Seb

by Cheryl Douglas

  She nodded, tucking a strand of auburn hair behind her ear. “I’m an early riser. I can get a few hours of work done before I come in and a few hours after I leave here.”

  “Where do I fit into this packed schedule of yours?” I asked, frowning. My brother was watching our exchange with obvious interest, but I didn’t care.

  Skylar blushed before stealing a sidelong glance at Gabe. “Um, I’m sure we can work something out.”

  Before I could object, she was out of the office with a muttered, “Nice to meet you,” as she passed Gabe.

  “Wow,” he said, poking his head through the door so he could watch her walk down the stairs. “That is one sweet piece of ass.”

  “Shut your filthy mouth, asshole,” I said, feeling a surge of possessiveness I rarely associated with my brothers. “She’s a lady, not a piece of ass, and that’s the way you’ll treat her. Understood?”

  None of my brothers were exactly disrespectful toward women—our mother had taught us better than that—but sometimes they reverted to their baser instincts and acted like pigs. I wished I could say I was better than them, but I wasn’t. A hot girl walked in the room without a ring on her finger, and I was all over her.

  “Tell me more,” Gabe said, rubbing his hands together. “Who is she?”

  “She told you her name,” I said, questioning whether I was ready to share all the details with my meddling kid brother. “I’m restoring a car for her uncle. She’s working here to pay off the debt. End of story.”

  “Judging by what I walked in on”—he gestured to my desk—“you two have more than just an employee-employer relationship. You really think that’s smart after the way things went down with Emma, man?”

  “Skylar is nothing like Emma,” I said, pissed that I had to justify my relationship with Skylar to anyone. We were both single adults. What we did was our business, no one else’s. By now I would have been sleeping with any other girl, but the fact that Skylar was making me work for it, making me wait for it, only made me respect her more. “But you don’t have to worry. We’re taking things slow.”

  “Glad to hear that.” Gabe walked slowly around my office, taking in the mess. “I’m glad to hear she’s going to be getting you squared away. This place is a dive.”

  My shop wasn’t a dive. It was a multi-million-dollar building in an industrial area. The garage and reception areas were pristine. Only my office was a dive.

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ve got things under control here. You said you got a problem?” I laced my hands behind my head as I tilted my chair back. “Let’s hear it.”

  “So I was offered a promotion, and I’m trying to decide whether to take it.”

  “A promotion?”

  Gabe was already a captain. After years of being a first responder, he’d finally taken the desk job when one of his best friends was killed in the line of duty. He’d decided it was time for him to slow down and stop chasing danger.

  “Yeah, deputy chief of operations,” he said. “The current deputy had a health scare last week—heart attack—so he’s out of commission. They need someone to fill in for him. Since I’m the next in command, I’m the logical choice.”

  “Would it just be a temporary gig?”

  “No, he’s been thinking about retiring for a while now. He’s put in his thirty-plus years,” Gabe said, shrugging. “He just wants to spend some time with the family now.”

  “What’s got you thinking twice about it? It sounds like a great opportunity.”

  He walked around, looking restless. “I know it is, but if I take this, my feet would be firmly rooted to the ground, ya know? All those people will be counting on me to guide them. It’s a big responsibility.”

  Not to mention the fact he was even younger than I was. He’d moved through the ranks quickly since he was one of the best they had on the ground. Because he was always ready to step up and help neighboring districts, he’d quickly become an expert at fighting bush fires.

  Gabe had always been a thrill-seeker. From drag racing to chasing waterfalls in a kayak to facing the big waves on a surfboard, he was always up for the next big adventure. Being a firefighter gave him the time to pursue all of his interests, but his appointment to captain last year had given him less downtime. While he seemed to be adjusting well to the change, I could understand his concern about taking on more responsibility.

  “Kid, only you know whether this is the right call for you.”

  “I know. This thing with Nex has got me freaked out, I guess.” He chuckled, glancing at me. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy for him. Jaci’s a great girl, but Nex is the youngest. He’s always been the biggest partier. How the hell can he be engaged? That’s just crazy.”

  Nex did seem like the most unlikely candidate for marriage, but it was obvious to all of us that Jaci was the perfect person for our brother. “He’s not gonna be stupid enough to let her get away. He knows a good thing when he’s got it.”

  Gabe finally sat across from me. “You ever regret not proposing to Emma when you had the chance? Maybe she would have stayed if you’d given her the kind of commitment she was after.”

  If I’d proposed to Emma, I never would have met Skylar, and I couldn’t be sorry about that happening. “You know what Mom always said—everything happens for a reason, right?”

  He smiled. “You think Skylar might be the reason?”

  “Come on, man. I barely know the girl.” And I hated that he could read my mind. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

  “You’ve been making a lot of noise lately about settling down. After the shit that went down with Amy, I know it hasn’t been easy for you to trust a girl. Does Skylar make it easy?”

  We weren’t big on talking about our feelings, but my brothers knew me better than anyone. If I was going to open up to anyone, it would have been one of them.

  “She makes me think it’s possible.” I was still trying to be cautious. Skylar wasn’t Amy, and she wasn’t Emma, but I didn’t know her well enough to claim she would never do a number on me. Only time would tell for sure.

  “Good for you.” He smiled. “I’m happy for you, man. We were all worried about you shutting down like that. You weren’t the same after Amy. The fact that you weren’t willing to talk to any of us about what happened—”

  “And I don’t want to talk about her now,” I said, raising my hand. “Let’s just say I’m moving on, I’m happy, and leave it at that.”

  Gabe nodded. “Fair enough.”

  “So you gonna take the job?” I asked, anxious to talk about anything other than my love life.

  “I’m thinking I’d be crazy not to, right? Most guys wait their whole lives for an opportunity like this. I’ve been with the department for less than ten years.”

  “Yeah, but you busted your butt during that time.” I was proud of my little brother. He’d always wanted to be a firefighter, even when he was a little kid. He’d never considered any other possibility and never let anything get in his way.

  “Speaking of busting your butt, how are things going around here?”

  “Busy as hell.”

  Gabe laughed. “Crazy to think there are that many people who can afford to spend a million bucks on a car.”

  I wasn’t arrogant, but having one of my restorations was like having a signed original by a famous artist. All wealthy car collectors wanted to add one of my cars to their collection. “There are a lot of crazy wealthy people in the world,” I said, shrugging it off.

  “You included now, huh?” Gabe shook his head. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw the article about you in that business magazine last week.” He laughed. “Are you really worth that much, man?”

  I grimaced before swiping a hand over my face. I’d never expected them to go digging into my net worth when they ran that article, and I’d been pissed when the magazine finally hit the stands. “I didn’t even want to do the damn interview, but the network thought it would be good for the show.”


  “You’ve never been the kind of guy who lets people tell you what to do. So if you didn’t want to do it, why agree to it?”

  “I have a contract with the network. I have to do my part to promote the show.”

  “Sounds like you’re getting tired of this gig.”

  “I like being my own boss,” I said, cracking my knuckles. Every time I did that, I could hear my mother lecturing me about my “nasty habit.” Maybe that was why I still did it—because every once in a while, I needed to be reminded of her. Especially when I was facing a tough decision. “The network makes me feel like they’re the ones calling the shots, and I can’t say I like that.”

  “So when you contract’s up, ditch them.”

  “Maybe.” I still had time to think about it.

  “I’m looking at a house,” Gabe said. “It’s a fixer-upper. Good part of town though. Renovated houses in that neighborhood are going for a small fortune, and I can get this one for a steal.”

  “You thinking about buying it as an investment?”

  Gabe lived in a one-bedroom waterfront condo that would make him a small fortune when he chose to sell it, but for the past five years, he’d spent his downtime buying little houses, fixing them up, and selling them for a profit. “No, I’d like to live in this one.”

  “A house?” I whistled under my breath. “Careful now. When I bought my house, you told me I was closing in on the wife, kids, and minivan.” The smartass knew I’d skateboard before I drove a minivan. “You sure you’re ready to give up the bachelor pad?”

  “I think maybe I am,” he said, ignoring my ribbing. “Gotta grow up sometime, right?”

  “Amen to that, brother.”

  Chapter Nine

  Skylar

  By the end of the day, I was really proud of my accomplishments. I’d collected all of the trash Seb said I could get rid of, and I’d tossed it in the dumpster at the back of the building. I’d figured out where to put all of the parts that had been collecting dust in his office, started a filing system for all of the papers that had been stored in boxes, bought two more filing cabinets and assembled them myself—charging them to Seb’s credit card at his insistence—and tomorrow I would tackle cleaning and the rest of the organizing.

  “Wow,” Seb said, stopping in the doorway of his office, gripping the doorframe. “This place looks great. I can’t believe you did all of this in one day. That’s amazing. Who put those together for you?” He gestured to the filing cabinets.

  Since Seb had been in the shop with a camera crew following him around for most of the day, I’d had the office to myself, which I preferred. It meant I’d been able to surprise him with my efforts.

  “I put them together myself,” I said, raising my chin to let him know I wasn’t happy he assumed I needed help. I wasn’t some helpless female. I’d tackled a lot of DIY projects in my old house, right down to plumbing and small electrical jobs like changing out light fixtures.

  He grinned. “Good for you. You’re a woman of many talents. I like that.”

  Because I knew he wasn’t baiting me, I smiled back, but not before rolling my eyes. “I’m glad you approve, boss man.”

  “I definitely approve.” His eyes scanned my body, and I knew he wasn’t referring to my work ethic anymore.

  I wished I hadn’t worn white today. My shirt was covered with streaks of grease and a layer of dust, and I’d put my hair up in a messy bun to keep it out of my face while I worked. “Don’t look at me. I’m a mess.”

  He chuckled, and that sexy raspy sound made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “You’re the sexiest mess I’ve ever seen then.” He glanced at the time on his phone. “It’s getting late, and the guys are heading out. You want to grab a pizza or something?”

  I could have since Mrs. Ryan had called to tell me she was making dinner for my uncle at her place. But I didn’t want to go anywhere looking as though I’d just crawled out of some alley. “Looking like this?” I gestured to my clothes. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “We could order in or head back to my place. You could use my shower, borrow some clothes.”

  He had to wear an extra-large, while I wore a small. Everything he owned would have fallen off of me, though I appreciated the gesture.

  “Maybe we could just order a pizza and eat it here? I have some work to do when I get home.” My phone, which I’d stashed in my purse while I’d been working, rang. “Sorry, I should get that. It might be my uncle or Mrs. Ryan.”

  “No problem,” he said, his fingers flying over his own phone. “I’ll just order the pizza while you get that.”

  It was Jarod, which made me think twice about answering, but I had nothing to hide. He was just a friend. I was sure Seb wasn’t the kind of guy who’d have a problem with me having friends of the opposite sex. He wasn’t that insecure.

  “Hey, what’s up?” I asked him. “How’d it go the other night?”

  He groaned. “Don’t even ask. She was a nightmare. But I’m getting back up on that horse tomorrow night. Hopefully I’ll have better luck with this one.”

  “Fingers crossed.” I admired Jarod’s willingness to keep trying until he found the right person. I’d never been that resilient when looking for a partner, which probably explained why I hadn’t had many serious relationships.

  “You wanna grab dinner tonight?”

  “I can’t,” I said, looking over my shoulder at Seb, who was watching me curiously. “I’m having pizza with a friend.”

  “A friend, huh?” He laughed. “You have a lot of friends, Sky?”

  “Mind your own business.” I knew he was just teasing. So was I. “Maybe we can get together later in the week?”

  “I’d like that. I’ll call you in a day or two. Be good.”

  “Yeah, you too.” I disconnected the call to find Seb narrowing his eyes as I put my phone away. He was obviously waiting for me to tell him who the caller was, but I didn’t think I had to justify or explain my friendships to him. “Did you order the pizza?”

  “Uh, no, I wanted to ask you want you wanted on it.”

  “Oh, pepperoni, bacon, onions, and mushroom would be great, if that’s okay with you?” I pulled a twenty-dollar bill from my wallet and tried to hand it to him.

  He only scowled, brushing my hand away. “I don’t want your money.”

  “Um, okay, but I was just—”

  “I don’t know what kind of losers you’re used to dating, but I don’t believe in Dutch-treat or whatever the hell you call it. When I’m out with a woman, I pay. For everything.”

  I wasn’t a big fan of his traditional values. I had no problem paying for things once in a while, but his bad mood had me questioning whether this was the right time to challenge him. “Is everything okay? You seem kind of tense.”

  “You gonna tell me who that was on the phone?”

  I’d known that was the reason for his mood change. “It was just a friend. He wanted to know whether I could grab dinner tonight, but I told him I had other plans.”

  “Yeah, with a friend. Is that what I am to you, just another friend? Like the douche who just called you?”

  My jaw dropped. “How dare you call him that! You don’t even know him!”

  “Why the hell did you tell him you were having dinner with a friend?” he demanded, stepping closer, crowding my space as he backed me against his desk.

  Seb was an imposing man, but I already knew him well enough to know I had nothing to fear. He may have intimidated most people but not me. I wasn’t afraid to stand my ground with him.

  “What should I have called you?” I asked, looking him in the eyes as I squared my shoulders. “My boss?”

  “Your…” He growled, his eyes darkening with frustration as he seemed to search for the right word. We weren’t lovers, and it was too soon for me to call him my boyfriend. I knew he was realizing I’d had no other option, but he clearly still didn’t like my reference.

  I curled my hands around his massive b
iceps. “Seb, I think you’re a great guy, but we need to put this thing in perspective. We haven’t known each other long. We’ve only been out a few times. We’re still figuring things out, right?”

  He clenched his jaw, gripping my waist. “Do you have a lot of male friends?”

  Funny, Jarod had just asked me a similar question, but he had been joking. Seb was obviously deadly serious.

  “A few,” I admitted. “Though I’ve lost touch with most of my friends since my uncle got sick. Do you have a problem with that?”

  He stepped back, raking a hand through his cropped dark hair. “I don’t know. It’s kind of weird for me, to be honest. None of my girlfriends have ever tried to have guy friends when they were dating me.”

  I tried to be understanding, to see things from his perspective without jumping to the conclusion that he was a possessive jerk who actually thought he had a prayer of controlling me. “Well, I guess I’m not like the other girls you’ve dated.”

  “And for the most part that makes me happy,” he said, rubbing a hand over his chest. “But this, uh, friend thing makes me kind of uneasy. I’m not gonna lie.”

  I had to appreciate his willingness to be honest, even when it made him look bad. “I’m sure you must have female friends.” I could already tell he had a large social group, from the guys who worked for him, who clearly thought of him as more of a friend than a boss, to the clients who’d passed through just to catch up with him. He was well-liked and respected. I assumed that extended to women as well.

  “Not really.” He shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe it’s the fact that I work in a male-dominated industry, or could be that it’s because I’ve been burned a few times by women in recent years, but it’s just easier for me to trust guys. I don’t worry about whether they have an ulterior motive.”

  “I guess I can understand that,” I said, perching on the edge of his now-tidy desk. “Maybe I find it easier to trust men because I spent so much time with my uncle growing up. That and we always had his students over for dinner. The guys on his teams were older than me, so they always treated me like a little sister.” He was watching me carefully when I said, “Honestly, I think they kind of felt sorry for me because I lost my parents.”