by Shauna Allen
“Your friend from the military?” Jewel asked, and my eyes slid open to take in his serious, thoughtful expression, as if that call had been welcome, but still churned up memories he’d rather keep at bay.
“Yeah.”
“The guy at the wedding?” Rachel added. “Big guy? Good looking?”
Micah shook his head. “No, that was Asher Creed, but he knows Fletch and his team, too. We all met in Afghanistan. We’ve kept in touch, but I haven’t heard from either of them in a while.” He faced us. “Talk about a blast from the past.”
Jewel touched his forearm. “Everything okay?”
His brows dipped down minutely. “Yeah. He’s actually calling about work. He has a car that he needs help restoring and he remembered me. He asked for my help.”
“Oh.” Jewel’s face registered pleasant surprise. “That’s great.”
I rolled back to sitting as excitement sparked through my veins. “What kind of car?”
“A 1968 Dodge Charger.”
“When will he be bringing it to the shop?”
“He’s not. It’s not drivable and he’s in a time crunch. We’ll have to go to him, do what we can, then tow it back here to finish it when he ships out on his next mission.”
I frowned as a restoration job slipped through my fingers. “Oh.” I slid back to lying, fighting my pout.
Micah stood and dusted the sand from his shorts before strolling over to Blake at the grill and calling in the other guys from the water. I watched as they spoke and he told them about the call. All four heads bent in as they talked and planned.
I huffed and rolled to my stomach to sun my back.
Delilah brought Molly in from the water and slid into the tent. Rachel, Jewel, and the babies eventually joined her, leaving me alone with the sun and my thoughts. I concentrated on relaxing, but it was suddenly not as easy. What was wrong with me? Why did I have this driving need to get greasy?
A few minutes later, the sand rustled next to my head.
“Hey.”
My eyes popped open at Jesse’s voice and I propped myself up on my elbows.
“Guess you heard about Micah’s call from his military buddy?”
I nodded and peered down as I drew patterns in the sand. I was a college girl. No pouting.
“He’s gonna head out tomorrow with Blake.”
Okay. “What about you?”
“Rachel has an appointment with her doctor and I don’t want to miss it. I’ll drive up later.”
Was he about to ask me to run the shop? “And Trace?”
“He’s staying behind to man the garage and keep our ducks in a row while we’re gone. Shouldn’t be more than a few weeks, depending on how bad the car is. Once it’s towable, we’ll bring it back here.”
“You’re all going away for that long?”
He glanced out at the water. “We may alternate in and out to keep up stuff here at home, but, yeah, pretty much. It’s Micah’s friend from the war and he wants to help him out, so we’re gonna do whatever we have to so he can. It’s important to him.”
I digested this, wondering why he was telling me all of this.
“So?” He nudged me with his sand-covered foot.
“So, what?”
He tipped his aviators down and stared at me with icy blue eyes. “Do you wanna tag along, or what? It’d be great experience for you.”
A smile bloomed from deep in my heart. “You’re serious?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Now I felt stupid for being so petty. “I don’t know. I figured you guys wouldn’t want some girl hanging around, getting in the way.”
“You’re not some girl, Aubrey. You’re my wife’s sister, for one. You’re also becoming quite the mechanic. You are just as much a part of the shop as any of us now. You should go. See how a resto works from the ground up. Get your hands dirty instead of lounging away your summer break in the sun.” He smirked and I socked his shoulder. “Ow.” He feigned injury.
I rolled my eyes.
“So, you’ll go?”
I grinned up at him. “Yeah. I’ll go.”
Three
Jude
Fletch’s buddy, Coach, came by early the next morning with his truck to help us get the Charger towed over to my garage. Quiet and reserved, I caught him assessing me with a penetrating stare. He didn’t flinch when I met his gaze, just continued to measure me.
I tilted my head in acknowledgement, but got back to work. I had no idea what he saw when he looked at me—just some Hispanic dude who loved his mama’s tamales, a fellow soldier, or some nebulous combination of both—or if he found me lacking in some way, but his expression gave nothing away.
“I’m starving,” Fletch said as the three of us somehow managed to get the stubborn car off the tow chain and settled on the lift. Obviously, there were issues with the brakes and steering, and we were lucky as fuck we got it the few feet we did.
“Me, too.” That was the most I’d heard from his friend all morning.
I checked my watch. “When will your friend be here?”
Fletch chugged from his water bottle then offered me and Coach one. “Not sure. Lunchtime, maybe?”
“We getting started on the car right away?”
“I hope so.”
I nodded. “I’ll order pizza.”
“Cool.”
After I ordered lunch, we leaned against the Charger’s bumper and stared out into the sunny street as he told me about his buddy, Micah. I held back a half-hearted grumble when he said he was a Marine.
“Nah. He’s cool,” Fletch said with a laugh. “Met him in Kandahar.” He and Coach exchanged a brief, knowing glance, telling me there was a story there that they couldn’t share. “He was a tank gunner. He also played a mean game of cards and worked out like a fiend with our other friend, Creed—” He looked to Coach. “Remember Asher Creed? Infantry Senior Sergeant? Big guy, almost as big as Truck?”
Coach sipped his water bottle thoughtfully. “That the one Ghost kept trying to recruit?”
Fletch shot me a quick look. “Yeah. That’s the one.”
I said nothing. Don’t ask, don’t tell or whatever. Why they wanted to recruit this Asher Creed guy was not my business.
“Now that you mention it, I think I saw him at the gym. Is he here for some training on base?”
Wow, Coach was getting downright chatty. Maybe I’d passed inspection.
Fletch turned to him. “That stealthy fucker’s in town and didn’t call?”
Coach shrugged. “I’m pretty sure it was him.”
Before Fletch could respond, a huge white diesel truck pulled up to the curb and a guy nearly as dark-skinned as me slid out.
Fletch immediately headed over and they shook hands with a slap on the back. “Good to see you, dude.”
“You, too, bro. It’s been too long.”
Another guy ambled out and joined them and they headed toward the garage with Fletch. “Coach, Cortez, this is Micah Christian and his friend . . .”
“Blake Travers,” Micah supplied as we all shook hands.
Blake offered his hand as well. “Good to meet you.”
Fletch’s grin was ear-to-ear. “Thanks for coming up. I really appreciate it.”
“I told you in Afghanistan. Anything you need.”
Fletch and Coach acknowledged him with silence, but it still spoke a thousand words of brotherhood.
“So, let me show you the car,” Fletch finally said, turning for the garage.
“Sure. One sec.” Micah loped over to the truck and poked his head in the open window. “Hey, Red. You awake in there?”
A long moment later, the door opened slowly. One long, ivory leg slid out, then another, followed by a petite little body and a mane of the curliest, reddest hair I’d ever laid eyes on. The sunshine hit her head like a match to a wick, lighting her in a halo of fire. She was the most breathtaking thing I’d ever seen. I swallowed as my groin tightened and my heart began to thud
like a kid getting his first look at a Playboy.
Sleepy, dark brown eyes met mine as they came our way. A shy smile lit her face.
“Guys, this is Aubrey. She’s our buddy’s sister-in-law and she works at the shop. She came along to help. Aubrey, these are the guys.”
I know my jaw must’ve hit the ground, but I was floored. By the shock on Coach and Fletch’s faces, I wasn’t the only one stunned.
Coach got it together first and nodded in acknowledgment as Fletch said hello and introduced them both.
That left me.
She faced me head-on, her full lips fighting a smile. “And who are you?”
“Jude,” I managed. “Cortez.”
“This is his place,” Fletch provided, steering everyone deeper into the garage. “He’s doing me a favor and letting us use his space.”
Blake whistled. “Nice digs, man.”
I ripped my eyes away from Aubrey’s ass in her little white shorts. “Thanks. The rest of the house isn’t much, but the old guy I bought it from was a mechanic and he built this garage so he could work from home.”
Micah took it all in while Aubrey went straight for the car. “A ’68, right?” She glanced up from admiring the lines like a true car lover.
“Yup.” Fletch joined her as the others milled around, and they began talking shop.
I swear, if there were such a thing as love at first sight, I’d fallen headlong and irrevocably into it right then. Not only was this girl smokin’, but she apparently knew the ins and outs of big block engines and torque ratios. Un-fucking-believable.
She glanced my way once or twice, but I couldn’t be sure if she was being polite and trying to include me in the conversation, or if she sensed my growing obsession.
A couple hours later, after pizza and making a game plan for the car, the guys wandered over to Fletch’s place to meet the family, leaving me and Aubrey alone. I hesitated to approach her, she looked so quiet and thoughtful, as she leaned against the garage door, staring out at the setting sun. The lighting turned her hair into sexy licks of flame and my fingers itched to touch, to find out if it was as silky soft as it looked.
She must’ve felt my stare and glanced my way. “This is a great setup you have here.”
I stepped closer. “Thanks.”
“So, you’re in the Army with those other guys?”
I moved even closer, tucking my hands into my pockets. “Yes, I’m in the Army, but I don’t work with them. I’m an MP. They’re . . . I’m not exactly sure what they are.” Though I had a pretty good idea.
“MP?”
“Military police.”
“Oh.” She raked me up and down with heat in her gaze, a flush riding her cheeks.
“And you? You work in their auto shop?”
“Yes. Part-time while I’m in school. My sister is married to one of their partners. He’ll be up in a couple of days.”
The way she lit up when talking about her family warmed my heart and made me think of my own. I acknowledged her words with a nod then faced the sun with her to get myself together. I barely knew this woman, but I’d never had such an automatic, visceral reaction to someone before. It was like my heart was trying to rip free of my chest and crash into hers, as if it just found its home. Stupid, yes, but also very fucking true.
“Are you planning on staying with the guys the entire time?” I hated how desperate that sounded, but I was dying to know and to spend more time with her.
She peered at me in the softening light and I caught a hint in her dark eyes that maybe, just maybe, she felt some of this connection that was eating me alive. “Yes. I’m on summer break from school right now, so I’m here to help however I can.” She smiled. “Plus, how could I turn down a hotel room all to myself, a Jacuzzi tub, and room service?”
I swallowed at the thought of all that ivory skin in a Jacuzzi tub. What the hell was wrong with me? But the soft lilt of her voice sucked me in and I loved how it belied her obvious tomboy tendencies. I just wanted to keep her talking so I could bathe in it. “What are you studying?”
“Business.”
“Where are you going to college?”
“I’m doing an online program so I can work and go to school.”
Smart, determined, and independent. I wondered if she liked carne guisada.
She looked at me like I was crazy when I asked. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “I’ve never had it. Why?”
“You’ve never had it?”
Her laugh was rich and smoky and rode my veins like fine tequila. “No. Am I missing out?”
“You are, especially if you haven’t had my mom’s. It’s melt-in-your-mouth perfection.” Much like I imagined she’d be.
“Wow . . .”
“Cortez!” Fletch shouted from across the yard.
I glanced over. “Yeah?”
“We were thinking we’d grab a case of beer and get crackin’ on the car tonight. You mind?”
“Sounds good.” I faced Aubrey again, noticing the sprinkling of freckles across her nose and cheeks. “You staying?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” She focused on the guys as they crossed back our way. “I just need one of them to run me back to the hotel so I can change.”
I took in her white shorts and peach tank top. Not exactly mechanic clothing, but seriously perfect. “I’ll take you.”
Four
Aubrey
My stomach took a nosedive when Jude offered to drive me to the hotel. Sure, I’d been around hot guys before, but there was just something about him. It was more than his dark, good looks (though he was delicious) or the idea of him in a uniform. No. Something in the depths of his eerily light amber eyes drew me in like a moth to the flame and I wasn’t sure how to handle that. He made me nervous and giddy and exhilarated all at once, and I’d just met him. It was a new and overwhelming feeling.
I met Micah’s gaze as he approached. “Everything good over here?”
I smiled to answer his unspoken question. Jude had my body firing on all circuits, but he’d been nothing but a gentleman. “All good. Just ready to get started on this baby.” I hiked my thumb over my shoulder toward the Charger.
Micah studied me a beat longer, then Jude. I saw the clear appraisal and warning in his glare, and while I appreciated the guys being protective of me, it was frustrating. I was a grown woman and they’d managed to scare off my last two boyfriends with their stony glares and third degrees. Well-meaning or not, that needed to stop. Now.
I purposely stepped into Jude’s personal space and touched his forearm. “Jude’s gonna drive me over to the hotel to change into my work clothes.” I smiled up into Jude’s stunned face. “Ready?”
I didn’t give anyone a chance to say one protective word as I drug him out of the garage, toward the Trans Am I assumed to be his. “You have your keys?” I asked quietly once we were out of earshot.
He patted his pockets. “Uh, yeah.”
“Great.”
I opened the passenger-side door and slid in, the warm leather melting around my body as even warmer air filled my lungs.
He rounded the hood and got in to start the engine and crank the AC. The powerful thrum under the hood was music to my ears as he gunned the accelerator and pulled away from the curb.
“Where to?” he asked once we left his neighborhood.
I gave him the name of our hotel that was only a couple of miles away and leaned my head back on the headrest. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
I rolled my head to face him. “For getting me out of there. I love those guys, but sometimes they’re so overprotective.”
His mouth tipped up in a lopsided smile. “Who can blame them?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shot me an are you serious look. “You’re a beautiful young woman whose part of their family. Of course they want to protect you. I feel the same way about my little sister.”
“You have a little sister?”
<
br /> “I do. Bianca. She’s sixteen going on thirty and way too pretty for her own good.” He glanced my way. “I get why they worry about you.”
I digested his words. He’d called me beautiful like it was common knowledge. I didn’t have a self-image problem, but no man had ever told me I was pretty who wasn’t related or trying to get in my pants.
I blushed.
Maybe he was trying to get in my pants. I peeked at his muscled forearms. That wouldn’t be so bad.
We pulled into the hotel parking lot and I slid my key out of my back pocket. “Wanna come up?”
Wary eyes shot my way.
I laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to take advantage of you or anything.”
He shook his head but killed the engine. “That’s not what I was worried about.”
“What?”
“Nothing.” He stepped out and followed me into the lobby, the cool air greeting us with a rush at the front door.
I felt him watching me as we waited for the elevator and I wondered if he liked what he saw or if this intense reaction was mine alone. I chanced a peek his way. His eyes drifted up from my lips to meet my gaze. Heat flooded my cheeks when he banked a knowing half-smile.
The elevator doors slid open and we moved inside, where I pressed the button for my floor. The doors closed and it suddenly hit me that I was totally alone and shooting flirty glances at a total stranger who was big enough to overpower me. Yet, somehow, I knew he wouldn’t do that. Strong as he was, he’d already shown me his soft side, talking about his little sister and his mother’s cooking. Jude Cortez was a family man and a sweetie. A sexy sweetie.
Our hands brushed as he took the key card silently from my hand and opened the door for me, holding it open while I stepped inside. I waited to see if he would follow, but he stood hesitantly at the threshold.
“I won’t bite,” I coaxed.
“I know.” His voice was gravelly and uncertain.
“Come on in. It’ll only take me a minute to change.”
Still, he didn’t move.
“Jude.”
Nearly translucent eyes flashed to mine.
“It’s fine.”
He slowly entered, his body language uncomfortable as he closed the door behind us. “I don’t want your friends to kick my ass.”
