One More Time (Working Men love #1)

by Hayden Wolfe

  And by this time next year, she’d be Mrs. Veronica Sander.

  She was going to marry him, even if she had to ask him. Her lawyer was already working on the legalities of ensuring her eldest child would inherit the Axel fortune without having to keep the Axel name. It was the best decision she’d ever made.

  A thump from downstairs pulled her out of her thoughts. She cocked her head and listened. The sound of something scraping against the marble foyer reached her ears.

  Had she remembered to set the alarm? Or lock the door? Hell, had she even shut it? She couldn’t remember. She’d been so excited after leaving her lawyer’s office.

  With her bottom lip caught between her teeth, she stepped into the hallway but didn’t hear anything. Maybe she’d imagined the noise? She tiptoed toward the stairway. Still nothing.

  Too bad Kyle wasn’t with her. She hated being in the big house alone. Soon she’d never be alone again. The thought settled her nerves. She reached into her pocket for her phone to call the security company. She found a dirty tissue.

  Another clunk reached her ears. Somebody was in the house, the only explanation. She spun and tripped. Her bottom hit the carpet. She yelped and covered her mouth. Not soon enough. The sound of pounding feet reached her.

  She whipped her head to the side. A guy in a ski mask rounded the corner. He lifted something silver. A pop rang out.

  Pain exploded in her chest. She sucked in a rough breath. A fist met her face next, and she knew no more.

  Kyle stood on his front porch, his gaze locked on to the road leading into Sander’s Valley. Mindy weaved in and out between his ankles, purring, her MO whenever he was anxious or mad. At the moment, he was both. His damn gut wouldn’t stop churning. Sweat slickened his palms, but he gave her head a scratch to reassure her he was fine.

  He wasn’t. Far from it. Ronnie was three hours late.

  Traffic had been his excuse for the first hour. A needy artist demanding her attention had been his explanation for the next. The third hour had passed, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she hadn’t changed her mind.

  No. She said she was coming. She wanted to talk to him in person. The question remained—what role did she want him to play in her future? Lover, husband, or friend? Or was this visit about the trip to Russia? Maybe she’d changed her mind about him going with her. It wouldn’t stop him. He was going, even if he had to book his own damn flight, but he didn’t want to lose the progress they’d made.

  He cursed and smacked his fist into the wooden porch column. Mindy scurried away and glared at him from under the swing. Dammit, Ronnie hadn’t told him she loved him since the last time they’d been together. Not knowing where he stood with her was driving him crazy.

  Soon. She’d be here soon. He just needed to be patient.

  He ran a hand through his hair and tried to get himself under control. The sight of Wyn ambling up the driveway didn’t help.

  “Turn around and walk back to your place. I’m in no mood for company.”

  Wyn shrugged and closed the distance between them. “She didn’t show, huh?”

  “Do you think I’d be talking to your sorry ass if she had?”

  “I thought you two decided to try and make things work.”

  “We did.” Kyle shoved his hand in his pocket and toyed with the ring he still carried. “I even sold the business and was going to ask her if I could move in with her today.”

  Wyn’s brows shot up. “You’re leaving Sander’s Valley?”

  Kyle pivoted on his heel and strode toward the front door, not bothering to answer. He didn’t know what the hell he was going to do.

  “You let her go, and you’re the biggest fuckin’ fool in the county.”

  Kyle froze. “I’m not. I’m just being careful with her so I don’t push her away. I don’t want to come off as too demanding.”

  Wyn grunted in answer.

  Kyle faced him. “What? Does the expert on relationships think I’m wrong? You did have one that lasted a whole two and a half weeks.”

  “You’re right. I’m no expert. I’m just worried that she’s so late. Maybe you should at least call her. Just in case, you know? Maybe something happened to her.”

  His churning gut, of course. He wasn’t nervous about the decision he’d made, or what Ronnie wanted to talk to him about. It was the connection he’d always felt with her. He’d misread his unease. Ronnie needed him.

  He yanked out his phone and dialed. Got her voice mail. He tried her house and the gallery. Nothing.

  He stood there for a long moment, unsure of what to do next. She’d never given him any other numbers. A cold sweat broke out. His hands shook. Anything could’ve happened to her. She might’ve gotten into an accident, or maybe her car had broken down and she couldn’t call for help. There were a lot of dead zones in the mountains.

  The image of her bruised face filled his vision. The last time she’d had car trouble, she’d been willing to accept help from the Carson twins of all people. Kyle had never gotten around to explaining to her why he’d reacted the way he had. Hell, what if they stumbled upon her again? Unlikely, but he couldn’t shake the thought.

  Please, let me be wrong.

  He slipped inside the house, grabbed his keys, and ran toward his truck.

  “Where are you going?” Wyn called out.

  Kyle started the car. “Virginia. If Ronnie happens to show up here, call me, but I think she’s in trouble.”

  He didn’t wait for a response or for Wyn to tell him he was overreacting. He threw the truck into drive and peeled out. Dust and stones kicked up behind him. He pulled onto the main road and sped toward the highway. Every mile tightened his chest.

  At the stoplight heading out of town, he tried Ronnie’s cell one more time. No answer. More curses fell from his lips. Why wasn’t she picking up? He punched in the number for the gallery and was about to hit Send when the phone he held rang. He answered. “Hello?”

  “Is this Kyle Sander?”

  The sound of the unfamiliar female voice sent his pulse racing. “Yes, who’s this?”

  “Iona Volkova. I’m—”

  “I know who you are. Why are you calling me?”

  “Ronnie. She’s in the hospital. In surgery. She’s been shot.”

  His heart stopped. “Shot?”

  “It’s my fault. I should’ve realized my mother was unstable. She hired somebody to kill Ronnie so she wouldn’t inherit Daddy’s fortune. I thought her threats were empty, and—”

  “Iona, stop.” He gripped the phone tighter. “Ronnie. Is she going to be all right?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Which hospital?”

  “St. Mary’s.”

  Ronnie had been shot. If she died, she’d take his reason for living with her.

  Chapter 18, plus next book preview

  Ronnie was dreaming, had to be. Kyle’s scent filled her lungs. Impossible. She’d left him in Sander’s Valley. Flashes of memories danced through her head—overhead lights, doctors in surgical masks, nurses, needles. None of those memories included Kyle.

  She pried her eyelids open. Messy brown hair filled her vision. She squinted and brought his profile into view. Kyle’s head rested on his folded arms, inches from her pillow.

  “Kyle.”

  He lifted his head and smiled. Her heart turned over. “Hey, doll.”

  “You’re here.”

  He brushed a lock of her hair off her forehead. “I have been since last night.”

  “How?”

  “Iona called me.”

  “I’m glad.” She smiled. “I need you.”

  “Nothing would keep me away.” He dropped his gaze to the bed. “The nurses did try to kick me out. Said only family could stay with you. I had to lie to them.”

  “I hope you didn’t tell them that you’re my cousin. That would just be nasty.”

  He gently raised her hand. Her eyes widened. A sparkly diamond ring was on her finger. The lights from abo
ve reflected and danced within the stone. She stared, completely mesmerized by its beauty.

  “I told them you’re my fiancée.” A carefully neutral mask hid his feelings. “That we’re getting married in a week.”

  She glanced from his face to the ring. “It’s beautiful.”

  He brushed his thumb over the stone. “It’s small, but it was all I could afford back in high school.”

  She jerked her head to look at him. The world spun. She closed her eyes until the dizziness passed then met his gaze. “It’s the one you bought for me?”

  He nodded. “I should’ve returned it, gotten my money back, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I shoved it in my nightstand, and that’s where it sat, gathering dust.” He caught the band between his thumb and forefinger. “I almost sold it once. Changed my mind. Must’ve known I’d need it someday.”

  He slid it off. Panic settled over her. No! She didn’t want to lose the ring or the man. She’d lost enough.

  “Guess we don’t need to—”

  “Kyle?”

  He glanced at her, brow arched.

  “How were you going to propose to me?”

  “Normal way, I guess. Get down on one knee.” He skimmed his fingertips down her cheek. “If you give us a chance, maybe you’ll find out.”

  She took a deep breath. “Will you show me? Now?”

  An odd look passed over his face. For a moment, she thought he’d refuse, but he dropped to one knee next to the hospital bed. She let her gaze roam over him, and love swelled within her. A five-o’clock shadow darkened his jaw, and circles shown under his eyes, but he was the most stunning man she’d ever known.

  And he was hers. She wouldn’t ever let him go.

  He gently cradled her hand in his and held her gaze. Her love for him must’ve shown in her eyes. A grin spread over his face. He kissed her knuckles, then poised the ring at the tip of her finger.

  “Veronica Gwendolyn Axel, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  “Yes.”

  His hand trembled. “We’re not pretending here, are we?”

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m not. I love you, Kyle. I don’t want to spend another day without you. That’s what I wanted to tell you.”

  He slid the ring on her finger and pressed his cheek to her hand. “You’ve made me the happiest man in the world.” He stared at her from under his lashes. “I sold my business and was planning to ask you if I could move in with you. I figured once I was in your bed, I could convince you to marry me.”

  “You sold your business? Why?”

  “Because you’re more important than anything, including Sander’s Valley. I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth.”

  She blinked back tears. “I’m handing over the gallery to someone else. I had my bags packed. I was going to move home.”

  “Oh, doll.” He kissed her, deeply and reverently, before pulling back to meet her gaze. “We’ll live wherever you want. As long as we’re together. You decide.”

  “You, Kyle. I want you…and Sander’s Valley.”

  “Then you can have me. Forever.”

  He kissed her again, and she knew she’d finally found her home. It was in Kyle’s arms, no matter where they lived.

  The series continues with Wyn’s story, Kiss me Here.

  Read an Excerpt

  Wyn tapped out a rhythm on the hood of his ’57 Chevy truck. The noise drowned out his brother Kyle as he talked and talked and talked some more. Wyn had listened until the word “wedding” came up. It had killed his attention span, not that he had much of one. Probably why he was the only Sander who hadn’t gone to college. Hell, he’d barely made it through high school.

  “If you don’t want the job, I’ll ask someone else,” Kyle snapped.

  Wyn forced his fingers to still and glanced at Kyle. “What job?”

  Kyle closed his eyes on an exasperated sigh. “Best man.”

  “Me? What about Neil?” Kyle’s best friend should’ve held the honor. Kyle and Ronnie had pushed their wedding date back specifically until Neil’s deployment in whatever third-world country he’d been stationed ended. A chilling thought surfaced. “Neil didn’t get hurt, did he?”

  “No. He opted to stay longer. He’s not sure when he’ll be home.” Kyle rubbed the back of his neck. “And well, Ronnie and I don’t want to wait any longer.”

  “Why not? You two are already living together. It’s not like it matters if you’re husband and wife.”

  Ronnie had moved in a couple of months ago while she recovered from a gunshot wound. She’d been lucky the shooter’s aim was off. A couple of inches lower and Kyle would’ve lost the love of his life.

  “It’ll matter to Mom,” Kyle said.

  Wyn crossed his arms and studied Kyle, an older and rougher version of himself. Kyle fidgeted, and a tinge of red stained his cheeks. There weren’t many things that would make his brother nervous, except a stern lecture from their mother. Eliza Sander was a force to be reckoned with. Wyn went over the possible reasons and chuckled.

  “You got Ronnie knocked up, didn’t you?”

  A grin spread over Kyle’s face. “First month we were trying too. We thought it’d take longer.”

  “Congrats, man.” Wyn smacked Kyle’s back. “That’s great news.”

  “Yeah, it is, but we’re not making it common knowledge yet. Ronnie wants to wait until we hear the heartbeat.” Kyle dropped his gaze to the floor. “You know, just in case.”

  Wyn tensed. “Do you suspect something’s wrong?”

  “No, but I’d hate to get Mom’s hope up, then break it. Besides, you remember how adamant she was about us not having kids out of wedlock. I refuse to be the one who breaks her rule.”

  Wyn shrugged. “I think she’d make an exception. She loves Ronnie.”

  “Probably, but it doesn’t matter. We’ve set the date for the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.”

  “That’s as good a time as any. At least you won’t forget your anniversary.”

  “Yeah.”

  Kyle crossed his arms over his chest. Silence stretched.

  Wyn’s gaze drifted to the tools on the nearby table. He’d need the box-end wrench. The open-end one left over from the last job wouldn’t do. The rusted bolts he had to get off were already partially stripped.

  Kyle sighed again, an annoyed sound that yanked Wyn’s attention back to his brother. “So are you going to take the job or not?”

  Best man, right. “Of course.”

  Kyle blew out a rough breath. “Great. I didn’t want to have to pick between Jack and Levi.”

  Wyn didn’t blame him. As twins, Jack and Levi were close and always had each other’s back, but they argued constantly.

  “What do I need to do, other than plan the bachelor party?”

  “I’ll get you a list, but the good news is you don’t have to worry about a date. You’ll be seated with Ronnie’s sister.”

  Thank goodness. He’d been debating which ex-lover to bring to the wedding. “Iona, right?”

  Kyle nodded. “She’ll be arriving in a few days.” He leveled a hard glare at him. “Be nice to her, okay?”

  Wyn held up a hand. “Hey, I’m always nice to women. I just tend to lose interest before they do.”

  “Iona’s had a rough time of it. Her—” Kyle’s phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket, glanced at the display, and groaned. “Look, I’ve got to go. Ronnie’s decided to cook me dinner. I need to save my kitchen from being turned upside down.” He grimaced. “Or my house from being burned to the ground.”

  Wyn waited for his brother to leave, then shifted his attention to his current “girl” and the work he wanted to get done on the truck before he closed up the shop.

  He gathered his tools, including the box-end wrench, and slid underneath. Working on cars had always come easy to him. It was one of the few things that had, and getting a job in the only automotive shop in Sander’s Valley had saved him from ending up with a ju
vie record. In a few more years, he hoped to buy out the current owner, a retired veteran who let Wyn run the shop for him.

  The chimes over the door sounded, pulling him out of his thoughts and announcing a customer, except business hours had ended an hour ago. Only one person he could think of who’d walk in: Kyle.

  “If you’re back to beg me to come eat your girl’s sad attempt at dinner, you can forget it. Last time I ate the crap she made, I had the shits for days.”

  A woman’s giggle answered him.

  The wrench he held slipped from his hand. The clank reverberated in the garage and mixed with the click of heels.

  He inwardly cursed. Way to impress, jackass.

  Then again, he didn’t have anyone to impress. Like his older brothers, he’d worked his way through the county’s available women. He’d only accomplished the feat in half the time they had.

  “Next time, try Pepto-Bismol. It works wonders.”

  The woman’s heavily accented voice wrapped around him and tightened his body. He couldn’t place where she was from, but the rich cadence sounded both rough and sensual. A quick glance showed a pair of open-toed, high-heeled shoes on either side of his hips. Pink nail polish covered the nails of delicate toes he had the sudden urge to nibble on. He let his gaze travel higher. Lightly tanned skin stretched over muscled calves he wouldn’t mind licking either.

  His cock thickened.

  He slid the rolling platform from beneath the truck. The woman didn’t move. His chest ended up between her spread legs. He swept his gaze over her thin but shapely thighs to the frayed denim cutoffs that barely covered her ass. Right above the waistband, a small rose tattoo partially showed. The sight of it there acted as a lure. He wanted to peel her shorts off to see the rest of the design.

  He forced his gaze higher before he gave in to the urge that would land him in jail. A plaid midriff shirt was tied in a loose knot under her boobs. Her breasts matched the rest of her delicate frame, but they’d give him enough to suckle on. Or nibble on. Or hell, cushion his head when he fell asleep in her arms. Oh yeah, they were perfect.