19
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Lynx hadn’t been able to sleep for shit last night. It was the very reason he was at the shop early the next morning. He and Copenhagen had even arrived before Wolfe for the first time … well, ever.
His first order of business had been to start coffee, which he’d done, then proceeded to drink the entire pot while he pulled the parts out for another pair of rocking chairs. They happened to be the most popular piece of furniture they sold in the store. Seemed no matter how many he made, they never lasted long, and Calvin was always asking him to bring more.
So, after the first pot was gone, he got the second one going and got to work, all the while thinking about Reagan. He hadn’t seen or heard from her since yesterday afternoon at Wolfe’s house. Not that he blamed her. After having to hear Amy’s story again, listening to the pain she’d endured, Lynx had needed some time to himself as well.
Now, he merely wanted to know how they were going to stop a man who seemed to wield all the power. Lynx still didn’t understand why Amy couldn’t go public so they could get this over with. She’d even said she wanted to, but now they were going back on that. It seemed simple to him. If she went public, there would be a lot of heat on that bastard, which would ultimately keep him from sneaking around trying to fucking kill people.
However, it appeared Lynx was the only one thinking along those lines. According to Madison, the idea was to lure him out and stop him once and for all.
Of course, that made sense to Lynx, too. If Amy went public and the guy stopped making his attempts, it would be Amy’s word against his, and Kelly Jackson would likely walk around a free man indefinitely. After all, he was the chief of police. People respected him. Granted, they didn’t know he was a monster who should be locked up indefinitely.
And right now, Madison said her brother wanted enough evidence to stick the asshole with multiple charges of attempted murder as well as the murder charges for the man’s two dead wives and the police detective.
Lynx just didn’t want the man to succeed in taking someone else out, and based on his actions, the asshole was bound to get lucky at some point. Then again, if the mafia was after him…
“Holy shit!” Wolfe yelled when he stepped into the shop. “Did hell freeze over and I didn’t get the memo?”
Lynx flipped his cousin off, which earned him a grin from both Amy and Wolfe. Copenhagen took off at a trot over to the new arrivals, eager for some attention.
Watching the pair, Lynx grinned when Wolfe pulled Amy against him, their lips coming together.
“Hey,” Lynx called out. “None of that kissy-face shit in here.”
Wolfe and Amy chuckled as she kissed him quickly before turning to go up the stairs.
“I think there’s a rule somewhere that says once you move in with someone, that shit stops,” Lynx continued.
“Not in my world, it don’t,” Wolfe noted. “And you wanna tell me why your happy ass is here before the sun’s up?”
“Bored,” he said, standing up and leaning against the steel beam. The second he touched the damn thing, the memory of him holding Reagan right here, his fingers buried in her silky heat, assaulted him. That seemed like a million years ago and it had been less than forty-eight hours.
“You get ahold of anyone yesterday?” Wolfe asked as he moved closer.
Shaking off the erotic thoughts of Reagan, Lynx let Wolfe’s question sink in. Wolfe had to be referring to the crew he was wrangling together to get started on the rebuild of Reagan’s bar. The favors he had called in.
He nodded. “I did. Harlow’s gonna loan us his equipment. Got Ben and Ed headin’ over this mornin’ to clear the lot.”
Wolfe frowned.
“Don’t worry,” Lynx told his cousin. “I talked to Rhys. He gave me the go-ahead. Just said we couldn’t touch the propane tank, or what’s left of it, anyway, until he signed off on the investigation.” Something about ongoing bullshit that Lynx knew wouldn’t matter anyway. They weren’t going to find anything, but apparently Rhys had to do his due diligence to make everyone happy. “You get ahold of Ron?”
Wolfe nodded. “He’s sendin’ over a couple of dumpsters this mornin’. Said he’d be able to pick ’em up later today.”
“Perfect.” Lynx had spent the better part of yesterday evening on his phone, recruiting people to help clear the remains of Reagan’s bar so they could start the rebuild.
“She know yet?”
Lynx shrugged. He hadn’t told Reagan that they were starting the demolition on the remains of the old building so they could get the new one underway. He’d heard her mention calling the insurance company this morning, and she’d seemed extremely stressed, so he hadn’t wanted to add to that.
“How’re things goin’ with … you know?”
Cocking one eyebrow, Lynx waited for his cousin to elaborate.
“With you and Reagan?”
Shaking his head, he turned to get back to work. He didn’t want to talk about him and Reagan right now. For one, he had no fucking clue where they stood. It seemed she’d turned this thing between them into a friendship. And with all the shit going on, he wasn’t sure how to move things in the right direction. The only thing he could do was help her out and wait for her to come around.
Wolfe chuckled and Lynx spun around to look at him.
“Man, you got it bad.”
His middle finger automatically went up, but Lynx couldn’t hide his smile.
“You up for breakfast in a bit?” Wolfe asked, thankfully changing the subject.
“Hell yeah.”
“Cool. Give me some time to get shit ready for the day and we’ll head over.”
An hour later, Lynx was walking into the diner. He’d taken Copenhagen over to the store to chill with Calvin for a bit. When he arrived, Wolfe and Amy were already there, sitting at their table in the back. He glanced around, taking in all the faces, offering up a couple of waves.
“Hey, Lynx.”
Turning, he saw Darrell Jameson waving him over.
Lynx lifted his eyebrows in question.
“What can we do to help out at Reagan’s? Got a construction crew itchin’ to pitch in. You got some plans sketched out yet?”
“Workin’ on it,” Lynx told him. In fact, he’d drawn up the plans for the new place last night while he’d been sitting on his ass wishing like hell Reagan had stayed over again.
“When you get ’em, let me take a look. I can work on some of the permits, then I’ll grab more guys if I need ’em.”
Lynx nodded, then held out his hand. “Thanks.”
“Happy to help.”
Turning back toward the table, Lynx couldn’t help but smile.
This was what living in a small town was all about.
Reagan hadn’t been able to sleep at all last night. Seemed every time she closed her eyes, the memory of the explosion came rushing back. The fire, the heat, the fear … it all resounded in her head and her eyes had refused to close again. At one point, she had gotten up and rearranged the dishes in the kitchen in an order that made more sense to her. From there, she had situated the furniture in the living room on the opposite wall, opening up the space and making it feel a little less like Amy’s place.
By then she’d been exhausted, but sleep still wouldn’t come.
Part of her had wished she’d agreed to stay at Lynx’s when he’d offered, but she knew that was not a good idea.
For one, she was having a difficult time not thinking about him nonstop. Right now, Reagan needed to focus on getting her shit together, to figure out what was up, because her life had been turned upside down in the past few days. Definitely not spending all her time thinking about Lynx, wishing his hands were on here, wanting nothing more than to lose herself in him for a little while.
Which was the reason she was heading over to the bar. Or the parking lot, as it may be. She’d called the insurance company first thing only to be told it would take some time for them to investigate, to get the police report and whatnot. Luckily, she’d taken plenty of pictures, so she shot those over to them via email, hoping they would suffice. However, what she thought would be a simple, quick process sounded anything but. And now she’d added figure out how to pay the bills to her list of things to do.
She had some money put aside, but it wasn’t like she made a lot. The place had been in their family for decades, but when it’d come time for her father to take over, he had refused, letting it rot. She could still remember the heated argument she had with her father when she told him she wanted to open a bar there. He had insisted she couldn’t do it, and that had made Reagan work harder to make it a success.
It cost plenty to keep the bar open and Reagan refused to charge ridiculous prices for beer. When she’d originally opened, she had made a promise to herself that she’d keep it a local hangout. Most of the tourists ventured over to Marla’s Bar, where they could get liquor, dinner, and a little dancing. At Reagan’s, the highlight of the evening was when drunk fools wagered on their pool game.
But it was hers and she loved it. Now she just missed it.
Pulling into the parking lot, Reagan’s jaw dropped when she saw a couple of backhoes and tractors in the process of moving the debris into a dumpster.
She slammed Lynx’s truck into park and hopped out, waving her arms to get their attention.
When the tractor stopped, she marched over, her eyes coming to rest on Ed Davis, one of the regulars at her bar. “What’re you doin’?”
The man frowned. “Cleanin’ this up.”
“Why?”
He glanced over at the other man, then back to her. “Lynx Caine asked us to help out.”
Lynx.
Of course.
Reagan had to spin away from the man as tears flooded her eyes, her heart squeezing tightly in her chest.
Lynx was taking care of her. The same way he took care of everyone in this town. Anytime something happened — whether it was a new baby, a birthday, graduation, even a funeral — it seemed Lynx was somewhere in there, making things happen for people.
It didn’t surprise her, although at the same time, she didn’t know what to think.
Without saying another word, she fled to the truck and climbed in, not wanting them to see her cry, because there was no way she could hold back the tears now. Lynx had done this. He’d gotten some people over here to help out already.
What was she going to do with that man? Why did he have to be so sweet?
Of course, then her thoughts drifted to Billy. She hadn’t even heard from the asshole, and she knew he was still in town. No way did he not know about the explosion considering he’d been brought in for questioning. Nope, the man she’d spent ten years with hadn’t bothered to call and see if she was okay.
“Because he’s an asshole,” she muttered to herself.
The polar opposite of Lynx. Damn. She was in so much trouble here.
Taking a deep breath, Reagan gripped the steering wheel and fought the tears back. She couldn’t cry. It wasn’t going to do her any good. Didn’t matter that they were from the relief she felt. Truth was, she didn’t deserve Lynx’s kindness right now. She felt guilty enough about the way she’d treated him. More so about how she wanted nothing more than to hide in the shelter of his arms and let him take care of this mess. He would do it, she had no doubt. That was the way he was. The man looked out for his friends.
But she didn’t want to be his friend, no matter what she told him.
She wanted so much more. However, her heart wasn’t strong enough for what Lynx would do to it. He was the only man in the world who had the power to break it, and she would rather spend a lifetime alone than to feel that kind of pain again. It’d happened once before. Back when she realized Lynx wasn’t within her grasp, that he was more interested in drifting from one woman to another than to give them a chance.
That was the very reason she’d started dating Billy Watson. One day after school, Reagan had spotted Lynx with Angie Chesney in town, watched him kiss her near the gas pumps over at the Pump ’n Go, and her heart had been shattered. His desire to hop from one woman to another was also why she’d continued to take Billy back despite the fact that their relationship had been doomed from the start. Ten years she’d fought her desire for Lynx Caine.
She realized the two men on the tractors were watching her, so she waved, then started the truck. She figured she might be able to catch Lynx at the diner, and if not, he would probably be at the shop.
It was time they had a little heart-to-heart.
After all, the man was now officially divorced, which meant she had no more excuses.
Just as she’d thought, Reagan found Lynx at the shop a short time later. The door was open and she heard the whine of a saw spilling out into the parking lot. When she stepped inside the cool interior, her eyes took a moment to adjust. By the time they did, the saw had shut off and Wolfe was looking her way.
“Hey,” she greeted. “Is…?” Her attention was pulled to movement at the far end of the warehouse.
Her gaze landed on Lynx, who was armed with sandpaper and a worried expression on his face.
“Mind if I talk to him?” she asked Wolfe, waving her hand in Lynx’s direction.
“Not at all,” he grinned, glancing at his cousin. “I needed to talk to Amy anyway.”
She knew that was a lie, but she wasn’t about to say anything. A few minutes alone with Lynx was all she needed.
Okay, that was a lie.
She needed more than a few minutes. Not to mention, somewhere that offered more privacy than this. But right now, this would have to do.
“Thanks.”
By the time she reached Lynx, he was leaning against a table, arms crossed over his wide chest as though he was expecting an ass chewing.
“Imagine my surprise,” she began, “when I stopped over at the bar and found a couple of guys clearin’ things out.”
His dark eyebrow lifted slightly, but he didn’t speak.
Reagan moved closer, the butterflies in her stomach taking flight.
She closed the distance between them until they were toe-to-toe. Then she put her hands on his waist as she stared up into those gorgeous green eyes. Touching him was a gamble, but her hands didn’t seem to hear the warning her heart was giving them.
“I’m not sure…” Her heart squeezed in her chest and she started over. “I’m not sure what I’m gonna do with you.”
Her voice was so soft she wasn’t sure he’d heard the words. The way his eyes traveled over her face had her body warming. It didn’t help that she was touching him, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.
“You don’t have to help me out, Lynx.” She shook her head, knowing that came out wrong. “I appreciate it, sure. But…”
Lynx moved and the words caught in her throat when he cupped her face, then leaned down and kissed her. His lips were soft, warm, and so gentle her heart flipped over.
She wasn’t sure if the move was meant to shut her up or not, but it worked. Although he kept it soft and sweet, Reagan couldn’t seem to maintain his leisurely pace. Within seconds of his lips touching hers, her body throbbed, her pulse sped up, and she once again found herself trying to climb his body.
The rough groan that rumbled in his chest only made her body heat more, her need for him intensifying. She’d been fighting this for so long and she wanted to give in, to allow him to take her mind off all the crap that was going on right now. Granted, she’d learned not to say as much, because the man was quick to take the offer off the table whenever she mentioned that this thing between them could only be temporary. She wasn’t sure what he was after, but she knew he wanted her complete surrender.
Not that she was capable of giving that to him.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t pretend so they could both get what they wanted.
The only thing she had to do was make sure her heart understood this wasn’t a forever kind of deal and thinking that it was would only cause more pain in the end.
Yeah. That was going to be the hard part.