I shouldn’t have stopped for a coffee, even in the tiny, mostly empty coffee shop. I turn to face the stranger, smiling when I see who it is. “Campbell?”
His blue eyes light up at my confirmation, and he grabs me in a hug as soon as I stand, slapping my back twice. “How the hell are you? What’s it been, eight years?”
I pull back. “Don’t say it so loud, you’re making me feel old.”
Garth Campbell was my best friend for years. We tore things up together—nothing hugely serious, but nothing innocent either—until his family moved and he went with them to help take care of his sick dad. We lost touch through complacency, but he’s the closest thing to a best friend I ever had.
He laughs, the beginnings of crow’s feet creasing the edges of his eyes, reminding me of how long it’s been since we last saw each other. “What are you up to? You still living here?”
I shake my head. “Just came back for a visit. Sit down. You moved back?”
He takes the chair across me and sets his drink down. “A month ago. Got transferred.”
“What are you doing now?” The closest thing he’d had to a job when we were kids was boosting cars.
He hesitates for a second. “I sell luxury cars.”
“Seriously? That’s awesome.” His relieved smile makes me laugh. “What, you thought I’d think you’d sold out?”
“A bit. Not gonna lie, my asshole puckered a bit when I saw it was you, Matt.”
We’ve got the area to ourselves, so I feel safe speaking freely. “Same here, man. I put thousands of miles and six years between me and this place, but some things refuse to die.”
He clicks our cups together. “Our reputations precede us.”
“Unfortunately. And my family name. You’re legit now?”
He nods. “Dad died a few months after we moved.”
“Shit, that sucks. He was a good man.”
“He was. Unfortunately, he clung to the dregs of those last years, suffering, and when he passed, he left us with a giant hospital bill. I had to become the man of the house, help mom out. I didn’t have time to go to school, couldn’t risk getting locked up. My options were limited, but I’d always been a smooth talker.”
“That’s for damned sure.” Garth’s silver tongue had helped us a lot back in the day. He’d talked us out of speeding tickets and into parties with girls way out of our leagues.
He grins acknowledgment. “Sales made sense and I knew cars. Hell, we’d boosted enough of them when we were kids. I went from a little used place to a nicer one. Paid the bills, found an honest woman to make an honest man out of me, had our second kid three months ago, and now I’m back here. What about you?”
He isn’t bragging, but I can’t help but feel I’ve done nothing with my life for the past six years. “You’ve got kids?”
Garth beams and pulls out his phone. “I know it’s disgustingly domestic, but here.” He passes it over and flips through a few pictures of him and his family. They look so happy, so normal it’s surreal.
“I’m happy for you, man.”
“Thanks.” He nods toward me. “You shacked up yet?”
“Nope. No, I’ve been out in Colorado, keeping things simple. It’s a slower pace, which is good for me. I’ve been doing a lot of custom paint work.”
“Yeah? You always were good at drawing. You should have gone to school for that instead of wasting your time burning rubber.”
“Yeah right, can you imagine how that would have gone over with my dad?”
His grimace makes me laugh.
What have I been doing with my life, plodding on day to day for the past few years, so worried about escaping my past that I forgot to look to the future?
Garth takes his phone back. “What’s your number? You in town for long?”
I give him my number and punch his into my phone. “Not sure how long I’m staying, but definitely a few weeks still.”
“Let’s hang out soon.”
I shake the hand he holds out and accept the invitation to the barbeque he invites me to three weeks from Saturday.
Funnily enough I actually mean it. I would like to hang out with him, meet his wife and kids. Maybe I’ll bring Andy with me.
DAD MEETS ME ON THE porch before I can even walk in the front door.
“What now?”
“It’s Luke.” A flatness in his voice makes my heart slam into overdrive.
Is he dead? Did they come back and finish the job? “What happened?”
“He got jumped again, had the shit kicked out of him. He’s back in the hospital.”
Deep breaths don’t do much to assuage the anger at the assholes who did this to him. “Fucking assholes! Why? We’ve been paying off the debt?”
He swallows half his beer. “Probably trying to prove a point.”
“How bad is he?”
“Cracked ribs, broken nose, they roughed him up a little beyond that. Nothing major.”
“Nothing major? He just got out of the goddamn hospital, Dad.”
He shrugs. “They’re keeping him overnight for observation.”
I make it halfway to the curb before realizing he’s not with me. “Well? Let’s go.”
He snorts from the deck. “What, am I supposed to go in and hold his hand? Fuck off.”
I don’t waste my breath bitching him out for being a heartless prick.
I get to the hospital after they’ve taped his ribs, but not before they help him back into a gown. Fresh bruises cover the old ones and new welts mar his skin. Luke’s nose, once fine and straight, now has a leftward kink to it and a definite bump. It makes a wet crack when the doctor resets it, but straightens up nicely.
My stomach roils with disgust and anger. I sat and had drinks with the man who probably did this to my brother—or at least ordered it to be done. Christ, Andy was there, too, and flirted with Samson to make me jealous.
Aaron Samson is a walking black hole, sucking up everything he can from everyone, leaving nothing but destruction and emptiness in his wake.
I’d thought paying him something quickly would buy Luke some time. All it did was whet Aaron’s thirst for more. He’s probably trying to test me, see if I’ll reconsider his offer of employment if they apply a little pressure to incentivize me. There’s no way in hell that’s going to happen. Even if I wanted that life, Samson’s not the employer I’d want. Sure, I’d be a valuable asset at first, but then he’d get paranoid I knew too much and it wouldn’t be long before he took me out himself, if I didn’t get killed by one of his enemies, or arrested first.
His endgame has one man left standing at the end of it, and it wouldn’t be me.
But I don’t know what to do to keep Andy and Luke safe from him. I should have told her Aaron has his eyes on her shop, but the last thing I want is for her to live in fear. I’d hate to see her fire tempered with caution because some asshole wants to take something she’s tried so hard to build. That will happen over my dead body.
The doctor tells the nurse to bring some ice, then leaves. It’s a busy night tonight. Miami never stops burning.
Luke swallows. “It wasn’t Aaron Samson. It was Santos.”
Surprise makes my fingers tingle. “It was definitely Santos’ guys?”
Luke nods. “Jumped me coming from a poker game.”
“What the hell were you doing?”
“I was trying to help pay off my debt.” He winces and lowers his voice as though speaking loudly hurts, which it probably does. “I won, but they were waiting outside for me. Someone tipped them off. Assholes. It’s not like I was going to keep the money—it would have gone straight to them if they’d given me five fucking minutes.”
He hadn’t even stopped limping and they jumped him again. Outnumbered, he’d have had no chance fighting back when he was well, never mind in the state he was in last night. He shouldn’t even be walking around by himself. “You need to lie low.”
“I won fifteen large.”
“Before
they took it,” I point out. This was probably on me, too, diverting money from Santos, thinking Aaron was the bigger threat, paying that debt instead, and this was the result. It doesn’t mean Samson is a good guy, but at least he didn’t do this to Luke. Yet. There’s still a sizeable chunk of cash to pay off.
Luke carefully coughs, obviously trying not to aggravate his ribs. “I want to help out.”
“You’re a liability.” I say it gently, not that he’ll care.
His puffy eyes widen. “You think I don’t know that? I fucking hate this, being hidden away while you all—”
“—fix your mess. Yeah, this speech is familiar, Luke.”
He shakes his head and looks down. It isn’t until the third tear falls that it sinks in that he’s actually crying.
I’ve got to help him faster. His life before was bad enough; this whole debt situation is killing him one breath at a time.
Once again, I was off with Andy, pretending I could have something more than existence and my brother got hurt because of that daydream. Maybe if I’d been spending more time with Luke, talking him up to rebuild his spirits, he wouldn’t have done something so stupid. My family thinks I’m distracting her from the races, but she’s the one distracting me from what needs to be done. Not only that, Andy Perris deserves a good guy.
If we’re going to have any kind of future, I need to bail my brother out of this hole before something worse happens. To fix this mess, I can’t be a good guy anymore.
It’s time to get my hands dirty.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Andy
My knuckle grazes underneath the car, removing a thin layer of skin. I sigh. “Get your head off Matthew’s abs, Andy! They probably weren’t as amazing as you remember them, anyways.”
“No, they’re pretty sweet.”
My wrench clangs to the pan, splashing more oil onto my hands. By the time I whip my head to the left where his voice came from, he’s already pulling me by my foot from under the car. The wheels of the dolly I’m lying on make the journey to mortification that much faster, and my skin is still fiery with embarrassment when he pulls me free.
Mortified, but still flirty. “Fancy meeting you here.” Crap. It occurs to me that I’m wearing unflattering overalls and my hair’s tucked up underneath a dirty, backwards cap. I wanted him to be impressed the next time we saw each other, not get an eyeful of Mechanic Chic.
“Heard this was the place to be.”
“Where have you been, stranger?” I keep my tone light, but I’m a little annoyed he hasn’t called in three days. Then again it was only three days. Isn’t that some kind of rule to appear casual in guy-code? And here he is, in person instead of missing in action.
“Had some family stuff to take care of.” He pointedly looks around the empty shop looking way too good in his dark jeans and white t-shirt. “You the only mechanic here?”
And I’ve probably got grease and grit all over my face. “Dag’s still with us, but pretty much only works weekends now, or comes in when I need extra help. Are you here about the fender I scratched? Finally come to collect?”
He grins. “Maybe later. Now, what was that slanderous talk I heard about my abs?”
I coolly shrug one shoulder, my pulse speeding up. “It’s not slander if it’s true.”
He cocks an eyebrow and straddles my legs before lifting the hem of his t-shirt. His V is more defined by the overhead light.
I should make him squirm for not calling me sooner, but what are three measly days when I’ve wanted this man for years? I’ve had him and it’s still not enough. I want him again. Now. “You should have worn a black shirt.”
He frowns. “Why?”
I lick my lips. “Cuz it’s about to get dirty.” I desecrate the pure fabric of his shirt with my dirty hands, pulling him down between my legs to do dirtier things to his mouth with mine. My thighs bracket his hips, and I leave dark handprints everywhere.
He pulls off my hat and winds his hands in my hair, twisting it to pull me closer and kiss me so hard my lips tingle and hurt just a little bit. His tongue strokes mine, enticing it into his mouth where he sucks it, sending shocks of pleasure skittering along my skin.
I bite his lip a little too hard and his hips buck forward, nudging something long and hard against my crotch.
I bet it’s not a socket wrench in his pocket.
“Sit up.” He backs up to let me follow his command, still straddling me, and I peel his shirt from his body, drinking in the golden skin and taut muscles, sitting up to lick his chest and bite his neck. The look in his eyes makes my hips twitch. He pushes me back down and I almost protest, but his hands pull down the zipper of my overalls, and I’m a big fan of being naked right now, so I keep my mouth shut.
“I was not expecting this.” He slides his thumb over the delicate dark blue satin and lace bra.
“I wasn’t expecting you either.”
“I hope you don’t mind me dropping by. I couldn’t stay away.” His hands dip inside, teasing my nipples into stiff peaks before helping me shrug my way out of everything until I’m bare to the waist. “Christ, that’s a good look for you, Andy.” His husky voice warms my chest then his hot mouth is locked against my nipple and I arch against him. I gasp when he sucks harder, and then he switches to the other breast, and pinches me with his teeth before flicking the sensitive tip with his tongue, hands digging into my back.
“God, yeah.” I reach down between us and rub the hard bulge at the front of his jeans.
Even with the deep zipper of my overalls, his hand is prevented from wandering any lower than it already is.
Matt growls in frustration. “I need you, Andy. Need to be with you.”
I nod and hold him tighter. I need you too.
“Stand.”
It’s not a request and I comply, languidly leaning back against the car while he tugs the overalls and my pants down over my boots. He caresses my calf from knee to ankle. “You in nothing but boots?” He bites his lip and drags his mouth up my thigh before taking my underwear in his teeth and sliding them down. “So fucking sexy.”
I step out of my panties until I’m naked but for the black, steel-toed boots. Still kneeling, he licks his way up my leg and nudges my legs apart. Shamelessly, I spread wider for him, moaning when that tongue makes itself at home on me, in me. I’m already soaking wet before he adds one finger then two, and I grind harder against his face, wrapping my hands behind his head, wanting, needing more, pushing into the pleasure.
I want to draw this warm, sticky caramel moment out as long as I can. This is a thousand fantasies coming true, and I want to wallow in it. He could have any woman, and he’s here with me. Again.
Standing in front of him naked while he’s still in his jeans and shoes, I feel very exposed—and unbelievably aroused. Anyone could walk into the shop at any second, busting both of us.
I should stop. I should care.
I don’t. “Take off your pants, Matt.”
His smile is slower than his fingers as he leisurely pops the button and eases the zipper down. “Why don’t you help me?”
I close the space between us and tear the jeans down his legs.
He helps me by toeing off his boots until he stands in a pair of gray boxer briefs.
I snap the elastic waist band. “Those look pretty restrictive.”
He nods. “They are.” He slides them off without me having to ask.
Good boy.
Oh my god, great boy.
He clears his throat. “Hey.”
I tear my gaze from his crotch. “What?”
“My eyes are up here.”
With a grin, I fall to my knees in front of him. “And my mouth is down here.” I swirl my tongue over the tip before licking up one side and down the other. It isn’t a short trip—the man is packing serious length I wasn’t fully appreciative of until now. Relaxing my throat doesn’t help; I still can’t take him all in, but I lick and suck and then tease his balls until eve
n they’re hard.
“Enough.” He pulls back and grabs his pants from the floor, raising his eyebrows when he pulls out a condom. I nod in response, and he bites his lip and smiles before opening it and rolling it down his cock. “Where do you want me?”
His question tilts my head to the side. “Is that a trick question?”
He gestures around. “Down here’s fine?”
I nod and hop up onto the steel workbench. Holy fuck this is cold! Bad idea. It must show on my face because he laughs and steps closer.
“Cold up there?”
Goosebumps spread across my skin. “Yeah.”
“Mmm. The cold does great things for your nipples though.” He steps between my legs and slings my arms over his shoulders. “Hang on tight.”
He hooks his elbows under my thighs and raises me until I’m too high to wrap my legs around his waist. He backs away from the bench, standing tall, and I hold onto his shoulders as tight as I can. I’ve never felt sexier in my life.
Matt nuzzles my neck. “I missed you at the race the other day.”
What?
He hoists me higher.
Any uncertainty of the position dies in my throat when he uses one hand to position himself and lowers me onto his hard length in one quick, deep movement.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Matthew
Her freckles go all the way down.
I don’t care if she thinks it’s sleazy that I brought condoms with me as if I only came to fuck her.
I mean, yeah, I did come to fuck her, but I didn’t come to fuck her over. I battled with myself, knowing that staying away was the best thing for me and my family, but couldn’t.
I like Andy Perris too much. I want Andy Perris too much.
Even if this is just to say goodbye, get her out of my system, I couldn’t not fuck her again before turning into the man who doesn’t deserve her.
We use her body weight and our arms to slam her onto my cock again and again. I want her so much I resent the hell out of her for it. She’s so tight and wet and fucking incredible, hips going wild on me as she makes tiny noises of pleasure that make my balls ache, but I can’t see enough of her in this position.
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