. “What?” I barked. “Are you really mad at me?”
She just shook her head and walked off, the sound of her stilettos on tile echoing throughout the gallery.
“Go after her,” Daisy snapped.
I looked at my ex-girlfriend and frowned. “Where the hell do you think I’m going? I don’t know why she’s angry though.”
Daisy studied my face before shaking her head. “Maybe because you used your fists? And once again took care of it so she couldn’t.”
I glared. “And I’m supposed to let her handle everything when he talks like that?”
“Maybe stop arguing with me and continuing to make a scene, and go after her,” Daisy whispered, before turning her back on me and following to where the others had taken Travis.
Anger coursing through my veins, I moved through the crowds who continued to ask questions, murmuring with one another while some recorded everything with their phones. Because of course I wanted this on the internet .
“Where is she?” I asked Lex, who narrowed his gaze.
“In the office. She’s pacing in there because she wanted to leave, and I told her that it was better if she stayed. Then she yelled at me. You go handle this. And thank you for hitting him because I wanted to cut off his balls.”
That made me feel marginally better. “At least someone agrees with me.”
“I’m not going to touch that. But tread lightly, Crew.”
I snarled, ready to go find Travis and kick his ass once again. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Then you should be fine.” And with that, he shook his head, leaving me alone as I walked down the hall to the main office.
Riley, the Montgomery who ran the gallery, had another office down the corridor, but this was the main one that people used when they needed to get paperwork done when not at their studio.
Aria stood at one of the message boards, chin lowered as she stared at her hands. I closed the door behind me, finally letting out a sigh. She turned toward me, her eyes dark. “Did you really have to hit him?”
Staggered, I took step back. “You’re really worried about him?” Of all the things she could have said, I never thought it would be this. That I’d done it wrong. That I’d failed her. Again.
Then she surprised me.
“I don’t care about him. Which makes me feel like a horrible person because he was one of my best friends. But no, that man out there isn’t the Travis I knew. And I’ve spent five years trying to be there for him. And he’s consistently hurt me and pushed me away. So I had done my best to cut him off. He can come to us, to me , when he needs help. But I’m not going to be his punching bag. But, Crew? You don’t have to continue to use your fists to solve my problems. You think I’m that weak?”
I threw my hands into the air. “I don’t think you’re weak. But you’re allowed to let people help you.”
“Then show him out the door. I don’t care what he says about me. Yes, it’s cruel. It’s embarrassing. It’s probably all over the internet since people were recording. But he doesn’t matter. You do.”
“Aria—”
“You matter, you dumbass.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. But you matter, Crew. More than anyone I let myself get close to. But Travis? He’ll press charges. And once again, you’re going to end up behind bars because the person that I trusted is breaking both of us. You keep getting hurt because of me. Look at your hand. And it’s the hand that you use to paint. It’s already swelling, Crew, and you’re not putting ice on it. Meaning you’re not taking care of yourself. You are too busy worrying about me, but you never think about yourself.”
Her chest heaved as she spoke, but I saw the worry there. I didn’t know what to do with it. Others didn’t have to worry about me. I was the one who was there for them. It’s what I’d been good at since it wasn’t like I’d grown up learning how any other way.
“I’m fine, Aria.”
If possible, her eyes went molten. “You’re not. You keep preparing yourself to stand in front of a bullet for me, but you won’t even let me pull you out of the way.”
The thought of Aria in front of a bullet nearly made me pass out, bile coating my tongue. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Let me get you some damn ice.” She stepped toward the mini fridge, then pulled out a tiny ice packet.
“How did you know that was in there?” I asked.
“Because Riley uses it for migraines sometimes so I’m going to borrow it and use it for your knuckles. I just don’t want you to be hurt. Especially for me. Not again.”
“You know I would do anything for you.” My heartrate was finally starting to slow down, but I was still confused at why she seemed so damn angry at me .
She met my gaze, her eyes steady. “Maybe stop hitting him for me. Maybe think about yourself.”
“I wasn’t going to let him just walk out of there after saying those things to you.”
Finally she looked away, her shoulders sagging. “Crew. What am I going to do with you?”
“He’s lucky I didn’t kill him. After the day I’ve had, he’s damn lucky.”
“What happened today?” she asked, her gaze pleading when she looked back up at me.
“Just stuff,” I lied.
“And there it is again. You keep everything to yourself because you’re afraid it’ll be too much for me. But it’s not. Travis wasn’t the be –all, end-all of my life. I can be there for my family, my friends. And I sure as hell can be there for you. What happened today, Crew?”
I frowned, realizing I didn’t tell her things. I kept them to myself because that’s what I always did. It’s where my issues belonged. It’s what my parents had taught me, even though the Montgomerys and their boisterous nature might be different, it didn’t change who I was.
“I’m not good at this,” I whispered.
She traced her finger along my jaw, and I shivered. “Just one thing. Tell me one thing, Crew.”
I swallowed hard, that crevice in my heart pulsating even though I did my best to ignore it. “My dad forgot me again. Then he threw his book at my face. I didn’t duck completely.” I pointed to the bruise forming right beneath my hairline, and Aria’s eyes widened.
“Crew! You’re hurt and I couldn’t see it with your hair brushed that way. Oh, baby.” She moved forward and cupped my face. I turned to kiss her palm, and she scowled.
“Stop being so sweet. I’m mad at you for getting hurt and not telling any of us. Because I know you didn’t tell Lex. He’d have told me.”
“I can handle myself, Aria.”
Her hands dropped away. “Then why can’t you let me do the same?”
I leaned forward and brushed my lips against hers. “Stop.”
“Stop what? Stop caring about you? Stop getting angry when you punch Travis? Stop wanting to yell at the world right along with you because of your dad?”
“Stop trying to be rational when there’s nothing rational about this.”
A tear slid down her cheek, and I set down the ice pack before leaning forward to kiss that tear away. And then the next. And then the next.
“I’m okay, Crew. Travis didn’t wound me. I don’t want you to be injured for him. He’s dangerous. And I don’t want him to be part of this.” She pointed between the two of us. “I barely know what this is. I’m so afraid that once again he’s going to break down something important to me.”
“He can’t do that,” I lied once again. Because I didn’t know what this was to begin with. And Travis would always be there.
The ghost and shade that would never leave.
“I need you to be okay too,” she whispered, and then went to her tiptoes to press her lips against mine.
I deepened the kiss, caging her with my arms against the desk. It started gentle and then grew harder as she parted her lips for me and moaned. She tilted her head back, and I used one hand to tug on her hair. It fell from its bun, and whatever was holding it up clattered to the desk.
I nudged my way between her legs, and then used one hand to lift her up by her thigh. She let out a gasp as she balanced on the edge of the desk, and I slid my hand up the slit in her dress.
“Did you wear this red for me?”
“Crew.”
“Aria. Tell me. Is this for me?”
Her lips trembled, her gaze dark. “You know I did. But we shouldn’t be doing this.”
“Doing what?” I asked as I used one hand to cup her chin, slowly sliding my thumb into her mouth. “Suck.” When she did, my cock pressed against the zipper of my pants. Then I moved my hand beneath her dress and froze.
“Are you not wearing panties?” I asked before moving my thumb over her cunt.
“They got in the way.”
I growled before moving my hand to tug on her hair once more. She gasped, and then I speared her with two fingers. No preparation, no warning. But she was so wet the sound echoed through the quiet office.
“You’re so fucking sexy. You’re wet for me and I’m barely touching you. When you walk in those sexy heels for me, is your bare pussy out there for anyone to see if you bent over a certain way? Do your thighs rub together, humming along your clit? How close are you?”
“Crew, I was supposed to take care of you.”
“You’re doing it.” All she had to do was give in and she bathed me in care and hope.
“I can’t.”
“You’re going to.” I worked my fingers in and out of her, a fast motion that drenched my palm as I rolled my thumb over her clit. As her moaning grew louder, I crushed my mouth to hers, keeping her silent. And when she came, she clamped down around my fingers, the sensation nearly making me come in my pants .
I pulled my fingers out of her, and then shoved them in her mouth. She gagged, then smiled as she licked herself off me.
“Do you want my cock, Aria? Can I give that to you? After everything that happened, do you want my cock inside you?”
She studied my face, a small smile playing on her face. “We shouldn’t. They’re going to know. But I always want you, Crew. And that’s the problem.”
“Then you’re going to have to be quiet, but I’ll let you come around my cock. You’re going to have to take all of me. For punishment for not wearing panties. And for thinking I can’t take care of you.”
She frowned, her hand frozen in the action of rubbing over my linen covered cock. “For once, are you going to let me take care of you? Because we both know I can take care of myself.”
We weren’t just talking about sex just then, and I knew if we kept going down this path, we wouldn’t end up with me deep inside her. Instead we’d fight once again. But I was so fucking angry that Travis was always there . That no matter what I did, he would be on the periphery, ready to break everything that we could make.
I wanted to claim her in front of everybody, no matter how caveman that made me feel. But I wouldn’t do that. Instead I would just claim her between the two of us. And hoped to hell that Travis didn’t ruin it all.
And that I didn’t let him.
“Take my cock out,” I ordered.
She met my gaze, as if still searching for the answers, before she reached for the button of my slacks and undid them. She slowly tugged down the zipper and pulled me out of my boxer briefs. She squeezed around the base of my shaft, and I groaned, running my thumb along her jawline.
“Your lips are already swollen from my mouth. I love looking at them when they are wrapped around my cock.”
“Do you want my pussy? Or my mouth?” She fluttered her eyelashes so innocently, that I had to hold back a laugh. Anyone could walk into this room since I hadn’t locked it. And we weren’t exactly being quiet.
“The answer is always both.” But before she could say anything, I crushed my mouth to hers, lifted her up slightly, and plunged into her. She gasped into my mouth, and I had to hold back a growl of my own.
I held her close, pumping in and out of her as she rolled her hips thrust for thrust.
I wanted to strip off that dress, watch her tits bounce as I fucked her hard, but that would have to come later. This needed to be hard and fast, and when she began to flutter around my dick, I pumped once, twice, and came, knowing that everybody would be hearing me nearly shouting her name. It didn’t matter that we tried to quiet ourselves. There was no way I could ever be truly silent when it came to Aria Montgomery.
We stood there in the aftermath, with me still balls deep inside her, and I looked between us, at the way that we were connected, and let out a shuddering breath.
“I don’t want him to ruin us,” I muttered. “That means no matter what I do, I have a chance of ruining this.”
A soft brush against my temple, and then fingers fluttering against my lips. “We won’t let him. But you have to talk to me.”
I leaned forward and kissed her softly, far gentler than before. “And you have to do the same.”
I just had to hope we were telling the truth.