“Okay, well.”Devra eased past them and shot them a warning look over her shoulder.“You boys play nice, whatever it is you’re up to.No more fighting.”
“Promise.”Van cleared his throat and returned his focus to Ollie when Devra disappeared among the gathering of their friends.“Sorry about that, by the way.I, uh, shouldn’t have lost control like that.”
“Shit, Van.You’re human, aren’t you?Is it losing control you regret or is it that you have emotions in the first place?”Ollie couldn’t help but commiserate.“You’re not a robot.Of course it pissed you off to see me making out with the woman you have a thing for.I’m not sorry I did it, mind you, but I am sorry seeing me kiss Kyra upset you.”
Van didn’t respond verbally.Instead he nodded, his jaw clenched.Ollie figured that was about as much as he could expect from the other guy, who wasn’t much for heart-to-hearts under the best of circumstances.In that way, they were pretty much opposites.Ollie had learned early on that if you didn’t share your feelings when you had a chance, you might never get the opportunity to do it again.
Just like with Kyra.At least he’d gotten to kiss her once.
She knew how he felt about her even if they never took it any further.So he had no regrets about that night.
They turned so that they were shoulder to shoulder, leaning against the far side of the garage, then.With the difficult topic out of the way, Ollie figured Van wouldn’t mind taking a turn answering one of his questions about Kyra before they headed back to the rest of the gang.His concern for her was something they had in common.
Plus, he’d given Van what little information he had, so maybe Van would appease his curiosity.“So what was up the other day?”
“Which day?”Van shuffled guilty.“The day we broke her bunk?I mean, she told you…”
“You two seriously fucked the bed into oblivion?”Ollie snorted, imagining their faces.Then he shook his head as his mind wandered to other parts of Kyra and what she might look like while someone, maybe him—or even Van—was pleasuring her like that.
“Yeah.But if that’s not what you were talking about, what did you mean exactly?”Van narrowed his eyes.
“The day last week when Kyra called me because she got scared in the alleyway walking home.I got the feeling she thought someone was following her.”Ollie frowned.“She did tell you about that, right?”
Van glowered.
“Right?”Ollie repeated, though he was certain the problem wasn’t that Van hadn’t heard him.
“Kyra!”Van bellowed as he launched himself toward the open garage bays, where she’d disappeared inside with Wren, Kason, Jordan, Devra, Quinn, Trevon, and god knew who else.
There were always people around.But the past few days had been especially busy as the mechanics from their sister-shop, Hot Rods, and their families popped over a few at a time to check out the two new employees who’d come onboard a few days ago.
Ollie figured they didn’t want to swarm the place all at once and overwhelm the pair of machinists, but they were too curious and protective of their “little brother” Quinn, who managed Hot Rides, to stay away for long.
Roman stuck his head out to see what the ruckus was about.Van stormed between him and his husband, Carver, refusing to be slowed by their questioning stares or their outstretched arms.He shoved his way past with Ollie trailing a few steps behind.
Van’s voice boomed through the garage, echoing off the cement floors and metal ceiling.“Kyra!Get your pretty ass over here.Right.Fucking.Now!”
Ollie might not have known as much about Kyra as Van did, or even much about women in general, but he could guess that command wasn’t going to work on her.Not unless it was to draw her nearer so she could ram a drumstick up Van’s ass while hoping he got the mother of all splinters from it.
Still, Ollie was on Team Van for this one.Why was Kyra taking stupid chances with her safety?Why not be frank with the head of security, whose literal job description it was to protect her?
Hell, Ollie had even told her he was going to rat her out if she didn’t come clean herself.Yet she hadn’t.Was that some kind of test?Because Ollie would pass it with flying colors.
Having lost the people closest to him in his life early on, he wasn’t about to risk the wellbeing of any of his friends.Especially not Kyra.Because, let’s face it.He was at least infatuated—if not half in love—with her, even if they never got the chance to share more than that single, solitary, stolen kiss.
She was strong, gorgeous, fun, and…maybe a little bit broken, like him.
Kyra also looked gorgeous when she emerged from the Hot Rides break room, where she’d been apparently been about to sample some of the fresh baked goods Devra had laid out there a little while ago.At least he assumed that’s why she clutched a giant, gleaming knife in her fist as she marched out to meet them.