She—and her brothers—sounded like a lot of fun. He’d really screwed up, not getting her number.
Maybe it was for the best. Even if he did run into Cassie again, it couldn’t go anywhere. Holly came first. She had to. If he caused any more emotional harm to his poor daughter, he’d never forgive himself.
Just don’t screw it up, O’Donnell. Is that so hard?
Honestly, his time in the Air Force was a breeze compared to raising a daughter on his own.
3
For the past twelve years, ever since the murder of Robert Knight, the Knight family had been scattered in all directions. Will, the oldest, had stayed in Jupiter Point to raise Aiden, the baby of the family. Ben had been in the Air Force, Tobias in the Army. Meanwhile, Cassie had left town with their mother.
But now, finally, they were all back in Jupiter Point, except for Aiden who was just finishing up his first year in college. It wasn’t just a family reunion, though. Will was closer than ever to finding Dad’s killer. That was why Mom had wanted to come back, and Cassie had agreed. Twelve years of no answers was enough.
And twelve years away from her brothers had made her forget how much fun they were—on a good day.
This was a good day.
“Just a few more steps,” Ben said in a teasing voice. At least Cassie assumed it was Ben; she couldn’t see him because she was wearing a blindfold. Her crazy brothers had insisted that she wear one so she could be completely surprised by the amazing gift they were giving her. For days they’d been talking about it. Now, finally, it had arrived—whatever it was.
Cassie knew they’d driven to the little airstrip where Knight and Day Flight Tours was located. She knew her brothers had guided her into the hangar. Beyond that, she had no earthly idea what this alleged spectacular present could possibly be. After all these years apart, her brothers barely knew her anymore. What were the chances that this present lived up to the hype?
“Why do you have to make such a big deal out of this?” Even though she grumbled, she was actually pretty touched by the whole thing.
“We have to make up for all those years of missing your birthday,” said Tobias. He had the deepest voice, befitting his tough-guy appearance. Of course, anyone who knew him saw past the muscular exterior to the loyal family guy inside.
“Are you kidding? This will make up for all future birthday presents, too,” Will chimed in.
“None of us will ever owe you another present after this one,” Ben added.
Cassie laughed behind the blindfold. “You guys are just torturing me, aren’t you? That’s what’s really going on. You’re making up for all that lost teasing time.”
“Hmm, I didn’t think of that, but you make a good point. We’ll get on that. Right after we give you…drumroll please…” Ben made a drumming sound, while the other brothers banged on something—a metal wall, maybe?
Ben worked at the knot in the cloth around her eyes. “Presenting…damn it, who tied this thing?”
“You really have to work on your kidnapping skills,” Cassie teased.
“Things you don’t expect your little sister to tell you.” The cloth loosened, and a sliver of light appeared. “One more time, guys. Presenting…”
The cloth fell away, and Cassie blinked at the onslaught of fluorescent light. It took her a moment for her eyesight to adjust, and for her to orient herself.
Knight and Day, check. Hangar, check. Cessna 206, check. And that other item, taking up an entire corner of the hangar…
She whirled on her brothers. “A lift? Seriously, you got me a lift?”
Tobias smiled smugly. “A Dannmar two-post symmetric lift, to be exact. That’s not all. There’s a floor jack in there too.”
“And a creeper, and a catalogue to order the rest of what you need,” said Will. “The guys have a pretty well-stocked shop here already, but you can add whatever you need.”
She gaped at her older brothers, three big handsome men grinning like kids. “So you’re saying…”
“Welcome to the crew.” Ben was smiling so hard it looked like his face might split open. “Since airplanes aren’t your thing, we figured you could squeeze some cars in here.”
“We’re trying to inspire you to stay a while longer.” Will’s penetrating gray eyes seemed to see right into her secret antsiness. “You can still do whatever you want, obviously. But it might be hard to leave this baby behind.” He gestured at the lift. “Twelve thousand pound capacity, steel pulleys. It’s a beauty.”
She stared at the gleaming masterpiece of mechanical craftsmanship, then back at her three brothers. “You guys really do know me.”
“Not as well as we used to, but I remember how you used to help Dad out with his rigs. You changed my rotors when you were fifteen, remember that? And it was hard to miss the way you bragged about your certification.” Ben ruffled her hair, an annoying brotherly gesture if ever there was one.
“I didn’t brag.”
“You’re right. You gloated,” said Tobias with a smirk. “As you should. It’s a hell of an accomplishment. My little sister, the mechanic. It’s just too bad you don’t work on planes, or we would have tried to hire you.”
Cassie tried to imagine working for her testosterone-loaded brothers. Even though Ben and Tobias, who ran Knight and Day, were warm and thoughtful men, they were still her big brothers. “It’s probably better this way.”
“We figured as much. You don’t have to keep the lift here, but the space is yours if you want it.”
She breathed in the familiar shop smell of fuel and hand cleaner. That aroma always made her feel at home, in a bittersweet way. It made her feel close to her father again. “But how could you afford something like this?”
“Dad’s insurance,” Will explained.
For a moment, they all fell silent. After Robert Knight’s murder had fractured their lives, they’d each received a payout from his life insurance. Tobias and Ben had used theirs to start Knight and Day; Will had used his to provide the best possible home for Aiden. She’d used hers to keep her and Mom afloat through crisis after crisis. She was surprised any of those funds were left.
“I still can’t even believe this.” She stepped across the concrete floor toward the gleaming, brand-new lift. “I think this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
Her brothers followed. Ben put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. She couldn’t help thinking of Kevin from the bar, and the way his hand had felt on the back of her neck. Not like this brotherly touch—not at all.
Tobias shoved his hands in his pockets and surveyed the Dannmar lift admiringly. “We were trying to think of names you could use for your shop. Cassie’s Corner, because it’s in the corner of the hangar.”
“Knight Rider, of course,” said Ben, making them all laugh.
“I like Cars by Cassie,” Will said.
“When your car’s got trouble, Cassie’s your lassie,” sang Tobias.
Still laughing, Cassie ran the last few steps to the lift and hugged the blue-painted steel post. “That’s perfect for an ad, Tobias!” She broke into a little tap dance and continued the song. “When your rotors need a-changing, Cassie’s your lassie. When your engine needs a tune-up, Cassie’s your lassie.”
Ben tap-danced alongside her, a big, goofy backup singer. “She might be kind of sassy, but she’s always extra classy.”
Cassie clapped in delight and kept tap-dancing. “And if you don’t behave, she’ll kick you in the ass-y!”
All the brothers burst out laughing. Cassie ended her dance with a jazz-hands pose and a big grin—and that was when she caught sight of the man who had just walked into the hangar.
He was laughing too, in a voice that sounded unnervingly familiar. He took another step forward, into the light.
Kevin from the bar.
She gaped at him, still in her silly tap-dance pose. “Kevin?” She snapped back into an upright posture, nearly tripping over the lower beam of the lift. She desperately windmilled her
arms to regain her balance. Ben grabbed her elbow just in time to keep her from falling backwards.
“Don’t fall on your ass-y there, Cassie,” Kevin said, that dimple flashing in his cheek.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Just her luck that the cutest guy she’d met in a while would catch her acting the fool with her goofball brothers.
“You know Kevin already?” Ben frowned at her in surprise. “We just hired him. Mechanic and backup pilot. He’s an old Air Force buddy, former stunt pilot and general all-around mechanical badass.”
Oh God. Of course Kevin worked here. What else would an airplane mechanic be doing in Jupiter Point?
“I…uh…we met at Barstow’s the other night. Briefly.” She shook off Ben’s hand and stepped away from the lift. “So you’re the new mechanic.” Cassie winced at the way she sounded two steps behind everyone else. “Uh, welcome aboard.”
“Thanks.” Kevin walked toward them, so sexy with his loose, long-limbed stride that her heart fluttered. And she was not the fluttery type, not usually. Right now, she felt like fanning herself, like some kind of southern debutante. He wore black jeans and the black leather jacket that set off his Black Irish good looks to pretty devastating effect. “It’s good to be here.”
He and Ben exchanged a back-slapping hug, then he shook Tobias’s hand. “Good to see you again.”
He turned to Will and stuck out his hand. “Kevin O’Donnell.”
“Will Knight. Good of you to bail out my brothers. They’ve been doing their own maintenance and the stress is killing me.”
“Happy to help out the Knight family.” His gaze slid to Cassie, and she caught an extra gleam in his eye meant for her. Oh Lord, if she actually did this—started her own shop—they were both going to be working in this hangar.
Together.
Okay, maybe not exactly together. But close enough.
She had to get a handle on this situation before things got too weird. “Hey Kevin, do you have a second?” She glanced at her brothers. “Unless you guys need him right away?”
“Nope.” Ben threw up his hands. “He’s all yours. Just send him our way when you’re done. There’s some paperwork he needs to fill out.”
Will looked at his watch. “I have a meeting with Mom anyway. She’s really throwing herself into this—” At Cassie’s warning glance, he caught himself just in time. Kevin O’Donnell didn’t need to hear the details about the murder or Will’s investigation. That was private Knight family business. “Into this engagement-party planning,” he finished.
“Who’s getting married?” Kevin asked. Was it Cassie’s imagination, or did he give her another quicksilver glance? Was he worried she might be the one getting engaged?
Ben raised his hand. “That would be me. Remember I used to talk about the girl who crushed my heart under her shoe like a water bug?”
Kevin nodded, one eyebrow lifting.
“That’s my Julie!” he said cheerfully. “We’re blissfully happy now. Getting married.”
“Glad it worked out. Look forward to hearing all about it.” With that dimple flashing again, Kevin watched her brothers troop out of the hangar. Then he turned to her, thumbs tucked into the belt loops of his jeans. “So what’s up, Cassie Knight? I had no clue you were related to my new bosses, by the way.”
“Believe me, I didn’t either.” She cleared her throat. “Which is why it’s probably a good idea to get on the same page from the start. Well, not the start, since that would have been—”
“The other night,” he said calmly. “When we almost kissed.”
Cassie winced. “Yeah, that would be the one. But maybe we could just skip over that particular moment. We can start with this one instead. See, I didn’t know this was going to happen.” She waved at the lift. “My brothers just gave it to me, part of a shop starter kit. It’s kind of a dream come true. I don’t want to mess it up with any awkwardness with my fellow mechanics.”
“Awkwardness, huh?”
“Yes, because we did almost kiss, and I can see how you might think, based on the way I acted, that I might be interested in more of the same, but—”
Wincing, he threw up a hand to stop her. “I get it. You don’t have to completely decimate my ego. I see where you’re going with this but we’re good, Cassie Knight.”
“Oh.” She stared at him. “Oh no, I mean—your ego shouldn’t feel decimated. You’re very attractive. In general, and to me specifically. Extremely so. It’s not that.”
He lifted one eyebrow at her, and she felt heat flood her face.
“Not that you needed to know that. But now you do. So, uh—”
He stepped toward her and it felt as if an electric swarm of bees sprang to life between them. “Just in case it needs to be said, it’s mutual. Extremely so.”
Her face heated even more, and now her nipples were getting into the act too. She felt them harden and tingle. Oh lordy, this man…
“But I can see the problem. We’re both going to be in here with our tools. Flat on our backs, sometimes. Could be trouble.”
She laughed, her heart fluttering all over again at the idea of them both on their backs, side by side. “Exactly my point. Also, you’re working for my brothers.”
“True. I haven’t started yet, though. Until I fill out that paperwork, I’m not on the job yet.”
“That’s a good point.” Wait…was it? She didn’t know anymore. All she knew was that a powerful magnetic pull kept tugging her toward him. And that his eyes were gleaming at her, his mouth curving, and that almost-kiss kept haunting her…
She swayed toward him. One kiss…surely one kiss couldn’t hurt anything. Anyway, it would just be the second half of the kiss they’d begun the other night. Just the other shoe dropping, so to speak.
His head bent over her, his eyes darkening with desire as he scanned her face.
“Cassie!” Ben burst into the hangar.
Kevin and Cassie sprang apart, probably looking guilty as hell, even though they hadn’t done a thing.
“We were just, um…” she floundered.
“Agreeing on some ground rules,” said Kevin, thankfully rescuing her. “Mechanics’ rules. Making sure we don’t get in each other’s way in here.”
“Okaaaay.” Ben looked as if he wanted to ask a million nosy questions, but he refrained. “Cassie, Mom’s trying to reach you. Is your phone off?”
She startled and checked her phone. Sure enough, the ringer was off. How the heck had that happened? She was usually meticulous about keeping it on, in case of emergency.
“Is she okay?” Worry seized her, the way it always did when something happened with her mom. In the last few years, the scares had become so much less frequent. But her fear might never go away.
“Yeah, yeah, nothing like that. She wants to talk about dinner.“
“Oh. Sure. Tell her I’ll call her right back.”
Ben left again, whistling some tune that probably had a hidden meaning, but she was too rattled to figure it out. Being surrounded with family was new to her. For so long it had just been her and her mom.
“So.” She looked back at Kevin, who was watching her curiously.
“Family troubles?” he asked softly.
She waved it off, since she never talked about her mother with anyone other than doctors. “It’s all good. Anyway, we’re on the same page, right?”
“A hundred percent. You don’t need to worry about me. I’m here for the planes, that’s it.”
Her heart lifted. Then it dipped. Why did such an attractive man have to be someone she had to avoid? Just her luck.
She stuck out her hand to seal the deal. They shook on it, while a current of turbo-charged energy shot up her arm.
She snatched her hand away. “Great. See you around, Kevin.”
He didn’t answer beyond a smile.
4
After Cassie left, practically fleeing for the exit, Kevin took a few moments to get his arousal under control. No dou
bt, this was going to be a big problem. Nothing he couldn’t handle, of course. He was a lot more cautious than he used to be. Sexual attraction was great—sign him up—but other things were more important. He’d learned that lesson at the age of nineteen, when Sylvie had gotten pregnant.
The two of them had shared intense sexual chemistry—although part of it might have been their age. Compatibility? Shared goals and dreams? Pffft. They’d never even talked about that stuff before they were all of a sudden raising a baby.
So yeah, he knew better than to follow his cock wherever it led him. But that didn’t mean it didn’t try.
When it came to Cassie, it definitely wanted a say.
He drew in a few deep breaths and wrestled his body back in line. Job. Paycheck. Stable life for Holly. Focus on what matters.
When he had a grip on things, he headed for the Knight and Day office, which was across a short stretch of the tarmac. A black Jetta peeled out of the gravel parking lot—was that Cassie?
An inner smile spread through him as it sank in once again. He’d found Cassie. In the last place he would have expected. Of course she was off-limits. They were going to be strictly co-workers. Not even co-workers, actually, just two people working at the same location. Contemporaneously.
But still—he’d found her, and that was better than having no idea if he was going to see her again.
When he reached the office, he caught the sound of serious voices having an intense discussion. He paused, not wanting to interrupt something important.
“I hope this isn’t too much for Mom.” He recognized Ben’s voice. “She’s been doing so well, I’d hate to send her over the edge.”
“Cassie knows the warning signs,” another voice murmured. Tobias or Will, he couldn’t tell, since he didn’t know them as well. “She’ll let us know.”
“Yeah, but how fair is that? Hasn’t she been playing guardian angel long enough?” Kevin heard the frustration in Ben’s voice.
“Yeah, she has. The difference is, now she’s not alone.”
“Does she know that? She doesn’t tell us jack shit.”
Too Hot to Handle Page 3
