Ethan (Alluring Indulgence) (35 page)

“I
love you,” Ethan whispered against his ear. “I love you with all that I am.”

And
that right there was Beau’s future. The only thing he needed. “I love you,
too.”

♂♂

By
the time Friday night rolled around, Beau was looking forward to a couple of
hours out of the house. It had actually been Ethan’s idea, much to Beau’s
surprise. And when he told him they were going to Moonshiners to meet up with
his brothers, Beau hadn’t questioned him. He didn’t care where they went, he
just wanted a beer.

With
that prospect in sight, Beau pulled into the parking lot of Moonshiners with
Ethan right there beside him. The night had been flawless, dinner phenomenal as
always. They had even shared a shower before they got dressed and headed out.
And now, as Beau pulled the truck to a stop, he glanced around the parking lot,
hoping like hell there wouldn’t be anything to fuck up their night out together.

Making
his way around the front of the truck, Beau met up with Ethan on the porch and
his body hardened the instant Ethan put his hand on his back, herding him
toward the door. He suddenly felt too big for his own skin, elated from the
fact that Ethan touched him in public.

Beau
opened the door to Moonshiners, and he walked inside, Ethan right behind him. Noticing
Travis, Zane and Gage immediately, Beau considered heading to the back where they
were, but Ethan once again directed him, this time toward the bar.

“Two
beers, Mack,” Ethan ordered as the bartender glanced up with a tentative grin.

Beau
did his best to hide his surprise. He wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting
for their first night out as a real couple, but this certainly hadn’t been it.

“Sure
thing, E.”

A
minute later, they were in the back with Ethan’s brothers and his
brother-in-law. The men were talking – although arguing was probably a more apt
description – about the resort.

“Just
wait till Sawyer gets here,” Zane protested. “He’ll agree with me.”

“Not
likely. If they have to choose, they won’t pick your club,” Gage laughed, his
beer bottle halfway to his lips, an amused smirk on his face.

Beau
didn’t even try to follow the conversation because he knew it would change soon
enough. As he stood listening to the rough grumble of the three large males, he
glanced around the bar. The first thing he noticed was Kylie and V weren’t
there. He didn’t even have time to wonder about that when his gaze landed on a
group of guys sitting at a table near the front.

Jimmy
Reardon must’ve brought a fucking army tonight. There were seven guys with him,
and not one of them was Ricky Dillinger. That was about the only positive in
the situation. Doing the math in his head, Beau figured between the five of
them, they stood a pretty damn good chance. Even against eight.

Ethan
must’ve noticed what had captured Beau’s attention because he moved up beside
him, his arm brushing against his. “We’re not gonna let them get to us
tonight.”

Beau
noticed the way Ethan stressed the word
not
. When Beau glanced over to
his lover, he noticed his expression was deadly serious.

“He’s
done enough damage.”

Wasn’t
that the truth?

Didn’t
mean Beau wasn’t interested in a little payback. Rather than tell Ethan that,
he simply nodded.

The
bastard had sent Ethan’s world into a tailspin for almost a decade, and now it
seemed as though he was back permanently. For months, they had all been going
to Moonshiners on a weekly basis, and Beau didn’t recall Jimmy being a regular.
And if he had been, Beau wondered how they hadn’t seen the jabs and animosity
directed at Ethan. Probably because Ethan had kept himself isolated, but it was
hard for him to believe that no one had known.

And
to think that Ethan had dealt with that shit on his own for all this time only
pissed Beau off more.

“What’s
up, man?” Zane said, stepping directly in front of Beau, obstructing his view.
Probably a good thing.

“Not
much. Where’s V?” he asked, sipping his beer and doing his best to ignore the
group in the front. Ethan was right, they were there to have a good time. It
wouldn’t do anyone any good for Beau to get all bent out of shape because he
wanted to do damage to Jimmy just because the man breathed.

“At
Zoey’s,” Zane answered easily. “If I’m not careful, she’s gonna be asking for a
baby of her own real soon.”

Beau
laughed.

“I’m
hoping she’ll hold off at least until we’re married,” Zane continued. “Speaking
of married…” Zane glanced over at Ethan and then back to Beau.

That
got Beau’s attention, and his gaze shot over to Ethan to see he was grinning
from ear to ear.

“Congrats,
man,” Zane said, clapping Beau on the back and then taking a step closer to
Ethan. “You’re good for him,” Zane said to Ethan quietly, but loud enough that
Beau could hear.

Beau
wanted to laugh. That was the same thing Zane had said to him. But,
nevertheless, it was true. Ethan was the best damn thing that had ever happened
to Beau.

Before
Beau could question Zane’s reference to marriage, the front door opened, and
Beau looked over to see Sawyer strutting in, his cowboy hat low on his head.

Ok,
now Beau was really liking the odds.

Oh,
fuck
.

That’s
when Beau realized that Sawyer wasn’t the only one who had graced the small bar
with his presence. As soon as Sawyer made his way inside, a long line of
intimidating men followed not far behind: Greyson, Jared, Jaxson, Brendon,
Braydon, CJ and last, but certainly not least, Curtis Walker.

As
though the rest of the bar felt the earth shake the same way Beau did,
everything went quiet. Including the conversation going on behind him between
Travis and Gage.

“What’s
going on?” he heard himself ask Ethan.

“Turns
out you were right,” Ethan said calmly, the hint of a smile on his lips as he continued
to stare back at Beau.

“Why’s
that?”

“They’re
just here to support me.”

Just
like Beau had known they would be.

Curtis
walked up and clapped Beau on the back as he moved around to his side.
“Congratulations,” he offered with a crooked grin.

Before
Beau could respond, Sawyer walked up and offered his hand. Transferring his
beer to his other hand, Beau reached out and shook the proffered hand at the
same time Sawyer said, “’Bout damn time.”

What
the fuck was going on?

♂♂

Ethan
fought the urge to laugh when Beau’s eyes widened as he stared back at Sawyer.

So,
for once, he’d managed to throw Beau for a loop. Looking back at the man he
loved, he watched as his eyes widened to the size of saucers as the implications
of what he’d actually done settled in.

“You
told them?” Beau asked incredulously, his voice lowering to a whisper when
Sawyer and Curtis stepped away.

Taking
a sip of his beer, Ethan offered Beau a smile. “I did.”

Just
last night
, he thought to himself. While Beau had been at the
gym, Ethan rounded up his brothers and asked them to meet him at their parents’
house. They did. And after fighting his nerves for almost an hour, Ethan had
finally told them the reason he had called them all together.

Turns
out, they all knew. Not that Ethan had expected any less, but they gave him a
chance to tell them outright. Getting things out in the open had helped mend
the relationships that he’d purposely avoided with them. And when the twins
told him they wanted to celebrate, he hadn’t been able to refuse.

As
the conversation around them resumed, his brothers and cousins coming up to
congratulate them both, Ethan was doing his damnedest to take his own advice
and ignore the men sitting at the front of the bar.

He
hadn’t been all that thrilled with the idea of celebrating at Moonshiners when
the twins had suggested it, for that reason alone. It wasn’t that he was hiding
because, thanks to the long overdue conversation he’d had with his family
during the week, Ethan had decided to stand up for what he believed in.

In
truth, Beau – with a little push from Sawyer and Travis – had given him the
courage, allowing him to make the decision to stand up for himself. And for
Gavin.

Gavin’s
memory had been buried beneath the hate and fear that Jimmy had instilled in
Ethan’s heart, never receiving the proper attention it deserved. Not that Ethan
had come to that realization easily. That little tidbit of information had been
learned during his first counseling session earlier in the week.

He
hadn’t told Beau about the now weekly one-on-one sessions with a professional and
because there had been so much going on during the week – including Beau’s
confrontation with his parents – he’d decided to hold off.

 “What’s
going on, E?” Beau asked, confusion contorting his ruggedly handsome features.

Ethan
knew this was the moment of truth.

“Remember
when you were at the gym this week?”

Beau
laughed, but there was no humor in it. “I was at the gym every day this week.”

“Right.
Well, I’ve been busy.”

Beau’s
expression turned serious.

“It’s
good. I swear.”

“Congrats,
man!” Brendon interrupted, coming up to slap Beau on the back as he stared
between the two of them. Ethan forced a smile, hoping his brother would move on
so he could continue his conversation. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for him
to move along.

“You
told them
all
?” Beau repeated the same question, although this time he
sounded even more disbelieving than before, if that was at all possible.

“On
Tuesday, I had my first counseling session,” Ethan admitted, noticing the way
Beau’s face fell. They’d had a brief discussion about counseling over dinner
the day before Ethan went, and Beau had offered to go with him when and if he
ever decided to go that route. “Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty more in my
future, and yes, I want you right there with me. I just needed to take the
first step alone.”

“Why
didn’t you tell me?”

Ethan
cocked his head to the side, studying Beau. A lot had happened on Tuesday,
including Beau’s falling out with his parents. Although, he knew he probably
should’ve mentioned it before now, there had been enough to worry about.

He
knew he would be explaining himself in depth later, so for now, Ethan
continued, “And last night, I met with my brothers.”

Beau
glanced away, and Ethan looked over to see his father talking to Travis, but
his gaze was on the two of them. Curtis offered a brief, reassuring head nod,
so Ethan continued, “It’s not going to be an easy road right away. I know that.
But I’m not willing to do it alone anymore.”

Beau
looked back at him, and Ethan smiled. “This is it for me.
You
are it for
me.”

Beau
actually grinned as he tipped his beer to his lips, his eyes locked with
Ethan’s. He didn’t say anything right away, and Ethan held his breath, waiting,
wondering.

“So
this is a celebration?”

“Yeah,”
Ethan said, looking around at his brothers, his cousins and his father.

Beau
leaned in closer. “Well, I’d say it’s time to start celebrating then. But I
don’t intend to finish it up here. Just wait until I get you home.”

Ethan
laughed, and they moved into the throng of men now laughing and joking in the
back. Zane was apparently trying to convince Sawyer to side with him about
whatever they had been arguing about earlier and everyone was watching in
amusement.

This
was what Ethan had been missing. What he thought he would never find. He had
managed to bridge the canyon he had personally dug between himself and his
family over the years, and he had finally managed to find true love.

He
didn’t expect it to be an easy road, but he had decided he was going to be the
one in charge of his destiny from here on out. It was high time he lived, not
just existed.

Moving
in closer, he laughed when Zane insisted the best place to have a large party
was at his club, while Gage and Sawyer argued that the conference center would
be a better bet.

When
Travis clapped Ethan on the back, he felt as though he might actually be on the
right path.

And
yes, he would be the first to admit, it was certainly long overdue.

♂♂

Beau
had been talking to CJ, Sawyer and Zane for the last half hour. While he tried
to keep up with them, his head was still spinning from what Ethan had done.

They
were there to celebrate.

Not
that Beau had any clue
what
they were celebrating. He figured it was
anything from the fact that Ethan had finally come out to his family, or the
fact that the two of them were together. At first he suspected that Ethan
might’ve mentioned marriage because of Zane’s reference earlier, but he found
that difficult to believe.

Not
to mention, he wasn’t going to believe that because Beau fully intended to
propose – and he planned to beat Ethan to the punch as well. Although, based on
the side of Ethan he saw tonight, he might need to kick his ass into high gear
or he’d be the one saying yes.

“Woohoo!”

Beau
swiveled around at the loud yell that erupted near the front door.

“Looks
like a queer convention up in here, boys! What d’ya say we get the party
started?”

Beau
recognized the voice, although Jimmy was facing away from him as he continued
to rant loudly to the group of rowdy men sitting at the table.

When
the man turned, Beau met Jimmy’s gaze from across the bar.

“What
about you? You’re Ethan’s new little girlfriend, ain’t ya? He turned another
one into a faggot, didn’t he? How many is that now?”

Beau
took a step forward only to be stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder. He
glanced over and saw Curtis on one side of him. He felt a hand clamp down on
his other shoulder and looked over to see Sawyer coming to stand beside him.

They
were obviously prepared.

“Aww,
look. Your little fuckin’ girlfriends are gonna hold you back? Don’t worry, ladies,
you can have him back after I beat his ass. Just like I gave that one back when
I was done.” Jimmy smirked, nodding toward Ethan.

This
time, Beau wasn’t the only one being held back. Curtis was too. Beau had to
move in front of the older man in order to keep him from tearing across the
room. When Sawyer growled, Beau knew it was all over.

“That’s
right, ladies. Let’s do this.”

“Outside.”

Beau’s
head snapped toward Ethan, startled at his instruction.

“Outside?
You’re telling
me
to go outside? Lookin’ for a repeat?” Jimmy’s voice
lowered, and a murderous growl took its place. “This time, I won’t go easy on
you. I’ll take your life the same way you took my brother’s.”

“Out-
fucking
-side,”
Ethan repeated, breaking the words down as though Jimmy was too stupid to understand.
Maybe he was.

When
Ethan took a step forward, Beau pulled away from the hands still holding onto him.
“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m
done,” he answered harshly. “He wants to settle this once and for all, I’m all
in.”

“Bullshit,”
Braydon argued, moving in close. “They aren’t here to play fair.”

That’s
when Travis stepped up. “Neither are we.”

Beau
found himself in the middle of the group, making their way to the door,
following behind Jimmy and the others he brought with him.

Right
there was where the organization stopped, and all fucking hell broke loose.

Ethan
had just stepped outside, moving ahead of the crowd when Jimmy lunged, slamming
him back against the wall of bodies. Before Beau even had a chance to think,
Ethan retaliated, and from the looks of it, every single ounce of anger and
hatred he’d built up over the years escaped in a blur of motion.

Jimmy
went down, but got right back up, the two of them grappling as they fought for
purchase on the gravel that lined the parking lot.

When
it was clear Ethan was definitely not backing down, two others moved in, but
Sawyer was quicker than anyone else, going after them both. From that moment
on, fists were flying. Grunts and groans sounded from the bodies colliding, no
one backing down. Beau had to beat off two, and he took a brutal blow to the
head when he looked over to see Ethan on the ground, Jimmy on top of him.

He
saw stars flash behind his eyelids, but he never stopped moving. His fists
connected with flesh and bone as he refused to be taken down by the biggest
bastard in their bunch. No longer capable of watching Ethan, Beau had to defend
himself but the shouting and arguing continued around him.

“You
son of a bitch!” Jimmy yelled at Ethan. “I should’ve killed you when I had the
chance.”

“Too
late now,” Ethan spat, shoving Jimmy off of him.

Beau
had no idea how long the fight lasted, but the next thing he knew, there were
red and blue lights flashing around them.

“Get
the fuck inside,” Curtis barked, his deep baritone echoing in the still night
air, effectively halting the fighting.

Beau
searched for Ethan, unwilling to move until he had him right there beside him.
He wasn’t the only one who didn’t move. There were two guys on the ground, one
holding his face, the other looked like he was out cold. Beau didn’t recognize
either one of them, so that was a good thing.

He
finally spotted Ethan, leaning up against one of the posts, rubbing his jaw.
Beau moved with purpose, closing the gap between the two of them.

“What
the fuck is going on here, Walker?” Sheriff Endsley asked.

Beau
had no idea exactly whom he was talking to since there were more than half a
dozen of them there.

Not
surprising, but none of the Walkers responded.

“Just
a little payback, Sheriff,” Jimmy huffed.

“Payback?”
the sheriff questioned.

“An
eye for an eye.”

Sheriff
Endsley looked over at Ethan, then back to Jimmy.

“This
ain’t the Old West, you dumbass,” Sawyer remarked with enough bite to down a
tree.

“Fuck
you.”

Clearly
this wasn’t going to be resolved anytime soon.

“I
like the idea of an eye for an eye,” Beau spoke up, staring at Jimmy. “A little
retribution is in order, if you ask me. Someone have a baseball bat handy?”

“What
the fuck are you doing?” Zane asked, moving close to Beau.

Glancing
back at his friend briefly, Beau ignored him.

“Clearly
I didn’t use the bat enough,” Jimmy bit out, glaring back at Beau. “I shoulda
killed him when I had the chance. Then my brother would still be alive,” Jimmy
said, pushing to his feet.

“Is
that right?” Sawyer asked, taking a step toward Jimmy but coming to a halt when
Curtis put a hand on his shoulder. “From where I stand, your brother was just
another one of your victims.”

Ethan
pushed off the post and moved to Beau’s side. It didn’t take long for the rest
of the Walkers to move in around them. Surprisingly enough, the sheriff had
moved off to the side, standing beside Mack, the bartender, who had apparently
decided to watch the show.

No
one said a word for long seconds. That was when Sheriff Endsley must’ve gotten bored.
“How do you suggest we resolve this?” he asked the group collectively.

“I’ll
settle it my way,” Jimmy said, spitting on the ground. “I’d suggest you watch
your back.”

Ethan
took a step forward, and Beau stepped behind him, letting him know he was there.
He would not take this away from Ethan. It was his turn to stand up, to let
Jimmy know he wasn’t going to take his shit anymore.

Beau
watched as Ethan notched his chin up, his eyes trained on Jimmy. “I didn’t kill
Gavin,” Ethan said adamantly. “I loved your brother. You’re the one who made
him watch while you tried to kill me.”

A
series of gasps erupted. No one said anything. They didn’t have to. Ethan had
just done what no one would’ve ever believed he could do.

♂♂

“And
let me tell you this, you
fucking
piece of shit,” Ethan continued, his
hands shaking as he stood just a few feet away from the man who’d sent his life
into a spiral years ago. “You won’t get another chance at me. Gavin paid the
ultimate price for your ignorance and your bullshit. I won’t let that happen
again.”

Ethan
had no idea what spurred him to speak up. Maybe it was the support he felt from
his family, from Beau. Whatever it was, he couldn’t seem to contain all of the
words he had wanted to rant at Jimmy over the years.

“Gavin
took his life because you embarrassed him. You’re the one who should be dead.”

That
possessive, beastlike growl erupted from Beau and Ethan moved one step closer
to him. This was over; Ethan knew it, Jimmy knew it. Now it was just a pissing
contest.

“Let
me hear you say that one more time and I’ll haul your ass in,” Sheriff Endsley
growled in that raspy tenor that many folks feared.

“Me?
What the fuck? He’s the one who should be punished. He’s a fucking queer. This
ain’t over, Walker.”

“It’s
over,” Curtis’ voice boomed from behind him and the next thing Ethan knew, his
father was stepping up beside him. “It’s fucking over because I say it’s over.
If I hear one whisper that you’ve targeted anyone, I promise you that
this
,”
Curtis gestured toward Jimmy as he continued to lean against the truck, “will
feel like a day at the spa. Got me?”

Everyone
was quiet. Not even Jimmy was stupid enough to challenge Curtis Walker.

Ethan
felt himself being pulled backward, urging him back inside the bar. The fight
was over. There was no winner. Not this round. There would never be any winners
either. After all that Ethan had suffered, after Gavin had paid the ultimate
price, no one would ever come out on top.

“I
want to press charges!” Jimmy bellowed as people were making their way back
inside.

Ethan
stopped suddenly, waiting to see what would happen next.

To
his surprise, Mack took a step forward, glancing around at the people still
left in the parking lot. “I’m the one who’ll be pressing charges if you come on
my property again. You’re not welcome here.” Mack looked around at the men who
had come with Jimmy. “Your kind ain’t welcome here.”

“
Our
kind? Don’t you mean the fags? They’re the ones who –”

Mack
cut him off with a snarl. “No, I was very fucking clear the first time.” With
that, Mack turned and stormed back toward the door.

Sheriff
Endsley, standing just a few feet away, glanced over to where Jimmy was still
propped up against the truck and then over to Ethan. Then to Beau. Then over to
Curtis. “What’s it take to get a beer around here?” he finally asked, deadpan.

Ethan
breathed a sigh of relief as the feeling in his fingers returned. He’d been
clutching his hands into fists for so long, he’d lost the feeling in his hands.

“Coming
right up, Sheriff,” Mack called from just inside the open door.

Before
walking inside, Ethan turned and made eye contact with Jimmy. He wanted to
ensure the man understood, he wasn’t putting up with his shit from here on out.
He’d lost too many years of his life trying to protect those he loved from
having to interact with people like that. Jimmy Reardon was a bully. Always had
been. People had suffered, Jimmy’s own family included, by his actions.

It
looked like Jimmy’s fortified wall of hostility was finally crumbling because
the men around him didn’t seem to be all that interested in backing him up any
longer.

But
more importantly, it looked like somewhere along the way, Ethan had gotten over
his fear.

Making
his way over to Beau once they were back inside, he took a minute to check him
out. And yes, Ethan touched his hands, his knuckles, the huge knot that had
formed on his temple.

He
wouldn’t lie, it wasn’t solely to make sure he was all right. He knew, by the
way that Beau stood straight and tall, taking stock of Ethan’s injuries as well,
that the man was just fine.

Ethan
didn’t settle for just looking though. No, he touched Beau because he
had
to. That connection he found with this man would always be what kept him
grounded. He knew without a doubt that he would heal with Beau’s help.

Looking
around the room at his brothers, his cousins, and his father, for the first
time in a long time, Ethan felt… relief? Yes, that had to be what he was
feeling.

It
seemed that, in a matter of minutes, maybe an hour, all of the demons that had
been lingering in Ethan’s life had been addressed directly. Maybe not resolved
completely, but Ethan was stronger than he’d ever been, and it had nothing to
do with physical power. No, he was stronger because Beau made him that way.
Beau filled the empty space that had been eating at him, controlling his life
for more years than he cared to admit. 

He
looked at Beau and noticed he was still staring back at him.