The Maxwell Series Boxed Set - Books 4-6

by Alexander, S. B.

  I puffed out my chest to ease the craziness inside me. “As long as it doesn’t take a lot of my time. I do have a job, and a brother to take care of.”

  “Pfft,” Roxanne said. “Lowell will be ecstatic.”

  Kody grabbed my hand. “You are special. I’ll be here for whatever help you need.”

  At that moment, Kody stole my heart.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kody

  I pulled into Jessie’s driveway and parked behind a blue SUV, which, if I weren’t mistaken, belonged to Donovan. My blood gelled as I closed my hands into fists, debating whether to leave or face my demons head-on. If I stayed, then Donovan and I would end up throwing punches until one of us landed in the hospital. Showing up at Jessie’s might not have been such a great idea. But she’d assured me that Donovan wouldn’t be there. She’d mentioned that he and Lowell were in Boston at a Red Sox game.

  A few days ago, when I told her she was all wrong for me, that had been the truth. I couldn’t date a girl who was friends with one of my enemies. Yet I was in her driveway. I’d promised myself I would stay away from women who rode motorcycles. Yet I was parked in her driveway.

  Dare to live.

  I had to love Ms. Sharp for that motto. Because before I’d had that talk with her, I’d been trying like a motherfucker to keep my distance from Jessie. I was failing miserably. She made it impossible not to think about her twenty-four hours a day, more so after she’d kissed me in the bathroom at The Cave. Nothing is ever impossible. My dad had always drilled that into us boys. Hell, I’d said something similar to Jess five minutes before we got naked.

  The bay door to the shop was open, and parts of a motorcycle, or what looked to be an engine, were strewn all over the floor. Tim McGraw belted out one of his songs from a radio in the garage, while a warm spring breeze seeped in through my open truck window, carrying with it the scent of sweet and refreshing blooms. I didn’t have the urge to sneeze, thanks in part to my allergy medicine.

  I turned off the engine, keeping my focus on the inside of the garage. I didn’t see anyone milling around. I checked my watch—six in the evening. Jessie had said six. After her awesome performance at The Cave the night before, we hadn’t gotten a chance to spend any alone time together. While I’d been disappointed, I was also elated to hear her sing my song, and boy, that was a high I had never experienced. To hear my lyrics come out of that beautiful mouth of hers was heaven. Still, Mr. Robinson had wanted her to practice for a couple of hours. So she’d sung my song, I’d played the piano, and Jake had played the guitar. Jake and I should’ve switched since he was better than me on piano, but the feel of keys had felt as smooth as Jessie’s body, and I’d only played better as I thought of her, us, and how magical her voice was.

  Regardless, by the time we had finished, it had been late, and Roxanne and Jessie had an early shift at the hospital.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Jessie wiping her hands on a rag as she emerged from around the side of the garage, and despite the grease covering her jeans, T-shirt, and face, she still made my body come alive. When she glanced up at me, my stomach went fucking crazy and my dick jerked.

  I blew out a breath as I got out of the truck. “Are you bathing in grease?” I teased.

  She squinted up at the cloudy sky. “Is it six already?” She sounded flustered.

  “Should we reschedule?” I didn’t want to, no matter how dirty she looked. In fact, I couldn’t care less if she didn’t want to clean up before we went to dinner. I would be happy if we could just hang at her house.

  She ambled into the garage and picked up a wrench near the motorcycle that sat center stage. A fluorescent light beamed down over the bike as though it was on display at a fancy auto show. But fancy wasn’t the word to describe the large space. It was a typical mechanic’s haven. An office sat on the right, cabinets lined the back wall, and a workbench traveled the length of the entire left side.

  I followed her in like a dog on a leash. “Are you building a bike?” I would probably follow her to the ends of the earth.

  I’d been up late at night, trying to figure out why I was so drawn to her. The one thing that kept surfacing—she made me forget my past. She made me believe that I could let someone break down that stone wall around my heart.

  She let out a soft laugh. “When I have a lot on my mind, I like to take things apart.”

  A light wind drifted in, sending an empty can rolling across the floor.

  “Are you taking your bike apart?”

  “Hell no. I wouldn’t mess with my Ducati. This used to be Lowell’s bike—the one he crashed on. I play around with it sometimes.”

  I wracked my brain, trying to figure out why she seemed so distracted at the club the night before and now. Maybe she regretted agreeing to sing. Maybe she didn’t want to go out on a date or have anything to do with me. Or maybe she’d reconciled or sparked up a relationship with Donovan.

  Wringing my fingers together, I sat down on a crate near the open bay door while she married a part to the engine with a few turns of the wrench. “So what’s bothering you?” Please don’t say Donovan. I could handle anything else, but I couldn’t deal with it if she’d decided he was better for her than me.

  Clink, clink, sounded above Faith Hill and Tim McGraw’s song. “Keep Your Eyes On Me.”

  “I’m not sure you would understand.”

  “Try me. I’m a good listener.”

  She wiped her face with the sleeve of her T-shirt. “Why am I all wrong for you?”

  I harrumphed. “You want to start there?”

  When she nodded her grease-covered chin, I noticed that her eyes were glossy. Then she nibbled on her lip as though she was trying not to cry. My chest clenched. I considered whether I should get off my ass and console her, but her white knuckles around that wrench told me she didn’t want anyone near her.

  “After Mandy died, I swore I wouldn’t be associated with anyone who was into motorcycles.” Jessie probably didn’t want to hear that, but I wasn’t about to lie. Besides, Dr. Davis had counseled me that the more I talked about what bothered me, the easier I could shed some of my depression. The process had worked wonders when I’d told Ms. Sharp about Mandy and Karen and my mom. Then again, that was after Ms. Sharp and I had been intimate for a while. Yet with Jessie, I felt as though I’d known her all my life, and she brought out something in me that made me want to tell her everything, when we hardly knew each other.

  She wiped her hands on her dirty jeans. “Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?”

  “Dirt bikes when I was younger, but not a motorcycle, and I don’t plan to,” I said as sure as night was about to descend over Ashford.

  “So if we were to get serious, then how would you feel about me riding my bike?”

  She was already thinking ahead to something serious between us, and that idea wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities, but holy cow, we’d just met. Nevertheless, I wasn’t one to take away or demand that someone not do something they loved. Hell, that would be like my parents or brothers telling me I couldn’t play the guitar. I got up. “Jess, what’s going on?” My voice was tender.

  The wrench fell, clanging to the floor as she bent over with her hands on her knees and started sobbing.

  I ran to her and grasped her shoulders. “Hey, baby doll. Talk to me.”

  Throwing her arms around my neck, she nuzzled her nose in my chest. I lifted her easily and carried her over to the workbench. I moved some tools out of the way, set her down, and lowered the radio on the shelf behind her.

  “This is the third time I’ve seen you cry. I’m a good listener, and I won’t judge.” If she told me she’d made a mistake with me, I might just cry with her. Or if she was upset because of Donovan, then I would hunt him down and beat the shit out of him.

  She shook her head like a wet dog. “I can’t.”

  I traced a finger over her eyebrow piercing. “Tell me how you got this scar.” I was dying to know what ha
d made her so upset, but sometimes taking one’s mind off a subject helped. I’d learned that from my dad.

  She giggled. “I’m a blubbering mess, and yet you ask me about a scar.”

  “Curious mind. What can I say?”

  She sniffled. “When I was nine, my mom bought me one of those toy doctor’s kits. I was so excited that when I jumped off the couch, I turned the wrong way and lost my balance. My eye hit the corner of the coffee table. A smidgeon more, and I would’ve probably lost my eye. Do you have any scars?”

  I puffed out my cheeks. I had one too many, and Donovan had been responsible for a couple, especially the one on the back of my neck. “Sadly, I do. But we’re talking about you.”

  “Mack gave you some, didn’t he?” Concern sat heavy in her tone.

  Perceptive woman. I lifted the hair on the back of my neck. “I can’t say for sure if it was Donovan or one of the other boys.”

  She ran a finger over the inch-long scar. “People change. I’m not going to say Mack doesn’t have flaws because he has a lot. But if you and him let go of what happened, you would find that he isn’t a bad guy, and vice versa.”

  I rubbed her legs in an attempt to keep my temper down in a dark hole. She didn’t need to see me get all twisted up about Donovan again. However, if he were to walk in now, I couldn’t say I wouldn’t have a go at him once and for all.

  “So are those tears because you’re in love with Donovan or because he’s in your life, and you feel I can’t be?” She’d said she wasn’t dating Donovan, but my I sensed she had feelings for the man. If she had romantic feelings for him, then I was out of there. I wasn’t about to wager my heart on someone who was only testing the waters, using me on the rebound, or trying to make someone else jealous.

  “I’m not in love with Mack. Honestly, he does want something serious with me. But he’s not the guy for me. He never has been.” She flattened her hand on my face. “Please believe me.”

  Man, I was doing cartwheels inside. While a large part of me did believe her, a small voice in my head said to be cautious because after two encounters with Donovan, it was evident to me he was in love with Jessie, and love did all kinds of crazy things to a person. Not only that, I was ready to fight Donovan, but not over Jessie, at least not right then. Sure, I was attracted to her, but I hardly knew her. Well, I knew her body and how perfectly it fit against mine, but sex and lust weren’t reasons to marry her tomorrow. “If you don’t want to talk about what’s bothering you, I respect that. Do you want some time alone?”

  Her chest rose and fell. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”

  I could take her mind off her problems in so many ways, but she was too distraught to concentrate on anything. “I’ll give you some space. We can reschedule. My dad’s away at a conference, and I should get home to check on my mom, anyway. I told her I wouldn’t be gone long.” I started for my truck.

  “Kody, wait.” She jumped down. “Thank you for not pushing me and for listening.”

  I slipped my hands into the pockets of my jeans. Otherwise, I might have wrapped my arms around her and never let go. Fuck. I’d only met her last week. But you fell for her the moment you laid eyes on her, just like you did with Mandy. I was officially fucked up. I wanted more with her, yet I didn’t. That was screwed up on so many levels. Ms. Sharp had been so spot-on. My brain was getting in the way of letting anyone in.

  “Are you still coming over for Sunday dinner? My mom wanted me to confirm.” Apparently, my dad had invited Jessie and Lowell. I wasn’t sure if her brother liked me or not. So Sunday might be interesting unless he didn’t come with Jessie.

  “Of course. I couldn’t disappoint Raven again.” For the first time since I’d gotten there, she gave me one of her knee-knocking smiles.

  I laughed. “She was rather upset you didn’t show.” I moseyed closer to her and reluctantly removed my hands from my pockets then lightly gripped her chin. “You’re beautiful, even with grease all over you.”

  Her cheeks blushed a rosy color.

  I ghosted my lips over hers. “See you Sunday.”

  Then I left. If I’d full-on kissed her, tongue and all, I wouldn’t have had the willpower to leave without doing more to her, and with the way she was feeling, I didn’t think she was ready for another naked night. Maybe I wasn’t, either. So I set my sights on my truck, got in, and drove away.

  As soon as I was a mile from her house, I sighed so heavily, I growled. The woman was going to test my emotions. That much, I was certain of.

  Since it was Friday night, I avoided the downtown and sped through the back roads, replaying how Jessie’s body had responded to me the other night. Before long, I was pulling into my driveway with an erection so hard, I was in pain. But when I parked alongside Kade’s truck, my body deflated. He’d called the day before and said he couldn’t make it up until Sunday, which was why I’d canceled my trip with Jake to his old man’s place in South Carolina.

  I cut the engine and headed in. The kitchen was empty, save for dirty dishes in the sink. If I knew Kade and Mom, they were watching a movie. They watched old Elizabeth Taylor movies when they had the chance. I checked the front living room, anyway, but it was empty. As I took the stairs down to the family room, voices filtered out.

  I walked in to find Kade on the couch with his stocking feet propped up on the coffee table. Mom was next to him with her slippered feet pressed against the edge of the table, and they were both riveted to a Nicholas Sparks movie. Aside from Elizabeth Taylor movies, my mom loved The Notebook.

  Quietly, I skirted around a recliner and dropped down. “Hi.”

  The Torchiere lamp behind the couch sprayed a warm glow of light around the room.

  Kade’s eyes were heavy.

  “It’s only seven at night,” I said to Kade.

  Dropping his legs from the table, he rubbed his eyes. “I thought you were on a date.”

  Mom perked up. “How did it go? Oh, wait. Not good if you’re back so early.”

  Kade paused the movie.

  “Jessie had something to do, so I decided I was in the way.” They didn’t need to know the real reason. I popped my head back and closed my eyes, letting out a breath.

  “Liar,” Kade said. “You look like you lost your stuffed leopard.”

  He knew me too well. Hell, as brothers, we knew each other’s ticks and lies and habits. Still, I was super bummed that Jessie and I didn’t get to have dinner together. “Hey, I loved that leopard.” Karen had given me the stuffed animal for my ninth birthday. In fact, I still had Tabby in my room along with a small collection of leopard pictures. I’d latched onto the beautiful animal when Mom had taken us to the zoo when we were kids.

  “Sweetie,” Mom said to Kade, “don’t be so grumpy. Are you hungry, Kody?”

  I kicked off my shoes. “I’m good.” Maybe coming home early wasn’t so bad. I couldn’t remember the last time Kade and I had spent any time together.

  My mom rose gracefully, her black hair unbound around her shoulders. “I’m going to lie down for a little while and read.”

  Kade vaulted off the couch and to her side. “Are you okay, Mom?”

  I didn’t want to laugh at my brother. My mom had been doing ten times better since she’d been taking bike rides with my dad and walking. Regardless, I understood Kade’s urgency and worry when it came to Mom. But the doctor had said she didn’t have the serious form of angina.

  “Sweetie, I’m fine.” Mom came over to kiss me on the head. “Will Jessie be joining us on Sunday?”

  I nodded.

  “Good. I really like her.” Then she glided out of the room with a huge smile on her face.

  Kade sank down on the couch, sighing. “Has Mom been doing better?”

  “Bro, I get why you worry, but you’re over the top. Relax. We’ll check on her in a bit.” My dad had wanted me to sleep in the house while he was out of town and periodically look in on Mom.

  I went over to the bar fridge and snagged two beers, twi
sted off the caps, then ambled over to Kade and handed him a bottle. “You need a drink.” I sat in my mom’s warm spot. “So no Lacey this weekend?”

  He chugged a good amount of beer. “She’s studying for finals again.”

  “Man, when does she graduate?” It seemed as though Lacey should’ve graduated by now.

  “She skipped a semester to travel with Pawtucket Red Sox. Remember?”

  I’d forgotten about that. I wasn’t sure how I had since Kade had been ornery during that time when he couldn’t see Lacey for weeks. “What are you going to do if she gets picked up by a baseball franchise?”

  “Shoot myself,” he said.

  “Why? Can’t you travel with her?” If I knew my brother, then I knew his answer. He was a homebody. He wanted to be close to family. I couldn’t blame him. Plus, he was a momma’s boy.

  He rubbed his temples. “I want to start a family. I want kids, and I don’t want to wait. If she does sign with a franchise, then it could be years before we settle down.”

  I took a swig of beer. “Can I ask you something, bro? You fell pretty hard for Lacey, like right after you met her. How did you know?”

  Kade’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you falling for a lady? Is it Ms. Sharp? Or that Jessie girl?”

  “Ms. Sharp is getting married.”

  “No shit. You disappointed?”

  I peeled the label on the bottle. “Not at all. I’m super stoked for her. Now answer the question.”

  He kicked up his legs onto the coffee table again, grinning. “I knew the minute she pulled a gun on me in the school’s parking lot.”

  I snorted. “I thought you fell in love with her when she kneed you in the balls.”

  He shrugged as he held the beer bottle to his mouth. “What about you and Mandy? You fell hard just as fast with her. Why?”

  I stared at the frozen picture of an old couple on the TV. “It was her smile. But with Jessie, I’m afraid. She’s into motorcycles.”