Slow Ride (14 page)

“Sounds like you have a great mom and step-dad.”

“Yeah, they’re pretty great. I think they knew if they sold the house, it would either
be torn down for something new, which would break my mom’s heart, or whoever bought
it wouldn’t take care of it. By having me take it over they can be reassured that
her roses aren’t going to be torn out of the ground. She loves those damn things.”

Kyla sighed as the sun warmed her face. The two continued to talk as the afternoon
ticked away. At one point they both grew silent, dozing in the warm sun.

It was a cool breeze that jerked Kyla awake and she looked around, confused until
she got her bearings. She was on the beach, talking to Sarah. They both fell asleep,
“Sarah.” she called and watched as Sarah lifted up on her elbows.

“Crap. I was out, but now it’s frickin’ cold,” Sarah griped. Kyla nodded and stepped
into her skirt and top, though this didn’t make her any less chilled.

“So I’ll pick you up tomorrow, Kyla. Noon, outside the motel.”

“What? Why?” She didn’t bother to hide her confusion. Had she agreed to something
while she was half asleep?

“Because you need an outfit for your date with Cooper. We’ll go the mall, it’s about
thirty minutes away and we’ll grab lunch when we get there.”

She tossed her bag over her shoulder, hesitating as she debated whether to go or not.
She had clothes to wear, but Sarah was right. This was a date with Cooper. She wanted
something to really wow him. She could afford to splurge, just this once, to make
a good impression.

The two walked up the stairs to the road above. Sarah squeezed her bicep gently. “We’ll
talk more tomorrow. Later!” And with a wave, she headed for her car in the beach lot
nearby.

Everything felt a little surreal. Sarah was right: Kyla deserved a little fun and
flirting and admiration from a hot guy, no matter how long it lasted. She was determined
to go with the flow and see what happened.

• • •

Cooper ran a hand through his hair as he stared down at the insides of Kyla’s car.
They had ordered some of the parts and today he finally had a chance to actually get
started. A part of him didn’t want fix the vehicle too quickly. He knew it was selfish
and that he couldn’t stop Kyla from leaving town if she wanted to go. But he hoped
she’d stay. There was something happening between them and he wanted to explore it.

That thought alone scared him a little. Whatever was happening was something he hadn’t
felt before. His ex-fiancée—he’d thought that was love. But when he walked in on her
and one of his best friends naked in his bed three months before they were supposed
to get married, he was hurt. And he was pissed. But he didn’t feel like his world
was ending. In fact, when the wedding was cancelled and her stuff moved out of his
old apartment, he only felt relief. He’d felt like he could breathe.

That breathing got even easier when he met Kyla. He’d been dealing with this mess
with the cops in Ashten Falls, while at the same time burying himself in his work
at the shops. He had forgotten what it felt like to be attracted to someone for more
than what they looked like. To want more than just a quick fuck. When she smiled and
let go of the pain he saw in her eyes that she tried to hide, he saw something he
knew he wanted and wouldn’t give up without a fight.

Cooper’s hand clenched around the edge of the car as he thought of Kyla’s reaction
to him. She had flinched and he saw fear in her eyes before realizing it was him.
He didn’t want to push too hard. She had to get comfortable and trust him enough to
open up to him. He could be patient. But what he knew so far, he didn’t like. Kyla’s
ex, the cop she mentioned, did a number on her and Cooper had to fight the urge to
force her to tell him who the guy was so he could deal with it.

“Hey, Coop. I’m not as good with cars as you are, but I’m thinking that glaring at
the engine won’t make it work. Just sayin’.”

He twisted his head to the side to greet his visitor. “Hey, Sam. Yeah, I’m finding
that out the hard way. If she wasn’t such a beauty, I’d toss her out of here.”

“You talking about the car or the car’s owner?”

He straightened and closed the hood. “Don’t start, man. Seriously not in the mood.”

Sam grinned, “I love this. Who would have thought you, who refused to get serious
with anyone since that ex-bitch of yours proved to you she was in fact a cheating
bitch, would fall the first time Kyla batted her lashes. Get used to the ribbing.”
Sam clapped a hand on Cooper’s shoulder, “And from what the boys tell me, she’s hot.
So when do I get to meet her, or are you keeping me out of the way in case she realizes
I’m a much better catch?”

At that statement it was his turn to laugh, the sound echoing through the garage,
“The day a woman catches you, Sam Martin, will be the day Phil finally gets off his
ass and asks Sheena to marry him. Not going to happen.”

Sam tilted his head to the side and looked contemplative. “Never know. The right woman
might persuade me. Speaking of Phil, when is he going to ask Sheena to get married?
They’ve been together since high school and steady since college. What the hell is
taking him so long?”

Cooper shrugged, “No clue, man. Better do it soon or else Sheena and his mom are going
to pick a date and drag his ass to the church.” He walked to the long bench in the
back of the garage and started cleaning up. “So what brings you by the garage, Sam?
Aren’t you usually at the pub on Friday afternoons? Or are you leaving again?”

Sam, when he returned to the States and was discharged from the army, had come back
to Ashten Falls ready to settle down and start a business. He had money socked away
from his time in the Rangers and used it to buy two of the abandoned warehouses on
the edge of the industrial district. It was sketchy territory and everyone wondered
what the hell Sam was up to with this project of his. Before their eyes, he poured
all his efforts into the first building, restoring it into an entertainment hot spot
known as The Warehouse, but still kept the industrial look. It wasn’t anything fancy,
but it was good food that didn’t break the bank. It was someplace to take a woman
on a date, and that date could then expand to the dance floor and stage, which covered
the other two-thirds of the space.

Opening The Warehouse wasn’t the only iron Sam had in the fire. Cooper knew he still
did some work for a security contractor as needed and had only just returned from
doing something he couldn’t talk about. He only cared that his friend came home alive.

“Nah, not going anywhere for the next year or so. I needed a break, and working as
an independent I told ‘em to take me off the rotation. If they need something that
is in my area, they might call, but if it’s overseas, no way. Reason I’m here is about
Saybrook.”

He tensed and leaned against the bench. “Shit. What’d he do now?”

“Nothing major, at least not for him. A guy was coming in from Portland. One of Saybrook’s
guys stopped him, just inside the town limits. Beat ‘em pretty good. The guy has some
serious head trauma. Maybe this is something we can leak to Justin. He could run a
story to put the cops on notice that people are watching.”

“Who the fuck is going to care about a dealer who gets his face rearranged by a cop?
They’ll just be glad he’s out of commission. And Justin would run with this story,
but I don’t want to get him caught in the middle. Last thing he and Maggie need are
the cops targeting him. Shit.” Cooper wiped his hand over his face, “Any other trouble,
maybe with a credible victim?”

“Nope. Like I said, Saybrook is being careful. He knows we’re watching him. How could
he not? Wherever Saybrook goes, one of us is there. Gotta be honest though, I’d rather
have him stomping around and being an ass than laying low and quiet. Gives me the
creeps.”

“Yeah. I know what you mean.”

“So seriously, what’s going on with this woman of yours? You two tight or what?”

Cooper lifted his shoulders in a shrug. He liked Kyla, for a lot of reasons. Not only
was she beautiful, but she was also smart, funny, had a smile that knocked his socks
off, and if the kids who hung out at the store were right, had a whole mess of musical
talent. Kyla also brought out his protective instincts though. Whenever he saw that
look of fear cross her face he wanted to wrap her in his arms and shield her from
whoever put it there. “Don’t know. Things are new and I don’t want to push her into
something. She’s in a fragile place from what I can tell, had an asshole ex who really
fucked with her head. I don’t know the full story, but it seems pretty bad. I’m going
to do what I can to get in there.”

“Careful, man. You sure you want to take on something you need to fix?”

“I don’t need to fix anything. She’d not a broken clock. Whatever happened to Kyla
threw her for a loop, and I know that ‘cause if you startle her, she jumps a fuckin’
mile and tries to kick and fight like her life depends on it. I can be patient with
that. And being patient isn’t the same as me fixing her. That’s just me knowing that
she’s worth getting through whatever shit we have to until she’s clear on the other
side.”

Sam blinked and didn’t even try to hide the surprise on his face. “Well, it’s good
you see it that way. If she has the power to reel you in, she must be pretty amazing.
Though I guess she has to be, if she has the patience to put up with you. I can’t
wait to meet her. Now, are you done for the day or what? I want a beer and figured
we could go to the club for some dinner.”

“ I’ll meet you there in, say, thirty minutes. I need to shower and change.”

“Sounds good to me.”

He watched Sam leave and closed down the garage for the night. As he made his way
out the back door, his eyes drifted up to Kyla’s window. He wondered where she was
tonight, since it was early and the lights were off. He shook off that thought and
the desire he felt to go find her, and instead got in his truck and headed home.

The morning started out with Kyla working in the office, her back to the door of the
garage as she went through a filing cabinet.

“Kyla.”

She heard Cooper’s voice but didn’t turn her head when she asked, “Yeah?”

“Come here.”

“Coop, I need to get this done; your filing system is serious crap. Things were just
thrown in here, with no system, no folders, not even in alphabetical order. I need
to finish this, it’s making me twitchy.”

He moved up behind her and swept her hair off her shoulder with his chin, his arms
wrapping around her waist.

“You have issues. It’s just filing.”

She twisted her head to look up into those fabulous blues of his. “You’ll have issues
if things aren’t in order and you need to find something at some point. A little organization
can go a long way. . .”

She trailed off when she felt Cooper’s lips on her neck and one hand snaking up the
front of her shirt to stroke along the side of her breast. “Cooper, we’re at work.”
Her statement didn’t hold much protest though. She was too distracted by the way he
was making her body feel with just his lips.

“Relax, no one can see. Even if anyone is looking, they’d just see my back. But no
one is, ‘cause I shut the blind when I came in here.”

She closed her eyes and tried to resist but failed, and instead melted against him
and tilted her neck more to give him better access. “Well next time lock the door.”

Cooper nipped her soft skin and laved the spot with his tongue to soothe the area.
His murmured words filtered into her brain slower than they would have if he wasn’t
driving her body to arch back against him.

He brushed his hand over her breast, his thumb and forefinger moving over her nipple.
Kyla arched up into his hand and sighed. “Kyla, I gotta cancel our date. I have to
head to Portland, as in now. I am so sorry.” He pulled her to him and leaned his forehead
on hers. “I won’t be back until after ten, but I can stop over after if you want.”

She twisted her head toward him and lifted on her toes kiss him, a light and sweet
kiss. “And is this why you’re trying to get to second base with me right now? Soften
me up when you stand me up?” Her tone was light. “Work is work, Cooper. I understand.
If you aren’t going to be around, then I will head to Felicia’s, that strip club Sarah
works at, to hang out with her. She wants me to see the place she works at, or one
of them.”

Cooper squeezed her tighter against him. “If these kinds of distractions work, expect
many, many more in the future, babe.” He winked and slid his nose down her cheek.
“If you go out, be careful. I will try to come by when I get back. And our date will
happen, just not tonight. Got it?”

Kyla nodded and kissed him, her lips pulsing over his and she took the initiative,
plunging her tongue into his mouth to dance with his. She sucked on it and pressed
her hips against his.

He groaned and pulled back. “I have to go.”

“Then go, before I take your clothes off right now. Just, go!” She pushed him toward
the door, “And hurry back.” She turned and shut the door, leaving them both grinning.

• • •

When Kyla had locked up the office for the night, she headed back to the motel to
change into a black jean skirt, high heeled sandals, and tank top, with a light, see-
through sweater over it that had a wide neck and slid off her shoulder showing enough
skin to be sexy but not slutty. Sarah had assured her that, although there would be
half-naked women at Felicia’s, it wasn’t sleazy at all.

Kyla confirmed that the moment she walked into the place. The décor was warm and inviting,
with shades of greens and blues on the walls and tabletops. The lighting was low,
but accented by fairy lights scattered over potted trees that were placed on the edges
of the room, around the bar, over the archway that led to the private rooms, and near
the stage. The high-backed booths and round tables weren’t crowded together, but were
instead strategically placed to give the patrons and the dancers privacy when needed.
The stage itself was built to give everyone a view of the entertainment and allow
enough walking space between it and the seating areas so people weren’t falling all
over each other. Sure, the waitresses were wearing tight shirts, short skirts and
high heels, but it wasn’t any worse than your average sports bar. And the dancers
themselves had gorgeous costumes they started out in, slowly taking them off as they
moved their bodies to the music pumping through the sound system. And the dancing
was good. The women who worked the stages had real talent in that department and that
talent almost made you forget they were naked by the end of each song.