by Tonya Brooks
His powerful chest and arms were encased in a form fitting black T-shirt that showed off every muscle to perfection. Her body tingled as she vividly recalled being held so tightly against them. It was all she could do not to shiver at the deliciously dangerous air that surrounded him. Yeah, there was something wickedly appealing about bad boys and Harley wasn't as immune as she'd thought.
“Hello, Matthew,” she said softly.
Matthew. No one except his mother had ever dared call him that more than once. No one. But he didn't bother to correct her. The way she said his name whispered over him like a lovers caress. There was no way in hell Matt was gonna complain about that. He could almost hear her voice crying his name in the heat of passion and fought to push the unwanted image firmly from his mind.
“Harley,” he greeted huskily as his eyes ate her alive behind the mirrored lenses of his shades. Why the hell did she have to be so damn beautiful? And so damn young? And why the hell did he have to want her so damn much?
“Thanks for loaning me your shirt,” she said as she handed it to him through the open window. Harley really hated to give the shirt back to him. She had slept in it for the last three nights just so she could breathe in the lingering scent of his cologne and imagine herself in his arms again. Yeah, she had it bad, but damn he was completely irresistible.
“No problem,” he said in a more normal tone and tossed the shirt in the back seat. Ah, hell. It smelled like her perfume, Matt realized in dismay. Like he needed something else to remind him of her. Hell, he couldn't get her out of his head like it was, and his dreams were even worse. The things he'd done to her in them last night had kept him in a state of arousal all day. His hungry gaze settled on her too kissable lips and noticed they were no longer swollen. “Simms giving you any problems?”
“Nothing I can't handle,” she said evasively.
He could tell that she was hiding something from him. “Tell me.” Matt commanded as he watched the breeze toy with her hair, brushing it softly against her cheek.
“He told everyone that he got in a fight with you Friday night to explain the black eye that I gave him,” she said in disgust, her fingers raking the blonde mane away from her face.
There was more to it than that. She was holding out on him for some reason. “And?” Matt prodded as his eyes followed the movement of her hand enviously. His fingers ached to run through those golden tresses. Hell, he'd love nothing better than to touch every mouthwatering inch of her.
“That's enough,” she said and looked away.
“Tell me, Harley,” he said patiently, his hungry gaze returning to her beautiful blue eyes again. That in itself was unusual. Matt was not known for his patience.
Harley knew she might as well tell him. The way gossip flew through town, he'd hear about it anyway. “He said the two of you were fighting over me, and after he kicked your ass, he... screwed me.” She informed him bluntly.
Midnight eyes flared with anger. Matt had just found an outlet for his frustration. He could care less what the bastard said about him, but he'd be damned if he'd let him spread lies about Harley. It was definitely time to teach Simms a lesson. “I'll handle it,” he said tersely.
“No, you won't,” she informed him flatly. “Nobody believes a word of it because it's obvious you'd kill him. But if you do fight with Charlie, then people will believe his story is true.”
She was right, but dammit, he had to do something and he didn't even question why he felt compelled to protect her. “There's no way in hell I'm gonna let him get away with lying about you like that.” Matt insisted stubbornly.
Harley’s heart melted at the realization that he was willing to fight for her, but she shook her head adamantly. “Please, let it go, Matthew.” She placed her hand on his arm where it rested atop the window ledge, her eyes imploring him not to make the situation any worse than it already was. “The last thing I want is more gossip.”
Matt stared into those incredible sapphire eyes and had to fight to draw air into his lungs. Her pleading gaze revealed a depth of vulnerability that called to his primal masculine instincts like nothing ever had before. He knew in that instant, that there was absolutely nothing he wouldn't do for her when she looked at him like that. Somehow, someway he was going to deal with Simms and still protect Harley from more gossip in the process. There was no way in hell he'd do anything to hurt her.
Not now, not ever.
~~~~
“Hey, bro.” Mark Baker said as he opened the passenger door and dropped tiredly into the seat. “Harley!” He exclaimed in surprise when he recognized the female on the opposite side of the car. Dark chocolate eyes narrowed suspiciously when he saw her hand on his brother’s arm and their faces so close together.
“Hi, Mark. You played a great game Friday.” As usual, Harley said the first thing that popped into her head as she guiltily snatched her hand away.
“Thanks,” he said with a frown. The ridiculous gossip that had been circulating about a fight between his brother and Charlie Simms suddenly began to seem like more than a rumor. “I didn't know you knew Matt.”
“I don't,” she denied hastily. Lord, it wouldn't do for anybody to think there was any truth to the rumors. “I, uh, just didn't want him to think that I had anything to do with Charlie's... delusions.”
That made sense. Everybody knew his brother wasn't one to forgive and forget, and he usually demanded some form of retribution from his enemies. Sane people did not try to get on Matt's shit list. Mark nodded his understanding. “Don't sweat it,” he advised. “Nobody believes anything Charlie says. Right, Matt?”
“Right,” his brother agreed absently. He could still feel the heat from her gentle touch on his arm. God, how he wanted to feel her hands all over his body.
“I'd better get to Ted's before I'm late for work,” she said as she backed away from the car. “See you tomorrow, Mark. Bye, Matthew.”
The brothers watched appreciatively as she turned and walked away, offering them an excellent view of her perfectly round bottom encased in skin tight denim. “She is so hot!” Mark said hungrily.
Matt refrained from commenting and resisted the urge to smack his brother for stating the obvious. Instead, he cranked the car and drove through the parking lot, keeping an eye on her in the rear view mirror. Dammit, she was hot. Too hot for his peace of mind. Teenage males usually had one thing on their mind and Matt was no exception. He understood exactly why Mark wanted her so much.
“So, what did you think of my Harley, Matthew?” Mark asked curiously, even as he reminded his brother that he had already staked a claim on her. It never crossed Mark's mind that Matt wouldn't be interested in Harley. A man would have to be dead not to want her. The brothers were so close that they shared everything, including women. But Harley was different. He'd been chasing her for too long to lose her to his brother of all people.
Matt heard the warning and it didn't surprise him. No man in his right mind would want to share a woman like Harley. Without taking his eyes off of her, he punched Mark in the shoulder with deadly accuracy and warned, “Don't call me that.”
“You didn't hit her.” Mark complained as he rubbed his aching shoulder, but he didn't retaliate since he'd asked for it. Nobody called him Matthew. He wondered why he'd let Harley get away with it… unless Matt really was interested in her. “And you didn't answer me.”
“I think she'd eat you alive,” he replied honestly and was stunned by the anger he felt at the thought of Harley with his brother.
“What?” Mark barked in surprise.
“She's too much woman for you, puppy.” Mark had followed him around like a puppy when they were younger, hence the nickname that he still called him and probably always would.
Stung by the comment, and not at all liking his brother’s interest in Harley, he demanded hotly, “I suppose you think you're man enough to handle her?”
Matt had no doubt that he was man enough and he sure as hell would enjoy the opportunity to
prove it, but... “She's jailbait,” he said flatly.
Mark's smile returned. His brother didn't mess around with minors, so he had no worries there. “Good. Harley's gonna be mine, and I'm not gonna share her with anyone. Not even you, big dog,” he informed him in satisfaction.
Matt barely resisted the urge to punch him again and settled for stepping on the accelerator with excessive force and letting the powerful engine roar like he'd built it to.
~~~~
The next morning Mark was waiting for Harley when she arrived at school. “Did ya hear the news?” He asked as he fell into step beside her.
“What news?”
“Somebody beat the hell out of Charlie last night,” he informed her cheerfully. “Coach found him blindfolded and staked out buck naked on the fifty yard line this morning.”
“You're kidding?” She exclaimed. Charlie took great pleasure in tormenting anyone unfortunate enough to catch his attention. It was nice to know that someone had dished out some well-deserved payback.
“He claims a half a dozen guys jumped him, but I don't think it would have taken more than one who knew what he was doing.” Mark assured her sagely.
“You think Matthew...” her voice trailed off because she knew it had to have been him. He was more than capable of committing such an act without any help, and he'd told her that he would handle it. It looked like he had found a way to do it and remain anonymous.
“It doesn't pay to piss my brother off. You were smart to make sure he knew you had nothing to do with the rumors.” Mark approved her fabrication and then felt compelled to add, “Not that Matt would ever hurt a woman, but he would have found a way to retaliate, if he'd thought you really were involved.”
Harley should have heeded the warning, but by this point she was too infatuated to care. Matthew had come to her rescue on Friday and now he had defended her honor. No one had ever done anything like that for her before. The fact that it was their secret made it all the more exciting. She practically floated to class and her head stayed in the clouds for the rest of the day.
~~~~
Wednesday afternoon, Matt entered the diner and sat at the counter. He hadn't been to Ted's in years, even though it was just a couple of blocks from the garage and a convenient place to eat. It didn't look like much had changed. Same old red padded booths with the same old people sitting in them. Even the menu was still the same, he realized in regret. Matt loved good food and Ted's had always been a little bland for his taste. But he wasn't really there for the food.
Yeah, he knew it was stupid to deliberately seek Harley out like this, but dammit, he couldn't get her out of his head. He had convinced himself that if he saw her again, she might do something to turn him off. Anything had to be better than this wanting and not being able to have. Hell, all he had to do was think about her and his body responded instantly. It had to stop.
“Harley,” he said in greeting as he perused the menu and tried not to stare at her. With her hair pulled back in a ponytail, she looked so young and innocent that he felt like some kind of lecherous pervert. Unfortunately, that did little to quench the desire he felt. Even now he wanted her like crazy and could barely keep his eyes off of her.
“I heard about Charlie,” she whispered with a knowing smile as she waited to take his order.
“I told you I'd handle it,” he admitted quietly and hid a grin at the memory of Simms staked out naked and crying like a baby. He'd said one thing and one thing only to the idiot before he'd left him there. 'Stay away from Harley or you won't live to regret it.' She shouldn't have a problem with Simms again.
“I can't believe you did it.” Harley said in amazement.
“I didn't.” Matt denied with a straight face. “According to Simms there were at least six guys.”
“Yeah, right,” she snorted in disbelief. “You wouldn't have needed any help.”
He laughed softly at her confidence in his ability to handle the jerk. “He's not giving you a problem is he?”
“Nope. I passed him in the hall today and he looked like he was gonna faint when he saw me,” she assured him cheerfully. “I'm not sure what you did to cause that reaction, but I owe you one, Matthew.”
He wasn't about to tell her how she could repay him. Just the thought of it had him shifting on the stool, his jeans unbearably tight. “I'll settle for a cheeseburger. Lot's of ketchup.”
~~~~
Sunday morning he arrived with his two best friends and they sat in a booth at the back. The three of them had spent the night camping at the river and were still too drunk to go home. Timmy had suggested that breakfast might help sober them up and Matt had insisted on going to Ted's. This gave him the perfect excuse to see Harley again. He'd already given up on the familiarity breeds contempt theory and admitted to himself that he just wanted to see her again.
“I saw Cheryl out with someone else last night.” Harley informed him merrily as she stopped at their table.
“Thank God,” he breathed a sigh of relief and heard his friends laugh. Hopefully she'd leave him the hell alone now.
Harley smiled in amusement. “I take it you finally told her to go to hell,” she deduced.
“Damn straight,” he admitted in a cocky tone, but the regret shown in his eyes.
“Did she cry?” She couldn't help asking.
“Yeah, so I hung up on her.” Matt confessed.
“You told her over the phone? That's cold, Matthew,” she chided, eyes dancing with laughter.
He grinned devilishly. “If that hadn't worked, I'd planned to introduce her to Simms.”
Harley burst into laughter as she imagined the two of them together. “They'd make the perfect couple.”
Once she had their order, Matt's eyes followed her until she disappeared into the kitchen. He looked over at his friends who were watching him with identical expressions. “What?”
“I thought it was you that staked out Simms.” Gator Barnes admitted with a grin. Matt was the only guy he knew with enough balls to pull off a stunt like that.
“Damn, Matt. When did you start robbing the cradle?” Timmy Tyler teased. Matt hadn't dated high school girls even when he was in high school. His friend liked women with a hell of a lot more experience.
“Can't blame you a bit,” Gator added with a leer. “If I didn't think Jen would kill me, I'd go after Harley myself. That is one fine piece of ass.”
“Knock it off.” Matt growled in warning as he glared angrily at them both. It was bad enough that he was lusting after Harley, but he'd be dammed if he'd let his friends talk about her like that. “She's not a piece of ass. She's a lady, dammit.”
Timmy's eyebrows rose in surprise at the warning and the tone. He was really shocked to discover there was some truth to the rumors about Matt and Harley. His old friend did not mess around with jailbait and everybody knew it. “Why the hell didn't you tell us you'd hooked up with her?” He complained.
Ah, hell. This was bad. Now he was either gonna have to admit he was losing his damn mind or lie like hell. Matt chose to lie. “Mark's crazy about Harley,” he reminded them a bit tersely. “He didn't like Simms lying about her, so I handled it. End of story.”
The other two young men knew there wasn't anything the Baker brothers wouldn't do for each other, so the excuse was plausible enough to believe. They dropped the subject.
~~~~
Two weeks after their first meeting, she was seated on a bench in the park doing homework before her shift began. When she felt someone sit down on the bench located behind her, Harley didn't have to turn around to know who it was. She'd know his cologne anywhere. “Hello, Matthew,” she said softly.
“Harley.” Matt said as he opened the paper and pretended to read the sports page. Dammit, he knew he was playing with fire, but he'd been driving by and had stopped when he saw her. Instead of sitting in the tow truck staring at her like a freakin' pervert, he bought a paper and joined her as if by accident. Matt couldn't help himself. He was drawn t
o her like a moth to a flame and sooner or later, one of them was gonna get burned.
“Why are you here?” She asked curiously as she doodled hearts in the margin of her notebook. His frequent visits to the diner could be explained easily enough, but she couldn't think of a reason for him to be in the park unless it was just to see her. Her heart began to flutter in her chest at the thought.
“Damned if I know,” he admitted in complete honesty. “I just need to be near you.”
Her heart overflowed with love at the admission because Harley felt the same way. Matthew was all she thought about and she lived for the brief moments they spent together. “I'm still jailbait,” she pointed out.
“I know,” he sighed in resignation.
“Why is that so important?” Harley asked curiously.
“You haven't heard the rumors about my parents?”
“I know your mother died when you were young, but that's all.”
“Pop fell in love with my mom when she was seventeen and her dad caught them, uh... fooling around,” he explained the abbreviated version tactfully. “Since he was ten years older than mom, her dad had Pop arrested for statutory rape.”
“Oh, my God!” She exclaimed and turned around to stare at him in disbelief. “What did your dad do?”
“He convinced the judge that he wanted to marry my mom, but her dad wouldn't agree to it since he wanted to punish them both.” Matt said seriously. “The judge dropped the charges and married them himself.”
“It sounds romantic.”
“Pop didn't think so,” he admitted dryly. “Needless to say, he's always pounded it into my head to stay away from jailbait.”
“My mom wouldn't have you locked up.” Harley said confidently.
