Heart So Hollow (Dire Wolves Book 1), page 62
Be my shotgun, then I’ll be yours later…
Some dumb shit like that. And it works like a charm. Every…single…time.
Evie knits her brow in confusion, “Why not?”
“Because he’s racing me and I know how he’s going to drive trying to beat me.”
She lets out an exasperated groan, “Come on, Col, don’t do this…”
“Don’t do what?”
“Girls ride with you all the time!” she exclaims. “Besides, Bo’s not some rando asshole. He’s my friend.”
“Bullshit, he’s your friend!” I hiss, towering over her.
Friend…I don’t know whether to laugh or punch someone. The thought of Bowen Garrison watching a romcom with Evie or listening to her fret about Carly Buchignani, who plays for St. Iggy, looks like a linebacker, and throws the fastest pitches in the state, sounds ridiculous. Has he even been to one of her games?
He would only do that kind of shit if…
“I don’t need your permission,” she states with conviction, “I’m riding with Bo.”
“The fuck you are,” I invade her space even more.
When I glance over the roof of the car, I realize Bowen is watching us intently. He tips his chin up, peering at me as he sucks on his cigarette. The louder my voice gets, the more it draws him in like a moth to a flame. The last thing I need right now is him wandering over here to see what’s going on.
I let out an irritated groan. Since when does Evie describe Bowen as her friend? Hannah is her friend, Hildy is her best friend, and Bowen is neither.
Then it dawns on me. Maybe this is what he’s been doing since last fall…
“He’s not bad, Col,” Evie softens her voice, “why do you hate him so much?”
I tighten my jaw, “Because I know him, Evie. And you should, too, by now. I know the kind of shit he does and who he does it with.”
She narrows her eyes, but there’s hint of disappointment in them, “And there’s no possible way he could be interested in someone like me.”
Shit…
“Don’t you fucking do that, Evie,” I grit my teeth, “you know exactly what I mean. He does what he wants, when he wants, and doesn’t care who gets in his way.”
“Like you?” she glares back at me.
I just stare at Evie, because she knows me, and she’s right. And fuck Bowen.
I’m standing here trying to convince her why she shouldn’t give him the time of day, and it’s because of what happened two months ago in the pole building right behind his car. And I can’t say shit because it would mean I’d have to tell her about the last real conversation I had with Bowen, when I was sitting on a rodent-infested couch behind a back hoe getting my dick sucked by some girl from Hellbranch.
●●●
Everyone else is at the other end of the building with three coolers worth of beer and a few handles of whiskey. Any suspicious noises are easily drowned out by the bass pumping through the speakers on the workbench and the distant hum of a snowmobile somewhere out in the fields. Out of nowhere, a tall girl with dark hair appears from behind the John Deere back hoe with Bowen on her heels.
When she sees me, she immediately freezes in surprise and raises her hands apologetically before turning around. But instead of leaving, Bowen blocks her path and nods to the couch.
She glances between us with apprehension, but Bowen steps past her with indifference, “Col doesn’t mind.”
The blonde Hellbranch girl between my knees startles and her eyes go wide. But before she can lift her head too high, I grasp the back of her neck and push her back down, massaging the center of her shoulders until she relaxes again.
Bowen collapses onto the tattered cushion next to me, so close that his arm bumps mine. I don’t know why he’s over here, it’s more commonplace for him to bend a girl—or two—over a folding table and fuck her in front of 15 people holding Solo cups. He likes to be center stage.
He peers into my lap, “Well, she’s just as cute as a button,” he comments before swinging one arm behind his head and beckoning for the tall girl.
She looks slightly unnerved at first, but complies, stepping up to the couch and sinking down in front of him. She must not know Bowen very well. But she doesn’t waste any time in tearing open his jeans and going at his dick like it’s a goddamn Rocket Pop.
Once she gets to work, Bowen turns to me, “Is Evie here?”
Are you fucking kidding me right now?
Bro seriously has zero chill.
“No,” I mumble, sucking in a breath as Hellbranch Girl slowly deep throats me.
“She was talking about Evanescence the other day,” he stares down at Tall Girl as she runs her tongue up his dick and closes her mouth around his tip, “that’s her favorite band, right?” It doesn’t seem to bother him when I don’t respond. “They’ll be here this summer, do you think I should take her?”
At that, Tall Girl glances up at Bowen. He catches the affront in her eyes and pushes her face back down. She clearly doesn’t know him if she thinks any of this involves feelings or will continue past tonight. I just try to ignore him, watching Hellbranch Girl as she wags her tongue back and forth under my shaft.
I run my fingers through her wavy hair, “You like taking me deep?” She looks up at me with her blue eyes, rimmed with sharp black liner, and moans in response. “You going to be nice and swallow because you’re my little fuck doll tonight?” She nods, eager to please. “Yeah, you are,” I smirk.
I suddenly realize Bowen’s staring at the side of my head like he’s waiting for a response.
I glare at him in my periphery, “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Evie—” he breathes, letting his head fall back and closing his eyes, “should I take her to Evanescence?”
Shut the hell up about Evanescence. I don’t fucking care about Evanescence.
“No,” I mumble, staring down at Hellbranch Girl while she swirls her tongue around my tip.
“Why not?” Bowen lifts his head, taken aback, “Are you already taking her?”
“Jesus Christ…” I mutter, starting to lose my patience.
“It’s not like that, Col. Evie’s not like these two,” he nods down to the girls at our feet, “she’s next level. She’s 10 times the effort, but I bet she’ll make you see God once you make the cut.”
I swear to God, if he wrecks my night…
But before I can even open my mouth, Tall Girl pauses and lifts her head, seething with anger. I roll my head back and close my eyes, trying to block out everything except Hellbranch Girl bobbing up and down on my dick, seemingly oblivious to Bowen’s commentary. Either she doesn’t care because I’m not the one dunking on her or she doesn’t have the audacity to stand up to Bowen.
“Say something,” Bowen challenges, glaring down at Tall Girl, “then you can swallow my kids and I’ll find another cunt out there that needs a good fucking.”
She glares at him for another moment, then slowly lowers her head and decides she’d rather stick around and take her chances. Granted, with the look he has in his eyes, she better like getting hate-fucked.
“I got your back, Col,” Bowen continues, “I take care of Evie when you’re not around—make sure she’s safe, that no one fucks with her, because things are different, now,” he turns and looks at my profile, “she wants my attention.”
My eyes fly open and I lift my head, staring straight ahead at the green siding of the back hoe. When I finally turn to Bowen, he’s watching Tall Girl, the corner of his mouth twitching into a snarl as she deep throats him. When she slides him halfway out, he grabs her by the back of her hair, making her yelp.
Holding her still, he leans in close and gets in her face, “You done being a little bitch?”
She presses her mouth shut and winces in pain as he clenches her hair tighter.
“Speak up, princess,” Bowen murmurs, his voice dripping with malice.
Tall Girl rakes her teeth over her bottom lip, “Yes,” she whispers.
His mouth curls with satisfaction, “I’m going to have a lot of fun fucking that self-righteousness out of you.”
I can’t help but roll my eyes, that’s rich...
Bowen stills for a moment, then suddenly his hand flies up and he pops her across the jaw. She gasps in shock and her eyes dart to me, then back to Bowen.
“Don’t look at him,” Bowen gives her head a jerk, “he’s not going to help you. I run your shit.”
Hellbranch Girl peers at them out of the corner of her eye but doesn’t break rhythm. Once he’s finished his reprimands, Bowen pushes Tall Girl’s shocked face back down onto his dick and turns his attention to me. Because now he knows he has mine.
“She was in our hot tub last night when I got home,” he shoots me a sideways glance, “they were drunk as skunks,” he chuckles.
Bowen reaches behind his back and pulls his phone out of his pocket. A few seconds later, he rotates the screen toward me and my chest tightens. It’s a picture of the hot tub on his deck, but Evie takes up most of the screen. She’s at the edge, holding her royal blue bikini top up so her glistening wet tits are on full display. Hildy’s on the other side of the hot tub, facing away, engrossed in her phone.
“She’s so fucking cute,” Bowen smiles and gazes at the screen with a twisted sense of endearment, “I don’t think she even remembers.”
But he doesn’t put his phone down. Instead, he props it up on the back of Tall Girl’s shoulders and stares at the screen while she bobs up and down. A few seconds later, he rotates the screen toward me with a grin. I curse under my breath as I stare at Bowen’s phone, squeezing Hellbranch Girl’s neck and pulsing her up and down on my dick.
I should look away, but I don’t. “Stay—” Hellbranch Girl sucks harder, but staring at the picture is what brings me to the edge, “the fuck away from her,” I say through gritted teeth.
“From who, Col?” Bowen twists his mouth into a feral grin as he gazes at the screen.
“Evie!” I bark as my abs tense and I clench the back of Hellbranch Girl’s neck as I shoot my cum into the back of her throat.
My head collapses onto the back of the couch and I close my eyes as she fists my base, sucking every drop out of me. Bowen’s shoulder bumps against mine as he starts pumping Tall Girl’s head down harder.
“But I can’t stop thinking about her, Col,” his voice grinds through each breath, “all I want to do is lick her needy little clit and—oh, fuck,” he throws his head back onto the cushion next to mine, “come in her tight little pussy.” His mouth falls open and he lets out a barrage of groans as he unloads into Tall Girl’s throat.
I cringe when I feel Bowen’s hair brush against my temple.
Why is he so goddamn close to me?
I stay still and try to disassociate, pretending that what just happened didn’t actually happen. After a couple of minutes, the cushion sinks down under me as Hellbranch Girl crawls into my lap. When I feel her bare legs and her wet skin against my stomach, I realize she’s naked from the waist down. She reaches down and starts working my dick to get me hard again, undeterred by Bowen’s stifling presence.
“Just imagine it’s her, Col,” Bowen murmurs, my stomach turning as his mouth brushes my ear, “I won’t tell…” he chuckles.
●●●
And now, here I am, back at Leland’s pole building, figuring out how to undo all of Bowen’s hard work. He wasn’t just trying to mess with my head, he had a plan. But there’s no way I can tell Evie about that shit. Ever.
Her soft voice brings me back, “I know what he does, Col,” she gazes up at me intently, “I’m at their house just as much as my mom’s.”
I hesitate for a moment as an idea comes to mind, “Is that why you like him, because he’s like me?”
Evie looks down at the carpet of pine needles at our feet and smiles.
Fine, I’ll play dirty.
I look over her shoulder and grin like I’m laughing, wide enough so Bowen can see and doesn’t think he needs to interfere because I’m not about to yell at her in front of everyone.
I lean down and speak softly next to her ear, “Hey,” I get her attention so she looks up at me, “you know why you like me so much?”
“Why?” Evie purses her lips in annoyance and waits for my answer.
“Because I think you’re better than everyone else, especially him,” I slowly drag my eyes up and down her figure, then lower my voice to a whisper, “and I don’t like sharing you.”
Evie lowers her eyes and stares at my chest, just breathing.
I lift my hand and slide it around her back to the space between her shirt and backpack, “You know what the best part is about you and me?” I gently push the back of her shirt up with my fingertips, “I can be your brother when you want me to be…” then I flatten my hand and push it down the back of her jeans, making her suck in a sharp breath, “I can be your best friend when you want me to be…” her soft cotton thong disappears over her curves the lower I go, “and when you get bored of that…” I hook a finger beneath the thin strip at the top of her ass and give a slow tug, making her hand fly to my chest, “I can be everything else you’re afraid to ask for,” I finish as my mouth brushes against her ear.
Bowen’s still watching, but oblivious to what’s going on behind my car. Hildy and Hannah appear next to Jay, distracting them for a few moments. Evie looks up at me and opens her mouth like she wants to speak, but nothing comes out.
Keeping my eyes on Bowen, I give her ass a gentle squeeze, “If you do this one thing for me, just for tonight, I’ll do anything you want.”
Her smile is gone, replaced by something that falls somewhere between excitement and discomfort. I shift her slightly to the right, so we’re obscured by one of the pines, “You want me to spread your legs and ask you nicely?” I dip down and brush my lips across hers, making her hiss through her teeth.
She squeezes my shirt, “Col…” she says with a shaky breath.
Brushing my nose against hers, I can feel her try to pull me in, but I don’t let her. Staying hidden behind the trees, I slide my hand up her neck and cup the side of her face. My other hand still on her ass, I press her against my hips so she can feel the hard ridge growing in my jeans.
“If you want me to kiss you,” I sharpen my tone, “tell me what I want to hear.”
Evie gazes up at me, cheeks flushed, and finally nods, “OK, fine,” she murmurs, “I won’t ride with him.”
I grin as I pull her face to mine and slide my tongue over hers. As soon as I do, she clenches the front of my shirt and walks her hands up to my shoulders, wrapping her arms around my neck. Reaching down, I grab one of her thighs and hike it up to my waist, pinning her back against my car while I keep one eye on the trees.
“Do you want to leave?” I ask between breaths, grinding my dick against her while she pants into my mouth, “Say fuck it and go home with me?” I shoot a Hail Mary just to see what’ll happen—to see how much I can get away with.
Evie squeezes my neck, kissing me hard, and then pulls away, clasping her hands and covering her mouth. She pauses, her eyes darting across the ground, and when she looks back up at me, a grin spreads across her face and she starts laughing nervously.
“Mm-hmm…” I love how flustered she is, fidgeting and adjusting herself like she doesn’t know where the hell she is, “it’s just as well. You wouldn’t be able to walk, much less run bases, by the time I finished with you.”
Evie’s jaw drops, “Shut up!”
“See you out there?” I smirk.
“Yeah,” she straightens her backpack straps and looks up at me with a smile, back to her normal self, “promise you’ll be careful, don’t do anything stupid.”
“You got it.” She doesn’t promise to totally stay away from Bowen, but it’s enough for now. “Don’t get Jay’s seat wet…” I laugh as she turns away.
In a flash, Evie spins back around and slams her fist into my shoulder, knocking me back against my door, “Shit!” I laugh, grabbing my shoulder.
She’s trying not to laugh, and failing miserably. I shoot her a smug look and she responds with an eye roll before turning and continuing across the clearing to Bowen’s car.
I didn’t lie to Evie. I don’t know what I would’ve done if she agreed to leave with me. Scratch that—I know exactly what I would’ve done. I would’ve taken her back to Dire Ridge, done whatever she wanted me to do, and gladly accepted Bowen’s shit-talking. Nothing else matters; I’ll do a lot of things if it means Evie doesn’t end up wrapped around a tree with the twisted wreckage of Bowen’s car.
I turn and nearly have a heart attack. I startle and almost run straight into Mason, who appears out of the shadows like a creep. He’s standing motionless next to the hood, staring at me with his mouth ajar, and a smile playing on his lips.
Fuck…
The longer I look at him, the more I’m sure that he just witnessed the entire exchange, which is all but confirmed when he glances over his shoulder at the pole building and starts sniggering. Soon, he turns and collapses against the car, letting out a whoop of laughter.
“Laugh it up,” I say with a smirk, “I have my reasons. Just like you have yours for turning into Tyler Nixon’s shadow.”
Mason stills, my words slicing through him like a knife through butter. He shoots me a look, indicating we’re even, and leaves it at that. We head through the trees toward the rest of the cars and I do a doubletake as soon as I see Jay clearly for the first time.
He’s still standing next to Bowen’s car, but he’s wearing a large black brace on his knee. How could I have forgotten…I chuckle to myself. Good thing he’s not heading somewhere on sports scholarship next year since someone decided to go Tonya Harding on him a couple weeks ago and shatter his knee.
No witnesses, no arrests, but apparently, he survived and he’s recovering well. And Hildy doesn’t look deterred, she’s been following him around all night like a dog on a turkey bone.
I guess that’s what happens when you insult the wrong girl…
