Rebel on the Run (Hot Rods)

by Rylon, Jayne

  “Now that’s an offer I don’t plan to turn down…ever. I know a great place we could christen this baby.” He scooped her up and whirled her around until the rotation, or maybe him alone, made her dizzy with delight.

  Bryce set her down softly at the passenger door of the Maserati. “Unless you’re still feeling sore? You know like last night how you said you couldn’t because—”

  He said it quietly, but Holden still must have heard the fib she’d told Bryce the prior evening to keep him from seeing… The jerk snorted from the car in the bay next door where he was installing pretty peach leather seats with black piping. Kaelyn darted over and smacked his ass.

  “Don’t ruin my surprise!” She laughed when he jerked upright and banged his head on the roof of the car.

  “Well, you might have done that on your own.” Bryce was suddenly beside her, turning her to face him with those broad hands on her shoulders. “What kind of trouble are you up to?”

  “It wasn’t my idea!” Mustang Sally shouted from the back of the garage as the Hot Rods gang began to gather around them. “I only held her hand.”

  “Why am I getting the feeling that you, Nola and Sally didn’t exactly hit up the mall after work yesterday like I thought?” Bryce rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes.

  “Because we didn’t.” Nola stepped closer, with Kaige right behind, his arms looped around his fiancé’s belly, his hands splayed protectively there. “But you can’t get mad at a pregnant lady.”

  “No fair.” Bryce faux-pouted, though he’d confessed last night how much he secretly loved the developing friendship the three women shared. “Are you going to make a habit of teaming up on us guys?”

  “Yep,” they answered in unison, then giggled as they glanced from woman to woman.

  “Oh, fuck us.” Eli shook his head while Alanso laid his hand on his husband’s shoulder in sympathy.

  “Put him out of his misery, Kae,” Holden suggested while Carver and Roman joined them, completing the circle of friends and lovers. “Show him what you did so you two can get laid again and quit staring at each other with those googly eyes.”

  “A little help?” she asked Holden as she turned so that her back was to Swinger. With a flick of her fingers she unbuttoned her jeans, then drew down the zipper.

  “Uh, lady? Here? Now? The shop is open. And so are the doors.” Bryce had the whole crowd chuckling with his sudden modesty.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not getting freaky. Want to show you something.” She shimmied the tight denim off her waist and lower, as Holden made sure she didn’t scrape the bandage or the healing patch of flesh beneath it. His hands warmed her against the cool almost-autumn air.

  The discomfort of tape being peeled off her skin had her glancing over her shoulder at Swinger, who grinned. “Looks good from here.”

  “What—” Bryce’s wonder had his eyes widening when she spun around and put her new tattoo on display.

  “I hope you don’t mind.” Suddenly Kaelyn found it hard to get more than a breathy whisper through her throat. “I didn’t mean to be presumptuous. I know you all have one because you’re part of this place and each other. I guess I got it to be more like…a fangirl.”

  Bryce dropped to his knees behind her. He cupped her hips in his hands easily and leaned forward, kissing the unmarred tissue beside the art on her bum. The Hot Rods logo was surrounded by swirling text. An A above, then Hot Rods, and finally Rebel beneath it.

  No matter what, she’d spend the rest of her life embracing the rebel spirit she shared with Bryce.

  “Well?” She began to fidget. Holden came closer, hugging her when he noticed her unease while Bryce studied her behind.

  “I love it, Kaelyn.” He rose and turned her toward him while Holden took care of her, recovering the tattoo and putting her clothes back in order so she didn’t have to look away from the man of her dreams.

  She swallowed hard as he gathered his thoughts, or maybe wrestled his emotions so he could continue.

  “And I hope, someday, you won’t doubt your rightful place. Here. You’re one of us, lady. And now you’ll never forget it.” Bryce laid his palm over her ass and squeezed gently. “You’re mine.”

  “And we’re yours,” Holden murmured behind her. “We’ve got your back. Always.”

  “My heart too.” She sniffled before she whispered her promise in return. Her gaze flickered from Hot Rod to Hot Rod and the women they loved. She respected, admired and adored them all, each and every one in their own way.

  “Excuse me.” Someone cleared their throat in a manner too obvious to be natural from the doorway. “Is anyone around?”

  Holden spun, closest to the intruder, and crossed to them in a flash. The rest of the gang surrounded Bryce and Kaelyn, protecting them as they got their shit together. Or, actually, as they shared a deep and passionate kiss.

  Swinger was pissed to have missed the action, a sealing of the oath they’d just made each other. A moment he’d come to anticipate after each person had joined their group. At least, he felt imposed on until he saw who had approached.

  That damn reporter, Sabra Harp, stood with her hands on her hips, attempting to peek behind him at the poignant exchange she had no business spying on.

  “What do you want?” he snapped. Partially because he was still pissed she’d aired the footage including Bryce and Kaelyn. Mostly because he had watched the news every single night since then to get a glimpse of her pert lips and flashing blue eyes. Her voice alone had the power to make him hard. A feat he hoped she wouldn’t perform with him standing in front of her.

  Shit. Fuck. Damn.

  “First, I came to apologize.” She met his gaze straight on, unflinching. “I know it doesn’t matter, but I told my producer they couldn’t use the clips of Kaelyn and Bryce and to cut it out. At the last second they decided the emotional impact of your friends celebrating was too good for the editing-room floor. I didn’t know they were going to put it in the piece it until it was too late.”

  “Yeah, but you handed over the recording to them. With every bit included.” Holden couldn’t help but lean forward. He told himself it was to be more aggressive, not to catch a whiff of that tangerine scent he’d noticed the last time he’d bumped into this vixen.

  “I know, and for that I’m sorry. I trusted them. I shouldn’t have.” She glanced away. “Anyway, I don’t work there anymore.”

  “Yeah, right. I saw you on the news last night.” Holden probably shouldn’t have admitted that.

  “You did?” The edges of her pretty lips tipped up at that.

  “Oh, yeah” Roman piped up to bust Holden’s balls. “Swinger here is a regular broadcast addict lately. Didn’t know you were that concerned with current events.”

  Behind his back, Holden gave his garagemate the finger. A couple chuckles broke out.

  “Well, anyway… I gave them two weeks’ notice, then quit.” Sabra sighed. “I thought I should come by in person and tell you how sorry I am that my bad choice put you in danger. I didn’t realize the full repercussions until I got your—uh—blunt email. I’m honestly sorry.”

  Kaelyn came up beside Holden and reached out to the petite reporter, enfolding her in a hug, which the woman looked like she might desperately need right then. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it anymore. Everything worked out. I’ve made my own share of bad decisions, especially when it comes to believing people who don’t deserve your trust.”

  “No one here is innocent.” Eli strode forward, every bit the King Cobra they knew and loved. “I’ve hurt people I cared about. Deeply. It’s how you make it up to them, and how you go forward that counts, Sabra.”

  “Thank you.” She flashed a wan smile and a few blinks of her watery eyes up at Eli as if he were her hero. And somehow that made Holden…possessive.

  Uh-oh. Oh no. No way.

  Time to get this woman out of here before she could do any more damage. He liked his life just fine the way it was shaping up, thank you v
ery much. The last thing he needed was some woman screwing with his head. Or places below the belt.

  “And what else?” Holden wasn’t buying her sudden U-turn. The woman could have emailed him or called him anytime to apologize. She had his business card and the Hot Rods website, including his contact info, was a quick Google away.

  “Swinger.” Carver issued a low warning and touched his elbow. He tried to settle but couldn’t with Sabra this near him and the people he loved.

  “I have a business proposition for all of you—” She paused and whipped her stare to Holden when he growled. Then she stood straighter, put her shoulders back and said in a rush, “I’ve done some research. And, well, since I’m currently unemployed, I have an idea. Something I think could be big. And it involves you guys.”

  “We’re not interested,” Holden barked.

  “Let the woman speak, Swinger.” Eli’s command silenced him. As the garage owner he had every right to listen to some dumb sales pitch if he wanted to. And, yeah, maybe Holden was overreacting to Sabra. It seemed every part of him did.

  He willed his cock not to harden, but it didn’t pay him much mind.

  Carver slapped Holden on the back. “Come on, I bet this is going to be good.”

  But no one expected her to say what came next.

  About the Author

  Jayne Rylon is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She received the 2011 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Indie Erotic Romance. Her stories used to begin as daydreams in seemingly endless business meetings, but now she is a full-time author, who employs the skills she learned in her straight-laced corporate existence in the business of writing. She lives in Ohio with two cats and her husband, who both inspires her fantasies and supports her career. When she can escape her purple office, she loves to travel the world, avoid speeding tickets in her beloved Sky, and, of course, read.

  Jayne loves to hear from fans. You can reach her by email at contact@jaynerylon.com or chat with her while she’s procrastinating on Facebook—www.facebook.com/jayne.rylon—or Twitter—www.twitter.com/jaynerylon.

  For the latest news about what Jayne’s writing, where you can find her at events or to win one of her prize packs given to random subscribers in each addition of her newsletter, sign up for the Naughty News: www.jaynerylon.com/newsletter

  Look for these titles by Jayne Rylon

  Now Available:

  Three’s Company

  Nice and Naughty

  Play Doctor

  Dream Machine

  Healing Touch

  Men In Blue

  Night is Darkest

  Razor’s Edge

  Mistress’s Master

  Spread Your Wings

  Powertools

  Kate’s Crew

  Morgan’s Surprise

  Kayla’s Gifts

  Devon’s Pair

  Nailed to the Wall

  Hammer It Home

  Compass Brothers

  (Written with Mari Carr)

  Northern Exposure

  Southern Comfort

  Eastern Ambitions

  Western Ties

  Compass Girls

  (Written with Mari Carr)

  Winter’s Thaw

  Hope Springs

  Summer Fling

  Two to Tango

  Where There’s Smoke

  Hot Rods

  King Cobra

  Mustang Sally

  Super Nova

  Print Anthologies

  Three’s Company

  Love’s Compass

  Powertools

  Love Under Construction

  Two to Tango

  Hot Rods

  Coming Soon:

  Compass Girls

  (Written with Mari Carr)

  Falling Softly

  Hot Rods

  Swinger Style

  Barracuda’s Heart

  Play Doctor

  Developing Desire

  His demons are no match for her passion.

  Super Nova

  © 2013 Jayne Rylon

  Hot Rods, Book 3

  Kaige “Super Nova” Davis doesn’t carry a chip on his shoulder. It’s more like a beast in his belly…and right now the monster he’s fought so hard to tame is growling to unleash its legendary temper.

  Eli has gone behind his back and hired a marketing consultant. But when Kaige storms into the office to give Eli hell, one look at the mocha-skinned brunette seated across the desk flips a switch in his brain. And in his pants.

  Nola Brown has never experienced Kaige’s powerful brand of sexual charisma. He makes her want to ditch her professional façade and be herself—a mistake she can’t afford to make. Yet just as he talks her defenses down—and proves that grease marks look just as good on her skin as a silk suit—she stumbles in on one of the Hot Rods’ late-night, full-throttle sessions.

  Now Kaige wonders if she’ll embrace this glimpse of their future, or if she’ll run as fast as her killer stilettos can take her.

  Warning: Contains a garage full of hot, passionate men who are good with their hands, and a woman who isn’t afraid to get a little down and dirty. And cute puppies. And did we mention hot men?

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Super Nova:

  She stood, towering in her six-inch heels, and jammed out her hand. “Nola, Nola Brown.”

  Without hesitation, he returned the clutch with interest, while she wondered at the crinkle blossoming around the corners of his eyes—yeah, she’d tried to make him uncomfortable, but a guy like him shouldn’t dent beneath even her firmest grip—for a moment before glancing down and catching sight of scabbed knuckles. Who had he pummeled?

  Banged-up hands but not a bruise on that pretty face meant it had been no contest.

  For an eternity, they locked horns—or hands—their gazes clashing as if they indulged in a world-record-setting staring contest. Neither of them volunteered to back down first.

  Until Eli intervened with a less-than-subtle clearing of his throat.

  Balancing her no-nonsense stance with Kaige and the necessity of pleasing his boss, she yanked free of the newcomer’s hold, trying to convince herself that the pulse hammering through her veins had more to do with annoyance than attraction.

  Because that was a really, really bad idea.

  “I was talking to the lady.” Kaige flumped into the seat beside the one she’d recently occupied and slouched, his long legs stretching all the way to the base of the desk in front of him.

  “Looked more like a pissing contest to me.” Eli grinned.

  He waved her off when she began to give some lame excuse for their immature showdown. “He deserved it. You don’t have to spare anyone’s feelings around here. We’re big boys and girls. Or should be. Guess you see why we call him Super Nova, though. He’s got a bit of a temper. Sorry ’bout that.”

  Nola nodded. “No worries. I can handle myself.”

  “Nobody doubts that, honey.” The lascivious slant to Super Nova’s glance had her insides squirming despite her chastising. She’d long ago trained herself to ignore bad boys. They only brought trouble.

  Somehow, she knew that went double for this one.

  She cleared her throat. “So tell me what you’re looking for? Why am I here?”

  “Am I allowed to make suggestions?” Nova winked.

  “No,” Nola and Eli responded in unison.

  Eli, King Cobra, repeated his spiel from their initial meeting about generating a long-term strategy, organizing existing ideas and formalizing their business plan, which they both understood was for the benefit of Kaige, not her.

  She hoped the toolbox was listening. He seemed more intent on playing games, leaving his legs spread so his knee maintained contact with hers. If he thought she’d head for the hills before they even got started, he was destined for disappointment. Intimidation tactics had never worked on her.

  “Excuse me.” She stopped Eli mid-sentence and turned to face the asshole
beside her instead. “I don’t care how big you think your balls are, you don’t need all that room. Move the hell over. This is my space.”

  She drew an imaginary box around herself, uninviting Kaige from within it.

  Nola didn’t bother to glance away from Nova’s stunned expression toward the gasping Eli didn’t come close to covering with his faux cough. Thank God he busted a gut at her directness instead of booting her to the curb. Maybe this could work after all.

  Kaige shuffled to the left then splayed his legs even wider than before. She didn’t give a damn as long as he kept away from her. Turning toward Eli again, she caught his stare in her peripheral vision. She wondered if the glimmer there had anything to do with begrudging respect, or if resentment still took top spot.

  She didn’t come here today to make enemies. And whether she’d asked for it or not, she had one. The only way to get this job, and keep it, would be to form an unlikely alliance.

  “I think what you’re saying makes sense, Cobra.” She felt a little silly using their nicknames but the guys wore them as easily as a second skin. “But I don’t know the restomod business specifics.”

  “Exactly,” Nova nearly spat.

  She choked on the suggestion she knew she had to make twice before she could force it out through clenched teeth. “So what do you think about Mr. Davis and I teaming up?”

  This time Eli couldn’t contain his guffaw. “Mr. Davis. Who the hell is that?”

  It surprised her more though when Kaige snarled. “Don’t call me that. Reminds me of my father. I’m nothing like him.”

  Still, he glanced at the floor, away from her for the first time, when he denied it.

  “Fine. Super Nova.” She barely refrained from rolling her eyes. “He could help me vet my ideas before committing them to the plan and wasting time chasing dead ends.”

  “Can you do that?” Eli raised a brow at Nova.

  “I’m not an idiot, you know.” He crossed his arms in a way that highlighted the bulges of his biceps. “I’ll show her my plans if it’s what’s best for Hot Rods.”