“Yeah, I’ll bet.” I run my eyes over his face, his nose that’s been broken a couple dozen times by other people’s fists, and the hole where his front tooth used to be. Something tells me the girls wouldn’t be interested, even if I wasn’t around to scare him off. Still, he’s a good guy. “I need one of those pink sissy unicorn things, and a Guiness. Oh, and another Black Cherry for Eden, with extra cherries.”
“Coming right up, boss,” Fitz says, and gets to work mixing and pouring. He’s barely started when I feel a slender arm wrap around my waist. I’m hoping it’s Aria but I can still see her from where I’m sitting, so I know it’s someone unwelcome.
“Max Hudson. As I live and breathe.” I recognize the voice immediately and my spine goes rigid. It is breathy and obnoxious, and one of the last voices I want to hear today.
Or ever.
“Melanie,” I sigh, stepping forward and out of her grasp. “What do you want?”
“Wow, that’s not the ‘welcome back’ I was hoping for from my favorite ex-boyfriend.”
“I’m your favorite ex-boyfriend? That’s funny, considering how many other dicks were in your mouth over the course of our relationship.” Her mouth pops open in surprise but I don’t wait for her to respond. Instead, I take a few long strides over to the other side of the bar, where Fitz is putting the finishing touches on our drinks. Aria and Eden are still sitting at our booth, their heads close together but their eyes locked on me. It’s not in her nature, but if Eden tells her anything about Melanie, I’ll be mortified.
I grab the drinks from Fitz, who offers me a sympathetic smile. He knows all about my history with that girl, having been one of the ones she cheated on me with. After a good ass-kicking from me, we eventually became good friends. As I make my way back to the table, Melanie tries again to call out to me, but I ignore her completely.
Aria and Eden take their drinks from me without chastising me for using my bandaged hand, and I know I was the topic of conversation while I was gone. Eden’s eyes shift over to mine and widen, her signal for needing to talk about something. Assuming it’s about Melanie, I shake my head once to tell her I’m not interested.
When I try to gauge Aria’s mood, she won’t meet my eyes at all. My heart squeezes ominously.
Five
Aria
She’s gorgeous. Blonde and slender and half a foot taller than me, she oozes a confidence impossible to fake. Her dress is higher end—not designer, but still nice—and she wears it well, her exaggerated curves calling out to every man in the bar like a siren. So, when she wraps her arm around Max’s waist across the room, I’m not at all surprised.
Eden’s watching them too, her eyes hard and her jaw clenched. “Oh, you’re flippin’ kidding me.” I’d laugh at the clever way she avoids foul language, if I wasn’t certain my heart was about to be crushed by this six-foot-seven bearded bad boy.
“Who’s that?” I don’t want to ask but the curiosity is eating me alive. The blonde’s hands are on his back in a way that suggests a familiarity with his body, and that green wave of jealousy builds higher in my chest. “She’s stunning.”
“Her name’s Melanie. And she’s a turd bagel.” She looks scared, toying with her bottom lip as we watch them interact without hearing what they’re saying. Max doesn’t look interested in her, but he does look angry.
And anger implies feelings.
My shoulders roll forward and I feel myself deflate. I should have known there would be a blonde.
Not that I can complain, really. I’m the one with her entire future already mapped out, thanks to Daddy Dearest and his buddy Dexter Chapman.
Speaking of turd bagels.
I shake my head to clear it of the rich weasels currently invading my thoughts. I’ve already promised myself I wouldn’t think of any of that for the next two weeks, until summer comes to a close and I have to face the music. Max couldn’t ever be more than a fling, but I still wouldn’t mind giving him what Dexter Chapman promised his pompous bastard son twenty-two years ago.
And now, thanks to this over the top, blonde sex kitten, I won’t even get the chance to do that. I sigh and play with my straw, the disappointment seeping into my bones. By the time he returns, I can’t even bring myself to look at him.
We finish our next round in awkward silence. Eden tries a couple of times to start a conversation, but Max and I give her so many grunts in response, she gives up. I can feel his eyes on me the entire time, but I ignore him. When the check comes, I see he’s already paid it, and for some reason that makes the flames of rage grow higher in my chest.
“You paid the bill, Max? I said I was going to take care of it.” The words come out shaky, and Eden rests her hand on top of mine to try to calm me down.
“Sorry.” His cheeks redden and his honey brown eyes drop to his lap. His jaw ticks with what seems like anger, but there’s no way he’s more worked up than I am. I jump down from the booth and march over to the bar where our waitress is working.
But before I can say anything to her, I feel an arm wrap around my shoulder.
“Hey. We need to talk,” Max husks. His lips are at my ear, his warm breath fanning across my skin, and I shiver. When he drags me over to the dark corner of the bar, I finally let myself meet his gaze. There’s a hard glint in his eyes, but I know it's not directed at me.
He’s just mad.
I know this for a fact, because it’s exactly how I’m feeling, too.
His hand comes up to brush over my cheek, before resting his palm at my jaw. His thumb runs softly over my bottom lip and my breath catches in my throat. The warm earthy brown irises glimmer in the light, tiny flecks of gold scattered around his pupil. His chest is heaving in time with mine.
I catch a glimpse of the blonde standing behind him, watching us with a scowl, and I can’t help but glower back.
“She’s nobody,” he growls, pulling my attention back to him. “Nothing. A stupid mistake from years ago that I have no interest in making again.”
“Oh.”
I shouldn’t care.
I barely know this guy.
I met him hours ago in a filthy auto body shop after my car had been smashed by a bunch of assholes.
And yet, his words are exactly what I want to hear. My lashes flutter as I silently plead with him to kiss me, to close this space between us and show me he’s feeling the same way. That this undeniable attraction between us—this otherworldly connection—is not all in my head. He leans in a little further but hesitates, holding his breath in his lungs like I’m holding mine.
“Fuck it,” I say, rolling up on my toes to crash my lips to his. There’s a flash behind my eyes as our lips connect that reminds me of a lightning strike but is probably just a faulty lightbulb. Still, I smile against his mouth. His lips are soft and warm, tender yet firm, and when he wraps his arms around me, I melt into his embrace. I tilt my head to deepen the kiss, sliding my tongue over his bottom lip to taste him. He’s been drinking beer, but he tastes like peppermint and spice, and I want to keep kissing him all night. My fingers card through his thick dark hair as his beard tickles my nose, and a happy warmth hums in my chest.
This kiss is everything I knew it would be, and then some.
“Wow,” he says, when we break apart for air. Pink cheeks and eye crinkles greet me as my eyes flutter open, and the truth is I’d love nothing more than to drag him into the bathroom for some more.
“So, you guys ready to head home?” Eden’s soft laughter rings out behind us. Max’s arms drop from my waist with an embarrassed chuckle. “You’re giving people quite the show over here.”
“Yeah, let’s get out of here,” I say, biting my bottom lip. If that’s how he kisses in public, I can’t wait to see how he kisses behind closed doors. We walk to the exit with his hand resting at the small of my back.
The ride home is quiet and sexually charged, but Eden doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, she seems happy and eager to get out of our hair. But when we get to
the door of Eden’s bungalow, Max doesn’t come inside.
He tugs on my hand to keep me from stepping through the door, and I turn to him with a frown. “You’re not coming in?”
He shakes his head. “I want to. Believe me, I want to,” he smirks, brushing back a lock of hair from my face and tucking it behind my ear. “But you’ve had a long day, and I don’t want you to do anything you regret tonight just because it felt right in the moment.”
With his soft-spoken words, I fall harder. I’m disappointed, but thankful he’s a gentleman. “I understand. Is it okay if I come by the shop tomorrow to see you?”
“More than okay. I’d like that.” He beams and presses a kiss to my forehead before pulling away. “Goodnight, gorgeous.”
I push up on my toes and kiss him softly, grazing his bottom lip with my teeth teasingly. “Goodnight, handsome.” I watch him walk back to his truck, his ass firm and delicious in his jeans.
He waves once before hopping in his truck and driving off. As I close the door to Eden’s house, I can’t hide my smile. To think, if it weren’t for a bunch of delinquents, I’d be eating pheasant at Aunt Bev’s house and watching old ballroom dancing videos, instead of being swept off my feet by Mr. Tall Dark and Dangerous.
I already can’t wait until tomorrow.
Six
Max
Eden’s been blowing up my phone with texts all morning. She already loves Aria and approves very much of our possible coupling, but she wants me to be upfront with her about my past. She thinks it’s the kind of thing that could scare someone like Aria away, and that it needs to be on the table from the start.
Though I’m eager to see where things can go, I can’t help but agree. When she comes by the shop later today, I'm going to tell her everything, every ugly detail of my past.
I’m just finishing up the tires on her car when I hear the jingle of the bells above the door. This time I’m prepared, so I don’t jump up and cut myself. The soft click of her heels against the ground echoes throughout the shop and excitement floods my veins.
“Hey, you,” Aria murmurs, pressing her hand to my back. The warmth from her hand spreads over my skin and straight to my dick. I roll my eyes at the way she affects me without even trying, but I secretly love it.
“Hey, yourself,” I say, spinning around to face her. When I run my eyes over her body, my cock hardens instantly. She’s even more beautiful than yesterday, her dark hair freshly curled and her lips shiny with gloss. Her outfit is clearly Eden’s, torn cutoff shorts and a gray tee that that dips off one shoulder, but the thin fabric and tantalizing glimpse of skin are enough to make my mouth water. “Jesus, you’re beautiful.”
I don’t even realize I’ve said it out loud until I see her flush and bite her bottom lip. “Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.” She runs her hand over the thin ribbed tank stuck to my torso. I’m covered in sweat and there’s grease streaking random parts of my arms, but she’s looking at me the same way I’m looking at her.
“I brought lunch. I figured since you didn’t let me treat you to dinner last night, it was only fair,” she winks, holding up a white paper bag. “Don’t worry, Eden told me what to get for you. A nice spinach and kale sandwich on a cauliflower roll, right?”
“Uh...” I blanch, and she giggles adorably.
“Just kidding. Meatball parm, extra cheese.” She reaches in and pulls out my sandwich, and I sigh in relief. “I know that body didn’t come from eating rabbit food.”
“That’s perfect. Thanks.” I wrap my hand around hers and lead her into my office, where I usually eat a quick lunch between cars. I don’t have the space or the desire to have anyone work with me, so it’s small and cramped, but that’s just another good reason to sit close to her.
I sit on the bench and pull her down on my lap, where we eat our sandwiches. She tells me she's already taken her first insulin injection of the day and won’t need another one until tonight, as long as she eats when she’s supposed to. I make a mental note to check in on her before dinner time to remind her.
When we finish eating, she cleans up all the trash despite my protests, and slings her bag over her shoulder. “Well, I don’t want to keep you from you work,” she says, but I just smile. My hands wrap around both of hers and I lead her to the door, where I lock the knob and flip the sign to closed.
“You’re not keeping me from anything.” She’s all I can think about. There’s no use even trying to work until I can get my lips on hers again. I bring her over to the car I’m working on today—her car. She frowns at the sight of the still-smashed windows, but brightens when she sees the shiny new tires I’ve installed already.
“It will take a couple of days for the glass pieces to come in,” I remind her, “but the tires are all finished.” We walk around to the other side, where I’ve already sanded out the degrading words those fuckers carved into her paint. She runs a finger over the blank silver space and sighs.
“I need to tell you something, Max,” she blurts out, and I flinch in surprise.
That was supposed to be my line.
“Sure.” I lean against the white tile wall and nod. She looks so nervous all of a sudden, twitchy and hesitant. My stomach clenches at the possibilities, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. “Whenever you’re ready.”
“I’m engaged.”
Seven
Aria
There we go, that wasn’t so hard. Like ripping off a band-aid.
He pales, like I knew he would. I watch the Adam’s apple in his throat slide up and down as he processes my words. “Engaged,” he repeats slowly, drawing out the word as if he maybe had heard it wrong.
But he didn’t.
I am engaged.
I nod, looking up at the ceiling and trying to figure out the best way to explain. “More like... betrothed. To the son of my father’s business partner.”
“Oh.” His eyes narrow on my shoes, and I’m reminded of the first time I saw him when he nearly passed out from all the blood. I want to wrap my arms around him, but I’m not sure he wants me to.
“His name is River Alistair Chapman and I hate him. Well, not hate... I just don’t like him. We’ve barely even spoken more than two words to each other, but our wedding is set for the spring. And then our fathers get to keep every dollar they’ve made in the same family, like one big, fat, incestuous bank.” My voice is emotionless, my face stoic, as I relay the story that I’ve told dozens of times to every poor guy who's shown any interest in me over the years.
“I like you, Max,” I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “Way more than I should. But if we’re going to hang out... and make out,” I grin, “I want you to know everything right off the bat. This can’t go anywhere.”
He finally lifts his gaze to meet mine and I am surprised by what I find. Every guy before him hasn’t cared much about the future, as they never had any intention of keeping me around long, anyway.
But for some reason, Max looks like I just told him I ran over his puppy with my car.
Suddenly, my back slams into the tile wall. His face is inches away from mine, eyes smoldering as his hands cup my jaw. “We’ll see about that. ‘Cause I plan on taking you everywhere, Aria Beaumont.”
His lips collide with mine, kissing me with a fiery passion that makes my heart pound in my chest. Our kisses are hungry, ravenous even, and he lifts me in his arms effortlessly. His hips have me pinned to the wall of the garage while his tongue slides between my lips.
My hot arousal is pooling at the apex of my thighs. His words and his kisses have me breathless, panting, desperate for him like I’ve never been desperate for anything before.
I want him to be the one to take me places I’ve never been.
I whimper when his lips find the sweet spot at the juncture between my neck and my collarbone. “Max... there’s more.” He pulls his head away and looks at me questioningly.
“More? More than the fact that you’re marrying someone else?” He ch
uckles darkly and I hate how much it turns me on.
My cheeks are hot and I can’t meet his eyes. “I’ve never... done this. With a guy.”
His head drops back like he’s in pain and his eyes squeeze shut. He runs a hand over his face. “Ahh, fuck. And you want this douche-canoe Alistair Von Whatever-the-fuck to be your first?”
I draw a sharp breath and shake my head quickly. “No! I don’t want him to have that pleasure.” Peeking up at him through my lashes, I offer him a shy smile. “I... I want you to have it.”
He looks torn, his lips twitching as he mulls over my confession. “Me?”
“Yes, you.” My smirk is arrogant, though I’m feeling anything but. “I want you to be my first, Max. Please?”
“I’ve just kissed you senseless. You’re not in the right state of mind to be making this decision right now,” he tries. “We just met yesterday, and you’re offering me something you can’t ever give to anyone else after this.”
“I knew the moment I laid eyes on you that I wanted you to be my first. Plus, Mayor Nate said you were really good with your hands,” I say with a playful grin.
His laugh now is rich and hearty, and sets my soul on fire. “I’ll have to send him a fruit basket to thank him for the referral.”
His lips find mine again, his kisses soft and slow. I wrap my arms around his neck, my fingers sliding through his dark hair. His soft beard abrades my skin as I deepen the kiss.
He pulls back with a wicked grin, eyes dark and filled with a lust I’m certain mirrors my own. “I don’t know, Aria. I feel like I should audition or something first,” he husks. His jaw flexes as he carries me over to the hood of my car, still in place upon the platform in the center of his shop. His warm lips are on mine as soon as my butt touches the surface, his hunger for me sweet like honey on his tongue. He breaks the kiss, his lips brushing down my jaw to lavish my neck with attention. He already knows exactly where to scrape his teeth to pull the most impatient moans from my lips.
Chasing Summer Page 3