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

by Claire Kingsley

  “Whatever, it’s fine. Decorate with your damn plants.”

  He turned around and stalked out.

  This was ridiculous. I followed him into the shop. “Why do you do that?”

  He didn’t look back at me. “Do what?”

  “Act like a jerk. It’s like you’re doing it on purpose so people won’t like you.”

  “Maybe I am.”

  “But why? Why are you being so defensive?”

  He whirled on me. “Because I want to be left alone.”

  I put up my hands. “Fine. Be alone, then.”

  Without another word, I walked out.

  26

  Evan

  Fiona walked out, and I let her go.

  Fuck.

  I felt shitty for being an asshole to her. She didn’t deserve that. She was right, I was a dick to people on purpose. It was a good way to keep everyone out. To make sure people left me alone.

  Because that was what I wanted. Wasn’t it?

  I’d certainly thought so.

  I turned on some music and went back to work on the Pontiac. Busy hands gave me space to think. I’d spent the last couple of days completely off balance. I needed to get my head on straight.

  This entire thing was my fault. I’d started it by kissing her. And in the moment, it had felt so damn good—and not just because we’d made each other come a few feet from where I was working. It had felt good to be touched. To have her hands on me, her mouth tangling with mine.

  I’d wanted her, and I’d given in.

  But I had to face facts. I liked Fiona. A lot. This wasn’t just about wanting her body, although I craved her like a drug. I had feelings for her—feelings I’d sworn I’d never let myself have again. That was the part that was freaking me the fuck out. She wasn’t a one-and-done, a fling I’d try to forget tomorrow.

  Asher had said to break it down into something manageable. On the surface, that made sense. But I was an all-or-nothing guy. That was why I’d sworn off women. I’d dated and been in a long-term relationship. That hadn’t worked out. I’d tried casual sex. That hadn’t worked out, either.

  So I’d decided I needed to be alone.

  All or nothing.

  And everything had been fine until Fiona had crashed into my fucking life.

  Now I didn’t know what to do. She was unraveling me. Everything was happening so fast. One day I was working out here by myself, and the next I was on the road with this crazy girl.

  And now she was staying with me, sleeping in my bed, meeting my family, decorating with her fucking plants, driving me crazy.

  I was supposed to be focusing on my business. This car had the potential to take my shop to the next level. I should have been busting my ass, working from dawn until dusk, as if nothing else mattered. The success of this project rested entirely on me. I wasn’t like Luke; I didn’t have a crew. I didn’t have anyone else I could depend on.

  Of course, I’d made sure of that.

  I knew exactly why I was acting like a fucking lunatic. I was standing at the end of a dock, staring into the water. I had two choices. Jump in, or turn around and walk away.

  As of right now, I could still choose the latter. It wouldn’t be easy, and I wasn’t stupid. I knew I’d hurt her if I walked away.

  But would we wind up hurting each other more if I took that deep breath and jumped?

  I didn’t know.

  For good or ill, I wasn’t a guy who could do anything halfway. I’d worked my ass off in college—until I’d quit. Now I put everything into my business. No half measures.

  I’d put my all into a relationship once, and it had been a giant fucking failure. Was I willing to risk it again?

  Because, for me, a woman could be one of two things. A one-and-done, so I didn’t have to commit anything to her. Or she could be mine. Those were my only options. I didn’t know why I was that way. Maybe it was just how I was built. But there was no sense in denying it.

  And there were so many reasons Fiona couldn’t be mine. She wasn’t even planning to stay. As soon as she saved enough money, she’d be on her way to her mom’s in Iowa.

  A traitorous voice in the back of my mind whispered that maybe she wouldn’t leave if someone gave her a reason to stay.

  Especially if that someone was me.

  Fuck.

  I worked for a while, trying to ignore all these damn feelings. Focused on the car. I had a long way to go before it would be ready for the show, and with all the distractions lately, I wasn’t making enough progress.

  And yes, I was avoiding Fiona. Obviously.

  Eventually, I decided to quit being a jackass by hiding in my shop. I still didn’t know what I was going to do about her. Maybe she was already sick of my shit and she’d be back on the couch tonight.

  I turned off the music and closed up for the night. My traitor dog had gone with her—because of course he had—so I walked the short distance to my house alone.

  Music spilled out when I opened the front door, and I stopped just inside. Fiona was in the kitchen using a wooden spoon as a microphone, belting out the chorus to the song. With a flip of her hair, she twirled in her socks. She obviously hadn’t heard me come in.

  The chorus ended, the next verse began, and she kept right on singing, even though she had no idea what the words were.

  I stared at her, feeling like my heart might burst right out of my chest.

  Why? Because she was singing the wrong words? That drove me nuts.

  But I loved it.

  And what was that smell?

  She spun again, but her eyes landed on me and she stopped herself with her toe before she’d made a full rotation. She lowered the wooden spoon and turned down the music.

  “I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “It’s okay.” She glanced at the spoon like she wasn’t sure why she was holding it, and tossed it into the sink. “You weren’t supposed to come back yet.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s fine, I’ll make it work. I have two surprises for you,” she said. “The second one isn’t quite ready and I wasn’t going to tell you about the first one quite yet, but I don’t think I can wait.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You can probably smell the second one. I made blackberry cobbler. I’ve never actually made it before, and I’m sure it’s not even close to as good as Gram’s, but I thought I’d give it a try.”

  I stared at her. “Why did you make blackberry cobbler?”

  “Gram told me it’s your favorite.”

  This didn’t make any sense. I’d yelled at her over something stupid. Why would she make cobbler? “I’m confused.”

  “Isn’t it your favorite?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “I just thought it might make you feel better.”

  “Me?”

  “Yeah, you, Mr. Grouchface Shoutypants. You were being all angry scowly man, so I thought some cobbler might cheer you up. Plus it gave me something to do instead of just being irritated with you. I feel better already and I haven’t even eaten any yet.”

  The timer on the oven dinged.

  “Hold that thought. I don’t want it to burn.” She whirled around and grabbed a pair of oven mitts, then took her cobbler out of the oven.

  The scent wafted toward me and my mouth watered. Holy shit, that smelled good.

  “That needs to cool, so let me tell you about the first surprise.” She took off the oven mitts and picked up her phone. “I say first because it happened first, before I started baking. I seriously almost ran over to tell you as soon as I got off the phone, but I figured you needed some space.”

  That was true, I had needed some space. But what the hell was she talking about now?

  The smell of the cobbler was very distracting.

  “I found you a ’59 Cadillac series 62 convertible.” She held up her phone, showing me a picture. “Not only did I find you the car, this
one has a numbers-matching engine and transmission, very little rust, and it has all the original dials in the dashboard. I’m seriously dying to see what you can do with this thing. Look at it.”

  I was looking. But I wasn’t seeing the car.

  “And you’re not going to believe the price he’s giving us. I’m telling you, all the time I spent chatting with these guys when I worked for my dad was so worth it. I don’t want to sound braggy, but I’m positive he wouldn’t have given anyone else that price. It’s a freaking steal.”

  In that moment, with the smell of cobbler in the air and Fiona shoving her phone in my face, something clicked.

  I didn’t want to be alone anymore.

  It wasn’t just that she’d done something nice for me to make me feel better, although the fact that she’d baked blackberry cobbler made me momentarily consider proposing right here. It wasn’t even that she’d gone out of her way to find the car for Chief Stanley without me asking.

  It was all of it.

  It was coming home feeling like shit and finding her singing in the kitchen with a wooden spoon as a microphone. It was her stupid plants with dumb names, and the stash of nuts she thought I didn’t know about to feed the squirrels. It was the fact that my dog loved her more than he loved me and I didn’t blame him one bit.

  My house was lit up and warm and it smelled good, and this sexy tattooed badass fucking ray of sunshine had been twirling around my kitchen in her socks.

  I wanted that. I wanted all of it.

  I wanted to fucking keep her.

  And suddenly I realized the truth. I’d already jumped.

  “Of course, you might have come over here to tell me we made a huge mistake the other day and this whole thing isn’t working out. I’m optimistic, but I’m not stupid. And the cobbler isn’t to bribe you into letting me stay or anything. I just thought if we were both in a better mood, maybe we could talk.”

  I took the phone out of her hand and tossed it on the counter. She started to ask what I was doing, but I grabbed her and cut her off with a kiss.

  “Or this works, too,” she said.

  “We didn’t make a mistake, and I’m sorry for being a dick.” I kissed her again. “I have an asshole habit that’s hard to break.”

  She draped her arms around my neck. “Do you want some cobbler?”

  “Later.” I met her eyes. “Right now I just want you.”

  The desire in her eyes reflected mine. I was hard for her already, and at this point, I was done holding back. I grabbed her ass and pulled her in tight, letting her feel my erection.

  “Please tell me you’re going to give me some of that,” she said, rubbing herself against me.

  I groaned. “All of it, baby. Do you think you can take it?”

  Her lips curled in a smile. “It’s a lot, but you know me. I have a real can-do attitude.”

  Fuck, she was adorable. “Get over here.”

  I would have happily fucked her in the kitchen, but I needed a condom, so I grabbed her by the wrist and hauled her to my room.

  Wasting no time, I pulled her shirt over her head. She tore at my clothes, like she was as desperate for this as I was. There was no slow exploration. No careful undressing, revealing new areas of skin. The other day in the shop had been nothing but a warmup, leaving us both frantic for more.

  She let her bra drop and kicked off her panties while I shucked my pants. I had to pause, the sight of her naked body stunning me. I looked down at her, tracing my hands up and down her arms. She was all curves and softness. Her full tits tapered into a narrow waist. And those hips. That ass.

  “Fuck, you’re so sexy.” I cupped her face and tasted her lips while I backed her up toward my bed. “I need to be inside you.”

  “Yes, please,” she breathed.

  She climbed on the bed while I got out a condom and put it on. She tipped her legs open and I growled my approval.

  “Fucking look at you.”

  I crawled on top of her, feeling the glide of warm skin. She slid her hands up my chest and around the back of my neck, then brought my lips to hers. With my tongue invading her mouth, I pushed inside her slick opening.

  There was nothing like that first thrust. She was hot and tight and so fucking perfect. I groaned into her mouth and held deep inside her.

  “You good?” I asked, my voice sounding almost strangled. But she felt so fucking good I could barely contain myself.

  “Oh my god, yes.”

  Bracing myself on top of her, I thrust in and out. Her tits rubbed against my chest and I couldn’t stop kissing her—her mouth, her neck, her chest. I lapped my tongue against her nipple and she moaned in pleasure, sighing my name.

  I pushed myself up to look at her and our gazes locked. Those hazel-green eyes held me captive, opening a space in my chest I’d long since closed off. My body was alive for her, my cock hard, the pressure almost unbearable. But this wasn’t just sex. Not for me. I was feeling things that scared the shit out of me, but for once I didn’t turn away.

  I sank into them.

  She pressed her hands into my lower back, inviting me in deeper. Her cheeks flushed the sexiest shade of pink and her lips parted.

  “You feel so good, I could explode inside you right now,” I said, and it was true. My cock ached for release. “But I want to watch you come first.”

  She drew her knees up higher and, still holding her gaze, I fucked her hard. She clung to me, moaning with every thrust. Her pussy tightened around me, so hot I could hardly hold back.

  “That’s it. Come all over my cock, beautiful.”

  She gasped, her eyes fluttering closed, and dug her fingers into my back. Her pussy clenched, the pulses of her orgasm relentlessly squeezing my cock.

  That was it. I came fucking undone.

  With a loud grunt, I started coming, bursting inside her. My back clenched tight as I drove into her, the waves of ecstasy overtaking me.

  Holy shit.

  She wrapped her arms around me as I finished. Her breath was warm on my neck, her skin so soft. I stayed inside her and buried my face in her hair, breathing deeply.

  So fucking good.

  I lifted up to look at her and kissed her lips.

  “That was amazing,” she said, her voice quiet.

  And I wondered if she knew how right she was.

  27

  Fiona

  Reluctantly, I got up to use the bathroom, then Evan did the same. I waited in his room, wondering if I should get dressed or not. Was I hoping for too much by lying naked in his bed? Was he going to come in, throw on his clothes, and go back to being grumpy broody man?

  God, I hoped not.

  He came back and I got a little thrill when he immediately got back into bed. I nestled in against him as he drew me close, wrapping his thick arms around me.

  Bliss.

  I was so relaxed, I felt like I could melt right into him.

  We lay together in silence for a while, just breathing. The sex had been incredible, but I felt like something more was happening. There was an intensity simmering between us. Something had changed. It made a zing of excitement ping through my body and nervous flutters stir in my belly.

  “Thank you,” he said, finally, breaking the silence with his low, rumbly voice.

  “For what?”

  Tracing little circles on my skin, he took a deep, slow breath. “For putting up with me, I guess.”

  I laughed softly. “You’re definitely a handful.”

  “Sorry.”

  I lifted up and propped my head on my arm. “What’s been going on in that head of yours? You’re so hot and cold.”

  “Truth?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ve been afraid.”

  That was probably the last thing I’d expected him to say. “Afraid of what?”

  “Of how I feel about you.”

  A sense of warmth blossomed in my chest as I realized what was happening. Evan was opening up to me.

  “Why wo
uld that scare you?”

  He glanced away, pausing for another long moment. “I decided a long time ago that I wasn’t going to get into a relationship with someone again. That I was better off alone.”

  “You got hurt, didn’t you?” I asked quietly.

  He nodded.

  My heart was already breaking for him, and I didn’t even know what had happened. “Does it have anything to do with the boxes in the spare room?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Will you tell me what happened?”

  He met my eyes again and the hurt nearly broke me. “I’ve never told anyone.”

  I placed my hand on his chest. “You can trust me.”

  He was quiet again for a long moment, and I thought he might say no. I hoped he’d start talking. I could sense that he needed to. He needed to get this out.

  “I went away to college after high school and right away, I hated it. I struggled with my classes and I had this asshole roommate who spent most of his time getting drunk and smoking pot. It sucked and after just a few months, I was thinking about going home. Then I met Tucker Kosten. We had a class together and for whatever reason, just hit it off. He reminded me a lot of my brother Asher, I guess. We started hanging out and eventually got an apartment together off campus.

  “We became pretty close. Honestly, he was my best friend. I would have trusted him with anything—with my life. He was like another brother to me. Anyway, sophomore year, I started dating this girl, Carly. Tucker had been dating a girl named Larissa, and the four of us hung out all the time.”

  He paused and placed his hand over mine.

  “I fell hard for Carly. Really hard. I was infatuated with her. And everything was great. I thought I’d found my soulmate. Then Asher got arrested.

  “I came home as soon as I found out what had happened. I hated being away from Carly, but my family needed me. The legal stuff happened pretty fast and all of a sudden, my brother was in fucking prison. That was it, there wasn’t anything we could do.”

  “I can’t even imagine how awful that must have been.”