Unraveling Him: A Small Town Family Romance (The Bailey Brothers Book 3)

by Claire Kingsley

  A jolt of heat hit me right between the legs. If I’d had the audacity to do it, I probably could have gotten myself off right there in the hallway. It would have been the fastest orgasm ever.

  Instead, I watched, my clit pulsing with unrelieved pressure.

  The mirror started to fog from the top down. I could still see his hand working that thick cock. His body stiffened, his hand moved faster, and heat swept through me as I watched him come.

  Guilt slammed into me, like I’d been doused with a bucket of cold water. I shouldn’t have stayed to watch. I shouldn’t have peeked in the first place.

  But as I walked away, I couldn’t help imagining the impossible. Walking into that bathroom before he’d finished. Stripping off my clothes. Getting in the shower with him, pressing my front to his back. Reaching around to stroke him the way he’d stroked himself—only better. Finishing him while he growled with pleasure.

  God, this was the worst. Maybe this was the harm in indulging in sex fantasies about a guy I’d never have. The inability to control myself and act like a decent human when presented with the tiniest bit of temptation.

  Okay, a huge, thick, throbbing temptation.

  Still.

  I darted into his room and grabbed my towel off his bed. In his grumpy, standoffish way, Evan had been nothing but nice to me. He’d gone above and beyond, giving me not only a place to fix my car, but a place to stay. And I was so grateful for that. I needed to stop letting my mind go to that place—the place of the impossible, where Evan and I…

  It wasn’t going to happen. And that was okay. Like I’d told myself a million times, I was only passing through.

  16

  Fiona

  I was starting to lose confidence in my plan.

  Three days ago, I’d been riding high on success. I’d replaced the clutch—go, me!—and put my car back together. Once I’d double-checked to make sure every bolt was secure, I’d taken it out for a test drive.

  First gear felt great. Good job, Fiona!

  Second gear like a dream. I was such a badass!

  It slid right into third. Hell yes, I did that by myself!

  And fourth.

  Fourth gear was where it all fell apart. Almost literally.

  Slip. Grind. Slip. Grind. No fourth gear.

  I’d driven back to Evan’s shop and he’d confirmed the bad news. It wasn’t just the old clutch causing the problem. The transmission was shot, too.

  That had left me with no other choice but to stay a few more days so I could replace the entire transmission. And my bank account was not thanking me.

  In fact, things were looking rather dire.

  So here I sat, in the window booth in the Bigfoot Diner, staring at a little group of squirrels on the sidewalk outside and questioning all my life choices.

  I picked at the fries left on my plate. Evan had needed to come into town, so I’d asked if I could join him. I didn’t want to be in his way more than necessary, but I’d also needed to get out of the shop and away from my car. It was almost finished, but it had cost more than I had to spare. So I needed some space to think.

  What were my options? I could push on to Iowa. It was roughly a twenty-eight-hour drive from here, more with stops. I didn’t think I could drive that far by myself without stopping somewhere to sleep, which meant another night in a motel. Which meant money. And I had to eat. I had enough cash left that I could make it, but I was one flat tire away from disaster. If anything else went wrong, I’d be screwed.

  If I went home, I could go back to my job. Pick up where I left off and start getting a paycheck again, albeit a small one, considering my dad was a cheapskate. But it would mean an immediate source of income.

  That didn’t work either. I couldn’t go back, not even temporarily. If I went home, I’d only wind up caught in Dad’s web again. That wasn’t going to happen.

  Which left a third possible option. Stay in Tilikum. Get a temporary job. Save a little money. Then continue on to Iowa.

  The squirrels outside scattered when a guy came down the sidewalk, distracting me from my thoughts. I recognized him, which was such a funny feeling, considering this wasn’t my town.

  It was Luke Haven.

  He caught my eye through the window and I looked away quickly. Even without the feud between his family and Evan’s, I doubted Luke liked me very much. I’d taken the Pontiac right out from under him. It hadn’t been personal, of course, but I had a feeling the fact that he’d lost out to Evan Bailey made it worse.

  So I had no idea why he veered back to the diner entrance, walked right to my booth, and sat down.

  “Hey.” He cast a wary glance around the restaurant, like he wasn’t sure if he should be seen here.

  “Hi. Look, about the Pontiac—”

  He held up a hand. “You don’t have to explain. You knew how to work that deal better than I did and you won fair and square. The fact that it was for a Bailey…” He shrugged. “Shitty, but probably not your fault.”

  I let out a relieved breath. I knew Evan hated Luke, but he didn’t seem so bad. “So your family is really feuding with the Baileys?”

  “Yep. Have been for generations.”

  “That doesn’t strike you as strange? To perpetuate a feud for no reason other than that’s the way it’s always been?”

  One corner of his mouth hooked. “It’s just who we are.”

  “But you don’t hold a grudge against me? You probably should, you know. Evan wouldn’t have known about the Pontiac if I hadn’t told him.”

  “I guess Evan Bailey takes up my full capacity for grudge-holding. Besides, not many people manage to beat me at my own game. I respect that.”

  I had to admit, I preened a little at his comment. “Thanks.”

  “So what’s your deal? Do you work for Evan?”

  “Oh, no, I don’t work for him.” But wouldn’t that have been a nice solution wrapped in a big, broody package? “I’m just passing through, really. Not sure how long I’ll be here.”

  “Maybe someone needs to give you a reason to stay.”

  I couldn’t tell if that was meant to be flirtatious or not. Did I want it to be flirtatious? Luke was a good-looking guy. Really good-looking, if I was being honest. And despite the fact that Evan hated him, he seemed nice.

  “I don’t know, maybe,” I said. “I do think I’ll need to stay longer than I’d planned, but I haven’t figured out how to make everything work yet. That’s sort of why I’m sitting here picking at my fries. You know, contemplating my future with greasy food.”

  “You seem like you have a lot weighing on you.”

  I couldn’t disagree with him there. “Yeah, I do. But I’ll figure it out.”

  “Would a job help?”

  “A job?”

  “Yeah. You obviously know cars. And I’d rather have you on my side next time, rather than working against me.” He winked.

  “Wow. This is really unexpected.” That was an understatement. “What kind of a job?”

  “Finding deals on project cars and parts. Helping me get the best price. Probably other things, depending on what you’re good at.”

  I hesitated, not sure what to say. “I guess… I need a little time to think about it, if that’s okay.”

  “Sure. No pressure. I threw this at you out of nowhere, so I don’t expect you to give me an answer right this second. But think about it. Maybe we could—” Something out the window caught his eye and he stopped short. “Shit.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Here comes the feud.”

  Gavin and a man who had to be another Bailey came into the diner and sauntered down the aisle to my booth. Neither of them looked particularly hostile, although the one I didn’t know stopped next to the table and shot Luke an annoyed glare. Gavin slid onto the bench seat next to me.

  “Hey, Fiona,” he said, draping his arm on the back of the seat behind me. “How’s it going?”

  “Fine. How are you?”

 
He grabbed a fry off my plate and popped it in his mouth. “I’m great, now. We missed you at dinner on Tuesday, didn’t we, Logan?”

  “We sure did,” Logan said. Crossing his arms, he leaned against the edge of the booth on Luke’s side. “Move on, Haven, you’re in my seat.”

  Luke’s mouth twitched in a grin. “I’m not finished talking to Fiona.”

  “And yet, you really are,” Logan said.

  Luke met my eyes, his lips pressed together, like he found the Bailey’s intrusion more amusing than anything. He exuded confidence, despite being outnumbered by his rivals. “I’ll talk to you again soon.”

  I smiled. “Okay. Bye, Luke.”

  He got up, but Logan didn’t quite move out of his way. Luke had to slide past him to get by, but that didn’t seem to faze him, either.

  Logan dropped onto the other side of the booth and grabbed a fry off my plate. “Hey. I’m Logan. That was well played.”

  “What was well played?” I asked.

  “Pretending to be nice to Luke.”

  “I wasn’t pretending. Did you guys come in here just to hassle him?”

  “Yeah, obviously,” Logan said, like I’d asked a silly question.

  “You know that’s weird, right?”

  Logan shrugged. “He and his brothers would have done the same thing if one of us was in their diner. Plus, it’s not just that he’s a Haven. In case you aren’t aware, you were just sitting at a table with Evan’s mortal enemy.”

  “Oh, I know.” He grabbed another fry, so I swiped it from him. “I watched them get in a fight in a diner, then helped Evan buy a rare Pontiac right out from under Luke’s nose.”

  “We like her, don’t we?” Logan asked with a half-smile.

  “Fuck yes, we like her,” Gavin said. “I like your nose ring, by the way. I don’t think I told you that the first time we met.”

  “Um, thanks?”

  “Where is the big guy, anyway?” Logan asked.

  “He said he had to take care of a few things in town and he’d meet me here later.”

  “I’m just glad we saw you through the window,” Gavin said. “Evan would have lost his shit if he came in and saw you sitting with Luke.”

  “It’s not really Evan’s business who I talk to, now is it?”

  “Doesn’t mean it wouldn’t piss him off,” Gavin said. “He’s pretty territorial.”

  I was about to say, I’m not anyone’s territory—which I really wasn’t—but there was something archaically appealing about that. Keep away, she’s Evan Bailey’s.

  Although I had a feeling a guy like Luke would be territorial, too.

  “Anyway, what are you doing tonight?” Gavin asked, his tone full of suggestion. “We should totally go out.”

  “Gav, I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Logan said.

  “Why not? Evan doesn’t get dibs just because he saw her first.”

  Logan’s gaze swung to me. “Don’t mind him, he’s just messing with you because he has a death wish.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “It doesn’t matter, because a date with anyone is basically the last thing on my agenda right now,” I said. “Sorry, Gavin.”

  He let out a sigh. “That’s okay. My heart will heal. Someday.”

  Logan rolled his eyes. “Aren’t you still dating what’s-her-name?”

  “Naw, we broke up.”

  “That’s too bad,” I said.

  He took a fry off my plate and stuck it in his mouth. “Yeah, it kind of sucks, but whatever.”

  “Already?” Logan asked. “I swear, you spend more time chasing girls than you do actually dating them once you convince them to go out with you.”

  Gavin lifted his eyes, like he was thinking about that. “That’s probably true.”

  Logan shook his head.

  A girl with long blond hair, wearing a pink cardigan and cropped jeans, walked over to our table. She smiled, showing off perfect white teeth. “Hi, guys. Have you seen Evan?”

  A flare of something that could not possibly be jealousy erupted in my chest. My cheeks warmed and I chewed the inside of my lip to keep my expression neutral. What the heck was wrong with me?

  Logan glanced at Gavin, his forehead creasing. “Uh, no.”

  The girl’s shoulders slumped and her lower lip protruded in a little pout. “Hmm. Well, if you see him, can you tell him to call Jill?”

  “Sure,” Logan said.

  She smiled again. “Thanks. I’ll see you guys later.”

  Logan swiveled in his seat, watching her leave, then whipped around again. “Do we know her?”

  “Yeah, I’ve seen her around,” Gavin said.

  “Is Evan going out with her?”

  Gavin shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe. It’s not like he tells us anything.”

  Was Evan dating her? We’d been on the road together for days, and he hadn’t said a word about a girlfriend. I hadn’t noticed him texting a lot and he certainly hadn’t made very many phone calls. Maybe they’d been dating and broken up and she wanted to get him back. Or maybe they’d been out a few times but it hadn’t developed beyond that yet, and she was hoping it would.

  Either way, I did not like the idea of Evan dating her. Not one bit.

  Why? No idea. She just looked so wrong for him. I didn’t know why—who was I to judge what was right for him?—but I was sure of it. She was pretty in a sorority-girl kind of way, with a nice smile and gorgeous hair. But there was something about her.

  As if on cue, Evan appeared on the sidewalk outside. Even with no one to glare at, his eyes were narrowed and he had that intense groove between his eyebrows. He was a storm cloud, dark and ominous, casting a broad shadow wherever he went.

  Jill walked out the door just as Evan was about to come in. He rocked backward a half step, but his expression didn’t change. Jill bounced onto her tiptoes a couple of times, all bouncy hair and flirty smiles.

  Evan’s brothers kept talking, but I wasn’t paying attention. I was too busy trying to put words in Jill’s mouth. What was she saying to him out there? Did he like her? It was impossible to tell anything by his face, but that was always the case. Evan might as well have been carved from stone. Broody, stormy, grumpy stone.

  He said something, but I couldn’t read his lips any better than I could read his expression. Was it I’ll call you? Maybe See you tonight? Hopefully something more like No thanks, I’m busy. Whatever it was, it ended their conversation. Jill left in the opposite direction.

  Evan came in and even if my eyes hadn’t been trained on him, I would have known he was there. His presence was palpable, as if he displaced so much air that it pressed against me, gentle but insistent.

  I bet his lips were gentle but insistent. That lower lip of his was very plump.

  God, why was I thinking about Evan’s lips? I had a busted transmission and a cash-flow crisis, and here I was staring at the man’s mouth.

  Logan looked up as Evan approached the booth. “Hey, brodozer.”

  He seemed to ignore Logan, fixing his stare on Gavin—who still had his arm draped on the back of the booth behind me.

  “You’re supposed to call Jill,” Gavin said, emphasizing her name.

  Evan’s nostrils flared and I heard the hint of a growl coming from deep in his throat.

  Logan watched his brothers, clearly amused.

  “What are you guys doing here?” Evan asked.

  “Keeping Fiona company,” Gavin said. “We also rescued her from Luke. You’re welcome.”

  Evan’s eyes darted to me. “You saw Luke?”

  “Yeah, but it was fine.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  Was I imagining things, or was Evan reacting with concern instead of anger? He couldn’t be.

  But there was no rage in those whiskey-brown eyes.

  “Positive. He doesn’t have any hard feelings about the Pontiac. He actually said he was impressed, not mad.”

  Evan’s eye twitched and I wonder
ed if he believed me. “Good. You ready?”

  “Yeah, I’m done.”

  “I can take her,” Gavin said. “What do you think, Fiona? We can go grab some dessert first.”

  “No,” Evan said, his voice low.

  “I’m pretty sure she can make her own decisions, bro,” Gavin said.

  “I know she can. I’m making your decision, and it’s no.”

  “I’ll save you the trouble of playing a game of who’s the alpha brother,” I said. “I need to get back to Evan’s shop. I still have a lot of work to do.”

  “All right, that’s fair.” Gavin said, sliding out of the booth so I could get up. “But it’s definitely me.”

  Logan laughed. “Yeah, right.”

  “It was nice meeting you, Logan,” I said. “Bye, Gavin.”

  “Bye, Fiona,” Gavin said. “Call me.”

  I just shook my head and left with Evan.

  We drove back to his place, the roar of his motorcycle preventing conversation. I hadn’t said anything about Luke offering me a job. But what was I supposed to say? I already knew he’d tell me not to take it. And a part of me felt like a traitor for even considering it.

  But their weird family feud didn’t have anything to do with me. Why did I have to choose a side?

  I needed a job. Luke had seen something in me that had made him want to hire me, despite the fact that I’d helped his rival. Wasn’t that worth something?

  But if I took it, would Evan see it as a betrayal to our friendship? Was I willing to take that risk?

  I was so confused.

  Riding on the back of his motorcycle with my arms around his waist wasn’t helping.

  I liked Evan. But I had no idea if he liked me, or if he was just trying to discharge the debt he felt he owed me.

  One thing I knew for sure: Whether I took Luke’s offer or not, I was going to figure this out on my own. I’d helped Evan, and he’d helped me. The last thing I was going to do was ask him for anything more.

  17

  Evan

  After our trip to town, I left Fiona in the shop to finish up her car while I took Sasquatch out for a trail walk. I needed it as much as he did—needed space and fresh air to clear my head. I had too much bouncing around up there. It was distracting, keeping me from making good progress on the Pontiac.