In Tune (Red Bird Trail Trilogy Book 3) (4 page)

The heat on her ass, the coolness of the night, and the hardness of his dick inside her was enough to send her on a straight shot right towards the finish line.

*

Cash sighed as
he lay on the couch in the living room. He wasn’t deaf, and no matter how quiet Harper though she was being, he could hear her. It killed him, lying there being the good guy. It was nights like this that he wished he didn’t care so much. He wished the blonde in the room across the hall hadn’t changed how he thought about relationships. He wished he hadn’t grown a fucking conscience, because he was battling the worst case of blue balls he’d ever had.

The memories that trailed through his head like a movie were going to be the death of him. It had been years since he’d done this, but he knew there wouldn’t be any sleep for him at all otherwise, especially when he heard Harper’s sharp intake of breath. He knew exactly what that sharp intake of breath meant. He was intimately knowledgeable of that particular sound she made.

Reaching into his sweatpants, he palmed himself, running his thumb over the tip, collecting the moisture that had gathered there. Without thought, he put one hand over his mouth to hold back his own noises. Right now, he didn’t want to explain anything to anyone, he didn’t want to make excuses, and he wanted to tell no lies. In this moment, the only thing he wanted to do was come. He wanted to relieve the pressure that was so heavily lying against his stomach.

Closing his eyes, he thought of a fantasy he knew he would make come true one day. Harper, against the hood of his car after winning a race on the Trail. She wore a skirt and a smile.

There wasn’t one part of him that wanted to drag this out, so he wasn’t surprised when less than fifteen strokes of his cock later, he was exploding against his ab muscles. He wiped his hand down his face, trying to gather his wits and slow down his breathing.

One thing was for certain in his mind. When they finally did sleep together again, explosive wasn’t going to even begin to cover it.

‡
Chapter Six

“G
o on in
there and make sure Cash is awake,” Harper told Remy the next morning, sending him in to wake up his brother.

She’d been awake at the crack of dawn, even though it had been a late night for the both of them. Instead of lazing around, she’d counted out the money she’d been paid for her catering job and the money Cash had been given for his protection job, took half of it to put back for bills, and then took half of it to the grocery store. Their cabinets still weren’t stuffed full, but they were in a much better situation than they had been the day before.

Since she’d already been up, she’d gone to the clubhouse and picked Remy up, and they had both decided to make it pancake Sunday.

“Damn, it smells good in here,” Cash said as Remy lead him into the kitchen by the hand.

She was almost embarrassed to look at him after what had happened the night before, and it wasn’t because of the kiss. She always felt like she had a secret that she couldn’t share when she gave into her desire to him by herself. His voice was deep with sleep, and she wanted to hear that voice in her ear, she wanted him to wrap her up in his arms. He’d be warm against her, his arms would be strong, holding her up, but she couldn’t say anything about that right now. They still had issues to get through.

“Pancake Sunday.” She winked. “Remy decided.”

“You agreed,” Remy accused as he folded his arms over his chest, shooting her a look that was almost a hundred percent Cash.

“I did.” She laughed. “C’mon y’all, it’s done.”

They all had a seat at the table, and she started passing the platters that held pancakes, bacon, and sausage. It had been a while since they’d been able to share a meal together. She and Cash were always busy, and family breakfasts had taken a backseat.

“How’s your physical therapy going?” Cash asked Remy as he took a huge bite of pancakes.

Normally, Cash went straight to Walker’s Wheels after class, and Harper took Remy for his PT appointments. He’d noticed Remy was running easier and the stairs were easier for him to take, but he liked to hear it from his little brother’s own mouth.

“It’s good. They’re pushing me though.”

“That’s what they’re supposed to do, right?” Cash asked, glancing to Harper for reassurance.

“Yup.” She threw a glare at Remy. “He doesn’t like being pushed and sometimes gives them attitude, and then we have to have a talk on the way home.”

“Rem.” Cash sighed and set his fork down. “It’s all for your own good. Nobody is doing it because they want you to be unhappy. You know that, right?”

“I know.” Remy played with his food for a minute. “I am breathing better, and I’ve noticed I can ride my bike for longer, so I’m trying my hardest to do what they want me to. I just get scared when it’s hard to breath.”

“And we’ve discussed what you can do when it’s hard to breathe,” Harper reminded him.

“Yeah, close my eyes and relax, let my chest loosen, and make sure I breathe deeply and evenly.”

Cash could tell by the way Remy said the words that they’d been drilled into his head. Remy and Harper had definitely spent more time together than he’d realized, and he couldn’t help but let that warm his heart.

“Exactly.” Harper reached over and gave him a high five. “As long as you do that, you’ll be fine.”

“How’d you know to tell him that?” Cash asked as he took a bite of his bacon.

“Because she had panic attacks,” Remy answered before Harper could.

Just like that, the elephant was back in the room. They still hadn’t broached the lies of omission or Harper’s past; neither one of them had wanted to.

Quickly, he changed the subject, before they had to talk about something they weren’t ready to talk about yet.

*

Cash normally didn’t
like working on Sunday’s, but after the way he and Harper had both clammed up when her panic attacks were mentioned, he knew he had to get out of the house. If nothing else, just to give her some time.

“What are you doing here today?” Liam asked as he walked to where Cash was leaned over the hood of a car.

“Didn’t have anything else to do, figured I’d get some hours in.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Cash knew he wasn’t fooling the older man.

“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”

It was better than pretending, so Cash had a seat on a bench in the bay and leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees. “Harper and I still haven’t talked about what happened with her dad. We haven’t even slightly grazed the topic, and I think she’s having a hard time with it. Hell I
know
she’s had a hard time with it, and that’s part of the problem. I don’t want to bring something up that’s going to hurt her. That’s not what I want to do, but I want us to be a normal couple at some point, and I know we aren’t going to be there until she faces what happened with him.”

“But you’re no expert,” Liam finished.

“Yes! I mean what can I do to help her? Every time one of us inadvertently brings it up, she looks at me with this guilt, and then I feel awful.”

Liam rolled around the predicament in his head, wondering what he could do to help them. There was only one thing he was sure would work, and he felt weird about bringing it up, but he knew he had to. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled a worn card out of his wallet.

“Go see her; her name is Doc Jones. Let her know you’re affiliated with us. This is the only way either of you are going to move on, and I have to admit to you, I’m rooting for you two to get your shit together. So is Remy and everyone else who knows you. Until you force her to face this issue, you won’t be able to move on. And, Cash,” Liam leveled him with a look, “it’s time.”

Flipping the card over in between his fingers, he wondered if what Liam said was the truth.

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Don’t see.” Liam shook his head. “Just do.”

Famous last words.

‡
Chapter Seven

“I
so needed
this,” Harper said as she took a long drink of her frappé.

“I needed BFF time, so it’s my pleasure.” Nat smiled at her as she paid for both their drinks.