“Patton,” Hailey groaned. Feeling the blush flood her cheeks at just the memory of where, she hid the tell-tale sign of embarrassment by busying herself with the coffee.
“Ah, I know where.”
“Shut up, Patton.”
Laughter peeled out behind her, coming closer as Patton carried her empty cup over for a refill. Sidling up alongside Hailey, Patton waited patiently for her pour out a half a cup into her mug. Hot water from the tap filled the rest and then Patton sighed.
“Of course, I know other stuff, too.”
Hailey didn’t think she was talking about positions, not with that tone. Carrying her mug to the table with Patton trailing behind, Hailey gave over and asked. “What stuff?”
“Oh, like your brothers will be back in town in a few weeks.”
“What?” That jerked her out of the moment. Shocked and happy, she just blinked at Patton. “How do you know that? They didn’t call me.”
“Yes, they did,” Patton contradicted her. “Last night, apparently all night, until about one thirty in the morning when they called Chase wanting him to go find your ass.”
Hailey considered that for a moment as she tried to put the pieces together. “Then they called before Riley.”
“Yes, but I told Brett and Chase that you were at Riley’s with Rachel and Heather for your girls’ night. He said he’d call you tonight. I suggest you answer that call, or you’re going to have a set of really pissed off brothers on your door. That probably wouldn’t help right now.”
Hailey rolled her eyes at that understatement. “Brett can’t just show up. He has to wait for the Marines to release him.”
“They did. He’s sitting out in California waiting for Mike to be released and then they’re driving home for good is the impression I got.”
“For good?” Hailey didn’t dare to hope. Sure she knew Brett and Mike had decided not to re-enlist, but them spending the rest of their lives in Pittsview didn’t sound right, either. Her brothers craved excitement and the most exciting thing going on in Pittsview? Hailey Mathews sleeping with Kyle Harding. That could make the newspaper headline.
“It makes you happy.” Patton’s hand covered hers as her friend misread her grin. “It’ll be nice to have your family back together, won’t it?”
“Yeah, but,” Hailey looked around the kitchen. “What am I going to do about Kyle and Cole? Brett and Mike can be protective.”
“No kidding.” Patton released her to settle back in her seat with her coffee. “They’ll have the shotgun at Kyle’s back right after they pick his bloody body off the floor. Hell, you’ll be Mrs. Harding by Halloween.”
Hailey rolled her eyes at that. “Oh, for God’s sake, Patton. It isn’t like I was a virgin.”
“And it isn’t like Kyle considers doggie style kinky,” Patton shot back, making Hailey snort.
“It isn’t like my brothers know—” Hailey’s words choked off at Patton’s pointed look. She didn’t need words to know what her friend meant. “Oh, God, no.”
Waving that horrible truth away, Hailey looked anywhere but at Patton.
“Hailey.”
“I don’t want to hear it. If my brothers…are…what Kyle…ehhh.” Hailey twitched true revulsion. “I don’t want to hear it.”
“Then let’s talk about Kyle.”
“Oh, him.” Hailey turned back to give Patton her big, fake smile. “I figured it out last night. I’m doomed.”
“Doomed?” Patton’s brow arched. “Isn’t that a little dramatic?”
“No.” Hailey shook her head. “See, Kyle faked being drunk to try and con me into bed, right? And so, me being the genius I am, I decided to fall into it.”
“Well, then, congratulations.” Patton nodded, appearing more patient than sincere. “I take it this means you won.”
“Won? I don’t know about that,” Hailey admitted. “I’m still waiting to find out the consequences of my actions. To be honest, I was kind of hoping if I stayed in bed they’d stay away, if you know what I mean.”
“Well,” Patton settled her cup onto the table and leaned in. “Maybe I can help with that.”
“Really?” Hailey arched a doubting brow. “And how is that?”
Fluffing her hair in a gesture she never made, Patton settled back into her seat with all the stiffness of an insulted person. “I don’t know if I want to tell you now.”
“Patton.”
“Fine.” Patton studied her nails as if she really didn’t have anything important to share. “It’s just that according to what Riley told Chase, Kyle’s got the word out all over town. He wants to know where you are and who you’re with. Kyle asked everybody to keep it quiet, and Riley figured he didn’t want Chase and them to get in his way. Hailey? You okay?”
“Sure.” Why wouldn’t she be?
“You want to talk about it?”
“What’s there to talk about?” Hailey shrugged, except that the ground had just opened up beneath her feet. Patton wasn’t doing anything other than stuffing her into the hole with her
“Well, how about after I got Chase to agree to give Kyle a day to live, he went to go throw Kyle out of the club, but Kyle had already resigned his membership over five weeks ago, Hailey, and isn’t that about the time he started trying to worm his way into your life?”
Yes it was, but Hailey squashed that thrill. “It doesn’t matter, Patton.”
“What? That the man might actually like you? I mean, hell, Hailey, did you ever think the reason he picked on you so much in high school was because he liked you, maybe to a degree he wasn’t comfortable with as a teenager, especially a boy. Shit, thinking about it, you probably—”
“None of that matters,” Hailey snapped.
“Why not?”
Because Kyle didn’t travel alone and this still could be set-up. “Cole? Remember him?”
Patton’s ponderous response to Hailey’s sarcasm ended with a shrug. “Chase called GD this morning to make sure that Kyle didn’t piggyback into the club with Cole’s membership, and you know what GD told him?”
“I’m not sure that I want to know,” but she knew Patton intended to tell her.
“GD said that Cole had been working with Aaron and Jake and that Kyle had asked him to keep Cole busy so he wouldn’t have time to come after you.”
“Damn it, Patton! I told you I didn’t want to know that. Now what am I supposed to think?”
“You’re supposed to think that Kyle Harding is coming after you hard and strong. He’s turned out his best friend to keep you to himself. If you think telling this man no now is going to save you, Hailey, you’re fooling yourself.”
Hailey glared at Patton for making her second guess what appeared to be an obvious conclusion. It felt dangerous and stupid to assume Kyle had any interest in her other than taking a few rolls through the sheets. She’d be a fool to believe anything else, but hope had no dignity.
“You think Kyle actually likes me?”
* * * *
Kyle could hear Cole smacking his lips as Cole came down the hall. A second later, he stumbled through the dining room toward the kitchen, wearing nothing more than jeans he hadn’t even bothered to button up. Cole didn’t speak a word as he shuffled past. Just like every morning, he went to the fridge and pulled out his carton of milk to drink straight from the bottle.
That’s just why Kyle had his own bottle sitting by his bowl of cereal. Living with Cole was kind of like living with a teenager. He didn’t cook, he didn’t clean, but, thankfully, he bathed everyday and he tended to be funny as hell. Like this morning, when he wiped the milk from his lip and came to lean against the arch separating the two rooms.
“So, who’d you screw last night?”
Kyle choked on cereal, washing the pain away with a quick gulp of his orange juice before pinning his best friend with an amused look. “What makes you think I got screwed last night?”
That had Cole’s hand lifting in mid-air as he returned the milk carton to hi
s lips. The instant speculation that crossed his face before he said, “Nothing,” made a lie out of his words.
Kyle didn’t like keeping secrets from Cole. Nothing had ever been worth the effort, much less the bother, but last night Hailey proved she was more than worth both of those. Grunting slightly as he shifted in his seat, Kyle felt a tinge of annoyance at the ache in his dick.
It had been a problem he’d been living with since he rolled over around three in the morning looking for his seconds only to find cool, empty sheets at his back. Sure he could have handled the problem himself then instead of laying there fantasizing about all the better ways his itched could have been scratched.
By the time he lumbered out of bed to get his morning shower, that itch had turned into a burning need that wouldn’t be satisfied with a little hand-warmed soap massage. Kyle hadn’t wasted the effort. Hailey put him in this position and he intended to save it all just for her.
He was thinking lunch and making a feast of—
“If you ain’t got a woman, why you smiling like that?”
“I ain’t smiling like nothing.” Breakfast over even if he hadn’t finished the bowl, Kyle lifted it up and shrugged past Cole as he headed for the sink.
“You so full of shit,” Cole shot back.
“As long as I don’t smell like it.”
“That why your sheets smelled like cinnamon last night? Is that a new personal statement for you?”
“Why you smelling my sheets, man?” Kyle paused to look up from where he’d been stuffing the soggy mess he dumped from his bowl into the disposal. “You know, that’s kind of like a sick thing to do.”
“Because I’m like a bloodhound,” Cole growled out arrogantly, making Kyle’s eyes roll before he turned back to cleaning up his breakfast. “I’m on the hunt, buddy, and don’t think I won’t find out just who you had squared away last night.”
“Whatever.”
Cole could ramble on all he wanted. Kyle would be getting his while he did. If by some miracle measure Cole actually managed to charm his way into Hailey’s bed, Kyle wouldn’t object as long as he didn’t get thrown out in the process.
“You know you got a black eye?”
“Bar fight.” Actually, that idiot hadn’t landed a punch. The bruise came from Hailey’s heel when she clocked him. He’d wear it with honor, like all good hunters did their scars. Sure enough, he’d be bagging his prey a second time before the sun settled half way over this day.
“You like getting hit or something?” Cole asked as he plunked his milk carton onto the counter. “Because you doing that idiot grin again.”
“I certainly did enjoy beating the crap out of that man.” Kyle bumped Cole’s hip with the dishwasher door as means of asking him to move.
“What he do?”
“He touched what was mine.”
“And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?
“It means what it means.” Kyle straightened up.
Cole seemed to consider that for a moment. “You acting strange lately, and I’m betting you’ve gotten yourself into some no-good pussy, my friend. Bar fights? Drinking? Disappearing all night? This woman’s got you all messed up.”
“Who said anything about a woman?”
“And you ain’t even sharing.” Cole ignored his question. “Maybe I should be feeling insulted right about now.”
“Maybe you should be thinking about Coldwell’s Mustang and how we got to get that out the door today. Maybe while you’re at it you could actually put a shirt on and get your ass ready.”
“Now I really am insulted.”
* * * *
Cole left Kyle with that parting shot as he swaggered off back toward his bedroom, taking his milk with him. Let Kyle try and keep his little secret. Even if nobody bothered to take notice at first, somewhere along the lines somebody would notice something. Somebody always noticed something in Pittsveiw. Nothing ever stayed quiet for long.
Even as Cole dismissed Kyle’s sudden secretiveness, it bugged him to the point of obsession because he honestly worried about his friend. As he considered the matter, Cole began to see quite clearly just how right he’d been. Kyle had obviously gotten his head turned around by some drama queen who could easily wreck his friend’s life. Except that Cole wouldn’t let that happen.
Thirty minutes later as they clamored into his truck to head down for the shop, he just couldn’t stop himself from needling Kyle. “So, you really didn’t bring nobody home last night?”
That got him a dour look. “You still on that?”
“I’m just trying to figure out who the pink panties belong to. I mean,” Cole gave Kyle’s frame a divisive look, “maybe you’re branching out, trying something new.”
That got him instantly slammed into the door when Kyle gave him a shove. “I ain’t wearing pink panties, you ass.”
“What, you like them white?” Cole cringed from the punch before Kyle even landed it on his arm. Not that hard, it still left a sting as he straightened up laughing. “So if they ain’t yours, then who?”
“Tinkerbell’s,” Kyle retorted without hesitation. “And I want them back if you did happen to snatch them.”
Cole smirked at that. “Whacha gonna do? Go try to match the panties to your Cinderella, Prince Charming?”
“Oh, God.” Kyle’s head thunked against the rear window. “You’re never going to shut up about this are you?”
“Nope.”
“Fine.” Kyle sighed deep before turning in his seat. “Truth? I really like this girl and I just don’t want to screw anything up.”
“I see.” Cole smacked the foul taste of that out of his mouth along with his annoyed response. “So you going solo now.”
“I really care about this woman and you…I know you got your reasons for keeping it just sex, but I can’t risk that attitude messing up my future.”
“Future?” Cole’s head snapped around at that. “What are you picking out rings now?”
“Not yet.”
“But one day…”
“I hope.” Kyle nodded.
“Oh, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Kyle. Have you lost your ever-loving mind?”
“Spare me.” Kyle snapped back in the seat to glare out at the road. “I know you got your reasons for being a bitter ass, but they ain’t mine.”
That had Cole’s jaw clenching tight. Fine, let Kyle go down. It wouldn’t be any skin off of his nose. No, he’d just have to be around to pick up the pieces. If they could even be picked up.
“I’m just concerned you’re making a mistake.”
“Well, I’m not, so you can shut up already.”
That response just went to prove that Cole was too late. How that had happened just went to show how busy Cole had been the past few weeks. Hell, he should have seen this coming with all of Kyle’s weird behavior lately, but, no, he’d been too wrapped up in his own problems to notice. Now anything he said or did would only get him bitten.
What a grim way to start a morning.
Cole shook his head as he curved the truck into the shop’s back parking lot.
Chapter 9
The day wore on Kyle’s good humor. Feeling Cole’s brooding gaze focusing on him time after time added slowly to the tension he woken up to that morning. He really hadn’t expected to find Hailey warming his bed, but it would have been sweet if he had.
That day would come, Kyle promised himself. One morning he’d roll over to be greeted by all her soft curves, and he’d make sure it stayed that way for the rest of his life. Those kinds of thoughts didn’t help with how painfully tight his jeans had gotten.
Nothing would but a quick trip to see his little princess at lunch. He didn’t even bother to call and find out if she had plans, knowing she’d say yes no matter the truth. Skittish as she was, it would serve him better just to continue on as if they had a relationship than actually asking her to have one.
When the big and little hands finally collected under the twelve on the shop
clock, Kyle didn’t even wait a second before borrowing Aaron’s keys. Knowing she’d very likely bolt if she saw him coming, Kyle even parked the car quietly along the curb one house up from Hailey’s.
Sure enough he caught her working in the garage. Intent on her project, she didn’t even take note of him coming down the drive. With her back to the open garage door, Hailey couldn’t see him as he snuck in without having to try being stealthy.
Still, Kyle waited for the moment his arrival would have the biggest impact. He caught that second when she straightened up for a moment to stare down at what she’d been working on.
Smacking the garage door button, Kyle let the whine and clank of the lowering door announce his arrival. The sound had her jolting like she’d been struck with a lightning bolt. The grinder fell from her hand to clank down over the work table as she spun to take in the sight of him.
Hazel eyes going wide with worry, the fear in Hailey shined out of her gaze. It came through in the trembling of her whisper.
“Kyle.”
Maybe he should go easier on her. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t give her any room to escape. “I need to have a word with you, princess.”
Kyle started forward, taking advantage of the stupor that had obviously caught Hailey. The warmth in her gaze only highlighted the wild sparks of green fire that ricocheted through the chocolate brown. The frenzy echoed down to her trembling lips. She really was just too adorable. The way her voice whispered, husky with desire but still squeaky with nerves at the high points fed the lust in Kyle.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“And why’s that?” He pulled up to a stop not an inch from her.
Smelling all alluring and looking so soft, Hailey didn’t retreat. Neither did she meet his gaze, focusing instead on the crisscross pattern of his flannel shirt. “Because…why would you be here?”
Settling a hand on her hip, he couldn’t help but enjoy a squeeze that had her shivering as he backed her up against her work bench. “’Cause you ran out on me last night, and I wasn’t done with you.”
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