Chapter 15
Bailey
I woke to the rustle of clothing. I reached out, hand sliding over cool sheets, and lifted my head with a confused sound.
“I’m here.” Flynn’s weight made the bed dip by my thigh. He brought the scent of sandalwood and cinnamon with him. One of his trademark toothpicks was tucked into the corner of his mouth. “Gotta get to work.”
I reached up to tug his beard until he bent over me. “Gonna leave without a goodbye kiss?”
He plucked the toothpick from his mouth and set it over one ear. “Never.”
He kissed me, even though I probably tasted foul, and smoothed my hair back from my forehead. “I wish I didn’t have to go, but I can’t afford to fuck this up. I’m too close to the end of the probationary period.”
“It’s okay,” I said with a sigh. “Tricky diagnostics will wait for no man.”
Flynn and I had talked shop between orgasms and emotional confessions last night. I’d given him a few tips to try on a vehicle that was refusing to start consistently but seemed fine in every other way.
Probably an electrical problem. Those were a bitch to nail down.
“You’re heading back to college today?” Flynn asked tentatively.
“Yeah. The tuition is paid, so I might as well try to pass my classes.”
“Such enthusiasm,” he teased.
I grimaced. “I’m trying. It’s not really my thing, but I’m not a quitter either.”
“Hmm. Tough spot to be in.”
“Yep,” I said, popping the P.
It was nice that someone understood my conundrum.
I appreciated the opportunity Holden worked so hard to give me.
I really did. It just wasn’t right for me, and I didn’t know how to break that to him without letting him down.
And letting down Holden would be letting myself down too.
I owed him pretty much everything good in my life.
When Mom died, Dad became an even bigger asshole.
I never could have come out the other side so unscathed without Holden stepping in and taking care of everyone.
But these thoughts were too mopey for a morning with my new hot-as-fuck boyfriend.
I patted his chest. “Go show that Malibu who’s boss.”
“Text me when you get back so I know you made it safe, okay?”
I nodded. “Do you need me to get out of here?”
“Nah. Take your time. Leave when you’re ready. There are egg burritos in the freezer. Coffee is already brewed in the pot. It’s not much, but it’s what I got.”
“Sounds great,” I said. “You better go before I pull you back into this bed with me.”
He traced my lips with his index finger, looking tempted. I grinned and licked his fingertip, tasting salty skin.
He groaned and leaned down to give me a hard and fast kiss, then pushed up and away from the bed.
“Drive safe!” he called on his way out the door.
I only had one class today, and I was doing surprisingly well in chemistry because the instructor enjoyed getting a little more hands-on with demonstrations and experiments. So, I went back to sleep for a couple of hours before getting up, showering, and heating up a cup of coffee.
I looked at Flynn’s bed and thought about making it for him, but I liked the idea of him coming home to rumpled sheets tonight and remembering everything we’d done there.
Goose bumps rose on my skin. Damn. I still couldn’t believe it had finally happened.
I’d fantasized about Flynn for months, but sexy images in my head while I touched myself couldn’t compare to the real weight and strength and smell and taste of him.
He’d been gentler than in my fantasies. Sweeter too. But that tracked.
Flynn looked like a beast, but inside, he was a gentleman.
I went out to Monarch and opened the back door to toss in my backpack. It was nearly eleven. The guys would be taking a lunch break soon.
I could drive straight back to campus, but it didn’t feel right. This was the second time I’d come home without actually going home. I hadn’t wanted a lecture from Holden about missing classes or getting into fights, but damn, I missed my family.
Mind made up, I slipped into the driver’s seat and headed for Forrester Bros Auto. If Holden wanted to bitch me out, I’d take it like a man.
I pulled into the lot just as a couple of bikers rolled out. Gray was still standing outside the open bay, and I could see Flynn bent over the open hood of a county Jeep, the pesky Malibu sitting to the side with diagnostic equipment still hooked up.
Gray clocked me immediately, grinning and coming toward me as I threw open the car door.
“What the hell are you doing here, man?” He dragged me into a hug, thumping my back with one hand.
“Just passing through,” I joked.
“You need a tune-up?”
“Yep. The check engine light keeps blinking on.”
He laughed and slung his arm over my shoulders. “Come on. Axel just ran out to get Zacos. I bet you’re missing those, huh?”
I chuckled awkwardly, casting a sidelong look at Flynn as we passed. He’d frozen with a wrench in his hand, eyes wide.
“Yeah, Zacos,” I said. “It’s been a while.”
Only sixteen hours since I’d had them with Flynn last night, but I couldn’t exactly tell my brothers that.
“We got a surprise visitor,” Gray told Flynn.
Flynn swallowed. “Yeah. This is a surprise.”
I smiled and shrugged. “I missed home.”
Flynn’s face softened. “Of course you did.”
“Will you text Axel?” Gray asked Flynn. “Make sure he adds to the order so Bailey can eat with us.”
“Sure,” Flynn said, reaching for his pocket before remembering his greasy hands. He grabbed up a rag and wiped at them. “Sausage and peppers again, right?”
“You’ve got a good memory,” Gray said with a chuckle. “Those are his favorite.”
“Lucky guess,” Flynn said, and when Gray turned away, widened his eyes at me.
If he didn’t relax, he was going to give away the change in our relationship, and I really wasn’t ready for my brothers’ opinions about my love life.
Relax, I mouthed at him before turning back to Gray. “Guess I better go say hi to Holden and take my scolding.”
Holden stepped out from his office doorway. “Scolding? Hell, kid, I’m just glad to see you.”
I smiled tentatively. “Yeah? Even though I’m missing a class to be here?”
He looked pained, but he nodded. “Yeah. I told you when we talked the other day that I never wanted you to feel you had to avoid home because of shit like that.”
My throat tightened. “Thanks. That’s why I’m here. I just…really missed you guys.”
“We missed you too.”
He stepped forward and opened his arms.
I hesitated. “You’re sure?”
“Just hug me, brat.”
I stepped forward and let him close his arms around me. It was brief, his hands brushing lightly against me like butterflies. Not at all like the sturdy back-slapping I got from Gray. But it meant so much more because touch was always an effort for Holden.
He stepped back and took a big breath. “You can’t make a habit of skipping classes, though.”
“There it is,” Gray said with a smirk.
Holden shook his head. “No lectures. That’s all I’ll say on the matter.”
“I’ll go back later today,” I promised. “I’ve got calc and engineering ethics tomorrow. Don’t want to miss that.”
Holden either missed my sarcasm or chose not to comment on it.
“Come sit down. Tell me what’s going on with you.” Holden looked past me. “You too, Flynn. Come join us.”
“Oh, uh, are you sure? I don’t want to interrupt family time.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Gray said. “You’re part of the Forrester family now.”
Flynn’s cheeks pinked above his beard. Damn, this man didn’t have much of a poker face. Luckily, Flynn was always a little off-balance when my brothers said shit like that.
“You’re all too good to me,” he said softly.
“You need to stop selling yourself short,” I said. “My brothers don’t like just anyone. They like people who deserve it. So do I.”
Flynn swallowed. “You’re right. Sorry. I…”
“Oh, don’t fluster the poor guy,” Gray said with a chuckle. “Flynn hasn’t had enough practice at being appreciated. We’ll get him there.”
I smirked. “Damn right, we will.”
Flynn looked as if he wanted to disappear into the floor, but this kind of embarrassment was good for him. He needed to see that he had value to the people around him, even if he didn’t yet value himself properly.
We followed Holden into the office. He took a seat behind the metal desk, Gray and I took the two visitor chairs, and Flynn perched on a filing cabinet behind us.
“So?” Holden asked. “What’s new?”
I resisted the urge to look at Flynn. “Oh, nothing much,” I said airily. “Just playing with frat boys.”
Holden frowned. “Playing with, like…”
“Fucking!” Axel boomed as he came into the office behind us. “About time, Bailey. Although surely you can do better than frat boys.”
Flynn made a strangled noise, and I laughed to cover it.
“Playing pool, guys. I was talking about pool.”
“Of course you were,” Holden said dryly. “Let me guess, you’re hustling all those poor kids.”
“Nah, just a couple,” I said.
“Better be careful,” Axel said, poking my fading bruise as he passed me, making me hiss and jerk away. “You’ll end up with a broken jaw.”
“No lectures,” Holden said, shocking everyone. “Bailey’s a grown man. If he wants to get punched in the face, we can’t stop him.”
Axel froze, Zacos bag in his hand, and stared at Holden. “Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?”
Holden sighed. “I told Bailey we’d start treating him like an adult. It’s that or risk losing him. We can’t make him make better choices.” He met my eyes. “Bailey has to decide to do that for himself.”
The message came across loud and clear. He wanted me to make better choices. The fact that he wasn’t lecturing me like a kid meant a lot, though. I wasn’t sure I’d really earned it, given how reckless I’d been lately.
“Thanks,” I said. “I’m working on it. No more hustling on campus. That’s for sure. I kinda, uh, went viral last time.”
“What?” Holden yelped.
“Oh, I’m looking that shit up,” Axel said with a laugh.
He dumped the bag on Holden’s desk and dug out his phone. Gray beat him to it. He held out a video, already playing.