Double Time
Page 95
Trey held her on his lap and stroked her hair as he spoke to her. She seemed groggy but coherent. “We’re going for a ride in an ambulance. Doesn’t that sound fun?” Trey asked her.
“I’d rather ride in the limo.” She groaned. “Damn, my head hurts.”
“How’s your neck?”
“I don’t know. I feel sort of numb. And tired. And nauseous.” She turned her head and stared at the guy who had Ethan’s knee in his back and his arms pulled up behind him at a sharp angle. He wasn’t going anywhere. Reagan shook her head and laughed. “I can’t believe I’ve been afraid of Pyre this whole time. In a fair fight, I could take him down myself.”
“I’ve got him pinned, if you want to take a cheap shot at him,” Ethan said.
“Maybe later,” she murmured.
“Are you okay, Reagan?” Sed asked, looking from her to Pyre as if he couldn’t decide if he’d rather comfort her or kick the shit out of Pyre.
“I’ll be fine. I’m just tired.” Her eyelids fluttered and Trey gave her a harsh shake.
“Try to stay awake. Okay?” he said. “I’m pretty sure that stuff can kill you if you breathe in too much.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt her,” Pyre said. “Just get her out of the way. So I could have my chance. I never even got a chance. I’m sick of being in the opening band.”
Ethan tugged Pyre’s arms up another inch, which shut him up immediately. A pair of police cruisers pulled to a halt near the tour buses. Two officers entered the scene with their hands at their gun belts.
“Ethan Conner, professional bodyguard,” Ethan identified himself. “I’ve subdued the perpetrator.”
“I’ll say,” one of the officers said as he removed a pair of handcuffs from his belt and grabbed one of Pyre’s wrists.
Pyre was handcuffed and pulled upright to sit on the ground. He didn’t look the slightest bit threatening now. More pathetic than anything. The officers started the interview process to get everyone’s story straight. Ethan had to talk to one of them while the paramedics looked Reagan over. Besides a severe case of nausea, a headache, and a few small cuts and bruises, she seemed to be fine. That didn’t mean Ethan liked to be interviewed for an incident report while Trey got to hold her hand and tell her everything was going to be all right as she recounted her own version of the events to the other officer.
When Ethan finally finished describing all of the details, several of the road crew came over to offer their take on the situation. Ethan went to stand at the end of the ambulance where Reagan sat. “Hey,” she said, a delightful blush staining her cheeks.
“I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am that I let him get his hands on you,” Ethan said.
She shook her head. “I’m okay.”
“That never should have happened. I allowed myself to be distracted and—”
“I did the distracting,” Trey said. “I’m as much at fault as he is.”
“So while I was being stalked, drugged, and strangled, you two were making love, cuddling, and sharing your feelings.”
That made it sound even worse. Ethan’s heart twisted with guilt. “Reagan…”
“While I was being dragged across a parking lot, beaten with a rubber hose, and stuffed into the trunk of a car, you two were kissing, touching, and playing hide the salami.”
“He beat you?” Trey exclaimed.
Reagan chuckled. “No, I’m just f**king with you. And once I stop feeling like I’m going to hurl, I’d say the two of you have a lot to make up to me.”
How could she be so forgiving? He’d put her in danger. She could have been seriously injured. She should be yelling at him, calling him names, firing him for being the worst bodyguard on the planet. Ethan stroked her hair behind her ear and brushed her soft cheek with the pad of his thumb. “I love you.”
“I know,” she said. “I love you too.”
Ethan glanced at Trey. It was the first time Trey had heard Reagan say those words to another man. Ethan wondered how he’d take it. Trey grinned and squeezed Reagan’s hand.
“Ethan, I need you to do something for me,” Reagan said.
“Anything.”
“Tell me how you feel about Trey.”
Ethan tried to read her expression to figure out what she wanted to hear, but she was staring down at her hand which was held securely in Trey’s.
“I love him,” Ethan said breathlessly.
She looked up at him and smiled. “I thought so.”
“You’re okay with it?” Ethan pressed.
“Under one condition,” Reagan said. She glanced at Trey. “Do you love Ethan?”
Trey nodded. “Yeah. I do. I love him.”
She smiled. “Good. And who else?”
“You,” he said without hesitation.
“And Brian?” she asked.
Trey chuckled and caught Ethan’s eye. “Who’s Brian?”
Ethan smiled. Trey had let Brian go for real this time. “He’s the guy I need to thank for grabbing Reagan so I could take that guy down,” Ethan said, glancing over his shoulder. Pyre was in the back of the cruiser now. He had a scrape along the side of his face where he’d hit the asphalt, but Ethan had somehow kept it together and not knocked him around too much.
“Are you going to go back on the force now?” Reagan asked.
Ethan gave her a questioning look. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you loved it and the only reason you left was because you protect the innocent a bit too violently. You were completely in control when you took Pyre down.”
“You don’t want me as your bodyguard anymore?” Ethan asked.
“You do suck at it,” Trey quipped.
Ethan scowled. “Yeah, because I was sucking you instead of guarding her.”
“Next time I’ll make sure I’m there when you’re sucking him so you can keep an eye on me,” Reagan said.
“I guess that would be safest,” Ethan agreed. He lowered his head and stole a kiss from her.
“What’s going on here?” someone said behind Ethan. He turned to find Dare staring at him with a mixture of confusion and anger.
Dare then looked at his brother in question. “You let some other dude kiss your girl right in front of you? No wonder you have relationship problems.”
“Ethan’s my boyfriend,” Trey explained.
“I’d rather ride in the limo.” She groaned. “Damn, my head hurts.”
“How’s your neck?”
“I don’t know. I feel sort of numb. And tired. And nauseous.” She turned her head and stared at the guy who had Ethan’s knee in his back and his arms pulled up behind him at a sharp angle. He wasn’t going anywhere. Reagan shook her head and laughed. “I can’t believe I’ve been afraid of Pyre this whole time. In a fair fight, I could take him down myself.”
“I’ve got him pinned, if you want to take a cheap shot at him,” Ethan said.
“Maybe later,” she murmured.
“Are you okay, Reagan?” Sed asked, looking from her to Pyre as if he couldn’t decide if he’d rather comfort her or kick the shit out of Pyre.
“I’ll be fine. I’m just tired.” Her eyelids fluttered and Trey gave her a harsh shake.
“Try to stay awake. Okay?” he said. “I’m pretty sure that stuff can kill you if you breathe in too much.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt her,” Pyre said. “Just get her out of the way. So I could have my chance. I never even got a chance. I’m sick of being in the opening band.”
Ethan tugged Pyre’s arms up another inch, which shut him up immediately. A pair of police cruisers pulled to a halt near the tour buses. Two officers entered the scene with their hands at their gun belts.
“Ethan Conner, professional bodyguard,” Ethan identified himself. “I’ve subdued the perpetrator.”
“I’ll say,” one of the officers said as he removed a pair of handcuffs from his belt and grabbed one of Pyre’s wrists.
Pyre was handcuffed and pulled upright to sit on the ground. He didn’t look the slightest bit threatening now. More pathetic than anything. The officers started the interview process to get everyone’s story straight. Ethan had to talk to one of them while the paramedics looked Reagan over. Besides a severe case of nausea, a headache, and a few small cuts and bruises, she seemed to be fine. That didn’t mean Ethan liked to be interviewed for an incident report while Trey got to hold her hand and tell her everything was going to be all right as she recounted her own version of the events to the other officer.
When Ethan finally finished describing all of the details, several of the road crew came over to offer their take on the situation. Ethan went to stand at the end of the ambulance where Reagan sat. “Hey,” she said, a delightful blush staining her cheeks.
“I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am that I let him get his hands on you,” Ethan said.
She shook her head. “I’m okay.”
“That never should have happened. I allowed myself to be distracted and—”
“I did the distracting,” Trey said. “I’m as much at fault as he is.”
“So while I was being stalked, drugged, and strangled, you two were making love, cuddling, and sharing your feelings.”
That made it sound even worse. Ethan’s heart twisted with guilt. “Reagan…”
“While I was being dragged across a parking lot, beaten with a rubber hose, and stuffed into the trunk of a car, you two were kissing, touching, and playing hide the salami.”
“He beat you?” Trey exclaimed.
Reagan chuckled. “No, I’m just f**king with you. And once I stop feeling like I’m going to hurl, I’d say the two of you have a lot to make up to me.”
How could she be so forgiving? He’d put her in danger. She could have been seriously injured. She should be yelling at him, calling him names, firing him for being the worst bodyguard on the planet. Ethan stroked her hair behind her ear and brushed her soft cheek with the pad of his thumb. “I love you.”
“I know,” she said. “I love you too.”
Ethan glanced at Trey. It was the first time Trey had heard Reagan say those words to another man. Ethan wondered how he’d take it. Trey grinned and squeezed Reagan’s hand.
“Ethan, I need you to do something for me,” Reagan said.
“Anything.”
“Tell me how you feel about Trey.”
Ethan tried to read her expression to figure out what she wanted to hear, but she was staring down at her hand which was held securely in Trey’s.
“I love him,” Ethan said breathlessly.
She looked up at him and smiled. “I thought so.”
“You’re okay with it?” Ethan pressed.
“Under one condition,” Reagan said. She glanced at Trey. “Do you love Ethan?”
Trey nodded. “Yeah. I do. I love him.”
She smiled. “Good. And who else?”
“You,” he said without hesitation.
“And Brian?” she asked.
Trey chuckled and caught Ethan’s eye. “Who’s Brian?”
Ethan smiled. Trey had let Brian go for real this time. “He’s the guy I need to thank for grabbing Reagan so I could take that guy down,” Ethan said, glancing over his shoulder. Pyre was in the back of the cruiser now. He had a scrape along the side of his face where he’d hit the asphalt, but Ethan had somehow kept it together and not knocked him around too much.
“Are you going to go back on the force now?” Reagan asked.
Ethan gave her a questioning look. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you loved it and the only reason you left was because you protect the innocent a bit too violently. You were completely in control when you took Pyre down.”
“You don’t want me as your bodyguard anymore?” Ethan asked.
“You do suck at it,” Trey quipped.
Ethan scowled. “Yeah, because I was sucking you instead of guarding her.”
“Next time I’ll make sure I’m there when you’re sucking him so you can keep an eye on me,” Reagan said.
“I guess that would be safest,” Ethan agreed. He lowered his head and stole a kiss from her.
“What’s going on here?” someone said behind Ethan. He turned to find Dare staring at him with a mixture of confusion and anger.
Dare then looked at his brother in question. “You let some other dude kiss your girl right in front of you? No wonder you have relationship problems.”
“Ethan’s my boyfriend,” Trey explained.
