Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Lynx
“Where’re you goin’?” I asked, teasing Reagan as she pulled back when the song ended.
“You’re bad for my health, Lynx Caine,” she grumbled.
“Hmm. That sounds like a compliment.”
“It wasn’t.”
Getting close to this girl wasn’t easy, but I hadn’t anticipated it would be. However, the fact that she’d let her guard down even a little was promising.
Baby steps.
“I need another beer,” Reagan murmured as she started toward one of the many coolers.
I fell into step with her. “Thanks for the dance.”
“It was against my better judgment,” she countered, not looking at me.
Still, it made me laugh. I could tell she was admonishing herself for dancing with me.
But the feel of her against me, the smell of jasmine from her shampoo would stick with me for a while.
So, I couldn’t complain about her snippy attitude.
She had given in with very little resistance, which was far more than I'd thought I'd get this soon.
Grabbing a beer and twisting off the top, I passed it over to her.
I watched as those walls fell back into place, and the Reagan who turned toward me was the acquaintance I'd had all these years. I couldn’t call what we had a friendship because neither of us had tried hard at it.
That was all thanks to the douchebag she’d been dating for so long. At least on my part.
But now…
“How’s your dad?” Reagan asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Good.”
“Really?” She looked sincerely curious.
“He is. Still home, still workin’ in that garden of his.”
“I need to stop by there sometime,” she said, her gaze drifting past me.
“He’d like that.”
She nodded, lifting the bottle to her lips.
“How’s your mom?” I asked, keeping the conversation at her comfort level.
“Same. Always workin’.”
“She still doin’ accounting or whatever?”
“She is. Same place, too.”
“And your grandfather?” I inquired.
“Still an ornery old fart.”
Yeah. I knew Vic Trevino and ornery was putting it nicely.
The man was a grizzly. And he didn’t much care for the Caines.
In fact, it had shocked me when I found out that Wolfe and Rhys were …
doing whatever they were doing. Mainly because I knew how the Trevinos felt about the Caines.
It wasn’t what I'd call a rivalry, but there was a little animosity there. Hell if I knew why.
I maneuvered Reagan around to one of the open tailgates, then held her beer while she hopped up. Once she was situated, I joined her, keeping a good foot between us so that I didn’t send her running.
“Things good at Amy’s?” I asked, trying to keep the discussion open.
“Yeah.” Reagan smiled. “Unless you count the fact that I ran out of hot water this mornin’.”
“Long shower?” I tried not to think about Reagan in the shower. I tried really, really hard.
“Actually, no. I think it’s the water heater. I need to have it checked.”
“Did you tell Amy?”
Reagan shook her head and took a sip of her beer. “Nah. She’s stayin’ with Wolfe and Rhys most of the time, so I don’t wanna bother her.”
“I’ll check it out if you want me to,” I offered.
Her head snapped over and I could see the battle brewing in her eyes.
“For free,” I added with a grin.
“I’ll see how it’s doin’ later on. If I still have a problem…”
She didn’t finish the sentence and I knew she had no intention of asking me for help. Didn’t matter. I'd look at it anyway.
“You comin’ out for barbecue tomorrow?” I asked when she was quiet for too long.
“Probably not. I need to go see my mother. Check in. She wants to talk about … you know.”
I didn’t know. Lifting my eyebrows, I silently encouraged her to continue.
“About breakin’ up with Billy.”
I looked away, the familiar anger shooting through my bloodstream. I hated that bastard, hated that I'd sat back all these years and watched Reagan get shit on by the guy.
“She thinks I should give him another chance,” Reagan added, her tone soft.
I jerked my attention her way. “What?”
Her smile was sad. “I know. I don’t get it either. But that’s her way of thinkin’. After all, she stayed with my dad all those years and God knows neither of them was happy.”
I couldn’t think of anything to say to that. Nothing that wouldn’t make me look like the world’s biggest prick. Billy Watson didn’t deserve Reagan. She was far too good for that asshole and she deserved a hell of a lot better.
“But it’s a lecture I’ve been expectin’. Once I get that outta the way, we’ll be fine.”
“You gonna take him back?” I hated that I had to ask that.
“Fuck no,” she barked. “For the first time in my life, I feel like … I don’t know. I feel like I’m my own person. That I don’t have to dread goin’ home. I’m done with Billy and his shit.”
I had to look away, not wanting her to see the relief I felt. Every damn time she’d broken up with Billy over the past decade, I had hoped she would move on for good. I'd always been disappointed when she took the loser back.
I still wasn’t entirely sure she wouldn’t get back with him, but I was holding on to hope this time. After all, it really was all I had left when it came to Reagan Trevino.
Reagan
I had no idea why I was sharing such personal details with Lynx. But he’d asked and I had no one else to talk to these days, so it had come rushing out of me. It felt good, too. Getting it off my chest, sharing some of the shit I had to deal with.
Truth was, I didn’t have any close friends.
Partly because I'd always been that way, not getting close to anyone I wasn’t related to.
And partly because my relationship with Billy had caused me to alienate most people.
Not many people liked Billy. He had some good buddies, but he treated most people as though they were beneath him.
Which left me without anyone to bounce things off of.
And no, I couldn’t talk to my mother. I had tried plenty of times, but she insisted that I had committed to Billy, therefore I had to take the good with the bad.
Didn’t matter that I continuously reminded her that I hadn’t married Billy and had no intention of ever doing so.
According to my mother, that didn’t even matter.
She was old-fashioned like that. Which was probably the reason she had stuck by my father until the day the man died.
“Well, don’t you two look all cozy.”
My head snapped around to find Billy walking toward us. I chanced a quick glance at Lynx, realizing the man had hopped down off the truck already.
I followed suit, getting to my feet. “What’re you doin’ here?” I asked.
“It’s a party, right? Everyone’s invited?” Billy peered over at Lynx, as though he expected him to confirm that.
“Not everyone,” Lynx said, his tone deep, raspy.
“But my girl’s here. Figured maybe I’d come check on her.”
When Billy moved closer, I took a step back, inadvertently moving closer to Lynx. I didn’t mean to, but I did not want to do this here. Not tonight. I was so tired of the fighting. And truthfully, I just wanted to be as far from Billy as I could be.
“What’s wrong, honey?” Billy moved another step closer.
“Don’t,” I hissed when he reached for me.
“Don’t what?” Billy grinned. “Don’t touch what belongs to me?”
“I don’t belong to you,” I retorted. It was then that I realized Billy was drunk.
“The hell you don’t,” he snarled. “I’ve put up with your shit for ten years. That makes you mine.”
When he reached for me again, Lynx growled beside me. It was a dangerous sound, something most people would’ve been backing away from.
Not Billy. The guy wasn’t only drunk, he was also an idiot.
I put my hand on Lynx’s arm. “It’s fine. We’re not gonna do this tonight.”
Of course, neither man listened to me. Billy moved closer, practically toe to toe with Lynx. For a second, I wanted to laugh. Seeing the two men square off was a sight. For one, Lynx had a good four or five inches on Billy. His biceps alone were probably bigger than Billy’s thighs.
“You been after my girl for years now, Caine. You can’t have her though.” Billy’s lip curled. “For one, she thinks you’re a dog. Fuckin’ every skank that blows through town.”
Lynx didn’t move, but I hadn’t expected him to. Billy should’ve learned a long time ago that needling him wouldn’t work. The man didn’t care what anyone said or thought about him.
However…
Billy reached for me, and I managed to jerk my arm back at the last second, avoiding his touch.
“Let’s go,” I said to Lynx, turning and taking his hand, pulling him away from Billy.
My brother had perfect timing, too. He stepped up, glancing between the three of us.
“Problem here?”
“Nope,” I told him, pulling Lynx’s arm. “No problem. We were just goin’ somewhere else.” I glared at Billy. “And you’re leavin’.”
“Hell no,” he said, spitting on the ground beside his foot. “Just got here. I’m ready to get my drink on.”
Ignoring Billy, I turned, still pulling on Lynx until he started to follow.
I realized then that we’d drawn a crowd.
A couple dozen eyes were on us, and just like always, I felt shame ignite in my chest. I hated that Billy could so easily embarrass me with his actions.
Even if I wasn’t with him anymore, it still bothered me.
I couldn’t even blame these people for thinking I was as much of an idiot as Billy.
“I’m sorry about that,” I told Lynx when I managed to get closer to my truck. “I didn’t know he’d show up.”
Lynx frowned, coming to stand in front of me, crowding me between him and the driver’s door. “What’re you apologizin’ for?”
“He’s an asshole,” I said, as though that would excuse his actions.
“But he’s not your problem anymore.”
“Maybe not, but I know what these people think.” I shook my head and stared at the ground.
I saw his hand before I felt the warmth of his finger beneath my chin. “These people think you’re an incredible woman.”
I snorted, meeting Lynx’s eyes. “Right. An incredible woman who puts up with a lot of bullshit.” With a sigh of defeat, I moved away from his hand and dropped my gaze. “I really should go.”
“You good to drive?” he asked.
I wasn’t sure the last time anyone had worried about what I did. “I’m good. I nursed those two beers.” I smiled up at him. “But thanks for askin’.”
Lynx’s hand curled beneath my chin again and I held my breath. If he kissed me, I wasn’t sure I would be strong enough to resist him.
Not right now.
Thankfully, he didn’t kiss me.
His hand dropped and I instantly missed his touch, but I forced a smile and turned to open the truck door.
Lynx pulled the door open and waited for me to climb inside.
“I’ll see you later?”
I nodded. “Yeah.” Smiling at him, I put the key in the ignition. “Probably at the bar on Friday?”
“You’re not comin’ to the barbecue tomorrow?”
I shook my head. No way could I chance spending that much time with Lynx. It was hard enough to turn away from him now. “I’ve got … things to do.” It was a lie, but hey, self-preservation and all that bullshit.
“If you wanna chat, you know where to find me,” he said.
I frowned.
“Outside your house, sleepin’ in my truck.”
I smiled. “You know you don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t have to,” he began, and I finished it for him, “but you want to.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, I’ll … talk to you later on then. I’ll see you at the bar?”
His smile was warm, and I could see the heat in his eyes.
“For sure on Friday,” he added.
As I drove away, I had to wonder if he took my comment as an invite. Did it sound like an invite?
“Jesus Christ, woman. You’re just a magnet for trouble, aren’t ya?”