Chapter 3
3
COLE
After slamming the hood of the car, I crossed the garage and grabbed a rag off the table against the wall. I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and sighed when I saw it was after one in the morning. Another night of little sleep was becoming my normal. Not to mention, it was a Saturday night, and instead of going out with my cousins when invited, I opted to work.
I would need to hire another mechanic soon if business kept going this well because there was no way in hell Billy and I could keep up. I wasn’t complaining. I bought this garage hoping to create a profitable business doing what I loved, just as my dad had done with his construction business. He’d built that business with his brother, and my two cousins were running it. They’d asked me to join them, but I’d never had any real interest in construction. No, my love was cars, and it always had been. Bailey, on the other hand, loved working construction. I knew she hoped to one day run the company beside our cousins and help keep the business going that our fathers had so carefully built.
I wiped my hands one last time before throwing the rag down and heading toward the back door. Yanking it open, I climbed the stairs to the second floor where I lived. I bought this garage from the old man who ran it for as long as I could remember and hired me while I was still learning the trade way back in tenth grade. I wasn’t even sixteen when I started sweeping the floors of this garage. I learned everything I knew from old man McAllister. That was how the whole town knew him. He told me he wanted to retire and do some traveling, so he waited until I was financially able to buy him out.
It was the best day of my life when I got to call the garage my own, and I started making changes almost immediately. McAllister had a good reputation but didn’t do any specialty work, just regular maintenance. I knew I wanted to take the garage beyond that and spent the past ten years doing just that. I was finally turning the profit I wanted, which meant I had steady business, but I was working myself into the ground. I didn’t do anything except work, and it was starting to wear on me. I didn’t have a social life, and up until recently, that didn’t bother me. I didn’t know why it suddenly was. Maybe it was because I was watching my cousins find someone to settle down with and move on to the next phase in life. Like me, they had been busy building their businesses, but now it seemed everyone was settling.
I cleaned out my pockets and threw my shit on the dresser before heading for the shower, but I didn’t get far before my phone rang. Turning, I went back to the dresser, saw Harper’s name, and answered it immediately.
“Hey.”
“Cole.”
I swallowed hard when I heard her voice. I’d know that voice anywhere. “Paige?”
“Yeah.”
Concern filled me when I realized she was calling from Harper’s phone, which could only mean one thing. “Is Harper okay?”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “She asked me to call you for a ride. I told her we could just take an Uber, but she said you wouldn't like that.”
It was true. I didn’t like knowing my intoxicated sister was in the car with a stranger, especially if that stranger was a man. She would be too easy to take advantage of like that, so my sisters Bree and Bailey made her agree that if she was out and drinking, she should call us for a ride, and we’d come get her. Surprisingly, she listened, which was not usually how Harper handled things.
“She’s right.” I grabbed my keys and wallet. “Where are you?”
“Crush.”
“I’m on my way.”
“I’ll let her know.”
I was out the door and in my truck within a minute. I hated that fucking bar, but at least it wasn’t far. My business was in Cranberry, and Crush was nearby, so I was close. The other bar she likes to go to is in New Hope, where my cousins live, but that was about a twenty-minute drive. Honestly, I was too fucking tired to go there and back tonight.
I didn’t like the idea of Harper and Paige spending this much time together. I knew that a month ago when I went to Crush to pick up Harper and found Paige sitting alone. Without considering what I was doing, I’d walked right over to Paige, almost like I couldn’t help myself. I had no idea she and Harper were as friendly as they seemed, and I wasn’t sure if hanging out together was a good idea for them. They seemed like they could get themselves into a lot of trouble. They both liked to have a good time, maybe too good of a time, and that meant something could happen to them. Although, I knew from talking to Bree that they’d been hanging out a lot this month, and I hadn’t gotten a call yet, so maybe they were okay together or maybe Bree and Bailey were picking them up. I had no idea how they even knew each other, and I didn’t ask Bree. I didn’t want to encourage any questions from sisters who would definitely ask why I cared.
I didn’t know Paige well enough to know if she was getting drunk every weekend, and I planned to keep it that way. We were obviously oil and water. We had nothing in common, and we didn’t like each other, so it made no sense that I was anxious to pick her up tonight. I hadn’t seen her in a month. I’d been sending Billy to pick up parts to avoid an argument.
But the thought of seeing her tonight excited me.
And that pissed me off.
Pulling into the parking lot at Crush, I saw Paige and Harper leaning their backs against the wall and talking. They shouldn’t be waiting outside for me, especially in the shit they were wearing, and I’d remind Harper of that when she was sober enough to actually listen.
Parking, I jumped out of my truck and walked toward them, grinning when Harper saw me and called out.
“Cole! What the hell are you doing here?”
I shook my head and stopped in front of them. “You called me to come.”
“I did?” She looked confused but then shrugged.
Paige cleared her throat, and I finally looked at her. My eyes skimmed over her short, sparkly dress until I got to her shoes. I had no idea how she walked in those, let alone danced in them, but I’d seen her do it, and she made it look effortless.
She shifted on her feet, and I jerked my head up, realizing I’d been staring. She gestured toward Harper. “Do you need help getting her to your truck?”
“Nah, I’ve got her.” Moving quickly, I bent and lifted Harper, throwing her over my shoulder. I knew from experience this was the easiest and fastest way to get her to leave. I gestured toward the truck. “You coming?”
“No, I have a ride,” she replied. “Thanks, though.”
I jerked up my chin and walked back to my truck, laying a now snoring Harper down in the back seat. I closed the door and pulled open the driver’s door, but I couldn’t stop myself from looking back toward the building and noticed Paige was still standing there. I closed the door and locked my truck to make sure Harper stayed put and started across the parking lot again.
“You sure you don’t need a ride?” I called out while I walked toward Paige.
She shifted until we were facing each other. “No, I’m good.” I nodded and shoved my hands in my pockets, but she frowned. “What are you doing?”
“Waiting with you.”
“Why?”
“Because you shouldn’t be waiting out here by yourself.”
“I’m fine.” She gestured toward the truck. “Don’t you need to get Harper home?”
“She’s already asleep.” I grinned. “Harper has two speeds, awake and crazy or asleep.”
Reaching up, she brushed her hair behind her shoulder, but I saw a smile lingering on her lips. “I appreciate you waiting with me, but I’ll be okay. This isn’t my first time waiting for a ride.”
“Were you dressed like that?”
The slight smile fell from her lips, and she narrowed her eyes. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Sighing, I heard the way that must’ve sounded. “Look, I didn’t mean anything by it except that guys are drunk coming out of the bar. They don’t always hear no. It’s just not smart to make it easy for them.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Make it easy for them?”
“You know what I mean, Paige. It’s dangerous. Not all guys are gonna just walk past you.”
She studied me for a moment before she pushed off the wall, took a few steps, and stopped in front of me. Slowly, she lifted her hand and ran her red fingernail down my chest. “Are you one of those guys?”
I swallowed hard, trying like hell to ignore how close she was and how good she smelled. Unfortunately, my dick couldn’t ignore her finger running over my body. “What guys?”
“The ones who can just walk past me.”
Reaching up, I wrapped my hand around hers, but I didn’t drop it like I should have. “Paige.”
With her hand in mine, she pressed her body against mine. “Are you?”
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t.
It felt like I swallowed my damn tongue with her pressed to me, but that didn’t deter her. She skimmed her nose against the side of my neck. “You smell like the garage.” She inhaled deeply. “Why is that so sexy?”
I lifted my free hand and laid it against her hip, knowing I should push her away, but I was no longer thinking clearly and yanked her closer. She moaned against my neck and moved her face slowly. With the heels she was wearing, she was almost my height and was able to brush her lips over mine.
And I fucking snapped.
Crushing my lips to hers, I dropped her hand, wrapped mine around her other hip, and pushed her up against the wall. She moaned loudly and opened her mouth, giving me room to deepen the kiss. I slid my hand down her leg until I felt the silky skin of her thigh and pulled it up against my hip so I could settle between her thighs. Fuck, that felt good. Visions of thrusting into her were making me feel antsy. I wanted to get closer, as close as possible, but not here. Not in the fucking parking lot of Crush.
Pulling back slightly, I leaned my forehead against hers trying like hell to catch my breath. When the door to the club opened, I dropped her leg and took a step back. We both watched the couple stumble out of the building and walk to their car, but didn’t say anything.
She pushed off the wall and laid her hand on my chest. “You still offering that ride?”
I wanted to say yes. I no longer cared that we didn’t like each other. I wanted to take her home and work out this anger we both seemed to feel toward each other. But then I looked at her, really looked at her, and knew I needed to shut this down.
“I don't think that’s a good idea,” I said, but my voice was deep with arousal.
“Why not?”
“Because you’re drunk.”
She grinned. “I’m not drunk.”
It was obvious by her glassy eyes and uncoordinated moves that she was, but she was probably too drunk to admit she was. “Still not a good idea.”
Her smile fell slowly. “Why not?”
“I’m just not looking for a one-night stand.”
She snorted. “Every guy is looking for a one-night stand. It’s just because it’s me, right? Is it because I’m not good enough for you? Or is it because I’m not smart enough?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
The door once again pushed open, interrupting a conversation I wasn’t following, and we both looked when someone called out her name. “Paige.”
“Right here.”
He looked behind the door where we stood and breathed a sigh of relief. “There you are. Why the hell are you standing out here?”
Paige took a few steps back and leaned against the wall. “I was waiting for Harper’s ride with her.”
Landon looked between us. “You Harper’s ride?”
“Yeah.” I held out my hand, recognizing him right away. Landon was Lucy’s brother, and Lucy married my cousin Chris. “I’m her brother, Cole. We met at Chris and Lucy’s wedding.”
“Cole.” He snapped his fingers, then held out his hand for me to shake. “I knew you looked familiar. Sorry it took me a minute, but there are so many Dimarcos.”
“I get that, man. How are things here?” I asked, knowing he worked for Elite Securities and had been handling security at Crush for almost a year.
He shook his head. “Always a fight to get the owner to comply with security measures, but the manager is willing to work with us, so that’s something.” Landon glanced at Paige, who was watching us but not saying anything, and then frowned. “Where’s Harper?”
“Already put her in the truck, but I didn’t feel comfortable leaving Paige out here alone,” I admitted.
“It’s not safe for them to be out here alone. I told them to wait inside while I handled some shit, but when I got back to the bar, they were gone. Had a feeling they didn’t listen.”
“I’m standing right here, you know,” Paige said sarcastically. “And I’m not a kid.”
Landon smirked and wrapped his arm around her waist, yanking her body against his. Her face flushed, and she looked at the ground when Landon spoke. “You definitely aren’t a kid.”
I pointed at both of them, instantly picking up on Landon’s body language, but I didn’t get a chance to say anything before the door opened again.
“Landon!”
“Yeah?”
Someone I didn’t know looked around the door and gestured inside. “Need you a minute.”
“Dammit.” He looked between Paige and me. “I'll be back.”
She smiled softly. “Okay.”
I watched him follow the guy inside before facing Paige, but she was once again staring at the ground. “You’re dating?”
Paige lifted her head and met my eyes. “It’s casual.”
Anger tore through me. “You wanted to come home with me, and you’re dating Landon?”
She sighed. “It’s not like that. We both see other people.”
I was pissed. It wasn’t logical. We didn’t even like each other, so there was no way I thought we were beginning a relationship, but it still pissed me off that she acted like she would just climb in my truck, go home with me, and never mention she was dating someone else.
“Would you have told me you were dating him?” When she shrugged, I continued. “You do realize the shit that could cause in my family, don't you? He’s Lucy’s brother.”
“I know who he is,” she shot back, anger in her tone, but that was fine with me. I knew exactly how she felt.
“But you didn’t care,” I guessed.
She ran her hand over her forehead. “I already told you we have an understanding. We’re not in a relationship. He likes to have a pretty girl with him at the club, and I like that he drives a fancy car. It’s superficial, but we both know what we are to each other.”
“Doesn’t matter. Superficial or not, I’m not getting involved in that shit.”
“Cole.” She stepped forward and put her hand flat against my chest. “There’s nothing to get involved in. We’re not in a relationship. We just get together sometimes and...”
She trailed off, but we both knew what she was going to say. They had sex. Their relationship was purely physical. “I don't want to hear this shit. I need to get out of here.” I yanked open the door and gestured inside. “Go inside, Paige.”
She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. “I’m fine right here. Landon will be back.”
“Paige,” I snapped and ran my hand through my hair in frustration. “Go inside so I know you’re safe, and I can get out of this fucking place.”
“And get away from me, right?” She pushed off the wall and stood in front of me. She grabbed the edge of the door and pushed it closed before laying her hand on my chest. “Just say it. At least be honest about that.”
I didn’t need to answer. We both knew I needed to put some distance between us, but instead of walking away, I let my emotions get the best of me. “Yeah, you’re right. Tonight, I need to get the hell away from you.”
She studied me closely and took a step closer. “Don’t you ever do anything impulsive, Cole? Don’t you ever just do something because it feels good?”
With her scent surrounding me, I could’ve given in. I wanted to give in. I wanted nothing more than to take her home with me and get this need for her out of my system, but I couldn’t do it. Not for a lot of reasons, but the biggest one being that I knew one night wouldn’t be enough. The idea of her with anyone else, even someone who was casual, caused anger to roll through my system, and I made a choice I hated as soon as the words left my mouth. “I don’t like seconds, Paige, and I don’t share. If you’re into that shit, that’s great, but I won’t ever be.”
She dropped her hand, and I immediately felt like shit, realizing I would regret those words for the rest of my life. I opened my mouth to apologize when she pulled open the door and looked over her shoulder. “I’m not the awful person you think I am.”
“I don’t think…” I started, but she was already gone, and the loud music would’ve drowned out any apology I could’ve given.
Maybe that was for the best.
Maybe it was good she thought I was that much of an asshole.
Saved us both a hell of a lot of misery.