Braving the Heat

by Regan Black

  “I took my time with it,” he said.

  There was a story behind this restoration. She could see it in the wary, defensive glint in his eyes. “I can tell. It’s beautiful.” She wished he felt as safe with her as she did with him, just so she could hear the full story.

  He took the cooler and tote from her, securing both behind the driver’s seat. “I’d planned to pick up dinner for us on the way,” he said.

  “I was feeling nostalgic.” She shrugged. “My mom always did this when we were kids.”

  He nodded in understanding as a faint smile toyed with his lips. “Mine, too.”

  “Think they’ll follow us?” She tipped her head toward the media gathered outside the gate.

  “Only until we lose them,” he replied. “I made a dinner reservation for us down on Market Street. It will be easy to sneak away unseen.”

  His plan worked like a charm and the weather was beautiful as they left the city, the wind cool and swift, preventing conversation. The silence was fine with her. Her mind blanked as Stephen drove, and the tightness that had locked up her shoulders since the Marburg attorney’s visit finally eased.

  The drive-in was at about half capacity when they arrived. The marquis showed a double feature of two high-action blockbusters of summers past. Stephen found a great spot for them, middle of the row toward the front. He popped the trunk and pulled out a blanket to protect the pristine upholstery.

  “I have a philosophical question for you,” she said, unpacking the picnic of slider sandwiches, juicy peaches and junk food. “Can you watch a movie without popcorn?”

  “Not at a theater,” he said.

  She blotted the corner of her mouth with a napkin, swallowing quickly. “Me, neither. I’ve never figured out how they make movie popcorn so addictive.”

  His lips twitched. “We’ll get stocked up before the first movie.”

  “You’re a good man, Mr. Galway.”

  His eyebrows dipped low, but didn’t linger in a frown. She counted it progress, though why she felt it was her job to help him lighten up was beyond her.

  They chatted about their favorite movie genres until the previews started and Stephen made a run for soft drinks and popcorn.

  “Thanks for this,” she said at the end of the first feature. “You were right about getting away from everything. It helps.”

  “I’m glad,” he replied cautiously. “I try to get out here at least once a summer.”

  “Really?”

  “Drive-in movies and summer go together.”

  She agreed, thinking back to long summer days of watching her dad race and late nights watching movies from the family car, giggling with her sister as they kept each other awake. As people milled about between features, she caught plenty of appreciative looks and murmurs as they passed the car.

  “If you wanted to sell this one, you could probably manage it tonight.”

  “People make offers every time I take it out,” he said. “This one will stay with me.”

  He didn’t have to spell out his reasons for her to understand the sentiment. “Some cars are special,” she said, twisting around to pull another bottle of water from the cooler.

  “You get it.” He sounded startled.

  “Have you forgotten I was raised by a car-crazed man masquerading as a firefighter?” Perched as she was between the seats, she was close enough to catch him eyeing her legs. The pure male interest made her grateful for the great bone structure from her mom’s side and the perfect fit of her favorite cutoffs.

  “Not a chance. I’ve seen you work.”

  The compliment made her blush as she dropped back into the seat. “Why don’t you hire full-time help?”

  “I prefer the quiet.”

  She laughed at that, could hardly catch her breath long enough to explain, “Your heavy metal work music is a noise violation.”

  His mouth broke free of the habitual, stoic mold and the resulting grin was spectacular. She wanted to see more of that open, happy expression.

  “Thanks for making me laugh during the worst week of my life,” she said, a little breathless. “I truly appreciate everything.”

  “You’re welcome.” That sexy grin faded back to serious determination. “Marburg is known to use some nasty tactics to blur the facts, but I can’t see them winning this case. Don’t let their antics get to you.”

  She was moved, and inordinately pleased, by his support and belief in a positive outcome. He’d seen Marburg in action, when justice for his fiancée was on the line. “I hope you’re right,” she said with feeling. “I have other skills, but I already miss the firehouse and everyone there.”

  He reached over and opened the water bottle, his hand covering hers in the process. It seemed her entire body zeroed in on the sensations of the cool plastic under her palm and the heat of his hand on hers.

  Suddenly, he sat back, taking that tender heat with him. “I bought this car for Annabeth a week before she died,” he said. “Restoring it for her was supposed to be a wedding present. I finished it before what should have been our first anniversary.”

  The sorrow in his revelation gripped her heart like a vise. “She would’ve loved this,” Kenzie said.

  “I want to believe that.” Stephen dropped his head back against the seat, gazing up at the sky. “Believe it. She loved you.” Kenzie ran a hand over the beautiful finish on the dash, a safer move than touching him. “This is clearly the work of a man who put his heart into every inch of the restoration.”

  “I couldn’t let it go.” He raked his fingers through his hair and swallowed hard.

  The previews for the second feature started, ending the conversation too soon for Kenzie. It seemed to her he wanted to talk about Annabeth, that he needed to do so. She vaguely recalled the general news reports about Annabeth’s murder. Through Mitch she knew how deep the family concern for Stephen went.

  It dawned on her as they watched the action on the screen that once more, inadvertently, she was doing as Grant requested and keeping Stephen away from the community center he typically haunted. Well, if some good came from the stupid civil suit and her interruption of Stephen’s routine, then she’d call it a silver lining and be thankful.

  When the second feature ended and they were on the road again, Kenzie contentedly watched the stars wheeling overhead. The roadster hugged the pavement and she wished they could keep going. It would be delightful to drive all night and wake up in a place without Stephen’s traumatic past and her frustrating present. She wondered who they might be together without the baggage.

  She braced herself as they neared the neighborhood, immensely pleased to find the media crews hadn’t returned to their posts in front of the garage. “Thanks for a great night,” she said, coming around the convertible for the tote and cooler moments later.

  Stephen already had both in hand. “You get the door,” he said.

  She did, holding it for him as he walked in ahead of her and set the items on the table.

  “This was fun,” he said, tucking his hands into his pockets.

  It seemed as if the admission made him uncomfortable. “It was precisely the distraction I needed,” she said. “I owe you one.”

  “Not at all.” He waved it off. “You need anything before I go?” he asked, with a pointed glance at the brace on her hand.

  “No, thank you.” She had to get a handle on this weird blend of affection and lust surging through her. It was probably a combination of proximity and loneliness. Everything about him turned her on, from the way he drove to the rare grins to the reluctant, rusty laughter. He had integrity, and he was a great guy whether or not he was scowling. She admired his clear view of what he wanted out of life and the way he worked to make it happen.

  His chest swelled on a deep breath. “You really think Annabeth would’ve liked the car?”


  The hope in his eyes made hers sting with tears she couldn’t let him see. “I’m sure of it,” she said with a smile.

  “I felt cheated when she was killed.” His voice was barely more than a whisper, but the grief in those words was an agonized shout. “Life just...stopped.”

  She’d experienced that same timeless pain. “It was like that when my dad died. There’s life before and a yawning emptiness after.” One day he was fine, the next the doctors gave him six months to live. As a family, they’d followed his courageous lead and made the most of every minute he had left. It had never felt like enough.

  “How?”

  “Cancer,” she said. “He died five months after the diagnosis. No matter how it happens, I don’t think we ever have enough time with the people we love most.”

  “But your laugh...” His voice trailed off, the corners of his mouth tightening around the emotion he held in check.

  “I feel my dad with me when I laugh,” she admitted. “Humor was his way of coping with everything.” She wanted to give Stephen hope that he’d start living again when he was ready. “We all get through grief in our own way and at our own pace.”

  Stephen reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his hand curling around the nape of her neck. Slowly, he drew her close, his hazel eyes warm and golden as he bent his head to touch his lips to hers.

  Firm, warm, knowing, the arousing sensations of the kiss flowed all the way through her body. The rough texture of calluses on his palms, the summer-night scent of his skin, the hot, rich taste of his tongue stroking across hers. Her brace bumped clumsily into his shoulder and he tucked it close to his side. The fingers of her good hand found the thick softness of his hair as his strong arms circled her and brought her body flush to his. They kissed and explored until simply breathing became an erotic maneuver as her breasts rubbed along the hard planes of his chest.

  “Kenzie.” He whispered her name against her throat, his big hands flexing into her hips. His breathing ragged, he rested his forehead to hers. “I need to go.”

  “Okay.” Indulging the urge, she traced the carved outline of his forearms as she pulled away from him.

  He lifted his head and stepped back. “Mom will be expecting both of us again for dinner tomorrow.” The familiar scowl shaded his gorgeous eyes. “I don’t have a believable excuse for either of us to get out of it.”

  “It’s fine,” she said with a smile. He looked miserable. Once more she imagined the joy of driving away into the night, with him, toward a fresh start. “I’ll be ready on time.”

  “That’s not all.”

  She waited.

  He shifted restlessly. “Can we make sure they don’t think there’s something here?” he asked, wagging a finger between them.

  After that kiss? “Of course.” She’d pulled panicked victims from fires and accident scenes. Surely she could project calm, platonic vibes for the duration of a family meal.

  “I don’t mean to offend y—”

  “We’re friends, Stephen,” she said, cutting off whatever he was trying to say. In her experience friends didn’t kiss with that much pent-up passion and she refused to beg him for something he clearly wasn’t ready to give. “Don’t worry about it.”

  His scowl deepened, though he seemed satisfied with her reply as he said good-night and walked out.

  In bed, Kenzie tossed and turned. His mother and sisters would pounce on the smallest flicker of a personal attachment between her and Stephen. The real worry was making sure his family didn’t pick up on her receptiveness to the idea. She was crushing on a man who wasn’t ready for anything more than friendship.

  Making matters worse, she couldn’t get clear on her motives. Was she just vulnerable and he was convenient or had she stumbled over the right guy at the wrong time? Stephen seemed rooted to the idea that his one chance at a long-term relationship had come and gone.

  She pressed her face into the pillow, muffling a howl of frustration. Unfortunately, that hot, unforgettable embrace had to be the end of it, despite the alluring potential of trying to change his mind.

  * * *

  The next afternoon, Kenzie stepped out of the trailer with that generous, friendly smile and Stephen discovered he’d worried all night for no reason. She didn’t seem the least bit aggravated or awkward with him, and there was no hint of that exquisite heat he’d felt pulsing between them last night. He told himself he was grateful for her understanding. Getting in too deep would only hurt them both when he couldn’t live up to her expectations.

  He ignored the niggling voice in his head that pointed out he didn’t know her expectations. What he knew was that he wasn’t cut out for another relationship. He was too hung up on Annabeth.

  Dinner with his family was only a slightly smaller affair than last week, since his brother Andrew and his family were out of town on vacation. Like last week and most Sunday dinners, the conversation had meandered around and through a variety of topics, and Stephen had listened, letting the familiar patterns soothe him.

  “Did you see the news last night?” Samuel asked Stephen after dessert had been cleared away. Only Stephen, Mitch and their father remained at the table. Everyone else had wandered off to other interests, ranging from cleanup to the swing set out in the backyard. Stephen could just catch a glimpse of Kenzie’s bright hair in the kitchen as she dried dishes for his mom. Not that he was keeping track of her.

  “Trying to avoid it,” he replied, thinking of yesterday’s media crews. He and Kenzie had tacitly agreed to let others keep tabs on the media coverage and opinions. It just wasn’t worth the frustration. Neither her lawyer nor Grant would let her walk into anything unprepared. Catching the meaningful glance between his brother and father, he had to ask. “What did I miss?”

  “There was another shooting at the community center,” Mitch supplied.

  Stephen swallowed the colorful oath on the tip of his tongue. “What happened?” If he hadn’t been out with Kenzie could he have been there to stop it? His heart hammered against his rib cage. “Did anyone from the community center get hurt?”

  “No,” Samuel assured him quickly. “The police said a drug deal went awry between dealer and customer. Shots were fired,” he continued. “Only one dead, the suspected dealer was wounded, and the cops scooped up everyone in the area.”

  “The street’s clean?” Stephen hoped his interest wasn’t too obvious.

  “For the moment it seems to be,” Mitch said. “I heard through the grapevine that they’ve had a slew of anonymous tips in recent months that helped them identify the key players.” He gave Stephen a long look.

  If his brother expected him to admit that he’d been sending in those tips, he was out of his mind. “Good news all around.” Stephen relaxed, inwardly pleased that something he’d done out there had gone right. It wouldn’t bring back Annabeth, but it eased the guilt plaguing him.

  From the kitchen, he heard Kenzie’s laughter and then one of his nephews squealed. The back door creaked open and slapped shut again.

  “How is she doing?” Mitch asked.

  “The hand is improving rapidly,” Stephen replied. Over dinner Kenzie didn’t share the news about the visit from Murtagh’s snooty attorney, so he didn’t share that information, either. “She probably won’t need the brace for more than another day or two.”

  “That wasn’t what I meant,” Mitch said. “Depositions start tomorrow.”

  Of course Mitch would know that through Julia, if not the PFD pipeline. “She’ll get through it,” Stephen said with confidence. “Her lawyer impressed me.”

  “When did you meet him?” Mitch asked.

  “He stopped by yesterday,” Stephen replied. “After that bad-angle footage from the club hit the news.”

  “The story Murtagh is trying to peddle is ridiculous,” Samuel said. “I’d love to have about fif
teen minutes alone with him.”

  “You think that would help?” Stephen asked.

  Samuel muttered an oath. “No, he’s too bitter and too willing to blame his problems on others.”

  “I know you hate having Kenzie underfoot,” Mitch said. “You’re doing a good thing for her. Staying alone at a hotel or something would’ve been too risky in my opinion. She doesn’t like to admit it, but she needs the support of good friends right now.”

  Stephen didn’t bother replying. If he claimed it was no trouble lending his trailer home to Kenzie, his dad and brother wouldn’t believe him. If he grumbled about it that would open a door for one or both of them to lecture him about being too much of a loner. He suspected one of the reasons Mitch hadn’t been around the shop as much lately was because he hoped some attraction or romance would develop.

  The attraction was there, all right. Just the memory of that kiss sent a hot zing along Stephen’s skin. Flirting and romance had never been his strong suit. Kenzie might be open to a lighthearted fling, if he could find a way to fight off the persistent guilt of the idea.

  Switching the subject to cars, he gave them an update on the Riley project and told them he had an appointment with a potential buyer for the Charger. It was enough to keep the conversation on safe ground until Kenzie was ready to leave.

  “Annabeth would want you to be happy,” Samuel murmured, when he pulled Stephen in for a goodbye hug at the door.

  “Dad.” Stephen shook his head. This wasn’t what he needed at all. Annabeth had been everything to him and their plans had been his whole world. Without her he couldn’t seem to find his way in anything other than business.

  He knew his parents and siblings were frustrated with his unwillingness to move on. Stephen didn’t know how he could love one woman with every fiber of his being and then be fair to either her memory or another woman in a new relationship. Losing Annabeth had extinguished something inside him and he wasn’t interested in setting himself up for that kind of sorrow again. It would break him.

  “If we can do anything to help after the depositions, say the word.” His mother pushed a basket of leftovers into his hands.