Chapter Six
E asy
I just strap down the last cable holding the Ford in place when my phone starts ringing.
Quickly pulling it out of my pocket, I frown when I see the tow yard’s number.
Damnit. I was hoping to get back to my girl.
Sighing, I answer the call. “Yo?”
“Just had a call in. Need you to swing by,” Wrath says, the sound of shuffling papers coming though the line before adding, “Fifth and David Street.”
Damn. Duty calls.
I blow out a breath. “10-4, Bossman.” He grumbles about not calling him that before hanging up on me.
I can’t help but laugh. I know the grumpy bastards hates it, but it’s a force of habit.
Still chuckling, I climb into the rig and head in the direction of the address Wrath gave me, with thoughts of the pretty blonde waiting for me when I get home swirling in my mind.
Fifteen minutes later, when I round the corner onto David Street, still thinking about Lexi and the way her lips felt pressed to mine, I find myself laughing for a whole other reason.
“You've gotta be kidding me.”
Standing next to her red, beat-up old Honda Civic is none other than the woman who’s been running circles through my mind all morning.
I’m not sure how she found the tow yard’s number, but I’m glad she did because there’s no telling what one of the other companies would charge once they got a look at her out-of-state plates.
It’s an asshole thing to do, but tourists often get taken advantage of.
As I pull around her car, she looks up and gives me a half-smile.
Damn, even with the weight of the world on her shoulders and forcing a smile, she's beautiful. I could get used to seeing that look aimed at me every day.
I offer a smile in return before backing up to the rear of her car and putting the truck in park.
“What happened, baby?” I ask once I’m out of my truck.
“Hi,” she says sheepishly. “I don’t know. One second I’m driving along just fine, then all of a sudden, it makes a crazy noise and smoke starts pouring out from under there.” I glance over at the hood she’s pointing at.
“It probably overheated. Hop in the truck while I get her hooked up, and we’ll drop it off at the shop for Thorn to take a look at.”
“Uhm,” she bites her lip, her eyes starting to look glassy like she’s about to cry. “I can’t afford a car repair.” She sniffles sheepishly. “I don’t have any money, and I didn’t make it to my job interview.” At her breaking point, the floodgates open, and Lexi starts to cry.
I rub at my chest, hating the sight of her so upset.
“Hey, it’ll be okay, baby. You’ll see. It’s just a setback.” Her head shakes side to side.
“I just can’t catch a break.” I hate to see her cry and vow to do whatever it takes to help her turn things around.
Moving into her space, I pull her into my arms. “I got you, Lex.”
She wraps her arms around my back and buries her face in my chest.
In that moment, standing there on the side of the road with Lexi in my arms, my whole world changes.
I’ve felt the connection since the moment I clapped eyes on her, but with her body pressed to mine, the whole world around us goes quiet and nothing else matters.
Fuck.
This must be what Wrath meant when he went on and on about finding the other half of his soul. I’ve teased him about being soft since he shacked up with Harley, but fuck me if he hasn't been right all along.
I can’t explain it, but I know down to my bones that Lexi is meant to be mine.
“Shawn?” she whispers, pulling me from my thoughts.
I look down into her sparkling green eyes and can see the question swirling in her head.
What is happening between us?
I don’t have the answers, but I’m not going to fight it.
Lifting my hand, I use my thumbs to brush away her tears. “Let me take care of it.”
“You’re already giving me a place to stay. I feel like I’m taking advantage of your kindness.” She looks away.
Using my hands to turn her face back toward me, I speak firmly.
“You’re not taking advantage of me. You didn’t ask for some jackass to steal your money. You didn’t ask to crash on my couch, although, truthfully, I’d rather have you in my bed.” I smirk.
Lexi gasps. “What?”
“We’ll get into that when the time is right. Until then, just trust me, yeah? I’ve got your back.”
Lexi’s eyes go soft as she leans into my touch. “I do trust you.”
She has no idea how much hearing those words means to me—what she’s starting to mean to me.
“Get in the truck, baby.”
“Okay,” she says softly, her cheeks turning pink as she lifts onto her toes and places a kiss on my cheek.
I stay rooted to the spot, watching her move around the car and climb into the rig.
Damn, I’m already in deep.
Shaking off the crazy feelings I’m having, I get to work loading her car onto the flatbed.
“Where are we going again?”
I glance over and can’t help but grin.
Lexi’s head is resting on her knees, which she’s pulled up close to her chest. Her eyes are aimed at me, and she looks relaxed. Slowly but surely, she’s letting her guard down, and I’m glad.
I want her to be herself when she’s with me.
“Saints Customs. It’s the shop my club owns.”
“Club? Your motorcycle club has a repair shop?”
“Yes and no. They mostly build custom bikes. They’ll be able to fix your cage, though.”
Lexi’s eyes bug out. “My what?”
I laugh at her expression. “Your car.”
Her lips twitch before breaking out into a full smile. “You’re a strange man, Shawn ‘Easy’ Patterson.”
As I pull into the parking lot of Saints Customs, I glance over to catch Lexi's reaction. Saints Customs is located right next to the scrapyard where Wrath and I work. Most people see it and instantly think it's part of the city dump.
I park the truck and turn off the engine, glancing back over to Lexi.
“Welcome to our playground,” I say, grinning.
“Playground?” She raises an eyebrow, still sitting there with her arms wrapped around her knees but looking curious. “It looks more like a junkyard.”
I chuckle as I open the door and step out. “You might be surprised,” I admit, staring at her ass as she hops out of the truck. Closing my door, I walk around the hood and wait for her to come up beside me. “Come on, let me introduce you.”
With my hand at the small of her back, I lead her to the entrance.
“Yo!” I call out as we push through the door.
Knox straightens, wiping his hands on a rag. His eyes light up when he spots Lexi. “What's up?”
“This is Lexi,” I say, my arm finding its way around her waist. “Her ride's fucked.” I nod over my shoulder to where her car is strapped on the flatbed.
“Nice to meet ya, Lexi,” Knox says, turning when he hears the sound of G's heels clicking as she descends the stairs from her office. “Honey, this invoice—” her voice trails off when she looks up and spots us all looking at her.
“Baby, this is Lexi, Easy's—” Knox turns back to me and lifts a brow.
“My girl,” I fill in without giving it much thought.
Lexi gasps, her eyes flying up to mine, and I hold her stare. To my utter relief, her body relaxes, and she leans deeper into my side.
“I see Lexi just got the memo.” G laughs, coming over to stand beside her man. “You'll have to excuse these guys, Lexi. They're like a bunch of cavemen. Once they find their woman, that's all she wrote.”
Lexi's body shakes as she laughs along with G.
“What's wrong with her car?” Kidd asks, finally looking up from the part he was tinkering with.
“Not sure. She said it made a noise, then smoke started pouring out of the motor.”
“Bring it around the side, and we'll take a look at it tomorrow. We've gotta get a bike finished today,” Thorn adds, pocketing his phone as he strolls over. His gaze softens when it lands on Lexi. “You alright, darlin'?”
“I'm fine,” she says, but I catch the slight tremor in her voice. She recovers quickly. “Just... a rough few months.”
I watch her shift on her feet, sensing there's more to her story.
I'll get to the bottom of it later. Right now, I want her comfortable.
Knox eyes her curiously. “So what brings a Kentucky girl to Miami?”
Lexi's eyes drop to the floor, her smile faltering. “I needed a change.” She shrugs like it's no big deal.
Knox raises an eyebrow, still friendly but probing. “Hell of a move. It workin' out for ya?”
“Not in the slightest,” she murmurs, fidgeting with her shirt.
I'm on alert now, watching her body language tighten.
Knox looks at me, his brows furrowed. I see it too. She's hiding something.
Suddenly, the only thing I want to do is protect her from whatever it is.
I lead her away from the others, giving her space. “Listen, you don't gotta spill your guts to them,” I say quietly.
Lexi shrugs, her gaze distant. “I just... didn't think starting over would be this hard,” she admits, barely above a whisper.
“Yeah, starting over's a bitch,” I tell her, keeping my voice low. “But you ain't alone. You got me.”
“Why?” she asks, her eyes honest and searching. “Why do you care?”
My heart races.
It's on the tip of my tongue to admit that I know how it feels to be alone, to start over in a new place, but for whatever reason, the words don't come.
“Easy,” Thorn shouts as he throws open one of the bay doors.
I look over and see him standing there with his hands on his hips.
Right.
He needs me to bring her car around.
“Gotta bring your car around,” I say, instead of answering her question.
Lexi's eyes search mine as she nods her head. “Right.”
Without another word, I haul ass back to my truck like a coward.
Getting the girl is going to be harder than I thought.