4. Amber Jaymes
Chapter 4
Amber Jaymes
I jerked awake from a dream that had me doubled over in panic. Diesel, god love him, was half on the bed, half on me, covering my sweaty face in dog drool. I couldn’t help but relax with him here. I knew, no matter what had happened before, it wouldn’t happen now. Not with my faithful protector at my side. Before I truly got my bearings, there was a loud knock on my door. It had to be loud to hear it up here. Diesel jumped off the bed, barking, his big body facing the bedroom door.
I groaned.
“Diesel,” I said, raising my hand and slashing it through the air, “enough.”
I climbed out of the bed, walked to the big window, and looked down at the front porch. My brother and Chip stood there, stone-faced.
As Trace raised his hand to bang again, I pushed my window up and huffed. “Dude, are you trying to wake the whole county?”
He looked around at the woods that surrounded the house on three sides then up at me, his brow raised. “You scared we’re gonna run the deer off?”
“Oh, shut up. What do you want, it’s—” I blinked when I got sight of the alarm clock by my bed. The big green numbers were flashing 12:00. Shit!
“You didn’t open the shop this morning?—”
“Or answer your damn phone,” Chip muttered, talking over my brother, just loud enough to hear.
Trace carried on like he hadn’t said a damn thing. “So I got worried. Would have been here sooner, but you have a few downed trees along the road. Took us a bit to move what we could to get down here.” He shrugged.
“Hold on. Give me a minute. You can come in.” I cursed the freak rainstorm we had last night. I guess it knocked the power out. Why hadn’t my cell gone off? I had alarms set on it as well.
I snatched it up on my way to my bathroom and sighed. Dead as a doornail. Fabulous. I made quick work of emptying my bladder, showering off my sleepiness, and brushing my teeth. I pulled on my clothes, a pair of comfy jeans, a T-shirt and socks.
When I came out of my bedroom again, I shook my head. Diesel was missing. Greedy monkey had slipped down to try and get a treat. When I walked into the kitchen, I saw I was right. Diesel sat at the end of the island, his head angled up so he could see the bag of treats that taunted him.
“What time is it?” I asked, plugging my phone into the charger. I could feel the scowl tug at my brows as two sets of eyes moved to me. Diesel had moved to my side, but his gaze was laser-locked on the treat bag. “Has he been out?”
“Yes, he’s waiting on his treat. And,” he said looking at his watch, “it’s almost nine.”
“Dammit!” I didn’t miss an alarm often in my life, but this would never have happened to my dad. That shop always opened at seven a.m. on the dot. I grabbed the bag of treats from the counter, pulled out one of the long jerky pieces, and held up my arm, elbow bent up so the jerky was close to my face. Diesel’s gaze snapped to it as his butt started to wiggle against the tile floor.
“Good boy. Go eat it in your bed.” He moved to the big dog bed in the corner of the breakfast nook and started chewing at his treat. I put the bag away in the cabinet and leaned back against the counter.
“It’s okay to take a Sunday morning off, kid. You’ve had a busy week.”
My brother had a point, but I couldn’t do it. If I didn’t work, I didn’t get paid. My work wasn’t like his. He could work one job a month and be set. I didn’t have that liberty.
“I can come in and help today,” Chip said, holding out a coffee mug toward me. “I need to check the timing belt on the ‘stang. It feels off.”
I’d been so wrapped up in my head that I’d missed him getting up. Not to mention the fact that I’d missed the smell of coffee. My gaze slid to his and as they always did, my eyes took in his handsome, bearded face. It really should be illegal for your brother’s best friend to be that damn sexy.
“I can help you with that if you’ll help me with Mr. Kramer’s old Caddy. It’s got to have a few small things changed out. New spark plugs and things like that.”
“Deal.” He winked. He came closer and before I could move out of his way, he leaned in, reaching around me to get another mug from the cabinet.
My heart tried to beat out of my chest. He looked so damn good. He smelled like man and leather. My tongue darted out and slowly I wet my super dry lips. His eyes followed the movement, and he leaned in closer still.
“Don’t make me kill you, man. Stop putting the moves on my sister right in front of me,” Trace grumbled.
Chip, not missing a beat, smirked and replied, “You could always leave. I’ll make sure she’s taken care of today.”
Oh, I had no doubt he’d do just that in any form I wanted it. He was always good at taking care of me. Even when I didn’t want him to. The rough, bearded, tattooed, hardwired man was a teddy bear on the inside. For me, at least. I felt my resolve falter.
He leaned in impossibly closer then. He was trying his best to kill me; I swear to it.
Slowly I placed a hand on his chest and shook my head, a small grin tugging at the corner of my lips. He loved teasing my brother. Hell, he loved teasing me. I’d just never been able to let it be more than that. Not after…Tom.
That shiver hadn’t gone unnoticed. Chip, who was a few inches taller than I was, leaned down. His gaze met mine, searing me.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I do. Every time you think of that asshole, your brows tick right here,” he said, poking my forehead.
I sighed. “No—maybe. I just can’t believe he did that. I want to take his balls and smash them with the car lift.”
Trace choked out a laugh. “Jesus.” I leaned around Chip to see my brother grabbing at napkins so he could wipe himself off. Oops.
“What? It’s the freakin’ truth,” I stammered as a laugh bubbled up inside of me. The look on his face… It would almost be worth the possible jail time to try it. Ugh! Then again, I hoped to never see that bag of shit again.
Chip’s fingers gripped my chin, pulling my gaze back to him. “Stop letting him get to you. He’s been?—”
“Chip.” The crisp snap of Trace’s voice made me straighten.
“He’s been what?”
“He’s been handled.” I raised a brow at the glint in Chip’s eye. He leaned in, taking up more of my personal space. “He won’t bother you again.”
I didn’t ask any questions. I knew better. One thing I’d learned a long time ago was these two, and the boys in their club, didn’t play. They’d sooner break someone’s knees than allow them to harm someone else. They weren’t bad men, quite the opposite. My lips twitched, but soon a shiver rolled through me. It followed the line of his finger down the side of my neck. I did the only thing I could—I leaned into him, letting his encroaching mouth capture mine.
Lost. I was completely lost as his body pressed me back into the counter.
“For fuck’s sake,” I heard my brother grumbling, but we completely ignored him.
I’d been losing this battle to press myself against him for weeks. Years, even. He wanted me; he’d said so many times. I just wasn’t sure how to do this. How had I fallen for my brother’s best friend and partner? I wasn’t sure, but I did know one thing; it had happened, and I was done fighting it no matter my earlier declarations of staying single.
“Where is that—aha, gotcha, you dirty little bastard.” My fingers brushed the screw that had fallen into the motor of the Ford 350 I was currently leaning down into. I had parts all over the place. My music was blaring, and the front and back door to the yard were open, letting a surprisingly breezy day waft in around me.
This was my happy place since I’ve been the head bitch in charge here. This was my place to be me; to be free of anything but work. It has been a healing place over the last few days. I was still trying to put my attack behind me. It’s only been a week, but still. I was a work in progress.
I could feel my dad when I was here too. He’d been under and bent over so many cars in his life.
My lips pulled up in a grin as I let those memories roll through me. He’d taught me all he knew, and even though school had taught me just as much, what I’d learned from him meant more. It was what helped me through the bad days.
A push had the wrench grasped in my hand moving away from me. Slowly. This bitch is tight as fuck. Who the hell put it on, the Terminator? I grunted with effort as I pushed harder. My body shifted against the truck’s frame. My feet came up to balance me. The stool under me scraped slightly as it shifted.
This was why some people shouldn’t be allowed to work on vehicles. This guy had a shady mechanic do work that was apparently above his wheelhouse. Finally, with a snarl of frustration, I shifted again and put all of my weight into pushing the wrench. The bolt gave and twisted. My knuckles scraped along the exposed metal and, I’ll admit it, I cursed like a sailor seeing land for the first time in a year.
“Son of a bitch.” I finished my task and pulled the cover off. It needed to be replaced and put back in place. I carefully pulled the lines from the clamps and tossed the broken pieces to the floor behind me. Once the gaskets were replaced, the new hose clamps were fitted and the hoses refitted into place.
“Amber! You here?”
I pushed myself up so my thighs were braced against the frame.
“Under here.” I chuckled.
“Hey, where’s Diesel? Can I take him for a walk?” Oliver, one of my youngest cousins, asked, coming around looking ever-so-hopeful. I grinned, pressed my lips together, and whistled.
“Dang, I hate when you do that. It makes my ears hurt.”
I laughed. “Well, it gets his attention. The lazy butt is out sunning himself.”
Diesel came into the garage, his butt wiggling when he saw one of his favorite younger humans. “Hey, boy. Come here. Want to go to the park?” He held up a leash, and Diesel was a goner.
“You remember the commands?”
“Yes, ma’am. I remember. Uncle Keith makes us write them down if we mess them up. Plus, Josiah and Elroy are going to meet me there with Kane and Abel.”
“Oh, dear. Those dogs are batshit crazy.”
“Not when they have leads on. I’m sure Uncle Keith will be stalking us from afar.”
I snorted. He totally would be. “Yeah, I remember those days.” I laughed again and climbed down. “Let me put his vest on. It may not keep kids from running up on him, but it will get people’s attention.”
The bright orange vest had Daniels Dog Training Corp. written across the spine, and hanging over his massive body the words “Training Dog” were stitched in black letters.
“You think this is a test? He told me to come and specifically get Diesel…”
“Hey, you’re great with all the dogs. I’ve seen y’all in action. If you’re nervous, the dogs will feel it. Hold your head up, clear your mind, and just do what you know needs to be done. Work Diesel hard and efficiently. You lead, and he’ll follow.”
“Thanks, Amber.”
I hugged him tight and patted his back. “Go on, you two, scoot. When you get back, we’ll order a pizza.”
“Extra cheese?” he asked excitedly.
“Is there any other way?”
“Heck, no.”
I chuckled, watching him lead Diesel out of the garage. Uncle Keith was up to something for sure. I shook my head, stepped up on the stool, cracked my neck, and leaned back over the engine. Another half hour and I would have this beast purring again.
Two phone calls and an hour and a half later, all the parts had been put back in place. I was quite proud of myself. Wiping my hands on the rag I pulled from my back pocket, I nodded. I grabbed the keys off the seat, leaned in, and started the truck. The engine purred.
“Hell, yeah.” I patted the dashboard before turning the truck off again. I dropped the keys on the seat and shut the door. I’d go call Henry and let him know I was done.
I went to my workbench to grab the empty parts boxes so I could go set up his bill, but stopped when I saw someone come in from the corner of my eye. I knew that body frame all too well.
“Miss me, bitch?”