Oh yeah. His brother.
He should probably feel some pang of conscience for wanting to spend time with Jamie’s girl, but those big green eyes had a way of clouding his judgment. And it was just good business, right?
“Kyle?”
He leaned back down into the window again, filling his lungs with the scents of cocoa butter and oranges. He loved hearing his name on her lips. Wanted to hear her screaming it to the heavens as he pleasured her repeatedly.
“You won’t tell Johnny, will you?” Lina bit her lip and looked at him with those big eyes.
“Not unless he asks,” he answered truthfully.
She appeared to consider this for a moment, then nodded. “Fair enough. Goodnight, Kyle.”
“Goodnight, Celina.”
“Lina.”
He grinned, liking the shortened version. “Lina.”
Chapter Five
It took a bit of rummaging, but Lina managed to find the old picnic basket in the basement. It had been tucked away on a shelf, along with a lifetime of other childhood memories: board games, a box of Halloween costumes, outgrown sports equipment. On the surface world, life had gone on after her parents’ deaths. But here, under the house that Seamus and Erin Connelly had built thirty-some odd years earlier, a small piece of it had been frozen.
Lina dusted off the wicker with her hand, refusing to get caught up in all of that. At some point she would need to go through it, but not today. Anticipation bubbled in her blood.
Because she was going to see Kyle again.
All of those sensations, that acute hyper-awareness she’d experienced at the restaurant, hadn’t been a trick of her imagination. She’d felt it again last night when she’d gone into the shop and saw him. And when they’d taken that ride and she’d actually wrapped her arms around him? Not only had her body reacted, but something deep inside her soul had sparked to life as well.
It was exactly the way her mother had described what happened the first time she’d met her husband. Erin O’Leary had taken one look at Seamus Connelly and just knew.
Now Lina did, too.
Lina bounded up the steps, so buoyant that she didn’t even feel the hardwood planks beneath her feet. Her mind was so preoccupied with planning the perfect evening that she didn’t even notice Johnny in the kitchen.
“What have you got there?” he asked, startling her. He leaned back against the sink, chugging the gallon of freshly brewed iced tea she’d made. Good thing she’d thought ahead and made two.
“Johnny! You scared me. What are you doing home?” He looked like he’d come right from the construction site; he was in his dirt-and-cement covered jeans and neon yellow Connelly Construction T-shirt. His longish hair was plastered to his neck and forehead, a result of working in the sun all morning while wearing the obligatory hardhat.
He shrugged. “Thought I’d come home and have lunch with my baby sister, if you have time.”
Lina rolled her eyes. “I’m only a year younger than you, Johnny. And yes, I have time. I’m not working this afternoon.”
“Why not?”
“Because I already have my twenty hours in this week, and Mrs. Fenstermaker refuses to pay overtime.” Clara Fenstermaker was the head librarian at the Birch Falls Community Library, and ran the place with an iron fist wrapped in a death grip on the facility’s purse strings. “Besides, I need to get some work done on my paper.” Among other things.
He finished the tea and put the empty jug in the sink. “Good. I won’t be around for dinner.”
“Hot date?” she teased.
He smirked. “Something like that.”
Lina could just imagine what that “something” might be. Knowing her brother, it involved shooting pool at Tommy’s and picking up a woman or three. That worked out well for her; there would be no awkward questions about where she was going or what she would be doing.
“Fair enough. Burgers sound good?” Lina placed the basket on the floor – it still needed a thorough cleaning – and pulled some pre-made patties out of the fridge.
“Burgers sound awesome.”
“Fire up the grill?”
“You got it,” he said, striding toward the double sliding doors leading out to the back patio. He looked pointedly at the basket again. If he recognized it as the one they used to take on family outings, he didn’t show it. Lina wasn’t surprised. Johnny was adept at concealing his emotions when he wanted to, which was pretty much anytime their parents were involved. “You going on a picnic or something?”
Or something. “Maybe,” she hedged. “The weather will be turning colder before we know it.”
Johnny grunted. “Just be careful. No going to remote spots alone. There are all kinds of nutsacks out there, skulking around the trails and shit.”
Lina stifled a chuckle, rationalizing that Big Mo’s wasn’t exactly remote, and she certainly wouldn’t be alone. “I’ll be careful, Johnny,” she promised.
* * *
Lina did stop by, and, angel that she was, brought a picnic basket with her. It was filled with food – fried chicken and biscuits and peach-infused cold sweet tea - that she said was to make up for the dinner he’d missed on her account. She spread out a blanket and they ate right there on the bay floor. The meal was simple, but damn if sharing it with her didn’t make it one of the best meals he’d ever had.
Afterwards, she watched him with interest, asking questions every now and then. Good ones, too. He told her his ideas for the bike, including some special modifications that would fit her small frame, and she practically glowed with excitement. She had a few ideas of her own that she shared with him. The woman knew what she wanted, and it was a hell of a turn-on.
The evening ended far too soon, in his opinion. When he suggested she stop by again the next night, Lina threw herself around him in an excited hug. Kyle decided then and there that as much as he loved the feel of her pressed against his back, full frontals were even better. He stifled the groan that rose up from his toes. How could a woman be so soft and still hold a form like that? Every inch of her hot little body molded against his, a perfect fit. It was as if she had been custom made to fit against him, and Kyle had a special appreciation for quality custom work.
But she was Jamie’s piece, he reminded himself. Again. As far as he was concerned, she was just another customer - albeit one that he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about. One that had him fighting the urge to stroke off every night the minute he got home while he thought of her soft, ample curves... the sweet smell of her breath when she leaned in close... those freaking eyes that were ensuring a permanent zipper line in the underside of his cock...
Yeah. No worries there. Lina was just another customer.
* * *
Johnny suspected that something was going on with Lina. The past couple of days, she had been acting differently. He’d come in to find her humming or singing to herself, or catch her zoning out with a smile on her face. His suspicions were confirmed when he came home from the job site Saturday and found that Lina had prepared his favorite dinner (a big, thick ribeye, practically raw, with thick-cut, seasoned red potatoes on the side), and a case of ice-cold, imported beer waiting for him in the fridge. But he wasn’t stupid. He ate every last bite and downed at least two of the beers before he called her on it.
“Must be serious,” he said, the corners of his mouth twitching as he pushed himself back from the table. Celina picked up his plate and took it to the sink, tossing him a look over her shoulder.
“What is?”
“Whatever it is you have to tell me.” She had the good sense to feign innocence as she popped the top off another beer and went to sit down next to him, but he knew her far too well. This was her way of softening whatever blow was coming his way.
Johnny snagged her wrist and pulled her onto the arm of his chair instead. “Out with it, little one.”
Celina took a healthy swig from her bottle and leaned back, resting her head on his shoulder. He braced hi
mself, sensing whatever it was, he wasn’t going to like it. The last time she’d gone to these extremes, it was to tell him she’d accidentally backed the Jag over the custom stainless steel, straight line exhaust pipes he’d just picked up.
“I’m going out with Kyle tonight.”
Every muscle in his body tensed. It was even worse than he thought. “The hell you are.”
“We’re just going for a cruise, Johnny. He has this incredible cherry ride - ”
“Not the custom candy apple one he keeps in the back?” Johnny was incredulous. That baby was Kyle’s pride and joy, his most prized possession in the world. No one was even allowed to look at that bike without express invitation. And she thought she was actually going to be riding on it?
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
Johnny narrowed his eyes. “How do you know about that bike?” Translation: what did you do to get Kyle to show it to you?
Celina shrugged, but Johnny’s eyes pinned her down until she squirmed under his glare. She’d never been able to hold out on him when he turned the lasers her way. “We, um, went for a ride a few nights ago.”
Johnny shot up from his seat, nearly sending Celina tumbling to the floor. She caught herself even as he reached out to steady her. “You WHAT?”
Holy shit. He looked for a sign that he might actually be having a really strange dream. His little sister. On Kyle’s cherry ride...
This was bad. His sister was a good girl. Kyle did not do good girls. And Kyle shared his ride with no one, especially not a chick. Granted, Lina was no ordinary biker groupie, but she shouldn’t be on Kyle’s or anyone else’s radar. There was a damn good reason Johnny tried to keep those parts of his life separate, something she made increasingly hard for him to do since she insisted on leaving the house.
To make matters worse, Johnny was torn between screaming at the insanity of it all and asking for every detail about what it was like to ride the custom cycle. No, asking about the bike wouldn’t be helpful. He needed to focus on what was really important here.
Lina. Kyle. Holy shit.
Celina bit her lip. She always did that when she was nervous. Good, he thought. He wanted her scared shitless. She couldn’t have any idea what she was getting herself into. And what the hell was Kyle thinking? Johnny could only assume he had no clue who she was, because Kyle would sure as hell know he would not be cool with this.
“You can’t stop me.” She scooted out of his reach, moving to the other side of the kitchen so that the butcher-block island stood between them. The words were spoken quietly, and she didn’t quite look him in the eye, but it was still a courageous move on her part.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m a grown woman, Johnny. I can decide for myself who I will and will not spend my time with.”
Johnny growled. “Correction. You are not a woman, Celina,” he said, deliberately using her full first name to emphasize his point. “You are my little sister.” And Kyle has seen more pussy than the fucking SPCA. “I warned you to stay away from him.”
She crossed her arms and stood her ground. “And I ignored you. What are you going to do about it?”
“I’ll throw you over my shoulder and lock you in your goddamned bedroom, Celina.”
For one blissful moment he thought he might have gotten through to her. Her eyes widened and she chewed her lip uncertainly, but then thrust her chin out with a defiant tilt. “Just try it, Johnny. And when you let me out – which you will have to do eventually – so help me God, I will walk right out that door and never look back.”
Sweet Christ, she was serious. He was going to kill Kyle for this. Kyle was his friend, yeah, but he’d still rip his frigging head off and shove it so far up his ass he’d be able to rip it off a second time.
“What did he do to you? Did he try to...” He couldn’t even bring himself to say the words.
“He was a perfect gentleman.”
Johnny snorted. “No, really,” she insisted. “He gave me his jacket and opened the car door for me. He didn’t even kiss me goodnight. I had to kiss him.”
A red haze tinted his vision; the strangled, choking sound came out of his throat before he could suppress it. Surely he must have misheard. She had no idea the kind of fire she was playing with.
Lina must have sensed he was one step away from making good on his threat to lock her up – he’d deal with the consequences later - because she quickly added, “It was just a little one, a tiny peck on the cheek.”
Maybe it was possible they were talking about two different people. Yeah, that had to be it. Because that sure as hell didn’t sound like the same Kyle Johnny hung out with. The Kyle he knew wouldn’t have taken a chick out on his cherry ride and he sure as hell wouldn’t have been satisfied with “a tiny peck on the cheek”.
Lina was by his side again, laying her head on his chest. She barely reached his pecs. “I know you worry about me, Johnny,” she said quietly, rubbing his back with the palm of her hand. He closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down, relishing the soothing touch. As tough as he was, Lina had all the real power, able to tame the wildest of beasts with the gentle stroke of her hand. And Kyle was nothing if not exactly that – a wild beast.
“I love that you take care of me. But I’m not a little girl anymore. And I really want this.”
Ah, hell. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Johnny knew he couldn’t stop her if this was what she really wanted. He loved his sister fiercely, and couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. She had always been there for him, soothing away the hurt, believing in him when no one else had.
Didn’t mean he had to like it, though. “If he hurts you, Lina, I’ll feed him his balls for lunch.”
She chuckled against his chest. “Johnny, if he hurts me, I’ll feed him his balls for lunch.”
When the doorbell chimed at eight twenty-seven, Johnny opened the door. Sure as shit, it was the same Kyle.
Johnny’s big frame filled the doorway; Kyle stood tall on the stoop, his expression unreadable. They eyed each other warily.
“Kyle.”
“Johnny.”
“Something you want to tell me?” Johnny asked. Judging by the fact that Kyle did not seem surprised to see him, Johnny figured he had known who Lina was all along. The bastard clearly had a death wish.
Kyle met his gaze evenly. “I’d like to take Lina out for a ride tonight.”
If Johnny didn’t know any better, he’d swear Kyle was asking for his permission. Son of a bitch. What was this, the freaking Twilight Zone? First Lina drops her bomb on him, then Kyle shows up at his fucking door acting like this is a real date?
And – holy shit – what if it was?
“I’ll take good care of her, Johnny,” Kyle rumbled.
The way he saw it, he had two options. One, he could break a few of his knuckles on Kyle’s jaw and drive Lina over to the convent in Dunns River. Or two, he could make Lina happy and trust Kyle to keep his word. It was a hell of a choice. He loved his sister, and when it came right down to it, respected the hell out of Kyle.
“Just a ride?”
“Yeah.”
“Got the custom?” Johnny tried not to look past him.
“Yeah. Want to check it out?”
“Hell, yeah,” said Johnny, who took a step out the door before he remembered he was supposed to be putting the fear of God into Kyle. “Hey, Kyle, man. She’s my little sister, you know?”
“Yeah, I got that.”
“She’s not like what you’re used to. She’s a good girl.”
“Yeah.”
“And if you do anything to change that, I’ll kill you, man.”
“Fair enough.”
Kyle’s easy acceptance surprised him. Had it been anyone else, Johnny would have had his doubts, but he’d known Kyle a long time. Underneath all that leather and scowl, he was a decent guy. If Kyle said he wasn’t trying to seduce Lina, then he wasn’t. Which begged the question, why was Kyle even here?
The only answer Johnny came up with didn’t seem possible. Then again, Lina had already achieved the impossible by somehow getting Kyle to take her out on his prized custom. “So... we good?”
“Yeah. We’re good.”
* * *
Johnny wasn’t happy, and Kyle couldn’t blame him, but at least he was being cool about the whole thing. Bringing the custom had been a stellar decision on his part; it was proving to be an effective distraction. Kyle didn’t need Johnny’s head filled with the possibilities of what might happen.
Nine times out of ten, sex was a foregone conclusion when Kyle decided to make time with a woman. Not so with Lina. She was his brother’s girl and his friend’s little sister, which complicated things tremendously. If he was smart, he’d hop on his bike, ride his ass out of there, and find an outlet for this ball-bluing madness.
Except he didn’t want to. Even knowing what would – and wouldn’t happen – he still preferred a moonlight ride and Lina’s company to a night of drinking and hooking-up with someone else. And how fucked up was that?
Did he want to show Lina just how good it could be? Hell, yeah. But would he? No. He’d be going home alone, hard and aching, just like every other night this week. So why was he even here? When was the last time he made time with a woman just because he wanted to?
Lina came out a few minutes later with a backpack over her shoulder, and he forgot all of that. She was dressed for riding with slimming jeans, a soft cotton blouse – a light green to match her eyes – opened over a snug white tank, and miniature shit-kickers. She had her own leather jacket, too, hugging her curves as if it was made just for her.
He groaned. Lina in leather just took things to a whole new level of fuck me.
Kyle spotted her first. Johnny was still checking out the bike, going on about something or another. Kyle’s brain took a mini-vacay there for a few seconds. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She was beautiful, like a fucking angel. She didn’t walk as much as flowed. And since when had swallowing taken conscious effort?
Celina (Connelly Cousins #1) Page 5
