Holidays With the Walker Brothers (18 page)

Well,
the only positive note in all of this was that Braydon wasn’t the only one who
seemed to be involved in some convoluted love triangle. The only difference was
that Ethan was strong enough to walk away.

Braydon
prayed that he could find the strength somewhere. Because if he didn’t, his
world was going to come crumbling down around him, and he didn’t think his
family was ready for that.

♂♂

Ethan

By
the time most of the guests had left, it was late, but Ethan and the rest of
his brothers still had one last gift that they needed to give. They’d been
chatting nonstop ever since the interesting round of secret Santa had
concluded, not trying to encourage anyone to go home, but Ethan was actually
looking forward to the night being over.

He
was ready to go home.

Alone.

A
few minutes ago, he’d managed to send Blake on his way without confrontation,
although he originally thought there was going to be a problem. Considering Beau
was still there, and Zane didn’t want him leaving, Blake had originally been
gearing up for a tantrum. Ethan had quickly put a stop to that. He couldn’t
stand that whiny bullshit, but he had to admit, he had handled it better than
he thought he would have.

“We’re
going back to the living room,” Kaleb informed him as he passed through the
kitchen, coming back inside after taking Zoey’s father home a few minutes ago.

Ethan
nodded his head in understanding as he turned to see where everyone was. He
needed to ensure he stayed as far away from Beau as possible because as the
night progressed, it was getting more and more difficult to resist the guy.

Unfortunately,
he didn’t have anyone to blame but himself. For the entire night, Beau had been
the perfect gentleman, never once taunting him. They might’ve shared a few
passing glances, but it appeared Beau was trying hard to avoid him.

Ethan
had to assume that was because Blake had been there. Now that Blake was gone,
he was feeling entirely too vulnerable. As it would seem, having spent years in
Beau’s company during the holidays, Ethan had never actually paid much
attention to how respectful the man was. He was literally the epitome of what
Ethan wanted. Strong, quiet, mature. Not to mention sexy as fucking hell.

Making
his way to the fireplace once again, he took a seat, hoping Sawyer would take
his original seat beside him. As he watched the others return to the living
room, he was disappointed right off when Sawyer took a seat beside Zoey. When
each of his brothers took an available seat on the couches, his anxiety level
rose.

“You
mind?” Beau asked, startling Ethan. He hadn’t seen or heard the man approach.

Yes.
Yes, he did
mind, thank you very much. Shaking his head no, he moved closer to the edge,
trying to leave enough space between them so that he didn’t risk touching him.

“Mom.
Dad,” Travis began, sitting on the arm of the sofa directly across from his
father’s chair. “We all got together this year,” Travis continued, gesturing to
those who were in the room, “and decided to get you something we hoped you
would enjoy.”

“Are
you saying they don’t usually enjoy what we get them?” Zane asked, making
everyone laugh.

“Only
what you get them,” Travis said seriously, causing Zane to scowl at him.

Ethan
watched from across the room, doing his best to ignore the tantalizing scent of
Beau’s cologne, and the heat of his body just a few inches beside him.

This
sucked.

Truly sucked.

Ethan
forced himself to focus on Travis and not on Beau. He knew he wasn’t
successful, but he had to at least pretend. There was no way in hell he was
letting Beau know just how affected he was by his nearness.

Travis
handed his parents an envelope, then took his seat back on the arm of the couch
and put his arm around Kylie.

“Go
ahead,” Curtis told Lorrie as he looked up at her.

Their
mother smiled, looking around the room, and before she even opened the
envelope, Ethan could see a sheen of tears in her eyes. Crap. She was going to
get emotional, and that was the last thing Ethan needed at the moment.

In
fact, the only thing he needed was air. Lots of air.

Outside
air.

Fuck.
Was it getting hot in there? Did someone turn on the heater?

“Oh…”
Lorrie squealed. “Oh my goodness!”

“What
is it, woman?” Curtis asked gruffly, reaching for the envelope she had a death
grip on.

“Holy
sh –”

“Dad!”
Kaleb yelled, laughing as he interrupted his father’s curse.

“Sorry,”
he replied with a mischievous grin, still reading the card that had been inside
the envelope. “Is this real?”

“It’s
real,” Travis confirmed.

Ethan
knew what his parents were looking at. Every single person in the room knew,
including Beau. They’d all pitched in to buy their parents a cruise. An Alaskan
cruise to be exact.

His
parents weren’t world travelers, but it wasn’t a secret that his father had
always intended to take his mother on an Alaskan cruise – the one and only trip
she had ever dreamed about – for their honeymoon. Needless to say, that trip
had never happened. Aside from never being able to afford to go when they were
married, with seven boys to contend with over the years, his mother always said
they never had the time to go.

Well,
Ethan knew they had the time to go now.

He
met his father’s stare, noticing the glassy way his eyes shimmered as he
searched every one of their faces.

“Merry
Christmas,” Kaleb said, causing a succession of several to follow.

“This
is wonderful,” Lorrie said, her voice soft, her eyes moist. “I can’t believe
you did this.”

“We
figured you could both use some time away from us,” Zane offered with a huge grin.

“That
is not why we got it for them,” Sawyer said as he smacked Zane on the back of
the head.

“Whatever.”

Ethan
glanced down at his hands, noticing his palms were beginning to sweat.
Seriously, the room was getting hot. And Beau’s intoxicating scent wasn’t
helping. He needed to…

Without
saying a word, hoping his parents would understand, Ethan stood up and then
made a beeline for the front door. He needed some air. Just a little.

As
soon as he was outside, the dizziness subsided. He inhaled deeply, letting the
chill in the night air soothe his overheated lungs. He followed the wraparound
porch to the side of the house, not wanting to encourage company should one of
his brothers come out to check on him. He wouldn’t be able to explain himself
if they did. Hell, he didn’t even know what was wrong with him.

“You
ok?”

Ethan
groaned, unable to stop himself. The deep, rich baritone of Beau’s voice was
the most erotic thing he’d ever heard, and right then, in the state he was in,
he couldn’t stop himself from reacting to it.

“Fine,”
he responded breathlessly, hoping like hell Beau didn’t come any closer.

Fuck.

He
was moving closer.

Closer
still.

“Stop,”
Ethan pleaded, backing up against the wall. “Turn around and walk away.”

Beau
didn’t move, but Ethan didn’t look at him. He didn’t want to see those intense
brown eyes, or the beautiful, sculpted lines of his jaw. Didn’t want to notice
the immense size of his body or wonder what it would feel like against his.

“Please,
just go,” Ethan whispered.

To
his horror, Beau moved closer. They were hidden in the shadows of the porch,
but Ethan wasn’t worried about anyone seeing them. That’s not what had him
barely breathing.

Beau’s
nearness was making him crazy, and the fact that he’d fought this feeling for
so long was finally causing him to crack. When he’d been sitting in the living
room, Beau close to him, right at his side, Ethan hadn’t been able to avoid
thinking about what it would be like if this were his life. If Beau was with
him
.
If Beau was there because of
him
. His
lover
. His
man
.

For
a fraction of a second, he’d wanted that. Wanted to have Beau with him, to know
that when they left his parents on Christmas night, he’d be going home with
him. Spending the night in his arms.

But
it wasn’t real. It wouldn’t happen.

It
couldn’t
happen.

And
now he was freaking out like a fucking pussy.

“Ethan.”
Beau was close enough that Ethan could feel his breath, could practically feel
the warmth of his skin against him. And the way he said his name…

“Breathe.”

Ethan
made the mistake of looking at Beau. Meeting his gaze in the dim light cast by
the holiday lights outlining the house, the concern he saw there nearly had him
choking on his own fear. Fear that he could possibly get in over his head with
this guy.

When
Beau’s large, callused hand came up and touched him gently on the cheek, Ethan
thought he might pass out. “Fuck,” he groaned, never taking his eyes off of
Beau.

What
would he do if Beau kissed him? Could he even push him away? He needed to. That
was the smart thing to do because it didn’t matter how badly Ethan wanted him,
he wasn’t the man Beau needed.

Ethan
was notorious for casual sex, nothing more, nothing less. He wasn’t looking for
a relationship and the gentleness in Beau’s gaze every time he looked at him
told Ethan that’s what Beau was looking for.

“Awww,
fuck,” Ethan whispered. He was going to lose his control. Beau’s hand eased
down, his thick, warm fingers sliding behind his neck, his thumb scraping
sensually across his throat as he stared at him.

When
Beau’s lips came down to rest on his, Ethan swore he would come right then and
there. Gentle, sweet, and so fucking tender, Ethan didn’t know what to do. He
was confused, angry. He didn’t want this, didn’t want Beau.

But,
God, he did want him. With a desperation he’d never known before.

Without
realizing it, Ethan found his hands gripping the front of Beau’s shirt, pulling
him closer until their tongues were entwined, the world and everyone in it
diminishing with the taste of Beau’s kiss.

The
squeak of the front door opening was like a bucket of ice water being tossed
over him and Ethan pulled away at the same time he shoved Beau. Glaring at him,
he let his rage take over.

“Get
the fuck away from me,” he bit out, his voice low, threatening. “This ain’t
happening.”

To
his surprise, Beau didn’t look hurt, just shocked. With a simple nod of his
head, he turned to go but paused, looking back over his shoulder as he said,
“Just remember, when you’re tired of the games, I’ll still be here. Because no
matter what you think, there is something here. And you won’t be able to stop
thinking about it anymore than I will.”

With
that, Ethan watched Beau’s back as he disappeared around the side of the house,
talking to whoever was there. With a thud, Ethan let his head fall back against
the house.

Closing
his eyes, he made a promise to himself.

No
matter how hard he had to fight it, Ethan would never give in to Beau Bennett.
And if he had to break Beau’s heart in the process, he would do just that.

Whatever
it took.

Let’s ring in the New Year
together…

Please join us for a New Year’s
Eve party

December 31
^st
at
7:00pm

Alluring Indulgence Resort

Hosted by the Walker brothers

♂

Beau

New
Year’s Eve

Beau
honestly couldn’t believe his eyes.

Here
he was, standing inside of the luxurious Alluring Indulgence Resort and the
place wasn’t even open to the public yet. Not that he could tell from looking
around, considering the sheer number of people who were there.

From
the moment he had walked in the door, Beau had been introduced to one person
after another, many of them from Dallas. As he watched the action heat up
around him, he tried to put faces with names. Not something he was proficient
at, but it wasn’t like he had anything else to do at the moment.

Sitting
at the bar height tables scattered throughout the room, Beau saw Zane and V
talking with another couple he’d been introduced to. If he recalled correctly,
their names were Logan and Samantha. He only remembered because the man
mentioned that his twin hadn’t been able to make it for the event and Beau had
been pulled into the conversation.

Opposite
them, a mountain of a man was talking to Travis while Kylie and the woman who
had come with the guy were talking with Gage close by. What the hell was the
guy’s name? He couldn’t remember.

Looking
around, he tried to locate Ethan, but he was nowhere in sight, although Beau
knew he was there. He’d seen him when he arrived, but he knew Ethan was trying
to avoid him like the plague, which actually wasn’t all that surprising. Not
that Beau was in the chasing mood at the moment. If Ethan wanted to play these
cat and mouse games, Beau was willing to sit back and wait for him to get tired
of running.

“Hey,
how’s it going?” Sawyer asked when he walked up holding a beer in one hand
while a gorgeous blonde cuddled up to his side.

“Good.
You?”

“Not
too bad,” Sawyer said with a mischievous grin. “Beau, meet Andrea. Andrea, this
is Beau.”

Beau
nodded his head at the woman. Knowing Sawyer, she’d only be an ornament for a
little while longer, so there was no reason for him to make small talk, nor
would he need to try and remember her name. They didn’t stick around long these
days.

“Have
you seen Greyson?” Sawyer asked, turning to face the crowded room.

Beau
nodded his head toward the far corner of the room. Greyson hadn’t wasted any
time getting the party started tonight. After all, this was supposedly some
sort of taboo sex resort and Greyson was all about the taboo. And the sex. Or
at least that’s what Beau suspected based on the way he’d been groping his date
since they walked in the door.

“Thanks.
I’ll catch you later.”

Beau
didn’t bother with a goodbye. Sawyer was moving at a fast clip toward the wall
where Greyson had a sexy brunette plastered against the wall, her hands
captured above her head in one of Greyson’s while he was pressing a knee
between her spread thighs.

Based
on the action that was quickly heating up around him, this was evidently going
to be the theme for the night. He was almost disappointed that he hadn’t
brought a date with him, but ever since that one night with Zane, the night
that he realized his entire life had been a lie, Beau hadn’t been interested in
seeking out anyone. Not to mention the disaster of a date he’d had right after
he helped Zoey and Kaleb move into their house. His first official date with a
guy was certainly not something he wanted to remember.

Then
again, he had other memories that easily trumped that one. Like the first kiss
he’d ever shared with a man. And not just any man.

Holy
fuck.

Beau
wasn’t sure he’d ever stop thinking about the way Ethan had kissed him, the way
he’d pulled him close, or the feel of Ethan’s erection pressing firmly against
his. It was the most exquisite, mind-blowing feeling in the world. And that was
saying something considering the night he’d been with Zane still lingered on
his mind from time to time.

But
he knew Zane wasn’t an option.

Then
again, if Ethan had his way, Beau wouldn’t have him either.

Despite
the music playing from the overhead speakers, Beau heard a noise behind him,
and he turned to see Brendon, Jessie and Braydon in an interesting state of
undress. There was a small black leather sofa, and the two brothers had Jessie
sandwiched between them. What they were doing was evident, although there
weren’t any stray body parts visible.

Ok,
so if they had meant to keep their threesome a secret, the cat was out of the
bag now. Up to this point, Beau had always heard the rumors, even suspected
they were true, but seeing it firsthand felt… strange.

Feeling
like a voyeur, he turned away quickly.

He
chuckled to himself.

Kind
of the wrong place to be if he felt uncomfortable witnessing others in intense
sexual acts. The night was rapidly progressing as they got closer to the
midnight hour, but he couldn’t help but wonder whether anyone would even notice
when the clock struck midnight at this rate.

“Where’s
Ethan?”

Beau
slowly turned toward the voice, his teeth locking together as he did. Cocking
one eyebrow, he peered down at Blake Henley, but he didn’t say a word.

“Sorry,
man. I figured since you were standing over here all alone, you’d be the one
who could direct me.”

Beau
wanted to tell Blake to fuck off, but he kept his mouth shut.

“So,
have you seen him?”

Swallowing
hard, Beau tried not to smash the beer bottle that he was holding with his bare
hand. “No.” Forcing the one word past his lips was harder than he thought.

“That
figures,” Blake said with a devious smile. “I heard he tries to stay as far
away from you as possible.”

Beau
wanted to turn away, but he couldn’t seem to get his body to cooperate.
Instead, he continued to glare at Blake.

“You
know he’s not interested, right?” Blake taunted, trying to sound unconcerned
but he didn’t fool Beau. “He’s got his man and that’s all he needs.”

Thankfully,
Blake turned away because Beau felt his face heat, the anger building,
searching for an outlet and he damn sure didn’t want Blake to see the effect
his statement had on him. Not that this was the time or place for him to lose
his composure anyway. Reining in every ounce of his control, Beau kept himself
in check, refusing to make a fool out of himself in front of his friends.

Despite
his best effort, the words slipped out anyway.

“If
you’re all he needs, why’s he hiding from
you
?” Beau asked, keeping his
voice low.

Blake’s
head jerked toward him, his eyes narrowed into slits. So, obviously Blake
hadn’t expected Beau to say anything.

Blake
took two steps closer, trying to get up in Beau’s face, but their height
difference made it almost impossible. Beau made Blake look like a little boy
who hadn’t reached puberty yet. Taking a deep breath, he demanded his nerves to
settle. He could handle this.

“If
you know what’s best –” Blake began, but Beau cut him off by leaning right down
into his face.

“Listen
here you little piece of shit. Lay off me. Understand? You’re damn lucky I
haven’t told Ethan what a fuck up you really are.”

“Fuck
you, Bennett,” Blake growled.

Beau
lowered his voice, making sure not to be heard by anyone else around them. The
lethal tone was unavoidable though. “Not in this lifetime. And I suggest you
get Ethan out of your system soon because the guy’s gonna kick your ass to the
curb soon enough. And I’m gonna be waiting. At that point, if you want to chat
about whose balls are bigger, you find me.”

Blake
took an apprehensive step back, his eyebrows shooting skyward. He must’ve
understood the threat.

“Well,
tonight he’s mine. So why don’t you take a seat over there and watch the show.”

“No
can do,” Beau said, forcing himself to sound uninterested. “I only like to
watch when there’s satisfaction to be found by everyone involved. But, you go
find him and don’t try to think about who Ethan’s actually thinking about when
he’s fucking you.”

With
that Beau turned and walked away. After all, he had no intention of letting
Blake hear the way his heart was pounding like a bass drum in his chest. Never
mind the fact that he was lying.

He
fully intended to watch Ethan tonight. And if Ethan chose to fuck that asshole
right there in front of anyone, Beau would make sure Ethan wished it were him
he was with.

♂♀♂♀

Sawyer

Walking
up to Greyson who was probably two seconds away from penetrating the girl he
was with, Sawyer tapped his buddy on the shoulder. “Let’s take it into the
club.”

Greyson
nodded, releasing his hold on the chick he was with. To Sawyer’s surprise, the
girl didn’t even bother to right her clothes as she followed close behind,
still attempting to climb Greyson’s body as they walked.

For
some reason, Sawyer liked her all the more because of it. After all, that’s
just what he was in search of tonight. Mindless sex.

“What’s
this place?” Andrea asked from beside him.

“A
club,” he offered, not wanting to waste any time talking tonight.

Opening
the door to Covet, the club that would soon open to the public and rock their
fucking socks off, Sawyer took a step back and allowed the three of them to
precede him inside. The club was near completion, with the exception of getting
the main bar installed, as well as the various runway platforms that would be
interspersed throughout. So, progress was certainly being made, and Sawyer
found he couldn’t wait to introduce his baby to the world.

Releasing
Andrea’s arm, Sawyer excused himself to go turn on the lights. Might as well set
the mood. While he was at the control panel, he grabbed a bottle of Grey Goose
that he’d stashed before everyone arrived. At the rate his night was going, he
figured getting blind drunk wasn’t going to hurt.

Well,
maybe in the morning, but at least not tonight. And that’s all that mattered.

And
he was already halfway there, how about that.

“Hey,
baby,” Andrea crooned when he rejoined the three of them.

Rather
than respond, Sawyer grinned, sending her exactly the message he wanted her to
receive. Sawyer wasn’t here tonight to get to know this girl. In fact, he
wasn’t much for chit chat of any kind tonight.

But,
he was all for having some fun.

Taking
a swig from the bottle, Sawyer motioned for Andrea to join him as he sat in one
of the chairs beside Greyson. As it turned out, the woman that Greyson had
picked up earlier in the day was a bit more promiscuous than her friend seemed
to be. Not that Andrea appeared to be any sort of saint because, at the moment,
she had taken it upon herself to kneel in front of him where he sat.

Tilting
the bottle of vodka to his lips, Sawyer stared down at her, watching the way
she shyly glanced over at Greyson’s woman, seemingly admiring what she was
doing.

“Go
ahead, honey, join her,” Sawyer suggested, enjoying the effects of the alcohol
he’d been consuming for the last few hours. His tongue was blessedly numb, his
muscles no longer tense, and his head felt incredibly light on his shoulders.
Glancing down at the bottle in his hands, he figured he had at least three more
swigs before he’d be feeling absolutely no pain for the rest of the night.

“What
about you?” Andrea asked, smiling up at him, her long, fake fingernails
trailing up his legs, over his crotch and on to his belt buckle.

Awww,
he liked a chick who wanted to put him first.

“What
about me?” he asked, leaning back in the chair casually, as though he didn’t
have a care in the world. Really, if he thought about it, he didn’t... have a
care in the world that is.

Not
tonight anyway. And maybe not tomorrow. Or…

What
the hell was he…? Oh, right.

This
was the only place he wanted to be. Right here in his club, a hot chick ready
to blow his mind with her mouth while her friend sucked Greyson off like she
was devouring an ice cream cone and couldn’t wait to be finished.

As
Andrea managed to free his semi-hard cock from his jeans, Sawyer watched her,
doing his damnedest to pretend she wasn’t someone else. It didn’t hurt that
Andrea looked nothing like the woman who’d been on his mind for months. A good
thing actually because the last woman he wanted to think about tonight was
Kennedy.

Although,
just the mere thought of her had his dick coming to life much faster than the
blonde on her knees was.