by Shannyn Leah
“Where are we?” He helped Bowie off the bike and she stretched her arms above her lifting her tank top enough to see a line of skin. When she wiggled her hips, he couldn’t resist, and pulled her against him and stole her mouth with his until they were both breathless.
“We’re stopping for lunch.”
“And then dessert?” Her sensual smile and second wiggle of her hips against him made him consider dessert first.
“God, I’ve missed you.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I missed you too.”
“I feel like I’m dreaming and fear waking up.”
He felt the sting from her pinch. “I’m not going anywhere. In time, I hope you believe that.”
Stone pecked a kiss on her button nose before he opened the box on the bike and took out the lunch he’d packed and a wool blanket.
Taking her hand, he led her down the dirt path between hovering trees and overgrown weeds. Through a sunny opening at the end of the path, they stepped onto a hill that overlooked the water.
Stone set the bag of food on the ground and spread the blanket under the alcove of shade the trees made in one area of the brush.
Bowie unpacked the sandwiches, unwrapped one, and handed it to Stone before unwrapping her own. She set a bottle of water between them and stretched out her legs. Stone could watch her forever.
“You’re staring. Eat your sandwich.”
“I like the view.”
She laughed. “How many secret places like this do you have?”
“I guess if you’re sticking around you’ll find out.”
They finished their lunch and Stone stretched out on his back. Bowie lay beside him, resting her head in the nook of his arm. He kissed the side of her head, thinking how easy he could lift her on top of him and start something neither of them would be able to resist, but he liked simply lying here with her.
Cuddling.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
THE NEXT MORNING, a sound from the kitchen woke Bowie. The warmth of Stone’s body was missing against her and when she rolled over she found the cushions beside her empty.
Had she heard a vehicle? And muffled voices?
She slipped on one of Stone’s T-shirts and ran her fingers through her tangled, un-brushed hair before making her way into the kitchen. She halted at the sight of her brother sitting in his wheel chair. An inner anger overtook her and she stalked across the room and punched Reed square in the nose.
“Hell, Bowie!” He grabbed his nose. “I didn’t come here for this shit!”
Stone tossed a tea towel that landed on Reed’s lap. Her brother snarled as he grabbed it and pressed it against his bleeding nose.
Bowie also let out an unladylike curse and flexed her stinging hand, not realizing punching someone hurt so much.
“Here.”
She turned as Stone tossed her a bag of vegetables.
She caught the bag and placed the coolness on her knuckles then turned her attention back to her brother. “What are you doing here?” He wouldn’t spoil this too. Not now, now when she felt more alive than she had in years.
“Stone invited me.”
Her head jerked to Stone who leaned his hip on the counter. He’d put on clothes, jeans and a T-shirt. She loved his tight T-shirts and they almost distracted her from the reason she’d looked at him in the first place—almost.
“Why did you invite him?”
He pulled out a chair from the table and placed it beside Reed. “Sit down.”
Bowie crossed her arms.
“Sit down!” His bark didn’t scare her, but she sat anyway.
Stone moved in front of them and folded his arms over his chest, lifting one hand to rub the stubble on his chin, like a parent contemplating their next move. “I don’t even know where to begin.”
“How about why you invited him here.” She shot her eyes sideways in her brother’s direction.
They’d finally had time alone, time to become acquainted again, heal from their wounds and move forward and he’d dragged back the man who’d torn them apart in the first place!
Stone rubbed the bridge of his nose as if her speaking had annoyed him. “Alright, I’m not going to pussy foot here. You two need to get your shit together.”
Bowie stood and Stone pointed at her. “Sit down.”
She sat, but not without snarling at him.
Stone debated silently to himself for another minute or two before looking at her brother. “Reed, you need to go see a shrink and deal with the accident. No more bullying people who want to help you. No more paying people to leave you alone. And you will finish your physiotherapy during it. Understood?”
Reed grunted a quiet, “Yeah.”
When Stone’s firm stare turned to her, she sunk a little deeper into the chair.
“Doll, you need to stop blaming Reed for coming between us or anything that followed in your life. You hid, you ran away, you are responsible for not standing up for yourself. No one can take care of you if you push them away.”
Stone pointed at Reed. “That also applies to you and I still haven’t forgiven you for Walker, but I never liked you to start with so it’s a lost cause. But you two—” He looked between them. “You two have always been tight, and breaking that now will only bite you in the ass ten years down the road. I get where you’re both coming from, but let me tell you, I’ve been angrier at my father for way longer than this hot mess and I regret every second I’ve wasted. It doesn’t matter if you hug and make up now or tomorrow or in a year, but you’re both stuck here for the week, or until Bowie can make an arrangement for you. Come Saturday, I will fight Walker—”
Bowie gasped. She’d thought the fight talk was over.
His eyes softened as he spoke to her. “I’m fighting him. End of story. And speaking of stories, I plan on marrying you.”
Two blows of unexpected topics left her speechless, in a good way.
“Do you hear that, Reed? I’m marrying your sister and I believe we’re moving here. Not because I say so, but because we say so. And there’s nothing you can do or will do to stop it.”
“I didn’t plan on it.”
“But you’ll be standing by my side as a groomsman whether you want to or not and, if I have to, I’ll stand by your side every second of your sessions if you don’t behave.”
Reed solemnly nodded.
“Susan packed you a bag of clothes.” Stone nodded at the bag behind him on the floor, but her mind was still reeling. Had he just proposed?
Was it a marriage proposal if there’s never a proposal? Did he plan to ask or was this it? Did it matter either way?
“Get dressed because we’re going to the racetrack in an hour. All of us. You too, Reed.” Stone clapped his hands looking accomplished with himself. “I’m going for a shower.” He beat a tune like drums on the counter top as he walked away. “Oh.” He turned back and pointed at Reed. “Duke’s your new best friend. There will be no suicide attempts under this roof. Come tomorrow or whichever day Bowie can arrange, you’ll be back in Oakston in a psychiatric ward and poor Duke can have a break from you two.” He looked at Bowie. “Friday night, it’s me and you at Dax’s barbeque before heading into Oakston Saturday morning with Hawk and dad.”
She watched him leave the room. She would much rather have chased him down and stepped into the shower with him. But if she went without at least semi-dealing with their “hot mess” he’d likely throw her out of the shower.
“I’m sorry about the other night, Bowie. I just wanted to forget.”
She turned to her brother. “For a few hours or for eternity?”
“You know the answer to that.”
Bowie stood up, rage pulsing through her. “I’ve done everything for you! Even after all the bad stuff you’ve done to me, you thank me by trying to kill yourself?”
He shook his head, so slow, so tired looking. “It’s not about you. I was just thinking about myself.”
“What else is new
?”
“I’ll go talk to someone.”
“Stone’s sending you regardless.”
“Yes, but I will talk. I won’t sit there and ignore them; I will deal with this.”
She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. “Good.”
“And I will keep up with my physio.”
She’d believe him when she saw it. He’d always been more talk than action, unless the action benefited him.
“It’s a start. You look like you need a shower. There are spare rooms down the hallway with connecting bathrooms.” She half smirked. “If your nurse didn’t come, and Susan and Emerie aren’t here ... does that mean Duke’s bathing you?”
STONE LATHERED THE shampoo in his hair and rinsed the bubbles away before reaching for the soap. Bowie beat him to it.
“Hey.” She’d stripped naked and stood before him, sending a quirky look. “You plan on marrying me?”
He moved his head out of the water and pushed his hair out of his eyes. “That’s what I said.”
“I love my house. I have memories of my entire life there.”
“I know.”
“I can’t sell it.”
He reached for her hand. He didn’t care where the hell they lived as long as they were together.
“Once I move here maybe we could have getaway weekends back to the house in Oakston.”
He smiled and pulled her under the water with him to kiss her. Grateful, excited, and looking forward to his dream future with the only woman he’d ever loved. He cupped her face and pulled away. “We can go back anytime.”
She slapped his chest. “That’s for surprising me with Reed. You could have let him stew a bit. I wasn’t ready to see him.”
“I’m tired of playing games. Life is too short. Let’s mend our fences and walk down the aisle drama free.”
She wrinkled her nose. “How can I be mad at you when you say it like that?”
“You can’t.”
“No, I can’t.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and slightly swayed from side to side. “I will phone around for Reed tonight and get him a place for the morning.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“I might handcuff you to the bed come Friday night so you can’t go fight Walker.”
“Like you said, Walker would kill Reed on a good day. Leaving him to deal with this later will only lead to what you’ve been trying to prevent. I can fight Walker and walk away unharmed.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.” He kissed her.
She shook her head and pulled away from the kiss. “Every time you step into that ring it’s a risk. Concussions don’t just happen from a punch in the head. It could be a punch to the leg and your blood—”
“Rushes to your brain. I know the risks, but we don’t have another choice. Your money couldn’t buy him, and Walker’s out for revenge. I have to do this. I have to stop it once and for all.”
“I don’t like it.”
“We don’t want Walker holding anything over a Blake or a Patino. After eliminating the conflict between us, we can all move on. Away from that world, once and for all.”
She sighed. “That’s what I want. More than anything. Thank you for stepping in and taking this on.”
He rubbed her nose with his. “I would do anything for you. Anything. I like these handcuffs you speak of.”
Bowie played with the dripping damp hair at the back of his neck. “Really?”
“I might be opposed to them Friday night, but tomorrow night is looking freed up.” He kissed one of her hands and lifted it above her head, pinning it to the shower wall. “Maybe I will cuff you to the bed...” He kissed her other hand and repeated the same motion, trapping both her hands above her head. He pressed a wet, hard kiss against her mouth. Her body arched for his, but he stood too far away.
“Don’t tease,” she pouted.
He smirked, his shade of green eyes darkening with whatever thoughts he contemplated while having her trapped against the wall. “I think we need some good ol’ fashioned teasing.” He lingered his lips centimeters away from hers. She bit her lower lip, anticipating his kiss. His tongue lightly traced the outline of her lips and her eyes dropped closed at the exhilarating sense. His teasing would be the undoing of her.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
ENGINES ROARED, TIRES squealed, and cheers radiated from the crowd. This was Stone’s kind of rush. The atmosphere from Willow Valley’s race track resonated through the open window of his truck and pumped adrenaline through his veins, reminding him of the deeper person he’d become.
The gravel hit the bottom of his black sneakers as he stepped out of his truck. There had been no damn way he planned on arriving at the track in Bowie’s flashy—but not in a good way—limousine. His supercharged truck arrived in the flashy style he was accustomed to.
Stone stretched his arms in the air. He heard Reed complaining from inside the car parked behind them. Because Duke and Reed had driven to his place with Slate and Hawk, they’d all piled into two vehicles for the ride to the track.
“There’s no way in hell my chair is rolling through this dirt and I’m not about to broadcast my chair at a damn race track in Hicksville.” Stone only had to glance at Reed and the spoiled brat clamped his mouth shut.
Strone glanced around the parking lot looking for the arrangement he’d made to help Reed get around and spotted the golf cart making its way down the rows of cars.
His dad and Bowie climbed out of the truck, also doing stretches. Hawk moved into the driver’s seat and rolled the window down. “Call me when you’re done and I’ll head back.”
Stone sent him a questioning look. “I thought you were hanging out.”
Hawk pressed a hand against the chest of his shirt and batted his eyes at Stone. “Look at how far this bromance has come in only a week.”
Stone rolled his eyes. “I could’ve just dropped you off.”
“Excuses.”
“Just go. Go check in with Dax.”
Hawk glanced at the clock in the dash. “I’m not a snitch.”
“That’s exactly what you are. You’re Dax’s snitch.”
He shrugged. “Of course if he’s not at the shop it’s a damn good excuse to pop into Marnie’s bay. She’s got that ugly ass jeep she’s restoring.”
“I know, I work there. You’re barking up the wrong tree with that one.”
“Grrrr,” Hawk howled in laughter and then threw the truck into gear. He spun up some dirt as he peeled out of the lot at the same time the golf cart stopped beside Stone, also spitting up its own wave of dust.
The souped-up, red tribal body golf cart suited the speedway over a regular one. The V8 engine produced more power, more noise, and more style. But Stone was biased since he’d been the one who took the original golf cart and reconstructed the beast machine before him.
Jesse Tank, owner of the track, spun the golf cart to an abrupt stop beside Stone and hopped out. “Where the hell have you been?” He raised his hand for a half bro hug that Stone stepped into, slapping his back. “It’s been dull around here this week.”
Engines roared, debunking his claim.
“I’m sure the summer crowds keep you busy enough.”
Jesse laughed. “They do, but you know it’s always after hours that are the most fun.” He tossed the keys at Stone. “You look like shit. Who used you as a punching bag? I would’ve liked to see the man who got anywhere near you with his fist.”
“You think the other guy is walking after this. Don’t mess with the man and his drink.” The rule to underground fighting was: don’t talk about underground fighting.
Jesse laughed. “I gotta split but I’ll catch you around.”
Stone nodded as Jesse took off in a jog toward the track. Stone walked around the six-seater—not his first choice but they had a group of five today. He slapped the hood of the beast before climbing into the driver’s seat.
Bowie slowly walked to the machin
e, eyeing it.
“Jump in, doll.”
“What are we doing with this? What is this?”
“A golf cart my son’s turned into a piece of art.” His dad slid into one of the back seats.
“It’s—nice.”
His father chuckled at Bowie’s choice of word.
Stone rubbed his hand along the top dashboard. “She didn’t mean it, Roni.”
Bowie’s perfectly primed eyebrows rose. “Roni? You named a golf cart?”
Stone leaned toward her and lowered his voice to a whisper. “If you keep insulting her, there’s not much I can do if she decides she doesn’t like you.” He patted the seat. “Are you coming or not?”
Bowie laughed and climbed in. “I guess so. Sorry, Roni.”
Stone straightened in his seat. “She doesn’t like suck-ups.” As he spun the vehicle around, a half laugh and half-scream escaped Bowie. Her hands shot up to grab the body of the golf cart and another chuckle sounded from the back seat.
He stopped beside the Jaguar and lowered his voice again so Reed wouldn’t hear. “This is how your brother is going to get around without drawing attention to himself in a chair. And who knows, maybe he’ll have some fun.”
“You got this for my brother?”
“I wasn’t going to leave him to pout in the car.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Stone.”
That ounce of genuineness amped up his plans to sweep this woman off her feet.
THE AFTERNOON WHIZZED by from the covered grandstand where Stone had gotten them VIP platinum access. Although the tickets to the area cost a nice chunk of change, there was still a decent turnout of fans, just as there was every weekend during the racing months. Duke’s version of his relaxed demeanor around the house vanished in public where protecting Bowie and Reed were his main objective. Even with reduced people in the grandstand, his watchful eyes roamed back and forth looking for potential trouble. Luckily, the people around them were invested in the races and not the Blake siblings.