Blow (TKO #3) (13 page)

Chapter 25

Ruston

It was my idea to send Austin to the store. I needed to be alone with Tamilyn long enough to talk to her. I needed to tell her this charade has to stop. I can’t sit back and watch her with him anymore. I need her to be mine and only mine. Now I’m hovering over her beautiful body thinking about how she’s about to be mine once we break the news to Austin. I know they haven’t slept together, because he would have been the first to brag about it. I’ve already marked my territory, and damn, it’s so fucking good. She whimpers as I slide my tongue across her bare breast. I almost kept her pink lace bra on but I want to taste every inch of her. Those tiny nipples perk up just for me and my dick begins to stiffen.

I slide my hand down to the waistband of her shorts and feel how her body adjusts to my touch. She wants me, and although I do want to taste every inch of her, I don’t know how long I can wait. I also don’t know how much time we have left. My finger slips inside her and her moistness nearly sends me over the edge. I slide her shorts off and grab a condom out of my wallet.

“I want to explore this beautiful body, but I need to be inside of you now,” I say between kisses. She moans as I slide the condom on my rigid cock.

I slide gently inside of her and nearly come. I almost forgot how amazing it feels to be inside of her. “Ruston,” she whimpers.

“Yeah, baby?” I thrust into her gently.

“I love you.”

I thrust harder before crashing my lips to hers. Her salty kiss fuels me and her words ignite something inside of me. “Do you mean it?”

“I do,” she moans. “I want to be with you.”

“You will be.”

She grabs her pillow and holds it over her mouth as she moans louder. Her moans send me over the edge and I deeply thrust one more time into her before I come. That was quicker than I wanted it to be, but soon we’ll be able to make love whenever we want without fear of having to keep a secret. I pull out, remove the condom, and toss it into her trashcan. I make a mental note to move it to the bathroom trashcan before we leave the room. Tamilyn is breathing heavily with a smile on her face. I lean down and kiss her lips.

“I love you too, Tammy Lou. You have no idea how happy you’ve made me.”

“I can’t believe this is really happening.”

“What? Us being together? I think our parents have been waiting on this.” I laugh as I begin to get dressed.

“Probably so. I never thought we’d end up feeling this way about each other. It’s been growing for me but it seems like it all happened so fast.”

I hand her clothes to her and sit back on the bed. “It did happen fast, but that’s life. If we blink, we miss it all. I don’t know what I would have done if we’d missed this chance.”

“Oh, you’re sexy, Rus. You would have found someone.” She slides her shorts back on and begins to hook her bra.

“You think I’m sexy?” I ask, wearing a grin. The blush on her face is too damn cute. I think I embarrassed her, but she said it first.

“I do. Now I feel corny, thanks.”

“Why? You said it.” I chuckle.

“I did, and yes, I meant it. We’d better get back outside before anyone notices we’re gone and decides to come looking for us.”

She makes a good point. “I’m going to go to the bathroom to get rid of the condom, and I’ll meet you out there. Do you just want to wait to tell Austin tomorrow?”

She nods. “I think that would be best. I don’t want to cause any issues here.”

I grab her hand and pull her close. “I love you so much, Tamilyn, more than all the stars in the sky.”

“You’re so corny.” She laughs as she stands on her tiptoes to kiss me. “I’ll meet you outside.”

I watch as she walks out of the room. I wait a minute before stepping out just in case anyone should be lurking outside the door. I poke my head out and when I see the coast is clear, I go straight into the bathroom and wrap the condom in toilet paper before tossing it into the trashcan. I stay in there a moment longer to pee and get my act together. I feel like a fucking girl, all elated because she’s
finally
going to be with me. I don’t need anything else in this world. I’m content.

I step out of the bathroom and head downstairs. Everyone is still outside. I notice Austin with Lance and Garrett, and I hold my breath as I step back into the warm evening air. Tamilyn is standing by her dad drinking a beer. I don’t walk over to her because I’m not trying to make things awkward. Instead, I join Austin. He doesn’t notice me at first. I can breathe a little easier. Maybe he hasn’t tried looking for me yet.

“Hey, man, did you find that bottle of Fireball?”

He turns to face me with pressed lips. “Yeah, it’s on the table over there. They had two different size bottles. I grabbed the smaller one.”

“Thanks, you’re a lifesaver. I meant to grab some earlier.”

“No sweat.” He turns away from me and begins talking to Lance again. He doesn’t talk long before he turns back to me and grabs my arm. “We need to fucking talk now.”

“Everything okay?” I ask him. All eyes are suddenly on us and I’m a little confused. I know Tamilyn hasn’t said anything to him.

“You’re about to tell me.” He drags me inside and doesn’t stop until we reach the front door. I turn back, catching Tamilyn’s gaze. Her face is pale as she quickly follows, along with Garrett and Lance. Looks like a damn show and I don’t even know what’s about to happen.

We’re standing outside on the front lawn and his face turns crimson as he glares at me.

Garrett suddenly steps in and says, “Austin, you need to chill, man. Is this worth it?”

Austin turns his glare at him before spitting out, “Don’t fucking tell me what I need to do. This is between me, my cousin…and
her
.” He points at Tamilyn.

“Dude, maybe you need to listen to Garrett. Do you really want to cause a scene here?” Lance says.

Austin steps up to him and Lance backs down. “Oh, that’s right, you don’t fight outside of the gym.” Austin’s laugh sounds wicked. “You may want to back away from me then, because I’d hate to cost you your career.”

“Quit being a dick and tell me what you dragged me out here for,” I demand.

“Since you want to mention dicks, why don’t we ask Tamilyn? Tell me why you wouldn’t think of sleeping with me? Was it because you were too busy jumping all over Ruston’s dick?”

She gasps, and I see tears forming in her eyes. “Leave her out of this, Austin,” I yell at him.

He steps to me and thrusts his finger in my face. “I fucking
saw
you fucking her. I got back from the store and went to look for one of you. What a fucking surprise to see you slamming your dick into her. I know your fucking plan. I knew something was going on the other night after the fight when your tongues were down each other’s throats.” He turns to Tamilyn and points at her. “You played me for a fucking fool. You’re nothing but a whore.”

Tears stream down her face. I step up to him and push him back. “You’re crossing the line, Austin. You need to step back.”

He pushes me back with full force but I hold my ground and don’t fall. Garrett steps up and pushes us apart. “You two need to calm down and settle this like men. Fighting isn’t going to do anything. You’re upsetting her too. Think about that.”

Poor Tamilyn. She didn’t ask for this. Austin glares and steps back with his hands up in surrender. “I just want to know why?” He directs his question at her. “
Why?
”

“I-I never meant to hurt you,” she says quietly.

“Well, you fucking did. I thought you liked me but you’ve been fucking around with my cousin.”

“I’m sorry, but I-I love him.”

“Then why did you cart me around like an idiot? I’m fucking done.”

Austin turns and begins walking towards my truck. “Where are you going?” I call after him.

“Back to the apartment to pack my shit.”

“Give me my keys back, Austin.”

“Your fuck buddy can bring you over to get your truck, can’t she?”

“Austin, stop,” Tamilyn begs.

“Sweetie, you don’t get to tell me shit. I get it now. The nights he claimed to have gone home with a girl from the bar, he was with you. I was a fucking idiot. You’re probably not good in bed, anyway.”

“Fuck you, Austin.” She glares at him.

“Nope, you didn’t. You fucked him.” He points at me as he turns to walk to my truck. Lance and Garrett quit speaking up. They’re probably just as mind-blown as we are.

Tamilyn angrily throws her beer bottle at him but misses. She falls to the ground, weeping. I run to her and make sure she’s okay. Once she stands again, I notice my mom and dad watching, wondering what’s going on. I ask Lance and Garrett to fill them in so I can get Tamilyn inside. I know Mom will come looking for my explanation. She’s going to want to hear it from me, but I’ve had enough of this conversation for right now.

Chapter 26

Austin

I’d like to think I’ve done nothing wrong. I know Tamilyn and I had no label. We weren’t dating but I never went behind her back and fucked another woman. I held out my hope for her. I never imagined that when I came back from the store with the bottle of Fireball, I’d find her fucking my cousin in her bed. The sight of them made my gut twist and pissed me off. In that moment, it’s like the new person I’d started to become just vanished, and the old Austin began to reemerge. I heard everything about their plans to tell me their big secret, and how they love each other.
Barf in my fucking mouth
. Why couldn’t they have just told me this shit in the beginning before I began to develop feelings for Tamilyn? Because they’re cowards and now someone is going to pay the price.

I wanted to beat the shit out of Ruston in the front yard, and he’s lucky I didn’t. The only thing I could think to do once I spoke my mind was to remove myself from the situation before I fucked things up more. I’m relieved I still have his keys in my hand and I don’t give him the chance to stop me before I speed off. I look back in the mirror at everyone still standing on the front lawn but I don’t see Tamilyn or Ruston.
Go fucking figure
. I press the gas pedal harder and completely run a stop sign. No one was coming anyway.

I decide to take a joy ride in Ruston’s truck. I’ll pack my shit later. Not like either of them are going to come look for me. They’re getting what they want—me out of the picture. I’ll pack my stuff and be gone before he gets back to the apartment in the morning. I don’t know where I’ll go, but I know it won’t be inside that apartment. I accelerate on the interstate and viciously speed past every car. I look down to see I’m going almost one hundred miles per hour and I have no intentions of slowing down.

I nearly have to slam my brakes when a car darts into my lane. Idiots—they must see I’m driving like a bat out of hell. They move to the other lane and I continue on my speedy path. I can’t even think straight. So much shit is running through my mind. I’m still mind-fucked as to how they could both hide this from me. I close my eyes for a minute to try to collect my thoughts.

When I open them, I gasp as I realize the stopped traffic in front of me. My foot slams down on the brake but it’s not soon enough. The truck slams full force into the dump truck in front of me and glass shatters everywhere. I gasp for my next breath, trying to open my eyes, but another vehicle slams into the truck and I’m thrown around. Besides the sound of crushing metal around me, pain sears through my body as my bones begin cracking. I scream in pain but it’s washed away by all the excess noise surrounding me. The next breath comes, but my eyes close, and the last thought in my mind is,
Why did I have to be so reckless?

Chapter 27

Tamilyn

The tears haven’t stopped. This is exactly why I didn’t want this to happen tonight. It’s not like Ruston and I knew Austin was going to see us. We never intended for that to happen. Our secret went way too far. I’m sitting in my room on the same bed where Ruston and I made love, and he’s sitting beside me, holding my hand. Both of our moms are in here too, and I should feel awkward but I don’t. Lance and Garrett decided to leave after all the shit hit the fan, and I don’t blame them. I’d leave if I could. I didn’t get to tell Hilary or Raegan goodbye, but that’s the least of my worries.

“Honey, are you okay?” Mom asks. I look up through tear-filled eyes to see her watching me, worry etched in her features.

“I’m sorry everything got ruined,” I tell her.

“It’s not your fault. No one in the back knows anything. Just us in here. You two should have told him, though.”

“I know, Mom. I was trying to give him a chance. I did like him, but I love Ruston, and things happened so fast. We thought hiding it would be for the best.”

“I’m sorry for the scene that was caused out front,” Ruston whispers.

“Kids, these things happen. Let’s just try to put this behind us for tonight and we’ll deal with it tomorrow when our minds are clear. Where did Austin go?” his mom asks.

“He took my truck and said he was going to pack his things.”

“Someone needs to try to call him and make sure he got to your apartment all right. I don’t like that he took your truck.”

“He tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t listen,” I whisper, hanging my head.

She grabs her phone and dials his number. She sits there quietly for a moment and then sets the phone down. “No answer. I’ll try again later.”

Mom looks at me and wipes the stray tears away. “Everything will be okay. Let’s get back downstairs before Dad comes looking for us.”

All four of us head downstairs and return to the party, where everything is more carefree. So many people don’t even realize what happened. Ruston appears by my side with a beer and I begin to drink it. I need to calm my nerves and try to have a good time. The secret is out. Austin knows, and it’s not like we need to hide anything anymore. Ruston places his hand around my back and pulls me close to him.

“I’m sorry he said all that to you, Tam.”

“He was just mad. I deserved it.”

“No, you didn’t.”

I nod and drink a little more of my beer. I notice a few people are eating, so I tell him I’m going to get a plate from the kitchen. As I fix my plate, my stomach begins growling. I laugh a little as I go sit down. It actually feels good to laugh. After the way everything went down, laughing was the last thing I wanted to do. Maybe, in time, Austin will forgive us for everything. Right now, I’m moving forward. It’s the past.

***

The night is still young, and with a few more beers, I’m in a much happier place. My mom keeps checking on me. She insists we’re going to talk about this tomorrow, and I’m okay with that. Ruston hasn’t left my side. Everywhere I go, he’s there, making sure I’m okay. I think he’s worried I’ll change my mind about being with him, but I won’t. My mind is set, and he’s who I want. Ruston’s phone rings and he glances down at the number.

“Are you going to answer that?” I ask him.

It’s a little loud outside, so he steps into the kitchen and I follow him. “Hello?”

I wonder if it’s Austin calling.

His face turns ghostly white and the phone slips from his hand, crashing to the floor. He begins hyperventilating and I rush to his side as he drops to his knees. “What’s wrong, Rus?”

He doesn’t speak. He just sobs uncontrollably. What the hell is going on? Terror overtakes me. I see his mom crouched on the other side of him. She’s trying to talk to him, but he says nothing.

“Son, who was that? You’re scaring us.”

“A-Austin’s in the hospital. H-he wrecked my truck o-on the I-Interstate.”

We both gasp and guilt floods me. If he hadn’t found out tonight, he would have never left the party and wouldn’t be in a hospital. We don’t know the extent of his injuries yet, but knowing what happened is a shock in itself. The tears return. I wrap my arms around Ruston and he just sits there, limp.

“It’s all my fault,” he whispers. “I couldn’t control myself and he found out. He could be really hurt.”

“It’s not your fault,” I try to assure him. “It’s mine.”

“It’s neither of your faults.” His mom softly cries. “It’s not your fault he got behind the wheel of that truck and got in a wreck. This is just a tragedy. We can’t control these things. We do need to get to the hospital, though. I’ll go tell your dad.”

I can’t breathe. My body is going through all the motions for breathing to take place, but it’s like nothing is happening. Things weren’t supposed to go this way but here I am staring straight ahead, afraid to make eye contact with
him
. If I move my head in any sudden direction, eye contact is inevitable. The tears pooled in my eyes are so thick, I doubt I could even make his features out. Maybe I wouldn’t be able to see the hurtful look on his face. No doubt it’s the mirror image of my own. All I know is everything was fine earlier. I had everything figured out and then, like a blow to the gut, it vanished. My head drops even with my knees and the tears I’ve been holding back finally fall.

Mom’s phone rings and she sobs. “Who is it, Mom?”

“Moira. I’m going to step down the hall.”

She stands shakily and walks to the spare room down the hall before closing the door. “This is my fault, Ruston. I’m so sorry.”

“Stop, Tam,” Ruston cries. “I don’t want to play the blame game because if we’re going to, then we’re
both
responsible.”

“Please don’t shut me out,” I whisper as I lean against him.

“I won’t. If anything, I need you now more than ever.” He kisses my forehead as we sit on the floor together.

All that plays in my mind is how angry Austin was, standing in the front yard, and all the things he said. Now he’s lying in a hospital bed and I’m left with that last image of him. I know I told Ruston not to shut me out, but I’m carrying so much guilt that I may shut him out. I stand to my feet, but Ruston tugs at my arm. “Where are you going?”

“I need to go to the bathroom before we go to the hospital.” It’s mostly a lie. I just want to cry alone. I stalk up the stairs to the other bathroom and shut the door behind me. I lean against the door and let my body slide down. I let things become so tangled and fucked up, and look what’s happened. It’s like a bomb just exploded in our lives. This was like the ultimate blow to the chest.

I liked him but not enough to love him, and I couldn’t just come out and be honest about that. There was no kind of dating future or any kind of future for me and Austin. I sit there and cry until my head hurts, then turn on the sink and splash some cool water on my face. I stare at my splotchy cheeks in the mirror, and think about how we thought everything was going to change when we decided to tell Austin. Instead, the change that just happened was nothing like we expected. I want to rewrite this story, so Austin doesn’t wreck and end up in the hospital, but Ruston and I can still have our happily ever after.
Yeah fucking right
, this is real life and the story is constantly changing. What’s done is done.

A knock on the bathroom door startles me. I stand there staring into the mirror, not wanting to move. I made sure to lock the door when I shut it so no one could just barge in.

“Tam?” Ruston calls out. “I know you’re in there. Please open the door. We’re ready to go.” The sadness in his voice fills my ears and the tears begin streaming harder down my face. “Tam, I-I need you.”

I can’t let him beg like this. He’s carrying guilt just like I am. We created this issue, and only we can help each other through this. Numbly, I turn and open the door. Ruston is standing in front of me, his eyes bloodshot. I’ve never seen him like this, and I’ve seen him go through many things.

“I’m ready,” I tell him. He pulls me into a long hug and I let him hold me. “Let’s go check on Austin.”

I knew secrets could be dangerous, but I never realized they could be this harmful. I guess I should be grateful Ruston is leaning on me right now when I should be the one person he despises the most. I break the hug and lead him downstairs where our family is waiting. Everyone has gone home, and it’s time for family to be there when we need them the most. Dad locks up the house as we get into our vehicles. The whole way to the hospital, I pray Austin will be okay. He’s a true fighter. He has to pull through.