Crave Me (The Good Ol' Boys #4)(12)

Particularly for Lucas and Alex.

I saw them from a mile away and if I saw them, I knew the rest of them did too, especially Half-Pint. They didn’t try to turn the other way and leave, we just kept on walking toward them. They were on a secluded part of the beach and the full moon only added to Lucas and Stacey dry-f*cking the shit out of each other on the sand.

I watched Alex’s face the entire time. The way her heart just broke into a million pieces, spreading out all over the sand for us to walk right over it. Jacob and Dylan didn’t look at her once. They knew what they were doing. They wanted her to see it. In their eyes, they thought they were doing her a favor, blatantly showing her that Lucas wasn’t good enough for her and didn’t give a shit about her.

Bottom line.

It was f*cked up.

“Damn, boy, get up in there all good-like and shit,” Jacob interrupted as Lucas’ hand was moving under Stacey’s shirt.

His body instantly jolted off of hers, standing. “What the hell, Jacob?” Lucas roared, spinning around to give him shit.

I watched the entire thing play out in front of me like it was a goddamn soap opera. All the fight in Lucas immediately died the second he saw Alex with her head bowed and her shoulders slumped forward.

A kicked puppy.

And it took everything inside me not to beat the living shit out of all of them for putting her through this. For showing her that life was cruel. Bursting her bubble that we were her boys, especially Bo. I could tell that Lucas felt awful, but at the end of the day, he didn’t know that he was in love with her.

He was a kid trying to be a man.

A guy…

We’re f*cking idiots.

Alex always knew. She just tried to deny it. Maybe knowing that he could never really be hers, and that…

I understood more than anything or anyone.

“Relax,” Dylan interjected, bringing Lucas’ pissed off glare back to him. “We’re just passing through, heading up to Half-Pint's restaurant for dinner. By all means, keep goin’.”

Dylan reached out for Alex’s hand, and she quickly took it, her eyes locked on the sand, not looking at anyone, particularly not Lucas. Dylan nodded toward Stacey who was still sitting there, unfazed by getting caught.

“Bye, darlin’,” he added as we walked off.

As I got older, it was harder to control my emotions, my anger most of all.

For the first time in our friendship, our brotherhood, I allowed it completely take control. Not giving a damn about the outcome or the consequences.

“I’m going to use the bathroom,” Alex whispered, barely loud enough for us to hear as we walked up to the restaurant.

Dylan nodded, letting go of her hand, and we stayed by the shoreline. I was the only one to actually watch her leave, making her way up the beach into the restroom where I knew she would probably be crying her eyes out. Proving to herself that she really was just a girl.

Before I could give it anymore thought, I turned around with my fist already in the air and punched whoever the hell was closest to me straight in the jaw.

It just happened to be Dylan.

He staggered backward, his grip firmly placed on the side of his face. Neither one of them batted an eye. It was as if they were both expecting it. Maybe even a little proud of the fact that I was defending our girl from the hurt they knew they caused.

Dylan spit blood onto the sand and peered up at me, Jacob following his gaze. Both of them standing tall in front of me with expressions I couldn’t quite place.

“You’re both f*cking *s,” I gritted out through clenched teeth with my fists still at my sides.

“No shit, Austin,” Dylan countered, shaking his head in disgust. “What the hell are we supposed to do? Watch him hurt her anyway? This was easier, alright? Like rippin’ off a damn Band-Aid.”

“That was f*cked up and you know it!” I argued, stepping forward until I was an inch away from their faces. “That wasn’t fair to either of them. You set them up.”

Jacob sighed. “Austin, you’re too young to understand.”

“Fuck you!” I roared, only glaring at him. “You can pretend all you want that this scheme you orchestrated was the right thing to do, but you don’t fool me. Lucas wasn’t the one that hurt her.” I stared back and forth between them. “It was you,” I said, receding my steps, needing to get away from them.

“Both of you.” I turned and left.

Alex was already walking out the front doors of the restaurant by the time I made it inside. I ran, grabbing her wrist, making her spin to face me.

She immediately gazed down at the ground. “I don’t feel so good. I must have eaten something. My stomach hurts. My mom’s going to take me home,” she murmured just above a whisper.

“Half-Pint…” I coaxed.

Something in the tone of my voice made her peek up at me through her wet, spiky lashes. Neither one of us said anything. We just stood there in the parking lot of the restaurant in silence, knowing words didn't have to be spoken.

She knew.

I pulled her toward me, and she willingly came. She wrapped her arms around my torso, tucking her head underneath my chin. I held her tight against me, opening my mouth to say something, anything.

Nothing came out.

I kissed the top of her head instead.

“I love you, Half-Pint. I’m always here for you,” I reminded her.