She stilled her movements and inhaled a slow, deep breath. “It might make you angry.”
I frowned against her head. After what we had just shared, I doubted she could anger me.
“Tell me.”
“I found the file on your motorcycle. I know what happened. What they did to you,” she whispered.
I stiffened for a moment, then relaxed. It was bound to happen.
“When?”
“While you were away. It was stuck in the back of the file cabinet behind the petty cash box.”
“Hmm.”
“I shouldn’t have looked.”
I felt a smirk form on my lips, and I kissed her head. “But it’s you, Red. You couldn’t help yourself.”
She made a little noise in her throat. “I’m sorry. What they did was so awful. No wonder you don’t trust me.”
“That’s the rub, Red. I tried not to. I tried not to like you. I failed at both.”
“You-you like me?”
I laughed, pressing a kiss behind her ear, which made her shiver. “After what we just shared—after the last few days—you doubt that?”
“I was too afraid to hope.”
I tightened my arms. “I more than like you, Red. And I trust you. More than I thought I could ever trust someone again.”
“Oh.”
I sighed, knowing I owed her an explanation.
“I met Shannon at a real low point in my life.”
“You don’t have to tell me.”
“Hush,” I growled. “Yes, I do. I need you to understand. I’m going to tell you, and then it’s done. I don’t want to talk about it, understand?”
“Like, ever?”
“Ever.” I nipped her ear. “Are you going to listen or keep talking?”
“Yeesh. I’ll be quiet.”
I gathered my thoughts, surprisingly calm about talking about such a painful time in my life. Somehow holding Red and telling her wasn’t as difficult as I expected.
“I lost my parents pretty close together, and it hit me hard. I was lonely and Shannon seemed to be the right fit for me. I met her at one of those motorcycle events, and I thought she was great. She came to see me here a few days later, and well, she just stayed.”
“I see,” came her soft reply.
“She helped in the shop, doing deposits and the like. She sort of moved in and took over. She changed the house, changed the way I did things. My best friend Billy worked with me at the shop, and they got along well. Shannon—she had a way about her.”
“Like me?” she whispered.
“No, not in a good way. Demanding, controlling in ways you didn’t realize you were being controlled, if that makes any sense. Until she was gone, I didn’t realize how tired she made me. After the first little while, nothing was good enough. She was always wanting more. More money, more things, more—just everything.” I sighed, knowing I wasn’t explaining things very well.
“She was a taker,” Red murmured.
I barked out a laugh. “That’s what Mary called her. She disliked her right away, and Shannon made it plain she hated Mary. I had to choose between them, and I chose wrong. Luckily, Mary forgave me—she even made it possible for me to see her on occasion without Shannon around so we could keep in touch. And when it all blew up in my face, Mary never once said ‘I told you so.’”
Red chuckled. “I bet that took a lot of restraint on her part.”
I smirked. “I bet it did.”
“So, what happened?”
“We were fighting—a lot. Shannon and I. I was arguing with Billy too. Nothing I did was right with Shannon. I started noticing the business was being neglected. Monies weren’t being deposited. She always had an excuse, and at first, I believed her, then I started not to. That led to more fights. Then she started in on my parents. She thought I was weak to have been so close to them.” I snorted. “Mama’s boy, Daddy’s brat—she had lots of names for me. Finally, things got so bad, I knew it was over. We’d said too many hateful things, yelled too often. This place felt like a war zone, and I couldn’t escape it. It followed me to the garage, so I never got a break. I’d had enough, and after another disturbing visit to the bank, I came home early, ready to have it out with her. I wanted her gone. I knew she was stealing. I also realized she had no feelings for me. And never had. I was simply a pawn to her.”
“Oh, Maxx. How awful.”
“I walked into the shop and found Billy fucking her. Right in the middle of my shop, bent over some customer’s car.”
“Oh no.”
“We had a huge three-way fight. I fired him. Told her to get out. Things got really ugly, and I turned to walk away and call the cops, and the world went black.” I rubbed my hand over the back of my head, recalling the pain I felt when I woke up.
“When I came to, they were gone. So was anything of value, including my Indian motorcycle. She knew it was valuable, so did Billy. She had tried on more than one occasion to talk me into selling it, but I refused. But they both knew the sentimental value was worth more than any monetary value because…” I trailed off.
“Because you did it with your dad.”
“Yes. It was a part of me. And she took it. Along with some expensive tools, a bunch of cash, and my Ducati.”
“Maxx, what a betrayal.”
“It was more Billy than her, if I’m being honest. Things were so bad between us, I was almost grateful for her to be gone. Billy had been my friend for over ten years.”
She lifted her head and pressed a kiss to my jaw. “I’m sorry.”
Her soft words eased something in me.
“It would be hard to move past all that,” she mused.
“I went for some counseling. I needed some help to clear my head.”
“Do you think it helped?”
“I was able to sift through some thoughts and ideas—clear out the cobwebs, so to speak. The guy I went to was no-nonsense. Gruff. Spoke his mind. Called me an idiot more than once.”
“Oh. Um, the two of you must have gotten along well.”
I chuckled. “We were fine. He told me I was a grumpier sod than he was, even more so after we finished our sessions. I guess that’s just my true nature.”
She looked amused. “Not really a surprise.”
“Watch it,” I growled playfully. “He helped straighten me out some, and I see him on occasion if I need to.” I paused. “Frankly, having you here and all the changes you have made has done more in moving me forward than he managed to do.”
“It was too hard for you.”
I smiled at her fast defense of me. “I cleared out this room. Took all the furniture I hated to the flea market and put a sign up for free and walked away. Then I built this bed and the furniture.”
“You made all this?”
“Yeah. It was a good way to occupy my hands and mind. I hated the stuff she had bought. Minimalistic, I think she called it. Cheap, ugly shit, I called it.”
“I like this furniture.”
“I like how this bed looks with you in it.”
She giggled and burrowed closer. I noticed while we were talking, she was able to ignore the wind. It was beginning to die down, and I hoped she’d be able to sleep once we were done talking.
“Did you try to find it? The motorcycle I mean?”
“Yeah, I put out feelers, got the word out I was looking for it. Heard nothing. I assume they are long gone and the VIN number on the bike replaced and sold, or they pulled it apart for pieces. I had to give up dwelling on it and move forward.”
“Did this happen last year?”
“Yes. Why would you ask?”
“I noticed your files went from meticulous to barely done about a year ago.”
I scrubbed my face. “Yes. Thanks to Mary, taxes and everything are up to date. I need to fix the files—sort them and do a bunch of matchups. It’s all there in the storeroom, just jumbled.”
“I already started,” she confessed.
“Red…” I bre
athed out, surprised yet not shocked she would have simply taken on such a project without saying anything.
She asked me a few more questions, then fell silent. I was touched by her reticence in bombarding me with queries or opinions. It felt good to clear the air between us. A relief, almost.
“Do you regret placing that ad?” she whispered.
“The ad that brought you here?”
“Yes.”
I tilted up her chin and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Best ad I ever placed. I got you.”
“Yeah?”
“Wanna hear another secret?”
“Okay.”
“You drive me crazy in the very best of ways, Red. All your little habits and sayings. The way you put me in my place. Flutter around the garage with zero idea how sexy you are to me in your little outfits. The food you cook. Your goddamn delicious pies. All of it rolled into one smart-mouthed, sassy little redheaded snippet.” I kissed her again. “My little redheaded snippet.”
She stilled.
“Yours?”
“I’m done fighting this, Red. I’m attracted to you. More than I should be. I don’t know if I can be—if we can be—any more than what we are right now, but I’m not going to make myself miserable anymore. So, if you want that, you got me.”
For a moment, she was silent. “I want that,” she replied.
“Okay. We go from here, then.”
The room was quiet, and I thought she had fallen asleep. Until she lifted her head.
“You aren’t going to go all soft on me, are you, Maxx? Be all sweet and nice suddenly?”
I chuckled. “You don’t want sweet and nice?”
“No, I want Maxx. In all your growly, snarly magnificence, glowering at me in the garage and telling me off. I like that.”
“You are a strange girl, Red.”
“Holy moly, buddy, you’re one to talk,” she snorted. “Only you could come out of counseling even grumpier than when you started.”
I rolled her under me, hovering over her. “I’m going to show you grumpy in about three seconds, Red,” I promised. “And I don’t plan on treating you any differently than I have been. I’ll chap your ass daily. So, get used to it.”
She pulled me down to her mouth.
“Yowsers. Perfect.”
Chapter 21
MAXX
I was busy with Brett and Stefano when Red sashayed her way into the garage the next morning. I had left her sleeping in my bed, thoroughly exhausted from a night of being woken up by my wandering hands and growly demands. She was curled in a ball, her bright hair a mass of messy curls around her face as she slumbered.
We all lifted our heads at the sound of the side door opening. She walked in, carrying a tray of muffins, Rufus following her closely. But it wasn’t the muffins that had me slack-jawed. It was the outfit she was wearing today. Worn, I knew, to drive me mental.
It worked.
She had taken a pair of the old mechanic coveralls, cut off the sleeves, and tied the shoulders up with a pink ribbon. She left the top billowing open, giving me a glimpse of a tight tank top, also pink, underneath the worn beige material. She’d rolled up the legs of the pants so they ended at her knees, showing off her shapely calves. The waist was cinched in with more pink material, and her hair was in pigtails, with a bandanna holding it in place. And those damn sparkly sneakers again. It got worse as she drew closer. My name, MAXX, was embroidered on the lapel of the front pocket. Of all the overalls she could have chosen, she was wearing my old ones.
She was feminine, sexy, and yet still appropriate for the garage.
But not for me.
“Jesus,” I muttered.
Stefano and Brett exchanged a look and chuckled. “She’s a handful,” Brett muttered.
“Yep,” I replied.
She stopped in front of us, a falsely innocent look on her face as she smiled. She knew what she did to me in those outfits. “Muffins?”
They each took two, then decided they needed to go to the office and get coffee, leaving us alone. Red pushed the tray my way. “I made these.”
I took one, glaring at her. “I don’t recall giving you permission to cut up any coveralls.”
She tossed her head, the damn pigtails bouncing around her shoulders. “The sleeves were torn. I figured you wouldn’t mind.”
“You think that outfit is suitable for a garage?” I snarled.
She rolled her eyes, enjoying this too much. “Duh. They’re coveralls, Maxx.”
I stepped in front of her, tracing my name over her breast with my finger. “Any reason these coveralls, Red?”
She met my eyes, hers dancing in delight at my reaction. “So I was covered in you all day.”
Her words went directly to my cock.
“Find an excuse to be in the storeroom at lunch. You and I need some privacy to discuss your choices in outfits,” I hissed.
She tilted her head. “If you say so, boss man.”
It was all I could do not to throw her over my shoulder and carry her into the storeroom right then. I wanted to fuck her against the shelves, holding those pigtails and making her cry out my name.
“I say so,” I growled.
“All right.” She pressed closer so I could feel her nipples straining against the material. “Just so you know, I’m commando underneath. I figured it would save you some time.”
She placed another muffin on the table in front of me. “See you later.” She winked and moved toward the office. I watched her go, a smile tugging on my lips. Things would never be dull while she was around.
And I wanted her around for a long time.
Saturday afternoon, I sat astride my motorcycle, waiting for Red. I watched with narrowed eyes as she hurried across the lawn, stopping in front of me.
“Go change,” I ordered
She looked down at the tank top and shorts she was wearing. “But it’s going to be hot!”
“Fine.” I yanked my Henley over my head, exposing my bare chest.
“You can’t go like that,” she protested.
“Neither can you.”
With a huff, she dug in her bag and pulled out one of the old garage shirts, putting it over her tank. “There.”
I reached into my leather saddlebag and tugged a black muscle shirt over my head, sliding it under the waistband of my jeans.
Her eyes widened. “No way. That’s worse.”
I lifted my eyebrow.
She dropped her bag and dug inside it again, muttering the whole time.
“Holy moly. He calls me stubborn… They’ll be all over him wearing a muscle shirt. Walking sex on legs. Seriously.”
I enjoyed her frustration. Now, she knew how I felt. Hopping on one foot, she pulled on a pair of pants, right over her shorts. “Better?”
“Did they shrink?” I griped.
She slammed her hands on her hips. “They’re capris, Maxx! Stop chapping my ass and put your gosh dang shirt on!”
I chuckled and pulled my Henley back over my head. Silently, I handed her a jacket, and she took it, holding it up.
“It’s warm standing in the sun, Red. Not on the back of the bike. You need the cover.” I shrugged mine on and waited.
She slipped it on, running her fingers along the old leather. “Is this…” She let her voice trail off.
“It was my mom’s. I know it’s a little big, but it will block the wind.”
In a nanosecond, she was on me, her arms locked around my neck, kissing me. I grabbed a handful of her ass, holding on tight, taking control of the kiss and letting her know who was in charge. At least at the moment.
I stood and deposited her back on her feet. I slid a helmet over her head, tugging on the braids, then locking it in place. I bent down and kissed her again, then swung on my bike.
“Get on, Red.”
She scrambled behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist. I patted her hand and gunned the engine.
“Hold tight.”
She snuggled
against my back. “I plan to.”
I wrapped my arms around Red’s waist, swaying in time to the music, listening to the covers of the old rock band, and enjoying myself. I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so relaxed. I had a great day with her. She was excited and dragged me around, looking at the various bikes, the arts and crafts, and talking to everyone. I saw some familiar faces, caught up with a few people, and watched with amusement as Red handed out business cards like candy, talking about the shop, my talent, and the restoration work I did. Little minx even had pictures on her phone. I hadn’t been to the event in two years—too sad when my dad died since we usually went together, and still too raw after the shit Shannon and Billy had pulled. I had gone to one event with Shannon, but her attitude had ruined the entire day for me. Red was easy, just as happy to stand beside me and listen to me talk as she was to explore items in the craft area. She held my hand the entire day, often wrapping her arm around me for a kiss or to share one of the treats she picked up along the way. I tried to growl at her, but today, it was impossible. She was too adorable, and I was too caught up in her spell.
She rested back against me, lifting her head and meeting my eyes. I bent over her and captured her mouth with mine, groaning low when she turned in my arms and returned my kiss with passion. No one paid us any attention in the crowd, everyone enjoying the music, some high from the drugs being passed around, some caught up in the simple pleasure of being outside under the stars and enjoying life.
I lifted her off her feet, my lips telling her silently what my mouth couldn’t yet say. She dragged her mouth over to my ear.
“Ever had hard, fast sex on your bike, Maxx?”
“No,” I growled.
“You want to?”
I didn’t respond. Instead, I flipped her over my shoulder and stalked toward the field where people were parked. My bike was in the far corner, close to the trees, and would now be deep in the shadows. People laughed and cheered as I pushed through them, Red hanging on to my ass for dear life and grumbling in protest. I smacked her rounded ass, grinning as she yelped.
She’d be hanging on harder soon. And yelping in another way entirely.
Revved to the Maxx Page 23