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

by Claire Kingsley

  A woman came out to the front. She looked around my age, give or take, with dark blond hair and blue eyes that reminded me of Luke. I wondered if they were related.

  “Hi, can I help you?” she asked.

  “I’m Fiona Gallagher, here to see Luke if he’s in.”

  “Yeah, he’s in the back. I’ll go grab him for you.”

  “Thanks.”

  Luke came in from the garage, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, with the woman right behind him. He smiled when he saw me—yet another contrast. Evan wasn’t much of a smiler.

  “Hey, Fiona. It’s good to see you. This is my sister, Annika.” He gestured to the woman.

  “I wondered if you two might be related.” I glanced around. “You have a nice shop. I like all the photos.”

  “Thanks.” He gestured to the wall of cars. “Those are some of my favorites that we’ve done.”

  “I think I remember that Corvette. Didn’t you bring it to a show last year?”

  “Yeah, we did. Good memory.”

  “What about those?” I asked, gesturing to the vintage photos behind him.

  He turned to look. “I inherited those when I took over the shop from my great-uncle. I think they’re from the early 1900s. Those crazy bastards built their own race cars back then. Raced them on dirt tracks out in the hills.”

  “Early car racing was so dangerous. Look at the helmet on the guy in that one.” I pointed to a photo. “Would that even do anything if he crashed?”

  “Probably not. I don’t think they went very fast, but still. Plus, half the time the cars fell apart.”

  I laughed. “Can you imagine? Hugging the turn on a dirt track and a wheel goes flying.”

  “Yep. Like I said, they were crazy bastards. I think my great-aunt Alice told me who they were once, but I don’t remember. Annika, do you know?”

  “The only one I know for sure is him.” Annika pointed to the man in the leather helmet and goggles. “His name was John Haven. He won a bunch of races in that car without it falling apart, which was a big deal at the time. He was kind of a local celebrity.”

  “That kind of family history is so interesting to me,” I said. “I have no idea where my ancestors were in the early 1900s. I could probably figure it out on my dad’s side, but not my mom’s.”

  “Yeah, there’ve been Havens in Tilikum since it became a town,” Luke said. “Anyway, should we head back to my office?”

  “Sure, thanks. Nice to meet you, Annika.”

  She smiled. “You too.”

  He led me through his garage, full of the sound of power tools. I noticed he had a ’69 Mustang Boss. That was a badass car. Apparently he’d recovered from losing out on the Pontiac.

  His office was at the back, and he shut the door behind us, drowning out most of the noise.

  “Have a seat.” He gestured to a leather couch.

  I sat in one corner and he took the other. He had a large desk with an open laptop sitting out, a file cabinet, and a two-year old car calendar hanging on the wall. He had more framed photos of cars on display, including several with him in the driver’s seat.

  “How have you been?” he asked. “Figuring things out?”

  “Yes. To a point. I’ll be staying in Tilikum for a while, although my long-term plan is to move to Iowa where my mom lives. But for now, here I am.”

  The corners of his mouth lifted in a smile. “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “It seems like a nice place. Can’t be too bad, since your family’s been here so long and never left.”

  “Most of us are still here, yeah.” He crossed one leg over his knee. “Since you’re staying, have you thought about my offer?”

  “Yes. And I really appreciate it.”

  “But?”

  “But I’m taking a job somewhere else.”

  “Damn,” he said. “Mind if I ask where?”

  I hesitated before answering. “Evan hired me.”

  Irritation clouded his features and he glanced away. “Of course he did. Any excuse.”

  “It didn’t have anything to do with you offering me a job.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it did.”

  It was frustrating the way both men seemed to assume the other only saw value in me as a pawn in their rivalry. “He didn’t know you’d offered me a job. Believe it or not, Evan doesn’t spend all his time trying to find ways to screw you over.”

  “Could have fooled me.”

  “Doesn’t it go both ways? He thinks you take every opportunity to get at him. Are you sitting here plotting his demise, or do you actually have a business to run?”

  He let out a breath. “Are you sure? What’s he paying you? I guarantee I can beat it.”

  “Thanks, but I’ve really made up my mind. It’s not personal, it’s just what’s best for me right now.”

  “Damn,” he said again. “Not going to lie, I’m disappointed. I thought we’d work well together.”

  There was something in his voice, a hint of suggestion.

  “Well, thanks again. I do appreciate the offer.” I stood.

  “Let me know if anything changes.”

  He got up and made for the door, but instead of opening it for me, he paused, his hand on the doorknob. “Have you ever wondered what would have happened if you’d met me first?”

  “Luke, I get that you don’t like losing out to Evan, but I’m telling you, the feud or whatever is going on between the two of you didn’t have anything to do with his job offer.”

  “I’m not talking about the job.”

  “Then what are you talking about?”

  He shifted closer. “You. I like you, Fiona. You’re beautiful and you’re kind of a badass. To be honest, when I saw you in the diner the other day, I couldn’t decide whether to offer you a job or ask you out. I’m afraid I made the wrong call.”

  “No, you didn’t. I’m really not looking for a relationship right now.”

  “I know you said you’re not sure how long you’re staying. But dinner wouldn’t hurt, would it?”

  I hesitated while his eyes dipped to my mouth. What was this really about? Did he actually like me, or was I just a toy he was trying to take away from another kid he didn’t like?

  And how did I feel about him?

  It was impossible not to compare him to Evan. Broody and quiet versus friendly. Luke was attractive, sure, but he didn’t light a spark inside me the way Evan did.

  But there was also no indication that Evan was interested in me. My little fantasies were fun, but silly and unrealistic.

  Still.

  I was taking too long to answer and the next thing I knew, Luke’s lips were on mine.

  Oh shit. Luke Haven was kissing me.

  His kiss was restrained, like he didn’t want to crowd me. But it also felt uncertain. Which made sense. He was going out on a limb here. Of course he’d be uncertain about my response.

  Which, so far, was basically nothing. I wasn’t kissing him back, but I wasn’t stopping him either.

  He pulled away and placed a knuckle beneath my chin, tilting my face up. “What do you say?”

  “Luke, I’m sorry, but I just don’t—”

  “He doesn’t own you.”

  “No one said he did.”

  “You want to work for him, fine. But that doesn’t have to mean he gets all of you. Don’t let him dictate your personal life.”

  I stepped back. “Do you see him standing here? Because I don’t. Evan Bailey isn’t dictating anything. And why do I feel like you’re only doing this to try to take me away from him? So you can win.”

  “That’s not what’s going on.”

  “Really? He hires me, so what better way to stick it to him than try to date me.”

  “If you think he’d do anything differently, you’re kidding yourself. Ask him about Jill.”

  “Look, you guys have issues, fine. But you can’t use me to get back at him.”

  “Fiona, I—”

  “No. I have to g
o.”

  He was still in front of the door, and for a second, I wondered if I’d have to ask him to move before he’d let me leave. But he opened the door and stepped aside.

  I didn’t know what else to say to him, so I walked out without looking back.

  An uncomfortable mix of feelings swirled through me as I drove out of town. I’d come here expecting Luke to be disappointed in my answer. Maybe even mad at Evan.

  I hadn’t expected him to kiss me.

  And I really hadn’t expected to be kissed by an attractive man and feel… nothing.

  What would have happened if I’d met Luke first? What if Luke Haven had been the name I’d thought of, and I’d called him instead of Evan? Would I have become friends with Luke? Maybe. Would I have taken a job in his shop? Quite possibly.

  Would I have been attracted to him?

  No. Even with a different build-up, that kiss still wouldn’t have done anything for me.

  Besides, I had no illusions that Luke actually liked me. Or if he did, his get-back-at-Evan motivations were just as strong as any attraction he felt for me. And I had no interest in being a game piece in their rivalry.

  I turned onto Evan’s private road, my car bouncing as I climbed the hill. The shop came into view and as if he’d heard me coming, he wandered out of the garage, that broody brow furrow on full display.

  This was going to be interesting.

  23

  Fiona

  I parked in front of the shop and got out, trying to pretend like I didn’t have the memory of Luke’s kiss on my lips. Seeing Luke, being near him, even being kissed by him hadn’t made me feel much of anything. Not in any of the ways a man kissing a woman was supposed to make her feel. Mostly, I’d left feeling frustrated and a little bit used.

  Evan stood just outside the door, drying his hands on a clean rag. Even here, in the open air, he took up so much space. His essence pressed against me, making my heart race and a blush heat my cheeks. Just seeing him made a knot of conflicting emotions clench inside me.

  What would have happened if I’d met Luke first? I still would have been drawn to Evan, like a moth to a flame.

  To my detriment. Evan was impossible to crack. He was all hard lines and rough edges, every bit of him jagged. And determined to be alone.

  His eyes bored into me as I got out of my car. Was he angry that I’d gone? Worried that Luke had changed my mind?

  Sasquatch ran over to greet me, then followed close at my heel while I walked to the shop.

  “Everything okay?” Evan asked.

  “Yeah, fine.” I moved past him into the garage. “He wasn’t happy, but I expected that.”

  “He give you any trouble?”

  I hesitated. Was it any of his business that Luke had asked me out and kissed me? Despite the whirlwind of feelings he always managed to produce inside me, Evan and I weren’t dating. Not even close. He was a friend, and now I worked for him, but nothing about that relationship meant I had to tell him everything.

  Still. I felt like he needed to know.

  “No, he didn’t give me any trouble. He asked me out, though.”

  Evan’s jaw hitched, but he didn’t respond.

  “And he kissed me.”

  Save for an almost imperceptible twitch of his eye, his face didn’t change. He took a breath, his nostrils flaring, and when he spoke his voice was dangerously low. “He what?”

  “I didn’t ask him to. And I turned him down. The job, a date, the kiss, everything.”

  He didn’t move, just stared at me. No growling or rolling his eyes. No stalking off and turning up the music, effectively ending the conversation. Just those whiskey-brown eyes looking right through me.

  Without warning, he closed the distance between us. One second he was staring me down and the next his arm hooked around my waist, hauling me against him. His other hand gripped my hair and tilted my face up.

  His mouth landed on mine like a storm breaking—strong and powerful. There was no hesitation, no holding back. He forcibly parted my lips with his tongue, delving into my mouth like he owned me.

  My heart hammered in my chest and for a second, my mind went blank. Evan Bailey was kissing me. Kissing me hard and possessive, like no one had ever kissed me before. He lit my body on fire, sending heat through my veins, rushing to my core.

  Except… wait.

  Planting my palms on his chest, I pushed him away. A throb of need jolted through me at the loss of contact—my body wasn’t happy. But my brain was catching up and I was not going to be the toy these two boys fought over on the playground.

  “What the fuck?” I asked, breathing hard. “I tell you some guy kissed me and that’s your response?”

  He licked his lower lip and I almost dropped dead on the floor. Why did he have to be so freaking sexy? I was trying to protect my heart, here.

  “You don’t want me to?”

  “I don’t want to be the object of a game of I licked it, so it’s mine. How do I know you didn’t do that just because you’ll fight Luke over anything?”

  He stepped close again, crowding me with his size. “That kiss was because I’ll fight Luke over anything. Especially you. But this one’s because I fucking want you so bad I can’t take it anymore.”

  His huge hands took control of me, one splaying across my lower back, the other fisting in my hair. He jerked my head back, and without conscious thought, my body submitted, going slack in his arms.

  The slow sweep of his tongue through my mouth wasn’t possessive this time. It was filthy. A promise of more, of things I didn’t even know I wanted. He kissed me like he wanted to devour me whole. Like he’d never tasted anything better.

  And he didn’t stop. With his hand still wrapped around my hair, and his huge body pressed against me, he kissed the breath right out of my lungs.

  The scratch of his stubble against my skin and warmth of his mouth tangling with mine stirred me into a frenzy. I clutched at his shirt, kissing him back with as much ferocity as he gave. I was frustrated, and confused, and so turned on I wanted to straddle one of his thighs and dry hump myself to orgasm right here.

  He stopped just as abruptly as he’d begun, lifting his mouth from mine. His grip on my hair loosened, but he didn’t let me go. Just focused all that dark intensity on my face, his gaze piercing through my soul.

  “This isn’t about him,” he said, his voice husky. “You’ve been driving me insane. If you want me to stop, I’ll stop. But I want you. I don’t want to want anyone, but fuck it. I can’t resist you anymore.”

  “Are you sure? Because if you’re just reacting to what he did—”

  “I wouldn’t lie to you.”

  I swallowed hard. I knew I was about to douse us both with cold water, but I had to know. “Then tell me the truth about Jill.”

  “Jill? What about her?”

  “I told Luke he was only asking me out to get back at you for giving me a job. He said you’d do the same thing, and he told me to ask you about Jill.”

  “Jesus,” he muttered, dropping his arms. Taking a step back, he shook his head. “All right. Truth. Jill gave me her number in a bar once and I blew her off. Then I saw her in town and Luke was flirting with her. So I decided to cockblock him. I told her I’d lost her number and asked for it again. Then I kissed her in front of him. But in my defense, she kissed me first.”

  “That’s a dick move, Evan.”

  “I know.” He glanced away. “It was a stupid thing to do. Luke had just stolen a big client from me, and I was pissed. I saw an opportunity for revenge, and I took it.”

  “You know you should probably apologize to her.”

  “I did. That day at the diner. She came out and asked why I was avoiding her. I told her I was sorry for making her think I was interested.”

  “Well, that’s good at least.”

  “Fiona,” he said, his deep voice reverberating through me. He stepped closer and touched my face. “You’re not another Jill. Me wanting you has no
thing to do with him. I promise. I’m a man of my word. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

  A lump rose in my throat. I wouldn’t lie to you. I believed him. I believed he was a man of his word and after everything I’d been through, it meant more to me than I knew how to say.

  “This wasn’t supposed to happen,” I whispered.

  “You’re telling me.”

  “What do we do now?”

  He licked his bottom lip again and then he did something that truly blew me away. He smiled. The corners of his mouth lifted enough that I got a flash of teeth. “Let’s stop talking about Luke and Jill.”

  Without waiting for me to reply, he kissed me again. The truth of what was happening slowly sank in as his lips worked their magic.

  Evan wanted me.

  Wanted me for what, and for how long, I didn’t know. But in this moment, my body gloried in the feel of his mouth on mine. His hands roaming over my body. The hard planes of muscle pressing against me, his arms wrapped around me. He was warm and hard and rough and soft and I wanted every bit of him.

  The ache between my legs grew as his velvety tongue made obscene promises in my mouth. My nipples hardened, tingling at the contact with his chest, even through layers of fabric. Just a kiss and he was unraveling me.

  But this wasn’t just a kiss any more than Niagara Falls was just a waterfall.

  He grabbed my hair again and tilted my head to the side, exposing my neck. His lips traced a hot trail down my skin while he splayed his hand on my ass and pulled me tighter against him.

  All these clothes were really getting in the way.

  His mouth returned to mine and his hand trailed down, pausing to palm my breast. He squeezed gently as I softly moaned into his kiss.

  “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to touch you?” he murmured near my ear.

  “No. How long?”

  “Since the motel.” He kissed down my neck again.

  I giggled softly. “It was me drooling on you, wasn’t it?”

  “Nope. It was your fucking pajamas.”