by Kate Swain
I shut my eyes. “You can say that again.” A strand of my dark hair flopped over one eye as I bent forward. I scraped it away irritably. Adam grinned at me.
“It looks like…”
I groaned. I was hot. I was tired. I head a headache. The last thing I needed right now was Adam being clever. I was stressed and I really didn’t need my friend’s wise-guy cracks on top of all the things I was worrying about. Usually, I loved his silly sense of humor, but today it was grating on me as badly as the rattle of the engine, the smell of the exhaust and the smoke.
“Hey, man,” Adam said, still good humored despite my complaint. “It’s okay. I’ll get the kit and we’ll check if it’s the oil that’s leaking. I didn’t mean to get on your nerves. Sorry, bro.”
I sighed. “No worries.”
I couldn’t stay mad with Adam for long.
He stood and went over the workbench. I resumed my work, which was finishing the chrome. I really enjoyed my job, and making the Harley of our best client stunning was absolutely satisfying. I didn’t know why I felt so bad-tempered this afternoon.
“Hey, that bike’s looking…” Adam began, as he came over gesturing at my handiwork. As he did so, his phone rang, and he made a face, reaching for his phone. “Sorry.”
“No worries,” I said, watching Adam turn away, phone in hand. I used the moment to brush my dark hair off my sweaty forehead and wonder why I was so pissed-off.
“I guess I’m irritated.”
I had been out to the pub the previous evening and, as usual, ended up with the heavy drinkers. We’d had a good evening and I’d had more than a few opportunities to take a girl home. That wasn’t what worried me about the evening.
I did not want to hook up with anyone last night.
I didn’t understand it. Matt had just laughed and said that I had probably had enough girls for one lifetime. I shrugged.
“I wonder if there’s something up with me.”
I was twenty-eight years old, and I couldn’t imagine that I was ill. What could it be, then? Maybe I was stressed.
But, I thought, frowning as I turned back to work, I was happy despite my moments of being realistic. I felt fulfilled at my job, was growing more and more skilled as a mechanic, and my older brother Carter said our family business was doing really well. There should be no obstacles or problems in my present or future.
I glanced up from my work, where I was busy fastening on the last of the chrome plated accessories to a custom bike. Adam returned from the parking lot out front, a frown on his brow, looking nervous and still on his phone.
“Listen, I might be late. Can you just go to the apartment?” Adam said. There was a pause, then he continued, “Sure, Maddy. That is great.”
I raised an eyebrow. Maddy Barnes, his little sister. I didn’t know she was back already. She was studying in New York, or she had been the last time I heard anything about her. It seemed strange that she’d return here.
She was such a talented dancer. I thought she’d find work up in the big city. Maybe Broadway or something.
Why, I wondered, would she choose to come back here, when her talent could take her anywhere on the planet?
I blushed. I hadn’t realized how much respect I had for Maddy Barnes.
I remembered when I had last seen her. I was at a New Year’s bash. My brothers were there with me. Adam brought his little sister who was eighteen years old. She was dancing with a guy who had been apprenticed with us for a while. He was going off to college himself. Adam approved of him, and I could see that.
All the same, I wondered then if I had a chance with her.
I remembered how Maddy had danced, perfectly timed with the rhythm of the soulful music that stirred the blood. She moved sensually and I watched her toned, curvy body in admiration. I remembered how I’d ached for not going over and asking her to dance.
I glanced over at Adam. He would have killed me.
I knew I had a reputation, even then.
I also knew, I thought with a sigh, as I took a screwdriver and gently helped Adam to open the housing for the engine once more, that I was not the sort of guy big brothers would like for their sisters.
I was a playboy.
“Mark?” I turned around, screwdriver in hand, as my brother Matthew came into the office. He grinned and I grinned back. As always, Matthew was the one person who could make me smile no matter how low I felt. Tall, mild and cheerful, Matthew was my best friend.
He was also my twin.
I cleared my throat, which still burned a bit from the smoke. “What’s cooking?” he asked. It was our customary greeting when there was smoke in the shop. It was also a reference to the fact that, of the two of us, Matthew was more skilled in the kitchen.
He laughed. “It smells strong,” he indicated the smoke. “Not sure I’d want to eat that.”
I grinned sourly. “Not sure anyone would want to ride it, either.”
“The engine’s leaking something,” Adam commented, earning a scathing look from me. He just shrugged. “Well, it is,” he said. “And, guys… I’d love to help but I’m sorry I need to get going.”
“What’s up?” Matthew asked. “Late for something?” he glanced at his watch. “It’s only three-thirty.”
“Yeah. Sorry. I asked the Carter yesterday,” Adam explained awkwardly. “I need to get home. My sister’s arriving today.”
“Oh! Good.” Matthew nodded. I wondered if Matthew recalled Adam’s sister. I sure did. I couldn’t forget that dance and the way that she moved was permanently etched in my brain. Hot! “Well, you should go, then.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s three-thirty.”
“I said I’d leave at four, but I need to go earlier. She’s gotten lost.” He grinned shyly and I felt a surprising flare of protectiveness. Kansas City could be rough sometimes. I didn’t like to think of her wandering around alone.
“Sure,” Matthew said easily. “If you got to go… we’ll finish up here.”
“Thanks, Matthew,” Adam sounded relieved. “I appreciate it.”
I watched as he got up, packing away his tools. We had strict rules about cleaning up every day and making sure that everything was in its proper place at the end of the day. The key to success in a repair shop, my brother said, was making sure things were tidy. And Brand’s Bike Shop was highly successful.
“Hey, Mark!” Adam called from over at the door. “You want to go out, later?”
I paused. I knew what he was thinking—he wanted me to join him and his sister. Maddy. My mind flashed back to that evening, six years ago. She was wearing a strappy dress, her slim waist and round hips emphasized perfectly by the white frock. She grinned at me over her shoulder and still remember how my loins caught fire. I remembered Adam, too—keeping an eye on both of us, making sure I did not get close to his little sister.
“Um…” I licked my lips, which had inexplicably gone dry. “I don’t know, Adam. I planned on working late here, and…” I trailed off as Matt came in.
“Hey,” he interrupted my protest gently. “It’s no big deal if we all go early—Carter said we’ll have plenty of time to finish the repairs tomorrow before the week ends. And besides, don’t forget the party is this evening.”
“Um…” I pushed the dark blonde hair out of my eyes and fixed on Matt with a surprised stare. “I did forget.”
He laughed. “Well, good that I reminded you. Adam? You remembered, right? Carter wanted to celebrate the anniversary of Kevin’s Pub in style.”
“Not sure why going to Kevin’s Pub is “in style”,” I said with a small grimace.
Matthew just laughed. “It’s the nicest bar close to us. Besides, it has long tables and we can all sit together. And the pizza’s good.”
“You’re right there,” I said mildly.
“So…” Matthew clasped his hands together, looking over the workshop. “Let’s get going.”
I nodded. I was already cleaning my tools and packing them into the big plastic-coat
ed box. He didn’t have to tell me twice. I stood, my back throbbing after being bent over for so long, and headed to the work cabinet. I put my things away, then headed to the new showers Carter installed. Matthew, cleaned up already, was dressed in jeans and t-shirt, ready to go.
I washed the grit and grease of the day off my body, sighing in relief as I ran a soapy hand over my firm chest. I felt a little better as the hot water ran over my muscles soothing some of the knots and aches.
Drying off and then pulling on a t-shirt and jeans, I headed out into the hallway, where Matthew and Adam were already waiting. I stood back, ready to let Adam go and shower so we could all head out, but he was staring through the door.
“Oh!” Adam said.
I turned around. And I stared, too. In the doorway, wearing tight jeans and a soft blouse, her hair rumpled and her eyes wide, curves stunning and complimented by her outfit, was Maddy.
3
Maddy
I stood in the doorway of the shop. I stared. Opposite me, dressed in a leather jacket, white shirt and jeans, was Mark. I swallowed hard. He was way hotter than I remembered him. I thought my heart might stop and I willed it to keep beating, my brain somewhere miles away as I stared at him, face blushing a little.
“Maddy…” Adam whispered urgently in my ear. “Say hello to Mark, Matthew and Carter.”
I cleared my throat. “Um… Hi, guys,” I said. “It’s been a while.”
“Maddy,” Matthew said, stepping forward to take my hand. “It’s great to see you again. Welcome back to Kansas City.” He was all smiles.
“Thanks,” I said in a small voice. I stared up at him shyly. Matt was Mark’s twin, but somehow they didn’t seem alike to me. Matthew had pale blue eyes and his hair was a shade blonder, but it wasn’t just that, which made him different. It was his manner. Matthew was gentle and lighthearted. I remembered that he was a father and that affected his being, too. Mark, on the other hand, was smoking hot. I liked Matthew a lot, but I was attracted to Mark.
“Hi,” I said shyly.
I shook Matt’s hand. I would have been too shy to take Mark’s.
“Maddy. Welcome home.”
I found myself opposite Carter. The oldest of the Brand brothers. More than ten years older than Mark and Matthew, Carter had a strong, rugged appearance and tall presence. A slight, yet curvy, woman stood next to him, with blonde hair and big brown eyes. She grinned at me.
“Maddy, this is Amelia.”
“Hi,” I said. She smiled broadly and I decided I liked her immediately.
“So,” Carter said. “Are we all going out?”
Adam smiled at me and then at Carter. “Sure. Maddy, I don’t know if you’re too tired from the drive. But maybe now that you’re here, you’ll join us? It’s the anniversary of one of our favorite bars and we are all going there to celebrate.”
I stared. I was tired, hot and dirty. I hadn’t even showered. I had been driving for six hours and I really didn’t want to sit next to Mark smelling so bad.
“Maybe Maddy would like to freshen up first?” Matthew suggested warmly. “We’ll be at Kevin’s Pub. We will be there for at least a few hours, so why don’t you go back with Adam, get ready and join us? It’d be great to have you there.”
I nodded thankfully at him, raising a brow at Adam. He took the hint and smiled at Matthew and the other Brand brothers.
“Sure,” Adam said. “We’ll go back to my place, unpack and give Maddy a chance to freshen up. See you in about an hour, okay?”
“Sure, Adam.”
“Bye.”
I turned around in the doorway. Mark was looking back at me. I felt my whole spine shiver. His blue eyes—even darker and sexier than I remembered—stared into mine. I felt like the world stopped.
He turned away, breaking the spell. I turned around.
“Maddy… are you okay?” Adam asked gently, taking my arm and leading me through the door. “I’m sorry about tonight—you must be so tired. But I am so excited to see you, sis.”
I smiled. It was good to see him, too. I wrapped my arms around him in a big hug. He smelled of oil and gasoline.
“It’s great to see you,” I whispered into his shoulder. I was home.
He looked into my eyes tenderly. “You’ve grown up, sis.”
I grinned. “It had to happen.”
He laughed and ruffled my hair, giving me a playful shove as we went over to my truck. “I guess it did. But I hope you’re not too grown up for a late-night feast and drinks?”
“Never!” I declared. He grinned and I laughed. I was blinking tears out of my eyes as I got behind the wheel to follow him to his house. It was silly, but I’d missed him so much. It was overwhelmingly good to be back. I peered through the windshield, waiting for him to put on his helmet and start his motorcycle. He’d lead me back to the apartment.
“Let’s go,” I said softly, taking my foot off the clutch and sneaking into the traffic behind him.
When we got to Adam’s apartment, I paused in the doorway, breathing a sigh of relief. It was his own apartment—my mom still lived alone in the one we’d grown up. It was strange how his place smelled like his old room. Sawdust, engines and some strange spicy scent that must follow him everywhere. My big brother would always mean home to me and I felt my throat close up again.
“Welcome home, sis,” he said.
Blinking rapidly, I gave him another big hug. “Thanks,” I said.
We went in and Adam went back to fetch my things. He dragged them up the stairs to the spare room, swearing a little at the weight. I laughed.
“It’s not that bad. That’s all my clothes.”
“Just your winter things?” he asked skeptically.
“No, all my clothes,” I said. That reminded me. I wanted to change into something special for the party. I waited for him to leave, then opened my suitcase.
“How about this?” I took out the sweater I had bought the last month I’d been in New York. I had used more of my budget than I usually would on clothes. But it was my last month in the city and I wanted to spoil myself a little.
I held it up against me, looking in the mirror. The sweater was cherry red, and it contrasted nicely with my pale skin and golden brown eyes. I grinned at myself and was satisfied with the look. The girl in the mirror looked sassy and confident, but also cute. I grabbed a lacy bra, walked to the bathroom with the sweater in hand, then pulled off my clothes. I checked out my body in the mirror and headed into the shower.
Having clean hair felt so good! I shuddered, recalling how haggard I must have looked when I arrived at the repair shop. I also remembered Mark and the way he looked at me.
He didn’t seem to think I looked too bad.
My face flushed, and it wasn’t just the hot water, either. That look had made me go quite weak. I dried myself, put on jeans and the sweater, studying the effect in the mirror. With my blonde hair fluffed around my shoulders, I looked good. I added red lipstick, and felt confident. Even I could see I looked good.
When I went down the stairs, Adam whistled.
“Thanks,” I blushed.
“Sis! You look incredible.”
“You look good, too” I acknowledged. He did. He was dressed in a blue shirt which emphasized the striking color of his eyes. They were paler than Matthew’s, more of a sky-blue that was rare. I raised a brow, wondering what had prompted him to dress so smartly.
I found out soon enough.
“Before we leave,” my brother said, eyes on the big clock on the wall in the corner, “maybe you could invite Becca to come with us?”
I laughed. “Adam,” I said gently. “Why don’t you ask her out, already? You have been interested in her for years.”
“No,” he said, swallowing hard. “I couldn’t do that.”
“Alright,” I just shrugged. “It sounds good to me.”
I pulled out my phone and called her. “Hey Becca, a bunch of us are going to Kevin’s Pub. Do you want to join us?”
“That would be great,” I said.
When I ended the call, I looked up at my brother. He had a strange mix of happy and nervous on his face that moved me deeply. He’d been crushing on Becca since I was in high-school. I hoped they’d get together sometime.
Maybe I can make it happen now that I am back.
Adam didn’t have a car, and I didn’t want to mess up my hair, so we were going in my truck.
“Shall I drive?” I asked.
“Sure,” Adam shrugged. “But please… go slowly?”
I laughed and grinned up at him. He actually looked tense. “Okay,” I promised. “I will.”
“Great. Thanks,” he added, and I watched as he buckled up his seatbelt with added fervor. I was still laughing about how nervous he was when we pulled up at the bar.
“You survived,” I chuckled.
“Yeah. Thanks, Maddy.” He grinned and mimed wiping his brow.
“See? I learned something in all those years.” I smiled up at him. I was surprised to see his happy smile falter a little.
“You learned a lot of things, for sure,” he said, turning away to unlock his door. He sounded wistful and I felt my heart twist. He had never had the chance to go to college, though he wanted to. I hadn’t meant to remind him of that.
“I still have no idea how my truck works,” I said, slipping my arm through his. “Which reminds me… I would love it if you took a look at the engine—the thing’s blowing smoke and runs rough.” We walked to the door.
“Probably a leak,” he said. “White or gray smoke?” One eyebrow went up, revealing interest in the situation. He loved engines.
“Gray,” I confirmed.
Adam was still detailing what he thought the problem might be with my engine when we walked through the main door into the bar. I found myself face-to-face with Mark again.
His eyes widened. I stared at him. He was sitting next to Carter who was sitting next to Amelia. Matthew was at the head of the table in the booth they’d occupied. I cleared my throat.