by Marie Harte
“Sure. I have an extra one at home. Sleep over tonight and you can have it.”
“And a soak in the hot tub?”
He grinned. “Sure. Why not? You earned it.”
Her frosty glare took him aback.
“What did I say?”
“That I earned the hot tub? What? On my back?”
He snorted. “I would have said on your knees, because if you remember, I was mostly on my back. But no, I meant because of those blueberry pancakes you didn’t eat. I’d marry you just for those.”
He saw her pale at the word marry. Shit. He needed to talk to Elliot about her. Maybe her brother could give him some tips on how to win Sadie over permanently.
“Ha. I was kidding about being mad.”
But not about being panicked over thoughts of marriage. “Yeah. I could tell.”
“You could not.”
“Quit bickering with me and go to work.” He turned her in the direction of her car and gave her a gentle push and swat on her ass.
“Hey.”
“I’ll swing by here and pick you up at six, okay?”
“Fine. But I don’t want to have to work hard for my costume. Have Iris pick it out.”
“Sure.”
“And no more warrior princesses. I did that. I need something else.”
“For someone who doesn’t care about what she’s going to be, you’re a little particular.”
She opened her car door. “Hmm. Maybe something creepy. Sexy? I don’t know. I’ll think about it.” She waved, shut the door, and left.
He stared after her, more in love with the little coward every damn time.
* * *
Gear spent the morning and afternoon at the new shop, taking measurements, looking around the area, spotting potential tie-ins and competition. He had plans to make the working area in the back visible. No hiding this garage. In front they’d have some room for supplies and products. Maybe some branding with clothing, like T-shirts or hats.
He smiled to himself, wondering if Smoke would ditch his Motorcycle Madnezz cap now that they were going to be called something else. But what? Gear came up with a blank every time he thought about what to name his shop.
Then he returned the calls Smoke had given him, rounding up four new clients and setting times to talk face-to-face. Making it all real.
After coming up with more plans, he drove home and took a nice hot shower, changed into fresh clothes, and did menial chores to while away the hours until he saw Sadie again.
He still couldn’t get over how right they fit. The sex was off-the-charts incredible. And despite them being new to each other, he’d never experienced that same connection with anyone else. Ever.
He felt like he knew her better than he should for such a quick courtship. She liked being in charge of her life. She liked to take charge in bed too, and he had no complaints about that either. But that caution when it came to permanence… They needed to deal with that.
He found the spare key he’d tied with a blue ribbon—blue, her favorite color—and had wrapped in a small box. He’d added a box of her favorite chocolates. Elliot had been most helpful with the name of the shop. But Gear needed to have a sit-down with the guy.
And soon. He knew he couldn’t keep throwing out emotional grenades and not expect one to blow up in his face. They hadn’t discussed him loving her. And though she’d accepted his key and planned to give him hers, which he could see would be a huge concession from the guarded woman, if he even tried spelling marriage in front of her, she’d bolt.
Then there was the matter of her father. Who didn’t seem to like him much.
He sighed. Why worry about this now? I have plenty of time to worm my way into her heart, right?
He hoped. They argued all the time. Small, funny moments of contention that made being with her such a challenge. Gear would be bored with someone who agreed with him all the time. Sahara had liked the same things he had in the beginning, and he’d found out later she’d lied to reel him in. Sadie didn’t seem to hold things back. She had no problem telling him what she thought.
It helped that they did like a lot of the same things, and in areas that mattered, they were on the same page. But what he really loved about her was her passion for being right. Not to the extent she was a pain in the ass to live with, but she had confidence in herself. She didn’t need him to feel worthy. She had a life all her own, independent of him.
But she could need him a little more, and he wouldn’t be bothered.
He still wondered how she’d really felt about them having sex without a condom, back in the car. It had been sexy as fuck, but totally not safe. He’d been alarmed because he wasn’t normal for wanting to tie her to him with a kid. But why had Sadie—strong, impassioned Sadie—gone along with it? Had he been that good that he’d seduced her into accepting all of him sans protection?
He grinned, not upset with that idea at all.
After folding a load of laundry, he heard the doorbell ring. Thinking it was Sadie, he opened it without thinking.
And saw Brian standing there. The asshole’s face still sported bruises, though makeup seemed to have covered much of it. Pussy.
He just stared at Brian.
Brian, who’d once been his best friend. They’d had sleepovers, gone on camping trips, and had been so tight he’d trusted his buddy when it came to signing away his rights to his livelihood.
Well, I know better now.
“Look, we need to talk.” Brian gave him an apologetic smile, and Gear saw what the cameras would. A handsome young guy, his sandy hair cut just right, not preppy short or metal-band long. He wore clean blue jeans and a dark leather jacket, and appealed with bright-blue eyes without a hint of malice.
Yeah, looks could be deceiving.
“No, we really don’t.” Gear didn’t budge.
Brian sighed. “I know you hate me. And part of me deserves it.”
“Part?”
“But there are things you don’t know. For the sake of the friendship we once had, let me in to talk, would ya?”
Gear wanted to toss Brian out on his ass, yet he wanted to know what the hell had brought his ex–best friend over, when the guy clearly knew Gear hated him. So he’d hear Brian out. Then he’d toss him out on his can. “Fine. You say what you need to say, then we’re done.” Forever.
They both stood in his living room, neither conceding to sit.
“Talk.”
Brian shoved his hands in his pockets, his remorse clear to see. But Gear wasn’t buying it.
“Look, I’m sorry I slept with Sahara.” Brian gauged Gear’s response, and when Gear didn’t give one, he continued with a frown. “She came on to me first, so you know. But I shouldn’t have fucked her, not when she was yours.”
Gear shrugged. “You wanted my hand-me-downs. Then again, you always did.” Though Gear’s family hadn’t been wealthy, they’d always provided for him. Brian’s parents had been lower middle class, caring for six kids. Brian hadn’t often had new clothes or toys, or even clothes that fit. But Orchid had seen a little boy in need and helped him out, often giving him Gear’s clothes once he grew out of them, and sometimes she just bought Brian new clothes because he needed them.
So it wasn’t cool of Gear to bring up Brian’s past. Then again, it hadn’t been cool of Brian to sleep with Sahara.
Brian glared. “Maybe if you’d spent more time with your girlfriend and less getting your stones off in the shop, you’d have seen her looking.”
“And maybe if you’d been in the shop with me instead of letting me do all the heavy lifting, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Oh yeah, and if you’d been my best friend, like you said, I’m sure you wouldn’t have banged my fiancée. But you know, water under the bridge.”
Brian flushed. “I was wrong. I said it. Bu
t Gear, I was doing my damnedest to keep the show going. You always told the network to kiss your ass, then did what you wanted your way. Why do you think you got away with so much? Because I was there cleaning up after you. I found ways to make the series run around your personality. We used Sahara’s beauty to attract more viewers. Hell, man, we’re the number one reality series on television. And I guarantee the minute we air that fight at the garage, we’ll be rock solid for weeks.”
“Yes, congratulations on your ratings for your show.” Gear crossed his arms over his chest so he wouldn’t be tempted to strangle Brian. “Why the fuck are you here?”
Brian groaned and finally sat. “It’s not right without you. You were the heart of the show, and now that you’re gone, everyone knows it. Finn is a mess.”
“No shit.” Taking pleasure in the fact Finn wasn’t working? Priceless.
“But that’s not why I’m here. I feel really bad about how it all happened.”
“So you want to unburden yourself with the truth? Too little too late, pal.”
“No. It’s not like that.” Brian ran a hand through his hair, aggravated. “Maybe it is. A year ago, Sahara started acting weird. She was moping around, losing weight. Remember?”
“Yeah. She was sick.”
“She’d had a miscarriage.”
Gear blinked. “What?”
Brian nodded. “She hadn’t wanted to tell you about it, because you were so busy on that holiday special. We’d gone head-to-head with the then-network president. Remember? She hated the show, and we were all stressed.”
“I don’t remember that. I just remember having to do that stupid holiday bike.” Sahara had been pregnant? No way.
“Right.” Brian snorted. “Again, you worked on the bikes and bitched about the show while I handled the politics. And your girlfriend was the one suffering in silence.”
Gear shook his head. “First of all, Sahara never suffered. In silence or out loud. That woman always looked out for number one—herself. We were already having problems back then. She wanted a bigger house, for us to live together in it. She kept buying expensive shit because we had an ‘image’ to maintain.” He snorted. “What image? I built bikes. We were a fucking reality TV show. Not actors.”
“But she did have an image to maintain. We had tons of women tuning in to see what Sahara would wear. Her Instagram account was—is—massive.”
“Whatever. Point is, buddy, Sahara and I were barely having sex back then. And I always wore a rubber.”
Brian frowned. “That’s not what she said.”
“Yeah, well, she told me she was on the pill, but I never saw her take any. No way was I going to let her talk me into the baby she wanted. And before you go all pity party on her, she wanted the baby because it would be good for ratings. I think she wanted a dress-up doll and not a kid.”
“That’s not the Sahara I know.”
“Dude, she full-out cheated on me with my best friend. You don’t see any character flaws there?”
“Well, she’s not perfect, but—”
Gear laughed, a harsh sound with little humor. “She’s a narcissist and a bitch. She treats people like crap unless you’re useful to her. She’s always been nice to you because she needs you. But you know, Torch seems to have a real interest in your lady. I saw it last week at the garage. Might want to keep an eye on him.”
Brian scowled. “Shut up.”
“You done talking yet?”
“You’re saying her miscarriage wasn’t real.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. She played you for sympathy.”
“If that’s the case, why not use that for the show? She’d get the sympathy vote from viewers.”
“Good point. I don’t know why she made that up. Unless she really did have one from some other guy she cheated on me with. Or unless it was to get you two closer.”
“I felt bad for her.”
Yep. There it is.
“She’d been through something traumatic,” Brian was saying. “She made me promise not to tell you, and you treated her horribly. I tried to get you to be nicer, but you never made time for her.”
“Because she never wanted to hang out or do anything I wanted to. Do you have any idea how many stupid chick flicks and concerts I went to for her over the years? How many fashion shows while I sat on my ass and had to ignore models coming on to me? Yeah, Sahara loved that. That other women wanted me but I was devoted to her. Ironic then that she fucks me over with my best friend.” Gear was tired of rehashing it all. “Is that it? Are you done now?”
“No.” Brian stood. “Sahara didn’t want me to cut you out of the show completely, but I had no choice. I knew you’d never let it all go, and if we’d kept you, the station would have axed us. You really pissed off the programming head with those comments about women knowing their place.”
Gear gaped. “Are you kidding me? Sahara scripted that segment. I told her Orchid and Iris would skin me alive saying that shit. She said it would be taken as funny. She made a joke of it on-screen.”
“Yeah, well, not everyone liked it.”
“And that was the start of women hating my guts. They either want a fuck or to tell me to fuck off. I can thank you and Sahara for that. Come on, Brian. You played me too. I was the uncultured, idiotic gearhead while you’re the suave, sophisticated hero. And Sahara needed a better guy than me. In you came.” Oddly enough, the more he talked to Brian about the past, the more Gear could feel himself letting it go. He didn’t want Sahara. With Sadie, he had all he needed.
“It worked. For a long time it worked,” Brian said. “But we need your expertise on the show. Finn’s work is… Well, it sucks.”
“No surprise there. The guy’s a hack.”
“He alienates people more than you do.” Brian sighed. “With you leaving, Smoke followed. I figured he would. We lost Chains too.”
“Huh.”
“But you probably know that.” When he didn’t respond, Brian continued, “That fight at the shop was mostly for show.”
“Oh. Is that why you didn’t fight back?”
Brian’s cheeks turned red. “Asshole. You always were better with your fists than your mouth.” He took a deep breath, then let it out. “But I’m not here to fight anymore. We lost more guys after that. The mechanics always liked you best. They want you back.”
“Fuck that.”
“We’ll give you most of your shares back. You get to keep Motorcycle Madnezz, and the show goes on. We’re going international later in the season. It’s gonna be epic.”
“So take Finn.” Gear didn’t have any desire to go back. “I have my own plans, Brian. And none of them involve you.” He didn’t miss Brian’s there-and-gone flinch. “You know what hurt the most? You. You turned on me.”
“You turned on me first.”
Gear stared. “How do you figure?”
“We used to do everything together. Always. Then the show happened. And you got Sahara, and I was eased out.”
“I got a girlfriend. You’ve had plenty of your own.”
“But not like you guys. You burned hot, bro.”
“Not your bro.”
“You know what I mean. You and Sahara were a real item. You fit. You had chemistry.”
An awkward sensation filled Gear’s gut, a moment of fear that maybe he’d been doing the same song and dance with Sadie. But no. He’d never been so emotionally invested with Sahara.
“And remember, it was my idea to send in your video to the network. But somehow, what started out as the Gear and B-Man show turned into you, front and center with Sahara.”
Gear frowned. “You liked working the desk, making things happen.”
“No. I was forced to do that or be off the show. We both know my expertise was never with bikes. It’s with making things happen, with networki
ng, getting us orders. We worked so well as a team. And then it was all about you.”
“And you never had the stones to tell me about it before now?” Gear refused to feel bad when he’d had no idea of Brian’s resentments. “If you’d told me, I’d have fixed it.”
“How? Sahara was there.”
“I’d have fixed it,” Gear said, knowing it to be the truth. “And if I couldn’t, I’d have walked off the show.”
“I didn’t want that.”
“No, but I would have put you first over a stupid TV show. You never gave me that choice. Instead, you made an ass out of me by sleeping with my girl. And man, you can have her. I’m happier now than I’ve been in a long time.” He meant it. “I have a shop, a woman, and my family. I don’t need fame and fortune, B-Man. That’s your shtick.”
Brian stared at him. “You found some other chick?”
“Yeah. And she tells me to my face when I’m an ass. She’s not impressed by the show or by money. And she pretty much wants little to do with me.” Gear smiled. “I’m having to convince her I’m worth a shot. So why the hell would I want to ruin that by going back to a show that’s no longer mine?”
Brian considered him. “You really don’t want Madnezz? It’s your baby.”
“It’s just a show. I would have come back for my best friend, but I lost him a long time ago.”
Brian looked frustrated and a little sad. But he hadn’t given up. “Well, if you change your mind, call me. I can talk Sahara into whatever we need to do for the show.”
“I thought you said this was her idea.”
“Seriously? She hates your guts. It was mine.” He shook his head and walked to the front door. He paused before leaving. “You know, for what it’s worth, sometimes I miss the way we used to be.”
Then he left.
Gear wondered if hell had indeed frozen over. Because he’d not only gotten closure with Brian, but he’d had a shot at getting Madnezz back.
And he’d tossed it over for Sadie without thinking twice.
Chapter 18
Monday evening, Sadie wondered why she kept feeling as if the roof was going to fall in on her. After a lovely Sunday night with Gear, when he’d been über romantic with rose petals, his freakin’ key, and some of her favorite chocolates, they’d hung out at his place and made love instead of going to see his sister.