Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

" W here's Joe?" Nathan asked as he pulled out a chair and sat down while scanning the bar.

"She's enjoying a joy ride," Eric said, feeling his lips twitch.

He idly wondered how she was enjoying her scenic drive down Old Man Mason's road, a ten-mile stretch of country road that hadn't seen a patch job in twenty years. It was one of those obscure roads that everyone forgot about, except for the kids who liked a challenge.

Nathan threw him a curious look but shrugged it off as he continued to look around the bar.

"Where's Caitlyn?" Eric asked, looking around the bar for the cute little brunette.

"We broke up."

He really shouldn't be surprised by this point, but he really was. He'd only met the woman a handful of times, but she seemed perfect for his brother. Then again, he hadn't met any of Nathan's girlfriends that hadn't been perfect for him.

"Why?" Eric asked, taking a sip of his beer while his brother continued to scan the bar.

"It was just time," Nathan said with a shrug.

"You're a fucking idiot."

Had he said that out loud? Based on his brother's sudden glare, he would have to go with a yes on that one.

"What?" Nathan demanded, turning his attention on him.

He could apologize, but this bullshit had gone on for far too long.

"You heard me. You're a fucking idiot. You had a great girl, another great girl I might add, who from what I could see, adored you and was perfect for you and what do you do? You toss her aside on a whim. What the hell is your problem?"

"Stay out of it," Nathan bit out tightly.

"Sorry. Not going to happen. I want to know what your problem is. You keep meeting these great women that seem to make you happy, but for some fucked up reason, you keep letting them go. I don't understand what your problem is."

"Look who's talking," Nathan bit out.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Eric demanded.

"Joe," Nathan said, making Eric turn around quickly in his seat to look for her. "Yeah, that's what I thought," Nathan said coldly, drawing his attention, but not before he scanned the bar looking for her.

"What are you talking about?" Eric asked distractedly as he turned to see if she was standing next to the jukebox since that's the first thing she always did before ordering a beer.

"That you have balls to talk."

"Meaning?" Eric asked, taking a sip of his beer as he leveled a glare on his brother, not entirely sure that he liked where this was going.

"You think I don't know?" Nathan demanded with a harsh laugh. "Everyone fucking knows."

"Then maybe you should clue me in," Eric said, placing his beer down on the small table.

"You're in love with Joe," Nathan said with a smug smile that had Eric chuckling.

"That's bullshit and you know it," Eric said, taking another sip of beer with a casualness that he didn't feel.

"Is that why you watch her like a hawk and warn off any man dumb enough to get within touching distance of her?"

"I protect her, the same as you," Eric said, slamming his beer down on the small table hard enough to make the small wooden bowl filled with empty peanut shells bounce.

Nathan snorted at that. "I protect her because she's my sister. You protect her because you don't want anyone else to have her."

"You're full of shit and you know it," Eric said, wondering why they were even talking about this. It was something that he didn't want to think about, never mind talk about.

For years, he'd forced himself to ignore the way Joe made him feel, like he would go out of his fucking mind if he didn't touch her, and now that he knew just how fucking good it felt to touch her, he was losing his fucking mind. She was his best friend, the only person he could go to for absolutely anything or nothing at all. He loved being with her and just talking to her over the phone eased his soul and that's exactly why he couldn't have her.

If they ever took it to the next step, he knew that it wouldn't be long before it ended badly. They were both horrible at relationships. None of his previous girlfriends could hold his attention longer than it took to get them into bed and that usually didn't take long. After sex, being with them felt like a chore, one he despised.

The same could be said for Joe. None of the guys that she dated could hold her attention for very long. For the most part, they seemed to irritate the living hell out of her. She didn't do long-term relationships, a month was too much for her. Hell, two weeks was too long for him and that's exactly why he knew this would never work.

She was forbidden fruit and the moment he had her, he knew that he'd get sick of her, too. Then, they'd be left with an awkward situation that even their relationship wouldn't be able to recover from. Then what? Did he continue dating her, pretending that he still wanted her because of their friendship? For her, he would try, but he knew he'd come to resent their relationship and push her away like he did with so many women before her.

Then what?

If they managed to go back to being friends, there would always be an awkwardness between them. They might continue being friends, but their relationship would never be the same. He'd miss their easy conversations, her companionship, her smiles, the way she pissed him off, but most of all, he'd miss her. She might be the woman that he wanted more than his next breath, but she was also his best friend, his world and no amount of sex was worth risking that.

"So, it wouldn't bother you if she was in the arms of another man right now?" Nathan asked, sounding amused.

Yes.

"No," Eric bit out.

"Good," Nathan said, nodding. "Then, it shouldn't bother you that Dave and Johnny have their hands all over her right now."

"What?" The word practically exploded from his mouth as he jumped to his feet, sending his chair flying back in the process. He turned around, ready to kill someone only to come to an abrupt halt when his eyes landed on the trio near the door. He felt his brows clear his hairline and he doubted that he was the only one.

"Just let me go!" Joe demanded as she fought against the two large men struggling to hold her back. "I promise that I'll only kill him a little bit!"

He felt his lips twitch while he watched as Joe managed to drag the men closer to him.

"You said that you only wanted a drink!" Johnny said accusingly as he doubled his efforts to pull the little pain in the ass back.

"I do. Killing makes me thirsty," Joe explained as her homicidal gaze landed on him.

Any other man would probably make a run for it, but that wasn't his style. This was the reason why he was going to make damn sure that he never touched her again. He loved her, loved the way she drove him crazy, and he really loved pissing her off.

"How was the ride, Joe?" Eric asked as he walked over to her and chuckled when she tried to lunge at him.

"It was great. Nothing like a smooth ride through the country. Why don't you come closer so that I can thank you properly?" Joe suggested sweetly even as she stomped down on Dave's foot, forcing the poor bastard to let her go.

She didn't waste any time in reaching up and going for Johnny's nipple. The look on the poor besotted bastard's face was priceless. He took one look at the hand nearing his nipple and practically dove away from her, leaving Eric with absolutely no doubt that she'd done it before. Probably as soon as she got off that backboard.

Joe wasted no time in going for him and probably would have gone for his throat if Nathan hadn't suddenly appeared between them and caught her around the waist with a bored sigh as he threw her over his shoulder, wrecking all of Eric's fun.

"Let me go, Nathan!" Joe demanded, grabbing the back of Nathan's pants to push herself up so that she could glare at him.

"Are you going to behave if I do?"

"Yes!" Joe lied and everyone knew it. She was eager to kick his ass and as much as he enjoyed a good laugh, it probably was for the best if he didn't have a reason to put his hands on her right now.

"Will it make you feel better if I take you out to dinner?" Nathan offered even as he headed for the door.

Joe glared at him for a moment as she thought it over. "Can I have dessert?"

"When the hell did you turn into such a little gold digger?" Nathan demanded, earning a rather cute eye roll from Joe.

"Don't turn your back on her, Nathan!" Eric called after them, "or she'll order an appetizer!"

"Betraying bastard!"

"Are you still mad at me?" Eric asked as he stepped into the bunkroom and tossed his sleeping bag and backpack on the empty bunk.

Joe didn't look at him as she jammed the pillow into the pillowcase with more force than he thought was necessary.

"Why would I be mad at you?" she asked mockingly.

He could easily think of five things that he did to piss her off in the last week alone. There was getting her pulled out of the Muster games, getting her ass on light duty, sending her on a bumpy joy ride, but the thing that probably pissed her off the most was when he convinced Bill to deny her request to switch shifts. As long as she was safe, and he made damn sure that she was, he really didn't care if she was pissed at him.

In fact, it would probably be for the best if she didn't talk to him for a few weeks. That should be more than enough time for them to forget their moment of insanity and get over it. There was no doubt in his mind that in a couple of months they'd be laughing their asses off about what almost happened. That moment couldn't come fast enough for him.

He missed her.

Christ, he felt so damn lost without her. This was hell and he would do whatever it took to get them back to where they needed to be, where he needed them to be. He needed to talk to her, touch her, and he really needed to hold her.

For the past week, he hadn't been allowed to do any of those things. This past week had also been the first time since they were kids that they'd spent any time apart and he hated it. Every day, the ache in his chest intensified until he didn't think he'd survive another moment without her.

He'd tried calling her, but he only got her voicemail. The few times he swung by to see her hadn't ended well. After the third time she slammed the door shut in his face, he got a little desperate and bought one of those milkshakes that she was addicted to only to have the little brat snatch it out of his hand before slamming the door shut in his face. She just needed time and he'd give it to her if it meant that things went back to the way they used to be.

Joe tossed her bag on her freshly made bed, grabbed a book, and threw him a killing glare as she walked past him. He should probably give her some space, Eric thought, but then again, she'd already had a week without him. He followed her, knowing that she'd probably kick his ass, but what the hell, it would be worth it just to see her smile.