Tectonic (Double Blind Study Book 3)

by Heidi Hutchinson

  Her mouth twitched slightly and he stared at it for a second.

  “Harrison isn't planning on going up there for another week.”

  “That didn't really answer my question, gorgeous.”

  Her back straightened and she faced the television again, retracting her hand from his. “Let me know the dates and I'll tell my boss.”

  He watched her profile, not sure why she shifted in mood. He reached his free hand to the back of her neck and gave it a squeeze. She looked back to him, her eyes still soft, but he could see her guard threatening to go back up.

  “You've got a lot of passion, babe. I gotta get you on a mountain.”

  Her tongue came out to sweep across her bottom lip and his eyes dropped to the movement. His hand, still on her neck, pulled her towards him while he leaned forward, intent on using his tongue in the same place.

  “What are you doing?”

  His eyes tracked to hers and he paused, but didn't move back and didn't let her go.

  “I have rules, Shane.”

  “Right,” he muttered. “The rules.”

  He knew, without knowing how, that if he pushed it, he could kiss her. She wanted him to. Her icy blue eyes were hopeful. At the same time, he knew she'd use it as an excuse to end this ride they were on.

  That was not going to happen.

  He released her and sat back in the sofa, propping both feet up on the edge of the coffee table, his knees bent.

  “This has nothing to do with you being scared it won't be as exciting as driving the Viper, does it?” he asked, turning his head to look at her.

  She gave him a lazy smirk, shaking her head while getting her beer bottle off of the table and taking a healthy swallow.

  Shane smiled to himself. She could pretend all she wanted that nothing was happening between them, but he knew better.

  The front door opened and Steve, Bo and Brady joined them in the living room.

  Steve grunted when he saw what was on the screen. “What the hell is this?” He picked the remote up off the table and started changing channels.

  Greta shook her head in exasperation then lurched to the side when Steve almost sat down right on top of her. Shane was fine with this because it practically put her in his lap.

  Brady and Bo went to the kitchen, then returned with beers for themselves and Steve.

  “How was your night?” Bo asked, sitting in an armchair.

  “Good.” Shane nodded to Greta beside him. “This chick can really rock out.” He used his free hand to slide behind her back and grip her hip. Surprisingly, she cuddled in closer to him. Always catching him just a little off guard with her unpredictable sweet side.

  “I'm going down to San Clemente tomorrow, Greta. You wanna come with?” Brady asked.

  Shane narrowed his eyes at Brady's question, but he didn't say anything. Greta slid an arm across his middle, resting her hand on his abs. She had her arms wrapped around him, her body pressed to his side, and Brady was... what? What was Brady doing?

  “I work in the morning and then I'm meeting Harrison after, otherwise I would.”

  She would? Shane's body tightened at her words. She noticed. Her head craned up to look at him with a soft frown.

  “That's cool. Maybe next time,” Brady responded blandly, his eyes on the television. Shane wanted to chuck his beer bottle at him.

  Shane finally looked down to Greta's inquisitive eyes and he forced himself to relax. “So, you're gonna be with your brother all day tomorrow?”

  “You're not getting clingy again, are you?” she teased him, voice low, almost seductive.

  “Yeah,” he answered softly in all seriousness. Her eyes widened slightly and her hand flexed against his stomach. A minute passed without either one looking away and his fingertips pressed into her hip lightly. He knew it was time to go. After the night they had had, he couldn't handle her looking at him like that. He couldn't handle how it felt to have her that close without being able to act on it. “Say goodnight, crazy girl.”

  Her face softened even more, eyes warm, and her lips parted slightly. “Okay,” she whispered but still didn't move.

  Shane stood, taking her with him. He took her beer from her hand and set it on the coffee table along with his empty, then he took her hand and led her silently to the foot of the stairs.

  Around the corner and out of sight from those in the living room, he curled one hand around her neck and the other around her hip. He rested his forehead against hers while maintaining eye contact. “I had... the best time with you tonight,” he said slowly. Her face was still open, no wall, no guard. “If your plans change tomorrow, you call me.”

  Her hand came up to grasp his wrist on the hand that was holding her neck. “Okay.”

  He closed his eyes and took a breath. He wanted to kiss her. It was insane how badly he wanted to taste those lips. The heat that radiated from her was overpowering, and he could feel the burn as it started to invade his skin.

  Then she saved him.

  “Goodnight, Shane.”

  He opened his eyes and she let go of him while taking a small step back. He released her. The flames that had been licking at his hands where he was holding her retreated, leaving him scorched but intact.

  “Goodnight.”

  He watched her go all the way up the stairs and listened for her bedroom door to shut before he turned back to rejoin his friends.

  The moment Greta was gone, it was like a draft swept through the house. Like someone, somewhere had left a window open and Shane could feel it on the edges of his skin until it had hardened his insides. He was frozen without her.

  Steve was the only one who looked at him when he sat back down on the couch. He snagged Greta's unfinished beer and drank it down. No one said anything, but Shane was sure they all their own thoughts on the matter.

  They'd been around long enough to watch what he did to Lenny, had witnessed his puppy-love obsession with Lucy, and of course had been subjected to Harmony time and time again. If he was reading the stiff atmosphere correctly, they didn't want Shane to do to Greta what Shane often did to women.

  Shane agreed with them.

  He suppressed the cold shiver that ran through his core. At least he was consistent. Every girl he'd ever fallen for was way too good for him.

  ***

  Greta had been at work for an hour before she really had her head in the game. She was completely distracted by thoughts of Shane. And she probably would have spent more time thinking about the things he had said and done in the past forty-eight hours, but she really couldn't get past him. Just Shane. It was as though everything he was was too overwhelming for her to unpack at the moment.

  That was okay, she could take coffee orders unconscious if she had to. However, her boss, Laura, was not amused. Greta had been given several warning glares. So Greta thought it would be pertinent, not to mention beneficial, for her to have a few espressos. Or maybe six, as it were. And then, of course, fearing the caffeine crash that would happen eventually, she continued her intake, chasing it with water to avoid getting dehydrated. Near the end of her shift, around two, she could see sounds and hear colors, but Laura was much more agreeable.

  “Does your brother know about you and Shane?” Laura asked as she handed Greta paper towels and window cleaner.

  “If you mean, does Harry know that Shane and I are friends, then yeah, he knows.” Greta rolled her eyes and headed for the door, deciding to do the outside windows first.

  She had not so successfully avoided talking about her night with Shane. Sugar had informed Emily, her one other co-worker, of the recent developments in her social life. So Emily had had a lot of questions when Greta had gotten to work, seeing as they had opened together. Greta mostly focused on the Chevy Metal show, which distracted Em for the most part since she had a similar love and devotion to all things Dave Grohl like Greta did.

  However, her reprieve had ended when Sugar and Laura came in around noon. They wanted details. They kept as
king who paid for what, was there any physical contact and what time did Shane go home. Greta made the mistake of mentioning that she got to drive the Viper home. She thought Laura was going to die from excitement.

  “Don't you know what that means?” Laura asked, eyes wild. Before Greta could form an answer, one she hadn't yet thought about because she actually didn't want to examine what that meant. She just wanted to enjoy the memory of the moment, not dissect it until it was no longer beautiful. Laura answered for her. “That means he trusts you completely.”

  Actually, that was kind of a nice thought, Greta decided. She liked the idea of Shane trusting her, it made her belly get all tingly.

  And then, because it was her life, Bo and Steve came in to get coffee. She wasn't sure exactly how it all came out; she blamed Emily's knockout smile and Laura's Hollywood good looks. But somehow Bo and Steve told them all about Greta getting drunk and staying the night at Shane's a few days ago. This led to another round of over-the-top assumptions.

  See, her co-workers knew about Greta's fixer-upper hobby. They supported it wholeheartedly because they knew Greta's rules, and knew that she would never deviate from the rules. In fact, Laura had typed out the rules and pinned them to the bulletin board in the break room. Emily had decorated it with glitter.

  But staying the night with a project, even on the couch, was against the rules.

  Then Bo informed them of Shane's overnight presence two nights later. So Laura told them about the trip to The Rack, and Emily told them about how Greta got to drive the Viper, and that's when Steve decided to tell them both that Shane had never let anyone else even ride in the Viper, much less drive it.

  By the time Bo and Steve left, they had decided amongst themselves that Shane and Greta were definitely dating, they just didn't know it yet.

  Greta's response was to roll her eyes.

  What else could she do?

  When she finished washing the windows, it was time for her to clock out. She called out goodbyes to everyone before hurrying out the door. She loved her co-workers, really. But they were being just a touch too pushy today.

  Her phone rang just as she swung into the Jeep.

  “Hey.”

  “Baby sister.”

  “I just got off work. I want to go home and change. Meet me there?”

  “You got it.”

  She disconnected, put on her seat belt and headed for home, looking forward to spending some time with the best big brother in the whole world.

  ***

  Greta's stomach hurt. She gasped as she clutched her middle, hoping Harrison would pause in his story long enough for her to recover.

  He bounced his palm on the table, looking at her with raised eyebrows.

  “I'm not kidding, G. This girl, tiniest thing ever, probably not even a hundred pounds, had one hand on her beverage, the other one was gripping the nose of the guy who was hitting on her. I was terrified. She looked at me, eyes totally bizarre, and asks if I want her to break his nose.” He paused as Greta gasped with laughter again. “Then she spit chewing tobacco on his shoes. Like she was a frickin' cowboy in the Old West.”

  “Why do you always attract the crazies?” she asked with a wide smile.

  Harrison shook his head, his dark eyes shining. “I have no idea.”

  “Her name was really Slappy?”

  “Actually, I think I heard one of her bandmates call her Audrey, but she was adamant that I call her Slappy.” Harrison nodded to their server who was refilling his glass of water.

  After Greta had left work, her day changed entirely. She forgot about her frustrations with her co-workers and the distraction that was Shane, and she spent the afternoon catching up with Harry and all his crazy misadventures.

  They took her Jeep and went shopping for gifts for their family for Christmas. The holiday was always a huge event, and Harrison made a point every year to do his shopping with Greta. He loved spending his money on all their cousins and relatives, and she was the only one he knew with the energy to keep up with him.

  Their family gatherings were unique in that both sides of the family got together for them. No switching off for different holidays. The O'Neils had an open-door policy so the in-laws, neighbors and friends of all of the above showed up consistently. The huge acreage they had grown up on was filled to the top without fail. A couple of years ago, Papa O'Neil had built a large guesthouse out back that aunts, uncles and cousins could stay in. The grandparents stayed in the main house.

  They purchased gifts for Mom and Dad, Miranda and Carl and Blake and Lucy, toys for the little cousins, thoughtful trinkets for the neighbors, tech gear for the older cousins, a couple of appliances for some of the aunts and uncles and jewelry for the grandmothers. They bought and arranged for shipping in record time. Some of the items came home with Greta to be wrapped personally, and then delivered in a couple of weeks when she would fly home to join the celebration.

  “Did you get the bounce house repaired?” Greta asked, tucking a gold locket into her purse as they were leaving a small boutique.

  Harrison grimaced. “Not so much. Carl issued a mandate a few months ago that the bounce house would not be returning.”

  Greta grinned. “That's too bad. I miss that death trap.”

  “Me too. When are you flying up?”

  “I talked to Mom a few days ago and she wants me to be there on the twenty-third because I'm in charge of cookies this year.” She looked at Harrison out of the corner of her eye.

  He spun towards her, a huge smile spread across his face. “That's great!” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a tight squeeze. “Don't tell Aunt Dezzy this, but your cookies are the best.”

  Greta laughed out loud. “It's because I use extra love in my baking.”

  They finished their shopping, dropped the packages at Greta's, then Harrison took her out to dinner. Which brought them to now.

  He took a long drink of his water, then his face gentled. Greta saw the switch and tried to prepare herself for a change of subject. She didn't prepare enough. “You ready to tell me what's going on with Shane?”

  Greta felt her cheeks redden and was thankful for the restaurant's muted atmosphere. All that she and Shane had shared over the past few days came roaring back into her thoughts and she took a deep breath.

  “He wants to teach me how to snowboard.” She focused on her near-empty plate.

  “Yeah,” Harrison said flatly, “you mentioned that.”

  “We're friends and we hang out. That's pretty much it.” Greta wasn't lying. That was pretty much it. She was just leaving out all the details that were making her crazy.

  “You went home with him while you were drunk,” Harrison reminded her.

  Oops, she forgot he knew about that. He hadn't said anything to her about it. Though, to be fair, she hadn't really seen much of Harrison since that moment. And it was the kind of thing he'd bring up in person instead of over the phone, so he could read her reaction. Which is what he was doing at that moment.

  “Nothing happened. We talked. I drank some water and passed out on the couch. Fully clothed.”

  His mouth ticked up on one side, trying not to smile at her blasé reply but his eyes were far more serious. He leaned back against his chair and drummed his fingers on the edge of the table. She looked away from his x-ray vision.

  “I was hoping maybe you'd explain to me why he looks at my little sister with the same expression I wore when I saw my first Les Paul.”

  Her eyes hit him then. “He does not.”

  Harrison leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the table and pushing his plate forward slightly. He studied her silently for a bit. “I can't figure out if you're just playing dumb 'cause you think you're gonna fool me, or if you really haven't seen it.”

  Greta shook her head and closed her eyes. “I'm just trying to get him over Lucy. That's my only focus.”

  “Clue in, Little G, he's over her.”

  Greta felt her heart stutter
at his words.

  But Harrison wasn't done.

  “We both know what he did so that Lucy and Blake could be together. He's got a lot to offer. Are you gonna give him the chance he deserves?”

  Greta's head jerked a little at his question. “It's not like that with Shane.”

  This was not the conversation she expected. Harrison wanted her to go for it with Shane? What happened to the overprotective, bossy guy who hated the idea of his sister ever dating at all, let alone Shane Brookings? The guy who was the reason that fathers bought shotguns?

  “I mean, it might be weird when you bring him home or out to see us on tour and both of his ex-girlfriends are there, but...” He shrugged. “He'll probably be cool.”

  “Please stop talking.” Greta put both hands to the side of her head, her eyes wide as she stared sat her brother who smiled hugely in return.

  “I get that you're still in the early stages of this whole thing. But this isn't my first rock star romance. I watched Luke and Lenny pretend for months that nothing was happening between them. Then I watched Blake and Lucy fight tooth and nail against their own feelings for each other. I see what's happening whether you're ready to admit it or not. My recommendation? Don't fight it.”

  Greta knew her mouth was hanging open, but she couldn't form any words that would be acceptable in public. Her brother was worse than her co-workers. If she didn't know better, she'd think they'd planned this ambush together.

  Clarke had been right, taking Shane on as a project was a bad idea. Bad, bad, bad, very bad. Especially with her brother in town. Why was she always jumping first and then looking later, when she was well into the air with nowhere to go?

  “I should probably give you a heads-up.” Harrison's tone caused her brace herself. But again, it wasn't enough.

  “I already told Ma about him and she's really looking forward to meeting him at Christmas.”

  Greta's mouth fell open. “Harrison Declan O'Neil! You did not!” she hissed at him across the table. She only used his full name when she was well and truly upset with him.

  “Yes, I did, Margaretta Enat O'Neil!” Harrison whisper-shouted in return.