Page 10 of Irresistibly Wicked

“See ya,” they said in unison as Tobias walked away.

“You heading to the Salty Hog?” Zeke asked.

Their aunt Ginger and uncle Conroy owned the Salty Hog restaurant and bar, a Dark Knights hangout. Before the accident, Zander would head over to the Hog after a quick shower, where he’d either pick up a woman for the night or hang out with his buddies. But he’d been there a few nights ago, and instead of checking out women, he’d found himself listening for the voice he’d heard in the hospital. Just as he’d been doing everywhere he went. His parents were wrong. It wasn’t a nurse’s voice that had infiltrated his dreams and taken root someplace deep inside him. He’d thanked each of the nurses who had cared for him, and none of them had that sweet, strong voice that continued to call to him as loud as the open road.

“Not tonight. What about you?”

“Aria and I are heading over to the Stonybrook Gristmill to see the herring run. She’s been acting funny again. Distant.” Aria Bad was several years younger than Zeke and one of his closest friends. He had tutored her when she was in high school, and now she was a tattooist at their cousin Tank’s tattoo shop. Aria suffered from social anxieties, and Zeke was super protective of her. Zander had a feeling he was also in love with her.

“Maybe she’s seeing someone.”

Zeke’s face contorted like he’d said something ridiculous. “She’s not.”

“How do you know?”

“She’d tell me if she was seeing someone.”

“Really? How many times has she called you up to brag about the hot guy she’s hanging out with?”

Zeke’s brows pinched. “She doesn’t do that.”

“Exactly.”

“I’d know if she was seeing someone.”

“Yeah? Remember how well Mads hid her booty calls with Tobias from us?”

Zeke’s eyes narrowed.

“Think about it, dude. Aria is gorgeous, smart, and she just might be the sweetest woman we know. Sure, she has social anxieties, but plenty of guys are equipped to help her with that. And her job is literally touching guys all day.”

Zeke’s jaw clenched.

“It’s not like she’s gonna wait around forever for your ass.”

“You know I can’t go there,” Zeke gritted out.

“Right, because you have too much in common and you have too much fun together,” he said sarcastically.

“She’s not into me like that, and we both know she probably shouldn’t be.”

His brother might be calm and restrained on the outside, but in the bedroom he had a darker side. One women sure as hell didn’t write home to Mama about. “No, we don’t. I think you shouldn’t assume.”

Zeke shook his head. “I’m her safety net. She’s got enough anxieties to deal with. She doesn’t need me fucking up our friendship.”

“Thank God you’re good-looking, because for a smart guy, you’re really fucking clueless.”

“See ya, Zan.” Zeke walked away.

“If she pulls out her phone more than twice tonight, she’s got a dude on the line,” Zander called after him.

Zeke flipped him the bird.

ON THE WAY home, Zander filled his tank with gas and headed into Cumberland Farms, aka Cumby’s, to grab something to eat. As he perused the snack aisle, he heard someone humming. He stilled, a tug of recognition stirring with him. He moved to the end of the aisle, searching for the source. There were a handful of people at the register and walking around the store.

He made his way through the store, checking each aisle; then he headed for the soda and coffee machines on the far wall. As he came around the last aisle, he heard the soft singing voice that had plagued his thoughts for the last three months. His heart beat faster, his gaze moving over the two teenage girls filling cups with soda to a curvy brunette adding several liquid creamer cups to her coffee. She wore black spandex workout shorts and a pink hoodie and looked to be in her early twenties. Her dark hair was pinned up in a ponytail, earbuds feeding the music that had her moving her full hips to a beat he couldn’t hear. But that sweet, strong voice floated past with an intense familiarity, awakening something within him, drawing him forward like an invisible cable reeling him in.

She grabbed three more creamer cups and opened them, bobbing her head as she sang about a man-child running to her.