Mancave (Wild Men 3)

“Listen…” Evan chews on the inside of his cheek. “Why don’t you guys bring your things inside? And then we can talk. You can stay here. I have a guest room upstairs that you can use.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Matt says, and gets up to bring our stuff inside.

I look at Evan who has closed his eyes again, as if fighting exhaustion, and get up to follow Matt outside, to give him a moment alone.

When I reach the truck, I find that Matt has already taken our bags out and is lugging them down the path toward the house. Jeez, his clothes and stuff all fit in a duffel bag.

Of course, right? Men.

I mean, I don’t get it. I’m by no means a vain girl. I rarely put on make-up, don’t pay too much attention to what I’m wearing, unlike Gigi, for instance. I’m easy-going. I like my dresses, my sensible low-heeled shoes. And yet I have a suitcase full to bursting, and I’m not sure I have enough clothes. I mean, what if we end up staying a few days longer? Or if it gets colder? Or warmer?

A duffel bag. Seriously.

Also, he’s lifting my suitcase with one hand like it’s a toy. Like, it’s empty or filled with feathers, though his biceps bulge under his sweater, and my mouth waters. I love how strong he is, love his body, and what I wouldn’t give to run my hands all over him right now…

Not the time to be horny, I remind myself as I step aside to let him pass. God, what’s wrong with me today? My husband is super-hot, but we’re in the middle of something.

“Coming inside?” said super-hot husband asks, shooting me a half-grin. “I think you’re still asleep.”

I laugh. “Maybe a little.”

The garden looks like it’s been neglected for months, I notice as I hurry back into the house. The fence too. The house paint is peeling in long strips.

This is the thing that was bothering me when we arrived earlier.

Evan only just had the accident. I’ve known him for a long time, though we were never friends. He’s lived in Destiny for many years. When I was in high school, he was already working at Jasper’s Garage, and my impression of him has always been that of a neat person. Why did he let everything go into disrepair?

Could it have anything to do with what he has to tell us about Jasper?

Matt puts down our bags in the hallway and reaches for my hand, tugging me in for a quick kiss before he leads me back into the kitchen, where Evan is sitting exactly where we left him.

He looks up when we enter, and yeah, he looks worn out, dark bags under his eyes that I hadn’t noticed before. He looks as excited to talk about his problems as someone strapped to a mad dentist’s chair.

Matt releases my hand and drops in his chair. “Bags are in. Now talk.”

“Always so charming,” Evan grumbles. His face is very pale and beaded with sweat.

I hover by my chair, not ready to sit yet. Worried. “Are you in pain? Shall I bring you some painkillers? Or something to eat?”

He shoots me a startled look. “I’m okay. Thank you, Octavi

a.”

Not reassured, I take my seat, and knot my hands on the table. “Don’t hesitate to ask. That’s what we’re here for, anyway.”

A blush rises to his pale cheeks. “That’s kind of you. I’m asking too much of both of you. You have your family, your kids at home.”

“The kids are fine, staying with Matt’s mom,” I say quickly, because I’m pretty sure Matt is freaking out about it already, even if we’ve only been away a few hours. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Jasper, Evan.” Matt’s glaring at his friend. He looks as if he’d jump over the table and shake him bodily if Evan wasn’t so banged up already. “Spill.”

“Look… Since all that happened with that psycho who kidnapped Octavia and your kids, since you guys left… things have gone downhill. Jasper sort of… lost it.” Evan’s hand spasms on the table. He curls it into a fist. “He’s been yelling at everyone at the shop, breaking things, smashing up the shop. Drinking and picking fistfights, vanishing from work for days and then returning to terrorize us.”

“Hell,” Matt says with feeling.

“Yeah. Hell is a good description. And it gets worse. He’s supposed to take on the more difficult jobs. And he’s been fucking them up. Goddammit, Matt, I had to stand up to him, tell him he can’t take on jobs if he puts people’s lives in danger, but he shoved me away and laughed. Said it’s his shop.”

Holy crap.