Kyle never saw it coming. A hard slap right across the face that put stars in his eyes and a ringing in his ears. He reached up with his hand, dumbstruck. She’d slapped him! Hard. And it stung, surprisingly more inside than outside. But worse than the feel of her hand was the look in her eyes; it held pain, disappointment, and hurt, all at once.
“Take me home. Now.” Without waiting for him, she tossed the pack over her shoulder and stomped to the bike.
Kyle stared at her in disbelief. What the hell just happened? One minute he was riding high, feeling great, and the next he’d opened his big mouth and screwed it all up. Worse yet, he’d hurt her. Yeah, he was the world’s biggest ass. Which just further proved he’d been right to keep it in his pants.
He exhaled, resisting the urge to pull her back into his arms and make them both forget what he’d said. Maybe it was for the best. He wouldn’t be able to look Jamie in the eye if he had sex with Lina, and that’s exactly what was going to happen if she kissed him like that again.
You’re such a frigging coward. He started at the voice in his head. He wasn’t a coward, he argued. He was looking out for his brother. Trying to do the right thing. Letting this girl know that he knew she was playing with him. And Jamie. Because she couldn’t possibly be as perfect as she seemed. He’d been thinking with his dick, that’s all. And when his brain finally engaged – that’s when the shit hit the fan.
He pulled himself to standing, taking one more look at the full moon. A few clouds skittered across it now, and the pleasantly cool breeze had turned chilly. With a sigh he walked back to his bike, where Lina was impatiently waiting. She refused to look at him. That was probably a good thing, too. Those green eyes had a way of clouding his judgment, and he was already in a gray area. It wouldn’t take much to push him into the black.
Kyle straddled the bike. Lina climbed on behind him with as little physical contact as possible.
It was the coldest ride he’d ever had. Lina held onto the seat instead of him, maintaining as much of a distance between them as possible. Whenever she slid forward, she lifted herself back. It was quite a feat of strength, really, maintaining a near isometric pose on the long, winding road back down to town. Her legs and arms shook from muscle fatigue when Kyle finally pulled up in front of her house.
Kyle missed her warmth, the feel of her body against his. Maybe he shouldn’t have said some of the things he did, he admitted to himself. She was angry with him, and that he could deal with. But the hurt in her eyes was killing him. The image was burned into his brain, making him want to rip something into pieces for the way it made him feel.
She jumped off before he came to a complete stop, wobbling on her jelly legs, but refusing to cave as she stomped toward the door. Kyle killed the engine and called out, “Celina, wait. I - ”
The door closed before he could get the words out. Well, fuck.
* * *
“Well?” Johnny asked when she walked past the living room. Of course he was waiting up for her. Why couldn’t he be at Tommy’s, or Hog Heaven, or wherever the hell he went on Saturday nights?
Best to get it over with quickly so she could go to her room and have a good, private cry. “You were right.”
Johnny rose from his recliner, his expression fierce. “Did he ...?”
“No,” Celina assured him, putting her hand up. “He tried absolutely nothing, Johnny. It was an awesome ride, but that’s all.”
She was angry and hurt, but she wasn’t going to throw Kyle under the bus. Kyle was just being Kyle. It was she who had tried to look beyond all that bad boy packaging, thinking she had found someone she could really connect with. What a crock of shit. Maybe Kyle was right. Maybe she did need to let go of the little girl fantasies, pull up her big girl panties, and accept the reality.
Johnny tried to warn her, but did she listen? No, she had stupidly believed in all that fairy tale crap. Believed that because she had taken one look at Kyle and fallen fast and hard, it was meant to be. Everyone always talked about love at first sight, but they failed to mention it could be a one-way deal. Sucked for her, because despite everything, she did love the sexy bastard, even if she didn’t like him very much. It made no sense whatsoever, but then as her mother had always said, the heart is not the most logical organ.
“And?” he asked, lifting a brow expectantly.
“And nothing. Ride’s over. Kyle’s cool, but you were right. He’s not my type.”
Johnny grunted, but Lina didn’t miss the way his features relaxed in relief. He reached for his jacket. “You’re in for the night then?”
“Yeah.”
“You, uh, need anything?”
Lina almost laughed. What she needed, her big brother certainly couldn’t provide. With a word or two, she could probably incite him to give Kyle a good beat-down for unknowingly breaking her heart, but that would make her feel even worse. Her romantic delusions weren’t Kyle’s fault.
“Nah, I’m good. Go on, have a good time. I’m going to bed.”
“Lock the door behind me, yeah?”
She nodded wearily. “I will.”
Before he left, Johnny pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. “Hey, you’re my baby sister. I worry about you, you know?”
“Yeah, I know. Thanks, Johnny. Try not to break too many hearts tonight, okay?”
When he finally closed the door behind him, Lina dutifully turned the deadbolt and dragged herself to bed. The night hadn’t turned out at all the way she’d hoped.
Maybe it was for the best. Yet another sign that coming back to Birch Falls had been a bad idea. Her parents were gone, her oldest brother was off God only knew where, and Johnny had his own life. Johnny loved her, she knew, but she felt like she was cramping his bachelor lifestyle by moving back into the house. Plus it was only a matter of time before he saw through her everything-is-fine act and called her on it.
But where else would she go? What would she do? Money wasn’t exactly tight; her parents had planned ahead and left her and her brothers a tidy sum. That gave her a little wiggle room, at least.
Lina ran a bath, added copious amounts of vanilla & patchouli oils, and sank down into the hot water. She briefly considered calling her college roomie, Stacey, but then decided against it. Stacey had her own problems; she didn’t need to listen to hers, too. Stacey never picked up the phone anymore anyway, and this was not the sort of thing you left on someone’s answering machine. Besides, Stacey lived all the way out in California. Lina wanted to get away for a couple of days, but not that far away.
She could call Amy. Yeah, Amy was cool. They’d been friends in high school, and had kept in touch. Since Lina had come back, they’d grown closer than ever. Amy had told Celina on more than one occasion that she had plenty of room in the living space above the book shop, and if she ever needed a job or a place to stay, she had it, no questions asked.
Maybe it was time to take Amy up on that. The library was just a little too stuffy and quiet, and she’d been thinking about looking for another job anyway. Plus she could definitely use some girl time. Johnny was awesome, but this was outside the realm of brotherly advice. No, what she needed was a gallon of ice cream, a bottle of wine, and a good cry with someone who got it.
Yeah, she’d call Amy first thing in the morning.
With that decided, she felt slightly better. It was times like this when she missed her mom the most. Lina closed her eyes and spoke to her silently, like she so often did. Mom, you busy? If you’ve got a minute, I really need to talk to someone. I met this guy. His name is Kyle and...
Chapter Seven
Days went by slowly, becoming one week, then two. Kyle stayed late at Mo’s every night to work on Lina’s bike. It was just a job. He was not hoping she’d show up with a basket of food and a jug of her homemade sweet tea. Nor was he craving her smile, the one that filled him with that addicting brew of liquid sunshine. His heart was not leaping in anticipation every time the goddamned bell jangled over t
he door. And he definitely was not constantly trying to catch the scent of cocoa butter and oranges over those of metal and paint fumes.
Nope. This was just a job.
The thing was, Lina’s bike had become something of an obsession for him. He poured his heart and soul into every piece, down to the tiniest detail. He painted it a deep emerald green to match her eyes, adding the silver metal flake to catch the light like her eyes did when they flashed. Buffed the chrome to perfection. He raised the pedals and narrowed the seat, angling everything perfectly so her hands would reach comfortably. Customized the gears so that she could shift with little more than the whisper of a thought and a slight change in the angle of her delicate foot.
As much as he loved working on the bike, it just wasn’t the same without Lina there. He missed how she would sit for hours keeping him company, always refusing the chairs he’d roll in for her, preferring to be down on the floor with him. More often than not, she’d have him telling her some of the crazy things he’d done. As a general rule, Kyle wasn’t the sharing type, but Lina had a way of drawing him out. He’d given her the PG-versions, of course, making her laugh. She had such a beautiful laugh. It didn’t matter how bad his day had been, a few minutes with Lina was all it took to lift his spirits.
Sometimes she’d respond with a story of her own, but not often. She seemed far more interested in hearing about him than in talking about herself. It left him wanting to know more, wondering all kinds of shit he had no business thinking about. Like, what did she like to do in her spare time? What had she been like when she was younger? And less enthusiastically: How many boyfriends had she had? Had she ever been serious with any of them?
Then again, maybe it was a good thing they didn’t talk about that kind of stuff. The mere thought of her with anyone left him feeling a little sick and a whole lot of mean. But why should that bother him? She wasn’t his girl.
He’d kind of gotten used to having her around, though. And without her, the place was just too damn quiet. Too empty. Too cold, too dark, too .... lonely.
Fuck. What was wrong with him? He liked being alone, didn’t he? No one but himself to worry about. He did what he wanted to do, when he wanted to do it. Answered to no one. Hell, he was glad nobody depended on him anymore.
After their parents died, Jamie had looked to him but hell, he’d only been sixteen. A sophomore in high school with grand dreams of a career in mechanical engineering, designing concept cars like his dad. He sure as hell hadn’t been prepared to become the head of the family and move halfway across the country to live with a distant aunt, a woman they’d only known through the yearly Christmas card she’d send with five whole bucks for each of them.
Kyle supposed he should have been grateful. Their mother’s oldest sister had taken them in, which kept them together and out of foster care. Aunt Edna had already been a widow by then, a retired school teacher with no kids of her own. She liked to putter around her garden, had lace-trimmed doilies all over her house and a porcelain tea set trimmed in gold. Not the ideal environment for two active adolescent boys.
But she was kind, in her own way. They never went hungry and had a roof over their heads. The sleepy town of Birch Falls took some getting used to after the hustle and bustle of the city, but it was a nice enough place. Fresh air, clean water. Neighbors who not only looked you in the eye but looked out for you, too.
Her fixed income precluded anything more than the basics, though. Their father had been a great provider, but his estate planning left a lot to be desired. College was out of the question, at least for Kyle. His grades were decent, but not good enough for a full scholarship, and he’d never been particularly into sports, not like Jamie.
With that in mind, Kyle switched his curriculum from college prep over to tech and started picking up odd jobs at the local garages. That’s where he found his peace. It kept him working around the machines he loved, and had the added benefit of providing the extra cash needed for Jamie’s basketball and football expenses – shoes, jerseys, pads. Those things added up damn quick, and Aunt Edna didn’t agree with spending their limited inheritance on such “frivolities”, as she’d called them.
By the time their aunt passed away, Kyle had found his niche and was designing custom cycles at Mo’s, and Jamie had gotten into a good school on a football scholarship – a fact that made Kyle damn proud of his little brother.
It all worked out for the best. Kyle had come to realize early on that he preferred working with his hands to sitting in a classroom, and the corporate lifestyle wasn’t for him. He might not be creating concept cars in Detroit, but he was making a name for himself designing one-of-a-kind custom cycles, and people were willing to pay big bucks for him to do so.
The biker lifestyle suited him perfectly, too. A rough crowd, yeah, but Kyle had the physical strength and mental toughness to thrive. He loved the thrill of the ride, the freedom to make his own path, and the instant gratification that came with it. Loved that at the end of a day doing what he loved, he could head out to Tommy’s or Hog Heaven to drink, fight, or fuck, depending on his mood.
Sometimes all three.
But even that had lost its appeal lately. He’d tried, but it didn’t lift his spirits any. The few skirmishes in which he’d partaken hadn’t been enough to take the edge off, and he found fault with every woman who’d come on to him, hoping for a hook-up. They were either too skinny, too fat, too tough, too easy. It all came down to the same thing: none of them was Lina.
And damn if she was the one woman he couldn’t have.
He was so fucked.
When he finished the bike and Lina still hadn’t made an appearance, he broke down and fished out her cell number (kept neatly folded in his wallet), and thumbed a quick, simple text: shes done. She’d know what it meant. Then he went home, pulled out a bottle of whiskey, and checked his phone every fifteen minutes for the rest of the night.
Kyle was in a foul mood when he strolled into Mo’s the next morning. He’d only managed an hour or two of sleep and his inbox remained frustratingly message-free. Mo held up a wad of cash and waved it at him, grinning like the Cheshire cat.
“Who blew sunshine up your ass?” Kyle grunted. He was not in the mood for cheerful.
“You did, my boy. Pretty young lady came in to pick up the custom you did for her this morning, paid twice what it was worth.”
Kyle’s head snapped up. Lina had been here? And he’d missed her?
Mo grinned even wider. “Sweet job, too, man. Some of your best work.” Mo stroked his long beard thoughtfully. “Course, I saw your inspiration.” He blew out a long, low whistle. “Prime piece, that.”
Kyle clenched his jaw and tamped down the urge to remove a few more teeth from Mo’s dwindling collection. A big, sweaty-looking guy was ambling up to the counter, hanging on every word. His buddy was looking at some new grips. They both looked vaguely familiar. Maybe he’d seen them around the clubs. One was called – Rock or something stupid like that, though he had to admit, the guy’s head really did resemble a boulder. The other one... oh, who gave a shit?
“Yeah, I saw that chick,” said sweaty rock guy. “She is hot, I’m telling you.”
Grip-guy shook his head. “Keep it in your pants, man. She’s untouchable.”
“Bet Kyle touched her,” rock guy snickered, flicking a sideways glance his way. “Eh, Kyle?”
Kyle ignored them. He was in no mood to play hero to these losers today. “Besides,” grip-guy added. “She’s Johnny’s sister.”
Sweaty rock guy gulped. “I never knew Johnny had a sister.”
“Bet he’s had his hands full beating them off with a stick since she came back to town.” Kyle turned a murderous glare on them, but they didn’t seem to notice.
“You know her?”
“Yeah, went to school with her. ‘Course, she didn’t have all those curves then.”
Kyle’s fists clenched at his sides.
“Tiny’s working on her tat again this a
fternoon. You can bet your ass I’m gonna be there.”
A red haze clouded his vision; something dark and ugly unfurled in his gut. Lina was getting a tattoo? And these guys were planning to watch? Over his dead body. “When?” Kyle bit out the word.
“When what?”
“When’s she getting the tat?”
Rock smiled. “See, J? Now that’s what I’m talking about. Even Kyle’s into it, man!” He laughed. “Three, give or take. But get there early. Word is it’s a full length job.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and winked. Kyle fought the urge to ram an exhaust pipe through Rock’s eyes, thus putting an effective end to any more thoughts Rock had of looking at Lina.
The second they left, Kyle glanced at the clock. Ten-thirty. He grabbed his keys. “Mo – gotta run out, be back in a few.” Mo grunted in response. With the wad of cash he held in his hand, Kyle could’ve told him he was leaving on a six-day road trip and he would’ve been okay with it.
And then Kyle hauled ass.
Kyle burst into Tiny’s, only to find Kim, Tiny’s wife, up front manning the desk. Kim was no slip of a woman; she was as solid as they came, and was a walking billboard for her husband’s art. Lacework designs covered nearly all of the visible skin beneath her tank top, lending her an even more dangerous air. Her dark hair was cut short and gelled into sharp spikes, accentuating her heavily lined dark eyes. The quiet hum of Tiny’s needles sounded from the room in the back.
“Hi, Kyle,” she greeted with a genuine smile, her voice low and raspy from too many cigarettes and God knew what else. “I heard you had your custom out and you didn’t even swing by. I’ve been dying to get a look at it. What gives?” The woman knew cycles as well as most men, and she and Kyle had had some interesting conversations in the past, but he wasn’t there to talk shop.
“I need to speak with Tiny.”
“Sorry, Kyle, he’s with a customer right now.” She got up from her stool and walked toward the end of the counter where a curtained doorway led to the back. It was usually all the deterrent required to make someone think twice about disturbing a work in progress. But Kyle was beyond all that, and barely hesitated.
Celina (Connelly Cousins #1) Page 7
