Double The Ache Read online

  When we get to the next bouncer, he steps out of the way and shakes our hands, welcoming us and offering bottle service. Wes and I turn it down because we don’t drink. Not even in the off season. Cassie and Emma immediately start ordering drinks when a waitress comes over to us. I’m scanning the room and I feel Wes beside me doing the same.

  “There!” he shouts over the music and points to the back where the DJ booth is.

  Nelson is up on top of it with headphones on pointing out into the crowd. Running backs are always show-offs. I look around again but don’t see Amelia anywhere.

  “Fuck,” I mutter as we make our way over.

  When we get to the booth, Nelson spots us and for a second he’s laughing, then, when he sees our reaction, drops his smile and comes out of the DJ booth.

  “I knew I could get you guys to co—”

  “Where is she?” Wes and I say at the exact same time.

  Normally Wes is the crabby one while I’m the comic relief, but right now we both have the same goal. To find Amelia and get her out of this place.

  On the way over, Cassie and Emma told us all about the Viper and what kind of celebrities come here. It’s one of the hottest clubs in Vegas right now, and there are a lot of people in here that we sure as hell don’t want around what’s ours.

  “Calm down, she went to the bathroom,” Nelson says, holding up his hands.

  He looks past me, smiling and winking. I glance over my shoulder and see Cassie holding up a drink to him and then giving him a wink back.

  “Stay away from my sister,” Wes orders before we turn and go towards the bathrooms.

  I see Cassie shrug as she walks over to Nelson and gives him a hug. They’ve met a few times when my sisters came to visit, but I never thought anything about it. Now I’m wondering how well they know one another. Emma is dancing with one of our guys, Linsley, and I give him a look that tells him to take care of her. He nods as he switches out her drink for water and keeps on dancing. He and Emma usually hang out when we’re all together, but she says she’s not interested. She doesn’t want to date a jock, which I personally find offensive. But whatever, she’s twenty-one now and can make her own decisions.

  Wes and I don’t have a problem if Emma dates Linsley, he’s a good guy from a good family and doesn’t drink or party. I’m actually shocked he’s here tonight, but when I look around I see most of the team is. Nelson, on the other hand, is a player, and Cassie damn well knows it. She’s too good for him, but I can’t tell my big sister what to do.

  My family is close knit, so I’m sure I’ll find out exactly what’s going on soon enough, but for now I’ve got bigger things to focus on, and it’s in the shape of an hourglass with skin as soft as silk.

  When I reach the women’s bathroom there’s a long line. Shocking. Wes and I go up to the door and there are some catcalls while we go. We ignore them and enter. There are three stalls inside with about ten women standing in front of the mirror. I glance around and don’t see her, so I decide to try plan B.

  “Yo! Amelia, you in here, baby?” I shout over the music and the noise.

  The bathroom bursts into a flurry of giggles and I roll my eyes. After a second of no one answering I decide to try it another way.

  “Paging Amelia Green! You’ve got ten seconds to get your apple bottom out of this bathroom before Wes and I come in and get you!”

  Suddenly one of the doors is flung open and she steps out scowling at me, mad as hell. The girls in the bathroom start cheering, and her face turns bright red. She walks over to the sink and calmly washes her hands before taking a paper towel and drying them off. She squares her shoulders and marches to where we’re standing, but instead of coming to where we are, she pushes past me, elbowing me in the side as she goes.

  “Gahh,” I cry out as I grab my side. I feel Wes chuckle beside me as we watch her go back into the VIP. “What’d I do wrong?”

  “You’re an idiot,” Wes says.

  “An idiot that’s going to get her to come home with us,” I say, and chase after her.

  Chapter Five

  Amelia

  I take a deep breath, trying to pull myself together. I was having a pretty good time since I got here. After a few drinks and getting lost in the music I could forget about Wes and Dean. Okay, not forget, but they weren't flooding my every thought with what they might be doing with those girls they let into their home.

  A knot fills my stomach all over again thinking about it. I saw the four of them come in together. They were hard to miss. Not only because of their size, but because everyone turned to look at them as they entered and moved through the club. A bunch of people shouted their names and cheered for them. My eyes filled with tears at the sight of them with the other women and knew I had to get myself together. The safest place was the bathroom. I wouldn't let them know it bothered me because I have to work with these two. But my bathroom escape was short lived.

  Why were they even in the freaking bathroom looking for me to begin with? I push my way through the crowd, seeing the club has gotten busier since we arrived. People are everywhere, making it hard to move. I’m getting squished, but I need to get out of here.

  Just as I’m getting frustrated, people suddenly start moving out of my way on their own. When I feel heat at my back I know why. I don’t even have to turn to know they are both hot on my “apple bottom.” God help me, the reminder makes me add a little wiggle to my steps as I walk. I don’t know if that’s my doing or the alcohol swimming through my system.

  I spot Nelson over at the table he snagged us earlier, along with a few other players from the team. He introduced me to a lot of them already, and everyone had been nice. I was happy to get to meet some of them out of a work environment. I didn't want to get labeled as just being the boss’s daughter. I want them to see me as more than that and I want everyone to like me. Maybe that’s something I inherited from my mother and I don’t know if it’s good or bad. I’m not used to being around so many men.

  Nelson is pouring shots when I walk up to the table. I notice one of the girls Wes and Dean came with is standing next to him. She’s beautiful. She has dirty-blonde hair that hangs all around her shoulders in long waves. She’s in a tight black dress and heels that have to be at least five inches, giving her supermodel height. She’s swaying to the music and making her hair bounce with each move. She not just pretty, she’s sexy. I’ve never considered myself to be sexy. I’ve been called cute and adorable, but not sexy. In fact, the dress I have on tonight is the sexiest thing I own and it looks frumpy compared to what she’s wearing.

  Nelson’s gaze is on the woman. I have to hold back a snort as I watch him spill the shots he’s pouring because he can’t take his eyes off of her.

  “Nelson!” I hear Wes bark from behind me, loud enough to be heard over the music.

  It makes me jump and I stumble in my low heels. Warm hands catch me before I fall on my ass. I’m not sure whose they are, but I try to jerk free of the hold. The hands only tighten and fingers dig into my hips in a possessive grip.

  “Let me go,” I snip, but then I freeze when lips come to my ear.

  “Dean was right. You are even softer than you look.”

  I feel Wes’s lips behind my ear and every cell in my body goes on high alert.

  Nelson and the other woman are staring at us. Nelson has a cocky grin on his lips, while the girl’s mouth has formed a perfect O. I’m guessing she’s pissed because one of these two men is hers and they’re both with me for some reason.

  Wes’s hand slides from my hip to my stomach and he wraps himself around me. I panic and use my elbow and swing back hard. Wes lets out a little grunt, and I hiss. It’s like hitting a freaking wall and I wonder if I did more damage to myself then I did to him.

  Wes lets me go and I dart from his hold, scared he might try to grab me again. I walk straight to Nelson and pick up one of the shots on the table. I throw it back and a harsh bitter taste fills my mouth. I grab another a
nd shoot that back, too.

  A warm buzz flows through my body and I try to ignore the taste. I’ve never really drunk before, and I don’t know what this is going to do to me. I’ve had a few glasses of champagne at events my mother took me to, and I’ve occasionally sipped a glass of red wine when out to dinner, but this feels different.

  Before I know what’s happening the shot glass leaves my hand as Dean takes it from me. He drops it down onto the table and gives Nelson a hard look.

  I pull my eyes away from Dean to look at Nelson, who has his arm around the woman. He rolls his eyes and drops his arm from around her at the same time Dean puts his arms around me. I feel Wes at my back, his body heat familiar and strong.

  I do a little dip to drop Dean’s arm from around me, then turn to look at the both of them. They’re like a human wall taking up all the space in front of me as both have their arms crossed over their chests. They look like they could be the bouncers in this club. I have to lean my head all the way back to even make eye contact with them.

  I put my hands on my hips and square my shoulders. “Keep your hands off me,” I shout at both of them. Dean smirks, giving me that dimple, and Wes’s face is unreadable. I’m pretty sure he’s fighting a smile, which is irritating. A little growl leaves me, and the smirk Wes is fighting breaks free. God, he's even more handsome when he smiles. I want to smack the looks off their faces.

  “Not going to happen,” Dean says.

  “No.”

  Of course Wes’s response is only one grunted word.

  “Is she yours?” I glance between both of them. Wes nods and Dean answers in the affirmative.

  I stand there shocked for a moment. “Like, you share her? Between the two of you?”

  I feel my face flush and I look away from them. I’m sure my surprise is all over my face. Then jealousy washes through me. I shouldn’t be shocked that someone as pretty as her can have both of them. I glance back at them and they look like they’re studying me. “Never mind. Don’t answer that.” I wave my hand in front of me. I don’t want to know about their sex lives. What I've already started to piece together is ripping my heart apart with feelings I don’t understand. I want them to be mine. To belong to both of them and for them to belong to me.

  I turn back to the table. Nelson has a shot in his hand and he’s about to take it, but I slip it from him.

  “Amelia.”

  I ignore the voice while I throw the shot back and feel the burn, happy to focus on something else in this moment besides my jealousy.

  “Wanna dance?” the woman asks.

  She has a dimple in her cheek and her smile is friendly. She reaches out to me, and though I don’t want to like her, I don’t have a real reason not to. I’m surprised she isn’t shooting me daggers.

  “Yeah,” I say and take her hand.

  “Cassie, she’s not dancing,” Dean tells her.

  “I'll do whatever I want,” I snap back at him. I smile when I see they’re not wearing those smirks anymore.

  “Maybe you all should stay over here in the VIP area and just hang out,” Nelson says to Cassie. He licks his lips as his eyes roam over her. He’s clearly smitten. I didn't taken Nelson as the type to fall for a woman. He seemed like a player to me.

  Cassie rolls her eyes. “We didn't get all dressed up for nothing.” She pulls on my hand.

  “Cassie,” Wes growls.

  “Ignore them. That’s what I do when they try to boss me around.” She winks at me.

  I bite my lip to keep from telling her how I wouldn’t mind being bossed around by them if I had the chance. Though after tonight I know I wouldn’t want to belong to them. They clearly have no problem going from woman to woman right in front of one.

  As Cassie pulls me through the crowd my mind starts to wander. Maybe they came here for me because my dad asked them to keep an eye on me or something? Maybe that’s why they were looking for me, and they aren’t the players I think they are.

  My neck tingles in the place where Wes placed his lips, reminding me that I’m likely wrong. I can’t believe I’m trying to make excuses for them. I just hate the idea of the two men I’ve been dying to meet for years could be sleazy jerks.

  I see the other woman they came with dancing with Linsley when we get to the main dance floor. I met him when we first got to the club. He was really nice and had some of the best manners I’d ever seen. He’s holding her close as they move together.

  “That’s my sister, Emma,” Cassie shouts over the music. I nod and start dancing.

  I get lost in the music for a while, but I can feel eyes on me. Every time I glance over I see Dean, Wes and Nelson are all staring at Cassie and me. I can’t keep myself from shooting glances at them every now and then.

  “I need a drink!” Cassie shouts after a few songs. She grabs my hand and pulls me off the dance floor.

  “Move!” she yells at the men, and they step out of her way. We hit our table and have another round of shots and drinks before we’re dancing again.

  Dean and Wes keep shoving bottles of water into my hands as the night wears on. I chug them down since the dancing is making me thirsty. I try to keep my distance from them the best I can, but every time I turn around I’m running into them. They are like giant shadows. As much as I want to fall into them, I like Cassie and I’d never do that to another woman.

  I’m not sure Nelson has the same code as me, because he’s clearly trying to get Cassie’s attention.

  After a few hours I drop down into one of the sofas in the VIP area. I think my night is coming to an end. My eyes feel heavy. Dean and Wes both take a seat next to me, one on each side. I feel my eyes growing heavy as exhaustion and drink try to pull me under.

  “Just going to close my eyes for a moment,” I mumble.

  My head falls onto Dean’s shoulder and I feel Wes’s hand on my thigh. His finger strokes me back and forth, the touch soothing and making me feel even sleepier.

  “We got you.”

  That’s the last thing I remember before I’m shooting up in bed. I glance around, with no idea where I am, but I immediately know who I’m with. On one side is Wes and the other side, Dean. Sunlight pours in from the floor-to-ceiling windows and I realize I’m in their place. In their gigantic bed.

  I swallow, trying to remember how I got here, but it’s all blank. Nothing.

  I’m still in the dress I wore the night before, but Wes and Dean are both shirtless. I close my eyes and open them again to make sure I’m not dreaming.

  Nope. Still here.

  I try pinching myself, but that just stings and doesn’t change my surroundings. My hands itch to reach out and touch them both. I want to run my fingers along their chests, but I shake my head and get myself under control.

  I shift a little and realize they’re each gripping one of my thighs. I lift the blanket a little and confirm with my eyes. There’s no tenderness between my legs, so I don’t think anything happened. Slowly, I peel my thighs from their hold and I have to swallow back a snort when Wes grunts.

  When I’m finally free, I slip down to the end of bed. Seeing my shoes and purse nearby, I grab them before leaving their room. I wonder where Cassie is? I feel like a jerk. How did I end up in bed with her men? My heart feels heavy and I’m not sure if it’s the guilt about Cassie, or if it’s the despondence that they belong to someone else. How could they still take me into their bed while they have someone? That’s not who I thought they were.

  My question of where Cassie went is answered when I enter into the living room. I spot her moving around in the kitchen. The woman she said is her sister is sitting at the breakfast bar.

  “Hi,” Cassie chirps, turning to look at me, spatula in hand.

  “Hey.” My face burns with embarrassment, but she doesn’t seem mad at me for some odd reason. “Sorry about last night.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about.” Her eyebrows draw together in confusion.

  Maybe they’re in an open relationship or somethi
ng.

  “I’m making breakfast. Want to join us?” she asks.

  “I really need to be going,” I tell her. She glances down the hall at where I came from.

  “Do the boys know you’re leaving?”

  Her sister has a smirk on her face, but I have no idea what’s happening here. Also, how could anyone call those two “boys”?

  “Let them know for me,” I rush to say as I make my way to the front door.

  “Amelia.” I hear her call out after me, but I’ve already got the door open.

  “Later!” I shout as I dart out the door.

  I fumble in my purse, looking for my keys, and it takes me a second to find them and slide them into the door. I barely get it open before I hear my name being shouted again. This time, it’s louder and coming from what sounds like two very angry men. I manage to lock my door right before the pounding starts.

  Chapter Six

  Dean

  “You keep beating on the door like that and it’s a sure way to get her to keep it closed.”

  I turn around, surprised to see Emma behind us. She’s got her arms crossed and she stares at us like we’re idiots.

  “Give her a second. She just woke up in a strange place with two strange men.”

  “We’re not strange,” I say defensively.

  “Okay, how about intimidating?” she revises.

  I look to Wes, who shrugs like she’s got a point, and I shake my head. Turning back to Amelia’s door, I place my hand on it and try to sound calm.

  “Hey, we’re sorry for scaring you. Come have breakfast with us. You can meet our sisters and eat some food.”

  “Sisters?” I hear a muffled squeak on the other side of the door.

  “Yeah, Cassie and Emma,” I say, waiting on her to open the door. But after a few beats nothing happens.

  “I told you guys to give her some space,” Emma says, throwing up her hands and going back into our house.