Swerve: Boosted Hearts (Volume 1) Read Online Free Page B

Three
     
    Hugh lifted his beer and took a deep pull. The bar was busy…busy enough no one would notice when it came time to do business. He seriously needed to be on his game for this, but all he could think about, all he could focus on was the lush redhead moving around the bar in painted-on jeans and a shirt that clung to her soft, round tits.
    He’d thought he’d never see her again.
    But here she was.
    “That the redhead Adam popped an artery over?” Joe asked from across the table, forcing Hugh’s attention away from her.
    “That would be her.”
    His brother flicked at the label on his beer. “I see the appeal.”
    Hugh grunted. Joe, like Hugh, preferred his women on the curvier side.
    “Going back for seconds?”
    “Nothing happened.” And he still cringed at the way he’d handled things that night, the way he’d screwed up.
    Joe’s brows lowered. “Why the hell not?”
    “We’re not talking about this.”
    His brother snorted. “You’re the one staring at her as if you plan on knocking her on the head and carrying her home to your cave.”
    Yeah. That’s exactly how he was looking at her. There was no point denying it, so Hugh just stared at his brother, not taking the bait.
    Joe scowled, gaze sliding across the bar to Shay, then back, and Hugh knew the subject of the hot redhead he’d taken for a ride in a stolen car hadn’t been dropped.
    “Yanno, I don’t really give a shit if you don’t want to talk about it—this has to be said. What in the hell did you think you were doing, bringing some random to the garage? Yeah, she’s hot, and I can’t for the life of me work out why you didn’t tap that, but shit, I had to talk Adam down.”
    Hugh scowled back. “He can talk.” Their friend was no doubt off screwing his brains out right now. A different woman every night. But then who the hell was Hugh to judge? They all had their issues.
    “Yeah, but he didn’t take some babe for a joyride in a stolen car, numb nuts.” Joe shook his head. “Look, I don’t care what anyone says, you’re not a giant freak to me…you’re just…abnormally proportioned.” Joe patted his hand. “Lucky for you, there are chicks out there with sasquatch fetishes. I get you gotta go for it when the offer’s there…”
    Hugh shoved his brother’s hand off. “Dick.”
    “Buuut, we’re this close to the finish line; why risk blowing everything to shit now?”
    Guilt knifed through him. Joe was right. His younger brother was a clown, a joker, never took any-damn-thing seriously, but for once, Joe was spot on. Hugh had already failed his family enough. He’d let their old man screw up their lives repeatedly when he should have stepped up, when he should have kicked the fucker out. Not let him come crawling back again and again. They were in this mess because of Hugh. Because he’d been too damn blinded by the old man’s bullshit, his promises of “never again”, to see just how deep he’d sunk. Hugh had failed his mom, his brother and his sister. Put them in danger—turned his brother into a goddamn criminal.
    He sipped his beer, ignoring the suffocating guilt tightening around his chest. “I have no answer for you.”
    “Jesus.” Joe slumped back.
    You’d think the guilt over what he’d done, what he’d risked, would have killed the hard-on he had for Shay. Nope. No chance. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her, had stroked his cock to thoughts of her every night since he’d met her.
    Joe dragged a hand over his buzz cut. “So what time’s this cocksucker supposed to show?”
    His baby bro never did have much patience, even as a kid. “He’s got another ten minutes.”
    Joe fidgeted, shredding the cardboard coaster that had been under his drink. “I’m sick to fucking death of this. Seriously.”
    “You and me both.”
    They stayed quiet for a few minutes then Joe started tapping his fingers, jiggling his knee, making Hugh goddamn crazy. “I’m taking you to the park for