by JB Salsbury
“I’m sorry, it’s none of my—”
“Hit by a drunk driver.”
I meet his gaze and almost stumble backwards at the agony in his eyes. He’s not angry. He’s heart broken. My eyes burn and I swallow hard.
“He was killed instantly. I was so pissed off. It seemed so unfair. I thought if I could beat the shit out of someone, make them hurt as badly as I was hurting, I’d feel better.” Shaking his head, he takes a deep breath. “Didn’t work.”
My hands itch to soothe him with my touch, even if only to grab his hand and let him know I’m here and that I understand.
According to the local media, he’s a private guy. He never exposes information about his family or personal life. Sharing that with me took a lot of courage. For all he knows, I could run out and sell his story to the papers. But he trusted me. And the best way to pay him back is to trust him in return.
“My mom moved here from Colombia with her parents when she was eight.” I clear my throat. I’m nervous. I’ve only told this story to Eve and Guy. My palms sweat and I busy my hands picking at a shop towel. “I guess they came here for the job opportunities that Las Vegas had to offer. My grandparents were working at the MGM when a fire broke out in one of the restaurants. Back then, there were no sprinklers in that part of the casino. Eighty-five people died, including them.”
“I’ve heard about that fire. They call it the worst disaster in Las Vegas history.”
“Yeah, that’s the one. My mom was fifteen. She had no family here and wasn’t a legal adult so she had to go live in a group home. At eighteen she had to leave and find a job and somewhere to live.” I take a deep breath as I prepare for the final blow.
“That’s when she met…” I’m afraid to say his name. If Jonah knew whose blood runs through my veins, he’d probably never speak to me again. Deep down I know that our working relationship will end someday, but I’m not ready to give it up yet. “She took the first opportunity she could find.”
“Oh, did she get a casino job like—”
“My mom’s a prostitute.” Hearing the words out loud sound so much worse than they did in my head. I drop my gaze to the floor, afraid to look up and see the disappointment—or worse, disgust—in Jonah’s eyes.
Seconds pass. He’s completely silent. So much for not losing his friendship.
~*~
Jonah
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to just throw it out there like that.” She laughs uncomfortably and studies the ends of her hair.
Hearing those words come from this girl? I’m in shock.
Living in Las Vegas, prostitution is fairly common. It’s illegal outside of a licensed brothel, but that doesn’t stop a few key players from maintaining the business. But to think that this beautiful woman, so innocent and unaffected, was raised in that world.
I shake my head. “I don’t know what to say.”
She waves her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. I understand. You probably shouldn’t be associating with people like me, what with your big fight coming up.” She turns away from the workbench and grabs her backpack. Is she leaving?
My mind scrambles for the right thing to say, but a frantic need to keep her here moves my body first.
She heads for the door and I grab her arm. “No, wait. Don’t go.”
She’s silent, her back to me, head drooping between her shoulders.
“I didn’t mean to make you feel bad or ashamed. I’m just surprised that someone as innocent and open as you could have been raised—”
“By a hooker.” She tugs against my hold, but I don’t let go. Her head drops even lower. “Just say it, Jonah.”
Pain twists in my chest at the demoralized sound in her voice. She sat and listened to me talk about my family and share my pain, but the second she opens up, I treat her like a leper.
“Look, Raven, I’m not good at this . . . relating to people and sharing. Fuck.” I breathe deep and search for the right words to keep her from pushing me away. “I think you’re amazing.” Her muscles tense beneath my hand. “It doesn’t matter how you were raised or who you were raised by. All that matters is who you are now.”
She turns toward me, her eyebrows pinched and her mouth in a flat line.
I release her arm and shove my hands in my pockets to keep from grabbing her and kissing that look off her face. “The woman I see right now, she’s something special.”
Her pinched eyebrows dissolve into wide eyes, and a dazzling smile threatens to send me to my knees.
“Thank you.” Her words are said in that breathy way that I want to feel against my lips.
We stand only a foot apart, lost in the intensity of what we’ve just shared, giving each other a little piece of ourselves. I’m balancing on the edge of something huge. I try to push back, clawing my way to solid ground, when everything in me screams to swan dive off the precipice.
My emotions swirl in a cocktail of confusion, desire warring with self-preservation. But through this, one thing is clear. There is no working this girl out of my system. From the moment she walked out of Guy’s Garage, she burrowed in deep. This whole time I’ve been kicking and fighting against her pull. What if I just let go?
I’ve been avoiding this since the day I left home, not wanting to be responsible for another person’s happiness and wellbeing. But locked into the aquamarine eyes of the woman in front of me, I realize I’d give up everything for the chance to take care of her.
I have a choice to make, and screwing her out of my system isn’t one of them: face my fears and take a shot at a relationship or let her go. She’ll go on living her life until someone worthy of her love comes along.
Oh, hell no!
My teeth clench and possessive fury twists my gut. The thought of her loving some piece of shit with her gorgeous body, some other guy’s hands tangled in her hair as he devours her mouth, brings a growl from my chest.
“Do you have a boyfriend, Raven?”
“What? No!” Her response comes out fast and defensive.
Well, thank fuck for that.
My lips curl so hard my cheeks ache. Decision made.
“What are you doing tomorrow?”
She chews on her lip and looks to the floor. “Um . . . tomorrow is Saturday. I’m off.”
I step closer—so close that I can feel the heat coming off her body. Her breath catches and I detect the unmistakable lust in her eyes. “Jonah?”
The way she says my name saturates my blood with arousal, and I fight to keep my eyes from rolling back in my head.
“Come over tomorrow. I’m having a barbeque. I want you there.” My voice sounds deep and gravelly in my own ears. I’m not taking no for an answer. I can’t. I want her, and now that I’ve stopped fighting it, I can’t get her soon enough.
“Okay.”
I grin at her simple answer to what wasn’t a question. I cup her face then slide my hand back to fork my fingers into her hair at her nape. Her eyes flutter closed. Warmth explodes in my chest, flooding my veins and making my heart race. As much as I want to kiss her, I force myself to step back.
“Let’s get back to work.” I turn back to the Impala.
The tiny whimper from her gives me hope. She’s just as wound up as I am. If the sexual tension is already this high, what will the sex be like?
I freeze as dread drops in my stomach, heavy and unwelcome. I’ve never slept with the same girl more than once. I lose interest seconds after I orgasm. What if I lose interest in Raven?
I turn to look at her over my shoulder. She’s at the workbench, sorting through engine parts. Her eyes look up from beneath the canopy of her dark lashes and she gives me a shy smile.
I’m completely fucked.
Five
Raven
“Whoa, Rave, that’s the one. Get that one.” Eve points to the coral-colored string bikini. “That color will compliment your skin and make your eyes totally pop.”
I’m grateful to have Eve with me on this las
t minute shopping trip. Jonah’s barbeque is today. After his impromptu invite that left me grinning like an idiot, he told me to bring a bathing suit. I thought, and Eve agreed, that the possibility of swimming at a celebrity’s house called for a new suit.
I pay the swanky boutique’s cashier and figure I’ll have to get Dog generic cat food for the next six months to make up for the money I just spent. He lives in a dumpster. He won’t mind the cheap stuff.
We pop into a little coffee shop to grab a latte when my cell phone rings. I check the caller ID. Butterflies stir in my belly.
“Oh my gosh, Eve, it’s him.” I hold my phone out to her, thinking that she might answer it for me.
I’ve been working for Jonah all week, and he’s never called me. How does he know my number? He gave me his number the day he came to the garage, and I programmed it in my phone in case I couldn’t find his house. And why am I so nervous? Sweat slicks my palms, making me almost lose the hold on my phone. Or maybe that’s the shaking.
Eve leans away from me, shooing the phone to my ear with a few quick flicks of her wrist. “Uh-uh, girl, we’re not in grade school. Now answer your damn phone.”
I step out of the ordering line and head to a table at the back of the coffee shop. I can’t sit as nervous energy keeps me pacing.
With a finger pressed to my ear to drown out the chatter, I drop my head. “Hello?”
“Raven, what’s up? It’s Jonah.”
“I know . . . I mean I have your number in my phone, you know, from that first day, and it came up on the—”
Eve elbows me in the ribs and shakes her head. And thank God. Who knows how long I would have rambled.
His low chuckle vibrates the phone against my ear, sending goose bumps down that side of my body. He’s even sexy through the telephone. “Right. Where are you?”
“My girlfriend Eve and I are having coffee at . . .” I stare at the coffeehouse sign. My face heats immediately and Eve giggles. “The Bump and Grind.”
He laughs again, just as low and sexy as the first, but louder. “Only in Vegas, huh?”
“Yeah, God forbid there be a Starbucks around.” I roll my eyes, even though he can’t see me.
“I wanted to touch base and make sure you were coming by this afternoon.”
“Of course, four o’clock, right?”
“That’s it. And, Raven?”
“Mm-hm?”
“Bring Eve along.”
My eyes dart to Eve who is standing nearby hanging on my every word. I smile at her. “Bring Eve? Okay, sure.” Her face splits into a smile, and she fist pumps the air.
“Great. See you in a few.”
The phone disconnects, and Eve and I stare at each other for a few wordless seconds.
“We’re going back to the boutique.” Eve grabs my arm and pulls me out the door. “I need a new suit too if I’m going to meet ‘The Assassin.’”
I stop walking. “Please, whatever you do, do not call him ‘The Assassin’ to his face. That would be so embarrassing.”
She lifts one side of her glossed lips like I just gave her a fantastic idea. Oh, great.
“You know, there’ll probably be a few single guys there tonight.” I ask the silent question with my eyes.
Eve is gorgeous, and she gets plenty of attention from guys, but her taste is selective. She only dates complete jerks.
“We’ll see.” She shrugs. “It would take someone pretty special to turn my head at this point.” A sly smile spreads across her face.
Eve has a secret. I look around before pulling her from the sidewalk to a bench.
“Who is he?” Excitement must show in my expression and Eve’s face lights up.
“Oh, Rave! He’s amazing. I met him at work. He came into the restaurant for dinner, and he was so sweet.” She has a dreamy look that I don’t see often on my cynical friend. “He asked me out and I said yes,” she squeals.
“That’s great. When’s the date?”
“Oh, it was two weeks ago.” Guilt laces her voice. “We’ve been hanging out almost every night since.”
My brows drop low. I try to justify why my best friend has been dating a guy for two weeks and this is the first I’ve heard about it. We tell each other everything. Just last week Eve called me at midnight to tell me that Donny Osmond came into her restaurant and told her she had great bone structure. And for two weeks she’s been keeping her mystery boyfriend from me?
This can’t be good. History proves that she attracts the meanest most abusive guys Vegas has to offer: usually verbally, sometimes physically, and always emotionally. I tell myself that she doesn’t know better. Growing up in that environment, she obviously sways toward her idea of normal. But surely she doesn’t want the life her mom had.
I’ve been running in the opposite direction of my mom’s life since I knew she was a prostitute. I’m a mechanic and a virgin. Can’t get more opposite than that.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. He’s really . . . um . . . private. He told me he wasn’t ready for anyone to know about us. Things are getting pretty serious though, so I’m sure you’ll meet him soon.”
“I’m really happy for you, Eve.” The hurt in my voice contradicts my words.
Her smile turns sad. “Hey, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, really.”
She hops to her feet and grabs my hand. “Come on. Let’s go get me that suit. Just because I’m officially off the market doesn’t mean I’m not going to enjoy the view tonight. These guys work hard for their bodies.” I stand and she links her arm in mine. “I intend on showing my appreciation.”
A couple more hours of shopping and we head back to my house to freshen up. At three forty-five on the dot, we leave for Jonah’s. I toss my backpack into Eve’s car just as Guy calls to me from the open bay doors of the garage.
I pop my head in the car door. “Give me a minute? I’ll go see what he wants.”
I jog to Guy who’s standing with Leo and Cane, two other mechanics in the shop. “Hey, guys. What’s up?”
Their eyes travel from my neck to my toes and back again. They don’t look happy about what they see.
“Where’re you going dressed like that, Ray?” Guy motions to my halter dress bathing suit cover up.
“I’m going to a barbeque pool party thing.” I hook the string of my bikini top with my thumb and hold it out. I mean, isn’t it obvious. And why are they looking at me like I’m wearing raw meat?
“There gonna be dudes at this party?” Leo’s protective tone isn’t the least bit surprising. He’s got three daughters and five granddaughters.
“Yes. There will be guys there.”
Cane, the newest mechanic at the shop, laughs hard, making his big belly shake. Guy and Leo aren’t laughing.
“Whose party is it? And please, don’t tell me it’s at one of them titty pools all the casinos are opening,” Leo says, sending Cane into another fit of laughter.
“You guys, it’s fine. I’m going to Jonah’s.”
No one is laughing. Not only are they not laughing but they’re frozen. Completely still. Oh no, this can’t be good.
Guy breaks the silence. “Ray, don’t be a dumb shit.”
“I’m not.” Falling for a guy who will most likely break my heart? Maybe I am. “Er . . . I’ll try not to be a dumb . . . um . . . what you said.”
The man, who has been like a father to me, must read my face. “You’re wearing a dress.” He makes a tsking sound and shakes his head. “Known you since you were fourteen. Ain’t never seen you in a dress.” Guy’s probably right about that.
He was my shop teacher in high school, and I never wore dresses to school.
Oh, wait.
“What about graduation?” I put my hands on my hips to force some attitude into my declaration. “I wore a dress to graduation.”
“That was a graduation gown.”
Darn, that’s right.
“Whatever. This isn’t a dress anyway, it’s a cover up.�
� I smooth the soft fabric over my stomach. “It’s new. Now, if you guys will excuse me—”
“You seriously gonna let her go?” Leo’s question is directed at Guy.
“She’s a grown woman.”
“And he’s nailed more women in Vegas than Barry Manilow.”
“Ray’s a smart girl. I trust her not to fuck up.” Guy’s eyes swing to mine. “Right, Ray?” His question reeks of warning.
I nod.
“You call us if you need anything. Don’t drink booze. Say no to drugs. And whatever you do, do not take a drink from a stranger or leave your drink unattended. You gotta piss, you take your cup in the john with you.” Leo’s instructions are given with a firm point to my face with each one.
“Got it. Can I go now?”
They shake their heads and turn back into the garage grumbling. I practically skip back to the car with a cheek-cramping smile plastered across my face.
~*~
Jonah
I’m antsy as hell. I hit the gym, went for a run, worked on the Impala, and nothing seemed to help. Needing to hear her voice, I finally broke down and called her. She seemed nervous on the phone, which was something I haven’t seen from her in a while. In the garage, she works with the cool confidence of a seasoned mechanic, but outside of the garage, she’s shy and nervous. And both are hot as hell.
Raven is nothing like the girls I’m used to. She’s not arrogant or overly aggressive. She doesn’t try to mind-fuck you into submission. With her, you get what you see. No twisted facades or acts of desperation. She doesn’t expect anything from me. It’s refreshing. And because of that, I’m completely at ease around her.
I’ve known her for a week, and I’m spilling my guts about my dad like a pigtailed girl at a sleepover. The words I’d been holding in for years just poured out, and rather than making me feel weak for my admission, she gave right back.
I miss her when she’s not around. I never miss women. Hell, I go months without seeing my mom and sister. Never bothers me. Raven’s been away from me for twenty-four hours, and I’m going nuts, as if something valuable were missing.