by Mandy Harbin
Brody turned and looked at him. “You take the bathroom, I’ll—”
A blow to the back of his head sent him to his knees.
Chapter Five
Xan was beyond relieved to be home after the day she’d had. First, her son had called her out this morning on her cooking, then she’d run into the object of her obsession, then Dr. Peters had kept her late because a lady in town had a baby and couldn’t make it to the hospital in time for the delivery. She loved assisting with deliveries, but being a small town office, Dr. Peters hadn’t canceled the rest of his patients. Nope, he just backed them up and stayed until every one of them had been seen. It was a mark of a great doctor, damn it. Someone should tell her feet that.
At least it had kept her from thinking about yet another horrible encounter with that arrogant asshole of a mechanic. Thankfully, there was no tongue action this time. And that was a good thing, right? Hell, she didn’t know. Her emotions were all over the place. She knew she was attracted to Brody in a major way, one she’d never experienced before, not even with her ex-husband before they were married. And that was why the situation baffled her. Being a nurse forced her to meet new people every day. She’d had her fair share of men hitting on her, but denials were so ingrained within her, she could let down any man and let him think it was his idea. With as unpredictable as her life was, she liked things as orderly as she could get them. Throwing a man into the mix just invited chaos. And heartache.
And danger.
She walked into her kitchen and smiled at the pizza boxes and Scott stuffing his face. No matter how bad life was, he always brought her joy.
“Couldn’t wait until I got home, huh?”
“Nah. I figured I’d help out with dinner tonight.” He smiled angelically.
“Thanks.” She smiled back and sat down, groaning at the relief of being off her feet. She grabbed a plate and a piece of pizza. “How’s school going?”
“Good.” He blushed a little and her motherly radar sounded. There was definitely more to it than just that.
“Good how?”
“I, er, I met a girl.” He shrugged as he inhaled half a piece of pizza in one bite.
“I’d hoped you’d have met more than one girl,” she said coyly.
“Mom.” He gave her an exasperated look. “That’s not what I mean.”
She kept her smile hidden. She knew exactly what he had meant. Sure, she wasn’t in the love game anymore, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t read the signs when other people played it. “Who is she?”
He sat up straighter. “Her name is Malorie Kimber,” he rushed the words out. “And she plays volleyball.”
“And you like her.” It wasn’t a question. She knew her son better than anybody in the world.
“She is so pretty. And nice. Dang, Mom, you wouldn’t believe how nice she is.”
“That’s good. I’m sure she’s a wonderful girl if she’s caught your eye. Are you going out with her?”
“I friended her on Facebook, and I—”
“Scott,” Xan sighed. “You know how I feel about you putting personal information about yourself online. I know it sucks that all your friends are into that, but you have to be careful. We have to live a low profile, remember?”
“It’s cool, Mom. I don’t put my personal information out there. No real names or birthday or addresses. With as much as we move around, being online helps me make friends I don’t have to leave.” When he saw her frowning at him, he added, “But I’m always careful.”
She nodded slowly. She didn’t like this, but he was right. He had to sacrifice enough as it was. Unlike her, he was actually born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Unfortunately, that spoon had been tainted with blood, and Xan had sacrificed everything to get her son out of that hellhole. Life wasn’t as easy for Scott as it could have been, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. Now he had a chance at a real life. An honest one. “So tell me what you were going to say before I interrupted. Did you ask her out?”
“Yeah, we’re going out Friday after the game with Chad and his girlfriend, Becca.” He jumped up and threw away his paper plate. “In fact, I’m supposed to be at Chad’s in five minutes to play Bloodbath Four.” He paused and looked back at her. “Did you think any more about Battle Warfare?”
“No, Scott. I’ll let you know.” In fact, she hadn’t thought about much other than one deliciously tall Viking on a motorcycle.
“’Kay. I’ll be back by midnight,” he said as he started out of the house.
“It’s a school night. Be back by ten.”
“How about eleven?” he called out from the living room.
“Fine.”
Xan stood and put the pizza away. She couldn’t wait to get her aching body into the shower, so she hightailed it to the bathroom to do just that.
The shower was just what she needed. It helped relax all her muscles. Well, almost all of them. She contemplated taking care of herself in another way to achieve the ultimate relaxation, but her heart wasn’t in it. It made her feel a little too pathetic because she knew exactly who she’d be fantasizing about. Oh, she tried conjuring up images of Matthew McConaughey, but his blond hair was too short and his body too narrow. Damn, she knew she was in trouble when that sexy man wasn’t cutting it for her.
Frustrated in more than one way, she got out of the shower and threw on some cute boy-short panties before dressing in shorts and a tank top, not bothering with a bra since she’d just be going to bed in a couple of hours anyway. Maybe then she could give ole Mr. McConaughey another go.
“Yoohoo?” The high-pitched feminine voice traveled down the hallway as a knock sounded on her door. It was Roxie.
Xan walked down the hall and unlocked the door. “Come on in,” she said as she pulled on the knob. Good Lord, Roxie was dressed as casually as Xan was, but the girl looked a hundred times better while Xan looked like a wet cat. It was amazing to her that her neighbor didn’t have at least a steady boyfriend. Men should be chomping at the bit, praying Roxie would notice them.
“Hey, girl. The boys got that game blarin’ in the living room. Thought I’d swing by and see ya.”
Xan didn’t really feel like company, but that was probably because she wasn’t used to having a girlfriend. Maybe if she talked to her neighbor about unimportant stuff, she could forget about one hot-ass mechanic. Well, she could hope. “You want a glass of wine?” she asked, walking into the kitchen.
Roxie followed her. “Oh yeah, hook me up.” She giggled as she took a seat at the table. “How’s your new job going?”
Xan groaned theatrically, tossing a look over her shoulder while she grabbed the corkscrew. “Today was hell.”
“Oh, I heard Sara went into labor. Mac must’ve been beside himself. He’s been plannin’ routes to the hospital since she entered her second trimester. Like there are really that many ways to get there from here.” She shook her head as Xan handed her a glass of wine. “Mmmm. Thanks.”
“So yeah, Mr. Rogers was panicked, but the labor went just fine. The fact Dr. Peters kept all of his appointments anyway is what made the day a disaster.”
“Hmm. Is that the only reason?” Roxie asked with a scandalous look in her eyes.
Uh-oh. She knew something. And that something had Xan wiping her hands nervously on her shorts before taking a big gulp of wine. “What do you mean?” she hedged.
“I mean, I heard from Anna Sue that you ran into one hot bod at the gas station.” She paused, her eyes getting bigger. “Literally. Like, I mean you ran right—”
“Yeah, yeah, I got what you meant,” Xan sighed. “Brody was there with one of the other guys.”
“Blade,” she said matter-of-factly with a shrug, clutching her wineglass. She seemed to be waiting for something, but trying to act casual about it. Xan was too good at reading people not to notice.
“Mmm-hmm. And that was about it.”
“Ugh. You’re no good at this, hon. Fine. Anna Sue overheard him apologize f
or locking lips with you the other day.” Xan gasped in horror. She didn’t want the town thinking she was seeing him, or any man for that matter. “Oh, now, none of that. Although, I should’ve gotten the gossip directly from the source. You could have told me yourself.” She gave Xan a disappointed frown. “But you can make up for it by telling me when you are going to suck face with him again.” She giggled.
Xan needed a subject change, like right now. She shouldn’t be talking about this with anyone. Her life was supposed to be as private and uncomplicated as possible. The last thing she needed was the town gossiping about her, regardless if the talk was true. That whole there’s no such thing as bad press didn’t apply to her situation. She needed no attention. At. All.
Roxie put her glass down and leaned toward Xan. “I get the feeling you don’t have many friends,” she said softly. “If you want to talk about this, you have my word I’ll keep it between just us. I know I like getting the goods on everybody, but I do right by my friends.”
Her head was spinning. She had a strong urge to jump up and run to her bedroom, get away before this conversation got out of control. But she had another urge, one stronger than the need to flee.
One that insisted she embrace this friendship and enjoy it while she could. She wasn’t getting any younger, and there were only so many things she could talk to her son about. If she kept the important details of her life a secret, why couldn’t she talk to Roxie about her feelings, her confusion about Brody?
“I’m not sure what to do about him,” she finally mumbled.
Roxie sat back and took a deep breath. “What happened?”
Xan recounted the kiss in the office, the order to stay away, and the encounter today while she downed the rest of her of wine.
“Whew, girl. It sounds like y’all have some serious chemistry goin’ on, and neither of you knows what the hell to do about it.”
“That’s putting it mildly, though I can’t be sure about his side. It’s just been a long time since I’ve been attracted to a man. I’m not sure how to go about dealing with it.”
“You need to march right over to his house and tell him to quit jerkin’ you around. Damn, girl, he’s a man, not an alien. They all squeal like piggies when you grab ’em by the balls.”
“I don’t even know where he lives,” she said, defeated.
“Honey, you’re new here, so I’ll forgive you for that, but in small towns, everybody knows everything about everyone. Addresses are the first thing, right before marital status.”
Either it was the wine or the surge of estrogen swarming in the atmosphere with the girl power talk that was making Xan see the rightness of Roxie’s argument. Really, why didn’t she just tell him off? She didn’t need to mope around here and avoid masturbating because of that SOB. Just thinking about it made her eyes narrow, her blood heat, muscles tense.
“You’re right.” How stupid had she been?
“Oh, I know I am, honey. And judging by the look on your face, I’d hate to be one arrogant mechanic right now.”
Xan jumped up, pacing the kitchen. “That jackass told me to stay away from him. Me away from him. Who the fuck does he think he is?”
“Go on, girl!” Roxie raised her glass in salute, laughing.
“Okay, so I started that kiss.” She leveled a stare at her friend. “Started. He jumped into it and took control of it like a man dehydrated, gulping water after being stuck in some godforsaken desert.”
“Right on, sista!” She slapped her hand on the table, riling up Xan even more.
This was exhilarating. Liberating. Freeing. “What gives him the right to dethrone Matthew McConaughey?”
“Huh?” Roxie’s brow creased, frowning at her.
Xan waved her off as she kept walking. “Nothing, nothing,” she mumbled. She turned to face her friend. “You think he’s at his house? His motorcycle was still at the garage when I drove by on my way home, but the shop was closed.”
“Oh yeah. I heard that bike revving up and peeling away on my way over here.”
“Good.” Xan nodded, feeling the resolve settle into her bones. If she didn’t do this right now, she might lose her nerve. “Give me that address. It’s time that man learned just who he is playing with.”
Brody grunted, stumbling into this house, tossing his motorcycle keys and gun onto the hall table before walking into the kitchen where he gave his face a quick wash and grabbed a beer.
He and Blade were jumped by more than just one man in that damn room, though Brody seriously got the worst of it. Blade had jumped out of the way as the other guy came for him, but if his attacker had been just a few seconds earlier, Blade would’ve been just as bad off as Brody was. Unfortunately, neither one of them could grab their weapons in time or had seen the guys who did it before they’d fled. And to top it off, Dale Adams was probably reporting back to his cronies right now. Shit. If they were here because of Xan and Scott, he’d just fucked up big time. The element of surprise was no more.
And his head hurt like a son of a bitch. He searched the kitchen for some Ibuprofen, taking four of them once he found the bottle, and wrapped some ice in a towel for the shiner over his left eye. He twisted the cap off his beer, tossed it into the trash, then stalked into the living room and fell onto the couch.
The motel wasn’t the only fuckup today. Oh no, seeing that spritely little woman at the gas station brewed an even bigger mess than the one that’d gotten him a fist in the face and, he was pretty sure, a two-by-four to the back of the head. Nope, the wounds he’d gotten from running into Xan wouldn’t leave physical scars.
God, he hated hurting her. She deserved so much better than the treatment he was giving her. Hell, any woman deserved better than the brushoffs he was dishing out. He took a pull of his beer, drinking half the bottle before setting it back down. He didn’t have a choice. He could not risk her recognizing him. At least not until he got that information from Colonel. He needed to keep his head in the game, not fantasize about sinking his dick into her pussy. If he thought about it, he’d want to act on it.
Damn, but he wanted to act on it.
Growling, he picked up his cell , and hit Gauge’s number.
“Yeah?”
“Hey, man. I need a favor.” He needed to stay on track, and he knew just what to do. “I need you to dig up everything you can on Xan Bradley. See what you can find tonight, and I’ll be at your house in the morning to go over it.” Gauge was their computer guru. If anyone could find old skeletons or any information floating in cyberspace, he’d be able to do it.
There was hesitation on the line, so Brody had to rein in his anger. “Why not talk at the shop?”
“Too distracting. I need to be able to concentrate.” Translation—he didn’t need his ass handed to him by the guys. Brody asking about Xan would be like tossing fuel onto the heckling fire. No thanks. She might make his dick harder than steel, but he still had a job to do here. Drowning himself in research would help keep his mind on his responsibility, but he knew the assholes he worked with. They’d look at this as if he was taking a personal interest in her.
“Okay, sure. See you in the morning.”
Brody ended the call and pulled out his laptop. It felt as if his head was in a vise, and he could feel the blood pumping in his bruises. He wasn’t jumping for joy at the thought of digging up info on Xan right now, but he didn’t have a choice. His ass was working and not thinking about her luscious body.
He got as far as typing her name in the search engine when a heavy pounding sounded on his door. He jerked up, grabbing his weapon before silently walking to the door. Had Adams and his gang found him? He wasn’t taking a chance.
He clutched the doorknob, twisting it slowly as the angry banging continued. One of the things Colonel had taught the guys was to never allow vulnerability. If someone was here to kill him, the fucker would have a Glock on the peephole. His only mode of protection at this point was the element of surprise. Besides, he was ready to kill
the motherfucker just for the noise his headache couldn’t take. He jerked the door open, drawing his gun as dark-blonde hair whipped about a tiny head from the force of the door opening, stirring up an enticing scent of vanilla.
“Fuck,” he breathed, dropping his gun, his heart pounding as he stared at the woman he couldn’t seem to do anything right around.
Man, he just couldn’t get through this day without one more fuckup.
Chapter Six
Xan stared in shock at the barrel of a gun shoved in her face, her anger spiking. One would think she’d freak out, but she was already spitting mad at him that this stunt just added icing on her anger cake. Oh, there was a split second where she’d felt fear in her haze of shock—he’d shoved a gun in her face, for crying out loud—but that emotion was short-lived.
Very short-lived.
He dropped the arm with the gun, and as she drew in a breath, readying herself to let him have it, her eyes finally traveled to his face from his little metal toy he was clutching as if it was his only friend.
This time, when she gasped, there was no anger mingling in with myriad emotions attacking her. His normally golden skin was peppered with blue and black splotches, his back rigid, eyes shielded.
“What happened to you?”
“Don’t ask,” he barked at the same time as she asked her question. He obviously saw the worry building on her face before she expressed it. He sighed, shoulders relaxing a little. “I’m fine,” he said without the edge. “What’re you doin’ here?”
What was she doing here? Oh, right. She was here to chew him a new asshole. Somehow, staring at him in this state was like sprinkling water on her flame. It wasn’t a bucket dousing it out because she still felt mad at how he’d been treating her, but something bad had happened to him, and, no matter how angry she might be with him, she didn’t want him physically hurt—unless she was the one dishing it out. “We need to talk.”