The Maddox Brothers: Beautiful Burn Part 31

He dropped his hands from my shoulders, exhaling like the wind had been knocked out of him. "Where?"

"Jojo's."

He nodded toward the door. "Go."

I bent down to get one last shirt, and then rushed to the laundry room at the end of the hall and grabbed some folded clothes. My backpack was full, so I began filling a small plastic laundry basket.

I reached for the door, but his hand was on mine. I breathed out a cry, knowing if he said one more word, I would stay.

He touched his cheek to mine, then kissed my temple. "Let me drive you."

I shook my head.

He let go of the k.n.o.b, waiting for me to look up at him. When I did, his expression crushed me. "You're still my friend. Let me drive you."

I nodded, watching him fetch his keys. He led me to his truck, and then I directed him to the magazine. We didn't speak. Tyler gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white.

When I pointed to the back lot, he frowned. "Why did you tell me to come here, Ellie? Jojo doesn't live here."

"There's an apartment above. I have a key," I said, pulling Tyler's off my key ring.

He took it, glowering at the metal in his palm. He closed his eyes. "Ellie, I still want you to come to Illinois with me next month."

I laughed once. "I can't meet your family, Tyler. Are you insane?"

"I already told Dad you were coming."

I frowned.

"Please?"

"We can't just be friends now. Not when I love yous have been thrown around. We can't go back. You've ruined it."

"You've ruined me."

"It was your turn."

He managed a small laugh, looking down. "Get the f.u.c.k outta my truck, Edson."

"Done," I said with a smile. "See you around."

I fished the key out from the small, fake rock by the back door, and then waved to Tyler as he reversed his truck and pulled away. Once inside, I lugged my bag and the laundry basket up a set of stairs, seeing the perfectly clean apartment. No decor, no candles, no pictures of anyone I loved.

I sat on the floor and sobbed-emotionally exhausted, heartbroken, and relieved.

CHAPTER TWENTY.

The only downside to living in a brand-new apartment above the MountainEar for almost nothing was that once fire season was over, Tyler was working down the street every third day. The unseen benefit was that Jojo liked to hang out upstairs after work, and sometimes she'd take me with her to Turk's-and the owner's daughter got a nice discount.

We sat at a table in a corner, sipping on Hurricanes in the dim light. Christmas decorations were already hanging from the ceiling, and red and green tinsel garland spiraled around the wooden beams standing at each corner of the bar.

"Good G.o.d these are huge drinks," Jojo said, her words slurred. "I'm only to here," she said, touching the middle of her gla.s.s, "and hammered."

"The quicker the better," I said, irritated that I wasn't even buzzed.

The door blew open, and in walked a line of familiar faces, chatting and smiling.

I sunk in my seat. "s.h.i.t."

"What?" Jojo said, turning to see the source of my reaction.

"Liam!" she said with a wide grin.

Liam heard his name and turned toward our table. Jojo waved like an idiot, and he switched direction, heading straight for us.

"Jojo! d.a.m.n it!" I hissed.

Jack, Fish, Jubal, Sage, Zeke, Bucky, Sugar, Cat, Taco, Watts, Smitty, Runt, Puddin', and Pup followed, filing into our booth and pulling up chairs when the s.p.a.ce was filled. I was squished between Jojo and Liam, and she looked unhappy he'd gone left instead of right to sit next to her.

"You couldn't bring the whole crew, huh?" I said, elbowing Liam.

He laughed and rubbed his ribs. "The rest are coming. Except the twins. Taylor stayed in Colorado Springs, and Tyler went home."

"What's the occasion?" Jojo asked.

"Fire season's over. Most of the guys are getting on a plane in the morning," Jubal said, patting Pup on the shoulder.

They all looked exhausted, skinny, and content.

"Tyler didn't want to come out on everyone's last night?" I asked.

Watts pulled out his phone. "He will if I tell him you're here."

Everyone laughed but me. "Please don't."

"Too late," Watts said, replacing his phone in his pocket.

My shoulders sagged.

Liam leaned into my ear. "So you dumped him, did ya? That's rough."

"I didn't dump him. We weren't together," I said.

Sage spoke up. "He's sure been moping around the last two weeks. I don't think I've seen him so miserable."

Jojo looked at me with sleepy, glazed eyes and jutted out her bottom lip.

"Stop," I warned.

"Chief said he's going to let you back next season," Liam said.

"Really?" Jojo asked, her eyebrows lifting so high they threatened to skim her hairline.

"Yeah," Liam said. "The poor bloke heard about it every day from twenty crewmen."

"Are you and Jack going to the airport tomorrow?" I asked.

"Nah. We're gonna do some sightseein'. You should come." He looked to Jojo. "Your photographer should do a feature on the Great American Road Trip. She could cover your travel section."

"We're not that kind of magazine," Jojo said, annoyed with Liam now that he wasn't flirting with her.

He turned to me again. "You should come."

"I can't."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I have a job, and bills, and I can't just pick up and leave. I've seen the States. Most of them, anyway ... and the rest of the world."

"Oh. World traveler, are ya?" Liam said. He was beautiful-even twenty pounds leaner, cheekbones more p.r.o.nounced and eyes a bit sunken in-but the part of me that wanted to act on attraction had been stolen by Tyler, and he wasn't giving it back anytime soon.

"Yes."

"Her dad owns Edson Technologies, genius," Jojo said.

The men at the table all covered their mouths and said Oh! in unison. I wasn't sure why. Her comeback wasn't that great.

"Your father is Philip Edson?" Liam asked, shocked.

"You've heard of him, huh?" I said, twirling the straw in my tall gla.s.s.

Jack laughed. "We've had Paris Hilton following us around in the woods all this time?"

I wrinkled my nose. "Take that back, f.u.c.k-knuckle. Right. Now."

Everyone at the table but Jack and Liam looked confused. They'd heard the term plenty in Australia; it was my favorite Aussie insult.

"I'm ... I'm sorry," Jack said.

Liam burst into laughter. "Ya soft c.o.c.k! You're just gonna take that from her?"

Jack pouted. "Maddox takes a h.e.l.luva lot more from her than I do."

I sunk in my chair, blown back by equal parts guilt, shame, and humiliation.

"For f.u.c.k's sake, Jack!" Cat chided.

"No, he's right," I said. "I don't know why."

"I do," Jubal said with a knowing grin. "But you can be d.a.m.n sure he wouldn't do it for anyone else."

After a long minute of awkward silence, the crew turned to their pints and whiskey, chatting about their favorite stories from the ending season. Once in a while, they would belly laugh, always at someone's expense. I scanned over the faces of the boys I'd come to love, wishing my favorite one were among them, but at the same time, relieved that he wasn't.

Liam leaned in, tapping my nearly empty gla.s.s. "You need another, love?"

"Yes, please," I said without hesitation. Someone else offering to buy me a drink wasn't new-having to wait to drink until that happened took some getting used to.

Liam raised his index finger into the air, signaled to the waitress, and then held up my empty gla.s.s when she looked his way. She smiled at him, already enamored with his accent and the trademark hotshot tan line around his emerald eyes.

He leaned in, his lips grazing my ear when he spoke. He talked about where he and Jack were planning to drive to first, pretending to need traveling tips and laughing at my sarcasm. I'd just finished the drink he'd bought me, and was just beginning to feel a bit lighter when his gaze fell to my lips.

"I've been patiently waiting, ya know," he said. "It's been almost an hour. Your boy hasn't come for you yet."

I looked down. "Probably because I'm not his to come and claim."

"Yeah, but he's yours. I can see it all over the poor b.a.s.t.a.r.d's face."

I noted the pink tint of Liam's lips against his bronzed skin. A faint echo deep inside me suggested I grab his face and pretend not to care that Tyler hadn't come like Watts had said he would. The taste of Liam's drink on my tongue wouldn't be the worst distraction. The more I imagined his strong hands on my skin, the unhappier I felt. Sterling was supposed to have been my rock bottom, but Tyler had given up on me, just like I had-there was no lower feeling than that.

Just for one night I wished I could return to the pathologically selfish a.s.shole I once was. Even drinking back-to-back Hurricanes couldn't erase Ellie two-point-oh. Jojo was happily sloppy drunk, but guilt and an ache for Tyler consumed me. Exhaling, my back hit the hard wood of my chair as I wondered if more experienced company could have helped me lose myself. I needed someone supremely manipulative, heartless, and cruel-someone like me.

"You're terrible at flirting," I said, deflated.

Liam seemed surprised at my retreat, and then he closed one eye and wrinkled his nose, almost like he was in pain. "I really f.u.c.ked that one up, didn't I? Just forget I said that. Let me help. I'll buy you another drink."

"I'll take it."

The door swung open, and Tyler walked in alone, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking around. When his gaze landed on me, he paused. My breath hitched, and my heart banged against my ribcage. It was all I could do not to leave my seat and run across the room and tackle him.

Tyler casually strolled over to the bar to greet Annie and grab a beer before navigating the tables to stand next to our corner booth. Each step he took seemed to take an eternity, but finally he was there, standing just a few feet away.

He eyed Liam before smiling at me. "Hey."

"Hey," I replied, nervous and embarra.s.sed, knowing we sounded ridiculous in front of the crew.

Tyler grabbed a chair and sat next to Jubal, who patted him a few times on the back for encouragement. "Glad you decided to join us after all, Maddox."

Watts smirked. "I'm sad to know we weren't good enough for a sendoff, but add Ellie to the mix..."

"Shut your hole, Watts," Cat growled.

Tyler took a swig of his bottle and leaned back, looking unaffected until Liam lifted his arm and rested it across the back of my chair. Tyler's eyes darted to Liam's extended arm, and then to Liam, a murderous glare in his eye.