0597092001436358459 eveline vine Read online

  “C’mon Evie!” Donny coaxed, leaning against the back of my chair and wrapping his arms around me. I giggled and joined in softly, feeling more confident as their singing turned from artful to just plain shouting.

  - “There’s a bad moon on the rise!” -

  ***

  The drive took us all day. Of course, we did stop quite a few times so that the cramped people in the back seat could stretch their legs, and so that I could take pictures of the landscape. Despite the stops, we were all relieved when we finally arrived in the outskirts of Darwin. As soon as we parked in our allotted spot, everyone scurried out of the car, eager for fresh air, dinner and a shower.

  Everyone grabbed their bags (Stone carrying mine as well) and Alec slipped inside the office to grab our hut keys. From what I’d actually listened to, I knew that we had two, small, air-conditioned huts booked for four nights. I’d assumed I’d be bunking with Fredi when I learned that, but Alec tossed a key at Stone, while he held onto the other. Stone, barely encumbered by my suitcase and his large backpack, grabbed my hand and led me toward the row of huts. I blinked, not quite believing that Stone and I would be having a hut to ourselves, while Fredi, Donny and Alec shared the other.

  The wooden huts were fairly small, square buildings that were propped about a foot off the ground. Each had a small front porch that held a rectangular table and four chairs. The rooves were triangular, the apex high and thus, likely much more comfortable for people as tall as Stone. He passed me the key and I nervously unlocked the door, gently pushing it wide open so that I could see inside.

  Stone pushed past gently and I followed hesitantly, watching as he dropped our bags by a blue and green quilted queen bed. To my immediate right was a triple bunk, obviously meant for children when families stayed here. To my left was a small bathroom, and along the right wall, next to the bunks, was a small kitchenette, with a round table and four chairs in the middle of the room. Beyond that, was the bed, with a wardrobe and TV opposite it. I saw a curtain next to the closest bedside table and realised the bed could be screened for privacy.

  I heard the door open in the hut beside us and Donny shout that he and Fredi would claim the queen bed.

  “As if Donovan,” I heard her retort faintly, “I get the bed and you losers are using the bunks.”

  “Why do you get the bed?” Donny snapped back.

  “Because she’s the girl,” I heard Alec growl, “Stop fighting or you’re both sleeping outside.”

  I giggled quietly and stopped in front of Stone, who was standing beside the bed. I looked at it warily, my palms sweating a little in anticipation of the night to come. I wondered how soon it would start. After dinner? After a shower? …Right now?

  I glanced up at Stone to find him staring down at me, an intense expression on his face. I swallowed nervously as his hands rose to grip my hips and slowly draw me towards him. His hands slid to my ass once I was pressed against him and his mouth lowered to scatter small kisses from the base of my neck to my ear. My heart pounded as his lips parted, my nerves tingled in anticipation of hearing his gruff voice – of what he might say…

  Donny banged on the door, interrupting us for dinner. “I’m hungry,” he growled on the other side of the door, “Let’s go to the pub.”

  Stone gave my neck one last kiss and drew away to throw his bag on the bed and rifle through it. I watched the bed ripple from the impact and my eyes widened as I realised it was a water bed. I giggled, wondering how I was going to lie with Stone on that thing. His weight would push me into him and every time he moved it would cause huge, choppy waves. Inwardly, I groaned, making a mental note not to drink too much…that is, if Stone let me drink at all…which he probably wouldn’t.

  Fredi barged in without knocking and looked me up and down. “What are you wearing to the pub?” she demanded. I blinked at her in confusion and Stone snorted as he brushed past us to get to the bathroom, his towel and change of clothes over his shoulder.

  “I don’t know,” I answered honestly, noticing that she hadn’t changed, “What are you wearing?”

  She frowned. “I’m not sure yet,” she replied, “That’s why I was asking you. You live here don’t you? What’s the pub like?”

  I didn’t tell her that, since I was underage and lived with overprotective brothers, I didn’t really go to pubs often, unless it was for the family dinner crowd.

  “Which pub?” I asked warily.

  “Harold’s or something,” she told me and I felt my stomach drop, “It’s near the edge of town apparently, not far from here.”

  Fuck. Harold’s was frequented by my brothers and their friends. It was near the university. I doubted the triplets or any of their high school friends would be there on a Monday night…but Paul and his university buddies most likely were.

  “Can’t we go somewhere else?” I asked nervously.

  “Why?” she stared at me curiously.

  I hesitated, but knew she knew about the triplets so I explained. “My brothers might be there…or their friends.”

  Her eyes lit up. “The sexy triplets?” she asked eagerly.

  Crap.

  “Uh, yeah,” I said slowly, “And my older brother Paul.”

  “So what’s the problem?” she asked impatiently.

  “They’re really overprotective,” I whispered.

  Fredi snorted. “Bad luck Stone then,” she said with a shrug, before pulling my suitcase towards her, “What did Briar pack for you?”

  I watched in horror as she rifled through my suitcase and picked out a tiny, stretchy, white skirt. That thing barely covered my ass! Then, she threw me white, satin, bikini panties and a crimson red corseted top, with fake lacings down the front and a hidden zip at the back. Next, she shoved a pair of denim high heels into my hands and commanded me with her two-coloured eyes not to make a fuss.

  I whimpered in defeat as Stone emerged from the shower, and slowly trudged into the bathroom to get ready, praying with all my heart that I wouldn’t see anyone I knew.

  ***

  I grimaced at my reflection in the mirror as I contemplated what to do with my hair. I was dressed in my slutty outfit and I’d managed to do my own makeup – rather more subtly than Bri would have done – but my thick hair was proving to be a problem. I couldn’t leave it down, because even though the pub was air-conditioned, it was still too hot. There wasn’t the same temperature drop here at night, like there was in the desert region of Alice.

  So what do I do with it? A ponytail with my outfit just didn’t seem right. Or did it…

  Carefully eyeing my reflection, I parted my hair in the middle and gathered it in a low ponytail at the base of my neck. I’d worn my hair like this before…but that had been before I’d had it layered, and it had been straightened.

  Some of the layers of my fringe escaped the band and swept in front of my face in soft waves. An idea struck and I pulled the band out to gather my hair in a side ponytail instead, leaving my fringe out and letting my long waves spill over my bare shoulder. With my barely-there makeup and freckly nose, the hair-style made my slutty outfit seem more…innocently sexy, if that was possible. Stone thumped his fist on the door in impatience, so I quickly grabbed my purse off the sink and opened the door.

  Stone stared.

  His eyes stuck on my corset top and pushed up breasts for a long moment, before they travelled down my body to fix on the exposed skin of my tanned, long legs. His eyes slowly moved back to the hem of my short skirt and he frowned, his hands darting out to turn me around. I felt the heat of his eyes on my ass and felt my legs tremble. He spun me back to face him, his eyes now on mine, his expression fierce.

  It was one I knew all too well from Charlie’s days at high school – one my older brothers had worn often – one that said quite clearly:

  You are not going out like that!

  “Fredi chose it,” I whispered, just as she turned up at our door. His eyes shot her a deadly look but she grinned, grabbing my arm and pul
ling me away from him.

  “C’mon,” she laughed, “I’m starving.”

  She dragged me out of the hut and Stone stomped after us, closing the door with a slam. He was silent for the entire drive to the pub, his posture stiff and his hands clenching the wheel. Every now and then his eyes would drop to where my skirt had hitched right up in my seat and he’d glare at my legs. I felt horrible for upsetting him and unsure as to how to make it better.

  It only became worse as we walked inside the pub, many male eyes fixing on first Fredi, then me. I felt Stone’s temper hike up another notch. Nervously, I slid my arm around his back, sinking my hand into his far, rear jean pocket. I pressed myself against him, slipping my hand into his and pulling his arm around me so that our twined fingers came to rest possessively low on the front of my hip. I smiled up at him and pressed a kiss against his neck, letting the room at large believe I belonged to him.

  I felt his body relax a little as he looked down at me, his dark mood starting to ease. His eyes glinted and he walked me to the bar, tugging me in front of him and wrapping his arms around me as we ordered our food. I inwardly chuckled, marvelling at how overprotective and territorial guys became around other men.

  I was Stone’s special friend…and that meant no one else was allowed to play with me.

  ***

  By the time we’d finished dinner, the pub was starting to prepare for its later crowd. Locals and tourists started pouring in for drinks and dancing. University students on break headed straight for the bar, obviously planning a big night out. I started to become anxious as I stood next to where Alec and Stone were playing Fredi and Donny at a pool table. I watched the crowd instead of the game, keeping my eyes peeled for Paul and his friends. I grimaced as I realised that Ben could even turn up tonight.

  Damn I needed a beer. I glanced at Stone, wondering what he would do if I bought one. As if sensing my gaze, he looked up at me and raised a brow ever so slightly in question. I glanced towards the bar, then back at Stone, biting my lip in indecision. Obviously reading my mind, he pulled out his wallet and walked over to me, placing a twenty in my hand and kissing my cheek.

  “That’s all,” he growled in warning, letting me know that if I dared spend any of my own money on booze, there’d be consequences. What those consequences were, I had no clue, but I wasn’t interested in finding out. Twenty dollars was enough for two beers, with enough left over for two glasses of soft drink or maybe even a small vodka sunrise. I intended to make them last. I kissed his cheek in thanks, knowing that he’d much rather I didn’t drink at all, for whatever control-freak or chivalrous reason he had. He went back to the game and I made my way to the bar.

  I managed to find a gap to squeeze into, leaning against the bar as I settled in for the long wait to be served. I bumped against the guy next to me when the girl on the other side of me pushed past to leave the bar. He glanced at me unseeingly for a second and started to turn back to his mates, only to whip his head back around and take another look, his eyes sweeping over my body with what appeared to be appreciation. He wasn’t bad looking – not that I was interested – and he looked vaguely familiar. My heart started to thump in dread as he too seemed to pause on my face. He frowned as if trying to place me and I turned away, hoping desperately that the barman would hurry the fuck up. Suddenly, his expression cleared and he hooted, turning back around to his friends and nudging them.

  “Look who I found!” he shouted over the music, gripping my arm and pulling me into the centre of their circle. I glanced around at their faces, vaguely recognising one or two, but my stomach sank when I saw two I knew for certain were Paul’s friends. They gaped at me, obviously recognising me, even if a few of the others were slow on the uptake.

  “What are you doing here Evie?” Josh, Paul’s best friend, asked me in surprise, “I thought you were in Alice.”

  “Duh. Uni break,” Chris (one of the other guys I recognised) filled in.

  “I can’t believe that’s shy, little Evie Vine!” another of the guys whistled, looking me up and down, “Damn girl. You’ve grown up.”

  “And filled out,” the guy I bumped into leered.

  “Yes, well…nice seeing you all again,” I said quickly, trying to turn back to the bar.

  “Wait,” Chris asked with a frown, “Who are you here with? Does Paul know you’re here?”

  “When did you turn eighteen?” Josh added, scratching his head, “Paulie didn’t mention it.”

  Shit! Shit! Shit!

  “Um…just here with friends from uni,” I said quickly, “Oh look they’re waving. Gotta go.”

  Fuck the drink, I thought, pushing my way through the crowd to get back to the pool table. I glanced back at the guys and the blood drained from my face when I saw Josh rapidly texting on his mobile. Not good.

  “Where’re Stone and Fredi?” I asked Donny hurriedly, noticing that just he and Alec were playing pool.

  “Pokie machines,” he told me, frowning at my empty hands, “You do shots at the bar or something?”

  “No. We have to go,” I said frantically, tugging on his arm.

  “What’s wrong?” Alec demanded, putting the cue down and coming over to me.

  “I’m just tired,” I lied, “And it’s stuffy in here.”

  “Go get Stone,” Donny suggested with a grin, “He’ll take you home. We’ll catch a cab.”

  I looked toward the gaming lounge and stilled when I saw the triplets. Oh no no no no no!

  They’d paused in the entrance to the lounge, meaning I wouldn’t be able to sneak past. I glanced back at Paul’s friends and saw Chris point at Jake. Josh nodded and started toward my younger brothers with a determined stride. What were they even doing in here? They’re not even seventeen until next month!

  “I don’t feel so good,” I told Alec quickly, “I’m going outside for some air.”

  I wasn’t lying this time. I really didn’t feel so good.

  “Okay Evie,” he murmured, “I’ll take you outside for a bit.”

  “No, I’ll be fine,” I said quickly, not wanting my brothers to find me with a man…dressed like this.

  “Don’t be silly,” Donny added, finishing his drink, “You can’t go outside by yourself.”

  Alec’s arm wound around me and Donny cleared a path through the crowd as we walked toward the exit. Just before we left, I glanced back at Jake, just as his eyes met mine. I turned away quickly, shutting my eyes tightly as we walked out the door.

  ***

  I tried to pull the guys away from the door and around a corner out of sight, but as soon as we were the required four metres from the door, Donny stopped and pulled out a smoke, lighting up and leaning against the wall. I panted in frustration, looking out into the car-park worriedly, hoping Paul would take his time getting here. Alec, obviously sensing my distress, pulled me into a hug and stroked the top of my hair. I stiffened further, the last place I wanted to be was in a man’s arms.

  “Hey,” he said softly, “What’s wrong?”

  Suddenly, I was wrenched from his grip and shoved back into the arms of someone else. I squealed in surprise as I felt their arms tighten around me from behind and swore as I saw Mike punch Alec. Donny pushed away from the wall beside me, but Luke pinned him back with one hand and a glare. I glanced up at my captor and realised Jake was holding me, his angry breaths puffing against my hair.

  “What the fuck?!” Alec growled, taking an instinctive step back, then glaring at Mike. He didn’t look like soft, caring Alec anymore. He was pissed.

  “Stay the fuck away from Evie,” Jake growled.

  Alec’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “What the hell are you wearing?” Mike demanded, turning back to me with a glare.

  “What the fuck business is it of yours?” Donny growled.

  Alec cracked his knuckles and added, “She can wear whatever the hell she wants.”

  “This doesn’t concern you,” Mike snapped at Alec.

  “Like he
ll it doesn’t,” Alec shouted back, “You fucking hit me.”

  “You asking for another?” Mike stepped forward threateningly, the most aggressive of all three triplets.

  Luke, the more logical one of the group, interrupted, “Mike, just leave it. Let’s grab Evie and go before Paul gets here.”

  “You’re not taking Evie anywhere,” Donny growled pushing Luke off him. Luke pushed him back, but Donny slipped out of his grasp and raised his fist.

  “Stop!” I cried out in alarm, struggling against Jake. They didn’t listen to me. Mike went to help Luke, but Alec grabbed onto him. Donny’s fist made contact with Luke’s cheek and Luke, losing his calm with a snarl, hit back. I tore out of Jake’s hold and ran towards them, grabbing Donny’s arm with one hand and thrusting my other arm between their bodies. They both froze, backing up a little so as not to hurt me.