by Parker, Ali
He smirked and winced as it pulled at the cut on his lip. “You’re not still angry?”
“Oh,” I nodded, “I’m angry. But I’m saving it for when it counts.”
Rick’s toast popped, and he plucked the two pieces of scorching hot bread out to toss them down on his plate. He shook his scorched fingers out before grabbing a knife and spreading butter on the bread. Then he went in with the peanut butter. “I’m assuming you mean The Streets?”
“You know it.”
“Driving angry is what gets people hurt. Or worse.”
“Yeah. Well. Not me. I’m always angry. Especially if Mark is around.”
“Fair.”
He and I both went and sat at my kitchen table. Rick moved tenderly. He was still riddled with aches and pains and had the bruises to prove it. Once he was sitting, he breathed out a sigh of relief and started eating. Then he looked up at me while he was chewing. I could see menace in his eyes.
“What?” I asked.
He swallowed. “We haven’t talked about the elephant in the room.”
“What elephant?”
“You and Benji’s sister.”
I drained the rest of my orange juice. “What about it?”
Rick chuckled. “You took her home the night I got jumped. And I know the two of you had plenty of time between the bar and the hospital to, you know, knock boots.”
“Knock boots? Who says that?”
“Me.”
“Fuck, man. This isn’t Texas.”
Rick licked peanut butter from his fingers. “You’re just trying to avoid the question.”
“As far as I’m aware you haven’t asked me anything yet. You’ve just pointed some shit out.”
Rick nearly rolled his eyes at me. “You’re a dick. Did you fuck Benji’s sister on Saturday night?”
I stood up and went to my coffee maker. “So what if I did?”
“I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m asking. It sure seemed like the two of you took a quick liking to each other, and I know she’s the first girl since Evelyn.”
I nodded but didn’t say anything. She was the first woman I’d been with since Evelyn left.
“Poor Benji.” Rick snickered.
“He’ll get over it. Laina’s a big girl. She can make her own decisions.”
“He’s still her older brother, and you’re his best friend. It’s a big pill to swallow.”
I shrugged.
“How was it?” Rick asked. There was mirth playing in the corners of his mouth. He was too curious for his own good. He always had been.
“None of your business.”
“That good, huh? I’m not surprised. Laina is hot as hell. And a firecracker too. She met Sid head-on at the race on Saturday. I was disappointed you got to her before I did.”
I started brewing a pot of coffee and put my back to the counter to face my brother. I crossed my arms over my chest. “You can keep your distance.”
“Relax. I’m not going to try to steal your girl.”
“What about Ginny?”
Rick smiled. “She’s cute.”
“Yeah, she is. And she seems to like you too.”
Rick rolled to his feet and put his now empty plate in the dishwasher. “I’m not interested in a relationship. I’m happy the way things are. If she wants to hook up, I’m not going to say no, but I get the impression she’s not that kind of chick. You know?”
I nodded. “I get the same impression.”
Rick and I each enjoyed a cup of coffee before we went about our mornings. We showered and got dressed, and I was considering reaching out to Harley to see if she knew anyone with a car I could drive on Saturday when I got a phone call from Benji. I dropped onto the opposite sofa from the one Rick had been sleeping on. “Benji. What’s up?”
“Hey, man. Good news. I think I found a car you can race.”
I leaned forward to rest my elbows on my knees. “Oh?”
“Yeah. One of my old buddies has a souped-up RS that can keep up with that Mitsubishi of Sid’s, no problem.”
“How much?”
“Well, you can’t afford to buy it. But he’s willing to give it to you for the night for fifteen grand. I know it’s steep, but I think it’s the best shot you’ve got at winning. You do still want to race, right?”
“Is that even a question?”
“I thought so. So you’re in?”
I scratched my chin. Rick came in from the bathroom after his shower. He had his towel wrapped around his waist, and he looked over at me, curious about the call. I sighed. “Yeah. I’m in.”
“Fuck yeah. I’ll tell him. I’m going to keep the car at my place, and I’ll bring it for you on Saturday. I think it would be smart to keep this low-key. Sid and Mark think you don’t have a car—at least, I’m assuming they think that because let’s be real, they’re most likely the ones who jumped your brother.”
I glanced up at Rick. At his bruised jaw, black eyes, busted nose, split lip, and bruised ribs. “Yeah. Most likely.”
“Let’s let them keep thinking you’re out of the race until the last minute. Then maybe we can avoid whatever crazy shit they might try to throw at you if they think you’re driving on Saturday.”
“Good plan, Benji. Thanks for getting on this.”
“No problem, man.”
I considered asking him about Laina. Did it bother him? Were things going to change between him and me? I decided that talking about it over the phone probably wasn’t the right call. We’d have the conversation eventually, and I would go from there.
Benji cleared his throat. “I have to go. I’ll call you later.”
“All right.”
When I hung up, Rick asked me what was going on, and I filled him in. He agreed with Benji and thought hiding the car was the right plan. He slumped back on the sofa and ran his fingers through his wet hair. “An RS? Not bad. I’ll be curious to see what the guy has done to it.”
“Benji says it’ll keep up with Sid’s car with no problem.”
Rick nodded approvingly. “Good.”
I gave him some privacy to change, and as I walked down the hall to the kitchen, a knock came at the front door. I called down the hall that I was coming and told Rick to hurry up and get dressed.
When I opened the front door, I was surprised to see Laina standing there. The day was cool, and she was wearing a pair of formfitting jeans, black combat boots, and a long-sleeved black sweater. She had a tray of drinks in one hand and a bag in the other.
She held up the bag. “Hey. I wanted to come by and see how Rick was doing and thought I’d bring lunch. I hope you guys like Thai.”
The rich scent of curry wafted up to my nose. It smelled as good as she looked. Her hair was down, and big curls fell over her shoulders and framed her face. A couple shorter strands danced in her eyelashes when she blinked. “Come on in,” I said, stepping aside for her.
When I held the door open for her, she ducked under my arm and used the toe of her boot to peel the heel of her opposite boot off. She tucked her shoes in the corner and made to go down the hall.
I followed her into the living room. Rick looked up when we arrived, and the smile he gave her was all devil. “Oh, hey there, Laina,” he said.
“Hey.” She smiled. She wasn’t picking up on him being a shit disturber. She put everything down on the table and started unpacking it. “I hope you’re hungry. I brought lunch.”
“Smells good,” Rick said. “I just had toast, but I can pack food away like nobody’s business. Are those wontons?”
She nodded and slid one of the boxes to him. “There’s pork or vegetable. I wasn’t sure which you’d like.”
“Both,” Rick said as he popped off the lid. He glanced up at me. “You gonna sit down with us and eat or what?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’ll be back. I’m just going to grab us some plates. Anybody need anything?”
They shook their heads so I hurried to the kitchen and returned with plates an
d cutlery. I passed everything around, and soon we were digging into our meal. It was delicious.
Laina asked Rick several questions about how he was feeling. He assured her he was just fine, but like me, she noticed how ginger his movements were. He was slow and careful, as anyone would be while their body recovered from a beating, and when he moved too sharply, he’d draw in short breaths. It sucked. And it reminded me every time that it should have been me who was jumped by Sid and his guys, not my brother.
Laina slid off the couch to sit on the floor and leaned back on her hands. “So what’s the plan, then? Do you know what you’re going to do on Saturday?”
I nodded. “We’re keeping it on the down-low for now, but Benji found me a car to race.”
Her eyes widened a bit. “That’s good, right?”
“Yeah. I just don’t want Mark or Sid to catch on that I’ll be racing. At this point, they think I have no vehicle. I want to keep it that way.”
“Smart,” Laina said. Then I caught her frowning as she stared down at her lap.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked.
She continued to stare down. “Nothing. Well, not nothing. I just…” she pursed her lips and met my eye. “I know this race is important to you, but have you really stopped to think what’s at risk here? If Sid and Mark really did this to you, Rick, there’s no way to know how far they’ll take it to win. They don’t want you racing, Mason.”
“I know. It’ll just make victory taste even sweeter.”
She smiled, but it didn’t touch her eyes. “I think you need to be really careful. These guys scare me. Even Harley thinks they’re bad news, and she’s tough as nails.”
“I’m not backing down,” I said. “I’m racing. And they’re going down.”
Rick leaned back and patted his very full belly. “That’s good to hear, brother. I’d hate to have gotten my ass kicked for nothing.”
Chapter 12
Laina
I smiled as Rick’s breathing deepened, and he began snoring. After gorging himself on the Thai food I’d brought over, he’d slid sideways on the sofa, becoming more and more horizontal with every passing minute until he was lying on his back. We’d talked about the bar and how much fun it had been and the upcoming race on Saturday until Rick went quiet and dozed off.
“He sleeps like a log lately,” Mason muttered as he shook his head at his brother.
“I imagine he would. He’s still recovering. And he had a concussion so getting a lot of sleep is important.”
Mason nodded as he started putting all the lids back on the containers and packing up the Thai food. I helped him and stacked everything up before tucking it back in the bag I’d brought it over in. We took everything into the kitchen. The leftovers were put in the fridge, and the dishes were placed in the sink.
I started running the hot water and filled the right side with soapy water.
“You don’t have to clean up,” Mason said as he came to stand beside me. “Let me do this. You brought lunch over.”
I shrugged. “I don’t mind. I find dishes therapeutic.”
“Ah. You’re one of those weirdos.”
I grinned. “Yep. I am.”
He smirked and moved to stand behind me. Then he slid his hands into the back pocket of my jeans and squeezed my ass. He rested his chin on my shoulder and watched as I scrubbed the dishes. “I wish you were wearing a low-cut shirt,” he mused.
I giggled. “You’re bad.”
“Am I?”
I nodded and couldn’t help myself from pressing back into him, arching my spine a little.
Mason chuckled in my ear. “Apparently you are too, tease.”
“You started it.”
“I could finish it too,” he grated, nuzzling my hair out of the way to kiss the side of my neck. I dropped the dish scrubby and had to fish it out of the sink. His breath grazed my skin as he let out a soft laugh. “Am I distracting you?”
“Yes,” I said. My voice was a little breathless, a little desperate.
“Good.”
He took his hands out of my pockets and braced them on the counter on either side of me, boxing me in. I turned off the tap and turned around between his arms to look up at him. “What are we doing?” I asked.
His eyebrows drew together. “What do you mean?”
“This,” I said, gesturing back and forth between us. “What the hell is this?”
He kept his hands where they were as he studied me. “I don’t know yet.”
His answer was so simple and straightforward that I wasn’t sure what to say. Maybe that was because my answer was the same as his. I had no idea what this thing was or if it was even going anywhere. And I wasn’t willing to bring up Evelyn. No way. “Okay,” I said.
“Okay?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.
I nodded. “Okay.”
His eyes raked over me. His gaze was starting to darken with that same lust I’d seen in their depths on Saturday night. “I’m glad you came over,” he said.
“Me too.”
“Caretaker isn’t high up on my list of skills. It was probably good to get some real food in my brother.”
“It seems to me like you have everything under control. I think he’s doing well, given the circumstances. Way better than the last time I saw him at least.” I paused and bit my bottom lip. “Besides, I wanted to see you again.”
He gave me a wicked smile that made my pulse quicken. Then he lifted a hand, cupped my cheek, and kissed me. I melted and grabbed the front of his shirt in both hands. I clung to him as his tongue dipped into my mouth and began exploring me. I whimpered into his mouth, and he smiled into the kiss, making my knees feel weak. My head was spinning.
Why did this feel so damn good?
We broke apart when someone cleared their throat behind Mason.
He turned around, and I peered over his shoulder. I was horrified to see Rick standing in the doorway with his arms crossed and one shoulder leaning against the frame. “So you didn’t come just to check in on little old me?” he asked, pouting.
My cheeks burned. I ducked out under Mason’s arm and put a good four feet of distance between us. “Um. Sorry. I have to go. Work. You know. Responsibilities and such.” I was rambling. I hurried into the living room, and both men followed me. They watched as I grabbed my purse and slung it over my shoulder. “Feel better,” I said pointedly at Rick, who was still making fun of me without having to say a word.
I glanced at Mason, who looked apologetic.
“Thanks for stopping by, Laina,” he said.
I nodded and then hurried to the front door. I could hear Mason scolding Rick behind me as I slipped outside. He said something about his brother being an ass, and Rick just laughed, saying he couldn’t help himself.
Brothers, I thought sourly.
* * *
I got to work at the restaurant twenty-five minutes early for my shift. It gave me time to change into my uniform, black jeans, a black short-sleeved button-up, and black heels, and also put on some lipstick. Tips were tips, and having a pop of color seemed to earn me a couple extra bucks by the end of the night.
A couple of other waitresses who were also waiting for the shift change started trickling in as I sat in the break room thinking about that kiss in Mason’s kitchen. If I thought on it hard enough, I could still feel the warmth of his hands in my back pockets.
It was pleasant. I wanted to be back there, trapped between his arms, being kissed. He made me feel more alive than I had in ages. The way he held and touched me and teased me lit little fires in my veins. They were still burning now.
By the time my shift started, I was doing everything in my power to stop thinking about Mason. He was a huge distraction. I tied my apron around my waist, grabbed my notebook, pen, and change purse, and hit the floor.
My shift started at two in the afternoon, and on a Tuesday, the restaurant wasn’t very busy. Most of the customers we had were regulars, and of those regulars, about 50
percent of them were from the seniors’ homes down the block from us. They always came for dinner at four o’clock and would stay for a beer before heading back to their condos. They were a pack of slow-moving elders with dementia, and they never tipped me.
Ever.
It sucked.
After they were gone, the night rush got underway, and I started filling up tables at a rate that would help my tip purse. My changeover was quick, and I worked straight through my break in the hopes of getting off a half hour or so early.
I was dropping off meals at one of my tables when another server named Carrie tapped me on the shoulder. I asked if my table needed anything else, and the two couples I was serving all shook their heads. I slipped away and turned to Carrie. “What’s up?”
She sighed. “My son is sleeping over at a friend’s house, and he just knocked his front tooth out. I have to go pick him up. Can you cover my section for me?”
I nodded. “Boys, right?”
She smiled and grabbed my shoulder. “Yes. Thank you so much. I know you’ve been working a lot lately. I asked the others first, and nobody was willing to stay.”
“It’s all right, Carrie. Don’t worry about it. Go get your son. Good luck playing tooth fairy tonight.”
She rolled her eyes. “He woke up the last time. I had to hide in his closet until he fell back asleep. It was a close call.”
I laughed. “Can you imagine if he’d woken up and you were in his closet? He would have been scared to death.”
“Oh, believe me. That’s all I was thinking about for the forty-five minutes I stood there beside his smelly soccer gear.”
“Gross.”
“Tell me about it. Anyway. I just seated a new table. They’re at table sixteen and just ordered two martinis.”
“I’m on it. Go home, Carrie.”
She thanked me again before untying her apron and heading to the back room. I went back to the bar where the martinis were being placed on a tray for me. I picked it up, balanced it on my arm, and went over to table sixteen by one of the front windows of the restaurant. It had a nice view of the fountains outside the restaurant, which were glowing with different colored lights under the surface. Even from inside, customers could see the flash of coins people had thrown in with their wishes.