Breaking Even (Sterling Shore 5)

Wren becomes a forgotten fixture when a cab pulls up, and Brin steps out after paying the guy. What the fucking hell is going on?

I’m running across the street before I know it, and she’s turning to face me just as she unlocks the door to her house.

“You need to shave,” she says, surprising me for long enough to get the door almost shut before I can speak.

“Brin, where’s your car?” I ask, shouldering through the door before she can lock it on me.

She curses under her breath and glares at the door like it just betrayed her. I give the two of them a moment, but she finally turns back to me as I stare expectantly.

“It’s getting some work done.”

All the worst possible scenarios rattle around in my head as the gut-clenching feeling invades.

“Did you wreck? Are you okay? Have you been in the hospital or something?”

She sighs as she drops her purse to the floor, and then she comes over to me. I glance down at her work attire, and a little relief settles in my bones. She wouldn’t be at work i

f she was hurt.

When she grabs the back of my neck, I almost bash my mouth into hers for the kiss I’ve been starving for.

My hands are on her, my body pushes against her, and I can’t get enough of her taste when she gives me what I’ve been desperately missing. She jumps up and wraps her legs around me, and I groan into her mouth while pushing her up against the wall. This is so damn right.

Her tongue toys with mine, and I start trying to figure out the best way to get my pants down. But before I can, she pulls back, drops to the ground, and pushes me away when I try to resume the perfect kiss. My mouth opens in disbelief when she goes to open the door.

“Go. I’m fine. Just a bad few days.”

I stand my ground and give her an incredulous look. “What the hell? You just kissed me.”

“Confused?” she asks, crossing her arms under her perky breasts that jut out from the motion, but it only distracts me for a second.

“Pretty fucking confused, yeah,” I growl.

“Good. Welcome to my hell. We’re even. Now go.”

I try to say something, but I have no idea what to say. She just kissed me, put her legs around me, and now she’s kicking me out just when things were getting good. Is this really how she feels right now? Because I think my head is going to explode.

Chapter 17

***

RYE

Maggie steps out of her car and walks toward me with a frown.

“Why was it so urgent we meet?” she asks, standing beside my bike as I knock down the stand. Slowly, I stand up, crossing my arms over my chest as we move to the sidewalk and out of the city street.

“Because something has obviously happened to Brin’s car and I want to know what. No one else can fix her car better than my garage. So tell me where it is.”

She rolls her eyes as she fidgets uncomfortably.

“Do you even go to your garage anymore?”

“I’m there enough. Where’s her car? I’ll have it towed to my place. I don’t want some hack mechanic touching the vehicle she drives. I don’t understand how it tore up to begin with. We replaced—”

“It didn’t tear up,” she mutters, inhaling regretfully. “Pawn shop took it. Her ex pawned her title for a grand, but the interest added up when he didn’t pay for it, and Brin couldn’t pay the six grand in time. She refused to take my money or tell me which pawn shop. I even went to several trying to find the right one.”

“How the hell could he have pawned it without taking it in for them to appraise the value?”